Parents

Just as Naruto was about to tear off the sealing tag, a hand suddenly grabbed him and pulled him down. Before he could recover from the sudden yank, he heard Kurama's furious roar. "Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

Naruto quickly looked at the person who had pulled him down. All he saw was the back of someone wearing a Hokage Cloak embroidered with "Fourth Hokage." Tears slipped down Naruto's cheeks as he gazed at the figure he could only ever see in his dreams. He murmured softly, "Dad."

Minato turned around and looked at Naruto with surprise and confusion. "That's right. I'm your father. But I thought a long time had passed. Looking at you now, Naruto, you seem to be only five or six years old. And there's no sign that the seal has been damaged. Why were you trying to break the Nine-Tails' Sealing?"

Naruto was just about to answer when Kurama roared again. Naruto turned to the Nine-Tails in annoyance. "Kurama, you promised to stay calm. Did you forget again?"

"You're telling me to stay calm? He was the one who sealed me away! How am I supposed to stay calm?" the Nine-Tails said furiously.

Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails too. "But my parents died because of you, so you're even now. Besides, we never would've become friends without my parents. So don't be so angry. Isn't everything fine now?"

Kurama thought Naruto had a point, but he was still furious. Seeing the Nine-Tails still scowling, Naruto put on a placating smile. "All right, all right. Don't be mad. Besides, I need Dad's help to undo the Sealing."

Only then did the Nine-Tails reluctantly turn his face away and fall silent.

Watching Naruto and the Nine-Tails interact and hearing what they said, Minato asked in astonishment, "Naruto, you became friends with the Nine-Tails, and you're going to undo his Sealing? Is that true?"

Naruto explained, "Yes, Dad. Kurama isn't as terrifying as you all think. He's just lonely and hopes to make friends with people. I don't know why you're all so afraid of him. He's a good person."

After hearing Naruto, Minato looked at the Nine-Tails, who had haughtily turned his face away inside the Sealing, and felt as if his whole worldview had been turned upside down.

Minato gazed at Naruto's face, which resembled his own in some ways, his thoughts turning over many possibilities. When he remembered what Jiraiya had said about the Savior, he smiled at Naruto. "Naruto, you really might be the Savior Jiraiya-sensei spoke of. Even when you were still in your mother's womb, I always felt you would be the one to bring peace to the Shinobi World. Now that I've seen you become friends with the Nine-Tails, I'm even more certain."

Naruto knew the Savior Minato meant was the original Naruto, not him. He was about to tell Minato that he wasn't any Savior and that he was selfish, incapable of being as selfless as the original Naruto, but Minato cut him off before he could speak.

"All right, we can talk about that later. First, I'll release your friend." Minato smiled at Naruto. Then he removed the sealing tag, revealing the seal's lock. He used the Summoning Jutsu to summon the scroll toad into Naruto's seal space.

The toad looked at Minato in astonishment. "Minato, it's really you! That's great. We all thought you were dead."

"I really am dead. I'm just chakra I left inside Naruto. Give Naruto the key," Minato told Gamatora.

Gamatora promptly opened the scroll. Minato said to Naruto, "Put your hand on it." Naruto placed his hand on the scroll and immediately learned how to undo the Nine-Tails' Sealing.

After Naruto took the key, Minato said to Gamatora, "If Jiraiya-sensei asks later, tell him this was my idea, and not to worry."

"I understand." Gamatora then ended the Summoning Technique and returned to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya, who was out of town gathering material, sensed that Gamatora, who had suddenly been summoned away, had returned. He quickly summoned the toad and asked what had happened. Gamatora told him everything he knew.

Jiraiya had no idea Minato had left something behind inside Naruto. With a sigh, he murmured, "I never thought things would turn out like this. Looks like I'll have to find some time to return to Konoha, or someone else might start acting up. But for now, I'll keep gathering material. Minato will take care of things. For the sake of my readers everywhere, I'll head back to the village later. Heh heh heh."

A lecherous expression spread across Jiraiya's face as he continued his great research—or perhaps it was great. Well, you all know.

After getting the key, Naruto excitedly ran up to the Nine-Tails. "Kurama, I got the key! I'll let you out now."

With that, he undid the Nine-Tails' Sealing. Even after the Sealing was undone, the Nine-Tails could hardly believe it. "I'm free, right?"

"Yes, you're free. And I'm sorry," Minato said with a smile.

Hearing Minato apologize, the Nine-Tails replied indifferently, "You don't have to apologize. You and Kushina wouldn't have died if it weren't for me. If anyone should apologize, it's me."

