"Then let's start now!"
Naruto exclaimed excitedly the moment Natsuro agreed.
"No rush, there's still some prep to do," Natsuro replied after thinking for a moment.
"Huh? Prep for what? I'm totally ready!" Naruto threw a few punches in front of Natsuro, trying to show how energized he was.
"I'm not talking about your condition," Natsuro said, a bit helpless. Honestly, Naruto's energy was never lacking.
"Then what do you mean?" Naruto asked, thoroughly confused.
"You'll know soon enough. First, go bring Jiraiya-sensei and Hinata here," Natsuro instructed.
"Huh?" Naruto couldn't understand why they needed to be involved but still nodded and ran off to get them.
Natsuro watched him go with a hint of emotion in his eyes.
Finally, the day has come.
Once Naruto succeeded, his strength would take a huge leap, skipping over Kurama Chakra Mode and even Tailed Beast Mode, directly reaching Kurama Sage Mode…
Even he felt a bit envious. That kind of power jump was something only Naruto could pull off.
He shook his head, brushing the thought aside. His own power was steadily growing. Maybe not as explosively, but reliably.
.....
At the mountain behind the village...
Naruto had already brought Jiraiya and Hinata over.
When Jiraiya found out Naruto intended to break the seal on Kurama, he was shocked and began questioning Naruto in detail.
But once he heard that Natsuro had already given his approval, Jiraiya didn't say anything further. In his mind, Kurama was probably no longer a threat to someone like Natsuro. Even if Naruto failed, Natsuro could just seal Kurama again.
Besides, Jiraiya knew Natsuro wouldn't do anything he wasn't confident in.
So, did Natsuro believe Naruto was truly ready to master the Nine-Tails' power?
Jiraiya looked over at Naruto. Truthfully, now that Naruto had mastered Sage Mode, the only area he lagged behind in was experience. In every other way, he'd probably already surpassed his master.
That realization filled Jiraiya with both pride and a touch of sorrow.
The times really have changed...
Natsuro had surpassed him. And now Naruto had too. He couldn't help but feel a little obsolete.
After a while, Jiraiya shook his head to dispel the thought.
He was more focused now on figuring out why Natsuro had asked both him and Hinata to come along. Like Naruto, he didn't quite understand it.
If it were just him, Jiraiya would have assumed Natsuro wanted the sealing key left behind by the Fourth Hokage.
But that didn't make sense either, Natsuro's sealing abilities were already more than enough to open Kurama's seal without the key.
Maybe he just wants to save time?
Still, that didn't explain why Hinata had to be there.
Was he planning to rely on emotional bonds to help Naruto suppress Kurama? But if that were the case, wouldn't it make more sense to bring in Sasuke and Kakashi as well?
So in the end, Jiraiya didn't really get it.
Hinata understood even less. She had come along simply because Naruto asked her to. Even now, she didn't know what her role was.
But upon hearing why they were there, she made a firm decision in her heart:If there's any way I can help Naruto, I'll do it, no matter what.
Soon, Natsuro arrived.
"You're finally here!" Naruto shouted, waving at him.
"What's the rush? It's not like Kurama's going anywhere, he's inside you," Natsuro replied, a little exasperated.
He greeted both Jiraiya and Hinata with a nod.
"Natsuro, why exactly did you want me and Hinata here?" Jiraiya asked directly.
"You'll find out soon," Natsuro said, deliberately keeping them in suspense.
"Fine. Do you need the sealing key from the Fourth?" Jiraiya asked again.
"No need. Naruto, come here, take off your shirt and sit down," Natsuro instructed.
"Okay!" Naruto responded eagerly. He quickly took off his top and sat down cross-legged.
Hinata's face turned red, but she didn't look away. She knew Naruto might need her help, and she was determined to be useful.
Natsuro stepped forward and placed a hand on Naruto's chest. Chakra surged from his palm, and soon, the intricate sealing script covering Naruto's upper body became visible.
Hinata gasped softly, surprised at the number of markings, then her heart ached slightly as she looked at Naruto.
Jiraiya glanced sideways at Natsuro. The original seal left by the Fourth wasn't this complex. All the extra markings were added later by Natsuro as protective layers. Back then, Natsuro's sealing technique hadn't been as refined, hence the mess.
But Natsuro wasn't embarrassed. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter how messy it looked as long as it worked. He had never bothered to go back and fix the old markings.
Now, they weren't needed anymore. Under Natsuro's hand, the scripts slowly vanished until only the Four Symbols Seal remained on Naruto's stomach.
"All right, Jiraiya-sensei, Hinata, sit down and each hold one of Naruto's hands," Natsuro instructed.
Jiraiya still didn't understand what was going on but complied, sitting beside Naruto and taking his hand.
It was natural on Jiraiya's side, but on the other… Hinata was red-faced and hesitant. Still—
This is for Naruto, she reminded herself. Steeling her resolve, she sat beside him and gently took his hand. Both their faces flushed.
"Ready?" Natsuro asked.
