Parents' Photos

There was nothing much to say about Sasuke's side, so he was made to relive the Night of the Uchiha Clan Annihilation once more.

Only after seeing Sasuke wake from the dream in a cold sweat did Hyuga Kei leave with peace of mind.

Hyuga Kei did not intend to tell him the truth yet. Sasuke had a path to growth prepared by his brother Itachi, and he would surely become a Kage-level powerhouse in the future.

Early the next morning, the group arrived outside the training grounds of the Forest of Death, where many examinees had already gathered.

With an explosion of smoke, a white-haired man standing atop a frog appeared before everyone.

"The Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku has arrived!"

"Pervy Sage!" Naruto said, pointing at Jiraiya's nose.

"It's Toad Sage!"

"Pervy Sage!"

After a round of bickering, Jiraiya finally shook off Naruto's pestering. "Ahem. I am the new Second Stage Chief Examiner, and I will now explain the rules of this exam."

The content of the second exam was Survival Training: the Heaven and Earth Scroll Battle Royale. Each team would randomly receive either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll at the start.

The objective was to obtain both scrolls, then reach the tower within the Forest of Death. That would count as victory.

Hyuga Kei smiled. Revealing just a little of his strength had triggered Sarutobi Hiruzen's nerves, prompting him to send the even stronger Jiraiya to replace Anko Mitarashi as the Second Stage Chief Examiner.

But he had not expected Naruto to know Jiraiya in advance. That was another variable.

Soon, the scrolls were distributed. Hyuga Kei's team received a Heaven Scroll.

After exchanging nods with Naruto, Hyuga Kei led Karin Uzumaki and Uchiha Hikari deeper into the Forest of Death.

Hyuga Kei stopped not long after setting out. He needed to give Naruto time to catch up.

"Hikari, Karin, you two go complete the exam first. I have something to do."

As he spoke, Hyuga Kei handed them the Heaven Scroll. "Once I'm done, I'll head to the tower."

Hikari took the scroll. "Understood."

Watching the two leave, Hyuga Kei nodded inwardly. They had grown up and become more sensible.

Hyuga Kei activated the Tenseigan, and everything within a hundred li instantly came into his view.

The three members of Team 7 were also following the signals Hyuga Kei had left behind, slowly advancing as they searched for him.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya remained seated at the entrance and did not follow them.

That gave Hyuga Kei time to make his move.

Hyuga Kei picked some wild fruit and waited where he was for Naruto and the others to arrive.

Before long, Hyuga Kei heard Naruto's familiar booming voice. "Hurry, hurry! Kishu should be just ahead!"

"Naruto, be careful!" Sakura shouted from behind him.

With a leap, Hyuga Kei appeared before the three of them. Naruto jumped in fright at his sudden appearance, lost his footing, and fell from the branch.

But Naruto immediately got back up and rushed to Hyuga Kei's side. "Um... can you give me the clues about my parents now?"

Hyuga Kei had always liked Naruto's personality when watching the anime. He was straightforward and said whatever was on his mind.

"Of course." Hyuga Kei took several photographs from his backpack but did not immediately hand them to Naruto.

"Let me make this clear first. I'll show them to you, but until I leave Konoha, you may only look at them yourselves. You cannot show them to anyone else."

"If Konoha finds out that I exposed its secrets, they'll definitely order a manhunt for me."

Sasuke questioned him. "A guy like you is afraid of Konoha hunting you down?"

"Of course I am. How could I not be? That's Konoha."

Naruto did not care about any of that and agreed repeatedly. "Okay! I swear on my Nindo that I definitely won't show these photos to anyone else."

Sasuke and Sakura also swore not to tell anyone else.

Hearing them say that, Hyuga Kei felt reassured and handed the photographs to Naruto.

Naruto took them. The first face that met his eyes was a blond man, handsome and radiant. He wore a white Hokage cloak and a Hokage's hat.

