"The Nine-Tails is still rampaging through the village."
A Yellow Flash appeared.
"Lord Fourth Hokage is here! The village is saved!"
Minato Namikaze stared grimly at the maddened Nine-Tails. Having just fought a fierce battle with the Masked Man, he couldn't deal with the Nine-Tails perfectly.
"I have no choice."
"Flying Thunder God Technique."
Minato Namikaze took the enormous Nine-Tails far away from Konoha.
His wife, Kushina Uzumaki, and their child followed him there with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Kushina, we have to seal the Nine-Tails again."
"Our child will surely become a hero of the village one day."
With the last of her sealing power, Kushina Uzumaki formed chains and bound the Nine-Tails.
Minato Namikaze offered his life to the Death God.
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal."
"Eight Trigrams Seal."
The two, pierced by the Nine-Tails' claws, held each other tightly and gazed tenderly at the sleeping Naruto.
Ding!
The Sign-in System rebooted.
"Primary consciousness rebooting."
Host: Naruto.
Ability: Talk no Jutsu.
"Melon-Skin System, he's a newborn baby. If he can cry and smile, that's already impressive. And you're showing me Talk no Jutsu? What a joke!"
"System, activate Transfer Repair Energy!"
Notice: Transfer Repair Energy is nearly depleted.
"I know. Keep it activated."
May the primary consciousness complete this sign-in mission successfully.
At that moment,
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki both noticed Naruto smiling and winking at them.
Then the Nine-Tails was sealed again.
Naruto missed his chance to become a Jinchūriki because, under the effects of Transfer Repair Energy, the Nine-Tails' Yin Release chakra was sealed inside Minato Namikaze.
The Yang chakra was sealed inside Kushina Uzumaki once more.
Both their bodies and chakra were restored to peak health.
"Kushina, how are we still alive?"
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were both utterly bewildered.
The baby Naruto, remade by the Sign-in System and the primary consciousness, thought to himself: As long as they're alive, who cares about the rest? With parents who are so dedicated to self-sacrifice, my future looks rough.
Notice: To suit the host's current age, the Sign-in System and the primary consciousness are entering hibernation for adjustment.
"Melon-Skin System, I still wanted to enjoy—"
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, successfully sealed the Nine-Tails, resolving the crisis in Konoha once again.
People ran around, cheering.
Snow fell in flurries.
Wearing a red woolen hat, Naruto crouched in the yard and pressed his little finger into the snow.
"Naruto, it's snowing outside. Come inside and get warm."
Kushina Uzumaki stood at the door with her hands on her hips, pretending to be angry.
Just then, Naruto flopped over onto the snow.
"Naruto, what's wrong?"
Kushina Uzumaki held Naruto in her arms and felt his body growing hot.
The Sign-in System activated.
"Heh heh, you finally woke up."
"Melon-Skin System, how many years was I asleep?"
Host: Uzumaki Naruto.
Ability: None.
Chakra nature: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yang.
Chakra Nature Transformation: None.
Primary consciousness, three years.
"Do you know what I've been through these past three years?"
"You don't. You don't care about me at all."
Primary consciousness, you are now Uzumaki Naruto.
"Got it. Just making a couple of jokes. You have no sense of humor."
Naruto opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a head of beautiful red hair. The woman's face looked familiar.
Oh! The mother I saved.
"Naruto, you're awake! You scared Mommy half to death. Do you feel unwell?"
The glow of motherly love made Kushina Uzumaki look beautiful.
I have a mother.
Naruto's eyes grew misty with emotion.
"Mommy, hug!"
Kushina Uzumaki stared at Naruto in shock.
Naruto, who hadn't spoken in three years, had suddenly learned to talk—and his first word was "Mommy."
"Naruto."
Tears of joy streamed from the corners of Kushina Uzumaki's eyes like a waterfall.
That evening,
Naruto asked in a babyish voice where Daddy had gone.
"Daddy is Lord Hokage. He's very busy with work, so you're usually asleep by the time he gets home."
"Daddy works so hard!"
Behind a man who works hard, there's usually a woman who keeps the home running smoothly.
Naruto sat obediently at the table, blowing on his noodles. They were a little hot.
What a wonderful life!
I can't let the Sign-in System crash and stop working again.
Sign-in mission: Write "I, Naruto, am a melon head" on Kage Rock with paint.
Mission reward: Eight Inner Gates (harmless version).
"Melon-Skin System, you're treating a little authority like it's a royal decree. Now I have to do it, huh? Hmph!"
But Naruto faced a lot of problems when it came to completing the sign-in mission.
First, there was the money to buy paint.
Should he just ask Kushina Uzumaki?
Maybe he should ask Minato Namikaze instead! Men understood each other better.
Naruto finished his noodles. "I'm full."
"Naruto, it's dark. Time for bed."
Kushina Uzumaki kept Uzumaki Naruto's schedule packed from morning to night.
She was the quintessential tiger mom.
Naruto trotted to his room.
"System, you only gave me information about my parents. Aren't you going to tell me about this world?"
Primary consciousness, to ensure variety in the sign-in missions, you must explore on your own.
"So it's basically like playing a survival game, right?"
Primary consciousness, you weren't stupid after all.
"Hmph, look who's talking."
Laughter and conversation carried on late into the night.
Naruto cracked open a door and saw Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki in their pajamas, chatting cheerfully about him in the living room.
"Is Naruto asleep?"
"He must be. Are you going to check on him? Naruto finally learned to talk. I was worried he might be sick."
Minato Namikaze had worried about that.
"I'll go take a look at him."
Naruto hurried back to bed. He's coming. I'll make the first move.
Creak!
Light from the living room streamed through the gap in the door and fell beside the bed.
The man who entered had blond hair and blue eyes. He was sunny, handsome, and gentle.
It had been three years since they'd seen each other.
Minato Namikaze looked even more delicate than before.
Naruto didn't know that the Nine-Tails' Yin chakra could make someone grow gloomy.
Minato Namikaze had been fighting its influence all along.
"So cute." Minato Namikaze sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch Naruto's cheek. Then his eyes met Naruto's.
"Did I wake you?"
Naruto shook his head. "I wasn't asleep. I wanted to talk to you about something, Daddy."
Minato Namikaze smiled. "You've suddenly gotten clever, Naruto. I was so happy to hear you speak."
I'm not mute.
If only the system hadn't taken three years to reboot. I could've spoken ages ago and given you both a scare.
Naruto rolled over to Minato Namikaze's side. "Daddy, I want to see Kage Rock up close. Maybe even touch it. Can I?"
That wasn't hard to arrange.
Couldn't the Fourth Hokage take his son to see Kage Rock?
"I promise," Minato Namikaze said readily, then picked Naruto up affectionately. "Say 'Daddy' one more time?"
"Sure!" Naruto drew the word out. "Dad-dy!"
We're father and son, after all.
Neither of us loses out.
Minato Namikaze played with Naruto beside the bed for a while, until Kushina Uzumaki came storming in and broke up the cozy scene.
"Minato, don't disturb Naruto's rest."
Minato Namikaze tucked Naruto in. "All right. See you tomorrow, Naruto."
Before you continue