Inside the Mind World, Underground Sewer.
As soon as Naruto entered, he was hit by a violent, furious chakra he hadn't felt in a long time—the chakra of the Nine-Tails.
Behind the red-barred gate, the beast bristled with rage, baring its fangs at a tall, blond-haired shinobi figure standing at the entrance.
That person sensed the arrival of the mind world's owner.
Turning his head, he greeted warmly with a radiant smile, "Naruto."
Naruto sized him up, eyes scanning from the ground up.
He saw the short-sleeved red cloak draped over him, with five neatly written kanji characters on the back.
He saw a face that looked almost identical to the one on the Hokage Rock.
"Fourth Hokage," Naruto and the Nine-Tails said in unison—one light, one heavy; one calm, the other seething.
The Nine-Tails was furious!
It didn't deny that Minato was a decent man, but it was also he who had resealed the beast and even split it into two halves.
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
Before coming, he had considered many possibilities—but not this one: that this chakra belonged to his father.
"When I placed the seal back then, I left a chakra imprint. Once the eighth tail is released, I would appear in your consciousness," Namikaze Minato said gently, his tone matching his appearance and demeanor. "It was meant as a safety valve in case you lost control."
"But now it seems…"
"Naruto, you've exceeded all my expectations."
"To be able to meet you like this… is truly a blessing."
Naruto swallowed hard.
He strode forward in large steps.
Minato opened his arms wide, smiling radiantly.
But what greeted him wasn't a hug from his son.
It was a punch!
A punch honed through countless sparring sessions with Yoruichi and polished by the taijutsu training—one designed to inflict pain, but not enough to shatter the chakra imprint.
Minato's face twisted in pain as he stumbled and fell to the ground.
The Nine-Tails chuckled wickedly, some of its resentment dissipating.
"That really hurt," Minato said, holding his stomach, oddly nostalgic at the familiar sensation, grinning. "In this respect, you're just like your mother."
"Why did you seal the Nine-Tails into your own son?" Naruto clenched his fists. "Things are okay now, sure, but back then…"
"Thanks to you, I had a hell of a childhood!"
Minato turned his head, sighing. "I brought nothing but heartache to my son's youth."
"I really don't deserve to apologize as your father."
Naruto looked away, head held high.
"But still, hear me out," Minato continued gently. "I sealed half of the Nine-Tails' chakra inside you…"
"Partly because that was the best I could manage at the time."
"And also…"
"That night when Kushina gave birth, a powerful shinobi broke in and released the Nine-Tails."
Naruto cut him off, "I've already heard about this from the Nine-Tails. Jiraiya-sensei suspects it might be Uchiha Madara."
Minato frowned, shaking his head. "I couldn't determine his true identity. I didn't know which Uchiha he was."
"But he was from the Akatsuki—a man with a spiral mask."
"He was strong, full of hatred toward Konoha."
"When I fought him, he anticipated almost all of my moves."
"I feared he'd return someday, so I left the Nine-Tails within you."
"Akatsuki, huh…" Naruto murmured.
The organization he once fought against. He had assumed they just wanted the Tailed Beasts, but now it seemed they were deeply intertwined with his own life.
Minato stood up.
"I've already left Konoha, and I'm no longer a shinobi," Naruto looked up, locking eyes with his father.
"I saw it all," Minato smiled gently. "That surprised me."
"But…"
He placed a hand on Naruto's head, smile even brighter. "No matter what choice you make, you are my son."
"You didn't fall into hatred."
"You stepped away from the ninja system."
"That was a fine decision."
"Just keep holding fast to your beliefs and stride forward."
Minato paused, thinking for a moment, then added, "My chakra is getting weaker."
"There's not much time left. Let's get to the main task."
"Ask Jiraiya-sensei to bring out the key."
He glanced at the Nine-Tails.
"You're amazing. Not even your mother, Kushina, could manage what you've done."
"To coexist so peacefully with the Nine-Tails."
The Nine-Tails bared its teeth and scoffed, "The kid's still a child. I can't exactly bully a child, now can I?"
Minato smiled at it.
The Nine-Tails turned its head, refusing to look at him.
Naruto left the inner world and opened his eyes.
Back in the Real World.
Jiraiya's face grew darker. He stared at the red blade in Naruto's hand, watching the fluttering ribbon, muttering, "It's been a while. Did something happen?"
There hadn't been many signs, but it wasn't hard to tell: the ribbons on the hilt symbolized Tailed Beast transformation levels.
