A minute later, Shin came down to the yard and took the sakura dango onto a plate. Standing at the doorway, he smiled and said, "You're quite skillful. Thank you for the dango."
"Not at all… I'm just glad you don't dislike them." Ino sounded nervous, even stammering slightly.
Shin shook his head with a smile. "Why would I dislike them? But since it's the weekend, don't forget to keep up with your training."
He had hated hearing that line back when he was a student, but now that he was a teacher, it was something he had to say.
Ino's expression stiffened for a moment before she forced an awkward smile. "Of course… of course…"
But clearly, she hadn't been training much at home.
Lowering her head, she said, "Teacher, I want to get stronger. Can I train with you like Naruto does?"
"Hm?"
Shin paused, then quickly understood the young girl's meaning.
Having accepted her gift, it wouldn't feel right to give nothing in return. Besides, giving her something to focus on might keep her from overthinking all day.
After a moment of thought, he said, "I specialize more in taijutsu, but your aptitude for it is fairly average…"
A trace of disappointment appeared on Ino's face.
Then Shin continued, "Besides, I'm no longer training Naruto."
"Ah?"
Ino blinked in confusion.
Outdated information?
Shin explained, "I trained Naruto because I hoped he'd find his way back and not waste his talent."
He let out a soft sigh, his expression gentle. "If someone can only train under external pressure, they'll never truly succeed. So I can't keep restraining him forever."
Ino's eyes lit up instantly. "That makes sense!"
"Hm?"
Shin looked at her curiously.
Why was she so excited?
Ino beamed. "Shikamaru's always been smart, but he's super lazy. Even Uncle Shikaku can't do anything about it. If you helped straighten him out, Uncle Shikaku would definitely be grateful!"
Shin's lips twitched.
He had pushed Naruto hard for a reason—there was a "reward" involved. As for Shikamaru, there was no such motivation…
Besides, the same methods definitely wouldn't work on him.
Still, forming a connection with the Nara clan wasn't a bad idea. They were a major medicinal family, rich in all kinds of herbs.
Shin quickly ran through the thought, then looked at the girl in front of him and smiled. "Instead of worrying about others, you should think about yourself."
"Me?" Ino was momentarily stunned.
"Your taijutsu is weak, but your chakra control is excellent. Aside from your clan's secret techniques, ninjutsu and genjutsu are both good paths for you."
Shin's smile was warm and flawless. "But if you ask me, you might want to consider medical ninjutsu."
"Medical ninjutsu?" She frowned, then fell into thought. "That requires a lot of knowledge, doesn't it?"
"It does." Shin nodded. "The three of you will likely be on the same team in the future. If one of you learns medical ninjutsu, you'll be better prepared for unexpected situations."
Ino fell silent in thought.
A few seconds later, she hesitated before asking, "Sakura… would be similar to me, right?"
"Of course." Shin nodded.
Ino smiled sweetly, thanked him softly, and turned to leave.
Shin picked up a piece of dango and tasted it.
A bit too sweet.
After finishing, he went out as usual for a run and training.
Now that he had the training space, he didn't need to practice ninjutsu outside anymore.
But considering the Third Hokage and Danzo, Shin felt it was still necessary to keep up appearances.
…
Monday morning, in the classroom.
Most of the students had already arrived early.
Ino entered the room, glanced around, and quickly walked toward Sakura Haruno.
"Hey, Forehead—"
"Ino!"
Sakura frowned, a hint of irritation on her face, ready to snap back—only to see Ino casually sit down beside her.
Then Ino leaned closer.
"I went to see Teacher Shin yesterday."
"What?" Sakura looked shocked, glancing around before lowering her voice. "You actually went?"
"Of course!"
Ino lifted her chin proudly.
Then she waved her hand. "That's not the point. The point is, Teacher Shin said my chakra control is strong and suggested I learn medical knowledge alongside my training, so I can study medical ninjutsu in the future."
She went on to enthusiastically "show off" all the benefits to Sakura.
At first, Sakura didn't fully process it. Since it had nothing to do with Sasuke, she wasn't bothered. But as Ino stood up to return to her seat, Sakura suddenly understood.
"Ino!"
"Hm?"
"Thank you… and… I'm sorry."
Sakura lowered her head slightly.
Ino waved it off with a smile. "We're friends, Sakura. Do your best!"
"I will!"
Sakura watched her leave, eyes growing moist as she stood there in a daze.
Until—
"Sakura-chan!"
A large face popped into view.
Sakura clenched her fists, barely restraining her anger. "Naruto!!!"
"Sakura-chan, did you see the Hokage building the other day? Hahaha! A bunch of ninja couldn't even catch me!"
Naruto boasted proudly.
Bang!
Pain exploded on his head.
Clutching it, he heard Sakura's furious roar. "You idiot! I was just starting to think you'd improved, and then you go and do something this stupid!"
The next moment, she spotted Sasuke entering the room. Instantly, she withdrew her hand and put on a gentle smile.
But Sasuke didn't even glance at her. He only gave Naruto a brief look, his eyes carrying a strange emotion.
He sat down, distracted, barely paying attention during the ninjutsu class.
Only during taijutsu class did his spirit sharpen.
He planned to ask Shin for guidance.
But just as everyone gathered and Shin was about to begin—
Rustle.
A sound came from the bushes nearby.
Shin's body tensed instantly. He kicked backward, his heel slamming into the figure attacking from behind.
After a brief clash, the opponent vanished.
But when the figure reappeared and threw a punch, Shin was already gone.
"Not bad! Let's go again!"
Without waiting for a reply, the attacker kicked toward his rear-left with incredible speed.
Shin reached out to grab the ankle.
But the opponent withdrew instantly, disappearing again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Both of them moved with incredible speed and reaction time, neither able to gain the upper hand.
"Amazing!"
"They're both so strong!"
"Can sensei win?"
The students watched, tense and excited.
Sasuke stared intently at the two, shock filling his heart.
He recalled his earlier spar with Shin.
Back then… Shin hadn't taken him seriously at all. It had just been play.
"This… is a Chunin?"
If a mere Chunin was this strong, then what about his brother?
Sasuke thought of Itachi, his admiration deepening.
At the same time, he completely discarded any underestimation of Shin.
This taijutsu teacher was strong.
Suddenly—
"Go!"
A shout rang out beside him.
Everyone turned to look.
Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs, completely ignoring the situation, "Beat him up! Don't lose to that sneaky attacker!"