Explanation and Grievances

"Hmph! I can't be bothered to fight you, Naruto. Explain it yourself. I don't want to have much to do with him. After all, I'm like this because of him!"

Kurama did not curse Minato Namikaze outright. Its miserable experiences could not be soothed by mere insults.

But Naruto was its friend, and Minato Namikaze was Naruto's father no matter what. It could not curse him. If it could not afford to provoke him, could it not at least avoid him?

"Yes, Dad. Kurama and I are friends. I was the one who wanted to undo Kurama's seal. Kurama itself didn't even expect me to take the initiative to release it!" Naruto said to Minato Namikaze, understanding Kurama's little temper at the same time.

This little tsundere had already done well enough by opening its heart to him. As for showing a pleasant face to others, then it would not be the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox people spoke of.

Minato was somewhat stunned. Becoming friends with the Nine-Tails was something even Kushina had never fully accomplished. Yet his son, who looked only six or seven years old, had managed it?

Had the village invented some method to control tailed beasts?

Though he did not know exactly what had happened, he could tell from Naruto and the Nine-Tails' manner of conversation that their relationship was truly extraordinary.

No matter the process, as long as the result was good, that was enough.

Once Minato realized Naruto and the Nine-Tails did not seem to have any major problems, he suddenly recalled what Naruto had said earlier. His words seemed to carry considerable dissatisfaction toward the Third Hokage.

"Naruto, tell me. Why did you have to learn on your own that I'm your father? And what do you mean by the Nine-Tails helping you? Did Lord Third not tell you about your identity?"

After hearing Minato Namikaze's words, Naruto thought for a moment.

Remembering everything that had happened in the past, he could not help letting out a cold laugh.

"Dad, I'm six years old this year. After you died, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, never revealed to the villagers that I was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. At the same time, he changed my name to Naruto Uzumaki, claiming it was to protect my safety."

"He said that you and Mom had made too many enemies in the ninja world, and that I was the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. He used that as an excuse, claiming everything was for my own good."

"But after you died, all your assets were divided up by the Hidden Leaf. I became an orphan, yet the Third Hokage never took proper care of me. Instead, he tacitly allowed Danzo Shimura to spread rumors throughout the village that I was the incarnation of the demon fox."

"Ever since I was little, the villagers hated me. They encouraged their children to isolate and bully me. I grew up enduring all kinds of disgust and abuse. They called me a wild child without parents and said I deserved to be driven out of Konoha Village."

"I couldn't even get enough to eat or enough clothes to keep warm. Sometimes, the Third Hokage would give me a tiny bit of relief money. When I tried to use it to buy things on the street, the villagers deliberately sold me expired milk and gave me diarrhea. Some would not sell me anything at all. Sometimes I could only buy instant noodles. Sometimes I could buy nothing. Sometimes, I even felt like I was going to starve to death."

Naruto grew more emotional as he spoke.

Though he had already learned to take it lightly, those feelings had merely been buried deep in his heart. Now that he had the chance to pour out all the unfair treatment he had suffered over the years to his family—

Naruto could no longer hold it in. He intended to thoroughly condemn everything the Hidden Leaf had done to him!

He wanted his father, Minato Namikaze, to know what kind of Hidden Leaf he had protected!

At that moment, Kurama, who had been watching from the side, also became indignant. It laughed at Minato Namikaze and said, "Ridiculous, isn't it, Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze? In my eyes, you're nothing but a joke. The Konoha Village you protected with your life, the villagers you protected—they treated the son of Konoha Village's hero like this?"

"Let me put it this way: I watched Naruto grow up too. Everything Naruto went through was even more painful than he described. This is the fine work of your corrupt and ignorant Hidden Leaf higher-ups! If I hadn't secretly protected Naruto before, he might have died long ago! Died at the hands of your own Konoha Village people!"

Naruto's words made Minato Namikaze somewhat doubtful, but since they came from his own biological son, he should not doubt them.

Furthermore, there were the words of the Nine-Tails within the seal. Given the Nine-Tails' personality, it had no reason to lie. It only needed to tell the truth, because the truth was often the most hurtful thing of all.

Though Minato had harbored some doubts about the Third Hokage before, he had thought that even if Naruto could not become the son of a hero and receive the excellent treatment afforded to a hero's orphan—

At the very least, he should have been treated as an ordinary orphan. They should have found a family and raised him properly. Yet who would have thought? Who would have thought?

