This Naruto is a player.

Chapter 156 Minato: Is this kid really my son?
"Really? I don't believe it!"

In his previous life, many guests were rendered speechless by this rhetorical question.

However, Minato truly lived up to Jiraiya's high praise as the benchmark of ninjas.

His expression remained unchanged, and his voice was still steady: "It seems that the Third Hokage really didn't mention anything to you."

"Ah!"

Upon hearing Minato mention this, Naruto couldn't help but let his lips, which had just curled up in a smile, fall back down.

Minato keenly noticed his son's change in mood and continued patiently, "The Third Hokage did this perhaps to minimize the amount of information about the Nine-Tails. And..."

He paused, his tone carrying the worry typical of a father, "If people find out that you are the son of Minato Namikaze, it will bring unpredictable dangers."

After all, on his path to becoming Hokage, he offended quite a few ninja villages during the war!
More importantly, he didn't want his son to harbor resentment towards the third generation as a result.

Naruto responded with a "Hehe".

Because his background was never mentioned, he always believed that his enemies came from his surroundings, from every villager who hated him.

Therefore, he lived in constant fear and at first he didn't even dare to go home.

It wasn't until later, when he exchanged for resurrection coins and the Flying Thunder God Technique through the system and gained enough confidence to protect himself, that he dared to stand tall in the sunlight and walk on the streets of the village.

If I had known from the beginning that I was the son of a fourth-generation hero, would I have lived such a pathetic life?
Um.
This reminds me of the fates of other Jinchūriki.
Naruto thought that might not be the case.

Gaara, the son of the Fourth Kazekage, was regarded as a monster by the villagers because of the One-Tailed Beast inside him. No one dared to approach or talk to him, and even his own father plotted to assassinate him!
There are also the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki from Kumogakure: Brubi and Killer Bee.

The former was a member of the royal family, and the latter was the Raikage's sworn brother. Despite their noble status, they still suffered from the villagers' contempt and isolation in the Land of Lightning, where martial arts were revered.

The Two-Tails Jinchuriki is no exception.

Looking at the four examples above, Naruto discovered that while the hatred disappeared due to the added status, the deep fear of the Tailed Beasts still accompanied their Jinchūriki careers.

Thinking about myself, even if everyone in the village knew I was the son of a hero, what difference would it make? The situation would probably be similar.

Damn it, in the end, the culprit is still the tailed beast!
If he didn't have the tailed beast inside him, as the son of the Fourth Hokage and with this heaven-defying talent, Naruto wouldn't even dare to imagine how great his life in Konoha would be!

This is a script that's totally like a wish-fulfillment novel!

What about reality?
Poor thing, he thought he had enemies all over the world. Before graduation, he was so timid that he only dared to play the role of a loser. He never dared to show his talent until he was sure that he was invincible!

Upon thinking of this, the resentment and confusion that had been building up for over a decade surged within my chest like a volcano.

Naruto suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing Minato like a blade.

"Tell me, Fourth Hokage, why did you seal the Nine-Tails inside me!"

Fourth generation, huh?
Upon hearing this somewhat distant form of address, Minato's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, but the gentle smile on his face remained unchanged.

He keenly sensed that Naruto had not fully accepted him and harbored deep resentment towards the Nine-Tails.

"I choose to retain half of the Nine-Tails' chakra before applying the seal."

Minato's voice was gentle yet firm, "Because I firmly believe that you can master and control this power! Because you are my son!"

A smile played on his lips, his deep blue eyes curving into gentle crescents, his smile brimming with unwavering trust and expectation.

That warm, sunny smile seemed to possess some kind of magical power, causing Naruto's tense nerves to relax involuntarily.

It seems that this fourth generation is a very gentle person.

Minato's expression suddenly turned serious. "As for why I did this, I had no choice but to do so."

"On the night you were born, a mastermind manipulated the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha. Moreover, this person's strength is unfathomable; without extraordinary power, it is impossible to contend with them."

He stared intently at Naruto. "That's why I chose to seal the Nine-Tails inside you."

Naruto lowered his head silently and exhaled a long, silent breath.

He understood the Fourth Hokage's unspoken message.

The Nine-Tails was a guarantee of strength that the Fourth Hokage gave himself; it was a heavy legacy!

How can I truly master it?
The only way is to rely on your own will and hard work to achieve it!
After all, he said at the beginning, 'Because you are my son! I believe in you!'

Naruto was speechless for a moment at this unconditional trust.

I have mixed feelings in my heart.

In his past life, Naruto's parents also believed in him in the same way.

This is probably what it's like to be a parent, right?
However, this unconditional and heavy trust really caused him a lot of trouble!

but
Looking up, Naruto met Minato's eager and hopeful gaze, and he felt that the Fourth Hokage had overestimated the man in black.