From six tails, to seven, to eight—it all happened in a flash.
But the transformation had stayed at the "eight tails" stage for too long now.
Nearly ten minutes passed with no further change.
"Jiraiya-boy, no need to worry so much," Fukasaku said, trying to reassure him, though her tone was tense. "Little Naruto is highly skilled with sealing techniques—even if he loses control…"
She trailed off.
At the center of the sealing formation, Naruto suddenly opened his eyes.
His gaze swept out, carrying an overwhelming aura.
Not just Gamakichi, but even Fukasaku and Shima instinctively shrank back behind Jiraiya.
Still, his eyes were clear—he hadn't lost control.
"Jiraiya-sensei, the key," Naruto said.
Jiraiya asked, "Are you sure?"
Even as he spoke, his hands were already forming seals without delay.
Chakra surged.
Then—just as expected!
He opened his mouth wide, and a small toad, blue and orange, peeked out from his throat, dragging a long scroll with its back half.
"Jiraiya, why are you summoning me—" it started to complain, but its words cut off. It turned around, eyes filled with shock.
There stood golden six-armed Naruto.
"What the hell is this?" it muttered, swallowing its previous thoughts.
Jiraiya's tone was serious, "It's complicated and I don't have time to explain."
"But open the scroll and hand over the key to Naruto."
The scroll toad looked him up and down. "This kid is Naruto?"
"But this is the key to the Nine-Tails seal!"
Jiraiya's voice was firm, "Naruto is ready."
"He's already reached eight tails—and hasn't lost control."
The toad was stunned, staring at Naruto. It grumbled, "Well, if you say so."
It waddled over, but soon turned back.
"Kid! Restrain your power—I can't get through!"
Its complaint was tinged with frustration.
The very air around Naruto felt solid. The closer one got, the heavier the pressure—it was impossible to move forward.
Naruto nodded and retracted his aura. "Come."
This time, the scroll toad made it across, opened its body, and revealed complex sealing scripts.
"Place your hand here," it said, pointing to the top right corner of the scroll. "You'll receive the key."
It was a square-shaped formula.
"But think carefully," it added as Naruto reached out. "Lifting the Four Symbols Seal means releasing the full Nine-Tails."
"I'm ready," Naruto replied without hesitation.
He raised his right hand, chakra flowing through his fingertips.
He pressed his hand onto the box, leaving an imprint.
The ink on the scroll writhed, becoming a rushing river that flowed up his arm.
Naruto closed his eyes.
Once more, he entered the inner world.
"You got the key?" Minato asked.
In the time Naruto was gone, he and the Nine-Tails had talked.
The atmosphere between the two was surprisingly calm.
Earlier, the Nine-Tails had still been brimming with resentment—but now, only a few minutes later, it was at peace.
Naruto nodded.
"Then let's do this," Minato stood and stepped aside. "Kushina and I both support your decision."
Naruto raised his right hand.
Pulling up his sleeve, he revealed the Four Symbols Seal, the script stretching to the end of his forearm.
He stepped forward, walking on air like ascending a long staircase.
Behind the red-barred gate, the Nine-Tails sat up, its eyes full of anticipation.
Step by step.
He reached the sealing tag as tall as a person, and pulled it off.
Revealing the "lock" behind the gate.
A spiral-shaped Four Symbols Seal.
Naruto placed his hand on his belly—and twisted.
Click-clack—
The lock turned. The gate slowly opened outward like a pair of sliding doors.
The Nine-Tails stood, placing its hands on the doors and pushing.
BOOM!
The doorframes flew apart.
The Nine-Tails surged out, raising its claw and aiming at Naruto.
Minato squinted, condensing the last of his chakra.
Naruto didn't move or resist.
The Nine-Tails wasn't attacking—it placed its claw gently on Naruto's head and grinned, "You've got guts, kid."
"Aren't you afraid I'm tricking you? That I'm just pretending to be friendly to escape and devour you?"
Naruto grinned brightly, raised his hand into a fist, and bumped it against the beast's claw. "We're friends, aren't we?"
The Nine-Tails grinned.
Naruto looked down and turned to Minato. "Dad, how was that?"
"You're amazing, my son!" Minato gave him a heartfelt thumbs-up.
But the next moment, as his form began to flicker, he said, "I need to tell you one more thing while I still can."
"It's about that technique of mine."
(End of Chapter)