Dreams and Future Goals

"Mom, Dad, you guessed wrong."

"I didn't call you here to help me suppress the Nine-Tails."

Minato and Kushina were both stunned.

"Then what is it?"

Minato asked.

"I brought Dad and Mom here from the deepest layer of the seal not so you could help me hold down the Nine-Tails, but because..."

Naruto paused slightly, then enunciated every word clearly: "I want 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 their 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 the Shadow Clone Technique and my chakra reserves, I keep relying on the same few moves. My combat system is extremely limited."

"Once I run into 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 will let me truly stand on my own."

"Once I have enough strength, I won't need your help. I'll be able to control the Nine-Tails' chakra myself. I'm confident in that."

Minato fell silent.

He looked into Naruto's blue eyes. There was not the slightest hesitation or fear in them as the boy spoke. His logic was clear, his goals precise, and he had a sober understanding of his current situation and shortcomings. He was not shouting slogans in a rush of passion; he had truly mapped out a path for himself.

What to learn, why he needed to learn it, and what he would use it for afterward—he had thought it all through.

This composure and decisiveness did not fit any twelve-year-old Minato had ever known.

In Naruto's earnest gaze, he vaguely saw something he had once found deeply familiar.

It was a habit of his own: fully working through a plan before acting, and identifying both his goal and escape route before making a move.

This child truly was Minato Namikaze's son. Some things in his bones 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 one thing you must understand first."

"Your mother and I are only remnants of chakra now. We are not complete souls, much less living people."

"Our chakra is limited. Once it is exhausted, we will completely disappear from this mental space."

Minato's tone was calm, but every word carried great weight.

"While we are still here, we can accompany you for part of the journey. But you must remember that this stretch of road is not long."

"All we can do is place as much of the most important knowledge as possible in your hands, so that when you face powers truly capable of threatening you, you will not be empty-handed."

"And because we are only chakra bodies..."

Kushina picked up where Minato left off, her voice carrying a trace of sorrow. "Our actions are confined to this mental space."

"We cannot demonstrate movements for you, nor can we take you outside to train your footwork."

"All you can hear are theoretical explanations and our personal experience."

"All practical training can only be done by your body outside this mental space."

"So listen carefully, Naruto."

Minato said solemnly, "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 grave expression, and at Kushina, whose eyes hid glimmers of tears even as she stubbornly held herself upright.

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 complete a silent exchange in an instant: time was precious, chakra was limited, and there was no time to start from the basics. They could only go straight to the most essential and efficient ninjutsu each of them possessed—the highest-level techniques Naruto could learn at this stage.

"Before we begin..."

Minato suddenly spoke. He straightened up again and looked at Naruto with calm solemnity. "I have one more question for you, as the Hokage and as your father."

Naruto nodded, his expression turning serious.

"Naruto..."

Minato asked, "What is your dream? What path do you want to take in the future?"

He did not ask what Naruto thought of Konoha.

This child had suffered so much since he was young. That question should not be raised so sharply.

He would first ask about Naruto's dream—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 knew what this question meant.

Before Minato handed down everything he had learned in his lifetime, he needed to make sure what path the person receiving these ninjutsu would walk in the future.

Naruto considered his wording, then met Minato's eyes.

"I want to become Hokage."

He said it with complete seriousness.

Naruto was not lying. He truly intended to become Hokage, but not by following the original Naruto's path of "making everyone acknowledge me."

The original Naruto wanted to become Hokage in order to gain the villagers' love and acceptance, driven by the need to compensate for the lack of affection throughout his childhood.

Naruto, on the other hand, wanted to become Hokage because he needed unquestionable command authority.

He also had a more far-reaching plan: to unify the entire ninja world, end the centuries-long cycle of war between the Five Great Nations, and gather all the scattered powers of the ninja world into a single community to resist the Ōtsutsuki Clan, who would descend from beyond the heavens in the future.

But Naruto did not say any of that aloud.

The reason was simple. No matter how much Minato 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 ninja world, Minato would certainly ask, "How do you plan to unify it?"

And no matter how Naruto answered, it would tear this father between loyalty and paternal love.

Not saying it was consideration for Minato, and also Naruto's gentleness as a son.

"Good child. Then what do you think of Konoha?"

Once Minato learned that Naruto's dream was to become Hokage, he immediately felt relieved.

"Konoha..."

Naruto lowered his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he looked up and continued calmly. "I know the Third Hokage had his reasons for hiding my identity."

"Although I suffered a lot because of it when I was young, given Konoha's circumstances at the time and how sensitive the issue of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki was, anyone in that position would have made more or less the same choice."

That was true. Although he had seen all kinds of conspiracy theories about Naruto in his previous life, one thing was certain: if the Third Hokage had truly announced Naruto's identity to the world back then, the news would have gone out in the morning, and someone would have kicked in the door by noon.

Not to mention the Tsuchikage, who hated Minato Namikaze to the bone. A alone, the Raikage of the Land of Lightning, after witnessing the power of the Flying Raijin Technique, would never have allowed a second Yellow Flash to appear in Konoha.

Rather than letting that happen and facing endless assassination attempts from every ninja village, it was better to hide Naruto's identity outright.

But understanding was one thing. The debts that needed settling still had to be settled.