He gave her a faintly amused smile at her initial comment. He was an enthusiastic man, and he did not accept the impossibility of a self-made shinobi...but he was not delusional, no matter what other daimyo might say of him. Her interventions on his way home from Konoha had been obvious to him because he knew his own limits. Spotting her eventually only meant he knew who to direct his gratitude toward.

"So then...could it be that you're encouraging my deviant behavior after all?" Teasing again, yes. But she left herself open to it. And he was genuinely touched and flattered that she would say such. Often, he was quite certain the encouragement he received from teachers was only for political reasons, or for payment. He didn't believe either of her.

"...I think that you underestimate your qualifications as a teacher."