Upon arriving at Training Ground Three, Kakashi saw that Sasuke was training diligently. He had learned all the basic slashes and strikes from the Hatake Clan's Kenjutsu scroll and was now adding Chidori to his sword strikes. Lightning Release and Wind Release were the two chakra natures that could make a sword more lethal and piercing, and Sasuke has Chidori for this. But while training, he was glancing at Naruto with worried gazes.
Meanwhile, Sakura was sparring with Kakashi's clone after her daily medical ninjutsu and Genjutsu training. Over the last two weeks, Sakura had learned two Genjutsu— the D-rank Hell Viewing Technique and the C-rank Sly Mind Technique. She was now working on the C-rank False Surrounding Technique. Since that day when Naruto's clones had fought among themselves for being Sakura's training partner, Kakashi had decided to help Sakura himself with her Genjutsu training, as Sasuke couldn't be bothered since he had his own things to do.
While she was also momentarily gaze at Naruto's side with worried look. Kakashi's gaze landed lastly on the training ground was on Naruto, sitting under the tree, napping. He had already learned all of the symbols and had already started his Fūinjutsu training. Kakashi had given him basic Fūinjutsu scrolls on Explosion Tags, Storage Seals, Gravity Seals, Silencing Seals, and the Chakra Suppression Seal. Naruto was able to learn them quite quickly, which wasn't too shocking for Kakashi, considering Naruto's talent for Fūinjutsu and his overuse of the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Today was the day Kakashi had decided to teach Naruto how to add elemental nature to his Rasengan. However, for some reason, Naruto had been silent since the morning. Kakashi had been summoned to a Council Meeting earlier, so he had a Shadow Clone stay with Naruto and the other members of Team Seven. But Naruto hadn't spoken to the Shadow Clone, only saying that he wanted speak with Kakashi himself, something important. He had been mostly and silently sitting on the training ground all morning.
Kakashi walked over to his Shadow Clone, which was sparring with Sakura. "Sakura, take a rest," he said.
Sakura nodded, wiped the sweat from her brows with a dry cloth, and asked Kakashi, while dispersed his shadow clone, "What happened to Naruto? Had you talked with him?"
She shook her head, slightly sad and said, "I don't know, he hasn't been speaking much. Even when Sasuke and I asked him, he said he would only speak with you, not even your Shadow Clone."
Kakashi sighed and walked to Naruto, who was sitting under the shade of a tree with his eyes closed, simply napping under the afternoon sun.
"Wake up, Naruto," Kakashi said, leaning closer and gently nudging him and waking him from his nap. "So, shall we talk about what has been bothering you since morning?"
Naruto looked up at Kakashi, rubbing his eyes. "Yes, but let's go somewhere else. I want to talk to you about something important."
Kakashi nodded, and they walked some distance away from where Sasuke and Sakura were, to the other side of the training ground. Once they were at a distance, Naruto extended his arm. "Look, Sensei," he said.
Red bubbles started to form around his arm, spreading to his entire body. His whiskers became more animalistic, and his deep-blue eyes turned a fierce red as he looked at Kakashi. Seeing this form, Kakashi was taken aback for a moment, clearly shocked, before laughing.
"Haha, Naruto, so you became friends with that Fox, huh!"
Naruto nodded, his head held slightly down as the chakra he had used for this form began to dissipate. Kakashi was confused as to why Naruto had been silent all day and again now. "So, you also definitely met your parents, right?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto looked up, shocked. "How do you know? I was actually going to tell you the same thing!"
Kakashi shrugged. "Well, I knew that Minato-sensei and Aunt Kushina had left a portion of their chakra within your seal."
He then smiled at Naruto. "And I didn't tell you before because I wanted this family reunion to be a secret just for you. But tell me, why have you been so silent since today, and when did this actually happen?"
Naruto replied, "Last night, before going to sleep, I talked with the Fox. You said that I should only remove that cage seal when I'm sure about it. For the last week, that Fox has been getting quite frank with me, joking around. Though I can't say it was all because of me, Fuu and Chōmei helped a lot in changing his nature toward me, and..."
Naruto paused for a moment, a bright, shining smile spreading across his face. "That Fox told me its name, Kurama! And later, I removed the cage seal, and then two figures suddenly appeared... Mom and Dad. I... I talked to them, told them that the Fox isn't completely bad. I talked with them, spent the little time they had with them. I was happy, very happy, but... from the moment I woke up this morning, I've been feeling empty. I'm..."
