Starlight fell, scattering across the land of the shinobi world.
Silver-white moonlight shone through the window, gently falling upon Naruto on his little bed. The moonlight was so cold and still, yet also so tender and silent.
Many places in the room—the tabletop, chair backs, milk cartons, bowl sides, walls, floor, lampshade, bedsheets, refrigerator, and scattered clothes—were covered, to varying degrees, in crooked black Curse Marks.
Failed Flying Thunder God Techniques.
Naruto lay on his little bed with his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.
What exactly was that...?
Once again, he recalled the faintly unusual presence he had sensed when he said goodbye to his mother, Kushina... He was certain it had not come from outside. It was inside him!
Kurama, didn't you notice it?
Not at all... Are you being a little oversensitive? The Nine-Tails yawned. There was no longer a cage in Naruto's inner world, and Lord Nine-Tails felt much more comfortable now.
Naruto said nothing and turned his head.
Outside the window lay a black starry sky and a black night. Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across it—
"Rasenshuriken!" Seizing the opportunity, Naruto sent an enormous Chakra shuriken flying into the Nine-Tails, knocking him back. A massive number of Chakra chains erupted from his back and directly dragged a huge mass of Golden Chakra out of the Nine-Tails' body—
This Chakra was so pure, so beautiful, so powerful, brimming with the breath of life.
"Humph..." the Nine-Tails groaned weakly. With his Chakra suddenly torn away, his body shriveled and shrank somewhat.
Little Naruto laughed happily. "I won, Kurama!" He raised his hand, and a wisp drifted from the huge floating mass of Chakra toward him... Boom! Naruto's entire body was bathed in golden light.
He looked over his hands and saw mysterious black patterns scattered across his body.
"It really is exactly the same as in those memories..." Naruto curled his lip, then grinned at the Nine-Tails and scratched his head. "Sorry, Kurama!" He spread his hand toward the mass of Golden Chakra and swung his arm. The Chakra mass immediately flew toward the weakened Nine-Tails—
The Nine-Tails absorbed the Chakra back into his body, his size instantly swelling back up. He even let out a burp...
"...Then, see you later." Naruto closed his eyes, and his consciousness returned to the space where his mother was.
"You did it, Naruto." Kushina looked at her son with relief.
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "It was all because Mom was amazing... And because of the future me who gave me these memories." His tone unconsciously grew a little subdued. "I only... walked the path he had already walked..."
Kushina could not help but embrace Naruto. The Chakra sustaining this Sealing Jutsu was nearly depleted. The time she had left to see her son was only this little bit... How she wished time could stop here. How she wished their family could be like any ordinary family, doing chores every day, having a few arguments, and sharing a little more happiness...
But... but...
Kushina quietly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, pushed Naruto out of her arms, and smiled. "There isn't much time left. Let's make the most of it and... talk about the things a mother and son should talk about!" As she spoke, she unconsciously slipped into her habitual sentence ending.
Naruto lowered his head and vigorously rubbed his eyes. When he looked up, he said happily, "Okay!" Then he asked curiously, "But Mom, what are the things a mother and son should talk about?"
Kushina was stumped by her son's question. Pinching her chin, she thought hard and said in distress, "Yeah... what are they..." When had this carefree demoness ever considered such a complicated question? Since she could not figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it!
She pulled her son down to sit beside her. "Let's talk about how you've been these past few years. Have you been eating breakfast on time? Have you been getting along well with your friends at school? You're not allowed to drink before you turn eighteen! Oh, right... Is there a girl you like?"
In truth, Kushina's Chakra had been inside Naruto all these years, and she had received more or less all this information. But wasn't a mother... someone who nagged about such things?
Naruto swung his legs as he thought and spoke. "I've been doing pretty well these past few years... I eat breakfast on time... Of course I get along well with the other students at school, but some people are really hard to deal with! And after I gradually became number one, it seems there have been even fewer people I can talk to..."
He emphasized it as if seeking praise. "Number one! Mom, I'm number one at school! My grades in basic knowledge classes aren't bad either!"
Seeing the expression on her son's face practically screaming, Praise me already!, Kushina helplessly smiled and rubbed Naruto's head. "Yes, yes, that's amazing..."
Naruto smiled happily and wrinkled his nose. "After all, I'm the Fourth Hokage's son! I can't embarrass Dad!" Even Naruto himself had not noticed that he had not acted so childishly in a very long time...
Before their mothers, even the strongest people became children.
"And the three shinobi taboos? You must stay far away from them! Absolutely!" Kushina warned her son.
Naruto scratched his head. "I won't drink alcohol. I drink milk properly all the time... I don't really understand gambling either... As for someone I like... Mom, did you know there's a girl at school named Hinata Hyuga?"
"Hm? What about this girl from the Hyuga Clan?" Kushina asked curiously, immediately leaning in with a gossiping grin. "Quick, tell Mom. Do you have a crush on that little girl...?"
Naruto blushed and argued, "It's not a crush! Mom, you know... In the memories I received, when 'I' was fighting an enemy who nearly destroyed the entire village, Hinata ran over to save me even though it put her life in danger... She even said she liked me the most..."
"But does that kind of liking mean liking ramen?" Naruto scratched his cheek, completely confused. He seemed to be naturally rather slow when it came to such things...
Kushina was practically furious at his hopelessness. How had she given birth to such a blockheaded son? She knocked Naruto on the head and scolded him, "You idiot son! That little girl went so far for you. How could it possibly be... the kind of liking she has for ramen?"
There was also a touch of helpless amusement in her voice. She truly had not expected Minato, who had been so good at courting her, to have a son who was unexpectedly so dense about romance.
"Hehe... Is that so..." Naruto felt a little embarrassed discussing this in front of his mother.
The time left for mother and son was truly short.
So short that only when Kushina's form slowly began to fade did they realize they had only just begun! Kushina was frantic. She still had so much to say, so much nagging left to do. She... still wanted to hug her child once more...
Tear tracks remained at the corners of Naruto's eyes as his mother's Chakra rushed toward him, transforming into tiny specks of starlight.
Everything was like a beautiful dream.
Wiping away his tears and holding back the sting in his nose, Naruto knew that his strong self had to return.
At that moment, he looked around in confusion. This was probably a very deep layer of his consciousness, yet while he had been talking with his mother, he had vaguely sensed the presence of another aura...
The feeling came and went like waking up and trying to recall a dream, only to remember nothing at all. Naruto tried hard to think back, but in the end, he still could not determine whether it had merely been his imagination.
Early the next morning, Naruto carried his backpack to the village gate. Jiraiya was already waiting there.
Before you continue