Obito Uchiha was such a weakling, and he was the mastermind behind everything?
There is only one mastermind in the ninja world, and that is Naruto Uzumaki!
and many more,

The person in front of me doesn't seem to know the identity of the man in black, does he?

"I know who controlled the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha that night!"

Naruto said with certainty, "It's Obito Uchiha! The entire ninja world knows this!"

"what?!"

Minato's gentle expression froze instantly, replaced by incredulous astonishment, "Obito?!"

Surprise, confusion, and finally, a sense of indescribable relief.

This was the first time Naruto had ever seen such a complex change in expression on the face of the Fourth Hokage, who was always calm and composed.

Minato paused for a moment, his voice carrying a faint trace of memory: "Obito was a kind and good boy, very loving. He would patiently help elderly grandmothers cross the road and tirelessly help lost cats and dogs find their way home."

Minato recalled Obito's past, and he simply couldn't connect the kind and warm-hearted boy in his memory with the demon who controlled the Nine-Tails and destroyed Konoha!

Moreover, Obito had already sacrificed himself in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge!
Naruto spoke with absolute certainty, and the whole ninja world knew about it.

If that's the case, there's only one possibility!
"That's a lot!"

Minato's gaze enveloped Naruto like warm sunshine, his voice carrying the unique concern and reminder of a father: "You must be especially careful. Obito is a kind-hearted boy and will never suddenly fall into darkness unless there is an invisible hand pushing him along!"

As for who the mastermind behind it all is?

Who saved Obito from the brink of death? Who led Obito into darkness?
The unknown, everything is shrouded in mystery.

Upon hearing Minato's suggestion, Naruto immediately understood.

what? !

Is there a mastermind behind Obito?
They must be found out!
They were even better at hiding it than I was!

The ninja world will never allow such a dark hand to exist!

"Naruto, what are you going to do after opening the Bagua seal?"

Minato's gentle voice interrupted Naruto's thoughts, posing the core question.

He sensed the outside world through the Nine-Tails' leaked chakra. At that moment, the only people outside were Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Why did Naruto release the seal when there seemed to be no imminent danger?

It even unleashed the power of the Eight-Tails? Forcing him to waste his remaining chakra and thus be forced to appear?

Upon hearing this, Naruto grinned with an incredibly bright smile, radiating confidence and fearlessness: "As you said, I want to start trying to control the Nine-Tails' power right now."

That radiant smile instantly touched the softest spot in Minato's heart!
He felt a sense of déjà vu.

Ah! That smile, that look in my eyes... isn't that just me?
Indeed, Naruto is very much like his father!
No, perhaps she's more like Kushina?
Thinking of this, Minato felt quite gratified.

However, amidst the relief, a tinge of worry crept into my heart.

He glanced at Naruto again. He wasn't very tall, a head shorter than him, and his face still had a childish look, so he didn't look very old.

"Naruto, how old are you?" Minato's voice was still gentle, but it carried a hint of barely perceptible concern.

"Twelve years old!"

Only twelve years old? A hint of surprise flashed in Minato's eyes.

Twelve years old, in peacetime that is, not long after graduating from the Ninja Academy, or just after graduation.

Are you starting to learn how to control the Nine-Tails so early?

Minato wanted to say something more, but then he suddenly remembered that even in his current state of rampage with the Eight-Tails, Naruto was still clear-headed and seemed to be in good condition.

It seems that this child truly possesses extraordinary talent in suppressing tailed beasts!
It's unclear how Naruto's current strength compares to Kakashi's, who became a Jonin at the age of 12.

No, it's unfair to compare Naruto to a rare genius like Kakashi.

Speaking of Kakashi,
I wonder if that child has recovered from the trauma of that year?
That's it.

Minato's lips curled slightly, revealing a warm and expectant smile.

We still have some time, so why don't we test my son first?

"Naruto, are you studying under Jiraiya-sensei?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Did Jiraiya ever teach you a technique that doesn't require hand seals?"

Naruto blinked, a knowing smile spreading across his face: "A technique that doesn't require hand seals? Is this it?"

hum-

A soft chirp.
In an instant,
A Rasengan, radiating blue light, perfectly shaped, and brimming with highly concentrated chakra energy, was already hovering above Naruto's outstretched right palm.

The pure energy was firmly bound within the small sphere, following a mysterious trajectory, spinning and compressing wildly.

Minato's gaze sharpened slightly, confirming: it was indeed the Rasengan!
Not bad!

He's so young to have mastered this skill.

This joy far surpasses the feeling Jiraiya showed him when he learned it back then!
This kind of ninjutsu is not easy for a twelve-year-old child.

"How long did it take you to learn it?" Minato asked approvingly.

"Do we still need to learn?"

Naruto scratched his head, looking completely matter-of-fact with sincerity, "I can learn these things just by looking at them once."

