Early in the morning, Shinji, dressed in training attire, stepped out of his house.
Walking down the street, occasionally responding to villagers who greeted him, Shinji made his way towards Naruto's home.
Passing a vegetable shop, he stopped and went inside. When he emerged again, he was carrying a bag full of groceries.
Following the address Naruto had given him yesterday, Shinji didn't hesitate and headed straight for the top floor of the building.
As for whether he had reported his visit, a few days ago, when Hiruzen visited the Academy at noon, he had already given him instructions. Apparently, Naruto's skipping lunch and napping once made Hiruzen realize his oversight.
Moreover, Shinji was, for now, the only one who could properly talk to Naruto. So, Shinji passively accepted this mission. He also received a mission fund of two thousand ryo.
Arriving at the top floor, Shinji looked at the clearly visible Hokage Building and Hokage Rock in the distance.
If divided by city zones, Naruto's living place was definitely in the central area of Konoha.
Knock knock knock!
Shinji knocked on the door and said, "Naruto! Are you home?"
Soon, footsteps could be heard inside the room, gradually rushing towards the door.
"Shinji-sensei?"
Naruto, in his pajamas, opened a crack in the door and asked, a little disbelievingly, when he saw Shinji standing outside.
Shinji smiled and asked, his voice filled with amusement, "What? Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"N-no! Sensei, please come in quickly."
Hearing this, Naruto hurriedly opened the door wide and quickly invited Shinji in.
As Naruto stepped aside and the door opened, Shinji raised an eyebrow because the room's environment was a bit too messy.
However, his steps didn't falter. He bent down to take off his shoes before walking in.
Shinji looked around the room. Naruto's expression slowly began to grow tense.
After a while, Shinji finally spoke, "Naruto."
"Eh?!"
"I'm here! Sensei!"
Naruto, who was still in a tense mood, quickly responded.
Shinji pointed to the slightly cluttered table in the distance and said, "Next time you have a guest, you should at least prepare a cup of water, you know."
Realizing this, Naruto quickly thought about checking the kitchen for cups.
"Ah? Right! Sensei, I'll go get you some water now."
Shinji pulled Naruto and pushed him into the washroom. "Alright, you go wash up first."
Only then did he put down the things he had bought in the kitchen.
Rolling up his sleeves, Shinji decided to tidy up the room while Naruto was washing up. After all, he was a bit of a clean freak, and standing in Naruto's room for even a short while made him a little uncomfortable.
Inside the washroom, thinking about his sensei still outside, Naruto quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed his clothes.
Then he pushed open the washroom door, but the next second, he froze in place.
Looking at Shinji, who was busy working, and the room that was gradually becoming clean and tidy, Naruto's eyes seemed to be filled with sand, and his eyes gradually turned red.
"Naruto, once you're done, come over and help clean up."
At this moment, Shinji was a bit excited, because when Naruto pushed open the washroom door, he received feedback from the system.
[Disciple Naruto is deeply moved, rewarded with 50 Chakra points!]
This made Shinji a little excited. Although he hadn't initially intended this outcome when he started, getting rewards from interacting with his disciple was a good thing.
"Okay, sensei."
Naruto, who was usually very talkative, seemed like a different person today. He kept responding to Shinji with just that phrase.
Shinji opened the refrigerator, looked at the expired milk inside, and said to Naruto, "Naruto, if milk is expired, you should throw it away. Otherwise, you'll get a stomachache later."
Naruto, who was carrying a large bag of trash and was about to put it by the door, replied immediately upon hearing this, "Okay."
Watching Naruto walk out of the room, Shinji muttered, a little exasperated, "Is this kid really that excited?"
Anyone could tell that Naruto was in a very good mood right now. The six whiskers on his face were constantly twitching.
After a while, the bustling room gradually returned to quiet.
At this moment, Shinji was sitting on Naruto's bed, holding a cup of hot water.
Cleaning a room was more tiring than teaching.
Naruto, sitting nearby with his instant noodles, asked with some hesitation, "Um... Sensei, why did you suddenly come to my house?"
Shinji put down his cup and then spoke, "Didn't I say? I originally planned to take you to train today."
Naruto's entire demeanor instantly changed, his body turning gray, tears welling in his eyes.
"Sensei, I... I forgot."
After returning last night, Naruto had remembered Shinji inviting him to train together tomorrow and had intended to go to bed early. However, he was too excited and didn't fall asleep until almost midnight.
Before he could fully recover, he was woken by Shinji's knock on the door. He had completely forgotten everything.
Shinji wasn't surprised by this answer. He smiled and stroked Naruto's hair and said, "It's okay, I've changed my mind anyway."
Hearing this, Naruto was startled, thinking Shinji didn't want to take him because he had forgotten. "Sensei! I absolutely won't forget next time!"
Shinji gave Naruto a light tap on the forehead, exasperated. "Alright, I came over and helped you clean your room. Don't you even look at what time it is now?"
Naruto, clutching his forehead, looked out the nearby window, where the sun was already high, probably almost noon. He had been too happy while cleaning and hadn't really paid attention to the time.
"I'll cook first. We'll go after we eat."
Shinji stood up, walking slowly towards the kitchen.
Naruto's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly followed him to the kitchen, throwing the cup of instant noodles he was holding directly into the trash can.
Shinji, who was about to start preparing vegetables, was stunned when he saw this and pointed, saying, "Naruto, weren't you still eating?"
Naruto quickly waved his hand and said, "Sensei, I want to eat your cooking. If I eat the instant noodles, I won't be able to eat what you make later."
Shinji's lips twitched at this, and he looked at the instant noodles in the trash can with a bit of heartache.
When Naruto was about to make the instant noodles earlier, Shinji had asked about it. That cup of instant noodles was a special collaboration edition, worth two hundred and fifty ryo. Shinji's monthly salary was only five thousand eight hundred ryo. This was including the added salary from being a homeroom teacher this year.