I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI

Namikaze Minato

Naruto was having an outdoor barbecue deep in the forests of the Land of Fire, a temporary campsite he had set up while training his Wind Release.

In addition to Naruto, an unfortunate wild bird, a boar, and a hare were also "participating" in the feast—victims of his uncontrolled Wind Release training. A particularly strong gust from his Rasenshuriken training had swept them into his impromptu meal.

Feeling only slightly guilty, Naruto muttered an apology, then dug in with gusto, consuming bowl after bowl of roasted meat, his eyes watering—not from emotion, but from the excessive spices he had used.

Similar scenes had played out numerous times over the past two weeks. Any excess meat he couldn't finish was sealed in scrolls and sold in nearby towns, earning him a tidy profit. His growing savings helped fund his future endeavors, ensuring he was no longer entirely dependent on D-rank mission pay.

Beyond filling his stomach and wallet, Naruto had also gained significant battle experience. His control over Wind Release had improved substantially—he expanded the casting range of standard Wind Release jutsu, modified the Rasenshuriken to be more compact but faster, and refined his ability to shape chakra blades.

Of course, much of his progress came thanks to Danzo. Their recent clashes had taught Naruto invaluable lessons, as Danzo, a master of Wind Release, had pushed him to his limits. Additionally, thanks to the Sharingan—borrowed, not his own—Naruto had managed to analyze and replicate several of Danzo's Wind Release techniques.

After finishing his meal, Naruto doused the fire and unsealed a weathered scroll from his pack. Unlike his daily physical and ninjutsu training, his attempts to break the seal on the Scroll of Seals had become an essential part of his routine. He had long coveted the forbidden jutsu within.

Half an hour passed. Naruto carefully rolled the scroll back up and glanced around, alert.

The Scroll of Seals contained a tracking jutsu, an unavoidable security measure. Normally, he could suppress it with his own sealing techniques, but while actively attempting to unseal it, that protection temporarily weakened—giving the Konoha Anbu a brief window to pinpoint his location.

This was precisely why he had parted ways with Shisui for now, allowing his Uchiha ally to head toward the Land of Whirlpools first. While the Anbu would hesitate to act aggressively against him as the village's Jinchūriki, they wouldn't afford the same leniency to a surviving Uchiha. A missing-nin was one thing; a traitorous clan member was another entirely.

Enhancing his sensory perception to the maximum, Naruto settled in, expecting an ambush. Yet, strangely, no Anbu operatives appeared. This puzzled him. Had they given up? Or were they planning something bigger—perhaps a full-scale operation led by Hiruzen himself?

After all, Naruto's range of activity spanned dozens of kilometers per day. For an elite shinobi, covering that distance was trivial.

Growing impatient, he left a shadow clone behind to keep watch while he traveled to the nearest town on his map.

Once he arrived, he donned a mask and assumed the identity of a faceless traveler. He spent the next few hours wandering the bustling streets, indulging in food and entertainment.

By the time he finally returned to his rented room, he collapsed onto the bed, stretching lazily.

"Kyuubi," he muttered, "I still think my idea is pretty solid. If you could fully materialize your chakra, you'd be able to eat, drink, and have fun, too."

Inside his mindscape, the Nine-Tails, still recovering from the effects of the alcohol Naruto had let it taste, let out a disgruntled growl and refused to acknowledge him.

Naruto, unfazed, stepped into the vast, dark chamber of the sealed space. His gaze locked onto the intricate Eight Trigrams Seal holding the fox in place.

"You've been watching me for over two weeks now," he said, voice firm. "If you don't show yourself, I'll just rip off the seal entirely."

His words echoed through the chamber. To any outsider, it seemed like only Naruto and Kurama were present.

But Naruto knew better.

A third consciousness resided within the seal—the lingering chakra of Namikaze Minato, his father.

After a moment of silence, Naruto moved toward the cage and reached for the seal.

As he peeled away the tag, the enormous iron gates swung open, releasing Kurama from its restraints. Simultaneously, a figure materialized before him—a man with spiky blond hair and a warm, almost apologetic smile.

Minato Namikaze had finally appeared.

The moment Kurama felt its restraints vanish, the fox's drunken haze evaporated. Its crimson eyes sharpened as it fixed its gaze on the Fourth Hokage.

On the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, it had nearly escaped, only to be bound once more—this time, by Minato's Reaper Death Seal. Instead of regaining its long-lost freedom, it had been imprisoned inside a newborn Jinchūriki.

Naruto, meanwhile, studied the man before him. The warmth in Minato's expression was striking, almost magnetic. It wasn't hard to understand why Konoha had chosen him over Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage. Given equal achievements, people would always gravitate toward a radiant sun rather than a cold-blooded serpent.

As Naruto analyzed him, Minato did the same in return.

When the seal had temporarily weakened two weeks ago, Minato had remained silent, observing both Naruto and Kurama. He had expected the fox to attempt a breakout, planning to reseal it if necessary.

But instead, he had watched something entirely different unfold.

Naruto and Kurama weren't adversaries; they were allies, perhaps even friends.

A Jinchūriki befriending their Tailed Beast was an incredibly rare occurrence, one Minato had only dreamed of before his death. He had hoped his son would someday achieve this, using the Nine-Tails' power to protect the village.

That dream had come true—but not in the way he had imagined.

Naruto had not only bonded with Kurama but had also abandoned Konoha altogether.

Over the past two weeks, Minato had silently witnessed his son's battle against Danzo, as well as his dealings with the surviving Uchiha. He had also learned of the village's history following his own death.

The tensions between the Uchiha and the Hokage faction hadn't surprised him. Given the clan's isolation as the village's de facto police force, conflict had been inevitable. He had known that the elders, particularly Hiruzen and Danzo, would see the Uchiha as a threat to their authority.

But he had never expected Itachi to be the one to slaughter his own family.

Minato had assumed that Konoha would dismantle the Uchiha through political maneuvering or exile. He hadn't foreseen such brutal, calculated genocide.

And yet, what unsettled him most wasn't the village's actions.

It was Naruto himself.

The boy standing before him wasn't a naive nine-year-old child. His demeanor, his composure, the way he carried himself—it all felt unnatural, eerily similar to the thirteen-year-old Itachi.

Naruto was far too mature for his age. And that realization disturbed Minato more than anything.

After a long silence, Minato finally spoke.

"Naruto, you may not recognize me. I'm not an incarnation of the Nine-Tails. I am—"

Naruto cut him off. His voice was flat, almost dismissive.

"You're Namikaze Minato. Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure. The man who fathered this body."

Minato's expression softened with relief. "You know who I am? Did the Third Hokage tell you?"

Naruto scoffed. "That old man never told me anything. I figured it out myself—I've seen your face on Hokage Rock every day."

"But whether you're Hokage or my so-called father doesn't interest me. What matters is what you can offer me."

His gaze was cold. "So let's skip the small talk. What do you have to offer?"

Minato fell silent.

He had once been the village's hero. But now, he was just a ghost of a man and an absent father.

And he had no idea how to reach his son.

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