Encountering the Third Generation

This was the first time someone had been willing to walk him home, and he was terrified that if he spoke too slowly, Qiushui-sensei might change his mind.

Qiushui and Naruto walked side-by-side on the way home, the setting sun stretching their shadows long and thin.

"Qiushui-sensei..." Naruto hesitated for a moment before suddenly speaking up.

"Hmm?" Qiushui tilted his head toward him.

"Why are you so good to me?"

From the time he was small until now, adults either dodged him, looked at him with disgust, or whispered behind his back. Only Qiushui, from the very first day they met, not only treated him like a normal person but even treated him to ramen today and walked him home.

Qiushui didn't answer immediately, remaining silent for a moment. "Because you look a lot like a lifesaver of mine."

Naruto blinked. "Who is he?"

Qiushui said, "His name was Namikaze Minato. You probably don't know the name, but he was the Fourth Hokage."

He wasn't lying; Minato had indeed saved him. Or rather, on the battlefields of the Third Shinobi World War, most of the ninjas who participated had been saved by him, either directly or indirectly.

Naruto asked curiously, "Then what did he look like?"

Qiushui's gaze fell on Naruto's face. "He was just like you, with a head of golden hair, and his smile was very warm, just like the sun."

Naruto nodded, understanding only half of what was said.

Naruto's home was located in an unremarkable residential building in the main district, on the top floor.

The lights in the hallway were dim and old, and the echo of their footsteps could be heard against the concrete stairs. When Qiushui followed Naruto up to the final landing, he saw an old man with a kind face, draped in a ceremonial robe, leaning against the corridor railing. He held a pipe in his hand, slowly exhaling wisps of white smoke.

"Old Man Third, why are you here?" A flash of surprise crossed Naruto's eyes, and he ran over in three steps.

Seeing Naruto run toward him, a gentle smile appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.

He set down his pipe and reached out to pat Naruto's shoulder gently. "I came to see you," he said, then asked with a smile, "Did you listen carefully in class today?"

Naruto nodded vigorously and said, "I listened carefully."

He had kept every word Qiushui-sensei told him firmly in mind.

After speaking, Naruto seemed to remember something. He turned and pointed at Qiushui behind him, introducing him earnestly: "This is Qiushui-sensei. Although we haven't known each other long, he's been so good to me! He didn't look at me with those strange eyes like everyone else, and he even treated me to ramen today!"

Qiushui stepped forward and bowed slightly with a respectful expression. "Lord Third."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

Naruto looked at Qiushui, then at Sarutobi Hiruzen, his face full of wonder. "Qiushui-sensei, do you know this old man too?"

He felt that Qiushui was truly amazing; everyone he knew, Qiushui seemed to know as well.

Seeing the way Naruto spoke and the expression on his face, Qiushui guessed that he probably didn't know Sarutobi Hiruzen's true identity. However, he didn't expose why Sarutobi Hiruzen was hiding it, saying instead, "Yes, this old gentleman is a very powerful and highly respected ninja in the village."

Upon hearing this, Naruto rubbed his chin and looked carefully for a while. He found it truly difficult to associate this old man—who appeared regularly every month to give him living expenses, talk to him, and who was short, white-haired, and wrinkled—with words like "powerful" and "highly respected."

He tilted his head and asked curiously, "Old man, are you really strong? Are you as strong as Qiushui-sensei?"

Qiushui: Kid, speak for yourself, don't drag me into this. Don't let his sixty-some years fool you; he's in his prime, and he could kill me with a single strike of his staff.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh, the wrinkles on his face bunching together. He joined in the joke, "A little bit stronger than him."

Naruto rolled his eyes at him, his face showing an expression that clearly said, I don't believe you.

He muttered to himself: Look at your thin, short frame, and then look at Qiushui-sensei's tall and sturdy build. I bet he could knock you down in three moves!

However, he only thought this to himself and didn't say it aloud. After all, before Qiushui-sensei arrived, this was the only person willing to talk to him, and he didn't want to hurt the old man's self-esteem.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't offended and laughed, "Naruto, hurry up and open the door. You can't expect me and your Qiushui-sensei to stand here in the cold wind forever!"

Naruto finally realized, quickly pulling out his key and standing on his tiptoes to open the mottled wooden door.

As soon as the door opened, Qiushui instinctively covered his nose and mouth, as the greasy smell of instant noodles, the sour stench of fermenting food scraps, and an indescribable musty odor rushed out to meet him.

His gaze swept across the room: cups of leftover instant noodles were piled haphazardly on the table, while snack bags, crumpled paper, and a few balled-up shirts and pants were scattered across the floor.

Qiushui frowned tightly. He was a clean person and found it hard to imagine how anyone could live in such a dirty, messy environment.

Is it not hard to breathe?

Can you even sleep at night?

Naruto was completely oblivious; he had long been used to this life. As soon as he entered, he ran to the bed, crouched down to open the cabinet, pulled out a box of instant noodles, and then opened the fridge to take out two cartons of milk. He excitedly placed them on the table and said, "Qiushui-sensei, you treated me to ramen, so this is my prized limited-edition ramen—please, have some."

After he finished, he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen on the side and said, "You can have some too."

A strange sense of bitterness welled up in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.

We've known each other for so long, and you've never treated me to anything. You've only known this person for a day, and you're already treating him, while I'm just an afterthought.

Qiushui walked over, picked up the box of instant noodles and the milk, and flipped them over to check the dates on the packaging. Just as he had expected, the expiration date had passed by more than three months.

He turned around, intending to sternly warn Naruto, but thinking of his good intentions, he said gently, "Naruto, these things have expired."

Naruto scratched his head, looking blank. "Expired... what does that mean?"

Qiushui picked up the instant noodles, pointed at the production date and the shelf life on the packaging, and patiently explained it to him.

After listening, the smile on Naruto's face slowly faded, his eyes filled with indignation. He had worn a mask to sneak into the convenience store to buy these, and he usually couldn't bear to eat them, saving them for holidays or times when he was in a good mood. He had hidden them for so long, and now they couldn't be eaten?

Seeing Naruto's reluctant expression, Qiushui was terrified he might eat them anyway, so he said sternly, "If you eat these, you'll get a stomachache. You wouldn't want to be in the middle of class and suddenly have to run to the bathroom, would you?"

Naruto froze, the image of himself clutching his stomach in class flashing through his mind. He shuddered, as if having made a firm decision, and said resolutely, "I won't eat them. I definitely won't eat them."