"Really? Does that mean I can go home today?"

  [Great! I finally managed to bluff my way through. The Nine-Tails is really a lifesaver. From now on, I can just bme everything on the Nine-Tails! This is awesome!]

  Even though Kakashi knew Naruto was lying, he couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. However, he was already used to it and didn't show any reaction, simply shaking his head as if he hadn't heard anything.

  "That won't do, Naruto. Have you forgotten? We're training together. Since I'm still training, how can you leave early? Now that you have chakra, you should practice controlling it."

  "Control? How do I learn that?"

  Naruto looked up at Kakashi with an innocent expression, but inside, he was already cursing.

  [Dammit! I knew it would come to this! Kakashi! Just you wait! I'll make you pay for all the suffering you've put me through!]

  Listening to Naruto's inner tirade, Kakashi wasn't angry at all. In fact, he found it quite amusing, and his smile widened, his eyes curving into a smile.

  "It's simple. Climb a tree by concentrating your chakra at the soles of your feet, just like walking down the tree."

  "Really? Alright! I got it! I'll go find the biggest, tallest tree to practice on! Kakashi, I'll do my best!"

  Naruto jumped to his feet, clenching his fists, looking full of determination.

  This completely threw Kakashi off guard. He knew how much Naruto usually resisted training, so why was he suddenly so motivated? While Kakashi was still puzzled, Naruto had already run off toward a rge tree.

  [Climb a tree? Climb my ass! With the Nine-Tails messing with my chakra, how the hell am i supposed to climb? What a load of crap!]

  Kakashi was initially annoyed when he heard the first part, thinking Naruto was still as stubborn as ever. But when he heard the second part, his brow furrowed.

  'So that's the reason? The Nine-Tails is disrupting his chakra? If that's the case, then this really is a problem.'

  Kakashi thought for a moment and finally decided to let Naruto off the hook. For one, Naruto had already exceeded the week's goal by successfully extracting chakra. Secondly, he knew that Naruto's chakra was being disrupted by the Nine-Tails, making it nearly impossible for him to complete this kind of training.

  Naruto hadn't slept well to begin with, and after spending so much energy extracting chakra, he was exhausted. As he sat there, a warm breeze carrying the scent of flowers and grass swept over him, and drowsiness quickly overtook him. His eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

  After some time, Naruto vaguely heard Kakashi calling out to him: "Naruto! Hey! Naruto! Wake up! Wake up!"

  "Mmm...huh? Is it time to eat?"

  Naruto groggily opened his eyes, his stomach growling since he had only eaten breakfast. Without thinking, he blurted out his thought. Kakashi rolled his eyes in exasperation but didn't get angry. Instead, he reached out and pulled Naruto up from the ground.

  "Since you're hungry, let's go eat. Come on, today i'm treating you to barbecue!"

  The word "barbecue" instantly wiped away Naruto's drowsiness. These days, the most he had eaten was instant noodles, and the most luxurious meal he'd had was ramen. Kakashi treated him to barbecue? He hadn't even seen it, let alone eaten it.

  "Barbecue! Awesome! Let's go, let's go!"

  "Hehe~ Let's go. After the barbecue, I have other things to take care of, so I won't be sending you home."

  Kakashi spoke as they walked, but Naruto was completely absorbed in the thought of barbecue and didn't pay attention to a word he said.

  The two left their training spot and headed to Konoha's food street. The setting sun stretched their shadows as they walked. Kakashi remained silent the entire way, deep in thought. Naruto didn't speak either, but he was filled with confusion.

  [Has Kakashi changed? I scked off half the day during training, and he didn't even scold me. Instead, he's treating me to barbecue! Tsk! I guess I should be nicer to him from now on. After all, he's like a meal ticket. I'll just curse him in my heart.]

  Kakashi felt a bit pleased when he heard the first part, but the second half made his face darken. So, in Naruto's mind, he was just a meal ticket? He didn't even want to call him "sensei"?

  After entering the barbecue restaurant, Kakashi ordered a rge pile of meat. Naruto, who had been drooling from the smell outside, didn't hold back once the food arrived. He immediately started grilling and devoured the meat like a wolf, burning his mouth in the process.

  "Naruto, there's something I want to talk to you about."

  "Huh? What is it, Kakashi? Just say it!"

  As the saying goes, "When you eat someone's food, your words soften." Though Naruto's mouth was full of barbecue, his attitude was straightforward. Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.

  "Naruto, since you're training with me now, technically, I'm your sensei. From now on, you should start calling me 'sensei'."

  Naruto eating suddenly stopped. He swallowed the half-chewed meat in his mouth, put down his chopsticks, and rubbed his eyes with his hands. His eyes turned red, and tears started streaming down his face. This time, he was really crying—not out of sadness, but because his hands had touched chili peppers, and rubbing his eyes made the tears uncontrolble.

  "So...Big bro Kakashi, do you actually hate me too? I guess it's normal. Everyone hates me. It's not wrong for you to be like everyone else."

  Kakashi was baffled by Naruto's words. He just wanted him to call him "sensei." How did that transte to hating him? But seeing Naruto genuinely crying, he panicked.

  "No, no! Naruto, how could you think that? I've never hated you."

  "If that's the case, why are you suddenly asking me to change how I address you? I've always seen you as family. Why? Why are you doing this?"

  After speaking, Naruto bit his lip. His eyes kept tearing up from the spiciness, and the tears rolled down his cheeks, eventually dripping onto the ground.

  Kakashi hurriedly waved his hands, even appearing somewhat flustered.

  "No, no, it's not like that, Naruto. I also treat you as a family, don't I?"

  "Huh? Really? Then why are you acting like this?"

  "Well...I heard people say that a teacher is also family in a way. From a certain perspective, a teacher is like a parent, isn't that right, Naruto? You've never had parents, have you? Don't you hope to fill that void in your heart a little?"

  Kakashi immediately stopped panicking because he felt his words were absolutely fwless, something an ordinary person would surely be unable to counter.