...
Three days passed quickly.
Naruto Uzumaki was discharged from the hospital. His injuries weren't severe, but he'd been kept under observation due to decisions by the Hidden Leaf's leadership.
Naruto was unaware of this, but Chu Ran, lurking in his subconscious, understood perfectly.
During his hospital stay, only Uchiha Izumi and Hinata Hyuga visited him.
Both visits were noted by the Anbu.
Recent events in the Hidden Leaf were significant enough to reshape its leadership.
Danzo Shimura, for illegally detaining the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was stripped of his authority over the Anbu.
Root, his clandestine organization, was decisively dismantled by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Root was effectively extinct, though Danzo had hidden a few operatives.
The other two Hokage advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, stayed silent.
Hiruzen's genuine fury meant Danzo's actions had crossed a line.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan faced increasing pressure from the village, fueling dissent within.
Even their clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha, was powerless to quell it.
As for the Hyuga clan, they confined Hinata Hyuga to their compound.
Hinata's father and clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga, was furious upon learning she'd visited the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
In the village's volatile climate, a child's naivety risking the clan's standing was a grave failure on his part.
As for our original protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, he resumed practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique in an open field.
But no matter how he tried, he made no progress.
Lacking the aptitude, Naruto reluctantly set it aside.
[The Flying Thunder God Technique is too hard. How did the Fourth Hokage manage it?]
[Better focus on other training. Practicing it a bit each day is enough.]
To prevent Naruto from obsessing, Chu Ran subtly nudged him in his subconscious.
Talent, after all, couldn't be forced.
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, was universally recognized as a genius.
The Flying Thunder God Technique's difficulty was well-documented in the original Naruto story. Even Minato's four Jonin escorts, tasked as Hokage guards, couldn't master it individually, requiring their combined effort to use it, underscoring its complexity.
At the same time, Chu Ran, in Naruto's subconscious space, was also studying the technique.
But his aptitude was no better than Naruto's.
The technique's extreme difficulty led him to abandon it.
Though he could use Blackening Points to learn it instantly, those points were too valuable to spend lightly.
[Looks like I need to address the issue in Naruto's body sooner.]
[Talking directly to the Fourth Hokage would make learning it much easier.]
Chu Ran's lips curled into a faint smile. He rose from his conjured bed and headed toward the Nine-Tails' prison.
Through a narrow, waterlogged passage, Chu Ran saw the Nine-Tails, Kurama, struggling against the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
"You damned brat!"
"I'll kill you!"
At the sight of Chu Ran, Kurama erupted in fury.
His red, slit-like eyes blazed with rage.
The surrounding water rippled, forming waves as tall as a person, surging toward Chu Ran.
[No need to get so worked up. I'm here to do something you've been dreaming I'd do.]
[You might even thank me later.]
Chu Ran smiled, using a Body Flicker Technique to appear before Kurama.
As Kurama prepared to break free and attack, Chu Ran swiftly touched the sealing tag.
Kurama's pupils widened in shock. He hadn't expected Chu Ran to act so suddenly.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains vanished instantly, and a glint of excitement flashed in Kurama's eyes.
Freedom, so close, made his breathing quicken.
"That's it… tear it off!"
Kurama's eyes gleamed with anticipation as Chu Ran began to peel the tag.
But at the critical moment, a figure appeared.
They grabbed Chu Ran, pulling him aside.
The partially removed seal snapped back onto the gate.
"Minato!"
Seeing his freedom slip away, Kurama roared in frustration.
A man in a Hokage cloak, with golden hair, stood before Chu Ran.
It was Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, known as the Yellow Flash of the Leaf.
[The Fourth Hokage.]
Chu Ran murmured, eyeing the man's figure.
"You're… Naruto, right?"
"You've grown so much."
Minato's gaze was gentle as he looked at Chu Ran, speaking softly.
The golden hair and blue eyes mirrored his own, unmistakably his son.
Minato stepped forward, enveloping Chu Ran in a warm embrace.
The chakra remnant he'd left in Naruto's body didn't know Chu Ran wasn't Naruto.
[You're the Fourth Hokage? My father?]
Chu Ran feigned surprise, hugging Minato back and asking excitedly.
"Yes, I'm your father, Minato Namikaze."
"Naruto, my time is short. Never try to touch that seal again."
"Until you're strong enough, don't attempt to control power beyond you."
Minato glanced at the sealed gate, a hint of doubt in his heart.
Though the seal wasn't entirely stable, it hadn't loosened significantly.
His first thought was that Naruto had been tempted by Kurama to tamper with it.
When Minato sealed the Nine-Tails, he left this chakra remnant for exactly such a scenario.
A child's resolve was easily swayed, making them vulnerable to manipulation.
If the seal showed signs of tampering, Minato's chakra would activate, reinforcing the seal and guiding Naruto as a father.
[I'm sorry, Father.]
Chu Ran's face showed remorse, though it was an act.
He knew everything, and Minato's appearance was part of his deliberate plan.
(End of Chapter)