I'll Come Back to Life

"Uh... Mom, are you sure you want me to turn out like him?"

Naruto looked outside.

Obito was surrounded, yet he showed no fear. He was yelling at Kakashi and Minato.

He called them trash one moment and useless the next.

He was like some internet troll.

Kushina glared at Naruto. "Don't you dare imitate him! I meant the Obito from back then, not the way he is now."

"Oh, I won't."

Naruto nodded, then asked curiously, "If I didn't grow up the way you expected, Mom, would you be disappointed?"

"What kind of thing is that to say?"

Kushina tugged on Naruto's ear, looking displeased. "Listen carefully, Naruto. You're my son. No matter what you grow up to be, I'll always love you, unconditionally. Do you understand?"

"I understand!"

When words ran out, swords took their place; when swords ran out, blood flowed.

Minato and Kakashi's attempts to reason with Obito had no effect whatsoever. All they got in return were his taunts and insults.

There was no other choice. They could only fight.

Minato planned to use the same trick as before and launch another five-pronged attack.

"Do you think I'd fall for the same trick twice?"

Obito sneered coldly. He stopped phasing and braced himself against several ninjutsu and weapon attacks, worsening his injuries, then formed hand seals and used a technique.

--Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!

Rumble!

Trees sprang rapidly from the ground, forming a small forest in an instant and surrounding the Konoha Ninja.

"He can use Wood Release?!"

"H-How is that possible?! How can a Uchiha use Wood Release?!"

The Konoha Ninja finally understood how Minato had felt when he was shocked earlier.

It made no sense at all. It was utterly absurd. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it even if they were beaten to death.

Wood Release was to Konoha what the Mangekyo was to the Uchiha.

It was not only powerful but deeply symbolic, and it represented a position of orthodoxy.

A rogue Uchiha using Wood Release to attack Konoha Ninja was like a Senju with the Mangekyo attacking the Uchiha. It was completely ridiculous!

The forest seemed alive, lashing at the ninja with its thick branches.

Under attacks from every direction, the Konoha Ninja were pushed onto the defensive. But soon, for some reason, the forest stopped moving.

"Could it be that the enemy..."

With a glimmer of hope, the Konoha Ninja cut through the undergrowth and hurried through the forest.

They saw signs of fighting all around them. Ahead stood a golden figure with his back to them.

"Lord Fourth, the enemy..."

Minato turned around. The Nine-Tails Chakra cloak draped over him had disappeared. He said gravely, "Obito escaped... I couldn't stop him."

Kamui's ability was far too unfair. If Obito was determined to escape, even Minato, with the Flying Thunder God, couldn't stop him.

The Konoha Ninja feared the worst.

They had seen how powerful Obito was. If even Lord Fourth couldn't defeat him, who else could deal with him in the future?

Minato said, "Everyone, my time is almost up."

The Konoha Ninja were taken aback, then bowed together. "Lord Fourth, is there anything you'd like to tell us?"

Kakashi said solemnly, "Sensei, I'll take care of Naruto."

The Third Hokage wore an ashamed expression. "I'm sorry, Minato. I failed to honor your request."

Minato replied tactfully, "I believe Lord Third had his reasons, and wouldn't intentionally hurt Naruto. Still... I hope Lord Third will be fairer and won't dampen the spirits of all the ninja who have sacrificed themselves for Konoha. Above all... please don't break Naruto's heart."

His final words were a reminder.

Naruto, who possessed the Rinnegan and had become a Perfect Jinchuriki, would one day become the strongest person in the Ninja World.

But Naruto felt no attachment to Konoha. In fact, he seemed to harbor some audacious ideas.

This troubled Minato greatly. He loved them both, and the thought that they might fight one day left him unable to rest in peace, even in death.

Unfortunately, he was already dead and couldn't do much. And because of his promise to Naruto, he couldn't reveal Naruto's secrets.

All he could do was drop hints and remind Konoha to build a closer relationship with Naruto and bring him back into the fold.

But if they really couldn't, then Naruto could handle things himself.

Now that he'd said what he needed to about Naruto, it was time to talk about Obito.

Obito had committed heinous crimes... Konoha would certainly have to capture him, but how they were going to do it was a problem.

That was something the Third Hokage would have to worry about. Minato was dead and couldn't manage it.

He simply handed the Third Hokage the intelligence he'd gathered during the battle, then comforted Kakashi before quickly disappearing.

Kakashi supported the unconscious Naruto and turned to look at the Third Hokage.

"Go ahead. Take him to the hospital for an examination first."

With permission, Kakashi carried Naruto and rushed to the hospital.

In the Sealing Space, light shone from Minato's body, and he gradually became transparent.

He had used up all his Chakra and was about to disappear.

Naruto complained, "I told you to let me handle it. I would've made sure Obito Uchiha was done for. But you had to be stubborn and say you were the only one who could beat him. And now he got away, and you're about to disappear..."

Minato could only smile wryly.

How could he let Naruto fight under those circumstances? If Naruto did, he'd have to use the Rinnegan. If Konoha discovered he had the Rinnegan, Naruto would defect... That was exactly what Minato had been trying to prevent, so of course he had to go himself.

Besides, he really had thought he had a better chance of killing the enemy, and he'd wanted to use this opportunity to eliminate a future threat to his son.

Who could have known...

"Don't talk to your father like that."

Kushina tugged on Naruto's ear and taught him to respect his father. Then she turned to Minato, reluctant to part. "Minato, you can go in peace. I'll take good care of Naruto."

"I'll leave everything to you, Kushina."

Minato smiled. His eyes brimmed with love and sorrow as he looked at Kushina. The two of them chatted for a while, then turned their attention to Naruto.

Minato stepped forward and hugged Naruto. "Naruto, listen to your mother when I'm gone... When you face pain or hardship, remember to stay strong. Have a dream of your own, keep pursuing it, and don't give up easily... Don't be extreme in how you act or what you do. Everything has two sides. Accept the good and change the bad... There are so many more things I want to remind you about, but I'm out of time. I'll have to leave that to your mother... And one last thing: I love you very much..."

Naruto felt his nose sting a little. He turned to look at the Nine-Tails, who was watching them.

"Kurama, is there anything you can do?"

Kurama knew what Naruto meant and shook his head. "Sorry, Naruto. I can replenish people's Chakra, but if there's no person left, I can't create one out of thin air."

Naruto turned back to his father, who was about to vanish completely. He took a deep breath and said seriously, "Dad, go in peace. I'll bring you back to life in a few years."

"Bring me back to life?!"

Minato, who had been ready to depart in peace, was instantly stunned.