"Mom, Dad, you guessed wrong."
"I didn't bring you here to help me suppress the Nine-Tails."
Minato and Kushina were both taken aback.
"Then why did you?"
Minato asked.
"I called Dad and Mom here from the deepest layer of the seal not so you could help me hold down the Nine-Tails, but rather..."
Naruto paused slightly, then enunciated every word clearly. "I want to ask you to be my teachers and teach me Ninjutsu."
The golden space fell silent for a moment.
"Teach you Ninjutsu?"
The couple once again voiced the same question in perfect unison.
"That's right."
Naruto nodded, his tone firm and serious. "I only graduated from the Ninja Academy not long ago. Although I can handle ordinary enemies with Shadow Clones and my Chakra reserves, I only have a few moves I keep using over and over. My combat system is incredibly limited."
"Once I encounter a true expert, they'll see through me very quickly."
"I need stronger Ninjutsu—not the basic kind, but the Ninjutsu you were most proud of in life, the kind that can truly let me stand on my own."
"Once I have enough power, I won't need your help. I'll be able to control the Nine-Tails' Chakra myself. I have faith in that."
Minato fell silent.
He looked into Naruto's blue eyes. There was not the slightest hesitation or fear in them as Naruto said those words. His reasoning was clear, his goal precise, and he had a sober understanding of his current situation and his shortcomings. He was not just fired up and shouting slogans; he had genuinely mapped out a path for himself.
What to learn, why to learn it, and what to use it for afterward—he had thought it all through.
This composure and decisiveness were utterly unlike any twelve-year-old Minato had ever known.
In Naruto's earnest gaze, he vaguely saw something that had once been incredibly familiar to him.
It was a habit that belonged to Minato himself: fully working through a plan before acting, and locking down both the objective and the escape route before making a move.
This child truly was Minato Namikaze's son. Some things were simply in his bones and did not need to be taught.
Minato slowly spoke, his voice softer than before, carrying an indescribable tenderness and resolve.
"Naruto, we will certainly teach you everything we have, but there is something you must understand first."
"Your mother and I are now merely remnants of Chakra, not complete souls, and even less so living people."
"Our Chakra is limited. Once it is exhausted, we will completely dissipate from this Mental Space."
Minato's tone was calm, but every word carried immense weight.
"While we are still here, we can accompany you for part of the journey. But you must remember, that journey will not be long."
"All we can do is place as many of the most important things as possible into your hands, so that when you face forces truly capable of threatening you, you will not be empty-handed."
"And because we are only Chakra bodies..."
Kushina took over from Minato, a trace of sorrow in her voice. "Our movements are confined to this Mental Space."
"We cannot demonstrate movements for you or take you outside to train your footwork. All you can hear is theoretical explanation and our spoken experience."
"All practical training can only be completed by your own body outside this Mental Space."
"So listen carefully, Naruto."
Minato said in a deep voice, "What we can give you is a spark."
"But you are the one who must light the fire."
Naruto looked at them.
At Minato's stern expression, and at Kushina, who held herself stubbornly upright despite the tears hidden in her eyes.
Naruto nodded heavily.
Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance.
Their eyes met for less than a second.
The tacit understanding forged through years of fighting together allowed them to communicate without words in an instant: time was precious, their Chakra limited, and there was no time to start with the basics. They could only go straight to the most essential and efficient Ninjutsu each of them possessed that Naruto could learn at his current stage.
"Before we officially begin..."
Minato suddenly spoke. He straightened up again and looked at Naruto with calm solemnity. "I have one more question for you, both as the Hokage and as your father."
Naruto nodded and answered with a serious expression.
"Naruto..."
Minato asked, "What is your dream? What path do you want to take in the future?"
He did not ask Naruto what he thought of Konoha.
This child had suffered too much since he was young. That question should not be raised in such a harsh manner.
He would first ask about Naruto's dream—ask what kind of person Naruto wanted to become—then see how he viewed himself and Konoha.
This was Minato's final concern and respect, both as a father and as the Hokage.
Naruto understood what this question meant.
Before passing down everything he had learned in his life, Minato needed to confirm what path the person receiving this Ninjutsu would take in the future.
Naruto considered his wording, then met Minato's eyes directly.
"I want to become Hokage."
He said it with complete seriousness.
Naruto was not lying. He truly intended to become Hokage, but not through the original Naruto's path of "making everyone acknowledge me."
The original Naruto wanted to become Hokage to gain the villagers' love and acceptance, driven by a need to compensate for the lack of love throughout his childhood.
Naruto, on the other hand, wanted to become Hokage because he needed unquestionable authority to command.
He also had a more far-reaching plan: to unify the entire Shinobi World, end the cycle of war between the Five Great Nations that had lasted for centuries, and consolidate all the scattered forces of the Shinobi World into one community to resist the Ōtsutsuki Clan that would descend from beyond the heavens in the future.
However, Naruto did not say any of this aloud.
The reason was simple. No matter how much Minato Namikaze trusted him, he was still Konoha's Fourth Hokage.
His loyalty to the Will of Fire was carved into his bones.
If Naruto openly spoke of unifying the Shinobi World, Minato would certainly ask, "How do you plan to unify it?"
And no matter how Naruto answered, it would tear his father between loyalty and paternal love.
Not saying it was consideration for Minato, and also Naruto's gentleness as a son.
"Good boy, then what do you think of Konoha?"
The moment Minato learned that Naruto dreamed of becoming Hokage, he was greatly relieved.
"Konoha Village..."
Naruto lowered his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he raised his head and continued calmly. "I know the Third Hokage had his reasons for concealing my identity."
"Although I suffered a great deal as a child because of it, considering Konoha's situation at the time and the sensitivity surrounding a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, anyone in that position would likely have made much the same choice."
That was true. Although Naruto had seen all kinds of conspiracy theories about the Hokage in his previous life, one thing was certain: if the Third Hokage had publicly announced Naruto's identity back then, the notice would have gone out in the morning, and someone would have kicked down the door by noon.
Leaving aside the Tsuchikage, who hated Minato Namikaze to the bone, A of the Land of Lightning alone, having witnessed the power of the Flying Raijin Technique, would never have allowed a second Yellow Flash to appear in Konoha.
Rather than let that happen, along with endless assassination attempts from the various ninja villages, it was better to conceal Naruto's identity from the start.
But understanding that did not mean the debts that needed settling would be forgotten.
Before you continue