Following the route he remembered, Naruto ventured deep into the Inuzuka Clan's grounds and found Kiba Inuzuka's home. The house had a distinctly Inuzuka style.
Even the door had carved reliefs of dogs, making him wonder whether Kakashi had come here to refine his taste.
Naruto raised his hand and knocked.
Soon, the door opened a crack, revealing Hana Inuzuka's striking face.
Surprise flickered in her eyes when she saw Naruto, then gave way to a smile. "Naruto? You're back in the village? Has the fighting over in Kirigakure ended?"
"No, I didn't go straight to the Kirigakure front."
Naruto shook his head and explained, "I was carrying out a separate, secret mission.
"I just got back and heard Big Yellow had been brought here. I was a little worried, so I came to see how he was doing."
"Oh, I see. Come in, then."
Hana Inuzuka stepped aside and welcomed Naruto into the courtyard.
The two went straight to the tea room.
"Yellow Maru suddenly said he needed Big Yellow to come back for a while, so I went to fetch him."
As Hana Inuzuka poured Naruto some tea, she explained, "It wasn't until I brought Big Yellow here that I learned Yellow Maru thought it was time for him to start systematically learning human language. He wanted to teach him himself."
As she spoke, her expression turned both amused and resigned. "Yellow Maru is... well, very serious about it."
His teaching ability was another matter. If Black Maru hadn't accompanied her mother to the Kirigakure battlefield, he would actually have been better suited to teaching Big Yellow human language.
Hearing this, Naruto's lingering doubts vanished completely.
"Really? Big Yellow's father cares so much about him that he's making a point of teaching him himself. He must be a