Kakashi's Decision

After a brief conversation, Kakashi managed to digest all the information provided by the Master, finally understanding the specific state of the seal within Naruto.

He felt happy, yet worried.

He was happy because his teacher and his teacher's wife were not truly dead, and had been accompanying Naruto all this time.

He was worried because his teacher and his teacher's wife were not truly dead, and had been accompanying Naruto all this time.

But soon, Kakashi stopped dwelling on these thoughts—he was not the one who had treated Naruto that way in the past; if anyone should be worried, it ought to be the Third Hokage and Danzo.

Clearing his mind, Kakashi led Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura toward the mission site.

"This river is nice. The water isn't deep and the current is gentle, perfect for practicing water walking."

Naruto stood on the surface of the water and said to Sakura and Sasuke, "Leave the cleaning mission to my Shadow Clones; you two should focus your chakra on water walking practice. The method is the same as tree climbing—just concentrate your chakra on the soles of your feet. As for the other nuances, you'll have to figure them out for yourselves."

Seeing Naruto instantly produce over a hundred Shadow Clones, Sasuke and Sakura didn't complain and silently began to practice.

Off to the side, Kakashi leaned against a large tree, watching the hundred-plus Narutos quickly clear the riverbed, while various thoughts flooded his mind:

To think there is a soul from another world... this world is truly mysterious.

With only a portion of their chakra remaining, can the teacher and his wife really be considered alive?

With them around, even without me, Naruto will surely continue to grow stronger.

But, with the Nine-Tails, the teacher, the teacher's wife, and that soul from another world all inside the Sealing Space, won't it be crowded? Won't the Nine-Tails fight with them?

What should I do next? Should I report the matter of that Master, as well as the teacher and his wife, to the Third...

Wait a minute!

Kakashi suddenly thought of something and waved at Naruto: "Naruto, come here for a second!"

A Shadow Clone of Naruto walked over: "What is it?"

Kakashi deliberated for a moment before asking: "Master Minato... I mean, your father, did he ever teach you a ninjutsu called the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

"Yeah, he did."

Naruto nodded: "It took me a lot of time and energy to learn it. But I'm not proficient enough to use it in actual combat yet, so I didn't use it during yesterday's exercise."

"I see..."

Kakashi lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then asked: "Why have you never mentioned these things to anyone else?"

"Anyone else? Who?"

Naruto tilted his head in confusion: "Kakashi-sensei, who do you think I could tell these things to? Or rather, who would ever take the initiative to ask me about them?"

Kakashi was momentarily speechless. After a long while, he said: "For example, Lord Hokage?"

"As for Grandpa Third, Dad told me not to say anything."

Naruto added: "But he didn't tell me why."

Kakashi found it difficult to look Naruto in the eye: "Then, why tell me these things?"

"It was also Dad's idea."

Naruto offered his ancestral, sunny smile: "He said that if it's Kakashi-sensei, it's fine for you to know."

Kakashi felt a mix of shame and a sudden urge to cry, but in the end, he laughed. Although his face was covered by his mask, it was evident: "The river cleaning is almost done. I'll confirm it with the client and head back to report to the Hokage first. You guys can have some free time now."

Naruto: "Alright, see you later, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi took two steps, then said: "Give my regards to the teacher and his wife."

Naruto waved his hand: "They've already heard you~"

Kakashi's resolve grew even firmer.

"Lord Hokage, I have something important to report."

"Is it about Naruto?"

"Yes. I heard some information from Naruto himself."

"Tell me."

"The changes occurring in Naruto come from an entity Naruto refers to as 'Master.' Naruto uses the pronoun 'he,' so we can at least confirm that this 'Master' appears before Naruto in a male form. Furthermore, while the Master's specific strength is unclear, his teaching ability is exceptional. Naruto's current strength, aside from innate factors, is largely due to his guidance."

"A Master? Naruto shouldn't have had any contact with such a person."

"That is correct. Today, through Naruto, I spoke face-to-face with that Master. According to him, he came to our world from another world. In the process, he lost his physical body, leaving only his soul attached to Naruto, currently residing within the seal—I have confirmed it is not the Nine-Tails."

"Another world? Is such a thing possible?"

"I don't know. I have never heard of the existence of other worlds, but there is no evidence to prove they don't exist."

The Third Hokage bit down on his pipe, took two puffs, and exhaled.

"Is there any other information regarding this Master?"

"He taught Naruto the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Silence.

"Kakashi, you should understand what that implies."

"My apologies, Lord Hokage. I do not know much about sealing techniques. The highest-level seal I can currently perform is the Evil Sealing Method. The sealing technique Master used back then to seal the Nine-Tails far exceeds my level of understanding."

"Minato used the Eight Trigrams Seal, composed of two Four Symbols Seals. At the time, Minato did indeed seal himself and Kushina's chakra along with the Nine-Tails. However, once that chakra is activated within the seal, it is impossible for it to remain for long."

"Perhaps that Master did something."

"We can only assume as much. Is there any other information regarding that Master?"

"The Master can use Naruto's Shadow Clone to speak with me directly. I suspect that if the Master had the desire, he could also seize control of Naruto's body directly."

"But he has not done so."

"Yes."

"Our village no longer has the capability to seal the Nine-Tails again."

"..."

"Tomorrow, I will have the Barrier Team prepare. Bring Naruto to see me."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

After Kakashi left, the old man sat alone in his office, gloomily puffing on his pipe.

After a long while, he set down his pipe, stood up, and looked out the window: "Another world, is it..."

The next day, after a careful examination, the Third Hokage confirmed that the seal on Naruto was completely intact, showing not the slightest sign of weakening.

Although he still could not set his mind at ease, he did not restrict Naruto because of it.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye. Team 7 completed several D-rank missions, and Sasuke and Sakura had already finished their water-walking training. After attempting to practice air-walking and finding the difficulty too high, they weighed the pros and cons and gave it up, currently learning "Qi Refining" with multiple Shadow Clones under the Master's guidance.

That morning, Team 7 gathered at the Hokage Building as per their routine. Kakashi suddenly asked, "Do you want to try a slightly more difficult mission?"

The three, who were still discussing their training plan for the day, suddenly paused. They turned in perfect unison to look at Kakashi, their eyes filled with confusion.

"I have seen your training and progress during this period. You are already capable of completing D-rank missions very well, so I think you are ready to attempt a C-rank mission."

Kakashi said, "It will be a good opportunity to let you understand how much you have grown through actual combat."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged glances and said in unison, "Okay."

In the office, upon hearing Kakashi's request for a C-rank mission, the Third Hokage let his gaze pass over Naruto before agreeing, then called the client waiting in the lounge into the office.

A somewhat disheveled old man walked in, holding a bottle of liquor and reeking of alcohol. He looked at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, and frowned: "They look tall enough, but they're just kids. Are they really ninjas?"

"Mr. Tazuna, although they look young, they are all excellent ninjas trained by our village."

The Third Hokage was all smiles, but his words seemed to carry a hidden meaning: "Even for a B-rank mission, they would be able to complete it perfectly well. Your request is only C-rank, so there will certainly be no problem."

Tazuna had a guilty conscience and felt that the Third Hokage's expression at that moment was a warning to him, so he immediately relented: "Since the Hokage says so..."

Sakura complained in a low voice: "This client is so annoying."

Sasuke silently expressed his agreement.

"I don't sense any malice; he probably just has a sharp tongue."

Naruto casually offered comfort and changed the subject: "Come to think of it, this is our first time leaving the village, right?"

"Yeah."

Sakura nodded: "I can't help but feel a little excited..."