"The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama."
When this name was mentioned, the Nine-Tails' voice finally emerged from the depths of Minato's mind. The usually unruly fox demon's tone was filled with unmistakable hatred and something else—a begrudging respect tinged with fear.
These raw emotions momentarily stunned Minato. Just how powerful had the First Hokage truly been? Even decades after his death, the Nine-Tails still harbored such intense feelings toward him.
Taking a deep breath to center himself, Minato continued his internal dialogue. "In order to maintain peace and balance among the five great shinobi nations, the First Hokage used the method of distributing the tailed beasts to create a delicate equilibrium through mutual deterrence."
The power of the tailed beasts transcended human capabilities. Each possessed the terrifying ability to reduce an entire village to rubble within hours. Though differences in strength existed among the nine bijuu, the mere possession of such a power by any ninja village was enough to inspire caution in the others.
From the perspective of strategic balance, this approach had indeed achieved its intended effect—a world where no nation dared strike first for fear of devastating retaliation.
However, Minato had come to recognize the profound flaws in this system of tailed beast distribution among the five major shinobi nations.
Those chosen to become Jinchūriki would sacrifice their freedom, their peace of mind, and sometimes even their lives. The immense chakra of a tailed beast was so overwhelming that not just anyone could serve as its vessel. The selection process itself was cruel—often targeting children too young to refuse.
Furthermore, apart from Konoha, the proficiency in sealing techniques varied greatly among the ninja villages. Before Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki of Kumogakure, had completely mastered the power of his bijuu, the Eight-Tails had gone on several devastating rampages within the Cloud Village.
In recent years, Sunagakure had gone through multiple One-Tail Jinchūriki, each attempt ending in tragedy. The unstable nature of these sealings had resulted in unnecessary suffering not only for the hosts but for countless innocent civilians caught in the aftermath of failed containments.
This harsh reality was precisely why Minato had made the heartbreaking decision to use his own son, Naruto, as the Nine-Tails' vessel on that fateful night. Having spent years by Kushina's side, he understood the inner torment of a Jinchūriki better than anyone else. The nightmares that plagued her sleep, the whispers that followed her through the village streets, the constant battle to maintain control—he had witnessed it all.
After living alongside the consequences of the Nine-Tails' sealing for so many years, another troubling thought had begun to take root in Minato's mind.
"For our own benefit, we shinobi have used the tailed beasts as weapons for our villages," he murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "But it seems that no one has ever stopped to ask whether the tailed beasts themselves are willing to be treated this way."
Since becoming Hokage, Minato had read through virtually every historical document in Konoha's archives. The tailed beasts had existed long before the recorded history of the shinobi world began, yet he had never found a single instance where a tailed beast had taken unprovoked action against humanity.
Every historical record of a tailed beast attack had been precipitated by human interference—attempts to capture, control, or exploit their power. People across the world regarded the tailed beasts as walking disasters, viewing them with a mixture of fear and covetous desire for their power.
But from the perspective of the tailed beasts themselves, wasn't it humans who were the true disasters? Humans who treated them as objects, as weapons to be distributed and contained at will?
"Fourth Hokage, I never thought you would spout such foolishness."
The Nine-Tails' mocking voice resonated through Minato's consciousness, carrying with it a bone-chilling coldness. "Are you willing to be locked in a cage for eternity?"
At that moment, waves of resentment from the Kyuubi crashed against Minato's mind. However, with most of the fox's chakra already absorbed, this emotional onslaught couldn't truly affect him.
"Yes, it is indeed a foolish question," Minato admitted with a slight shake of his head. "No being wishes to be imprisoned forever."
He pursed his lips and continued, "Nine-Tails, we humans have consistently ignored your will and autonomy. This has been our great failing."
"Hehe."
As he finished speaking, the Nine-Tails' sardonic laughter echoed through his mind. "Are you attempting to apologize to me on behalf of all humanity? Fourth Hokage, you've used my power as a weapon and burdened your son with me twice. Don't you find your words contradictory?"
