After the summons from the Hokage, Musashi began interacting with Naruto openly.
His focus remained on his training.
When Naruto was around, he knew better than to disturb Musashi. He would wait patiently for a break in the workout to run over and chat.
"Boss, let's go fishing tonight!"
"Fishing?" Musashi wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You know how to fish?"
"Of course!" Naruto beamed proudly.
"Alright. Wait for me at Ichiraku Ramen when I get off work."
"Yay!" Naruto jumped high in the air.
After dark, Musashi finished his shift. He sent his Shadow Clone home to practice Ninjutsu, while his real body accompanied Naruto to the riverbank.
He watched as Naruto pulled a bamboo pole and some tools from behind a rock, skillfully baiting the hook.
The hook went into the water, and the two of them stared at the bobber.
"Naruto, when did you learn to fish?"
"I knew how before I met you, Boss."
"That's impressive! What made you want to learn?"
"It's just... just because it's fun," Naruto said with a grin.
Grrrrumble~
Naruto's stomach gave a loud protest.
Musashi's expression slowly changed.
He finally understood.
When a kid goes fishing, there's the "fun" reason, and then there's the other possibility.
Hunger.
Judging by Naruto's practiced movements, this wasn't his first time fishing for dinner.
If Musashi remembered correctly, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't start personally checking in on Naruto until he was a bit older.
Before that, there was a period where Naruto didn't have enough money and went hungry.
Realizing this, the resentment in Musashi's heart grew heavier.
Damn it! To hell with the Third!
Is this how you take care of a hero's orphan?
He cursed the old man eight hundred times in his heart.
He looked at Naruto, who was still staring excitedly at the bobber, eager to show off his fishing skills to his new boss.
Maybe it was bad luck, but it took over ten minutes for Naruto to catch a single small fish.
The palm-sized fish flopped around on the ground.
"Look, Boss! Am I awesome or what?" Naruto showed it off proudly.
But then, he shook his head. "Too bad it's so small. The fish aren't very active today."
Musashi laughed. "Forget it. Watch this."
"Let me show you how a ninja goes fishing."
Under Naruto's curious gaze, Musashi walked to the water's edge.
He formed hand signs and pressed his palms onto the surface of the river.
"Water Style: Fish Fetching Jutsu!"
Chakra surged into the water.
Water was Musashi's weakest affinity. In terms of combat, his Water Style was pretty trash.
But just manipulating the flow of a small river? That he could do.
As his chakra churned, the riverbed began to stir.
The next moment, a column of water as thick as a bucket rose from the river and shot toward the bank.
Splash!~
Naruto's eyes went wide as the water crashed onto the river rocks.
Trapped within the water were fish of all sizes, now flapping helplessly on the shore.
A few seconds later, the water drained away, leaving a pile of fish on the bank.
"How's that?"
Naruto: "Sugoi!~ (Awesome!)"
To a four-year-old, even a mediocre jutsu was practically magic.
"Teach me, teach me! Boss, teach me!" Naruto forgot all about his tiny fish and clung to Musashi excitedly.
"Not yet. You're too small. You can't refine that kind of chakra yet. I'll teach you when you're older," Musashi said.
"Let's throw the small ones back and grill the big ones."
"...Okay." Naruto looked a bit disappointed, but he quickly got excited again and started gathering the fish.
He started piling up firewood.
"No need for that trouble." Musashi helped Naruto clean the fish, skewered them on sticks, and stuck them in the ground.
He formed hand signs again.
"Fire Style: Crispy Skin Technique!"
Flames steadily covered the fish.
Compared to his Water Style, Musashi's Fire Style was much better.
With intentional practice, his control was decent.
The fire roasted the fish steadily, evaporating the moisture and releasing a mouth-watering aroma of charred skin.
His Fire Style wasn't on the level of Jiraiya, who could flash-cook a giant fish in an instant.
To ensure the fish was cooked through and actually edible, he had to lower the intensity and roast them for a while.
About a minute later, he extinguished the flames.
The fragrant grilled fish were ready.
Naruto's eyes were practically sparkling stars.
"Boss, you are so cool!"
Musashi handed a fish to Naruto. "Taste it. How is it? Careful, it's hot."
Naruto hissed as the hot fish burned his tongue, but he kept taking huge bites.
His eyes crinkled in pure happiness.
---
That Night.
Musashi walked Naruto home.
He cleaned up the messy apartment and organized the fridge.
Before leaving, he gave Naruto an order: from now on, he was to eat dinner at Ichiraku Ramen every day.
Naruto scratched his head. "Huh? Is that okay? Even if you help out there, Boss..."
"What are you thinking?" Musashi rubbed Naruto's yellow hair.
"I'm not just a helper. Big Sister Ayame is my girlfriend. That makes her your future sister-in-law."
"Remember to go eat! Or I'll deal with you."
After Musashi left, Naruto bounced around his room in excitement, making monkey noises.
After a long while, he exhausted himself and collapsed onto the bed.
A moment later, he sat up abruptly.
He waved his hands around, mimicking signs.
"Water Style: Fish Fetching Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Crispy Skin Technique!"