"You're really here!" Their voices overlapped with sudden smiles. "At first, we thought you were only joking with us… every word you spoke could have been nothing more than a fabrication."
Naruto, true to himself, was carefree as ever. Outspoken, unguarded, he laid bare the suspicion he had voiced yesterday. Facing Moyu, he did not hesitate to admit it. The bluntness was almost disarming, and Moyu could only feel faintly dumbfounded at such behavior, caught off guard by the boy's honesty.
The truth was simple. Moyu had no intent to mislead them. His words had been genuine—he wanted their strength to rise. Yet, for now, he allowed a touch of teasing to color his expression.
"Although you weren't particularly willing to believe I'd appear here, what brought you both to the back mountain so suddenly?" Moyu asked, eyes steady, tone calm but tinged with anticipation for their answer.
They did not disappoint him.
"Although we weren't willing to believe what you said, and still doubt you truly want to teach us," Sasuke admitted, voice low but resolute, "coming here doesn't bring us any loss. On the contrary, it may give us an answer we didn't expect."
And indeed, here they stood, confronted with proof. Nothing was fabricated. Moyu genuinely intended to guide them.
Moyu inclined his head slightly. "It is undeniable—I appreciate what you just said." Sasuke's reply had struck a chord in him. But when his gaze shifted to Naruto, he asked with deliberate weight, "What I want to know is this—do you believe I can make you into someone truly remarkable?"
His eyes burned with sincerity.
Naruto's response came instantly, brimming with confidence. "Of course! Someone like me will definitely absorb all the knowledge you teach me!"
The sheer shameless certainty of it almost drew laughter. From the start, Naruto spoke with unflinching sincerity, though his character was anything but polished. In training, he lagged behind others, stumbling where they succeeded, refusing to listen, failing again and again. Yet that same character refused defeat.
The more others doubted him, the more fiercely he pushed forward, until the impossible became his target. That spirit, reckless but unyielding, was what Moyu admired.
Even in failure, Naruto's persistence commanded respect.
Now, with both standing before him—Sasuke with his quiet, honed will, Naruto with his blazing refusal to bend—Moyu could not deny he valued them both. Yet his gaze lingered longer on Naruto.
Knowing his past, knowing the weight he carried, Moyu found himself drawn to the boy's determination. No matter how clumsy or foolish his steps seemed, Naruto's unwavering effort shone brighter than most. That light was difficult to ignore.
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