Laughter Is the Most Contagious

"Who?!"

Kurama immediately pulled back his fist, planted his claws on the iron gate, and first roared at Minato Namikaze outside. Then, his crimson eyes vigilantly scanned the surroundings, searching for the possible source of the voice.

He had been linked to Naruto when a voice suddenly seemed to rise from the depths of his own heart, making him suspect that there might be someone else inside the seal.

After all, the Fourth Hokage before him was proof enough.

He had been sealed inside Naruto's body for four years, yet only today did he learn that Minato Namikaze had been with him all along.

It made him feel a little embarrassed.

If there were still others inside this seal whom he had failed to notice, that would be intolerable.

Minato Namikaze was still shaken by Naruto's earlier response, in which he had unhesitatingly stated that he did not care whether Konoha lived or died.

Seeing the fox suddenly grow agitated again, he quickly signaled Naruto with his eyes, telling his son to come out first so they could talk.

Naruto slightly shook his head at his father. Looking at the suspicious Kurama, he found it a little amusing.

The functions of the Mirrored World flashed through his mind one by one. After weighing them over and over, he shouted at Kurama, "Kurama! Don't be so nervous. That voice isn't a person!"

Kurama lowered his fox head, genuine suspicion flashing through his eyes. "Not a person?"

A strange gleam flashed through Naruto's azure eyes. "Bring your fist over!"

Kurama's fox ears twitched. His claw clenched into a fist again and pressed against Naruto's small raised fist.

Their Mental Worlds linked once more.

"Warning! The Mental World has been invaded. Under the defense mechanism, you may choose forced expulsion or forced capture."

"Hmm? Naruto, that voice came from your side!"

"That's right, Kurama! This is one of my secrets. I can show you."

Naruto first sent Kurama some basic information about the Mirrored World, then directly used his authority within the Mirrored World to activate verification for Kurama.

Emotionless voices sounded in Kurama's mind one after another, exactly like the voice he had heard for the first time before.

"Permission verification activated and approved. Confirmed permission: Spectator Guest."

"The first guest binding has begun."

"Binding successful. Guest identity: Kurama. Welcome to the Mirrored World."

When the final sentence ended, Kurama found himself in a lush green forest beneath a cloudless sky stretching for miles. Naruto stood right in front of him.

Outside the iron gate, Minato Namikaze was suddenly horrified. He discovered that his son and the Nine-Tails seemed to have become statues. It felt somewhat like the Reaper Death Seal, as if their souls had been pulled out of their bodies.

"Where is this?" Kurama's voice sounded rather lonely as his gaze swept over mountain after mountain.

Naruto waved his hand, and an enormous, exaggerated Pop-up Box appeared before Kurama's eyes. The mechanical prompt sounded again as strings of characters appeared and slowly flickered across it.

"I knew it. What appeared here is only my own consciousness. This is an illusory world, but just as the information Naruto gave me described, its functions are powerful."

"Still, being here reminds me of some unpleasant memories of being controlled by Genjutsu."

Kurama seemed to recall something as he suddenly said that.

Naruto nodded. "Then let's go back. If you want to come here in the future, just tell me anytime."

"Wait!"

Kurama suddenly spoke up. Through the instructions, he had learned that Naruto only needed a thought to take him away.

"What?"

Naruto looked at him in confusion.

"You don't plan to tell your father about this place?"

"Only a portion of his Chakra remains in the seal. He'll probably leave before long. There's no point in telling him about this place."

Naruto truly had not expected Kurama to ask that question.

Kurama grinned when he heard that. "Hehe! He's your father, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha! I know how capable he is! Although this place can let you grow stronger continuously, with his guidance, you'll become strong much faster!"

Naruto frowned. "I understand that, but the problem is that he can't remain in this state for long."

Kurama roared, "I have a way! I have a way to make him stay in the seal longer!"

Naruto's gaze flickered. "Even without my father's help, I can do it myself! That little bit of time means nothing to me—"

"No!" Kurama interrupted Naruto.

"You have no idea how tightly Konoha monitors you!"

Naruto said coldly, "Of course I know. Ever since I was little, someone has watched outside my door. Whenever I went out, someone would always follow me from afar."

Kurama grinned again. "Hehe! Then did you know that ever since you left home this morning, there's been an invisible person following you about a meter away?"

"And that person only left when you took that little Byakugan girl home."