"Is that so?" Minato paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Look, I even have an advanced version," Naruto said excitedly.

Under Minato's curious gaze,

Buzz—Boom!
The blue pill in their hands suddenly expanded, chakra surged violently, and the swirling wind pressure made the hems of their clothes flutter!
A Rasengan Pro, half the height of a person and radiating a blinding blue light, appears.

Naruto raised a bright smile and looked at Minato.

His Hokage robes fluttered wildly in the wind, making him appear tall, dashing, and unrestrained!
Naruto looked down at himself: khaki trousers and a khaki hooded windbreaker.

Tsk. That's totally not the style!

I should have worn a long trench coat.

What a pity.

On the other hand, Minato's expression showed even greater astonishment.

Naruto seems to have completely mastered the Rasengan, and can even develop this technique.

"Actually, there's this too." Naruto glanced at Minato and decided to increase his intensity.

His chakra erupted suddenly, sweeping through the space like a hurricane.

In the dim space, a Rasengan MAX, containing an enormous amount of chakra, five meters in diameter, and as huge as a full moon in the sky, appeared.

This eerie blue light illuminated almost the entire sealed space.

The blue light was also reflected in Minato's pupils and shone on his face.

Minato's initial shock had now turned into astonishment.

With such precise control over his chakra and such a vast amount of chakra, Minato felt that Naruto could be compared to Kakashi, who was the same age.

Looking down at Naruto, who appeared tiny compared to the enormous blue chakra sphere, a deeper sense of relief welled up within him.

As it turned out, his relief came too soon.

"Actually, regarding the Rasengan," Naruto's voice held a hint of amusement, "I have several improved versions."

"An improved version?"

Minato's heart skipped a beat, and a vague thought flashed through his mind.

Could it be
Next second,
scoff-

A rapidly spinning, destructive shuriken—Wind Release: Rasenshuriken—appeared.

The piercing shriek tore through the air and echoed throughout the entire space!

The incredible look on Minato's face froze.

Then, I was overwhelmed by an even deeper shock!

Wind Release?

Naruto actually managed to perfectly integrate wind-style chakra into the Rasengan?

This is exactly the idea that I was unable to complete back then because of the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage!
Looking at the figure that was faintly visible amidst the white wind blades, Minato felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction and pride.

At such a young age, how could someone develop a Rasengan that combines attribute changes?
My son, isn't he a genius?
“Actually, I’ve developed even more versions of this Rasenshuriken,” Naruto continued, seemingly oblivious to his father’s shock.

Was it originally called the Spiral Shuriken?
Minato even wanted to give this move a name: "Wind Release: Light Wheel Gale Spiral Arrow Zero Style".

Since we already have it, let's just leave it at that.

Did he say more just now?

Next, Naruto showed us, without holding back, what it means to be a true genius!

Various forms of Rasengan, including Ice Release, Dust Release, Lava Release, Scorch Release, and Magnet Release, made their appearance one by one.

One after another, Rasengans containing different bloodline limits or special attributes appeared in this dark space like dazzling fireworks!

Then, Minato received a shocking surprise from Jiraiya.

Shocking, shocking, and even more shocking!

Even Minato's expression went from initial shock to gradually freezing, and finally he was completely stunned!

Watergate realized he was wrong, and terribly wrong.

Even Kakashi, who invented Chidori at the age of 12, seems unable to compare with Naruto.

Look at these various escape techniques.

Ice Release, Dust Release, Lava Release, Scorch Release, Magnet Release, and so on.

This involves at least a dozen different bloodline limits or special attributes.

I don't have such a bloodline limit. There's only one possibility that Naruto was able to master these: he learned and fused them on his own!

This kid seems to be too much of a genius!
It's even so monstrous that it defies reason!
Even in the best-case scenario he envisioned before his death, this scene seemed completely out of the question.

However, after recovering from the shock, he smiled, a gentle smile like a little sun.

Kushina would probably be very happy to see this.

No, no matter what, as long as Naruto grows up healthy, Kushina should be happy!
It was at this moment that Minato became even more convinced that his belief was correct; Naruto was indeed the child of prophecy.

Now he has nothing to worry about regarding the present world.

After the demonstration, Naruto noticed Minato looking at him and smiling, so he smiled too.

For a moment, even the Nine-Tails hiding in the corner felt that the sunlight outside was too dazzling.

“Nalut,” Minato’s voice was filled with understanding and relief, “No wonder you wanted to break the seal and learn to master the Nine-Tails’ power. I understand now.”

Minato understood Naruto's plan. With Naruto's strength, breaking the Nine-Tails' seal was not surprising.

But Minato was wrong again.

Naruto turned around without hesitation and walked with light steps toward the huge cage inside the seal.

"Naruto! Danger!" Minato's pupils contracted, and he instinctively shouted a stern warning.

