"What?! What did you say you're going to do?"
Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, his small eyes fixed on Naruto, afraid he had misheard.
Tsunade's brows were furrowed, and her expression was solemn as she stared at Naruto as if facing a great enemy.
Shizune's dumbfounded expression was frankly a little comical.
The Nine-Tails?
Was that the Nine-Tails she knew?
Suddenly, she snapped out of her daze.
Was Naruto a Nine-Tails jinchuriki?
Thinking of what Naruto had just said, her eyes widened in shock!
If he released the Nine-Tails here, would she even survive?
At that moment, the group of four was walking in a desolate wasteland.
For dozens of kilometers in every direction, the land was covered in green forests. At the end of the horizon, several towering peaks were covered in white snow, with streams flowing down them and into a nearby river.
Based on Naruto's own sensory perception, there were no villages or towns for dozens of kilometers around, and only a handful of people.
This was precisely why Naruto had chosen this location.
This place was the perfect setting for a crime—no, the perfect place to open the seal.
So, he was ready to unseal it.
After telling Jiraiya his idea, Jiraiya reacted as he had just now.
"Of course, I'm going to release the Nine-Tails' seal."
Naruto's expression was incredibly calm, his blue eyes filled with peace.
This was the confidence that came from absolute power.
Release the seal?
This time, Jiraiya was certain he had not misheard.
He looked at Naruto carefully, and all he saw in Naruto's eyes was composure.
It didn't seem like a joke.
Jiraiya gradually calmed down.
Release the Nine-Tails' seal?
Jiraiya had actually considered this for a long time.
Not just unsealing it, but teaching Naruto to gradually master the Nine-Tails' power.
This was the original purpose of Jiraiya's return to the village.
To his surprise, he had just met Naruto and was already fried by his talent.
Later, Naruto's actions had shocked him time and time again, making him doubt his whole life.
The idea of mastering the Nine-Tails had long since been cast aside by Jiraiya.
With Naruto's current strength, the Nine-Tails was completely irrelevant!
Furthermore, learning to control the Nine-Tails carried an unexpected risk—the jinchuriki could go berserk.
That was a soul-level injury, and no amount of personal strength could prevent it.
In fact, it would even have the opposite effect.
Greater strength would make a berserk Nine-Tails jinchuriki even more difficult to subdue.
So, Jiraiya had not pushed the matter.
But now... Naruto had brought it up himself.
For a moment, Jiraiya was conflicted!
Naruto naturally saw Jiraiya's hesitation.
"What's wrong, Master Sage? Isn't the location I chose good enough?"
Master Sage?
Jiraiya looked at Naruto with a wry expression. He had a good handle on this kid.
When he needed something from him, he called him "Master Sage."
When he was in a good mood, he called him "Master Jiraiya."
Any other time, he just called him "Pervert Sage."
This kid...
However, unsealing it wasn't a bad idea.
Not only were he and Tsunade here, but since the kid was ready to do this, he must have some preparation.
Besides, Minato's key was there as a final safeguard.
"Naruto, are you really ready?" To prevent any accidents, Jiraiya confirmed again.
"Of course. There won't be any accidents!"
Naruto was absolutely certain.
His strength was already a given.
And Kurama, who was sealed inside, had already pledged his loyalty and was now more obedient than a dog.
Ahem, he must never let the Nine-Tails hear this, or it would certainly jump up in protest.
In short, there was no chance of an accident with this unsealing.
There was only a small, tiny unknown possibility, which was why he had the two Sannin as his protectors.
Otherwise, he would have unsealed it in the Land of Grass or the Land of Hot Water. Why wait until now?
"Alright then!"
Just as Jiraiya agreed, Tsunade interrupted.
"Hey! What are you two doing..."
Tsk. He forgot about her.
Naruto immediately looked at Jiraiya.
His eyes signaled: She's your teammate, you go convince her.
It turned out that Jiraiya did have a certain knack for talking, and Tsunade was persuaded.
Seeing that they were both ready, Naruto lifted his shirt, revealing his six-pack abs.
On his stomach, a clear seal gradually became visible under the pressure of Naruto's chakra.
Seeing this seal, the two Sannin's expressions became extremely serious.
As for Shizune, she had already been sent away.
Naruto also looked at the strange markings.
In reality, with his current strength, he could, of course, force the seal to disappear instantly.
However, the purpose of this was not just to unseal it but to meet the two chakras that accompanied the seal—his birth parents.
"Naruto, wait a moment. I'll summon the key."
