The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

Minato is not the type to complain or blame others; when he encounters any mistakes, he only reflects on himself.

If only I had handled things better and made more reasonable arrangements back then.

Wouldn't the outcome be different?

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.

Naruto lunges at him.

Watergate also opened its arms to welcome them.

The father and son embraced each other tightly.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, for making you go through this. It's all my fault as a father."

Minato gently stroked Naruto's golden hair, which was exactly the same as his own, and said softly with a hint of guilt.

All responsibility lies with oneself.

At least that's what Minato himself thinks. If he were strong enough to protect his wife and children, things wouldn't have developed to this point.

Whether it's Menma or Naruto.

As the son of the Hokage, he could enjoy the respect of countless people in Konoha and have a very happy childhood.

Weakness is the original sin of everything.

"Huh? Dad, how did you get summoned by Edo Tensei? Could it be that bastard Orochimaru?! But how come you were able to break free from his control? I remember a few years ago, when Grandpa Third was fighting Orochimaru, the First Hokage and the Second Hokage who were summoned were both controlled by Orochimaru, right?"

Naruto is not a weak person after all.

Whether in the original story or in this life, Naruto's unwavering willpower has always been unmatched by most.

It was only a momentary wavering.

Naruto himself had adjusted his mindset.

He raised his head, looking at Minato with an incredulous expression.

"Hehe, it wasn't Orochimaru who summoned us, but Lady Tsunade. And I wasn't the only one summoned. Here's what happened..."

The father and son looked at each other.

Minato also quietly gave a brief account of how he, Kushina, and the others were summoned by Tsunade using Edo Tensei.

When he heard that Kushina had also reappeared in the world, waiting for him outside Mount Myōboku.

Naruto's heart was stirred. Although he was always positive, optimistic, and even a bit carefree, it didn't mean he had never felt lonely. Otherwise, why would he be so devoted to Sasuke? And why would he be so excited when he learned that Menma was his older brother?

Naruto has always longed for family and to be loved by others.

Even though he knew it was just a false resurrection of his parents.

But in the end, you can see the person and hear their voice, right?

How precious this is to loved ones!

However, as Minato explained, Naruto gradually understood the purpose of his parents being summoned. This didn't require explicit words; simply knowing that the caster was Tsunade and that the First, Second, and Third Hokage were also summoned was enough to reveal her intentions.

"So, Naruto, what your mother and I mean is that our family should stay away from this battle. No matter what the final outcome is, it has nothing to do with us. Of course, I will also give Menma my final advice. It would be best if it could end peacefully, but if that's not possible, Naruto, your mother really doesn't want to see you and your brother killing each other, especially if we both know about it."

Minato said this in a very solemn tone.

Naruto's expression froze upon hearing his father's words, and he fell silent.

Minato watched Naruto silently walk away, without urging him on. He just watched Naruto quietly, just as he had told Kushina, that both of their children were extremely stubborn.

It is impossible to change one's mind easily.

To persuade the two of them, one must proceed gradually; it is impossible to force them to agree.

"Dad, do you know what Mianma has done? Do you know what he's going to do next?"

Naruto looked up and stared directly at Minato, asking with the same serious expression.

"He killed Kakashi, he killed Jiraiya, and most importantly, everything he did destroyed the hard-won peace of the ninja world. He brutally trampled on the lives of others. Menma once told me that while he did everything for revenge, he did it mostly for peace. He said that if all the countries and ninja villages were unified, true and lasting peace could be achieved. But I've thought about it for a long, long time, and I still can't understand. Can peace bought with ruthless killing be called peace? If all the countries and ninja villages are destroyed, won't everyone harbor resentment? Isn't this just creating fear to terrify everyone? Even if such peace is achieved, can it really last? Dad, you named me Naruto, you must have read Jiraiya's novel, right? Perseverance, courage, and always believing that the dream of mutual understanding between people will be realized—that's what a person should have, that's the way to achieve true peace! Now it's not just a problem of Konoha, but a problem of peace for the entire ninja world, Dad."

There was no reply from Minato.

Naruto paused only slightly before continuing to speak.

Minato's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing Naruto's words.

"Is this what Menma told you, Naruto?"

"Yes, when I was captured by Menma and imprisoned in Hidden Light Village, I had a conversation with Menma, and that's what he said."

Naruto nodded and said.

"Have you ever considered that it might be possible?"

Minato said seriously.

Unlike Jiraiya, who had been completely assimilated by Mount Myōboku, Naruto was still very young and easily fooled.

Minato's thoughts and consciousness have always been very mature and comprehensive.

The peace that Naruto spoke of was the peace that Menma wanted to achieve.

