A memory suddenly flashed through Sasuke's mind like lightning.
'Isn't this exactly the gesture Nii-chan uses on me?'
'Why does Shishou now also like tapping my forehead the same way?'
Sasuke shook his head and brushed Rengoku's hand away.
"Shishou, I've already grown taller! And I've become stronger too!"
Then he continued, "Shishou, just wait a little longer. I'm sure I'll defeat Karin and take back the title of 'Senpai' that belongs to me!"
Standing nearby, Rengoku revealed a faint, unreadable expression. First he gave Sasuke a strange look, then his gaze shifted to Karin, who was covering her mouth while quietly laughing.
After a moment, Rengoku slowly spoke in response.
"Mm. I'm looking forward to that day."
Over the past few years, everyone had changed quite a lot.
Aside from Karin, whose figure had already settled into its current shape five years ago.
The growth rate of the others could only be described as astonishing.
As for Hotaru, she had already grown into a graceful young woman, tall and elegant, completely blossoming into a beautiful lady.
Ajisai had always been the naturally slender type.
Even though she was the same age as Hotaru, her figure looked tall and thin, giving off a light and agile feeling.
As for Kurama Yakumo, Rengoku was already quite familiar with her appearance.
Because as early as five years ago, Yakumo's Ido form had already looked like this, so Rengoku had long expected it.
Finally, let's look at those two guys, Sasuke and Naruto. After years of training, the two of them had both grown tall and sturdy.
Especially Naruto. After receiving proper nutrition, his height was now almost the same as Sasuke's.
He was no longer that short little kid who looked stunted from malnutrition.
Hinata stood quietly beside Naruto. Her petite figure no longer shrank timidly the way it had when she was younger.
The little girl who once always lowered her head and never dared meet anyone's eyes had disappeared. In her place stood a young girl with a determined expression.
For someone whose family had gone through such drastic upheaval, she had to become strong in order to survive.
Yet even though her temperament had changed so greatly, whenever she accidentally glanced at Naruto, a faint blush still quietly appeared on her cheeks.
At this moment, Rengoku looked at the group of energetic youths in front of him, a trace of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.
"You are the first group of outstanding students to graduate successfully from the Elite Class. A long time ago, I already placed great hopes in all of you."
"You've gradually matured, and little by little you're becoming the backbone that will support this village's future."
"Today, I gathered you all here so you can display your current, true strength in front of me."
"Let me see just what level you've reached after all these years of growth."
As his words fell, Rengoku's gaze swept across every person present.
This time, he had come for two reasons.
On one hand, he wanted to examine the progress in strength of this younger generation, the ones he had personally brought back to the clan and carefully raised.
On the other hand, he also wanted to take this chance to observe how deep their bonds with him had grown.
This would have a major impact on Rengoku's next steps in becoming stronger.
Rengoku announced, "Next, I'll choose opponents for each of you to spar against."
"Whoever performs exceptionally well in this match will receive three times their usual pocket money this month."
The moment these words were spoken, everyone below instantly lit up with excitement, their eyes shining.
Because among them, most of the children had lost their parents.
After they joined the clan, Rengoku had been giving each of them a certain amount of pocket money every month.
Back when they were still at the Ninja Academy, they had no opportunity to earn money through their own efforts.
When you have money in your pocket, you feel secure. If you need something, you can simply buy it yourself.
This way, they could feel that they weren't alone, that they had a warm family standing behind them as support.
Especially for those who had once experienced the tragedy of their families being destroyed, this was undoubtedly a powerful force that could warm their hearts and soothe their wounds.
Now many years had passed since they graduated from the Ninja Academy.
After years of tempering and growth, not only had their strength grown significantly, they were even fully capable of earning generous rewards by carrHotaru out missions.
However, the money regularly given at home carried a meaning far beyond the money itself.
At that moment, a shout suddenly came from outside the training ground.
"Lord Rengoku, why didn't you call me too?"
As the voice rang out, a woman with a neat three-blade straight hairstyle ran over.
The woman had long, soft, off-white hair that flowed freely behind her as she ran, making her look full of energy and vitality.
The person rushing over in such a lively hurry was none other than the now fully grown Shion.
Before she even reached them, Shion eagerly stretched out her arms and lunged forward, trying to hug Rengoku's arm, her face brimming with excitement she could hardly suppress.
Seeing this, Karin quickly reached out and pressed a hand against Shion's forehead, successfully stopping her overly enthusiastic charge.
Karin scolded her with mild annoyance, "And you still have the nerve to say that. I went out of my way to call you just now, but when I got to your place, you weren't even there."
Because Shion, like Karin, specialized in the field of sealing techniques, the two interacted more and more frequently. Over time, they had become extremely close friends.
If one were to talk about Shion's lively and cheerful personality now, at least half the credit belonged to Karin.
Back then, all of them had been brought back to Konoha by Rengoku.
Perhaps due to the natural closeness among girls, these young women had quickly formed their own tight-knit group, looking after and supporting one another.
And Karin, the little foodie of the group, although she spent most of her time in Orochimaru's underground laboratory, would often be dragged out by the others during her free time to go search for delicious food.
Naturally, everyone got along extremely well.
At this moment, Shion didn't realize Karin's real intention in stopping her. She still spoke with a completely innocent expression.
"I just finished maintaining one of the sealing nodes. As soon as I got the message, I rushed here as fast as I could."
Standing nearby, Rengoku began arranging the matches, "In that case, let's divide the groups like this. Naruto will face Sasuke, Yakumo will fight Hotaru, Ajisai will duel Hinata. As for Shion, you'll be paired with Karin."
With Rengoku's command, everyone immediately sprang into action. They quickly found their respective opponents and entered a combat stance.
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