For the Reunion of the Future

The same blond hair, the similar face.

Even those pair of azure eyes were surprisingly the same.

Namikaze Mirai looked at the face he hadn't seen in three years, suppressing countless complex emotions.

Finally, he nodded.

"Yes, I'm back."

This was the first time he had seen Namikaze Minato in three years.

Although it was just a Chakra manifestation, the appearance was exactly the same.

It also retained Minato's memories from before he died.

The reunion between brothers seemed to hold a thousand words, yet all returned to silence.

Minato's gaze passed over Namikaze Mirai, landing on Naruto behind him. For some reason, his eyes trembled slightly.

"He is..."

"He's your son, Naruto. You wouldn't have forgotten your own son after not seeing him for three years, would you!"

Namikaze Mirai said with a smile.

Whoosh! Minato disappeared.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of Naruto.

Naruto instinctively flinched back, but the moment he saw the other person's appearance, his eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Are you..."

"My dad?"

He had seen Minato's appearance on the statues on the Hokage Rock, in the photos hanging in the Hokage Office, and from his Uncle's descriptions...

But he had never truly seen him before.

Hearing those two words from Naruto's mouth, Minato could no longer hold back and pulled Naruto into his embrace.

"Naruto, I am your dad!"

The father and son, separated for three years, finally embraced today.

"Naruto had a very hard time these three years..."

From behind, Namikaze Mirai's faint voice came.

"He was recognized by the villagers as the Demon Fox that caused disaster, and he endured bullying from the entire village..."

Listening to Namikaze Mirai's narration, Minato's hands gradually clenched.

"How could this happen?"

His eyes turned a little red.

"Didn't the Third Hokage interfere at all? Why did he watch Naruto endure so much suffering..."

While feeling heartache and self-blame, a bit of anger also arose.

He had clearly sealed the Nine-Tails into Naruto's body, hoping that one day he could control this power and become a hero of the village.

But it seemed things had completely reversed.

Young Naruto had a very miserable childhood.

"I'm fine."

Naruto, being very sensible, wiped away the tears from Minato's eyes.

But the more he acted like this, the deeper Minato's self-blame became.

He couldn't understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the Third Hokage, would be so inactive? Namikaze Mirai slightly raised his eyelids and looked at Naruto. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed.

"Minato, the legacy you left behind was also annexed by them, and not a bit was left for Naruto."

Silence. Minato was just silent.

But his fingers resting on Naruto were trembling slightly.

"Naruto, do you hate me?"

Because of his selfishness in sealing the Nine-Tails into Naruto's body, young Naruto had to endure so much suffering.

Just listening to Namikaze Mirai's description gave him a suffocating pain.

These experiences, even an adult would probably find difficult to bear.

Let alone a three-year-old Naruto.

He was wrong! He felt he was terribly wrong!

"No, I don't hate you."

Naruto shook his head.

"At first, I didn't quite understand why my parents would do such a cruel thing, to seal the Demon Fox into my belly."

"But now, I've figured it out. They must have hoped their son would become a hero like them!"

Minato was in tears, embracing Naruto again.

A dazed smile appeared on Naruto's lips.

Is this the embrace of family?

So warm.

The two hugged for a long time before reluctantly parting.

"Mirai, thank you. If you hadn't returned, I wouldn't have known how to face Naruto."

Minato's voice carried an apology.

He felt a deep debt to Naruto.

"No, it's me who returned too late."

Namikaze Mirai shook his head.

He was the one who should apologize.

"Speaking of which, you seem even stronger now than three years ago?"

Minato playfully punched his chest with a smile.

He had sensed the battle between Namikaze Mirai and the Nine-Tails within the Sealing Space.

Although the Nine-Tails had underestimated him, being able to beat it to such an extent was proof enough of his strength.

"Yes, despite some unexpected events, my abilities have indeed improved significantly compared to three years ago."

"I see..."

Minato's eyes were filled with emotion.

Has this brother of mine already surpassed me?

"With you here, I can finally rest easy."

Namikaze Mirai's gaze turned serious, and he said in a deep voice.

"What exactly happened that night?"

He had investigated the Nine-Tails Attack many times and gathered a lot of information from Kakashi and the Uchiha Clan.

But, it wasn't enough.

Minato, as the most important eyewitness, naturally knew the inside story of that night best.

"That night..."

Perhaps because it touched a wound in his heart, Minato's gaze turned cold.

"I was guarding Kushina, who was giving birth, when I was suddenly attacked. The assailant wore a tiger mask, and his mastery of space-time was no less than mine..."

"It was space-time after all?" Namikaze Mirai's eyes grew solemn.

Just as he had speculated, only someone with a similar space-time ability could have put Minato in such a predicament.

"The enemy was very strong. He used my concern for Naruto to abduct Kushina, who had just finished giving birth..."

Minato narrated meticulously, trying to convey every crucial detail without omission.

The time he could maintain this body was extremely limited.

He could only focus on the key points.

The Mysterious Masked Man, harboring hatred for Konoha, claimed to be Uchiha Madara, possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan with Space-Time Dojutsu...

Listening to Minato's account, Namikaze Mirai's profile of the enemy that night became increasingly clear.

In a daze, a man wearing a tiger mask seemed to appear before his eyes.

The crimson Sharingan outside the mask revealed a sinister smile.

Namikaze Mirai's gaze turned sharp.

Without a doubt.

The masked man who did such a thing would be his greatest enemy in the future!

No matter who he was, he would not let him go!

"Mirai, time is almost up."

Minato's gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.

The body condensed from Chakra was slowly enveloped in a white glow.

"So soon?"

Namikaze Mirai's eyes dimmed.

Time had passed faster than he had imagined.

"I'll leave Naruto to you."

Minato smiled faintly.

"Even if I, your incompetent brother, ask you one last time."

Hum! His gradually fading body dissipated, turning into countless white light spots that flew towards the deep sky of the Sealing Space.

"Dad!"

Naruto lunged, but missed. The light spots passed through his body.

He was already crying buckets.

"Why so soon? There were so many things I wanted to say. Why didn't you wait for me to finish speaking? Why..."

Namikaze Mirai squatted down and gently stroked his golden hair.

"Don't worry, Naruto, you will meet again someday in the future!"

"R-really?"

Naruto wiped his tears.

"But Dad and Mom are already..."

"Silly boy, who told you that dead people can't be resurrected!"

Namikaze Mirai flicked his forehead with a crisp snap, his eyes curving into crescents as he smiled.

"This world is vast, with many miraculous secret techniques that even I, your uncle, haven't mastered. Perhaps there are techniques that can bring the dead back to life?"

"Is that so?"

Naruto's heart pounded.

If Dad and Mom could really be resurrected...

"There will be such a day."

Namikaze Mirai smiled, gazing into the distance. He wasn't speaking idly. As far as he knew, Orochimaru possessed some kind of Forbidden Jutsu that could revive the dead, though it was still imperfect.

However, it was a glimmer of hope.

This world was vast, so vast, holding countless wondrous things, waiting for him to explore.

Perhaps one day in the future, he would discover a perfect method to bring the dead back to life.

At that time, Naruto's family reunion would no longer be a fantasy.

"So, Naruto, you must cheer up. If your brother and sister-in-law are resurrected in the future and see you looking so dejected, they will surely be disappointed."

"Mhm! I understand, Uncle!"

Naruto seemed like a different person, full of energy! "To our reunion in the future, pinky swear!"

Namikaze Mirai hooked her little finger.

Naruto hooked his thumb.

"To our reunion in the future!"