Seeing Naruto about to take the next step, Jiraiya reminded him, "Minato left the key to the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style with the toads in Mount Myoboku."
"There's no need, Master Jiraiya."
Naruto's gaze moved from his stomach, and he looked up at Jiraiya with a brilliant smile.
"I know a little bit about sealing jutsu, too."
A little bit?
What good would a little bit do?
Looking at the confident Naruto, Jiraiya was about to remind him that the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style was not a simple jutsu but an advanced sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan—an upgraded version of the Four Symbols Seal.
This kind of sealing jutsu was difficult to master without extensive study and practice.
However, before he could say anything, Naruto had already closed his eyes.
Inside the sealing space.
It was still that dark, narrow space with damp, standing water on the floor. Kurama's massive body was quietly curled up behind the cage.
He was not playing games in the training space but had been waiting here for a long time.
Seeing Naruto arrive, Kurama finally opened its eyes, its huge golden vertical pupils fixed on Naruto.
"Ready, little tanuki?"
The seal was about to be released. Kurama, who was about to burst out laughing, immediately scowled when he heard the nickname.
"Naruto, can you please stop calling me 'little tanuki'?"
Even through the bars, Naruto could see the pleading in the Nine-Tails' eyes.
He, Kurama, also had to maintain his dignity.
Especially since he would have to face other people in the future.
When the time came, this powerful and intimidating Nine-Tails would finally be able to show off in front of others, only to be called "little tanuki" by Naruto in front of a crowd?
It would be a laughingstock!
How could Kurama have the face to meet the other Tailed Beasts?
"Fine," since Kurama said so, Naruto decided to compromise. "Then I'll call you Big Tanuki."
...?
Kurama, who had just been happy and was about to burst into a foxy grin, instantly froze, his expression stiff.
Even his big ears drooped, making him look a bit dejected.
He looked like he had just lost a thousand consecutive games to Naruto in an online match.
Big Tanuki?
The Nine-Tails repeated the name in his mind.
With the word "big," it seemed acceptable.
Looking at his good friend of nearly a decade, Naruto smiled sincerely, "Don't worry, Big Tanuki. All the promises I made to you, I'll fulfill them, including cleansing all the hatred in you."
"I always keep my word! That's my nindo!"
"Mm."
Kurama nodded gently.
While he was still worried about whether Naruto had the ability to cleanse the hatred he had accumulated over a thousand years, with this guy's unpredictable talent, he figured it was best to just believe in him.
Kurama even suspected that Naruto might be stronger than Hagoromo Otsutsuki now, but he had no proof.
"Come on! Let me feel your strength!"
Naruto closed his eyes, ready to receive Kurama's chakra shock.
Meanwhile, outside.
After Naruto finished speaking, he closed his eyes. Before the three could prepare themselves, the next second,
Whoosh—
Suddenly, an indescribably vast chakra erupted!
An orange-red chakra cloak completely covered Naruto!
The malevolent intent contained in this chakra sent a chill down the spines of the two who were closer, from their heels all the way to their heads.
Goosebumps appeared all over their bodies.
So this is the Nine-Tails. It's truly different from the other Tailed Beasts they've seen!
One-tail, two-tails, four-tails... In an instant, six tails appeared behind Naruto.
Completely unprepared!
"Oh no!" Jiraiya exclaimed in shock.
Had Naruto failed?
Jiraiya cursed under his breath.
If he had to fight the Nine-Tails, he hadn't even prepared his Sage Mode yet!
What should he do?
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya shouted, and just as he was about to make a move, he saw Naruto open his eyes.
"Master Jiraiya, don't rush! I haven't failed yet!"
As soon as Naruto finished speaking, the tails increased to seven!
Naruto wasn't in a hurry now, but Jiraiya was even more panicked!
It was too fast... too fast! They had no time to react.
"Naruto! Wait!" Jiraiya urgently called out.
Naruto stopped before taking another step.
At that moment, due to the chakra cloak, the original Naruto had disappeared. The two could only see a deep red, humanoid creature surging with terrifying chakra.
"What's wrong?"
Because of the chakra cloak, even Naruto's voice had an echo.
Seemingly realizing that Naruto hadn't been affected, Jiraiya let out a temporary sigh of relief. "You're too fast, kid. Wait for this old man!"
"Wait a moment, let me build up my Sage Mode!"
Jiraiya put his hands together in a sign, "This is a move I was going to teach you when we got back, called Sage Mode! Now, I'll show you."
