Naruto's identity as the Fourth Hokage's orphaned son was confirmed by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
From that day onward, the village fell into an eerie silence.
The villagers who usually cursed the Demon Fox at will suddenly became unsettlingly quiet.
The words "Demon Fox" seemed to have become taboo, vanishing completely from all of Konoha.
No one cursed the Demon Fox in the streets and alleys anymore.
There were only silent villagers with complicated expressions.
Correspondingly.
Naruto had not appeared in the village for a long time either.
It was as though he had vanished along with the words "Demon Fox."
Outside the door, Namikaze Mirai knocked cautiously.
"Naruto, come out and eat. If you don't, the food will get completely cold."
There was silence in the room for a while before a weak voice sounded.
"Uncle, I'm not hungry. I'll go out and eat later."
Namikaze Mirai rubbed his forehead helplessly. You've already said you'll eat later three times.
"This can't go on. Naruto is becoming more and more withdrawn."
Namikaze Mirai rubbed his chin, troubled.
He had thought revealing Naruto's identity would help him emerge from the shadows and stop the villagers from bullying him.
But unexpectedly, the villagers had indeed stopped bullying him.
Yet Naruto had become increasingly isolated.
"This can't continue."
Now that Naruto knew his true identity—that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, the man who had saved the entire village—
his longing for them had reached an extreme.
Something had to be done.
Namikaze Mirai's gaze turned serious.
He pushed open the door and walked straight in.
"Uncle..."
Naruto was curled up on the bed, wrapped tightly in his blanket. Only when Namikaze Mirai entered did he raise his dim eyes.
It was as though his very soul had been drained away.
"Naruto, do you want to see them?"
Namikaze Mirai sat at the bedside, gently stroking Naruto's blond hair with a smile.
"See them..."
Naruto's dry lips trembled. He raised his head, and a trace of hope appeared in his azure eyes.
Of course, he knew who Namikaze Mirai meant by "them."
His parents—the Fourth Hokage and his wife!
The reason he had locked himself in his room these past few days was that he could not accept this reality.
The legendary Fourth Hokage and his wife, the heroes who had saved the village, had sealed the monster that brought disaster upon the village inside their own child.
As a result, he had suffered the bullying of the entire village and lived alone in misery.
Naruto wanted to see them.
He wanted to know.
Why had his parents made such a choice?
Was it because, in their eyes, the village was more important than he was?
"Uncle, if it's possible, I really want to see them. Even just once."
Naruto looked at Namikaze Mirai hopefully.
Then those azure eyes dimmed again.
How could that be possible? They had been dead for so long...
"Don't lose heart. Uncle has a way!"
Namikaze Mirai's eyes curved into crescents as he smiled.
"Huh? Can something like that really be done?"
Naruto stared with his mouth open in shock.
"Don't worry! When has Uncle ever lied to you?"
Namikaze Mirai shifted his gaze to Naruto's lower abdomen.
If he had guessed correctly, his brother had definitely not sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto so simply.
Since Minato had made Naruto the new Jinchuriki, he must have intended for Naruto to inherit the Nine-Tails' power.
Even he was quite wary of that violent power.
Let alone young Naruto.
With his understanding of Minato, he must have left behind some safeguard for unforeseen circumstances.
If he activated that safeguard, perhaps Naruto would be able to see Minato and Kushina.
"Naruto, relax. Uncle is taking you to a completely new place. Don't be surprised by anything that happens later, okay?"
Namikaze Mirai stroked Naruto's hair as he lay curled beneath the blankets, his eyes filled with gentleness.
"Okay."
Naruto nodded vigorously.
As long as he could see his parents, he was willing to do anything.
The next second—crackle! Blue lightning arcs flashed through Naruto's hair. His head grew heavy, and he immediately passed out.
"There's no helping it. At Naruto's age, the only way to enter the Sealing Space is to knock him unconscious."
Namikaze Mirai looked at the unconscious Naruto with some heartache.
At this point, Naruto probably had not yet come into contact with the Nine-Tails inside him.
To bring his consciousness into the Sealing Space, he could only make him fall into a deep coma.
After doing all that, Namikaze Mirai's gaze settled on Naruto's lower abdomen, and his expression abruptly turned serious.
"Next, I need to get in as well."
Pulling up Naruto's shirt, Namikaze Mirai placed his palm over the black Eight Trigrams Seal.
In the dim, damp space, Naruto groggily opened his eyes and looked around.
"Where is this? How did I get here?"
The dark space was unlike anything he had ever seen and seemed to have no end. A thin layer of water covered the ground, and ripples spread outward from around his body.
"Could this be the place Uncle mentioned...?"
Naruto's azure eyes suddenly lit up.
Uncle had said that once he came here, he would be able to see his parents.
This had to be the place, right? But it didn't look like there was anyone here. Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
Could it be that his parents had lived in a place like this after dying? Suddenly, a warm hand rested on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. Uncle will definitely let you see them."
"Uncle!"
Naruto turned around and saw that familiar smiling face.
"You came in too?"
"Of course."
Namikaze Mirai smiled. "Since Uncle said he would let Naruto see them, he will definitely do it."
His eyes narrowed as his gaze settled on the enormous iron gate in the distance, its lock covered by a sealing talisman.
If he had guessed correctly.
The safeguard Minato had left behind would only activate when the Nine-Tails' Chakra went berserk.
Its purpose was to help Naruto suppress the rampaging Nine-Tails.
In that case, triggering it would be very simple.
Behind the sealing gate, a pair of huge, demonic eyes slowly lifted. As though he had sensed some kind of threat, he fixed them on Namikaze Mirai.
"It's you?!"
The Nine-Tails' pupils contracted.
Namikaze Mirai had actually come here!?
He had never liked this guy! Though he was Minato's younger brother, his temperament was far more overbearing than Minato's. He had often hung around with Kushina, studying his power! Those unbearable memories flooded back in an instant.
The Nine-Tails gritted his teeth in humiliation.
Just as he was about to say something, Namikaze Mirai grinned.
"Nine-Tails, let me test your strength!"
Boom! Before Naruto's stunned, dazed eyes, Blue Lightning Arc flashed. Namikaze Mirai's body became a streak of light, instantly appearing above the Nine-Tails' head before he drove down a punch! The Nine-Tails was slammed flat in an instant, accompanied by a teeth-grinding creak.
His face twisted in pain!
All his teeth shattered!
Before you continue