"Aww, come on, let's try it!" Lilynette drew out her words, refusing to let it go.
"Just think of it as a game! We'll teach him in secret, without revealing who we are. We don't have to take it seriously, either. Just give him a few casual pointers and see how much he figures out.
"His Majesty only said to 'take a look.' He never said we couldn't interact with him.
"What if... what if this kid really does have some potential we haven't noticed?
"Didn't you say that orange-red chakra inside him was special?"
Starrk fell silent.
He had indeed sensed an immense, violent chakra sealed inside Naruto, brimming with hatred yet enveloped by some sort of warm power.
That was the Nine-Tails' chakra.
It was special, but that was all.
Before the present-day Las Noches, the power of the tailed beasts had long since ceased to be an insurmountable mountain.
But Lilynette's words had touched a faint, almost nonexistent trace of curiosity deep within him.
After three years of observation, he had confirmed that Naruto's aptitude on the conventional ninja path was mediocre.
Yet beneath that mediocrity lay a vitality as tenacious as weeds and a certain... indescribable stubborn streak that he found somewhat interesting.
Most importantly, Lilynette really seemed to want to play this "nurturing game."
"Do whatever you want." Starrk finally gave in, lying back down and covering his face with his cloak.
"If you want to teach him, do it yourself.
"Don't disturb my sleep. And don't reveal our ties to Las Noches, use reiatsu, or teach him Soul Reaper or Hollow abilities.
"At most, use a few little tricks for taijutsu and chakra application-and disguise them as some chance 'lucky encounter' or an 'ancient scroll.'
"What a pain..."
"Yay!" Lilynette cheered and immediately began