"Kakashi, why are you following me?"
Naruto finally lost his patience, turning around at his own doorstep to confront his teacher.
Kakashi, however, didn't act like a stranger at all. He casually glanced around the empty street before replying, "Oh, we're already at your doorstep."
"Don't just stand there, open the door!" Kakashi urged, waving his hand dismissively.
Naruto stared at him, confused. "What?"
"This is my house, right?" Naruto turned his head, a dark expression crossing his face.
Kakashi nodded, closing the book he was holding. "I know. The Third Hokage and I were here yesterday afternoon."
"Huh?"
"Don't be nervous. We just came to take a look. You and I have a history."
Looking at Naruto's face, Kakashi sighed. Except for his hair, he looked nothing like Minato-sensei. But it was probably better that way; it saved him from constantly being reminded of painful memories.
Thinking this, he decided not to keep him in suspense any longer.
"I remember seeing a pile of manuscripts on your desk yesterday," Kakashi said. "You told me I could leave after I finished reading them."
"But don't worry. When your book is republished later, I'll buy a few extra copies to cover the costs."
"I knew it!" Naruto had already guessed his intentions. However, he didn't mind letting Kakashi see the drafts in advance; after all, he was his team leader.
But the connection Kakashi had just mentioned piqued his curiosity.
"The manuscript isn't finished yet. Come in if you want to see it."
Naruto opened the door and invited Kakashi inside, then continued to ask, "By the way, Kakashi-sensei, what was that connection you mentioned earlier?"
"It's nothing. You'll find out later."
Kakashi didn't intend to reveal it yet. To be honest, he harbored a deep resentment towards Naruto's father and teacher, Minato Namikaze. As the fastest man in the ninja world, Minato was always one step behind when his students were in trouble, leading to successive tragedies. Furthermore, Minato did nothing about his own father's situation, not even saying a word in support.
However, Kakashi understood that this resentment couldn't ultimately be blamed on Minato. It was simply a matter of being forced by circumstances to consider the bigger picture. But this also left a lingering knot in his heart.
Of course, what Kakashi truly resented most was his own weakness—his inability to change anything. Combined, this resulted in Kakashi's indifference towards Naruto and his lack of special treatment toward him.
"Always 'we'll talk about it later'—you're clearly treating me like a kid!" Naruto pouted and handed the manuscript on the table to Kakashi. "Here, take it. Only ten volumes of the story have been written."
Kakashi was about to take it when he noticed Naruto didn't let go, instead looking at him with bright, expectant eyes.
"Just say what you want. If it's too much trouble, I'd rather wait until the book is published."
Kakashi was a little exasperated. He just wanted to follow a novel; why was it so complicated?
Naruto chuckled, somewhat embarrassed, and let go of his manuscript, scratching his head. "Kakashi-sensei, could you teach me how to train later? How to master Kurama's chakra?"
"I don't want to always rely on Menma to fight for me and protect me. I want to become stronger myself, so I can become Hokage and make everyone recognize me."
Looking at Naruto's expectant face, Kakashi was taken aback. However, he immediately understood his thoughts and frowned as he spoke.
"Starting tomorrow, I will begin teaching you, instructing you on how to better utilize and control your chakra. But Kurama's chakra is very special; I can't help you with that. However, you can try asking Menma within you."
"After you pass the first stage of chakra control training, your chakra attributes will be checked, and the second stage of training will begin. So don't worry too much. Taking it one step at a time will eventually make you stronger, and you'll gain everyone's approval."
"Oh." Naruto was somewhat disappointed. Taking it one step at a time was too slow. He mainly wanted to master Kurama's chakra and become stronger quickly. Unfortunately, Menma wouldn't tell him, and Kakashi was powerless to help.
Ignoring the disappointed Naruto, Kakashi quickly looked at the manuscript in his hands. The plot was great; he was already getting into it.
In this cold, numb ninja world, only these fictional, wish-fulfilling novels could bring him a sliver of warmth.
...
Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Office.
"Naruto wants you to teach him how to train and master Kurama's chakra?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned after listening to Kakashi's report.
"Yes. Naruto said he doesn't want Menma to fight." Kakashi nodded, offering his guess: "Probably because he thinks the methods are too violent and cruel, so he's resistant."
Naruto's two personalities were like two extremes. One was innocent, kind, and forgiving, but with average talent. The other was violent, eccentric, and vengeful, but with exceptional talent. Fortunately, the kind-hearted Naruto was the primary personality. If Menma were in charge, Konoha would probably have been in chaos long ago, even when Naruto was a child.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained noncommittal regarding Kakashi's speculation. "That does sound a lot like Naruto's style, but he definitely needs to improve his strength. It's not good for the two personalities to have such a large power gap, and constantly having the fierce Menma fight physically could also create hidden dangers."
To be honest, compared to the easier-to-control Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat worried about Menma. Right now, Naruto could dominate, but that might change in the future.
After a moment of thought, the old Hokage continued. "Pay close attention to Naruto's training. After all, he's a descendant of Minato. I'll have people try their best to meet his training needs."
"By the way, if you're on a mission outside the village, be careful of the Root ninja. Danzo, although I suppressed him, hasn't given up. Anyway, I'll give you a secret code known only to our own people."
Hearing Danzo's name, Kakashi's eyes flashed dangerously. Because of Yamato, Danzo harbored deep hatred for him and even had him assassinated for a time. Fortunately, he killed them all, leaving no one alive. That's why Kakashi showed no respect to Yamanaka Fu and the others back then.
"I understand."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction, but he didn't forget Sasuke and Sakura. "Herding one sheep is the same as herding a flock. Since we're going to teach the other two, we shouldn't neglect them either. We need to cultivate a bond between them."
The village's ties were the stumbling block holding Naruto back, and Hiruzen Sarutobi now intended to address that.
After Kakashi left, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave orders to the ANBU members waiting in the shadows.
"Send someone to find Jiraiya's whereabouts and tell him that Naruto needs guidance."
Naruto's personality was very similar to Jiraiya's, so Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't worried about Jiraiya not providing guidance. Besides, the two were also grand-disciple.
"Acknowledged." A mask flashed in the darkness.