"Ready," the three of them replied in unison.
Without further hesitation, he pressed his palm firmly against the seal on Naruto's stomach.
In the next instant, Naruto, Jiraiya, and Hinata's consciousnesses were pulled away, but their hands remained clasped together.
Natsuro stretched with a yawn.
No surprises so far. That's good.
Inside Naruto's mindscape, the three of them stood together, blinking in confusion.
None of them had any idea what they were supposed to do. Natsuro hadn't given them any instructions.
Just then, two more figures began to materialize.
Jiraiya's eyes widened. Now I understand why Natsuro brought us here…
His eyes turned glassy, tears welling up.
"Minato… Kushina…"
That's right, the two new arrivals were none other than the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki.
Both Minato and Kushina looked confused. They didn't understand why they had suddenly appeared here, after all, the chakra fragments they left behind were only supposed to activate when Kurama's seal was broken.
But then they heard Jiraiya's voice and turned toward it, spotting Jiraiya, Naruto, and Hinata.
"Jiraiya-sensei…" Minato murmured. His gaze then fell on Naruto.
Hinata instinctively covered her mouth, stunned by the sight of Minato and Kushina. She then turned to look at Naruto.
As for Naruto, he hadn't processed what he was seeing yet. He pointed at Minato, his brain clearly spinning as it tried to make the connection.
Then his eyes lit up.
"You're the guy on the Hokage Rock! The Fourth Hokage!"
He grew more excited, then suddenly froze.
He remembered. During his inauguration as Sixth Hokage, Natsuro had revealed his true heritage: that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
Which meant… the man standing before him was his father. And the woman beside him…
Naruto slowly turned to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya nodded gently.
Naruto's eyes went wide. He stiffly turned back around to face the couple. Their eyes were already brimming with tears.
Naruto's voice trembled.
"D…Dad? M-Mom?"
The words were spoken with uncertainty, but they broke something in both Minato and Kushina.
They couldn't hold back anymore. Both of them rushed forward and wrapped their arms around Naruto.
"Yes, I'm your dad! Minato exlaimed.
And I'm your mom!" Kushina sobbed, holding him tightly as tears poured down her face.
Jiraiya and Hinata watched the scene, the long-lost family finally embracing, and wiped away tears of their own, overwhelmed by the moment.
Only after a long while did Minato, Kushina, and Naruto slowly separate.
At this moment, Kushina glanced at Jiraiya and Hinata. She naturally recognized Jiraiya—no surprise there, but Hinata, this was her first time seeing her…
Kushina's eyes lit up as a guess formed in her mind. "And who might this be?" she asked.
"H-Hello, Uncle, Auntie. My name is Hinata Hyuga," Hinata said quickly, bowing politely.
"Hinata, huh? That's a lovely name. Are you Naruto's girlfriend?" Kushina asked, raising her eyebrows playfully.
"Ah—ah?!" Hinata's face turned beet red.
"M-Mom, not yet!" Naruto stammered, equally flustered.
"Mhm, not yet. But you will be in the future," Kushina teased, making Naruto blush even harder.
After a while, they finally got into the real conversation, explaining what was going on. Meanwhile, Kushina had pulled the completely red-faced Hinata aside and was bombarding her with questions.
For now, everything felt... perfect.
Outside, Natsuro was for once taking a rare moment to rest. They should've met by now in Naruto's mindscape, he thought.
Since Minato's chakra was sealed within the seal on Naruto, breaking that seal would naturally trigger the remnants of his chakra. That was exactly what he had planned.
And Hinata? Well, of course, she was there as the future daughter-in-law. It wouldn't hurt to let Minato and Kushina meet her too.
—
Some time later, Jiraiya and Hinata both awoke.
"How was it?" Natsuro asked.
"Natsuro… thank you," Jiraiya said, eyes still a bit misty. He never thought he'd get the chance to see Minato and Kushina again. It was more than he could've hoped for.
"No need to thank me. I discovered their chakra traces a while ago. I just hadn't opened the seal back then because the timing wasn't right. Now, we've finally accomplished something important," Natsuro replied calmly.
Jiraiya opened his mouth, but in the end, didn't say anything more.
He felt a surge of guilt. He hadn't taught Natsuro much, only the Rasengan and the summoning technique, but Natsuro had given so much back. It made Jiraiya feel like he owed him deeply.
He realized that the most he ever gave Natsuro was the benefit of his identity, being a Sannin's student. That had opened doors for him early on…
But compared to everything he had done in return, it didn't amount to much. Now, all Jiraiya could do was stay in Konoha and be there for whatever Natsuro might need.
"How are things going in there now?" Natsuro asked.
"Naruto is still chatting with his parents. We figured we should give them some private time, so we came out first," Hinata answered, looking at Natsuro with sincere gratitude.
Because after today, the relationship between her and Naruto had finally changed.
Before this, their mutual shyness had made things awkward, stalling their progress endlessly. But now… things had finally moved forward, thanks to him.
