"What?" Uzumaki Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"H-How is that possible?" Naruto stammered.
He knew the title of Fourth Hokage. He had always hoped he could become Hokage and earn everyone's recognition, but he had never imagined that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage!
If he was the Fourth Hokage's son, why had he been treated this way?
Shouldn't everyone have cherished him, like the Third's grandson?
Even if they didn't cherish him, they shouldn't have humiliated him like this, should they?
"Your father, the Fourth Hokage, and your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, sacrificed their lives four years ago during the Nine-Tails' attack to seal the Nine-Tails."
"They named you Uzumaki Naruto, hoping you would grow up to be an ordinary, happy boy, cherished by everyone."
Uchiha Gray spoke slowly, one word at a time, looking at Naruto with pity.
Naruto should have been treated as a hero, yet instead he was treated like the Demon Fox. It was a cruel irony.
"Your father, Namikaze Minato, split the Nine-Tails in two. He sealed one half inside you and the other inside himself before taking it to the World of the Dead."
"Your father was a great ninja. He hoped you would master the Nine-Tails' power and become a hero of the Leaf. That's why he sealed the Nine-Tails inside you."
Uchiha Gray saw Naruto's confusion and explained gently.
"Your father did nothing wrong."
"But unfortunately, the Third kept the truth secret and let no one know you were the son of a hero. That's why everyone bullied you, treating you like the Demon Fox!"
"Why were my mom and dad both powerful ninjas who contributed so much to the village, while I had to be bullied from the time I was little?"
Naruto looked bewildered, a flicker of resentment rising in his eyes.
But just then, a pale blue power appeared around him.
The next moment, Naruto's eyes returned to their clear blue, his gaze calm and gentle.
"So that's how it was. The village must have had its reasons. Grandpa Third must have done this to protect me. He even gives me pocket money."
Naruto flashed a radiant smile, but it sent a chill down Gray's spine!
To Gray, Naruto looked like a puppet under someone else's control.
As if he had no will of his own!
What was that power that had just appeared!?
It seemed to reach deep into Naruto's soul, changing his will!
"System, analyze that power and try to absorb it!" Gray could sense how powerful it was. It was a form of the Power of All Things in Nature!
[Beep! Six Paths Power detected. Absorbing.]
[Beep! Absorption successful. The host may fuse with it in a quiet environment!]
Uchiha Gray froze. Then understanding dawned in his eyes.
It was Six Paths Power!
That meant it had been left inside Naruto by the Sage of Six Paths—or, more precisely, within Asura's Chakra.
As the Six Paths Power was absorbed, the blue gradually faded from Naruto's eyes.
Hatred toward the Third, along with confusion and resentment, appeared in his gaze.
Those were the feelings of a normal person.
"So the Sage of Six Paths really did use some kind of forbidden technique or sealing jutsu on Naruto, sealing away his entire evil side and turning him into a tool who could only forgive!"
Uchiha Gray's face turned cold.
After the system absorbed the Sage of Six Paths' seal on Naruto, Naruto fully awakened his own will. He still possessed the power of Asura's reincarnation, but he was no longer under the Sage of Six Paths' control.
Now, Naruto had a will of his own.
"Unforgivable! I'm not asking everyone to cherish me, but why did they treat me like I was a bad person?"
Naruto was confused, and hatred surfaced in his eyes.
"I never did anything wrong! I'm going to get revenge!"
Naruto trembled all over.
A phrase suddenly came to Gray's mind: after a life full of hardship, a person was bound to hate evil.
It suited Naruto perfectly.
Uchiha Gray's lips curled into a smile. "But you're not strong enough yet. Let me give you a hand!"
Uchiha Gray placed a hand on Naruto and ordered, "System, transfer my body's cells to Naruto!"
[Beep! Request received. Transferring!]
[Beep! Transfer complete. Uzumaki Naruto now possesses a Sage Body!]
The instant Naruto gained the Sage Body, his appearance changed dramatically.
The whisker marks vanished from his face. With the Sage Body, the Nine-Tails could no longer affect him.
His golden hair also changed. After he gained the Sage Body, it merged with the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, completely suppressing Namikaze Minato's bloodline.
His hair turned bright red!
Naruto's gaze was fierce, but the next moment he looked gently at Uchiha Gray. "Big Brother Gray, thank you! I'll never forget what you've done for me!"
Uchiha Gray looked Naruto over in amazement, then waved his right hand. A mirror appeared.
"I didn't expect your genes to change after you gained the Sage Body. Take a look at your new look."
Even without the Sage of Six Paths controlling him, Naruto was still just a child. When he saw his new appearance, his eyes lit up.
"Awesome! I really like how I look now!"
Naruto's gaze was resolute. His hair was red, and his hairstyle had changed too, swept all the way back.
The baby fat had vanished from his face, revealing handsome, determined features.
Uchiha Gray smacked his lips. "You look a lot like someone I saw in my previous life, Suoh Mikoto."
"Great. You look really cool!"
"But there's someone else you need to meet. Or rather, I should say another beast."
Uchiha Gray's lips curled into a smile. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared, filling the underground passage with its presence.
A certain beast sensed the chakra and let out a furious roar!
"Someone from the Uchiha Clan!"
"Get out here! You dared to control me? I'll tear you apart!"
Uchiha Gray patted Naruto on the forehead. "Come on. That guy's a pitiable creature too. If you can tame him, you'll become even stronger."
Naruto obediently followed Uchiha Gray.
Big Brother Gray had helped him gain such powerful strength.
He had also told him about his past.
Big Brother Gray was the only person who had ever treated him kindly.
He had to repay Big Brother Gray properly!
Gray took in Naruto's expression.
He smiled. Now this was what a normal person should look like.
He slowly walked up to the Nine-Tails' seal. Uchiha Gray looked at the Nine-Tails and smiled faintly.
"Yo, Kurama. Looks like you've been doing pretty well in here."
The moment the Nine-Tails saw Uchiha Gray's Three-Tomoe Sharingan, it flew into a rage.
Those eyes! Again and again, they had controlled him and treated him like a beast!
"Uchiha brat... No, wait. How do you know my name? Could it be..."
The Nine-Tails stared at Uchiha Gray in shock.
Only the Sage of Six Paths and the nine tailed beasts knew that name.
How could this Uchiha brat know it? Could he be Indra's reincarnation?
Uchiha Gray remained completely unfazed and had no intention of explaining anything to the Nine-Tails.
He said calmly, "I'm not the reincarnation of Indra's Chakra, but Naruto here is the reincarnation of Asura's Chakra."
"And I didn't come here to chat with you."
"There's only one thing you need to do: obey Naruto's orders from now on!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
the terrifying mental power of Uchiha Gray's Three-Tomoe Sharingan struck the Nine-Tails!
In an instant, the Nine-Tails went berserk.
He was a proud fusion of chakra. He would never let anyone control him like this.
Before long, the Nine-Tails' terrifying chakra filled the entire underground passage.
He broke free of Uchiha Gray's control.
"Just as I thought. Even with the Nine-Tails weakened, a Three-Tomoe Sharingan still can't control him."
"Hahahaha!"
The Nine-Tails laughed wildly, arrogant and contemptuous.
His terrifying chakra ran rampant!
"Brat, I thought you'd be something special. You've got nothing but a measly Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and you think you can control me?"
"One day, I'll escape this body and tear you apart!"
"Heh. You're nothing but a beast." Uchiha Gray's lips curled into a faint smile. He had already prepared for this. "System, fuse the Six Paths Power!"