"Naruto, I… I…"
Father and son faced each other. Naruto's gaze was steady and calm, while Minato's voice caught in his throat. He could not form even a single complete sentence.
His child stood before him, yet he felt impossibly far away. The storm of pain and longing inside Minato's heart could never be expressed in words. Once, he had been a man whose power made the entire shinobi world tremble. Now, tears flowed freely down his face.
"It's all right, Father. I only spoke the truth. There's no need to take it so heavily. Here, would you take my hand?"
In his past life, Naruto had endured too much to believe he was anything other than cold and selfish. Yet he never denied the existence of genuine bonds. He could respect them, admire them, even envy them. But they were not for him to claim.
What mattered now was collecting data. The voice of the Mirror World had sounded in his mind again. His father carried data that could be gathered. For the first time he understood that data could only be collected through direct touch.
"Shake hands?"
Minato blinked, confused. But when his son called him Father, emotion overcame him. Instead of taking his hand, he crouched and pulled Naruto into a tight embrace.
"Beginning data collection…"
For a moment Naruto's heart resisted. Yet his body refused to push away. Even with the soul of an adult, he felt a wave of emotion rise inside him, sudden and overwhelming. It left him unsettled.
"Data collection complete. Current data integrity at two percent. Please continue gathering."
The mechanical voice faded. A flash of light passed through Naruto's eyes. Among the new updates was a feature that drew his interest. He sighed softly, pressing his feelings back down.
"That is enough, Father."
"…All right." Minato reluctantly released him. "You have suffered so much. As your father, I have no right even to apologize. I know forgiveness is…"
"It does not matter, Father."
"I have not suffered. These years, I have lived just fine. Perhaps you will not believe me, but I will tell you this. I never once blamed you."
"You and Mother gave me life, the most precious gift. You gave me a healthy body. And you cared about me. That alone makes you the greatest parents in the world."
Having spoken, Naruto turned and walked toward the iron gate, where the great fox loomed.
Minato still carried guilt. Yet hearing his son say he bore no grudge brought tears of relief to his eyes. Just as emotion welled up again, Naruto's next words shattered him.
"Father, can you release it from this seal?"
The Nine Tails had been sulking, disappointed that no spectacle had played out. Seeing Naruto step closer, it bared its fangs, but then recalled how this boy had stared down its talon without blinking. It thought better of it. Behind the gate, baring fangs was meaningless.
"What?"
The fox's eyes widened. Had it heard right? Release it?
Had this brat's father not already explained jinchuriki, tailed beasts, and the nature of the seal?
If the gate truly opened, the boy would die first.
"Absolutely not!"
Minato rushed forward, standing beside Naruto. His voice carried iron.
"If it breaks free, it will take your body. You will die. The Nine Tails is a beast of hatred, a demon fox born of malice."
"Heh. Brat, he speaks the truth," the fox said with a wicked grin.
Naruto smiled back at it, then turned to his father. "Evil? I do not see it that way. Father, tell me, who decided that tailed beasts are born evil?"
"Uh…"
Minato faltered. He had no answer.
The fox's slit eyes widened in surprise. Such a small child, and yet he asked this question.
"Well, Father? Do you have an answer?"
Naruto's gaze pressed into him, unyielding.
"Naruto, tailed beasts are evil. This is the truth passed down for a thousand years. But even if you question that, do you understand the consequence of freeing it? You will die, and Konoha will suffer a calamity beyond imagining. Its very presence would bring disaster."
Minato's words were sharp, filled with warning.
The fox scoffed, but its eyes never left Naruto. It seemed to be waiting.
"Konoha, is it?"
"My father, I know. You want to save Konoha. You want to protect them."
"Of course you do. Look at your robes. You are the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
Naruto's soft laugh echoed. Silence fell upon the space.
Minato's chest tightened. Those words cut like a blade.
The fox's smirk turned mocking, aimed at Minato. It could hear the sarcasm dripping from Naruto's tone.
"Naruto, I…"
Naruto raised his hand, silencing him. He pointed at the fox. "Enough, Father. Since the one concerned is here, let us discuss the definition of a tailed beast."
"The definition of a tailed beast?" Minato asked, puzzled.
Naruto nodded. "Yes. You spoke at length before. Let us start with how each village came to possess one."
Without thinking, Minato replied, "The tailed beasts were captured by the First Hokage. To preserve peace and balance between nations, he distributed them during the First Five Kage Summit. That was…"
The fox's eyes narrowed with fury. To hear itself described as nothing but a gift traded between humans was unbearable.
"Stop."
Naruto's voice cut sharply.
"Hm?" Minato blinked in confusion.
"That is enough, Father. Now let me speak." Naruto turned back to the fox. "Tell me. When you were captured, had you ever harmed humans?"
The fox hesitated, but bitterness burst out. "Never. We tailed beasts lived far from humans. Who would seek them out?"
"Thank you." Naruto bowed his head slightly, then faced his father again. "So the truth is clear. The beasts lived in peace. The First Hokage seized them as prizes for human peace. Is that not too domineering?"
"Why should tailed beasts pay for human peace? Why should they bear that burden?"
"You say their appearance brings disaster. Then why bring them back? Is that not weaving your own destruction?"
Minato faltered. In the shinobi world, this had always been the way.
"Father, this is only human selfishness. Their paranoia turned outward. They shifted their fears onto the beasts. They saw power they could not control and sought to steal it, even if it hurt themselves."
"Look at it. A creature of wisdom. Different in body, but no less than us. Why did the First Hokage never try to speak with them?"
"They were treated as mindless animals. Their strength stolen, their freedom taken. Should anyone expect them to love humans for it? To forgive? The most absurd thing is that humans even demand the beasts understand their captors' actions."
"To seal them into jinchuriki, hidden away from the world, and then to demand they accept it with gratitude, all while dressing it up as noble? This behavior can only be called shameless."
Minato was struck speechless. He could not count the number of times his son had stunned him already.
Inside the gate, the fox was equally surprised. Every word had struck true.
"Why are tailed beasts called evil? Father, you know the answer already. If they are not branded as evil, then how could humans be called just? If they are not defined as monsters, then how could humans justify hunting them down? So from the very beginning, tailed beasts had to be evil. Without reason."
Minato felt the weight grow heavier. "Naruto, I cannot refute your words. But about the tailed beasts…"
"There is no but." Naruto's voice was sharp, cutting off his father. He stepped forward until he nearly touched the bars.
"Just as I was branded a demon fox the moment I was born in Konoha, so they were branded as evil. And just as people feared me, so they feared them."
"Do you know why? Because both I and the beasts carry it. The capital of madness."
"And since my fate and its fate are one, that capital of madness… belongs to me as well."
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