He held the pose for 5 seconds, 10 seconds, half a minute, a minute, two minutes...
After what felt like an eternity, Jiraiya finally entered Sage Mode.
Naruto was stunned. Was Master Jiraiya joking?
Does Sage Mode really take that long to enter?
Isn't that something you can do with a single clap of your hands?
"I'm ready, go ahead!"
Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade out of the corner of his eye, discreetly turning his back to her.
He looked a little ugly in this form, and it was not suitable for public viewing.
If it weren't for his beloved disciple doing such a thing, he would never have entered Sage Mode.
As for the two Toad Sages, there was no need to summon them for now.
Naruto chose to continue.
He had confirmed that the malevolent chakra from Kurama seemed to have no effect on him at all.
He didn't know if it was because his strength was too great or...
Naruto believed that it must have been his indomitable iron will at work!
Suddenly, the next second, the eighth tail appeared!
In the sealing space, Naruto checked his condition.
He was completely fine, and his mind was perfectly clear.
There was nothing to worry about now.
The next step...
Naruto looked up at the seal strip.
He flew up and reached out to tear off the seal strip...
Thud—
A figure and an arm suddenly appeared, grabbing Naruto's outstretched arm and trying to throw him off. However...
With greater strength and speed, Naruto grabbed the person's arm and threw him instead!
Whoosh—
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and adjusted his posture in time. He only slid on his knees for a bit and didn't look too pathetic.
However, Naruto's strength was not small, and even Minato was uncontrollably slid a certain distance on the ground before he finally stopped.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze was completely bewildered.
Is this... right?
This strength, this fighting technique...
Is this still Naruto?
Minato stood up and stared blankly at the figure.
Golden hair, a pair of beautiful blue eyes. Judging from his height, he didn't seem very old.
Yes, this must be his son.
Why else would he be here?
But this child's strength left him completely baffled.
Moreover, he was supposed to be in his eight-tailed state, but why did the child still look so sane?
As Minato was sizing up Naruto, Naruto was also looking at Minato.
He was the same as the one in the demo videos and the battle arena.
But this identity, his own biological father?
For a moment, Naruto didn't know how to face him.
To say he had any affection for this father he had never met was complete nonsense.
Where could feelings for a father he had never seen come from?
Besides, Naruto himself was not a child starting from zero!
In his other world, he had parents too. If he suddenly told him to accept someone close to his own age as his father?
It was a bit difficult to accept.
Not to mention, from a young age, Naruto had harbored a grudge against this person, seeing him as his enemy.
Father?
Naruto felt like punching him right now!
But he decided against it. After all, he was his biological father.
The battle arena was all AI, and he didn't know what the real person was like. He might as well see what he was like first.
Naruto was extremely curious.
"I set up the sealing jutsu so that once the eight-tailed seal is released, I would appear in your consciousness."
Seeing that Naruto was silent, Minato took the initiative to speak, his tone gentle as he explained, "I didn't want to appear in this way, but I was also a little excited to see my son all grown up. It was a mix of happiness and worry."
"Son? Who are you?"
Naruto looked confused, pretending he didn't know him.
Before the Fourth Hokage could answer, the Nine-Tails roared with anger, "Fourth Hokage!!! Come here and let me beat you to a pulp!"
From the sound of it, Naruto knew that the Nine-Tails was truly furious.
Not even when he was being pummeled by Naruto was the Nine-Tails so angry.
Before Minato could say anything, Naruto turned his head and glared at Kurama.
You old fox, put aside your grudges for now. Don't interrupt me while I'm observing the person in front of me.
Kurama, who was originally full of aggression and wanted revenge on the Fourth Hokage, instantly shuddered at Naruto's glare.
Like a puppy that had been hit with a stick, he yelped and turned around, scampering into a corner to lick his wounds.
Naruto turned back to Minato and smiled brightly, a smile that was so relaxed and carefree.
"Let's continue our conversation," Naruto said.
Minato saw everything.
Was it a coincidence that Naruto turned his head and Kurama retreated?
Based on his understanding of a terrifying monster like the Nine-Tails, how could a previously aggressive Kurama swallow his pride like that?
At this point, countless questions suddenly appeared in his mind.
Despite all the questions, Minato temporarily put them aside and answered Naruto's question.
"Naruto," Minato looked at Naruto with a gentle expression, "I just told you. You're my son, and I'm your father."
"I'm your father!"
While the words were not wrong, it felt like an insult!
Naruto's lips curled into a grin. "Really? I don't believe you!"