He moved swiftly to stop him, but Naruto casually waved his hand to stop him.

"Peace of mind!"

Naruto turned around with a relaxed smile on his face and said something surprising: "Actually, Kurama and I have been good friends for a long time."

Having said that, he turned back to the depths of the dark cage and called out, "Is that right, Big Fox?"

"A giant fox?"

Minato looked bewildered. Was he calling for Kurama (the Nine-Tails)?

His bewildered gaze also fell upon the depths of the cage swallowed by darkness.

The light could not reach it; one could only vaguely sense a vast and oppressive chakra lurking within.

Just then, a deep, resonant voice echoed from the darkness: "Naruto!"

To Minato, the voice lacked the ferocity and hatred of the Nine-Tails he remembered; instead, it was tinged with a hint of resentment, more like a tantrum.
That's right, Kurama was complaining to Naruto. There were outsiders present, so at least give it, the 'strongest tailed beast,' some face.

Naruto naturally understood the implied meaning.

This is his biological father, not a stranger.

However, in the end, he still considered Kurama's feelings and used a more formal address: "Come out, Kurama!"

Kurama? A look of realization flashed in Minato's eyes. So that was its real name?
dong dong dong-

With a slight tremor in the space, the Nine-Tailed Fox's enormous crimson body slowly emerged from the shadows, revealing its true form.

Minato could clearly see that there was not a trace of hatred in Kurama's huge pupils as it looked at Naruto.

It feels more like the intimacy and comfort of friends meeting.

Only when his gaze occasionally swept over himself would hatred and icy killing intent suddenly burst forth from the depths of his pupils!
Only then does the Nine-Tails become the world-destroying beast that ravaged Konoha back then!

Are you good friends?

A storm was brewing in Minato's heart!
this.
This is completely different from the way Kushina and Kurama interact.

It seems that Naruto has truly established an indescribable connection with Kurama?

To Minato's utter astonishment, Naruto casually strolled into the sealing cage as if he were just visiting a neighbor.

It even leaped lightly and landed steadily on the Nine-Tails' enormous head.

It's like standing on the head of your own pet.

Minato's heart tightened, and he instinctively followed to the cage door, fully alert!

"Call for help!" Naruto, standing atop the Nine-Tails' head, patted it.

The Fourth Hokage!

Facing this old enemy, the Nine-Tails forced out the name from between its massive teeth, its voice filled with an overwhelming, suppressed hatred.

"Ok?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly and gave a soft hum.

The once-fierce Nine-Tails instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.

Its enormous head lowered slightly reluctantly, its voice as strained as a wronged young wife: "Namikaze Minato."

After calling for help, Nine-Tailed Fox abruptly turned its head to the side, feeling ashamed to face anyone.

This scene completely shattered Minato's worldview!

This Fourth Hokage, who has seen a great deal, has truly broadened his horizons today!
It turns out that the invincible Nine-Tails has such an unexpectedly adorable side.
After demonstrating to Minato that the only obstacle left to control the Nine-Tails was the sealing barrier, Naruto calmly stepped out of the cage.

A crisp snap of the fingers!
Naruto and Minato suddenly appeared in a pure white space.

This place is isolated from the Nine-Tails; there are only two people here.

Only then did Naruto prepare to speak frankly with Minato, the main point being that there was some information he needed to inquire about carefully.

"Dad," Naruto said, using this somewhat odd form of address.
Minato was slightly taken aback!
Dad?

Am I old? I'm only in my early twenties.

But then, a warm feeling quietly welled up in my heart.
He called me "Dad"?
Does this mean he has forgiven me?
"Hmm?" Minato suppressed his emotions and responded gently.

Naruto cut to the chase, "What do you know about your parents, my grandparents?"

This question is a bit abrupt!

A hint of confusion flashed in Minato's eyes, but he still told the truth: "I have been an orphan since I was a child, and I don't know much about my parents."

"Oh~"

Naruto nodded thoughtfully.

I don't know, that would give you plenty of stories to make up.

The possibilities are endless!
The next second, Naruto carefully chose his words and continued, "Do you think it's possible that our ancestors had some special relationship with the Uchiha clan?"

Uchiha?
This question puzzled Minato greatly: "What's the relationship?"

"for example.?"

"for example."

Naruto deliberately dragged out the last syllable, but didn't continue immediately.

Minato was still wondering when he saw Naruto raise his eyes and look directly at him.

however,
The moment their eyes met!
Minato froze as if struck by lightning.

The gentleness and confusion on his face froze instantly.

His pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and an unbelievable sense of horror overwhelmed him.

Because in those deep blue eyes that should have belonged to Naruto, there was now a pair of scarlet Sharingan with three tomoe.

"Naruto!" Minato cried out in alarm!
(End of this chapter)