Before leaving, Naruto froze for a moment when that abrupt voice rang out beside his ear.
It had been a long time since he had seen his teacher.
The last time he had seen him was when his teacher had sent him to Hozuki Castle to retrieve the Box of Paradise.
After that, his teacher had never contacted him again.
He and his sister Karin had practically turned the entire village upside down, yet they still found no information about him. That left Naruto quite disappointed.
He had even wondered whether his teacher was actually a Konoha ninja.
Or perhaps, like in those storybooks, his teacher was some peerless powerhouse hidden in the shadows?
Naruto had considered all of that, but he had no proof.
So over time, Naruto had nearly given up on uncovering his teacher's true identity.
Yet now, the moment he heard the Sage of Six Paths mention him and tell Naruto to be wary of his teacher—
It nearly left Naruto dumbfounded.
After all, to Naruto, his teacher held a place in his heart equal to family.
Someone was now telling him to be wary of his own teacher. Naruto had not exploded on the spot only because the one saying it was the Sage of Six Paths.
Had it been anyone else, Naruto felt like his fist, as big as a sandbag, would already have smashed into their face.
Because the Sage of Six Paths had always been watching Naruto and Sasuke, he also understood what Soji meant to Naruto.
That was why he had phrased his words rather tactfully and vaguely.
Of course, the Sage of Six Paths had not originally had such concerns.
The main reason was that not long ago, Soji's divinity had suppressed his humanity, and that was what made him