"I finally got out!"
After roaring, Kurama appeared in front of Naruto.
"What are you going to do?"
Kushina snapped back to her senses and instinctively shielded Naruto, eyeing Kurama warily.
Kurama ignored Kushina. A half-body apparition appeared behind him, and he encouraged Naruto. "Come on. How much Chakra you get depends on what you can do."
"I'll do my best."
Naruto stepped past Kushina and went up to Kurama.
An apparition appeared behind him, and the two began tugging against each other—not quite a tug-of-war, since Kurama wasn't resisting at all.
Kushina hesitated. "They..."
"They're very good friends," Minato said with a smile.
The tugging came to an end.
Kurama lay sprawled on the ground, gaunt and hollow-eyed, as if he'd been thoroughly worn out.
An excited voice rang out.
"So this is the power of a Tailed Beast..."
Kurama slowly turned his head. Looking at Naruto, who was clad in a Chakra Cloak, he rasped, "Naruto, you didn't hold back at all..."
Naruto waved a hand. "What's there to hold back for? This is proof of our friendship."
"...At least leave me a little!"
Naruto looked a bit embarrassed. "Uh... then I'll put some back."
After Naruto returned some of the Chakra, Kurama finally recovered enough to catch his breath.
"Naruto..."
Kushina called out.
Naruto turned around and froze.
"You... Is your time up?"
Minato and Kushina began to glow, their bodies turning transparent and indistinct.
They were only wisps of Chakra, much like Shadow Clones, and couldn't stay for long.
Kushina threw her arms around Naruto, tears streaming down her face.
"Naruto, I don't want to leave you... But I don't have much time. Naruto, remember what I'm about to tell you."
"Don't be a picky eater. Eat plenty and grow up strong. Go to bed on time every day... Huh? What's going on?"
The heartfelt farewell suddenly came to a halt.
Kushina stared in surprise.
As Kurama continued supplying her with Chakra, her ghostly body stabilized.
"Kurama's Chakra can sustain them."
Naruto, who had read the manga, knew this.
Kurama was special. He could replenish anyone's Chakra, even someone who wasn't a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
As for whether he could replenish Kushina's Chakra while she was in a state like a Shadow Clone...
Naruto hadn't been sure.
But now, it seemed the answer was yes.
Hearing that she could stay and keep her son company, Kushina happily hugged Naruto tight.
"Naruto really doesn't want to be apart from his mom!"
Held in her embrace, Naruto felt a little guilty.
To be honest, I just don't want to lose the jutsu.
Mother and son held each other, the scene deeply moving.
But...
"Could you at least not forget about me?"
Minato, whose body was on the verge of fading away, raised a hand in protest.
Fifteen minutes later.
The family had finished catching up.
"Kurama's Chakra is doing most of the work. My own Chakra is still fading, but much more slowly now. I estimate... I can stay for three years."
Minato closed his eyes and carefully sensed the rate at which his Chakra was being used up, estimating how long he could remain inside Naruto.
"Only three years? That's too short!"
Kushina was greedy for more; she wanted to stay with her son for the rest of her life.
"Three years is plenty. By then, Naruto will be close to graduating. And, Kushina... you're from the Uzumaki Clan, and your Chakra is stronger. You should be able to stay longer than me."
Minato smiled reassuringly at Kushina.
Every extra day they got was a bonus. Now they had three whole years. What more could they ask for?
After chatting for a while, the couple soon turned their attention to Naruto.
Naruto was sparring fists with Kurama, completing the final step toward becoming a Perfect Jinchuriki—uniting their hearts!
Minato said with relief, "It seems the Third Hokage hasn't let us down. He's taken excellent care of Naruto..."
Kushina snorted. "At least that old man had a little conscience. He didn't let our sacrifice go to waste."
The two had sacrificed their lives for Konoha and expected no reward. But at the very least, their child deserved to be treated well.
If Konoha couldn't even manage that, then they truly had no conscience.
Surely there couldn't be anyone in Konoha that heartless, right?
Right? Surely no one would actually...
The Third Hokage and the villagers: That's right. We're the ones.
The couple still didn't know about Konoha's outrageous behavior.
They were very pleased with Naruto's growth. If they had to name one thing that wasn't ideal, it was that Naruto wouldn't call them Mom and Dad.
But it wasn't a big deal!
The boy had said he just couldn't bring himself to call them that yet. Surely, once they'd spent more time together and gotten used to each other, he'd call them that.
Now that they understood each other, Naruto and Kurama were even closer, chatting away with ease.
Suddenly, Naruto noticed Kurama lying on the surface of the water.
"I'll change it back..."
Having done it once before, Naruto knew the way this time.
Under the effects of the Rinnegan's ocular technique, the surroundings once again transformed into a grassland.
Minato and Kushina walked over, looking stunned.
"So that's why the Sealing Space turned into a grassland... Naruto, we didn't get a chance to ask before, but what's going on with your eyes?"
Naruto touched his eyes and pondered. "They're a kind of Kekkei Genkai involving ocular techniques. The name... I think you've heard of it. It's called the Rinnegan..."
Outside, the students had long since been cleared from the classroom, and the Sealing Squad on watch nearby was on high alert.
The Third Hokage hurried over.
Looking at Naruto, who was slumped over his desk asleep, the Third Hokage lit a cigarette and grew more troubled with every puff.
Why had the Nine-Tails Chakra leaked out of nowhere? He'd checked the seal beforehand, and there hadn't been any problems...
"Iruka, did you notice anything unusual about Naruto before class?"
The Third Hokage questioned the person who had been there when it happened.
Iruka furrowed his brow as he recalled the events, then shook his head with a wry smile.
"I'm sorry, Lord Hokage. I didn't notice anything unusual. Naruto was the same as always. He listened to the lesson for a while, then fell asleep."
He was baffled, too. He'd been teaching a class when it happened.
The Nine-Tails Chakra had suddenly leaked out, and its terrifying presence had spread through the area. It had nearly scared him half to death.
Iruka had only nearly wet himself.
Quite a few of the children in the class had actually wet themselves, crying and calling for their mothers.
Even some of the braver clan children, like Shikamaru and Shino, had turned pale and started trembling.
Part of it was fear; the rest was a physical reaction they simply couldn't control.
It hadn't just affected their class. Nearby classrooms, the floors above and below—in fact, the whole Ninja Academy had been caught up in it.
The place had been in utter chaos.
Fortunately, the Anbu had arrived in time and evacuated everyone.
The Ninja Academy was now closed, and the students had all gone home to celebrate their narrow escape with their families.
Then, inevitably, the families cursed the Demon Fox brat.
"That damn Demon Fox! That monster! Why can't he just go die? He nearly killed our children again..."
And their complaints soon turned to the Third Hokage.
Before you continue