The Nine-Tails' plan

"Lord Third Hokage..."

Inside Naruto's inner world, Minato Namikaze wore a conflicted expression.

He had seen through the Third Hokage's intentions, and he understood what Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted, having been forced to return to the Hokage position after retiring.

What he wanted to preserve was balance and stability.

Balance among the Five Great Nations, and stability within Konoha. Just like the policies laid down by the previous Hokage. Although the Third Hokage had fully supported his reforms and changes within the village during his term, after his sacrifice, the Third Hokage had reluctantly returned to the Hokage position... and lost the drive to push forward.

As a former Hokage, Minato Namikaze could fully understand the Third Hokage's thinking and actions, but... Naruto, the one being sacrificed, was his and Kushina's only child.

"It seems you've noticed too. Naruto was kept hidden as an orphan, and after he left the Konoha Orphanage, that Sarutobi brat looked after him from the shadows. But that was all." The Nine-Tails spoke up at just the right moment, though a hint of mockery colored his words. "He isn't foolish enough to mistake Naruto for my Original Body, unlike those idiots in the village, but he hasn't done a good job of concealing Naruto's identity either. He should have been treated as a hero's son... ah, no. As the vessel who has 'sealed' the Nine-Tails since infancy, he is a hero himself..."

"..." Yet rather than flying into a rage as the Nine-Tails had expected, Minato Namikaze looked at him with a somewhat relieved expression.

Minato's gaze made the Nine-Tails uncomfortable. He bared his teeth slightly. "What?"

"I'm just grateful." Minato Namikaze smiled at the Nine-Tails. "Grateful that Naruto has you, a companion who stands up for him like this. And you said that he'll have countless companions in the future..."

"Enough. Shut up, Minato."

Clearly unused to such sentimental talk, the Nine-Tails gave a cold snort.

"I've already told you this much. You know what to do next, don't you?"

Red light flickered before Minato Namikaze's blue eyes. It was the Nine-Tails' distinctive chakra, extraordinarily powerful.

"As long as I remain inside this seal, I can't use my power freely. It also interferes with Naruto's own chakra, so I need to draw mine in as much as possible." The Nine-Tails remained sprawled on the ground, looking listless. "That way, Naruto's own chakra potential will keep growing. He needs someone to guide him, to teach him how to learn and grow stronger..."

"Kushina's Uzumaki bloodline?" Minato Namikaze understood what the Nine-Tails meant. Naruto's own chakra was naturally the immense chakra unique to the Uzumaki Clan, and it would continue to grow as he did.

"My previous Naruto, the Naruto from before... no, I should say the future Naruto. That's not right either..."

"Why not call him 'the future Naruto who used to be in the past'? Or, since he's already the Seventh Hokage and the strongest in the Shinobi World, how about 'Naruto the celebrity'?" The Nine-Tails seemed unable to find a fitting description, but Minato Namikaze understood and offered his suggestion with a perfectly straight face.

The Nine-Tails was speechless for a moment, then ignored Minato's airheaded remark and continued. "In any case, that Naruto hadn't reconciled with me early on, so he never developed his own power fully. I don't know much about that either. Minato, I've already told you about the enemies Naruto will face."

As he spoke, the Nine-Tails rose to his full, enormous height. Before Minato Namikaze, this tailed beast who had lived since the time of the Sage of Six Paths unleashed an aura that shook even the Fourth Hokage. "This time, I won't give those bastards another chance to swagger around in front of Naruto!"

Watching this, Minato Namikaze had a thought that had never occurred to him before—

The Shinobi World seemed never to have truly understood these tailed beasts that had existed since ancient times. Perhaps shinobi were too arrogant. The true masters of this land might not even be humans...

The snowfall grew somewhat heavier that night. Noticing this, the Third Hokage took little Naruto home once he had happily finished his grilled fish.

Only after the light in little Naruto's room went out did the Third Hokage withdraw his gaze. His kindly smile vanished as he addressed the shadows in the night. "From today onward, no one in the Anbu is permitted to approach Naruto."

A Konoha Anbu wearing an eerie mask emerged from the shadow of a streetlamp at the corner. Somewhat surprised, the operative stood silently behind the Third Hokage, waiting for him to continue.

"I'll arrange for other people to interact with Naruto. The Anbu... seem to have been corrupted a little too deeply by the darkness." The Third Hokage continued, his gaze turning sharp and solemn. "If Naruto is to become a Jinchūriki who can protect the village, he needs people who can give him a sense of emotional connection... notify Shikaku. Have him bring me a list of the younger teachers currently at Konoha Academy, as well as the Chunin, tomorrow."

"Yes." Having understood the assignment, the Anbu vanished again.

Inside his room, Naruto had barely yawned before drowsiness overwhelmed him. Half asleep, he hurriedly changed into his pajamas, then fell fast asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.

Inside the Mental World.

"Naruto's asleep. Are you ready?" After withdrawing his power, the Nine-Tails had been monitoring Naruto's condition. He opened his eyes and looked at Minato Namikaze, who sat meditating nearby.

The red Chakra Cloak unique to tailed beasts that had enveloped Minato Namikaze was now gone. Having fully mastered the portion of chakra the Nine-Tails had shared with him, Minato Namikaze turned toward him. "Whenever you are. By the way, according to your plan, how much of what I teach Naruto in his sleep will he remember when he wakes up?"

"That depends on his aptitude. Remembering about half would be good enough." The Nine-Tails didn't sound particularly confident either. "But as I said before, to keep outsiders from noticing, Naruto won't realize he's dreaming in the dream I create for him, so he won't be able to communicate with you normally... heh, funny thing. In the past, I only used this method to make Naruto dream about his past over and over, forcing him to sink into loneliness. So it's hard to say how effective it will actually be. It might not even be twenty percent effective."

"Twenty percent?" Minato Namikaze rested his chin on one hand and thought for a moment, then looked confident. "That'll be enough."

"What are you planning to teach him first?" the Nine-Tails asked curiously.

Minato Namikaze's answer caught the Nine-Tails by surprise. He replied almost without hesitation—

"Sealing Jutsu."