"..."
After listening to his son calmly recount his experiences over the years—from a childhood where he was hated but not entirely alone, to meeting companions, then becoming friends with Kurama, and finally turning the tide during the Konoha Crush Plan—
Minato Namikaze fell silent for a long time. At last, as if all his strength had been drained away, he slowly drew a deep breath.
Things had gone far more smoothly than even his most optimistic expectations. It could even be called a miracle.
During Naruto's crucial years of growth, he had anticipated the treatment a Jinchuriki might suffer. Yet in the final moments of his life, he had chosen to place his faith in a father's trust, believing his son could inherit his and Kushina's will and overcome every hardship.
Though deep down, Minato had selfishly hoped that his child could grow up surrounded by the village's love and respect as the "Child of Heroes"...
However, from Kurama's mocking additions, he painfully learned that the absurd rumors in the village, which had directly stigmatized Naruto as the "Demon Fox himself," had utterly shattered that hope.
That somewhat cruel choice back then... the Fourth Hokage had won his gamble.
Naruto had not grown resentful over the unjust treatment he suffered as a Jinchuriki, nor had he become disappointed in the village and fallen into darkness. On the contrary, during the recent attack, he had stepped forward and saved Konoha from danger, becoming a true hero of Konoha.
Naruto had done even better than Minato could have imagined.
What shocked and comforted Minato even more was that Naruto had accomplished something even Kushina, a candidate for a perfect Jinchuriki, had never fully achieved—he and Kurama had truly come to understand one another, reached perfect cooperation, and become the unprecedented perfect