"Agh—!"
A hail of steel filled the air. Naruto scrambled to dodge, but the sheer volume of weapons was overwhelming. Kunai and shuriken tore into his flesh, leaving his body a map of bleeding gashes.
While none of the wounds were immediately fatal, he wouldn't survive a second volley.
"Don't waste time! Finish him with the next one!" the lead ninja barked.
"Understood!"
The surrounding shinobi raised their weapons once more. Naruto huddled on the ground, trembling as he stared death in the face.
Why? Why does it have to be like this? Why am I the only one who has to suffer?
Just as Naruto was about to scream his frustration through a haze of tears, a voice echoed. It wasn't human. It vibrated not in his ears, but in the very depths of his soul.
"Do you hate humans, brat?"
"W-Who are you?!" Naruto cried out internally.
"If you desire it, I will grant you power. Just this once... a special exception."
"I said, who are you?!"
"Even with your dull wits, surely you can grasp the situation? You know what I am."
No... it can't be. The Nine-Tails...
"Correct. I am the existence you humans call the Nine-Tails."
"Why? Why would you help me?!"
"Cursed as it may be, you and I are one and the same. If you die, I die with you."
"So... you're lending me your strength so you don't die?"
"Precisely! Heh... heh heh. What will it be, Naruto? In one second, you'll be dead. Both of us will!"
Dead. Dying. I'm going to die. No! I don't want to die!
"Very well. But remember—just this once. I have no love for humans..."
"I think I feel the same way right now... Thanks, Nine-Tails."
The fox let out a sharp, mocking snort.
"HAAAAAA!"
A faint but terrifying crimson chakra began to pour from Naruto's body. The energy manifested into a physical shroud.
Cling! Clang!
The shuriken and kunai that should have pierced him were deflected like pebbles hitting a steel wall. Simultaneously, a monstrous healing factor took hold; the deep gashes on Naruto's body closed and vanished in the blink of an eye.
The Leaf ninja recoiled in horror.
"This is bad... that's definitely the Nine-Tails' chakra! Ninja tools won't be enough! Use Ninjutsu and end this!"
"Right!"
The shinobi scrambled to weave signs.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"GROOOOAAAR!"
Naruto let out a primal roar. The sheer pressure of the Nine-Tails' chakra erupting from his lungs blew the flames apart, extinguishing the massive fireballs instantly. Naruto stood at the center, completely unscathed.
Countering a technique with another jutsu was one thing—but negating a Fire Style of that magnitude with a mere roar? That was a feat beyond even the elite Jonin or Anbu. It was a terrifying, illogical display of power.
Breaking under the pressure of such a monster, the Leaf ninja began to retreat. But Naruto wasn't about to let them go. He lunged at one ninja who was too slow to react, slamming him into the earth with a chakra-enhanced strike. Naruto pinned the man down, his hands tightening around his throat.
"P-Please... forgive me..."
Naruto ignored the plea for mercy, his grip tightening. But as his hand reached for that strange, three-pronged kunai...
---That's enough, Naruto.
Naruto's consciousness suddenly plummeted into the abyss.
***
Naruto found himself standing in a dark, damp corridor.
"Where am I?" he muttered. He felt a pull, an instinct telling him he had to go deeper. He followed the sensation until he arrived before a massive, towering cage.
He knew this place. He could feel the same chakra that had just protected him. The fox was here.
"So, you've actually made it this far, brat!"
Behind the crimson bars, a colossal fox with nine swaying tails loomed in the darkness, radiating an aura of pure malice.
"Nine-Tails..."
"Hmph. Ordinarily, I would kill you and tear my way out of this cage. But this cursed seal... curse you, Fourth!"
The fox's eyes shifted to a spot next to Naruto. There, another figure stood in the mental landscape. He was a man with golden hair and blue eyes, possessing an aura that felt strangely familiar.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked, blinking.
"Me? I'm your father, Naruto."
"My... father?"
"That's right. And you are my son."
"Wait!" Naruto's eyes went wide. "That face... I've seen it before! You're the Fourth Hokage!"
"Heh, I suppose I am. Back when I was alive, the village trusted me with that title."
Naruto's head was spinning. It made sense that he was panicking—no one had ever told him a single word about his parents.
"Does that mean... I'm the Hokage's son?"
"Yes, Naruto. You are."
For a moment, Naruto's face lit up with pure joy. The hero of the village, the man he had always admired, was his own father. To a boy his age, there was no greater pride. But then, the joy faded into a somber realization.
"But... but if you're my Dad... then why are the people in the village trying to kill me?"
"For that... I am truly, truly sorry, Naruto."
"It's not your fault they're trying to kill me, Dad! You didn't do anything wrong!"
"Actually... I'm the one who placed the Nine-Tails' seal on you. I designed it so that a fragment of my chakra would appear if the seal ever weakened, so I could repair it..."
The Fourth Hokage trailed off, glancing at the fox. The cage was secure. He turned back to Naruto and began weaving hand signs.
"Dad?"
"I originally intended for Kushina to do this, but I have chakra to spare. It might be a little early for you, Naruto, but I'm going to show you what happened on that day."
"That day?"
"The day you were born. I could explain it with words, but it's better if you see it for yourself. Besides..." He looked down at the special kunai Naruto was still holding in the physical world. "I want you to learn how to actually use that."
He finished the signs and cast a gentle Genjutsu over Naruto.
***
"I've been thinking... I hope our child grows up to be a ninja just like the hero in your book. So... can we use the name of the protagonist?"
"Hey, are you sure? It's just a name I thought of while eating ramen."
"Naruto... it's a wonderful name."
Memories flooded into Naruto's mind. He saw the happy faces of his parents. He felt their love. But he also saw that happiness shattered by a man in a mask. He saw the man take him hostage, place a Genjutsu on the Nine-Tails, and unleash it upon the village. He saw his father fight with everything he had to repel the intruder.
Even the Fourth Hokage couldn't fully understand the depths of that masked man's malice. That was why he had sealed the Nine-Tails inside his own son. He had done it because he believed that one day, his son would master this power.
The vision faded.
"Dad?"
The Fourth Hokage's body was becoming translucent. It was clear to anyone that his time was running out.
"It looks like I've reached my limit."
"No! Not yet! We just met! There's so much I want to do, so much I want to talk about!"
"I feel the same way, Naruto. But I gave my life in that battle... even meeting you like this is a miracle."
"Dad..."
"One last thing, Naruto. Let me teach you how to use that kunai. Hold it with me."
"Okay..."
"As you saw in the memory of my fight with the masked man, this is a very special Time-Space Ninjutsu. Normally, no one but me can use these kunai, but you are my son."
Placing his hand over Naruto's, the Fourth Hokage rewrote the formula on the kunai, calibrating it specifically for Naruto.
"It will take a lot of practice, but I know you can do it. I believe in you."
"Yeah! Just watch me, Dad! I'm the son of the Yellow Flash!"
The Fourth Hokage placed a hand on Naruto's head.
"To be honest, I don't know if the Hidden Leaf will ever truly accept you. I don't know what path you will choose to walk from here. But no matter what you decide, I believe in you. That's what it means to be a parent. Though... I really did hope you'd achieve your dream of becoming Hokage."
"Dad! Don't worry! I'll carry on the Will of Fire you and Mom left behind! I might never become the Hokage, but I'm not giving up on my dream of surpassing every Hokage that ever lived! I'm going to be a better ninja than even you were! I never go back on my word—that's my Nindo, my Ninja Way!"
"I see... I'll be watching over you always, Naruto."
With those final words, the Fourth Hokage vanished into light.