"Is that so? I don't believe it!"
In his previous life, many a guest was rendered speechless by this question. However, Minato was worthy of Jiraiya's praise as a model shinobi.
His expression was unfazed, and his voice remained steady: "It seems the Third Hokage really hasn't told you anything."
"Heh!"
Hearing Minato bring this up, Naruto's lips, which had just curled into a smile, couldn't help but turn down.
Minato keenly caught his son's change in mood and continued to patiently explain, "The Third Hokage might have done this to keep information about the Nine-Tails a secret to the greatest extent possible. Furthermore..."
He paused, and his tone carried the unique worry of a father, "If people knew you were Minato Namikaze's son, it would attract unpredictable danger."
After all, on his journey to become Hokage, especially during the war, he had offended many ninja villages! More importantly, he didn't want his son to hold a grudge against the Third Hokage because of this.
Naruto's expression said: "Heh."
Because he didn't say a word about his lineage, Naruto grew up thinking his enemies were all around him, every single villager who hated him. He lived in fear every day and was afraid to even go home at first. It was only later, after he exchanged for a revival coin and the Flying Thunder God Technique with his system, and had enough confidence to protect himself, that he dared to walk the village streets with his head held high. If he had known from the beginning that he was the son of the hero, the Fourth Hokage, would he have had to live such a miserable life?
Hmm...
Considering the experiences of other jinchuriki, Naruto felt that it might not necessarily be better. Gaara, the son of the Fourth Kazekage, was treated like a monster by his villagers because of the One-Tail inside him. No one dared to approach or talk to him, and even his own father plotted to assassinate him! Then there were the Eight-Tails jinchuriki of the Cloud Village: Blue B and Killer B. The former was a member of the "royal family," and the latter was the Raikage's sworn brother, but despite their noble statuses, they were still ostracized and isolated by the villagers in the Land of Lightning, which valued strength. The Two-Tails jinchuriki was no exception.
Looking at these four examples, Naruto realized that even with the added status, the hatred might be gone, but the deep-seated fear of the Tailed Beast still followed them throughout their lives as jinchuriki. Thinking about himself, what if the villagers all knew he was the son of a hero? The situation would probably be the same.
Damn it, no matter how you look at it, the real culprit is the Tailed Beast!
If he didn't have a Tailed Beast inside him and was the son of the Fourth Hokage with his insane talent, Naruto couldn't even imagine how awesome his life in Konoha would have been! It would have been a perfect protagonist's story!
But what about reality? He was so miserable, thinking his enemies were everywhere. Before graduation, he was so cautious that he could only play the role of a dead-last. He didn't dare to show his talent until he was absolutely certain he was invincible!
With this thought, the resentment and confusion that had accumulated for over a decade surged in his chest like a volcano. Naruto suddenly looked up, his gaze like a knife piercing Minato.
"Tell me, Fourth Hokage, why did you seal the Nine-Tails inside me!"
Fourth Hokage... is that what he's calling me?
Minato's eyes flickered imperceptibly at the distant title, but the gentle smile on his face didn't fade in the slightest. He keenly sensed that Naruto hadn't fully accepted him yet and was still deeply resentful about the Nine-Tails incident.
"I chose to leave half of the Nine-Tails' chakra and seal it... because I always believed that you would be able to master and control this power! Because you are my son!"
His lips curved upward, and his bright blue eyes curved into gentle crescents. The smile was filled with unconditional trust and hope. This warm, sunny smile seemed to have a strange magic that caused the tension in Naruto's heart to ease a little. It seemed that the Fourth Hokage was a very gentle person.
Minato's expression suddenly became serious. "As for why I did this... there were circumstances that I couldn't avoid."
"On the night you were born, there was a mastermind who was controlling the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha. And this person's strength was unfathomable. If we didn't have a special power to counter him, it would be impossible."
He stared intently at Naruto. "That's why I chose to seal the Nine-Tails inside you."
Naruto silently lowered his head and let out a long, silent breath. He now understood the hidden meaning in the Fourth Hokage's words.
The Nine-Tails was a guarantee of strength for him, a heavy legacy! How could he truly master it? Only by relying on his own will and hard work! After all, he had started by saying, "Because you are my son! I believe in you!"
This unconditional trust left Naruto speechless for a moment. He was filled with mixed emotions.
In his previous life, Naruto's parents also believed in him in the same way. This... was probably what it meant to be a parent, wasn't it? However, this unconditional, heavy trust had really made his life difficult!
But... looking up and meeting Minato's eager and hopeful gaze, Naruto felt that the Fourth Hokage had overestimated the masked man. That pathetic Uchiha Obito, a mastermind? The only mastermind in the shinobi world was him, Uzumaki Naruto!
