"Naruto… do you really intend to kill Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki? No matter what, they are still your parents."
The current Kurama was always considering Naruto's well-being. Although Naruto's desire to kill Minato and Kushina would, frankly, be immensely satisfying to Kurama, it was not something he truly agreed with for Naruto's sake.
Naruto's expression instantly darkened.
"Parents who give birth but do not raise their child—what kind of parents are those? When I was being bullied, where were they? They kept saying everything they did was for Konoha, for the shinobi world, but they never once said it was for me. They never asked what I wanted. They forcibly imposed their will on me. Why should I accept that?
"If they had died long ago, I could forgive everything. I could treat it as their final words, encourage myself with them, and move on.
"But they're alive! I can't lie to myself! Since they're alive, why should they place this shackle on me?!
"And you—only you, Kurama—have stayed by my side all this time. You healed my wounds and comforted me. So long as Kushina Uzumaki still carries half of you inside her, the hatred between me and them can never be resolved!"
Kurama let out a low sigh.
"…Naruto, I'll say it again. I hope you think this through carefully. No matter what decision you make, I'll stay with you—always. I'll support you."
"Don't worry, Kurama. I know what I'm doing."
After reassuring Kurama, Naruto left the Nine-Tails' space.
Not long after, several Root members found Naruto and removed his restraints.
"Danzō-sama and the Third Hokage are waiting for you in the Hokage Tower."
A sharp glint flashed through Naruto's eyes.
When he arrived at the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura were already waiting.
Hiruzen got straight to the point.
"Naruto, are you now able to control chakra equivalent to five tails of the Nine-Tails?"
Naruto nodded. "It's difficult, but I can manage."
Danzō said proudly, "Hiruzen, I told you—Uzumaki Naruto is best suited to be in my hands."
Konoha had been plagued by grim news for a long time. Finally receiving good news brought a rare smile to Hiruzen's face.
"Very good! Naruto, I now assign you a mission. Head to the front lines and rendezvous with your Team Seven leader, Kakashi. Assist him in repelling the ninja from Kumogakure!"
Naruto inwardly thought, As expected, they called me here to throw me into the war.
But the destination was not where he wanted to go.
"Hokage-sama, may I instead be sent to the battlefield against Sunagakure?"
Hiruzen asked in surprise, "Why?"
Naruto explained, "You once told me to learn from the Fourth Hokage. One of the Three Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya-sama, was the Fourth's teacher. I want to go to the battlefield against Sunagakure and learn from Jiraiya-sama."
Hiruzen nodded approvingly. "You've grown up, Naruto. Very well—I approve your request. Head to the front lines and rendezvous with Jiraiya. Assist him in driving back Sunagakure!"
After receiving his mission, Naruto left the office.
Danzō, however, spoke gravely to Hiruzen.
"Hiruzen, it would be best if I placed a Root sealing technique on Uzumaki Naruto. I see the shadow of someone in him."
Hiruzen frowned. "Who?"
Danzō enunciated the name word by word.
"Orochimaru."
Hiruzen replied firmly, "Impossible. Naruto has fully embraced the Will of Fire. He will never become a second Orochimaru."
Danzō sneered. "You once believed the same about Orochimaru. And what happened then?"
Hiruzen remained steadfast. "Naruto is different. He is Minato's child. He will protect Konoha just like Minato did."
Danzō coldly replied, "You underestimate Uzumaki Naruto. Breaking the Eight Trigrams Seal is an unimaginably painful process, yet he endured it without allowing himself to fall unconscious. That level of willpower is rare even within Root.
"And don't forget, Hiruzen—what Konoha has done to him over the years. Once he learns the truth, how can you guarantee he won't seek revenge? Having a seal as a contingency is the safest course."
Hiruzen still refused to accept Danzō's proposal.
"I trust Naruto. And he's heading to the battlefield against Sunagakure. I believe Jiraiya can guide him properly."
Seeing Hiruzen's stubbornness, Danzō said no more. He stood up and prepared to leave.
Before stepping out the door, Danzō spoke without turning back.
"Hiruzen, you'd better prepare yourself. The truth about his parents—Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki—will reach him sooner or later. Don't let the weapon we forged turn around and bite us."
After Danzō left, Hiruzen took out the Flying Thunder God kunai he had picked up previously.
Staring at it, his eyes gradually became distant.
"Minato… will Naruto become the next towering tree that shelters Konoha?"
On his way out, Naruto ran into a teammate—Sakura Haruno.
She jogged up to him and greeted him cheerfully.
"Hey, Naruto! I haven't seen you in a while!"
A moment later, Naruto's other teammate, Sai, approached with his trademark artificial smile.
Naruto knew very well that Sai had been sent by Danzō to monitor him.
"Mission," Naruto replied coldly.
Sakura asked in confusion, "We just became genin and were assigned to a team not long ago. Kakashi-sensei went on a mission—how come you had missions I didn't know about?"
"Classified."
Naruto didn't want to talk further, so he turned to leave.
But Sakura grabbed him, trying to press for answers. Naruto forcefully shook her off.
With a violent expression, he snapped, "Get lost! Don't get in my way!"
Sakura was frightened by his expression and froze where she stood.
With a hurt voice, she asked, "Sai… does Naruto hate us?"
Sai smiled and replied mercilessly, "A woman as ugly as you being hated is only natural. As for me, Naruto probably just finds me annoying."
Veins bulged on Sakura's forehead. She punched Sai squarely in the stomach.
"If you don't know how to comfort a girl, then shut up!"
Sweat poured down Sai's forehead, yet he still couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"A woman who's both ugly and violent really is unbearable."
The next second, Sakura's fist slammed into Sai's face again.
"Keeping quiet won't make anyone think you're mute!"
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