Naruto entered his inner world. Darkness surrounded him, broken only by the faint red glow of the enormous sealing gate in the distance. The countless sealing tags covering the gate glimmered faintly, as though warning anyone who tried to approach. Overcome by despair, Naruto was about to tear the seal off the gate.
Just as he reached out to touch the sealing gate, a golden figure suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path. Naruto froze and looked up. The figure before him made him hold his breath: golden hair, a gentle smile, and that unmistakable Hokage cloak. This was the idol he had admired since childhood, the legendary Fourth Hokage—Minato Namikaze.
"The Fourth... Hokage?" Naruto could hardly believe his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly.
Minato smiled, his eyes full of affection and apology. He nodded gently and said, "Naruto, it's me."
A jumble of emotions surged through Naruto: excitement at meeting his idol, but also a strange sense of familiarity. He couldn't help asking, "Why... why do you know my name...?"
Minato looked at Naruto gently and said slowly, "Because I'm the one who gave you your name. You're my little one."
"Little one?" "I just said it, didn't I? You're my son."
The words struck Naruto's heart like a thunderbolt. Tears streamed down his face, and his mind went blank. Father? The Fourth Hokage was my father? The hero I looked up to in the village as a child was the father I'd always longed to meet?
Naruto's emotions grew complicated in an instant. He felt an indescribable joy, but it was followed by deep hurt and anger. He couldn't help demanding, "Why? Why did you seal the Nine-Tails inside your own son? Thanks to you, I've suffered so much! The adults all gave me cold looks. Nobody wanted to come near me, and it was hard for me to make friends. So I kept trying and trying, hoping everyone would acknowledge me. I worked as hard as I could to get stronger, and then I met Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and Pervy Sage, and the others..."
By the end, Naruto's voice was choked with sobs, and tears were streaming uncontrollably down his face. But reality had left him to endure far too much loneliness and pain.
Minato looked at Naruto, his eyes full of guilt and heartache. He said quietly, "Naruto, I'm sorry for making you, my son, suffer so much. As your father, I have no right to apologize to you."
Naruto raised his head and looked at Minato through tear-blurred eyes. He gritted his teeth and fought to steady his emotions before saying firmly, "It doesn't matter anymore. After all, I'm the Fourth Hokage's son. I can endure it!"
After learning what had happened sixteen years ago,
Naruto nodded, a flicker of resolve in his eyes. He asked, "Father, Konoha's been destroyed beyond recognition. What should I do?"
Minato smiled, his gaze full of trust and encouragement, and ruffled Naruto's hair. He said, "Being a ninja means fighting against this hatred. Jiraiya entrusted you with the answer to ending it. You have to find that answer yourself. I know you can do it. I believe in you. No matter where they are, parents believe their child can do it. That's what being a parent means."
As Minato's figure faded away, Naruto felt a warm power flow into him. He knew his father had sealed the Nine-Tails' power inside him again, helping him regain his senses. Naruto opened his eyes and returned to the real world. His gaze grew even more determined, and he felt full of strength.
Father, I'll do it! Naruto silently vowed. He knew the road ahead was still full of challenges, but he was no longer lost. Carrying his father's hopes with him, he would continue forward, search for the answer to ending hatred, and protect everything he held dear.
Naruto, having regained his senses, stood atop the Chibaku Tensei. Countless boulders and fragments pulled in by its gravitational force surrounded him, forming an enormous sphere suspended high in the air. The wind howled, and Naruto's figure looked especially small amid the chaos, but his gaze was unwavering.
On the Heavenly Screen, when the dust cleared, Deva Path Pain lay on the ground, his physical strength utterly spent, unable to move. Naruto leaped down and landed steadily beside Pain.
Naruto pulled the black rods from the Deva Path's body, leaving him unable to move. Deciding to search for the person behind it all, he plunged a black rod into his hand. In his mind, he sensed and recalled his dead teacher, his companions... and remembered Pain's words...
The real world
When the Fourth Hokage appeared in Naruto's inner world on the Heavenly Screen, all of Konoha fell briefly silent. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the scene. When Minato said, "Naruto, I'm your father," it was as if an invisible shock wave had struck the entire village. Disbelief appeared on every face.
"The Fourth Hokage... was Naruto's father?" a ninja murmured, his voice full of shock and guilt.
"How is that possible? That dead last... was the son of a hero?" another ninja said, eyes wide, as if unable to accept the truth.
The civilians who had bullied Naruto turned especially pale, their hearts filled with regret and fear. Remembering the mockery they had once directed at him, and even how they had isolated and rejected him, they couldn't help feeling deep remorse.
"We... we did those things to the Fourth Hokage's son..." A middle-aged woman covered her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears.
"I... I even threw stones at him once..." a little boy said, lowering his head, his voice trembling.
In the crowd, the villagers who had once treated Naruto coldly bowed their heads, filled with guilt and unease. They finally understood that Naruto was not the "monster" they had called him, but the son of a hero who had sacrificed himself to protect the village. Their ignorance and prejudice had forced an innocent child to endure far too much pain.
"We... we deserve to die ten thousand deaths..." an old man said, trembling, his eyes full of remorseful tears.
Meanwhile, Konoha's ninja also fell silent. They remembered how they had once neglected Naruto and treated him with indifference, and their hearts filled with guilt. Those his age who had mocked him at the Ninja Academy felt especially ashamed.
"We... we never knew..." a young ninja said quietly, his voice full of self-reproach.
As everyone fell silent, the scene on the Heavenly Screen continued. They saw that, after learning about his origins, Naruto chose to face everything with strength, even though his heart was full of pain and anger. Far from resenting the village, he became even more determined to protect it.
"Naruto... he can still forgive us..." a villager said quietly, his voice full of emotion.
"We... we've treated him so badly..." another villager said, choking back sobs.
As the scene on the Heavenly Screen gradually faded, all of Konoha fell silent. Everyone was lost in deep reflection. They finally understood that Naruto was not the "monster" they had imagined, but a true hero, a ninja who had silently endured everything to protect the village.
"From today on, we have to treat Naruto right!" a villager called out, his voice full of resolve.
"That's right! He's our hero. We can't let him get hurt anymore!" another villager agreed.
In the crowd, the civilians who had once rejected Naruto bowed their heads, their hearts full of regret and self-reproach. They resolved to make up for their past mistakes through their actions from now on.