"I see. Then I'll head in later. You two can leave for nowm Naruto will be fine," Natsuro said.
Jiraiya and Hinata nodded. They knew they probably couldn't help much from this point forward, and clearly Natsuro didn't plan on keeping them around either, so they didn't press the issue.
Once they left, Natsuro pointed his finger and entered Naruto's seal space.
"Yo, Kurama. Long time no see," Natsuro greeted as he appeared inside.
The seal was faint now. Kurama could've easily broken free if it wanted to, but it hadn't.
"Hmph." Kurama just snorted, clearly not in the mood to talk.
Natsuro didn't mind. "How are you feeling?"
Kurama stayed silent. It had seen Naruto meet with Minato and Kushina and felt… a little guilty.Not for killing them, it didn't regret that. Even if it hadn't been under mind control, back then it would've done it anyway for the sake of freedom.
But it did feel guilty for giving Naruto such a painful childhood.
Still… letting Naruto spend a little more time with his parents wasn't a bad thing.
Seeing Kurama remain quiet, Natsuro asked again, "Looking forward to it? The seal's about to be lifted."
"Nothing to look forward to. It won't be any different than before," Kurama finally muttered.
"Heh, true. You've already accepted Naruto a long time ago," Natsuro said with a smile.
This time, Kurama didn't argue.
"You've gotten stronger," Kurama suddenly looked up and remarked, unable to hide its surprise.
"Of course. I don't plan on standing still," Natsuro replied.
"I've never seen someone grow so fast… it's like you face no obstacles at all," Kurama said, almost in awe.
Seeing him reminded it of that wood-style guy who treated it like a pet… But Natsuro seemed even more powerful than him.
The comparison made Kurama feel a bit absurd.
"Of course there are obstacles," Natsuro chuckled. "If there weren't, I'd be even stronger than this."
Indeed, the fusion of his three Sage Modes had run into issues, but he'd expected that. It wasn't some minor power-up, it was top-tier stuff. No way it would be easy.
"Get ready. Naruto's on his way," Natsuro said.
And with that, his figure vanished from the seal space.
Kurama laid back down, but there was a seriousness in its posture now. It may have acknowledged Naruto, but it still wanted a proper fight. No holding back.
If Naruto wanted to win, he had to earn it.
Back in Naruto's mindscape, the reunion had mostly wrapped up. Of course, they hadn't had time to say everything, but they shared what they could.
Now they were thinking about how Naruto would face Kurama.
"Are you done? Kurama's been waiting a while," Natsuro suddenly appeared, breaking the moment.
"You must be Natsuro, the Sixth Hokage Naruto mentioned?" Minato asked, eyes lighting up.
"That's me. Hello, Fourth Hokage," Natsuro replied. And wow, he had to admit, Minato really was way more handsome than Naruto.
"Thank you… for letting us see Naruto one last time," Minato said as he and Kushina approached with Naruto to bow in thanks.
"It's the least I could do," Natsuro replied. "Naruto's my friend. If I can help him, I will."
After all, in the original story, Naruto had met his parents, but never truly had the chance for the three of them to be together.
Minato and Kushina smiled warmly, thankful their son had such a good friend.
"Are you planning to watch Naruto fight Kurama?" Natsuro asked.
"Yes. We wanted to help, but Naruto wouldn't let us," Minato said with a chuckle.
"Trust him. He's strong," Natsuro said.
"We do. We know he'll succeed," Minato replied.
"I won't let you down!" Naruto said confidently as he stepped up to Natsuro.
Natsuro didn't hesitate. He transferred Naruto into the seal space.
Kurama was already waiting.
Once Naruto left, Minato looked at Natsuro again. He'd already heard about Naruto's childhood, his guilt was inevitable.
But thankfully, Naruto had met him… and all the other friends who supported him.
Naruto had told him a bit about Natsuro's story too, and it amazed him.
Natsuro noticed Minato's gaze and assumed he was still worried. "No need to worry about Naruto," he said. "Honestly, this battle is just for show."
Minato blinked. He had misunderstood Natsuro, but still asked, "What do you mean?"
"Kurama already accepted Naruto long ago. He's just too proud to admit it," Natsuro explained.
"Is that so?" Minato smiled. Kushina breathed a sigh of relief too. As long as Naruto wasn't in danger, she could relax.
Still, Kushina was surprised. As a former jinchūriki herself, she knew how difficult Kurama was. She hadn't expected Naruto to be able to pull it off.
But she had no reason to doubt Natsuro, not after everything he'd done for them.
Natsuro thought for a second, then waved his hand. A projection appeared in front of them, showing Naruto inside the seal.
They watched as Naruto stood before Kurama and declared, "Kurama, I've come to fulfill our promise!"
Then he stepped forward with firm resolve, reaching out and tearing away the final layer of the seal.
The final battle between Naruto and Kurama…
Was about to begin.
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Currently on Chapter 367 - Natsuro's Sage Fox Mode, Great Blaze Rasengan