"All right, you two don't have to keep apologizing to each other. Dad, Kurama," Naruto said happily. Seeing how happy Naruto was made Minato and Kurama happy too.

"All right, Kurama. I said I'd tell you about the question you asked earlier, and now I will. Dad, you should listen too." Naruto spoke solemnly to the Nine-Tails and Minato.

Minato looked at Naruto with a serious expression. "Go ahead, Naruto. I want to know too. Even though I'm only a chakra clone, I've seen what's happened to you over the years. But it really is strange that you have a White Eye. Neither Kushina nor I have one, so how did you get it? Oh, your mother should know too. She must be wondering about it. I sealed her chakra inside you as well." Minato suddenly realized.

"Dad, you mean I can see Mom right now?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Minato smiled and walked over to Naruto. After making Hand Seals, he placed his hand on the Jutsu Formation sealing the Nine-Tails inside Naruto. A stream of chakra separated from Naruto and took the form of Kushina.

Naruto was delighted to see Kushina and hugged her. "Mom!" Kushina looked down at Naruto, who was hugging her around the waist, then at Minato beside them, and tears of joy filled her eyes.

Kushina picked Naruto up. "That's right, I'm your mom. My little Naruto has grown up. You even know how to call me Mom now." Minato walked over, moved, and embraced them both.

Kushina said happily to Minato, "Thank you, Minato."

"And thank you, Kushina," Minato replied, just as happily. The Nine-Tails had already turned his face away, wanting nothing to do with them, but he was still happy for their family.

"Dad, Mom, Kurama, I have the memories of my previous two lives." Naruto revealed his biggest secret to Minato, Kushina, and the Nine-Tails.

Minato, Kushina, and the Nine-Tails were stunned. Minato was the first to compose himself. "So you have the experiences of two previous lives?"

"Yes. In my first life, I was an assassin. In my second, I was a wealthy businessman. Neither life was in this ninja world; they were in a world called Earth," Naruto said with a sigh.

The Nine-Tails asked, "You mean that after you died in your world, your soul traveled through space to this world and was reborn as Minato and Kushina's child?"

"Yes. In our world, we call it reincarnation. People there believe that after death, they go to the underworld, drink Granny Meng's soup and forget their past lives, then are reborn as people. But I don't know why I came here, or how my soul traveled across space," Naruto replied, puzzled.

Minato said, "That's impossible. Space is chaotic. A soul traveling through space would be torn apart by the turbulence."

Naruto thought for a moment before answering. "I remember that my second life ended after I killed my enemy and escaped by plane. I was struck by lightning in the sky, and I think a rift opened in the heavens at the time."

After hearing Naruto's description, Minato said, "Then that explains it. Someone must have opened a space-time tunnel, and you happened to be swept inside. But if you entered a space-time tunnel without preparation, your soul should have been left incomplete. How did you recover?"

Naruto thought for a moment before replying, "When I regained consciousness, there were many fragments of souls around me. I absorbed them and recovered. Their owner was Otsutsuki Kōshiki. I got the White Eye by absorbing his soul."

Only then did Minato, Kushina, and the Nine-Tails understand how Naruto had gotten the White Eye. Kushina suddenly asked excitedly, "Oh, Naruto, how did you end up being born as my child? Was it because you thought your mom was so beautiful?" Three dark lines appeared over Naruto's head, while Minato gave an awkward, embarrassed laugh.

"Otsutsuki Koshiki was Kaguya Otsutsuki's younger brother. He was killed after being ambushed. His White Eye contained a Jutsu Formation that allowed him to travel through space. After I absorbed the Jutsu Formation from his White Eye, I activated it, and it brought me to this world. But traveling through space left my soul incomplete again. My White Eye instinctively made me become Mom's child, so I could be reborn in her womb. As for why it was Mom..."

"It was because Mom was carrying the reincarnation of Asura, whose bloodline was closest to Otsutsuki Koshiki's. Since Asura hadn't been born yet, my soul fused with his. So... do you still accept me?" Naruto asked anxiously.

Naruto was afraid that Minato and Kushina would reject him and disown him because he had been born with memories of his past lives. Seeing his worried expression, Minato and Kushina couldn't help but smile.

Kushina hugged Naruto tightly. "Silly boy, whether or not you have memories of your past lives, you're still Minato's and my child." Minato hugged Naruto too. "All you need to remember is that you're Naruto Uzumaki, Minato's and Kushina's child." Held in Minato and Kushina's arms, Naruto felt like the happiest person in the world.