Wait a minute.
This guy in front of me doesn't seem to know the masked man's identity, does he?
"I know who was controlling the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha that night!" Naruto said with certainty. "It was Uchiha Obito! The whole shinobi world knows about it!"
"What?!"
The gentle expression on Minato's face instantly froze, replaced by an expression of shock and disbelief. "Obi... Obito?!"
Surprise, confusion, and finally... a hint of relief that was hard to describe.
This was the first time Naruto had seen such a complex change of expression on the face of the Fourth Hokage, who was always so calm.
Minato was silent for a moment, his voice distant with memories: "Obito was a good, kind-hearted child. He was full of love and would patiently help old grandmothers cross the street, and he would tirelessly help lost cats and dogs find their way home." Minato recalled Obito's past. He couldn't connect the image of that kind and enthusiastic boy with the demon who controlled the Nine-Tails and destroyed Konoha!
Furthermore, Obito had already died in the Kannabi Bridge battle! But Naruto was so certain, and it seemed the entire shinobi world knew about it. If that was the case, there could only be one possibility!
"Naruto!"
Minato's gaze enveloped Naruto like a warm sun, and his voice carried the unique concern and warning of a father: "You must be very careful. Obito was pure-hearted, and he would never have suddenly fallen into darkness unless there was an invisible hand at work, pulling the strings!"
As for who the mastermind was? Who saved the dying Obito? Who led Obito into darkness? It was a mystery, and everything was shrouded in fog.
Hearing Minato's hint, Naruto instantly reacted.
What?! There's a mastermind behind this Obito too? I have to find him! He's even more hidden than I am?!
The shinobi world cannot allow such a dark hand to exist!
"Naruto, why did you open the Eight Trigrams Seal?" Minato's gentle voice interrupted Naruto's thoughts, asking the core question.
He sensed the outside world through the Nine-Tails' leaked chakra, and the only people out there were Jiraiya-sensei and Lady Tsunade. It didn't seem like there was any imminent danger... So why did Naruto need to unseal it? And why did he unleash the power of the Eight-Tails, forcing him to waste his limited chakra to appear?
Upon hearing this, Naruto's lips curved into a brilliant smile, filled with confidence and fearlessness. "Just as you said, I want to start trying to control the Nine-Tails' power now."
This brilliant smile instantly hit the softest spot in Minato's heart! He felt a sense of familiarity.
Ah! This smile... these eyes... isn't this just me?
Naruto really is a lot like his father!
No, maybe he's more like Kushina?
Thinking of this, Minato felt quite pleased. However, along with his joy, a hint of worry crept into his heart. He looked at Naruto again. He wasn't very tall, a head shorter than him, and his face still had a youthful innocence. He didn't look very old.
"Naruto, how old are you?" Minato's voice was still gentle but carried a hint of subtle concern.
"Twelve!"
Only twelve? A hint of surprise flashed in Minato's eyes. At twelve, in peacetime, it was the age when one had just graduated from the academy or was about to. Was he already trying to control the Nine-Tails so early? Minato wanted to say something, but then he remembered that even in the midst of the Eight-Tails' rampage, Naruto was still clear-headed and seemed to be in good shape.
It seems this child really has an extraordinary talent for suppressing Tailed Beasts!
I wonder how Naruto's current strength compares to Kakashi's, who became a Jonin at twelve.
No, I shouldn't compare him to a once-in-a-generation genius like Kakashi. That's not fair to Naruto.
Speaking of Kakashi, he wondered if the boy had gotten over the trauma of that time.
Never mind.
Minato's lips curved into a warm and hopeful smile. He still had some time, so he might as well test his son. "Naruto, are you training with Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then, has Jiraiya-sensei taught you a jutsu that doesn't require hand signs?"
Naruto blinked, a knowing smile appearing on his face. "A jutsu that doesn't require hand signs? Is it this?"
Hum—
With a soft hum, a glowing blue sphere of perfectly shaped, highly condensed chakra energy—a Rasengan—appeared in Naruto's open palm. The pure energy was tightly contained within the small sphere, spinning and compressing at an incredible speed.
Minato's eyes narrowed, confirming it was indeed the Rasengan!
Not bad! To be able to master this jutsu at such a young age.
The joy he felt now far surpassed the time Jiraiya had shown him the jutsu! For a twelve-year-old, this jutsu was not simple.
"How long did it take you to learn it?" Minato asked with praise.
"Did I even need to learn it?"
Naruto scratched his head, his face full of sincere incredulity. "I learned this kind of thing just by looking at it."
"Is that so?" Minato was slightly stunned, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"See, I even have an advanced version," Naruto said excitedly.
