Serie has lived from the Mythical Era until today.
Among them, she had seen too many so-called ‘geniuses’, but the blond brat in front of her was different.
Controlling magic so smoothly on his first exposure was something even her very first disciple, Flamme, couldn’t achieve at that time.
Serie stared at the gradually dissipating white light in Naruto’s palm, the corners of her mouth slowly curling upwards.
Interesting.
Too interesting.
“Big sis?” Naruto looked at the smile on Serie’s face and felt a little creeped out.
“Did I pass the test?”
Serie withdrew her hand, crossed her arms over her chest, and tilted her head to look at him.
“You are the first one I’ve ever seen…
Forget it, let’s not talk about that.”
“Let me ask you a question again.” Serie’s expression became a bit more serious.
“If you learn magic, what do you want to use it for?”
Naruto was taken aback.
He had never thought about this question before.
He just thought magic was cool, that it could make Sakura like him, and that it could make that guy Sasuke take a hit.
But as for what to ‘use it for’…
Naruto’s eyes sparkled as he answered without hesitation, “First of all!”
“Mmhmm?”
“I’m going to defeat that guy Sasuke!” Naruto clenched his fists.
“That guy always calls me a loser, I’ve tolerated him for a long time!”
The corners of Serie’s mouth curved slightly upward, signaling him to continue.
“Then…” Naruto’s voice suddenly lowered a bit, and his face turned slightly red, “I want Sakura to like me.”
“She always runs after Sasuke.
If I learn such awesome magic, she’ll definitely look at me more, right?”
Serie’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but she still didn’t speak.
“Lastly…”
Naruto straightened his body and said loudly, “I want to surpass the successive Hokage!
I want to become the greatest Hokage!
I’ll make everyone in the village acknowledge me!”
Looking at his appearance, Serie suddenly laughed.
Naruto scratched his head.
“What are you laughing at…
big sis?”
“I’m not sure how sacred this Hokage you speak of really is,” Serie slowly said, “but I saw something.”
“What?”
“Ambition.”
Naruto tilted his head and blinked in confusion.
“Ambition?”
Facing the distant sky dyed golden by the setting sun, Serie spoke as if talking to herself or to Naruto:
“Magic is the world of imagination.
As long as you can imagine it, everything can be realized.”
“Do you think if a Mage wants to achieve something, but doesn’t even dare to think about it in their heart, can they accomplish it?”
Naruto shook his head.
“Maybe they can’t?”
“That’s right.” Serie looked at Naruto.
“A Mage without ambition is destined never to become an outstanding Mage.”
“The few things you just mentioned sound quite childish.”
“But at least you thought about them, and you dared to speak them out.
That is enough.”
Naruto nodded, understanding vaguely.
Serie extended her right hand toward him, palm facing upward.
“Uzumaki Naruto.”
Naruto gave a start.
“Yes!”
“I can lead you to heights that no Mage has ever reached until now.” Serie’s voice was very soft.
“Are you willing to become my disciple?”
Naruto didn’t hesitate to reach out, grasp Serie’s palm, and shouted loudly, “I want to become the greatest Mage!”
Serie nodded with a smile, retracting her hand with satisfaction.
Then she turned around and walked back in the direction she came from.
“Eh?” Naruto panicked, chasing after her and walking alongside Serie.
“Big sis, wait for me!”
“Then how should I learn magic?
And when can I go home?
What kind of place is this anyway?”
Serie stopped in her tracks, raised her right hand, and flicked Naruto on the forehead with her finger.
“My foolish disciple, you must call me Master.
Remember that?”
“Yes…
Master.” Naruto covered his forehead, feeling a bit aggrieved.
Only then did Serie withdraw her hand and continue explaining in a calm tone: “I have a magic that can view memories.”
“I need to see all the details about Konoha Village in your memories so that I can determine where that world is and how to send you back.”
She paused and looked into Naruto’s eyes.
“But this magic will let me see all of your memories.
Are you willing?”
Naruto opened his mouth.
All his memories?
Wouldn’t that mean…
He lowered his head and stared at his feet.
Serie stood beside him and waited, not rushing him.
