Naruto's playful, teasing tone clearly caught the Examiner off guard. His eyes narrowed slightly as he gave Naruto a brief once-over. Seeing that Naruto's cheerful smile carried no trace of hidden anger or dissatisfaction, he finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Then, under the eyes of the crowd—some worried, some enjoying the show—he gave a slight nod and gradually curved his lips into a kind smile.
At the same time, he did his best to suppress the shadow of fear creeping up from within at being this close to a child who seemed harmless.
He kept his rationality intact, striving to appear friendly and approachable while replying in a gentle tone.
…Not bad.
Noticing the man's overly polite and distant demeanor, Naruto felt a flicker of dissatisfaction. But until he figured out exactly why this guy felt so scared around him, he had no way to fix things.
Whether Naruto tried to imply things or asked outright, this Examiner—who was normally so imposing in public—would instantly shrink into a quivering little rabbit, too afraid to utter another word.
The fact that he could now stand in front of Naruto without trembling already marked the best outcome Naruto could achieve—after repeated attempts during his training period, using Shadow Clones to slowly soothe and bond with this batch of people.
With no clear answers, Naruto could only chalk up this odd behavior to Danzo Shimura's excessive brainwashing.
These people, once members of Root who had now abandoned the shadows for the light, were likely too deeply conditioned.
Even though they had long since broken free of Danzo's control, and were granted freedom after cooperating with Uchiha Fugaku's police force, they had been forcibly assigned to Naruto's command by Grandpa Third—despite Naruto's laid-back, absentee leadership style.
Yet, every time they saw Naruto, each and every one of them would still act terrified and nervous.
And naturally, because of that, Naruto had yet to realize that to these ex-Root agents—who had been assigned to him by the Third Hokage—he didn't need to do anything at all.
Just the trace of Kurama's Tailed Beast bloodlust that leaked out when Naruto went into his transformed state to kill Danzo had left a psychological scar far more terrifying than any of Danzo's twisted "winner lives" games.
'Hmm… poor Danzo. Even after dying young, he still ends up taking the blame for everything. That title of "Scapegoat King" is well-earned.'
[Danzo: "Come on! Can't a dead man catch a break?!"]
"Good. I was worried that dealing with people like this would make you snap and go on a rampage. Looks like I was overthinking things… You did great. Thanks for your effort."
"Leave the cleanup to me. Just hang in there a little longer—and help me finish this act."
Naruto barely moved his lips, whispering softly in a tone only he and the Examiner could hear. He then paused briefly to give the man time to respond.
"...Understood, Master."
The Examiner showed no hint of resentment or frustration. In fact, his response was filled with praise and concern for Naruto, which finally allowed the tension in his gut to ease. He exhaled quietly.
Having grown up in the ruthless, dehumanizing world of Root, even this simple expression of care—normal to most people—stirred a warmth in his heart that made him smile, just a little, without realizing it.
As he nodded in acknowledgment, he couldn't help but let the word "Master" slip out again by habit. But this time, the fear and anxiety buried in that word had clearly faded by more than half.
"Ahem? Did you just call me Master again, Tenzo?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, visibly irritated and covered in goosebumps. Despite his satisfaction at seeing the man regain some humanity and confidence, he still cringed at being called "Master." He directly called out the man's post-Root codename with exasperation.
"Haven't I told you already? We're all human—there's no such thing as high or low, noble or common among us."
"Tenzo, you're even older than me! By seniority, you could be my teacher. So what sense does it make for you to call a brat like me 'Master'?"
"...Yes, Mas—"
He paused, catching the slight teasing frown on Naruto's face and realizing he was about to say something Naruto disliked.
After a moment of hesitation, encouraged by Naruto's gaze, he forced himself to try something different.
"Ahem… I mean… understood… Naruto-kun?"
"Now that's more like it."
Naruto knew better than to expect overnight change. He didn't dream of turning the man into that calm and cunning teacher from the original story in one step. But getting the Examiner to consciously change how he addressed him? That was already a huge success.
As for completely freeing him—and the rest of the former Root members—of the shadow cast by Root and helping them adapt to a life of light and humanity... Well, that would take time.
'The road is long. There's still a long way to go…'
'Still a little stiff, but way better than that cold, cringey "Master" stuff. I'll take it as a pass.'
'Alright then… Time to get back to the situation at hand. Let's finish cleaning this up, Tenzo—or rather, Examiner-sama.'
With a smile in his eyes, Naruto spoke softly. He tilted his head and put his hands behind it in a lazy pose, deliberately exaggerating an innocent, playful expression. To anyone watching, he looked just like a mischievous kid acting up to draw attention.
"Examiner-sama~ how long are you going to keep staring at me? I washed my face before coming out, y'know. Shouldn't be anything dirty on it."
"Oh! Oh! Also—can I start asking questions now? Can I start objecting now?"
Faced with Naruto's impish behavior, the Examiner found himself momentarily confused. Was the real Naruto a merciless war machine, a cunning strategist, a loyal leader, or this innocent, curious child?
But after speaking to Naruto up close, something shifted inside him. Naruto didn't seem nearly as cold or frightening as he'd imagined.
"...Tenzo, huh. Living in the light really does feel a lot more comfortable than hiding in the shadows..."
He muttered to himself as the stiffness in his expression melted away like thawing ice. The more he talked to Naruto, the more genuine his smile became.
In the stunned eyes of everyone around them, he smiled gently and nodded to Naruto.
"Apologies. I spaced out for a moment... Of course, that's your right. As someone enrolling in the Ninja Academy this year, you're absolutely allowed to raise objections."
"And besides..." He added, narrowing his eyes with a chuckle.
"I'm curious myself. What kind of questions does a little rascal like you have for me?"