Chapter 7: Testing from Hiruzen Sarutobi
The rising sun was as blood-red as fresh blood; this was already the seventh day since Narutoreturned.
Over these seven days, Naruto clearly felt that the malice around him had lessened significantly, making his life easier than before, though only relatively speaking.
Although there was no more expired food, most of the food within the expiration date was just low-nutrition instant food. Naruto's only source of nutrition was the single carton of fresh milk he got each day.
Even so, Naruto's body started to become increasingly sturdy. Coupled with the nourishing methods his National Martial Arts master had secretly taught him, his physical foundation was getting better and better.
Naruto also began intentionally or unintentionally to shape his outward personality: a carefree, thick-skinned demeanor combined with a positive and optimistic attitude. This shaping of his personality had truly maxed out his favorability with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although it had only been a short seven days, under the surveillance of the Anbu and with Naruto's intentional performance, the busy Hiruzen Sarutobi finally managed to carve out a day to consolidate and deepen his relationship with Naruto.
"Hokage Grandpa! You're here!"
Naruto pretended to be overjoyed, trotted out of the room, and threw himself into Hiruzen Sarutobi's arms.
"Ouch! Slow down, Naruto! Grandpa's old bones can't take such a tackle!" Hiruzen Sarutobi scooped Naruto up and held him in his arms. "Have you missed Grandpa these past few days?"
"I have! I thought about you every day!" Naruto said sweetly, while also looking for an opportunity to ask for favors. "But... I get so bored when you're not here. The kids in the neighborhood won't play with me, and I..."
Naruto was telling the truth; the neighborhood children indeed wouldn't play with him. This mix of truth and falsehood was even more deceptive.
"Then Grandpa will have someone bring you some toys another day. Maybe the kids in the neighborhood will play with you once they see the toys you have!"
"Really?" Surprise showed in Naruto's eyes, but this wasn't what he wanted. Compared to toys, which were things truly meant for children to play with, Naruto preferred to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi for books about the Naruto World.
"But I see that the kids next door not only have toys, they also have comic books and Ninja books!"
"This..." Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated. Before Naruto's personality was fully molded, he didn't want Naruto to have any contact with Ninjas too early.
To put it bluntly, Naruto being Minato Namikaze's orphan was just on the surface; the Nine-Tailedinside him was the fundamental issue. Moreover, it wasn't just Danzo's group that was eyeing the Nine-Tailed.
Before Naruto grew up, neither the mysterious person who claimed to be Uchiha Madara on the day of the Nine-Tails Attack, nor the threats from outside the village, could be resisted by Konoha, which was currently in a state of false prosperity.
"Naruto, you don't know how to read yet, so even if I bought them for you, you wouldn't understand them." Hiruzen Sarutobi planned a roundabout approach. "How about when you're a little older and know how to read, or when you start Ninja Academy, Grandpa will buy them for you then?"
"Grandpa, let me tell you!" Naruto boasted as if offering a treasure. "I've been secretly following those kids these past few days, and I've already learned quite a bit!"
Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was immediately pleasantly surprised.
Through his observations over these past few days, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw traces of Minato Namikaze in Naruto.
Although Naruto was young now, the composure and sunny disposition he possessed kept reminding Hiruzen Sarutobi that as long as Naruto was nurtured properly, he would definitely be the second Minato Namikaze.
Perhaps even better!
After all, the Nine-Tailed lived inside Naruto. Although it was only half, its fully unleashed power could already reach the level of destroying a village single-handedly.
And most crucially, Naruto's learning ability amazed Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had managed to learn quite a bit just by tailing and peeking; if he were educated properly...
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled face blossomed like a chrysanthemum. Ignoring the fact that he was still holding Naruto in his arms, he pulled out his pipe from his waist and took a few satisfied puffs.
"Then Grandpa will test you. If you get them all right, I won't just let you read books, I'll even find someone or even teach you how to read and study myself!"
"Hokage Grandpa, bring it on!" Naruto promised, patting his chest. "I will definitely get them all right!"
Although Naruto was suspected of acting childish—after all, his mind was already that of an eighteen-year-old youth—it was impossible to get benefits without giving something in return.
Moreover, it was very likely that Naruto would have to keep up this act for several years until he finished investigating the people behind the scenes, only then could he consider whether to reveal himself.
Unlike Naruto's complex thoughts, Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts at this moment were much simpler. He genuinely wanted to test Naruto to see how much potential he had in terms of learning.
However, it didn't matter until he tested him; after the test, Hiruzen Sarutobi's jaw had already dropped at Naruto's performance.
Looking at the crumpled, smudged, and twisted characters on the paper, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't think they were ugly at all; on the contrary, he felt they were the greatest treasure he had ever seen in his life.
His self-learning ability was terrifyingly good, his memory was so outstanding, his comprehension was so exceptional, and what's more...
The person Naruto was closest to right now was him!
As long as he was nurtured well, Naruto would definitely be a staunch member of the Hokagefaction in the future. He would absolutely inherit his and his teacher's will, carrying the Will of Fireforward!
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi made a decision: not only would he increase the intensity of Naruto's education, but he also couldn't relax regarding ideological education, and the surveillance couldn't stop for even a moment.
The reason he made this decision was that Hiruzen Sarutobi had his own unspeakable difficulties. Such a level of Genius made Hiruzen Sarutobiimmediately think of Orochimaru.
And Orochimaru was the one Hiruzen Sarutobi had personally taught the wrong way...
He absolutely could not let Naruto follow in Orochimaru's footsteps!
"Naruto, why do you like reading so much? Is it just because the kids next door have them and you don't?"
"Here it comes!"
Naruto sighed inwardly. He knew dealing with someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be that easy. Testing existed in every aspect; as soon as he relaxed his guard, Hiruzen Sarutobi would catch a loophole.
"It's not that..." Naruto pretended to bite his finger. "I just feel like they know so much, and I don't know anything at all. I think that's why they don't want to be friends with me."
"As long as I know more, I can become friends with them, then people around me will be able to accept me, and I can gain everyone's approval!"
Naruto's performance continued. Besides his words, the expression on his face was also spot on. It was a perfect performance, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi unable to find a single flaw.
"Then after you gain their approval, what else do you plan to do, Naruto?" Hiruzen Sarutobi felt it wasn't enough and still intended to continue testing.
[If you like this novel, I hope you can share it on Facebook. The author would be very grateful.]