Gaara no longer cared about his father in the slightest.
Though being with Naruto had softened him a little, his true nature remained the same.
"Naruto!" Kaede called.
"Lord!"
Naruto, who had been sparring with Gaara, immediately stopped and looked up. Under Kaede's dominance, even the tailed beasts dared not resist his commands anymore. They longed for freedom, so they no longer fought against their jinchūriki.
Now Gaara could at least sleep peacefully at night, no longer fearing that nightmares would allow Shukaku to take over.
"Mhm, it seems your training is going well," Kaede praised.
The intensity of Naruto's sparring with Gaara was already at the level of a jōnin in Kaede's eyes. As expected, jinchūriki couldn't be judged by normal standards.
"Hehe, it's nothing. Father says with Kurama's power added to mine, I'm already very strong—my speed isn't inferior to his. If I can master the Flying Thunder God, I'll be even stronger! And Gaara, he's powerful too!"
Naruto scratched his head shyly at the compliment. After all, this was Kaede's praise—something everyone in the village longed for.
"That's good. In the coming days, Akatsuki might make a move. Stay alert," Kaede reminded.
"Hmph, I'm not afraid of them! If they come, I'll just catch them myself and save the village the trouble. And if those people from Konoha show up, I won't let them go either!"
At the mention of Akatsuki and the remnants of Konoha, Naruto's eyes burned with fury.
Without Asura's soul to soften him, Naruto was no longer the forgiving fool of the future.
Konoha owed him too much—so much that in the end, they had even tried to kill him.
If he met them now, he would cut them down himself. But before killing them, he wanted to ask one thing: why? Why treat him that way?
He had been just a child. His father, Minato Namikaze, had died as a hero for the village. Was this how Konoha treated a hero's son?
It was laughable.
"Good. That's the mindset I want. If you can think like this, I'm relieved."
Kaede adjusted Naruto's collar with a smile before turning toward Minato.
Seeing Kaede made Minato uneasy. He was, after all, Konoha's Fourth Hokage. With his power, he shouldn't be here training Naruto and Gaara—he should have been on the battlefield. The Yellow Flash's reputation wasn't undeserved.
But Minato could never cross that line in his heart. He knew what Konoha had done to his son. He despised them for it. Yet, part of him still couldn't raise his hand against Konoha.
That was before. Living here by the Divine Tree had changed him. Even if he didn't want to fight Konoha, if Kaede ordered it, he would march to battle.
"Minato Namikaze, I need you to do something for me," Kaede said directly.
"Yes, my lord. What do you need me to do?"
Minato hesitated only for a moment. He glanced at Naruto, who was watching him with eager eyes. At that instant, his role as father outweighed his past as Hokage.
"Simple. I received some news that amused me. I want you to bring back those in Konoha who are ready to surrender—strip Shimura Danzō of everyone until he's truly alone."
Kaede's eyes narrowed slightly.
If he wished, he could unify the world in minutes. But that would be too easy. For Danzō, a swift end was far too merciful.
No—he wanted Danzō to suffer betrayal, abandonment, misunderstanding, and despair, just as the Uchiha once had.
Only then would his hatred be eased.
"Yes. Cause and effect," Minato replied solemnly.
"That's right, Father will succeed!" Naruto chimed in, nodding quickly.
For Naruto, this meant Kaede was finally starting to trust his father—a good sign. He didn't want to choose between Kaede and Minato. To have both in harmony was best.
"Listen carefully. With Danzō are the two elders, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, as well as Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, and Sarutobi Asuma. I want you to bring back Kakashi and Guy. Asuma too, if possible, but that's not required. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Relief flickered across Minato's face. As long as he wasn't ordered to kill his old comrades, he could carry this out. Bringing back Kakashi would be easy—he was once Minato's student, after all.
"Go, and return quickly," Kaede ordered.
"Yes!"
After learning their location, Minato placed a hand on Naruto's head.
"Father's leaving, but I'll be back soon."
Naruto grinned. "I'll be waiting! Oh—and bring me a gift! When I was in Konoha, I saw kids get presents when their dads came back from missions. I always wanted that, but I had to pretend I didn't care… because no one would bring me anything. But now I have a father, so I want a gift!"
Then he hooked an arm around Gaara's shoulders.
"Actually, make that two gifts."
"I don't want a gift," Gaara muttered, shaking his head.
"Yes, you do!" Naruto beamed, staring him down.
Gaara opened his mouth to argue but fell silent under Naruto's grin.
(End of Chapter)
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