The Third Hokage he had respected so much was actually such a bastard!

He and his wife Kushina had sacrificed themselves to protect the Hidden Leaf, yet their biological son had not even received the treatment of an ordinary orphan!

Third Hokage, this was going too far!

If the Third Hokage had truly wanted to conceal Naruto's identity, it could never have been leaked. There had not been many people who knew Naruto's identity in the first place, and they had mostly been high-ranking members of the Hidden Leaf.

The only person who could have leaked Naruto's identity, and who had a motive to do so, was the leader of Root Naruto had mentioned—Danzo Shimura.

That meant Naruto's words had essentially been confirmed. They were all true.

After understanding the full story, Minato felt as though his world was collapsing. The Will of Fire he had upheld for so many years, his faith in the Hidden Leaf, and his trust in its higher-ups all came crashing down in that instant.

Once, he had believed that rather than being a good father, he would rather be a good Hokage and fight to protect the villagers.

But if he could do it all over again, he would choose to be a good father and protect his child so that he could grow up healthy!

Having understood everything, Minato Namikaze looked at Naruto with guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Naruto. Kushina and I failed to see the Third Hokage's true nature and pushed you into a bottomless abyss. If we could start over, your mother and I would definitely choose to stay by your side and watch you grow up!"

Afterward, his feelings toward the Third Hokage gradually turned into disgust and hatred. In the end, he had misplaced his trust. Third Hokage, once you die, I definitely won't let you have an easy time!

"It's all right, Dad. I'm doing pretty well now. I've made many friends in the village too. They don't isolate me because I'm supposedly the incarnation of the demon fox. On the contrary, they depend on me and believe in me. Even in the darkest places, there will always be a light somewhere—a place where I can belong!"

Naruto smiled calmly, and that smile made Minato Namikaze feel even more heartbroken.

"By the way, Dad, are you still going to stop me? I already promised Kurama that I'd remove its seal and return its freedom to it!"

Naruto's eyes were filled with determination as he spoke.

Minato Namikaze sighed. "Naruto, although your mother and I missed so much of your life, we are still your parents. We don't want anything to happen to you. Removing the seal is a major matter. What if the Nine-Tails has merely deceived you? If something goes wrong, you could very well lose your life."

"Even the safeguards your mother and I left behind may not be able to save you. Now, are you still sure you want to remove the seal?"

Minato did not feel it was right to stop Naruto. He merely explained clearly the serious consequences that removing the seal could bring. The final decision would still be Naruto's.

Naruto nodded confidently and said with a smile, "Of course, Dad. This is my promise with Kurama. I believe Kurama won't deceive me. Besides, Kurama is actually a very pitiful tailed beast."

"From the moment I was born, you and Mom used sealing techniques to seal it inside my body. It has been imprisoned all this time. And wasn't I also imprisoned in this cage called the Hidden Leaf? So Kurama is just like me—a pitiful person who cannot control their own freedom."

"Naruto!" Even Kurama could not help being moved by those words, its eyes turning misty. What a brother! True brothers carried it in their hearts; everything went without saying!

From now on, anyone who wanted to lay a finger on Naruto would have to get past Kurama first!

Minato knew he could not continue persuading Naruto. However, he said somewhat awkwardly, "Naruto, there's something you don't know. Your dad has always been henpecked at home. Removing the seal is such an important matter that I can't make the decision directly. If your mom finds out, she might give me a beating. So let's ask your mom what she thinks!"

Minato also thought of his wife, whom he had not seen for a long time. She had a sweet appearance but a rather fiery temper, long fiery-red hair, and was sometimes carefree yet sometimes exceptionally attentive—his little wife, Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki.

"Dad, do you mean... we're going to see Mom too?" Naruto was smart enough to immediately understand Minato's implication.

"Yes. You're also curious about what your mother is like, aren't you?" Minato gave Naruto a warm smile.

If there was anyone who could make up for the family affection Naruto had lacked for so many years, aside from Minato Namikaze, who was not good with words or expressing love, then the only person left was Kushina Uzumaki.

"Then let's go!" Minato closed his eyes and mobilized the chakra within his body. The surrounding space began to change.

Naruto was also very curious about this woman who had never formally appeared in the original main story and existed only in people's memories—his mother, Kushina Uzumaki!

Naruto curiously looked over this unusual space. Compared to the gloomy sewer where Kurama had been sealed, this space was filled with the warmth of sunlight. It gave him the feeling of motherly love washing over him.

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