Kakashi noticed his voice breaking, and his deep-blue eyes were slightly teary. Kakashi immediately hugged him, patting his head gently.
"Now don't go crying. You're a lion, no, you're a Fox, right?"
Naruto chuckled upon hearing Kakashi's remark, even as tears welled in his eyes.
Kakashi gently patted Naruto's head, allowing the boy to cry. 'I see the matter here,' Kakashi thought. 'What Naruto feels is a form of delayed grief and loss from the happy moments he had with his parents for once.'
The happy reunion that Naruto had, finally getting to meet his parents, Minato and Kushina, was a moment of immense joy and validation for him. He felt their love directly, something he had longed for his entire life. This feeling of happiness was powerful and fulfilling. However, this reunion was temporary. Minato and Kushina's chakra was a remnant of their past selves, tied to the seal for emergencies. Even though they didn't have to do anything with Kurama, who didn't attack or try to escape Naruto's body, it left them with a lot of time to spend with Naruto.
Their chakra might have been enough to let them stay with Naruto for an hour or two, as they didn't use it for any Jutsu of emergency on Kurama. But once the conversation was over, they were bound to vanish forever. This was where Naruto's emptiness came from. He had finally had the family connection he always wanted, only to have it ripped away as soon as it began. The temporary joy made the final loss even more painful. He had slept with a joyful smile, but when he woke up, he understood that those happy moments with his parents were a one-time thing.
The feeling was not just sadness; it was a physical ache from having something precious for a brief moment and then having it gone, leaving a void where it once was. The emptiness stemmed from the realization that this was the closest he would ever get to having a family. It was a sense of loss for all the years he never had with them and all the moments he would never have in the future. Kakashi understood this and allowed Naruto to release his emotions.
At this moment, Naruto was not just a loud hero; he was a boy who had lost his parents and was carrying the weight of their sacrifice. His tears were not a sign of weakness but a realistic expression of his pain and vulnerability.
'He's just a kid after all,' Kakashi sighed to himself, then said, "Hey, Naruto, do you know? Your father's Jōnin sensei! He once told me an important thing."
Naruto rubbed his eyes, wiping away his tears, and looked up at Kakashi. He asked, "You mean that Sannin Jiraiya, my supposed Godfather?"
Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, your Godfather, who never came to watch over you again. But that's not the point. Though he does many stupid things, he is a kind man. He once told me that people should talk to each other every day, even if it's just a small conversation. If a person holds too much inside and doesn't communicate, their heart can become dark and serious."
Naruto heard him, understanding that Kakashi's words were meant for him. Naruto had been silent all day, only feeling that he should talk to Kakashi, who had left early for a Council Meeting. He hadn't spoken much with Sakura and Sasuke, which had made them worried about him.
Kakashi added, "Jiraiya-sama said that talking and building bonds with others is what makes humans who they are. Even if I myself wasn't there, you should talk to my clone, or Sakura, and Sasuke."
Naruto lowered his head to the ground like a sad puppy, his ears also drooping. Seeing him like this, Kakashi ruffled his hair again. "Now don't blame yourself. You were too emotional. I know it's not your fault that you didn't speak to Sakura and Sasuke and made them worried. Phew, now tell me, shall I give you a rest day today?"
Naruto immediately shook his head. "No, no. I've already done nothing from morning to afternoon. I can't skip training. And with training, my mood will also improve."
"Haha, very nice," Kakashi chuckled. "Alright, now that you've already gotten to be friends with that Fox, aside from Fūinjutsu and Rasengan training with elemental nature, you'll be training in controlling Kyuubi's power."
Naruto nodded. "Yes, Sensei. And it's Kurama, so stop calling him Kyuubi."
Kakashi raised his brow. "Did that Fox agree with it, letting others besides you know its real name?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, he's even cursing me for saying that now!"
Kakashi laughed and asked, "Wait, did Kurama not talk to you, or have you not even spoken with him?"
Naruto looked down, shaking his head. He hadn't spoken with Kurama; he hadn't answered him. Kurama also hadn't tried to talk with him, thinking that by just leaving him alone, his mood would improve, while even he didn't understand why Naruto had suddenly become sad. Kakashi sighed, shaking his head, but he understood Naruto's state of mind. He then clapped his hands.
"Alright!" he said, extending his right hand and forming a Rasengan, a spiraling blue chakra ball. But immediately, orange flames began to appear around it. "Naruto, this is a Rasengan variant with Fire Release Chakra. I didn't name it anything, so just call it Fire Rasengan."