Naruto: They are all reborn.

Chapter 40 What makes a demon a demon?

Shi Xu was filled with questions. He raised his hand, pointed at himself, and asked a profound question.

"what?"

He was just about to speak when he saw Minato behind Naruto make a gesture, indicating that he should come over.

Immediately afterwards, Minato stepped forward, patted Naruto on the shoulder, and slightly removed his mask to reveal his Konoha headband, indicating his identity: "You're a Konoha ninja, right?"

"I am neither married nor have a son. Besides... the Second Shinobi World War has just ended, let alone the Fourth Shinobi World War, even the Third Shinobi World War is still a long way off."

Naruto's mind went blank for a moment, and he stammered, "But...but...I absolutely cannot have misremembered, nor could I have mistaken someone for someone else."

Minato comforted him, his voice seemingly possessing a magical quality that gradually calmed Naruto down.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be from the future. Judging from the looks of it, your era is about twenty years away from the present."

"Excuse me, please wait a moment." Naruto took a step back to process the news, but no matter what he did, a portion of his attention remained on Toki.

"I understand, but I haven't mistaken you for someone else. You are Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage, and I am your son, Naruto Namikaze."

He gritted his teeth and stared up at Shi Xu: "As for you! You are Uzumaki Shi Xu, am I right?"

Shi Xu could sense his hatred and anger. After a moment of silence, she removed her mask: "I am Uzumaki Shi Xu, so... are you going to kill me?"

Naruto clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his emotions: "Uzumaki Toki, even twenty years ago you weren't as weak as people imagined. You've already mastered that power to absorb ninjutsu, haven't you!"

Absorbing ninjutsu?!

Naruto's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, giving Minato and the other two quite a shock.

If the power to absorb ninjutsu truly existed, wouldn't Oo be the nemesis of all ninjas?

"But that power isn't invincible; it has at least some Earth Release and Water Release techniques..."

"Stop talking, Naruto!" Minato Namikaze shouted, interrupting Naruto.

"Why?!" Naruto retorted defiantly, "Even if I have no chance against him, as long as I tell you about Toki's weakness beforehand..."

"Because it's pointless." Minato's gaze turned dangerous, but it wasn't directed at Toki, but at Naruto in front of him.

"You are from the future. Your every action could change the past. Do you know what the consequences of doing so will be?"

Naruto paused for a moment, and his aggressive demeanor vanished: "I... I meant well."

"If I knew today that I would have a son someday, I would think about who my future spouse would be, how I could have a son just like the one I remember, and what if I couldn't?"

Minato Namikaze's voice gradually softened; his thoughts on his son were still mainly focused on admonishment.

"The same goes for Toki. We know he will start a ninja world war in the future, so should we treat him as a criminal now?"

"He hasn't done anything yet, and he's being treated so unfairly just because of a vague future. Perhaps it's because of this injustice that he's become the way you remember him."

Shi Xu narrowed his eyes slightly and couldn't help but think more highly of Minato Namikaze.

Honestly, if an opportunity to change the future were presented to him, he would absolutely not let it slip by. However… judging from Naruto's attitude towards him, asking about the future was probably out of the question.

Even so, we can still get a glimpse from Naruto's few words just now.

The first is the weakness of the wedge.

The so-called "absorption ninjutsu" is essentially because the Karma seal can convert "ninjutsu" back into chakra, which can then be absorbed. If the ninjutsu itself is not composed of chakra, then the Karma seal naturally cannot absorb it. To be more specific, this refers to Earth Release ninjutsu and Water Release ninjutsu performed using water resources in the environment.

Then came the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Regardless of the cause of the war, judging from Naruto's attitude towards Toki, he likely did not start the war as a "Konoha ninja." In other words, he defected.

When he came to this answer, Toki was surprisingly calm. His only worry was for Tsunade and Kushina.

Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze had already calmed Naruto down and, seemingly intentionally, raised his voice: "Regardless, Toki Uzumaki is now a comrade of Konoha, and we are also carrying out a secret mission. You are free to act as you see fit, but please do not do anything to change the past, and do not interfere with our mission."

"...I understand, Father." Naruto gave Shi Xu a meaningful look, then clenched his fist.

He couldn't bring himself to apologize to Shi Xu; at most, he could only suppress his prejudice against him.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Toki didn't care about Naruto's attitude, and only tentatively asked, "Is it a deal?"

Minato Namikaze ruffled Naruto's hair, then nodded: "Tokio, how's it going on your end?"

"It was alright," Shi Xu replied casually, then asked, "Was it Namikaze Naruto who caused such a commotion just now?"

Naruto nodded and replied, "It's me."

Shi Xu glanced at his headband, a slight smile playing on his lips. "So, he's revealed he's a Konoha ninja... You've helped me, Naruto. Now I need to get back as soon as possible; An Lushan should be making his move against Queen Sara."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately used the Instantaneous Movement Technique to leave.

Looking at the spot where Toki had been standing, Minato Namikaze sighed softly, "This is the consequence. A rift has formed between us and Toki."

"He can't believe we won't report today's events to Konoha, and once Konoha learns of this information, they could take action against him at any time. From now on, Toki will never feel safe again from Konoha."

"Just like a cracked piece of glass, no matter how you repair it, it can never be restored to its original state. In fact, a small bump can make the crack bigger until it breaks in two."

Naruto couldn't help but feel annoyed. Could it be... that it was really because he traveled through time that caused Uzumaki Toki to defect?

"The cause and effect are reversed. It's all my fault. Father is the Fourth Hokage. He must be able to think of a solution." When feeling powerless, every child will subconsciously turn to their father for help.

But Minato Namikaze simply shook his head: "Once suspicion arises, the charge is already established, and the truth becomes irrelevant!"

"Naruto, don't be too hard on yourself. It's not your fault. After all, you don't know anything."

(End of this chapter)