As Naruto left his apartment, he walked through the streets. The sky was cloudy yet bright at the same time.
He was heading to check on the properties he had bought. At first, he considered visiting each one individually, but then decided against it, opting to create clones to inspect them instead.
Naruto would be a billionaire in a few months or so, and the number of missions he completed in a single day had earned him a bit of fame as "The D-Rank Devotee." This was due to his ability to complete numerous D-rank missions in one day. His use of clone jutsu and the vast amount of chakra he possessed also contributed to his notoriety, though it wasn't as widely recognized as his D-rank mission streak.
Naruto wasn't particularly pleased with the title he had earned, as the D-rank missions weren't anything special. However, it had its benefits: by completing so many of them, he had helped a lot of people, and his likability had slightly risen in the eyes of some. Still, most people continued to dislike him.
Naruto did care about how others perceived him, especially since becoming Hokage depended on it, but he still refused to go out of his way to help those who hated him.
As he walked through the streets, he was greeted by the Hokage.
"Hello, Naruto," the Hokage said with a grandfatherly smile.
Naruto looked at him, wondering why he was here and what he wanted.
'Does he know about my bounty hunting? Or does he know about the properties I've bought?' Naruto thought.
"How about we go get some ramen?" the Hokage suggested, scanning Naruto carefully. He was stiff, his face expressionless. The Hokage waited as Naruto looked at him before nodding in agreement.
The two—Hokage and the son of the Hokage—then made their way to the ramen shop.
---
"So, Naruto, do you know about the Legendary Sannin?" the Hokage asked as Naruto ate his ramen in silence.
"Yeah, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. What about them?" Naruto replied without looking up, continuing to eat.
Hiruzen glanced at Naruto, slightly amazed at his knowledge. He was just like his father, though a little more wary. But that was also a great quality for a ninja.
"Well, Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, is coming back to the village. I was meaning to ask you... how would you feel about becoming her disciple?" Hiruzen said with a grin, watching Naruto almost spit out his noodles in surprise.
"Really?" Naruto coughed, his eyes wide. If he became her disciple, he'd have access to her healing seals, the summoning jutsu for the slug, her destructive power, and most importantly, it would bring him one step closer to becoming Hokage.
'The old man must've called her back to keep an eye on me. Jiraiya is out of the village on a mission and also writing his book. But I don't understand why Tsunade would come back when she's been in self-imposed exile, traumatized to the point of not being able to look at blood...' Naruto thought while eating.
"So, what do you think?" Hiruzen asked, analyzing Naruto's face for any signs of reluctance.
"Yes, I'll become her disciple, old man. And... thank you for everything," Naruto said, his eyes filled with sincerity. He needed the Hokage to trust him. The old man had even called Tsunade back to keep him in check, but what could she do when she was afraid of blood? It seemed almost ridiculous.
When Hiruzen saw Naruto bowing with such sincerity, his eyes softened. He was grateful that Naruto didn't cause trouble, even though the boy seemed to hint at knowing the truth about his parents. Naruto was smart and wary, something any child might become when their parents died without ever knowing who they truly were.
"No problem, Naruto. If you ever need anything, just ask. And if you want to talk about something, you can always rely on me," Hiruzen said, patting Naruto on the head.
"Okay," Naruto simply said, bowing again, not offering any further words.
As Hiruzen watched him, he thought to himself, It was wrong of me to suspect him.
"Well, Naruto, you keep eating. I'm going to take care of some Hokage business," Hiruzen said with a grin, paying for the ramen before heading out.
Once Hiruzen was a good distance away, Naruto sat back down and continued eating his ramen.
After finishing, he went to buy some groceries for his apartment, which he now owned. Since he couldn't always rely on soldier pills, his body needed something softer and easier to digest. Plus, now there was someone living with him.
---
Naruto opened the door to his apartment and found the girl following his instructions, using all of her chakra until she had exhausted it and passed out.
Seeing her unconscious form, he gave her some of his own chakra until she stirred and woke up.
"Ah~ My head... it hurts," she groggily muttered, and as her eyes landed on Naruto, she instantly dropped to all fours and bowed.
"W-welcome back, master," she stammered, still bowing.
Naruto glanced at her and nodded. "You're doing well. Keep it up," he said, patting her on the head.
Though she was initially scared when he reached out, she relaxed as his hand gently rested on her head. It was almost as if she felt protected by the gesture.
Naruto observed her as she began rubbing her face against his hand, much like a dog. Using his chakra, combined with some Yang release, he made his hand feel more pleasurable to her. He also used some Yin release to encourage her brain to produce oxytocin, a hormone associated with trust, bonding, and relationship-building.
This was done with a purpose: to make her mind more receptive to the idea that doing well would earn her rewards, while failure would result in punishment.
It was a concept he had learned from a book about abusive parents. The book described how, when children were subjected to harsh yelling by their parents, their undeveloped brains became conditioned to associate fear with their actions. On the other hand, when the children did something right and were praised, they learned to repeat those behaviors to gain approval and avoid punishment. However, there was a delicate balance between rewarding and punishing. If the punishment was too severe, it would cause rebellion; if the rewards were too extravagant, it could lead to spoilage.
Naruto stopped petting her and gave her a new command. "Make some food for me," he ordered. She nodded happily, eager to serve her master, and quickly moved to prepare the meal.