According to Minato.

It's not completely impossible.

There will certainly be difficulties and uncertainties along this path, but that only further demonstrates its feasibility.

Because unrealistic things are those that don't even show difficulties and uncertainties; they are pure fantasy and daydreams.

Minato is no longer the Hokage of Konoha; he is simply a father. Like Kushina, all he wants now is for his children to be safe and sound and not fall into darkness.

Minato was worried that Menma would be blinded by hatred and that Naruto would be swayed by the emotions of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Life is short.

Often, we are not in control of our own lives, not to mention that young children are more prone to emotional fluctuations, which can lead to wrong judgments.

Whether the path chosen by Menma is correct, or whether it can truly be achieved, Minato cannot be certain.

But at least one thing is certain: Menma was not truly blinded by hatred.

He always had a path he wanted to take in his heart; the only difference was the direction and distance.

"How could that be possible? Father, countless people have died. Won't the remaining people hold grudges? You should know very well what the situation is like in Konoha Village right now, right? Everyone wants revenge. In such a situation, where can peace come from, Father?"

Naruto shook his head like a rattle-drum, clearly showing his complete disapproval.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 512 The Heart's Desire

Having witnessed firsthand the harm and horror of hatred, Naruto could never believe that so-called killing could bring peace. From Naruto's perspective, after a great war, could people who lost their friends and family forgive their living enemies?

Even Naruto himself was almost provoked by his own brother. When he saw Jiraiya being killed by Menma, he almost couldn't control himself and wanted to take action against Menma.

This is the power of resentment.

On this point, Naruto is not boasting.

If even he couldn't control his anger, how could any ordinary person possibly do so?

In just three short years.

How many ninjas from the Five Great Shinobi Villages did Menma and his Hidden Light Village kill? And they still dare to dream of bringing peace to the ninja world?

Naruto genuinely felt that his older brother had lost his mind and was misled by his own immense power.

This is the wrong approach.

Just like Madara Uchiha, who was defeated by the First Hokage, he was so arrogant that he only believed in his own power.

Naruto still believes that the path taken by the First Hokage, the path spoken of by his grandfather Jiraiya, is the true path to peace. Especially after returning to Mount Myōboku and listening to the Great Toad Sage's simple account of how the Sage of Six Paths seemed to be walking the same path of peace over a thousand years ago, Naruto became absolutely certain of his belief.

Seeking mutual understanding between people.

True peace lies in building a world where everyone can respect and depend on each other.

The legendary Sage of Six Paths did just that, doesn't that prove the correctness of this path?

Naruto was just that certain.

However, Naruto also forgot that, putting aside the Sage of Six Paths, the so-called peaceful world created by the First Hokage was primarily based on his immense power. Without a power strong enough to threaten the entire ninja world and suppress all existence, how could the First Hokage gain the approval of the other four great ninja villages?

Was it because of Hashirama Senju's laughable sincerity and his almost foolish kneeling and begging posture?

Stop being funny.

The other four First Hokage might indeed have been moved by Hashirama Senju's so-called sincerity, but that was only because the person begging was the First Hokage, known as the God of Shinobi. Try it with anyone else!

These four original Shadows will take a second look, even if they lose.

The power to fight the world alone (Hashirama Senju) + the reasonable distribution of benefits (equal distribution of the tailed beasts), plus Hashirama's so-called sincere attitude.

That's what brought about that period of peace.

Naruto never understood this point, and it should even be said that Hashirama Senju himself never understood this point. He probably still naively believed that he had truly moved the leaders of these rival ninja villages with his sincerity.

In this respect, Tobirama was actually quite helpless back then. As the younger brother, and especially since his strength was far inferior to his older brother's, he could only obey his brother's arrangements and do as his brother wished.

Tobirama from back then is now Minato.

It's not that Minato necessarily approved of Menma's approach, but if a judgment had to be made...

Minato didn't believe in the kind of peace his youngest son described.

That path has already been proven to be a failure by the First Hokage.

The First Shinobi World War broke out immediately after Hashirama Senju's death. To be more precise, when news of Hashirama's critical illness and the possibility of his death began to circulate, the shinobi world was already filled with all sorts of strange and unpredictable events.

The peace established by the First Hokage was short-lived and unrealistic. Mutual understanding between people? That would only happen if there was only one person left in the world.

Even the closest relatives can turn against each other, let alone ordinary people who started out together!

"That's precisely why we should try to understand this more deeply, isn't it? Do you really want to just watch your mother worry and even get hurt? Naruto, do you want her to just watch you two brothers kill each other? And, most importantly, can you really stop Menma, Naruto?"

Minato sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his expression.

Based on what we've learned so far.