Roy glanced at Namikaze Minato without any movement.
"I'll listen to the teacher."
"Minato," Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly,
Namikaze Minato looked at one, then the other, and with a smile, he put away his kunai: "Jin, since the Hokage-sama is calling for you, you should go. Heading to the battlefield doesn't make a difference of a few days, there's plenty of time later."
Moreover, the boy actually has an astonishing talent in "time-space ninjutsu"... Namikaze Minato's lake-blue eyes flickered, thinking he might need to talk to Kushina about it, maybe visit Brother Fugaku's house for a meal more often.
Seeing this, Roy put his hand in his pocket, expressionless, following behind Sarutobi Hiruzen, he strolled towards the southern forest edge.....
By then, it was nearing noon, the sunshine was at its fullest.
An old man and a young man, one in front and one behind, walked out of the forest, crossed the street, into the breeze, straight up the Hokage Rock, with neither speaking until,
Sarutobi Hiruzen first stopped in his tracks, standing atop his own head sculpture, looked back and asked: "Do you have a sense of grievance?"
Roy stopped with him, beneath him was the depiction of Senju Hashirama, gazing at Konoha, he said softly: "It's hard for anyone to be happy about being spied on, right?"
"It's my duty as the headmaster to be concerned with the growth of each young ninja."
"So then, might I ask if the Hokage-sama has seen anything?"
"I have," Sarutobi Hiruzen looked deep into Roy's eyes: "And I was rather startled."
Saying that, the elderly man sat cross-legged, patting the empty space beside him as an invitation for Roy to join him....
Roy sat down boldly, letting his legs dangle lightly over the rock's edge, the breeze gently rustling the bangs that hung to his eyes. There was an indescribable yet distinctive air of ease about him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to look at him, memories drifting back to his own youthful days. Compared to this boy, he mulled over how he himself seemed not even a fraction as formidable back then.
"Jin,"
"Speak,"
"Could you tell me, who is your teacher?" Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to gaze with the young man at the vast sky above Konoha, the sun bright and clear, earnestly stated: "Don't say it's Fugaku, you know, he couldn't possibly have taught a child as outstanding as you."
The swordsmanship that could rival Sakumo... casually executed no-seal ninjutsu... unparalleled talents in time-space... combined with Yang Release and that initial encounter, piercing through the Telescope Technique with sharp insight... the boy was like a mystery, effortlessly showcasing myriad skills that many Jonins may never grasp in a lifetime—be it ninjutsu or swordsmanship...
Needless to say it's Uchiha Fugaku, Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered, even with himself, the First and Second Hokage included, it might not be possible to nurture such an exceptional child! Otherwise, Asuma wouldn't be just a newly promoted Chunin by now....
If spoken aloud, it would surely make him blush.
"Teacher?"
"There are many...."
Roy thought of Urokodaki Sakonji, thought of the old woman Biscuit, thought of his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and... Ging, Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, and so on, whether imparting teachings, providing advice, or having a connection through various insights, a mixed array by age and gender... Swordsmen, Hunters, Shinigami as they were... culminating in one word—
"Dreams."
The boy swayed his little legs and said leisurely, "I often learn with my teachers in dreams."
"They don't find me foolish, for which I am immensely grateful."
After speaking, he caught a wisp of breeze, memories unfurling as if he was back in the days of practicing swordsmanship with Teacher Urokodaki Sakonji... almost two years unseen, wondering how Brother Sabito, Makomo, and others from Sagiri yama were doing....
The serene Hokage Rock basked in the gentle, cascading sunlight....
Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to this answer, and turned his head towards the boy, clearly an absurd and fantastical answer, yet intuition told him that Roy was indeed speaking the truth.
"Hehe..." the old man chuckled with restrained warmth,
He took off the Hokage hat, setting it beside him, stroked his patterned black and white beard with assurance, "To be your teacher, I suppose... they're all remarkable individuals."
"Indeed," Roy loosened his grip, letting the breeze slip away, following it with a smile, "I think so too, which is why,"
The boy turned to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen: "I've always felt very fortunate."
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused with sincere words: "And they are lucky too."
"Having a student like you, I believe, they must think the same."
Before setting out to Mount Fujikasane to join the Demon Slayer Corps, Urokodaki Sakonji's gaze... the initial learning of [Ren] guided by the great-grandfather... the embrace with his father in dreams... walking the mottled corridor with grandfather, the wisdom imparted by Ging, Biscuit's insights, and the fateful first encounter with Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni rooted in 'gratitude'.....
One scene after another unfolded... Roy leaned back, his back against the abrasive rock surface, silent, only continuously looking up through the gaps between his fingers at the sun ascending to its zenith, after a moment, he leisurely said: "Hokage-sama wouldn't have called me here just to have idle chatter with a kid who's not even a ninja, right."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, turning his back on Roy, gradually looked at the lively scene of the Konoha Business District below, as if he could never get enough of it: "To correct you, I've already approved your early graduation, so, strictly speaking, you're already a qualified Genin."
"I didn't agree to that."
"I don't need your agreement," the old man craftily tilted his head with a straight face: "I'm the headmaster; what I say goes."
Roy rolled his eyes, decisively closing them, choosing not to look at him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled lightly without offense, graciously saying: "Of course, this time, I sought you out to answer your question."