Honesty

"How do you know all this? Even if that Otsutsuki Koshiki really is the uncle of the Sage of Six Paths, as you said, he couldn't possibly know about this world. You must have known all of this from before, right?" The three, still caught up in their family reunion, came back to their senses when the Nine-Tails asked.

Minato also asked, "That's right, Naruto. How do you know all this so well?" Naruto saw the three of them looking puzzled, but didn't hide anything. He told them everything he knew.

The three were utterly shocked by Naruto's answer. "I never imagined this world was just an anime from Naruto's previous life. No wonder you know everything so well," Minato said with a sigh.

Hearing Minato's sigh, the Nine-Tails replied scornfully, "Even if it was an anime Naruto watched in his previous life, we still exist for real. What's there to sigh about?"

Naruto added, "That's right, Dad. Once you enter this world, you become part of it, and everything changes. People are the easiest thing in this world to change. No one can control what a person thinks."

Minato came back to his senses and said, "Thank you for caring about me. I'm not dwelling on it; I'm just a little overwhelmed. It's unbelievable."

"As long as our family can be together, I don't care about anything else." Kushina took Minato and Naruto by the hand as she spoke. Minato and Naruto nodded warmly.

"What are you going to do next, Naruto?" Minato asked.

Naruto looked at his parents and said, "Ever since you died, I've been preparing to bring you back to life. So the first thing I need to do is revive you, Mom and Dad."

Minato and Kushina frowned at Naruto's words. Minato said, "Naruto, your mother and I are both dead. I'd rather you didn't bring us back to life."

"That's right, Naruto. As long as you're doing well, your father and I have no regrets," Kushina urged him.

Naruto knew they had always believed the dead shouldn't be disturbed, because that would desecrate them. It was taboo.

The living would never accept it. Even the most rebellious Sasuke had said that Madara, after being revived, was a relic of a bygone era who shouldn't be allowed to remain in this world.

Naruto knew it wouldn't be easy to convince his parents, but he had an ace up his sleeve. He would play on the soft-hearted nature of his mother and the gentleness of his father.

"Mom, Dad, you don't want to be revived because you think you're dead and shouldn't return to the world of the living, and because people believe the dead shouldn't come back to this world. Is that right?" Naruto asked, looking seriously at his parents.

"Isn't that the case?" Kushina asked in confusion.

"What are you trying to say, Naruto?" Minato asked.

The Nine-Tails, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke up. "You two should be quiet and let Naruto finish. I'm sure he won't disappoint you."

Naruto said earnestly, "Mom, Dad, I just want to say that bringing you back won't make people think I've desecrated the dead. You'll truly be revived.

"Have you forgotten? Didn't I just say that the Rinnegan can bring people back from the dead? The Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique can truly revive people. It won't be like Impure World Reincarnation, which only binds a soul to a corpse."

"But didn't you say the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique costs the caster their life? If it means trading your life for ours, your father and I would rather stay dead," Kushina said anxiously.

Naruto gently reassured her, "Don't worry, Mom. There's still the forbidden Izanami. If I set Izanami first and then use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, I can revive you without paying any price myself. And since I have a Sage Body, the cost of Izanami will be nullified too. I won't go blind."

Kushina still didn't quite believe him. "Really? Don't lie to your mother."

After hearing Naruto's plan, Minato also tried to reassure Kushina. "Kushina, don't worry. Naruto's plan is a good one."

"Shut up! It's your fault for being so useless that my Naruto had to suffer so much!" Kushina snapped at Minato.

Minato was instantly embarrassed, but Naruto came to his rescue. "Mom, I'll really be fine. Your son has the potential to surpass the Sage of Six Paths, so you don't need to worry. Besides, even if I couldn't do it myself, I could make someone else use the jutsu. So there's nothing to worry about. Don't you want to meet my and Hinata's children, Boruto and Himawari?"

Naruto finally played his trump card. Sure enough, Kushina immediately wavered, but she quickly made up her mind. Compared with her adorable grandchildren, any risk to her son was trivial.

So Kushina quickly changed her tune. "Then be careful, Naruto. If it really works, I'll leave it up to you."

Minato and Naruto were a little embarrassed. Naruto hadn't expected his trump card to work so well—but maybe too well. He was almost jealous of the children he and Hinata would have in the future.

Minato, meanwhile, realized he was at the bottom of the family pecking order. He couldn't compete with his son; his son mattered more. And compared with his future grandchildren, there was no contest. They were up in the heavens, while he was nothing but mud on the ground.

