"Akisada, bring out our summoning contract," Shiro commanded, which Akisada happily obliged as he slowly walked away from the throne room, leaving Naruto alone in the face of the Lion and Tiger Clan leader.
Naruto finds the two clan leaders amusing, for lack of a better word.
What amused him wasn't the size or the fact that they were the leader of a summoning animal clan. It wasn't even the fact that Akisada, one of the strong people Naruto met, had respect for the two.
What truly amused him was the fact that the two completely blended in with the surroundings; if it wasn't for his unique eyes, he wouldn't have felt the great amount of power hidden within them.
While Naruto is observing the two clan leaders, the latter also do the same thing. They wanted to know more about Naruto as well, and using the unconscious action and the experience both had, they started to know the personality behind the kid named Naruto.
The two immediately notice the lack of interest in life or death in the boys' eyes, as if they were meaningless in the first place.
From their observation as well as what Akisada told them secretly, Naruto seems interested in trying to decipher the mysteries in the world and would do anything to solve them.
What truly made them concerned was the innate desire within Naruto—a desire to gain power and destroy something.
As for what or who Naruto desired to destroy, it remained unknown for both of them, but still they knew they had to be careful when establishing their relationship.
The moment Akisada returns with the two giant scrolls on both of his arms. After he arrives, he immediately places down the scroll and rolls it.
At the Lion Clan scroll there's Akisada's full name with his fingerprints on it, while on the Tiger Clan scroll there's no Akisada on it.
Clearly shows that Akisada doesn't have a contract with the Tiger Clan, which is quite surprising since Akisada had some relationship with Shiro.
While it was quite curious about the dynamics of their relationship, at the end of the day Naruto didn't care about it.
He did find it interesting, but he will never decipher and find the truth since it wouldn't mean anything to him.
"Sign your name in blood here, put each of your fingerprints here, infuse chakra, and push it in here," Akisada said.
Naruto glances at the two scrolls for a few moments before signing them with his name and marking them with his fingerprint using his own blood as the ink, and after he finishes, he infuses his chakra into the contracts.
"Naruto, you have now earned the right to summon both the lions and tigers. It is an honor that few manage to get. Do not be disappointed," Helios said in a deep voice.
"Sure, but I also hope that your clans wouldn't disappoint me as well," Naruto responded with a small smile on his face.
Helios and Shiro didn't find Naruto's words offensive, as they know the prowess behind the kid in front of them.
The two also realize that the three of them are currently in a game. Whoever makes others disappointed will be the losers, and both Helios and Shiro make sure they won't disappoint Naruto.
Naruto is aware of the game they have right now, and he believes that with his prowess, Helios and Shiro wouldn't feel disappointed in his potential.
Akisada is aware of this game and shakes his head.
The game is about the pride and arrogance between the three players, and the loss was unacceptable for them. Akisada already sees the possibility of the Lion and Tiger Clan losing will be high due to the fact that they didn't know Naruto's criteria, but Naruto knows what Helios and Shiro are looking for.
Akisada hopes that by the end of this game the relationship between the three wouldn't sour.
Akisada and Naruto leave the palace, leaving Helios and Shiro alone while contemplating how to win the game. They know their inevitable defeat, but they just wanted to enjoy the journey and not the results themselves.
While leaving the palace, Naruto said something that attracted Akisada's full attention.
"I need you to train me," Naruto said calmly.
Akisada is taken aback for a moment before turning his head and staring at Naruto and asking, "Don't you have people in your village for that?"
From what Akisada sees, Naruto is someone who had immense potential, so surely someone had to teach the boy on his side. While Naruto did previously mention using a scroll about the Summoning Technique as a guide to perform the technique, he always thought of it as Naruto trying to do the advanced thing first while not understanding the fundamentals.
"I don't." Naruto shakes his head.
Akisada's eyes narrowed for a moment, and after thinking about it for a few moments, he said, "When do you need my help?"
"Every day," Naruto answers.
"Alright, I will be teaching you starting tomorrow," Akisada said while scratching his hair.
