At noon, after another encounter with Hiruzen, Hagoromo took his lunch box and headed up to the roof.
Seeing that the rooftop door was open, Hagoromo figured Naruto had probably come up here again.
Around a corner of the rooftop, Naruto was drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He picked up another stone from the pile beside him.
Clutching the stone, he thought again about the technique Teacher Hagoromo had described in class that morning.
Looking at a circle he had drawn on the wall with stones, he hurled the stone in his hand.
Bang—
The stone struck the wall, leaving a white mark, and a smile finally appeared on Naruto's face.
The circle on the wall was only a boundary; the center was the target Naruto wanted to practice hitting.
Fortunately, his efforts under the intense sun had not been in vain.
Aside from a lucky hit at the start, his later throws had begun to land gradually closer to the center.
"Naruto."
Hagoromo's voice rang out. Naruto, still caught up in his delight, heard his teacher suddenly call his name.
His expression changed, and he immediately thought of finding somewhere to hide.
The next second, Naruto felt a broad hand settle on top of his head and ruffle his hair.
"Hey, not bad, Naruto," Hagoromo said.
Naruto, whose body had still been trembling slightly, calmed down when he heard that.
"Teacher... I'll clean up properly when I'm done practicing," Naruto said timidly.
"There's no need to be so nervous." Hagoromo first glanced at the wall, which had been left in a sorry state, before speaking.
"Before you clean up, how about having lunch with me?"
Hagoromo raised the lunch box in his hand and invited Naruto. "I prepared a little too much today, and I can't finish it all by myself. So, would you like to eat with me?"
Naruto froze at this. He turned to look at Hagoromo and asked, hardly daring to believe it, "Eat? Teacher, do you really mean it?"
"You don't need to keep checking about things like this." Hagoromo sounded a little helpless. "You make it seem like I've lied to you before."
As he spoke, Hagoromo picked Naruto up and took him to sit in a shady corner out of the sun.
He saw that Naruto's face was flushed from being out in the sun for so long.
Hagoromo took out his handkerchief and handed it to Naruto. "Wipe off your sweat first, and remember to drink some water afterward, or you'll get heatstroke."
Naruto hurriedly took the handkerchief. As he looked at the spotless white cloth in his hands, his eyes gradually misted over.
"Teacher Hagoromo, may I ask you a question?" Naruto asked, looking at Hagoromo timidly.
Hearing Naruto's words, Hagoromo stopped as he was about to open the lunch box. He looked at Naruto and smiled.
"Was there something you didn't understand in class?"
Naruto shook his head. "It's not about class. There's just something I've been wondering."
"Teacher, you don't hate me?"
Having said it, Naruto seemed to finally feel relieved. After all, in the days since school had started, Hagoromo had treated him in a way he hadn't experienced in years.
He was terribly afraid that once he asked, Teacher Hagoromo would learn about his situation and change the way he treated him.
Becoming just like those villagers.
Smack—!
Naruto suddenly took a heavy blow to the head. Hagoromo's palm nearly knocked him to the ground.
"Naruto, you're my student now."
"By saying that, you're questioning what I stand for as your teacher."
Seeing Naruto shake his head and try to deny it, Hagoromo waved a hand to stop him.
"Naruto, remember that you're my student now."
"As long as you're still at school, even if you bring the sky crashing down, I'll bear part of the responsibility as your teacher."
"As for hating you, why would I?"
"Do you misbehave in class? Or do you often skip school and sneak out of lessons?"
As Hagoromo spoke, the surprise on Naruto's face gradually gave way to a happy smile.
"On the road as we grow up, we'll meet many people we don't know well. They may be hostile toward you because they don't understand you."
"But why should we magnify their hostility and let it cloud our own hearts?"
As Hagoromo spoke, he opened the lunch box and handed it to Naruto, who was already on the verge of tears.
[Student Naruto Uzumaki has been detected to meet the requirements for taking a disciple. You may choose to establish a teacher-disciple relationship with 'Naruto Uzumaki'. The teacher will receive corresponding rewards as the disciple grows stronger.]
Hagoromo froze as the notification appeared in his mind. He looked in some disbelief at Naruto, who was happily tucking into the food in the lunch box.
So, did meeting the requirements for taking a disciple mean the student had to develop absolute trust in him?
Not necessarily. Hagoromo began to doubt that guess.
After all, if that were the condition, it would be far too difficult to meet.
But Naruto had already met it, so Hagoromo naturally wouldn't pass up the opportunity.
Before he began, though, he needed to make some preparations.
With that thought, Hagoromo immediately activated his sensing ability by touching a finger to the ground. In an instant...
The entire school, as well as everything within a kilometer of it, fell under his perception.
This...
Sensing the individual with an enormous amount of Chakra gradually walking down the stairs behind him, Hagoromo was somewhat glad he had been cautious.
With that much Chakra, the individual could probably only be Hiruzen, whom he had just met.
Without making any unnecessary moves, Hagoromo continued to discreetly sense the Third Hokage's Chakra as it gradually moved away from the Ninja Academy.
Only then did he look at Naruto, who had finished eating, and say warmly, "Naruto, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
"A disciple?"
Naruto patted his stomach, feeling thoroughly satisfied. He paused at the question, then asked in some confusion.
"Yes. It's another kind of teacher-student relationship, only closer."
Hagoromo smiled and explained it to Naruto.
After all, for Naruto, that was the best explanation.
If he went into too much detail, the little guy would probably get confused again.
"I do! Teacher!"
Hearing that it would make them closer, Naruto quickly nodded in agreement.
[The child of fortune 'Naruto Uzumaki' has been detected to be willing to establish a teacher-disciple relationship.]
[Checking trust level.]
[Naruto Uzumaki's current trust level has been detected to be at the maximum. Obtained Wind-Nature Chakra Nature Transformation (transcendent)!]
[First disciple successfully accepted. Obtained Yang Release Chakra (mastery)!]
[Naruto Uzumaki has been detected to have a high affinity for the wind nature due to his constitution. Granted the Ninjutsu Wind Release: Wind Cutter (C-rank) and Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (C-rank) for instruction.]
"Gasp...!"
Even though Hagoromo had some idea what to expect, the rewards still startled him so much that he froze on the spot.
Weren't these rewards a little too generous?
He had to admit, the power of a child of fortune really was extraordinary.
Of these rewards, aside from the third, the first two were perhaps beyond the reach of every ninja in the Shinobi World, even if they devoted their entire lives to pursuing them.