Chapter 156: Academic Year Over... Again

Time continued to pass by swiftly, and my pride only grew with every passing day.

My students were blossoming into wondrous Shinobi, and each one of them was slowly carving out a place for themselves amongst their own social circles.

The bonds forged between the entire class were strong, and many had come to put aside their differences during this time and instead focus on growing stronger.

Together.

It was something that I had always found cheesy; something that my Sensei's used to preach, and something I had thought nearly impossible amongst groups larger than a squad, and yet...

My entire class was slowly chipping away at that thought, creating friendships that would last years as they pushed one another further and further.

Some were sowing the seeds for something more than just friendship, and I knew that those pairings might one day bloom into something beautiful.

The first obvious one was Ami and Tenten; they had become inseparable, and the little Demon was sharpening her claws to protect her precious friend, who was no slouch on her own.

They spend most of their time together, and Ami had already seemed to figure out her feelings for Tenten, though Tenten seemed oblivious.

Then there was Naruto and Hinata, who were the opposite of Ami and Tenten; Hinata was striving to stand beside Naruto on equal footing, wanting to be the support that he needed to keep getting up with a smile on his face.

A rather interesting group was Sasuke with Ino and Sakura; the two girls seemed to have discovered the feelings they harbored for Sasuke and decided that they would explore them together, albeit still wanting to one up one another.

Midori and Kasumi continued to spend time together, but that was a pairing I was unsure of; they seemed more platonic than anything, though there were moments where it seemed to be more?

The most interesting was Fuki, who hung out with the twins a lot as well as Neji, so I was curious about her; she seemed interested in all three people, but had no idea on what she wanted...

Then again, this was all the overactive imagination of a caring Sensei who just wanted her pupils to find their partners, so who knows what will happen going forwards.

I wasn't going to interfere or even acknowledge those pairings to anyone out loud, keeping it to myself as I instead decided to just... observe it all.

Anyways, I was proud of them because they had grown stronger this year, learning the basics of their chakra as well as the basics of some or the simpler ninja tools, primarily kunai.

Their physical prowess was growing exponentially over time, but that just meant that next year, I needed to temper that increase of physical strength with mental strength, focusing them more on their chakra and jutsu so that their bodies remained in balance.

However, that was, again, for next year; this year was over, and I waved goodbye to all of my students as they left the large field with their family and friends, laughing and chatting together.

By this point my belly had grown much larger, and once again I was due in a few weeks time, earning sympathetic glances from the mothers in the crowd as they left with their children.

Kurenai beside me was as slim as she used to be - something I envied slightly at the moment - and we waved to our students as they left, though a few remained behind as they saw Anko and Cameia coming to meet us, Akari and Riku in their arms.

Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, Ami, and Tenten decided to come surge around Kurenai and I when they saw our daughters, the seven being the ones amongst the class that I knew the best on a personal level.

Naruto was greatly amused by Akari's antics, as were Ami and Choji, while the other four seemed to find Riku much more adorable and - admittedly - bearable.

Smiling warmly at Anko, I returned her kiss before doing the same to Cameia, who handed me Riku.

Both our daughters had grown in size recently, and they were both more capable talkers and walkers, but they both still greatly preferred being in our arms - Riku especially.

Akari's eyes had only continued to darken as she aged, and they were a luscious wine red now; when paired with the violet hair she inherited from Anko, she was a riot of rich colors.

Her happier expressions made her look warm and cuddly most of the time, and she rarely cried anymore, instead spending her 'alone' time wandering around and exploring.

Riku continued to look more like me than anything else; her amber eyes grew brighter, her hair went from brown to auburn, and she had a gentler expression as she stared at you, curious.

She remained a quiet girl, following Akari around wherever she went, playing with her dolls and 'destroying' things, and she had taken an interest in picture books, liking the stories inside.

They had grown so much, just like my love for them both and grown even more.