Xia Le boiled water himself, brewed a pot of tea, and poured himself a cup.
He frowned at the two who walked in together.
"I even have to make my own tea. Sigh!"
"When is Hikaku coming back?"
"He used to take care of all this!"
That grated on Sasuke. Hikaku had practically raised him.
Yet Xia Le spoke of him as though he were a servant.
Naruto, on the other hand, was quick on the uptake. Grinning, he stepped forward, took the teapot, and carefully refilled Xia Le's cup.
"Heh!"
"Uncle, when are you going to teach me how to get stronger?"
"If you can, I'd like to learn some powerful Ninjutsu too!"
Those three remarks immediately put Sasuke on guard.
The dead-last has that kind of cunning?
Naruto's lack of talent was practically famous at the Ninja Academy.
Whether throwing Kunai, practicing Hand-to-Hand Combat, or learning the Three-Body Technique, he lagged far behind Sasuke.
With the help of his Sharingan, Sasuke picked up everything quickly. He was already a minor prodigy in Konoha.
That was precisely why Naruto longed all the more fiercely to grow stronger and earn others' recognition.
Unlike Sasuke, who took pride in being a genius of the Uchiha Clan, Naruto had no trouble setting his pride aside and finding ways to get what he needed.
"I never said I'd teach you how to get stronger,"
"Naruto!"
Xia Le shook his head with a faint smile.
"As you are now, you aren't qualified to be my disciple."
Disappointment flashed through Naruto's eyes, but he quickly rallied.
"Even if I'm not your disciple, you can still teach me!"
"Just look at how smug Sasuke is. Isn't it annoying?"
Xia Le merely smiled. He finished his tea, then said two words: "More tea."
Naruto paused, then refilled