"Also, let me tell you this: that person has been following you ever since the first day you went out at the age of three. Sometimes, after you fall asleep at night, he even checks your books and materials."

Gekko Hayate!

A shadow immediately crossed Naruto's face. A Trace of scarlet flashed in his eyes, and he fell silent.

In Konoha, only that guy who could use the Transparency Jutsu could do something like this.

After a long while, Naruto slowly said, "Kurama, are you willing to help my father remain in the seal longer? It seems like you don't like him. You might even hate him."

Kurama tossed his fox head. "I hate him for sealing me, but if he stays, he can help you grow stronger faster. And the faster you become stronger, the sooner I'll be free!"

"Fine! Then let's go back now!"

As soon as Naruto said that, his and Kurama's consciousnesses returned to the Sealed Space. The human and fox's fists remained in the same position as before. It felt as though no time had passed here at all. Naruto gave Kurama a slight nod, then turned toward the outside of the iron gate.

"Huh? Naruto, are you all right? Just now, that was—"

Minato Namikaze had been about to figure out what had happened to his son and the Nine-Tails, but in the blink of an eye, his son had come back to himself.

"Father, how much longer can you stay?"

Minato Namikaze's expression darkened. "Naruto, I only appeared here as a backup measure. At most, I can stay until tomorrow before disappearing."

"I understand." Naruto's gaze sharpened as he turned back. "Kurama! Please!"

Kurama glanced at Minato Namikaze. "Come in, Fourth Hokage. I can let you stay a while longer."

"What do you mean?"

Minato Namikaze looked completely confused, his whole expression somewhat vacant.

Impatience flashed across Kurama's face. "Why are you spacing out? Don't you understand what I said? I said come in!"

"What? Is your courage inferior to your son's?"

Naruto shook his head and walked straight through the iron gate. Under Minato Namikaze's incredulous gaze, Naruto took his hand and led him beneath the Nine-Tails' claw.

Over at the Hokage's Office~~

"Shikaku, you've reviewed Naruto's surveillance records from childhood until now. Don't worry. When the time comes, having Shikamaru approach him shouldn't be dangerous."

"This is all for Konoha's peace!"

"Lord Hokage, I understand. But based on my analysis, Naruto probably won't let others get close to him so easily."

Though Shikaku Nara, with his pineapple-like ponytail, agreed verbally, his expression was full of helplessness.

He had carelessly mentioned that Shikamaru was rather outstanding in certain respects and mentally mature for his age. Then the Third Hokage gave him the task of arranging for his son to approach Naruto, who also seemed mature beyond his years.

He had even demanded that his son must become friends with Naruto!

The Third Hokage patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "I believe in you! And I believe in Shikamaru! He can definitely do it! Now, let's discuss the meeting with the Cloud Village delegation that will be arriving shortly to form an alliance."

Naruto had no idea that the Third Hokage had arranged another plan around him. At that moment, he had already used the Transformation Jutsu to leave again, but Kurama had told him something strange.

Since leaving home, there had not been a single person watching him nearby.

Having just passed through a bustling commercial street, he stopped outside a fairly large compound.

"So this is the Ninja Academy?"

"Yes, Naruto. This is the back gate. Your mother and I first met here! Back then, we were still—"

Naruto and his father were speaking back and forth, and it seemed Minato Namikaze was about to get carried away with his stories.

"Fourth Hokage! Did we give you too much Chakra? Are you ever going to stop?!"

Kurama suddenly roared in his mind.

"Uh... sumimasen." In the Sealed Space, Minato Namikaze hurriedly apologized to Kurama, his face full of embarrassment.

Naruto glanced over and was about to leave when, from the other side of the wide-gap fence wall, a burst of piercing laughter suddenly rang out.

"Hahaha! He's bleeding from getting hit by rocks, and he's still punching the log!"

"What a huge idiot!"

"Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha! That's right! The passionate dead last!"

Naruto walked over to the wall and looked through the gap. A boy with braided hair, his head covered in blood, leaned against the log. Many children surrounded him, and several of them picked up rocks from the ground and threw them at the boy on the log every so often.

They laughed heartily as they threw them. Before long, all the watching children were laughing loudly as well.

Was that Rock Lee?

"Father, look how happily they're laughing."

"Uh... Naruto, this..."

Naruto spoke with a deep gaze, "Laughter really is contagious, isn't it?"