After a long while, Naruto finally raised his head, his voice hoarse.
“Master…
can you see my parents?”
Serie looked at his slightly reddened eyes and said, “If you have never met them, then my magic can do nothing about it.”
“I can only see things you have experienced yourself and people you have seen, so…”
“So you can’t see them?” Naruto’s voice became even lower.
“Probably not.”
Naruto sniffled, then forced out a smile.
“It’s fine!
Then go ahead and look!
Anyway, I don’t have anything shameful to hide!”
Serie glanced at him.
This child was putting up a front, but she didn’t expose him.
Serie extended her right hand and gently pressed her palm against Naruto’s forehead.
“Close your eyes and don’t resist.”
Naruto obediently closed his eyes.
Memory Analysis Magic!
White light lit up from her palm, and Serie closed her eyes as those images flooded into her mind frame by frame.
After a long while.
She withdrew her hand, slowly opened her eyes, furrowed her brow, and remained silent for a long time.
Naruto opened his eyes and cautiously sized up her expression.
“Master?
Did you see where Konoha is?
And…
my mom and dad…”
“I didn’t see memories from before you were two years old, so I don’t know who your parents are,” Serie said.
Naruto drooped his head, looking at the ground without speaking.
Looking at his appearance, Serie suddenly said, “As your master, I need to remind you of a few things.”
“Huh?”
“That Third Hokage seems to treat you well, but he has completely failed in his duty.”
Naruto snapped his head up.
“Grandpa Hokage is very good to me!”
“Is that so?” Serie narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Then let me ask you a question.”
“He is the village chief of Konoha, right?”
Naruto nodded.
“A village chief should know the information of everyone in the village, and he is also the most respected person, right?”
Naruto nodded again.
“Then he definitely knows who your parents are.
Why didn’t he tell you?”
Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but the words stuck in his throat.
Every time he asked this question, Grandpa Hokage always glossed over it vaguely.
“Even if he had some reason not to tell you the identity of your parents,” Serie continued, “did he send anyone to take care of you?”
Naruto didn’t speak.
“Your room is a mess, you rely on instant noodles and occasional treats from Iruka for meals, you don’t even know how to fold your clothes, nobody taught you basic life skills, and nobody taught you to practice Ninjutsu.”
Speaking up to this point, Serie paused and looked into Naruto’s eyes.
“He constantly claims that you are a ‘hero’s son’, but no one even handles these trivial matters for you.
Do you think this counts as ‘treating you well’?”
Naruto fell completely silent.
Grandpa Hokage had indeed given him living expenses, but not a single thing that Master mentioned had ever been done.
Those images surged up like a tide.
Naruto lowered his head and clenched his fists.
Looking at his dejected appearance, Serie turned the topic and said, “And that girl named Sakura.”
Naruto raised his head, a bit dazed.
“Sakura?
What about her?”
“Give up.” Serie’s tone was bland.
“It’s impossible for her to like you.”
“Ho…
How could that be!” Naruto panicked.
“If I practice magic well, she will definitely…”
“In the memories I saw, her attitude towards you and that boy named Sasuke are completely different.”
“Every time you cozy up to her, she has an impatient look on her face.
What she cares about is not you at all.”
Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but no words came out.
But what surfaced in his mind were entirely images of Sakura blushing at Sasuke and rolling her eyes at him.
“If you really want to date, instead of spending time on her,” Serie’s tone softened a bit, “you might as well pay attention to another girl.”
“Who?”
“Hyuga Hinata.”
Naruto was stunned.
“Hinata?
She seems to be that girl in class who…
talks very little…”
“The way she looks at you is exactly the same as when you run after Sakura,” Serie said.
“It’s just that she isn’t as foolish as you; she knows how to hide behind a tree to watch.
I think you should pay more attention to her.”
Naruto blinked, trying hard to recall Hinata’s appearance in his mind.
It seemed that indeed, every time they met in the hallway, Hinata would blush and lower her head.
He used to think she was afraid of him.
It turned out to be…
Liking?
Naruto scratched his head, feeling his mind was a bit muddled.
Serie didn’t say anything more, pulling Naruto’s wrist as she walked forward.