Laughter is the Most Contagious

"Who!"

Kurama immediately withdrew his fist, his claws gripping the iron gate as he first roared at Minato Namikaze outside, then swept his crimson eyes warily across the surroundings, searching for the source of the sound.

He was linked online with Naruto when out of nowhere he heard a voice that seemed to echo from the depths of his own heart, making him suspect someone else might be hiding inside the seal.

After all, the Fourth Hokage right in front of him was a prime example.

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

That stung his pride a bit.

If there were others in this seal he hadn't discovered, that would be hard to swallow.

Minato Namikaze, meanwhile, was still shaken by Naruto's earlier blunt dismissal of Konoha's survival.

Seeing the fox suddenly grow agitated again, he quickly shot Naruto a look, signaling his son to get out first.

Naruto shook his head at his father, finding the jumpy Kurama somewhat amusing.

The functions of the Mirrored World flashed through his mind one by one. After weighing them internally, he called out to Kurama, "Kurama! Don't be so tense. That voice isn't a person!"

Kurama's fox head drooped, a flicker of genuine suspicion in his eyes. "Not a person?"

A strange glint passed through Naruto's azure eyes. "Stick your fist out!"

Kurama's fox ears twitched, and his claw clenched into a fist again, pressing against Naruto's raised little fist.

Their spiritual worlds linked once more.

"Warning! Spiritual world under invasion. Under defense mechanisms, you may choose forced expulsion or forced capture."

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

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

Naruto first transmitted simple information about the Mirrored World to Kurama, then used his own authority within the Mirrored World to initiate verification for Kurama.

A series of emotionless voices sounded in Kurama's mind, identical to the one he'd heard the first time.

"Authority verification passed. Confirmed authority: Spectator."

"First guest binding initiated."

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

As the last sentence ended, Kurama found himself in a lush, verdant forest, with a cloudless sky overhead and Naruto standing before him.

Outside the iron gate, Minato Namikaze was startled—he saw his son and the Nine-Tails turn into statues, a sensation reminiscent of the Reaper Death Seal, as if their souls had been ripped away.

"Where is this?" Kurama's voice sounded rather forlorn as his gaze swept over the mountain peaks.

Naruto waved his hand, and an oversized, exaggerated pop-up box appeared before Kurama's vision. A mechanical prompt sounded again, and strings of characters emerged, slowly flickering.

"I knew it. Only my consciousness is here. This is an illusory world, but as the information you sent said, its functions are powerful."

"Still, being here reminds me of bad memories from when I was controlled by Genjutsu."

Kurama suddenly said this, as if recalling something.

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

"Wait!"

Kurama spoke up abruptly. He knew from the explanation that Naruto could take him away with just a thought.

"What?"

Naruto looked at him in confusion.

"Aren't you going to tell your father about this place?"

"Only a fraction of his Chakra is left in the seal. He'll probably be gone soon. Telling him about this is pointless."

Naruto hadn't expected Kurama to bring that up.

Kurama grinned at that. "Heh! He's your father, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha! I know how formidable he is! This place can make you stronger, but with his guidance, you'd grow much faster!"

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

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

Naruto's eyes flickered. "Even without my father's help, I can manage on my own. That little bit of time—"

"No!" Kurama cut him off.

"You don't know how tightly Konoha is watching you!"

Naruto's expression turned cold. "Of course I do. There's been someone watching outside my door since I was little, and someone trailing me from a distance whenever I go out."

Kurama grinned again. "Heh! Then do you know that since you left this morning, there's been an invisible person following you within arm's reach?"

"And that person only left when you dropped off that Byakugan girl at her home."

"Also, let me tell you—this person has been tailing you since the first day you went outside at age three. Sometimes, after you fall asleep at night, they even check your books and documents."

Hayate Gekko!

A shadow of gloom immediately fell over Naruto's face at that. A trace of crimson flickered in his eyes before he fell silent.

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

After a long moment, Naruto slowly spoke. "Kurama, are you willing to help my father stay in the seal a little longer? It seems like you don't exactly like him—or even hate him."

Kurama flicked his fox head and said, "I hate him for sealing me, but if he stays, he can help you get stronger faster. The faster you get stronger, the closer I am to freedom!"

"Alright then! Let's go back now!"

As soon as Naruto said that, his and Kurama's consciousness had already returned to the Sealed Space. Their fists were still held in the same position as before, as if no time had passed here at all. Naruto gave Kurama a slight nod, then turned to look at the iron gate.

"Hey? Naruto, you're okay? What was that—"

Outside the iron gate, Minato Namikaze was about to figure out what had happened between his son and the Nine-Tails, but in the blink of an eye, his son was back to normal.

"Father, how much longer can you stay?"

Minato's expression darkened. "Naruto, the me that appeared here was just a backup plan. At most, I'll last until tomorrow before I disappear."

"I understand." Naruto's gaze sharpened, and he turned his eyes to the other side. "Kurama! I'm counting on you!"

Kurama glanced at Minato and said, "Come in, Fourth Hokage. I can let you stay a little longer."

"What do you mean?"

Minato looked completely bewildered, his whole demeanor coming off as dazed.

Kurama's face flickered with impatience. "What are you spacing out for? Can't you understand what I'm saying? I said come in!"

"What? Is your courage worse than your son's?"

Naruto shook his head and walked straight out of the iron gate. Under Minato's disbelieving gaze, Naruto pulled him along until they stood beneath the Nine-Tails' claw.

Back at the Hokage's Office~~

"Shikaku, you've seen the surveillance reports on Naruto from when he was little to now. Rest assured, having Shikamaru approach him shouldn't be too dangerous."

"This is all for the peace of Konoha!"

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

Shikaku Nara, with his pineapple-shaped hair, agreed verbally, but his expression looked quite helpless.

He'd accidentally mentioned that Shikamaru was exceptional in some ways and mature for his age, and then the Third Hokage had assigned him the task of arranging for his son to get close to Naruto, who also seemed mature early.

And he was told his son absolutely had to 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 do it! Now let's discuss the meeting with the envoy from the Cloud Village for the alliance treaty later."

Naruto had no idea that the Third Hokage had made another arrangement centered around him. At this moment, he had already used the Transformation Jutsu to go out again, but Kurama had told him something strange.

Ever since he left, there wasn't a single person watching him.

He had just walked through a bustling commercial street and now stood outside a moderately sized building complex.

"Is this the Ninja Academy?"

"Yeah, Naruto, this is the back gate. This is where your mother and I first met! Back then, we were—"

Naruto and his father were going back and forth, and Minato seemed about to ramble on.

"Fourth Hokage! Did I give you too much Chakra? Are you ever going to shut up?!"

Kurama suddenly roared in their minds.

"Uh... sorry about that." In the Sealed Space, Minato hurriedly apologized to Kurama, his face full of embarrassment.

Naruto took one look and was about to leave, but just then, a harsh burst of laughter came from the other side of the wide-slatted fence wall.

"Hahaha! He's bleeding from getting hit with rocks and still training on the log!"

"What a total idiot!"

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

Naruto walked to the wall and peered through the gap. A boy with a braided ponytail was leaning against a training post, his head covered in blood. Many kids were gathered around, and a few of them picked up stones from the ground and threw them at the boy on the post every so often.

As they threw, they laughed heartily. Soon, all the kids watching joined in the laughter.

Is that Rock Lee.

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

"Uh... Naruto, this—"

Naruto's gaze was deep and distant as he spoke. "Laughter really is infectious, isn't it?"