18 Genius

Dix saw the hand reaching towards him and heard the kind words inviting him, so he couldn't help but smile. He complied with the request and made his way to the couch and sat down. He looked at both of his seniors before starting to answer the Third's question. He wanted to think through first what he can say and what he should keep quiet about, but seeing the old man's encouraging face he had no other choice but to start speaking right away.

"Well, Uncle Hiruzen, usually I go to the woods every day to explore and train..." he said. At the last meeting the Third decided to let Dix call him his own name, as their relationship was going pretty well. Even more so because Dix was heavily pushing towards that. He tried to show more affection and openness to him than others, so he can realize his future goals easier. He was the one guarding the forbidden scroll, and Dix wanted one specific jutsu at least, but he had other ones he wanted to get too. Having a good relationship with the Third was crucial. And it turned out the grumpy old man from the anime can have such a good and giddy nature. Back to the conversation, Hiruzen got a bit confused at what Dix said and looked at Elma with puzzled eyes.

"Training you say.... Why? Is someone bullying you perhaps?" he asked in a serious tone with some worry in his voice. The cheerful happiness was long gone from his eyes. Dix tried to act as sheepishly as possible for 'Uncle Hiruzen' to be more invested.

"Well... not exactly. My parents were great ninjas, as you said last time, and now I want to be one as well! Also, the villagers are not very... nice. They look angry when I walk around, so I thought if I become a respected ninja, then people wouldn't be angry anymore!" Dix said. He wanted to go with the same troupe the anime had. It seemed effective. Also it would've been unwise to lie and try to make up stuff. Once again, small hints of falsehood between facts and truths.

The Third's eyes flickered again, now with intrigue and a hint of worry.

"Ninja you say... Well, sadly there isn't much we can do about what people think, but do tell me, do you know what a ninja is?" he asked with some sadness and resignation on his face.

"Umm... they are the guards and the soldiers of the village, aren't they?"

"Well yes, you are not wrong, but being a ninja has a lot of other meanings as well, some of which you wouldn't understand for now and I'll tell you later. But for now you should know that its really hard and needs a lot of dedication." came the answer, trying to scare him away from the thought.

"Yes, I know, Uncle Hiruzen, that's why I'm training already."

"Okay then, do as you want, but please think this trough again. It really is a hard way to live. But lets speak about something else. I came to check up on you and see if you need anything. So? How are you?" he said, trying to get his cheerful demeanor back with the new direction of the conversation.

"Everything is fine, Uncle Hiruzen, I don't lack anything here, this place is quite nice. The caretakers are polite and I like Elma, she is really nice to me!" he said with a huge smile towards Elma who smiled back and reached towards his had with her hand to ruffle it. At this the Third started laughing

"Hahaha, she really is sweet, isn't she. That' why I left you in her care, I knew she would take good care of you! But still, if you have anything you need, do tell me, your father was a great friend of mine, and I made him a promise to help you with everything. So, think hard now, this is a good chance to get something from the Hokage himself, haha!" Dix looked down at the floor and started thinking about this. He definitely saw the opportunity too, but a different one. So when he looked up he said this:

"Okay, Uncle Hiruzen. I would like to learn more, so I need more scrolls and books to read, also..." he couldn't finish. Both adults looked straight at him and wanted to catch his eye, with a quiet but synchronized 'What?'. He couldn't look at both of them at the same time, as they were on his two different sides, so he just kept looking back and forth.

The Third looked at Elma with visible confusion who just shrugged back. Elma had to be the one to start refuting his claims.

"What are you talking about, Naruto, you haven't attended school yet, how would you know how to read?" she said. Dix tried to look baffled and confused too, as he said:

"What do you mean? I attended a lot of classes for more than a year." Elma seemed a little annoyed at this.

"Naruto, just being in the same room as the class doesn't mean you can learn to read just like that. The teacher notified me that you were in the backseats, but he had always seen you not paying attention or doing something else." At this Dix tried to look even more confused and lost. He was expecting this, so he just had to hold out a little longer. The Third spoke next.

"Okay, lets not jump to conclusions." he said as a scroll appeared in his hand with a small puff and smoke. He summoned it from somewhere, probably one of his private items. "Lets see if he can read or not. Try this." he said as he handed the scroll over to Dix. He took it, opened it and started reading.

"It says... Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique..." he said then he looked up. The Third was dumbfounded and Elma was trying to read his face, but it was plainly obvious that what Dix read was correct.

"When did you learn to read...?" Elma asked, as she had no idea of this whatsoever.

"Well, when I was in class I actually paid attention and learned how to read and write there. Also I know some history, math and other stuff they teach." Neither of the adults could fully believe this, so to make sure, Hiruzen asked a few questions of elementary school level. Dix answered each of them perfectly. It was easy, his boosted brain could remember anything. Both the Third and Elma were sitting in the armchairs totally flabbergasted and dazed. Then suddenly Hiruzen looked at Elma and said in a low voice:

"My god, he must be a rare genius just like his father was, or even better! This could've been expected, but he has the beast sealed inside him. Who knows what his limits will be later on?!"

Hiruzen couldn't help himself, but start thinking of the future. He was a nice old man, and liked Dix too, but first and foremost he was the Hokage. He had to think of every single member of his family. The whole village, If he could raise up a loyal ninja with such potential, he wouldn't have to worry about dying and leaving the village weak. He started looking at 'Naruto' with a whole different eye. All this time he was just the orphan of his friend and student's student. But now he was a possible trump-card for the village and a potential successor of the Hokage's mantle. This would mean it was imperative to nurture this gifted child as much as possible.

He asked Dix some more to map his knowledge, and he was absolutely shocked. Even though he was a bit timid, he showed the intelligence of a kid at least 10 years old, while he himself was only 4. For the first request it was decided that Dix would get access to the Hokage's private library that had the biggest collection of the more usable and important information about practically anything. After some more questioning it turned out 'Naruto' had a good understanding of money too, so he was given 100.000 ryo of allowance each week, which was around twice the money a normal genin would earn at maximum for a mission. He could also ask for anything from directly the Hokage, if he had a good reason to back it up.

Hiruzen thought of enlisting 'Naruto' in the Ninja Academy right away, but he quickly dismissed the idea, as he was the one that regulated the minimum age of this said facility. Many geniuses psyche were messed up after they attended school at a too young age. This case would've been especially extreme. So instead of that he just let him do whatever he wanted and let him progress in his own way until he comes of age.