Kakashi's Decision

After a brief conversation, Kakashi had barely managed to digest all the information his master had given him. He now understood the specifics of the seal on Naruto.

He was happy, but worried.

He was happy that his teacher and Kushina hadn't entirely died, and had stayed by Naruto's side all this time;

He was worried that his teacher and Kushina hadn't entirely died, and had stayed by Naruto's side all this time.

But Kakashi soon stopped dwelling on it. He hadn't been the one who'd treated Naruto that way back then. If anyone needed to worry, it was the Third Hokage and Danzo.

Once he'd sorted out his thoughts, Kakashi took Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to the mission site.

"This river looks good. It's not deep, and the current is fairly gentle. It's perfect for practicing Water Walking."

Standing on the water's surface, Naruto said to Sakura and Sasuke, "I'll leave the cleanup to my Shadow Clones. You two should focus your chakra on practicing Water Walking. The method is the same as tree climbing: just concentrate your chakra in the soles of your feet. You can figure out the other differences as you go."

Seeing Naruto create over a hundred Shadow Clones in one go, Sasuke and Sakura didn't protest. They quietly began practicing Water Walking.

Nearby, Kakashi leaned against a tree, watching the hundred or so Narutos rapidly clear the river. His mind churned with thoughts.

"There really are souls from other worlds... This world is full of wonders."

"If only a portion of their chakra remains, can my teacher and Kushina really be considered alive?"

"With them around, Naruto can keep growing stronger even without me."

"But with the Nine-Tails, my teacher, Kushina, and that soul from another world all in the Sealing Space, won't it get crowded? And wouldn't the Nine-Tails fight with them?"

"What should I do next? Should I report the master—and what happened to my teacher and Kushina—to the Third Hokage...?"

"Wait!"

Kakashi suddenly thought of something and waved to Naruto. "Naruto, come here for a moment!"

One of Naruto's Shadow Clones walked over. "What is it?"

Kakashi considered his words for a moment, then asked, "Did Minato-sensei... I mean, your father, ever teach you a technique called the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

"He did."

Naruto nodded. "It took me a lot of time and effort to learn it. But I'm still not proficient enough to use the Flying Thunder God Technique in a real fight, so I didn't use it during yesterday's exercise."

"I see..."

Kakashi lowered his head and thought for a moment before asking, "Why have you never told anyone about these things?"

"Anyone? Who?"

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Kakashi-sensei, who do you think I could tell? Or who would actually ask me about it?"

Kakashi was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he said, "For example, Lord Hokage?"

"Dad told me not to tell Grandpa Third."

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

Kakashi found it hard to meet Naruto's gaze. "Then why tell me?"

"Dad said I could."

Naruto gave him the sunny smile that ran in the family. "He said it was okay for Kakashi-sensei to know."

Kakashi felt ashamed, and a little like crying. Then, suddenly, he smiled. His face was hidden behind his mask, but it was clear from his eyes. "The river's almost cleared. I'll confirm that with the client, then head back to report to Lord Hokage. You can do whatever you like after that."

"Okay. Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi took two steps, then said, "Give my regards to my teacher and Kushina."

Naruto waved. "They heard you already~"

Kakashi's resolve only grew stronger.

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

"Is it about Naruto?"

"Yes. I heard some things from him."

"Go on."

"The changes Naruto has undergone came from someone he calls his 'master.' Naruto referred to the master as 'he,' so we can at least be sure that the master appears to him as a man. I don't know the master's exact strength, but his teaching ability is exceptional. Aside from Naruto's innate advantages, most of his current strength is due to the training he's received."

"A master? Naruto shouldn't have had any contact with someone like that."

"That's right. Today, through Naruto, I spoke with the master face-to-face. According to him, he came to our world from another. He lost his body during the journey, and only his soul remained, attached to Naruto. He's currently inside the seal. I confirmed he isn't the Nine-Tails."

"Another world? Is that even possible?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of other worlds, but I've also seen no proof that they don't exist."

The Third Hokage bit down on his pipe, took a couple of puffs, and exhaled.

"Do you have any other information about this master?"

"He taught Naruto the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Silence fell.

"Kakashi, you understand what that means."

"I'm sorry, Lord Hokage. I don't know much about sealing. The highest-level sealing technique I can use right now is the Evil Sealing Method. The technique my teacher used to seal the Nine-Tails was far beyond my comprehension."

"Minato used the Eight Trigrams Seal, made up of two Four Symbols Seals. At the time, he sealed himself and Kushina's chakra inside Naruto along with the Nine-Tails. But once that chakra was activated inside the seal, it shouldn't have been able to remain for long."

"Perhaps the master did something."

"That's the only explanation we can think of. Is there anything else you know about him?"

"The master can use Naruto's Shadow Clones to speak with me directly. I suspect that if he wanted to, he could also take control of Naruto's body."

"But he hasn't."

"That's right."

"Our village can no longer seal the Nine-Tails again."

"..."

"Tomorrow, I'll have the Barrier Team make preparations. Bring Naruto in."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

After Kakashi left, the old man sat alone in his office, brooding as he smoked.

After a long while, he set down his pipe and stood to gaze out the window. "Another world, huh..."

The next day, after a careful examination, the Third Hokage confirmed that the seal on Naruto was completely intact and showed no sign of weakening.

He still couldn't put his mind at ease, but he didn't 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 finished practicing Water Walking. They tried practicing walking on air, but found it far too difficult and decided to give up after weighing the costs and benefits. Under their master's guidance, they were now using multiple Shadow Clones to learn Qi Refining together.

That morning, Team 7 gathered at the Hokage Building as usual. Kakashi suddenly asked, "Would you like to try a slightly more difficult mission?"

The three, who had been discussing their training plans for the day, stopped at once. In perfect unison, they turned to look at Kakashi, confusion in their eyes.

"I've been watching your training and progress over the past few days. You can handle D-rank missions well now, so I think you're ready to try a C-rank mission."

Kakashi said, "It'll also give you a chance to see how much you've grown in a real fight."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged glances, then answered together. "Sure."

In the office, when the Third Hokage heard Kakashi ask for a C-rank mission, his gaze passed over Naruto. He agreed, then called the client in from the waiting room.

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

"Mr. Tazuna, they may look young, but they're all excellent ninjas trained by our village."

The Third Hokage wore a kindly expression, but there seemed to be a hidden meaning in his words. "They could handle even a B-rank mission. Yours is only C-rank, so there won't be a problem."

Tazuna had a guilty conscience. The Third Hokage's expression seemed to warn him, so he immediately backed down. "If that's what the Hokage says..."

"This client is so annoying," Sakura complained quietly.

Sasuke silently agreed.

"I don't sense any hostility. He just doesn't have a pleasant way of speaking."

Naruto casually reassured them, then changed the subject. "Come to think of it, this is our first time leaving the village, right?"

"Yeah."

Sakura nodded. "I'm kind of excited..."