Under Minato's curious gaze,
Hum—boom!!
The blue orb in his hand suddenly swelled, and chakra surged violently. The rotating wind pressure made both of their clothes flap loudly! A half-human-sized, blindingly blue Rasengan-Pro appeared. Naruto looked at Minato with a brilliant smile. He saw his Hokage robe flapping wildly in the wind, making his posture appear tall, handsome, and unrestrained!
Naruto looked down at his own khaki pants and khaki hooded windbreaker.
Tsk... not at all in the same league! I should have worn a long windbreaker.
What a shame.
In contrast, the shock on Minato's face grew. Naruto seemed to have completely mastered the Rasengan and even developed this technique.
"Actually... I have this too."
Looking at Minato, Naruto decided to kick it up a notch. The chakra around him exploded, instantly sweeping through the space like a hurricane. In the dim space, a massive Rasengan-MAX, five meters in diameter and containing an enormous amount of chakra, appeared like a full moon in the sky.
The deep blue light almost illuminated the entire sealing space. The blue light reflected in Minato's pupils and on his face. Minato's surprise had now turned into shock.
The precise control of this chakra and the vast amount of chakra were so great that Minato felt Naruto could be compared to a twelve-year-old Kakashi. Looking down at the small figure of Naruto compared to the gigantic blue chakra sphere, a deeper sense of pride welled up in him.
As it turned out, he was pleased too early.
"Actually, when it comes to the Rasengan," Naruto's voice carried a playful tone, "I have several improved versions..."
"Improved versions?"
Minato's heart skipped a beat, and a vague thought flashed through his mind.
It couldn't be...
The next second,
Whoosh—
A shimmering, high-speed shuriken of light, exuding a destructive sharpness—Wind Release: Rasenshuriken—appeared. The piercing shriek of it tore through the air, echoing throughout the entire space!
The disbelief on Minato's face instantly froze, replaced by an even deeper shock!
Wind Release? Naruto actually perfectly integrated wind-style chakra into the Rasengan? This was the very idea that he had failed to complete because of the Nine-Tails' attack!
Looking at the figure that was faintly visible in the light of the white wind blades, Minato's heart was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction and pride.
To be able to develop a Rasengan with a fused elemental nature at such a young age? My son... he must be a genius, right?
"Actually, I've developed even more of these Rasenshurikens," Naruto said as if he didn't see his father's shock, adding more fuel to the fire.
Oh, so it's called Rasenshuriken? Minato had been thinking of calling it "Wind Release: Light Wheel Hurricane Spiral Arrow, Zero." Since it already had a name, he would just go with that.
Wait... did he say "more"?
Next, Naruto held nothing back, one by one, he showed him what it meant to be a true genius! Ice Release, Dust Release, Lava Release, Scorch Release, Magnet Release... multiple forms of the Rasengan were all showcased. One after another, the Rasengan, containing different kekkei genkai or special elemental powers, appeared like brilliant fireworks in this dim space!
Then, Minato was hit with Jiraiya's shock combo.
Shock, shock, and more shock!
Even Minato's expression, which had started with shock, gradually froze, and he eventually fell into a complete stupor! Minato realized he was wrong, and terribly so. Even Kakashi, who had invented the Chidori at the age of twelve, couldn't compare to Naruto.
Look at all these elemental styles. Ice Release, Dust Release, Lava Release, Scorch Release, Magnet Release, and so on. This involved at least a dozen different kekkei genkai or special elemental natures. He didn't have these kekkei genkai. The only way Naruto could have mastered them was if he had learned and fused them himself!
This kid... he seemed to be an excessive genius! Even a ridiculously demonic one! Even in the best-case scenario he could have imagined before his death, he never would have thought of this scene.
However, after he recovered from his shock, he smiled a gentle smile like a small sun.
Kushina would be very happy to see this, wouldn't she?
No, no matter what, as long as Naruto grew up healthy, Kushina would be happy!
It was at this moment that Minato felt his belief was correct. Naruto was indeed the Child of Prophecy. He no longer had anything to worry about in the real world.
After the display, Naruto saw Minato smiling at him, and he smiled back. For a moment, even the Nine-Tails, who was hiding in the corner, felt the sunlight outside was too bright.
"Naruto," Minato's voice was full of understanding and satisfaction, "no wonder you wanted to unseal it and learn to control the Nine-Tails' power. I understand now." Minato understood Naruto's plan. With Naruto's strength, unsealing the Nine-Tails was indeed not surprising.
But Minato was wrong again.
Naruto, without a moment's hesitation, turned and walked with a relaxed stride toward the gigantic cage within the seal.