The other two moved closer to Naruto. Upon seeing the person in the photo, Sasuke said in surprise, "Isn't this the Fourth Hokage?"

Hyuga Kei answered with certainty, "That's right. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had the same blond hair as Naruto. This is one piece of evidence for my judgment."

Sakura asked curiously, "Then why is Naruto's surname Uzumaki instead of Namikaze?"

"Because he took his mother's surname."

"Why did he take his mother's surname?" Sakura continued.

Hyuga Kei shook his head, indicating that he did not know either. Naturally, he would not explain the reasons behind it. Konoha needed an outlet for the civilians' anger, and they needed to uncover that truth themselves for it to be believable.

Naruto looked at the photo, and a sense of familiarity welled up inside him.

He firmly believed that this was his father.

Then, stiffly, he turned to the second photograph. It showed a beautiful red-haired woman in Leaf Village ninja attire, elegant and graceful.

Hyuga Kei introduced her. "This is the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki—Naruto's mother."

Naruto stared at the figure in the photograph as the image of his mother gradually overlapped with the woman from his dreams.

He fought back his tears, but a glistening drop still slid down his cheek and fell onto the photograph.

He carefully wiped it away.

"There are two more. Go ahead and look," Hyuga Kei said softly. Naruto slowly turned the page. It was a graduation group photo from the Ninja Academy.

Hyuga Kei explained, "This is your parents' graduation photo. I went out of my way to find it."

Hyuga Kei pointed at Minato and Kushina during their Ninja Academy days, standing together in a corner of the photo with obvious intimacy between them.

Turning down further, Naruto found a wedding photograph.

"This was taken at their wedding."

Kushina wore a magnificent wedding dress and held the arm of her beloved husband. Minato wore a sharply tailored suit, handsome and dashing, perfectly complementing the beautiful and graceful Kushina.

"Waaah..." Naruto could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes. His expression twisted as he burst into loud sobs, venting the emotions he had suppressed for so long.

Sasuke patted Naruto's shoulder while Sakura gently rubbed his back to help him calm down. Neither of them could find any words of comfort.

After Naruto had cried himself out, Hyuga Kei said something shocking. "In this world, death is not a person's end. There are many ways to revive the dead."

"What!?" The three stared at Hyuga Kei in shock.

Hyuga Kei shrugged. "I'm not lying. Konoha possesses a jutsu called the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, which can summon the dead back from the Pure Land. But that is not true resurrection. They merely become like puppets."

Sakura questioned him, "Isn't that desecrating the dead?"

"Indeed. But if people can be pulled back from the Pure Land, then why can't the dead truly be revived?"

"There is no end to ninjutsu, Naruto. Don't let these minor setbacks stop you. Work hard and become stronger. Then perhaps you, too, can develop such a jutsu and reunite with your parents."

Sasuke was also somewhat stirred. This meant that as long as he kept growing stronger, his parents might also have a chance to be revived.

"Yes, Brother Kishu. I'll keep training and work hard to become stronger."

Naruto pulled himself together, wiped away his tears, and carefully placed the photographs into his backpack. Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he took out a cup of instant ramen.

"Thank you, Brother Kishu. This is a little token of my appreciation—limited-edition chicken broth ramen!" Naruto offered it to Hyuga Kei as though presenting a treasure.

"Thanks. Then I won't stand on ceremony." Hyuga Kei accepted the ramen and placed it inside his Sealing Scroll.

He was also rather curious about how the instant ramen Naruto treasured so much tasted.

"What are you planning to do next?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Of course, we'll seize the Heaven and Earth Scrolls. Oh, right, where are Karin and Hikari?"

"I told them to complete the exam first."

"I see. It's pretty dangerous for you to be alone. Want to come with us?"

Sakura smacked Naruto hard on the head. "Idiot! He's much stronger than us. How could he be in danger? If anyone's in danger, it's us."

Hyuga Kei did not refuse. "Then let's have dinner together. I saw a wild boar over there just now."

"Sure, sure!" Naruto nodded without hesitation.