Chapter 11: The Chapter Belonging to NarutoOfficially Sets Sail
"Naruto-kun..."
Just as Naruto was at a loss, the leader of the five-person group that had been hostile to him just a moment ago spoke up.
"This girl seems to be from the Hyuga Clan. I've heard my Ninja father mention that the eyes of the Hyuga Clan always look like that."
After Naruto's "saintly" maneuver of first hitting them with a stick and then offering a carrot, the group that had been hostile just moments ago now showed intentions of siding with Naruto.
Furthermore, their leader even had thoughts of recognizing Naruto as their boss, so it was no surprise that he was acting so obediently now.
A child's worldview is just like that: they hang out with whoever is strong, and they follow whoever earns their admiration.
Clearly, Naruto fit their values perfectly right now.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi was as happy as a child, so much so that he didn't even notice his pipe had gone out, and he kept smacking his lips.
"It seems it's time to let Naruto learn more about Ninja knowledge; he has already fallen behind children of his age..." Hiruzen Sarutobi finally made up his mind to teach Naruto some practical things. "To not even recognize Hinata, the Young Miss of the prestigious Hyuga Clan in Konoha—this is not the performance I expect from Naruto."
"Hokage Guard!"
"Subordinate is here!"
Following Hiruzen Sarutobi's call, a Ninja wearing a mask and a special cloak emerged from the shadows, kneeling respectfully on one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
"Please go and notify my butler to start teaching Naruto some other knowledge from today on." Hiruzen Sarutobi realized his pipe had burned out, knocked out the ash, and continued, "Let the butler decide the extent of the teaching, but it must be based on Naruto's learning speed. That is all. Go notify him."
"Subordinate obeys!"
After giving the orders, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the people dispersing in the crystal ball, as well as Naruto, who was carrying Hyuga Hinata on his back alone, preparing to send her home. He smiled silently, then buried himself back into the mountain of official documents.
Meanwhile, Naruto, having gained five more little followers, didn't seem particularly happy. Although the performance had been effective, the pain on his body was very real.
Most importantly, the girl on his back was truly a bit heavy...
Although Naruto, with his mental age of 18, already had some understanding of relations between men and women, the girl on his back was simply too young. Naruto couldn't muster any such thoughts, and it was only natural for him to feel a bit annoyed.
However, this annoyance soon dissipated because members of the Hyuga Clan who had come looking for Hyuga Hinata had already found them.
"Hinata she..."
Watching the middle-aged man walking briskly towards him, Naruto set Hinata down, handed her over, and explained the situation to the newcomer. He also learned from him that the girl he had saved was named Hinata, Hyuga Hinata.
"Thank you for protecting my daughter. If you ever have any difficulties in the future, you can come to the Hyuga Clan residence to find me. Just mention the name Hiashi Hyuga."
Naruto naturally realized that this person claiming to be Hiashi Hyuga had recognized him and was deliberately keeping a certain distance. Furthermore, aside from the first half, the second half of his sentence was practically a joke.
Having received elite Family-style education, Naruto naturally knew about the various tricks between these great clans and politics, so he was not surprised that Hiashi Hyuga knew his identity or background.
Through the short exchange with Hiashi Hyugaand Hyuga Hinata's attitude toward him, Naruto's mind raced, and an unformed plan quickly emerged in his mind.
"It's alright, Uncle..." Naruto scratched his head pretentiously, "Hinata and I are already very good friends. In the future, Hinata can come find me to play, and it's fine if I go find Hinata to play too."
"This..." Hiashi Hyuga hesitated for a moment, but he quickly covered it up, "Hahaha, that is natural, but it depends on Hinata's own wishes."
Having hit a soft wall, Naruto didn't dwell on it too much. After chatting with Hiashi Hyuga for a few more sentences, he dragged his bruised body back to Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence.
But after returning to Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence, Naruto realized there was an even bigger surprise waiting for him!
"Naruto, this is medicinal wine specifically for bruises. Let me apply it for you."
"It's fine, it's fine..." Naruto pretended to be very shy and waved his hands repeatedly, "Butler Grandpa, you can just leave it there; I can do it myself!"
"You child, can you reach the injuries on your back yourself?!" The Old Butler didn't waste words with Naruto, pulled him into his arms, "Be good and let me apply the medicine. Later, I'll teach you some real Ninja skills!"
"Really?!" Naruto's heart skipped a beat. He secretly thought that Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed monitoring him. He silently rejoiced that he had been vigilant early on and felt that the beating he took today was worth it!
"I wouldn't lie to you, kid!" The Old Butler took off Naruto's shirt, "Your Physique is unusual, no need to go lie down in the room; just lie on my lap."
Naruto was still a bit unaccustomed to the Old Butler's eagerness, but this was a good thing. The fact that the originally strictly professional Old Butler had become like this was enough to show that he had officially advanced from the observation period to the training period.
This transformation made Naruto tremble with excitement. The day he would uncover the truth and seek justice for himself was not far off...
The Old Butler's technique for applying medicine was quite rough, which reminded Naruto of his National Martial Arts master, but this just went to show that this Old Butler was truly capable.
As expected, things went just as Naruto had anticipated. After applying the medicine, the Old Butler only let Naruto rest for less than a quarter of an hour before dragging him to the backyard of Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence, a place he had never been to before.
"This is where Young Master Asuma used to train. Ever since the Young Master left Konoha, no one has been here anymore..."
The Old Butler pointed to the large training ground in the backyard filled with various training equipment, his words full of memories.
Naruto stood quietly to the side, nodding very cooperatively, but he didn't pick up the conversation to ask further questions.
Soon, the Old Butler composed his emotions, took out a jet-black Kunai gleaming with a cold light from the Ninja tool pouch in his bosom, performed a flourish with it, and then handed it backhand to Naruto.
The cold Kunai felt heavy in his hand, with a top-heavy sensation. This made Naruto immediately realize that a weapon like a Kunai was not only suitable for close-quarters stabbing but was even better suited for long-range throwing.
Sure enough, after handing Naruto a Kunai, the Old Butler took out another one from the Ninja tool pouch and held it in his hand, "Naruto, pay attention to my throwing technique. Today, I'm teaching you the basic throwing method for a Kunai!"
"Watch closely!"
Following the Old Butler's loud reminder, Naruto's eyes fixed firmly on the Old Butler's hands, while the corner of his eye also kept track of the way the Old Butler exerted force with other parts of his body.
Naruto summoned his utmost focus!
[If you like this novel, I hope you can use your little hand to share it on Facebook; the author would be extremely grateful.]