"Naruto! It's dangerous!" Minato's pupils contracted, and he instinctively shouted a warning. He moved to stop him, but Naruto simply waved his hand to stop him.
"Relax!"
Naruto turned back, a relaxed smile on his face, and said something shocking: "Actually, the Nine-Tails and I are already good friends."
Then, he turned back to the dark depths of the cage and shouted, "Right, Kurama?"
"Kurama?" Minato was confused. Was that what he called the Nine-Tails? His gaze, filled with suspicion, was also drawn to the dark depths of the cage. The light couldn't reach it, and he could only faintly feel the massive and oppressive chakra lurking within.
Just then, a deep, resonant voice came from the darkness: "Naruto!"
To Minato, this voice lacked the violence and hatred of the Nine-Tails he remembered. Instead, it was laced with a hint of what seemed like resentment, as if it were sulking?
That's right, the Nine-Tails was complaining to Naruto that with a stranger present, he should at least give the "strongest Tailed Beast" some face.
Naruto, of course, understood the hidden meaning. This was his biological father, not a stranger. However, he still gave the Nine-Tails its dignity and used its proper name: "Come on out, Kurama!"
"Kurama?" Minato's eyes lit up with a sudden realization. So that was its real name?
Thump! Thump! Thump!
With a slight vibration in the space, the Nine-Tails' massive crimson body slowly emerged from the shadows, revealing its true form. Minato could clearly see that there was no hatred in the Nine-Tails' massive eyes when it looked at Naruto. It was more like the intimacy and comfort of meeting a friend. It was only when its gaze occasionally swept over him that a cold murderous intent and hatred would erupt from the depths of its pupils! Only then did the Nine-Tails seem like the apocalyptic beast that had rampaged through Konoha.
Good friends?
A storm raged in Minato's heart! This... was completely different from Kushina's relationship with the Nine-Tails. Naruto really seemed to have established some kind of indescribable connection with the Nine-Tails?
What shocked Minato even more was that Naruto, as if he was just visiting, swaggered into the sealed cage. He even jumped lightly and landed steadily on the Nine-Tails' giant head, as if he were standing on his own pet's head. Minato's heart tightened, and he subconsciously followed him to the gate of the cage, on full alert!
"Say hi!" Naruto said, patting the Nine-Tails on its head.
"Fourth Hokage!"
Facing its former enemy, the Nine-Tails squeezed out the title from between its huge teeth, and its voice was filled with an uncontrollable, immense hatred.
"Hmm?" Naruto's eyebrow raised slightly, and he let out a soft hum. The Nine-Tails, which had been so imposing, instantly deflated like a popped balloon. Its huge head reluctantly lowered, and its voice was as aggrieved as a bullied daughter-in-law: "Minato Namikaze."
After saying his name, the Nine-Tails abruptly turned its head to the side, feeling it could no longer face anyone. This scene completely shattered Minato's worldview! He, the well-informed Fourth Hokage, was having his mind blown today! It turned out that the arrogant Nine-Tails had such a cute, tsundere side?
After showing Minato that he was only a "paper wall" of a seal away from controlling the Nine-Tails' power, Naruto calmly walked out of the cage.
He snapped his fingers! Naruto and Minato were instantly transported to a pure white space. This space was isolated from the Nine-Tails, with only the two of them present.
Only then did Naruto prepare to have a heart-to-heart with Minato, and more importantly, there was a piece of information he needed to ask about.
"Dad..." Naruto began, using the slightly strange title. Minato was taken aback!
Dad? Am I that old at only a little over twenty?
But then... a warmth quietly welled up in his heart.
He called me... Dad? Does this mean he's forgiven me?
"Yes?" Minato suppressed his emotions and responded gently.
Naruto got straight to the point. "What do you know about your parents, my grandparents?"
The question was a bit sudden! Minato's eyes showed a hint of confusion, but he answered honestly, "I was an orphan from a young age, so I don't know much about my parents."
"Oh~"
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. He didn't know anything, so there were a lot of stories he could make up. The possibilities were endless!
The next second, Naruto carefully chose his words and continued to ask, "Do you think there's any chance our family's ancestors might have had a special relationship with the Uchiha clan..."
The Uchiha? This question made Minato especially confused. "What kind of relationship?"
"For example...?"
"For example..."
Naruto intentionally drew out the last syllable but didn't continue. Minato was still confused, but then he saw Naruto's eyes rise to meet his.
However, at the moment their eyes met, Minato froze as if struck by lightning. The gentleness and confusion on his face instantly solidified. His pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks, and he was completely submerged in a look of profound shock.
Because in the pair of bright blue eyes that were supposed to belong to Naruto, there was now a pair of crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan.
"NARUTO!" Minato exclaimed in shock!
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