"See you tomorrow then," Naruto said, slowly waving the Summoning Technique hand signs backwards and disappearing.
"Truly a terrifying kid," Akisada said, but a small smile appeared on his face.
Akisada started to get excited teaching such a monstrously talented person, especially about the curse energy. Throughout the times that Naruto asked about the curse energy, Akisada was mind-blown about the discovery Naruto had with the curse energy despite the fact that Naruto didn't have someone to tell him about it.
It also made him wonder about the connection between Naruto and certain clans he knew, especially after Akisada managed to get a glimpse of Naruto's eyes without his dark sunglasses.
Naruto appeared back in the forest near the Village Hidden in the Leaf, and he couldn't help but feel excitement for tomorrow since he can finally deepen his understanding about the curse energy as well as the creature made out entirely of curse energy.
Naruto slowly made his way back to the village to eat breakfast, but in his mind he was thinking about the possibility behind the curse energy.
6 Years Later
Uzumaki Namekaze Estate
Menma, Mito, and Yayoi are on the family's private training ground and currently sitting on the ground while balancing the kunai on their fingers. A chakra control exercise.
"Uh, this is so boring!" Menma complains. "When am I going to get the chance to learn some real ninja technique like Dad's Rasengan?"
"Quiet down, Menma. Chakra control is essential. If you don't have it, then you won't be able to use ninja techniques like Rasengan," Mito said while focusing on her own training.
"Yeah, yeah," Menma rolled his eyes.
He then looked at Yayoi, who was also focusing on the training, and an idea suddenly appeared in Menma's mind. He slowly gets closer to Yayoi before blowing the kunai on her hand.
"Hey!" Yayoi yells, but Menma is already running far away from her.
"Menma! I'm telling Mom and Dad about it!" she said while running towards her parents, who are sitting on the side and watching their children.
"Mom, Dad, Menma blew my kunai off!" Yayoi complained while looking at her parents with teary eyes.
"I do no such thing!" Menma lied without changing his expression. "Right, Mito!"
"They're both being a nuisance!"
"Alright, that's enough for today," Kushina calmly said.
The three kids immediately stop what they are doing. Mito and Menma stored their kunai at the same time, while Yayoi had to get the kunai first before storing it.
"Mom, Dad," Yayoi said, which attracted Minato and Kushina's attention. Even Menma and Mito had their heads turn towards her.
"Um... When can Naruto start training with us?" she asks.
When they were younger, both Yayoi and Menma constantly made fun of Naruto alongside other kids, and most of them made fun of him for being weak despite the fact that he was the older one of the quadruplets.
Both Yayoi and Menma even convinced the kids not to go near Naruto. This made Naruto an outcast even by his peers, which made the other parents, especially the civilians, happy.
Mito, on the other hand, simply behaved obliviously towards Naruto's existence.
In recent times, Yayoi's feelings towards Naruto have changed. She realized how she acted towards Naruto and tried to change that.
Immediately, there is silence between them.
Kushina and Minato have subtle sad looks on their faces. They are aware of how for the past few years they've severely neglected Naruto. They wanted to change that but didn't know where to begin.
"Why do you want to train with that loser anyway?" Menma said, visibly growing angry by the seconds.
He despised Naruto. Every time someone mentioned him, the mood would grow sour. In Menma's eyes, Naruto was weak and the dead last at the Ninja Academy, and all he knew how to do was cause trouble.
At the mention of his name, things would be spoiled. As far as Menma is concerned, Naruto doesn't deserve to be called a member of this family.
"Menma, don't say that about your brother!" Kushina reprimanded. Menma held back a scoff.
"Maybe that isn't a bad idea," Minato said, who had been quiet up until this point.
"From now on Naruto will be training with us," Minato declared.
"Yay! Big brother will definitely be happy about this," Yayoi explains, jumping around.
Kushina and Minato chuckled with her, while Mito appeared indifferent.
'Way to go, Yayoi,' Menma thought frustratingly.