Minato sighed quietly to himself, then looked at Naruto and said, "Since your mother agrees, I won't say anything more. I want to teach you how to use the Flying Thunder God and Rasengan. That'll greatly improve your chances of survival. Basically, if you want to escape, no one will be able to stop you.

"If anyone asks, just tell them Jiraiya taught you. Before the toad Gamatora left, I already spoke to Jiraiya."

Naruto hadn't expected Minato to prepare so much for him in such a short time. He was so moved that he didn't know what to say.

Minato smiled at Naruto. "You're Kushina's and my child. Parents can never do too much for their children. Just accept it without hesitation."

"Your father's right, Naruto. I also want to teach you the Sealing Jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan, so you won't have to train in those other Sealing Jutsu.

"Your bloodline has awakened, and your chakra naturally forms Adamantine Sealing Chains. That means your chakra can flow on its own when you use Sealing Jutsu, so you can use them without Hand Seals." Kushina hugged Naruto and spoke gently to him.

Minato came over and hugged Naruto too. "Our time together has been short, but I'm so glad I got to see your mother again. Don't push yourself too hard, and don't put too much pressure on yourself, okay? Mom just wants you to live well. And thank you, Minato, for letting me see Naruto again." Kushina looked at Naruto, tears of happiness running down her face.

"Naruto, your dad is happy to see you and your mother again too. I'm so glad you're doing well, and that becoming a Jinchuriki hasn't filled you with hatred. My son really is the best," Minato said happily.

"I'm happy to be your child too. Thank you, Mom and Dad," Naruto said, just as happy.

Warm light shone from Minato and Kushina's bodies before they merged into Naruto and disappeared. Naruto's mind was now filled with many Sealing Jutsu, as well as Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique and Rasengan.

Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails and said, "I'm really lucky to have them as parents. They love me so much."

"I saw that. In my long life, I've seen many parents put their own interests ahead of their children. Some have even gone so far as to kill them. But you were lucky enough to have wonderful parents. They'd do anything for you," the Nine-Tails said, deeply moved.

He was happy for Naruto, and also glad that he hadn't misjudged him. No wonder my other half accepted someone like him.

In the days that followed, Naruto returned to his usual routine. He went to school every day, then trained with Sasuke after class. Hinata rarely trained with Naruto because she had to practice her clan's secret techniques, but she prepared a lunch for him every day. That made Naruto happy for a long time.

In a forest on the outskirts of Konoha, Orochimaru brought Kabuto Yakushi there. "This should do. No one will notice us here, and I'll be able to observe this test subject properly."

After speaking, he took out a Sealing Scroll and summoned the corpse sealed inside. He formed several Hand Seals as he looked at the corpse before him, then said, "Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu." The corpse came to life.

Orochimaru tossed the revived child into the forest and said, "This jutsu still needs a lot of improvement before it can be used. It's not ready yet."

He had just started to leave with Kabuto Yakushi when Orochimaru suddenly pulled out a Kunai and threw it toward a clump of bushes. "Who's there? Come out!"

A child wearing a black cloak and a Shura mask slowly walked up to Orochimaru.

He toyed with the Kunai Orochimaru had just thrown and said, "Lord Orochimaru, why are you so angry? I was just watching you use Impure World Reincarnation from the sidelines."

Seeing that the child hadn't answered Orochimaru's question directly, Kabuto Yakushi immediately took a fighting stance, ready to capture him. But before he could move, Orochimaru stopped him.

Orochimaru couldn't quite figure out the child standing before him, so he stopped Kabuto Yakushi from acting rashly and sneered, "What do you want?"

"Nothing much. I'm just interested in summoning souls, so I'd like to make a deal with you, Lord Orochimaru. If you tell me how to summon souls, I'll give you some information—information you'll definitely be interested in," the masked child said casually.

Orochimaru sneered. "I don't know what information you're talking about, but first you'll have to prove you're worthy of making a deal with me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly formed Hand Seals with both hands. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Flame Bullet!" A combined ninjutsu shot toward the masked child.

The child raised one hand in front of the jutsu. The moment the blazing flames touched his palm, they were absorbed and disappeared.

Orochimaru was slightly surprised. Then he launched a Water Dragon Bullet Technique. This time, the water wasn't absorbed. Instead, the child released the flames he had absorbed from his palm, and they collided with the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, canceling each other out.

Orochimaru sneered. "It seems you're worthy of making a deal with me."