Suddenly, Naruto let out a loud scream.
It felt as if his soul had been forcefully torn apart, shattered by an indescribable pain. Like a sharp blade relentlessly stabbing him—deeper and deeper—until, at last, it stopped.
And when the pain vanished, something emerged.
Memories. Not his own. But Minato's.
Naruto froze.
"What is this... You've got to be kidding me..."
But it was real. Too real.
Every memory of Minato—from his childhood, his days as a young ninja, to the battle against Kurama and the final moments before his death—was now perfectly embedded in Naruto's mind. Nothing was missing. Nothing was forgotten.
Naruto took a deep breath. This... this made everything much easier.
"Hahhh… Minato… I didn't expect you to leave me with such a gift."
Naruto looked up. The white light that had enveloped his inner space slowly faded.
But then...
His voice trembled.
Clack.
Tears began to fall down his face.
He covered his face with his right hand.
He was crying once again.
No matter how much hatred he had ever felt toward Minato, now that the farewell had truly come... he still felt the pain of loss.
Several minutes passed before he finally calmed down.
Naruto wiped the tears from his cheeks. He began to examine the memories Minato had left behind. And there, he found it.
Soul seal. A forbidden technique that seals two souls into one consciousness—but in truth, it was more than that. It was a form of soul sacrifice... to pass on your entire life to another.
"Minato... I guess you weren't so bad after all," Naruto muttered.
It turned out Minato had left behind more than just chakra. A fragment of his soul... wrapped in a sliver of chakra.
"Stupid old man..."
Naruto shifted his gaze to Kurama. "What? First time seeing someone cry?"
Kurama shook his head. "No. I didn't see it. I closed my eyes long ago."
Calmly, Kurama laid down as if to sleep. But his mind drifted far away. The last tears he had seen weren't tears of sorrow... but tears of blood. And those memories... were too dark to recall.
But soon, Kurama opened his eyes again. "Indra... it seems someone wants to see you," he said quietly.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Someone?"
Kurama nodded seriously. "Yes. And I think you should get out there... I sense ill intent from them."
"Hmm... alright."
Naruto focused his consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, the world was blurry. But then—
He leapt to the side in an instant.
Thud!
The ground trembled. The tree Naruto had been leaning on was now torn apart. The attack came without warning. Had he been a second slower, his body would've been crushed.
As his vision cleared... he was shocked.
That man…
"Danzo..."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. Alert. Ready for a follow-up strike.
Danzo only smiled, approaching casually.
"Kyuubi no Ko... or should I call you Naruto?" His voice was cold and filled with scorn.
What is this? Why is Danzo here? Naruto didn't take his eyes off him. He watched every movement carefully.
"Oh, so you know me. Good. That makes this easier..."
"Futon: Shinkuha!"
The jutsu launched. Sharp wind blades shot from Danzo's mouth, slicing toward Naruto.
Naruto jumped up, dodging quickly. But Danzo had already appeared behind him, using Shunshin.
Thud!
A powerful punch struck his back. Naruto was thrown back.
"Arghh!" he groaned.
But his body twisted mid-air, landing on his feet.
"Danzo! What the hell are you doing here?!"
Danzo didn't answer. He lunged again. Fast. Too fast. Naruto barely dodged, almost getting caught.
"Persistent little worm," Danzo mocked.
Naruto's clothes were torn, but he didn't care.
"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Smoke enveloped the area as dozens of clones appeared simultaneously.
Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Kage Bunshin? This boy..."
Naruto repositioned himself. The front-line clones charged, but were instantly destroyed. Others attacked from above and behind. Almost successful, but Danzo vanished and reappeared behind them, destroying them as well.
Naruto was buying time with the clones.
"Kurama! Give me a large amount of chakra!" Naruto commanded.
"Alright."
A surge of chakra flowed through him. Naruto's body transformed. His eyes turned red and sharp, a cloak of chakra formed, with tails behind him.
He dashed forward, channeling chakra into his legs. All the clones vanished, creating a thin mist to obscure his movements.
"Oh, trying to blur my vision? Clever... but not enough."
Thud!
Naruto's chakra-empowered punch landed. Danzo blocked, but his left arm was injured on impact.
Danzo's eyes widened. The figure in front of him left him stunned for a moment.
"Hahahaha..." Danzo stepped back, keeping his distance. "I didn't expect this... Jinchuriki Naruto can actually use chakra Biju..."
He glanced at his arm, now visibly cracked.
"No wonder... my arm nearly broke."
But he didn't care.
"Looks like you're hiding something from me, Naruto..."
Naruto said nothing, only stared.
"You should know... Hiruzen came to me. He accused me of manipulating you..."
Naruto scoffed. "Then why are you the one coming to see me?"
His suspicion grew. At first, he had expected Hiruzen to come. But instead... it was Danzo.
"So... what is it that you really want from me?" Naruto went straight to the point.
Danzo smiled again. His gaze turned sharp and piercing.
"Very well. No more games."
He stepped forward, voice firm.
"Tell me. Who told you?!"
The smile faded. His stare turned cold and pressuring.
"Huh? Told me what?"
"Don't play dumb. You know what I mean..."
Naruto exhaled slowly.
"It should've been that old man Hiruzen coming here... but instead, it's you..."
He turned his face away briefly.
"Danzo, before we continue... there's one thing I want to ask."
Naruto's expression turned calm... yet serious.
"Do you want to become Hokage?"
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Sorry I'm on my period, just 1 chapter today
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