The fox's voice grew sharper, more accusatory. "What you're saying today is nothing more than an attempt to extract information beneficial to your purposes. You cunning human, do you truly believe I would trust you based on a few empty words?"
"Of course not," Minato replied calmly.
The Nine-Tails had misunderstood his intentions, but Minato saw no point in offering explanations. Though he had begun to question the ethical implications of the bijuu system, he recognized the constraints of his position.
As Hokage, his primary duty was to maintain the balance established by his predecessors. The radical notion of releasing the tailed beasts was impossible—not least because the extraction would kill both Kushina and Naruto. The truth pained him, but he was trapped within a system he could not dismantle without causing even greater suffering.
"I'm sorry," he said with genuine remorse. "As things stand, I cannot change this situation according to my personal beliefs. I acknowledge your hatred toward me is justified."
Despite the grim reality, a flicker of hope remained in his heart. "However, someone will eventually change this situation. There will come a day when tailed beasts and humans understand each other's pain and forge a new path forward."
Minato spoke these words with unwavering conviction, drawing from a wellspring of faith that transcended his own limitations.
"The person you speak of—is it your son, that little troublemaker Naruto?" the Nine-Tails questioned with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.
"You place all your hopes on some vague prophecy. Fourth Hokage, perhaps you're not as exceptional as they claim."
With those dismissive words, the Nine-Tails withdrew its remaining energy, retreating into silent stillness without further engagement.
"Nine-Tails," Minato said softly, lowering his eyelids in quiet contemplation. "Yes, my actions may seem naive to you."
A gentle smile formed on his lips as he thought of his son. "But I believe in that boy."
His voice grew stronger, imbued with certainty. "One day, you'll understand."
In front of the Hokage Building, Naruto and Chiharu quickly arrived at the assembly location designated by Shisui. They were early—still some time before the eight o'clock meeting time specified by their teacher.
The gathering wasn't limited to just their team and Kakashi's group. Several newly formed genin teams were converging for their first official missions as Konoha shinobi.
"Hinata-san!"
When Chiharu spotted Hinata and her group about to enter the Hokage Building under the guidance of their jōnin instructor, he called out enthusiastically, increasing his pace to cover the remaining distance.
Hinata, her teammates, and their teacher turned at the sound of his voice.
"I'm sorry for the interruption," Chiharu said with an embarrassed smile, realizing his greeting had been somewhat impulsive.
"It's quite alright," replied Hinata's jōnin mentor with a warm smile. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with long, wavy black hair and distinctive crimson eyes that gave off a gentle, yet mysterious aura. "Are you Hinata's friend?"
"Yes, hello sensei. I'm Namikaze Chiharu," he responded with a respectful nod.
"Hello, I'm Yuhi Kurenai," she introduced herself softly, her lips curving into a slight smile that made her crimson eyes sparkle.
"I see you've passed your genin test as well. That's wonderful!" Chiharu said happily. "Perhaps our teams will have the opportunity to work together on missions in the future."
"Y-yes, I hope so," Hinata responded softly, her voice barely audible. At that moment, Naruto finally landed beside Chiharu, having caught up to his sibling.
"N-Naruto-kun."
When Naruto arrived, Hinata's face instantly flushed crimson, the color spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
"Hey, Hinata! Good morning!" Naruto greeted cheerfully, his typical energetic grin plastered across his face, completely oblivious to her reaction.
Standing nearby, one of Hinata's teammates—a boy with distinctive red fang markings on his cheeks and a small white puppy perched atop his head—observed her reddening face with concern. "Hinata, are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever or something?"
"N-no, I'm fine, Kiba-kun," Hinata stammered, lowering her gaze. Her slender fingers intertwined nervously, fidgeting in a characteristic gesture that betrayed her discomfort.
"We should get going," Yuhi Kurenai interjected smoothly, offering Naruto a knowing smile before turning to her team. "We have missions to select."
"Right!" Kiba responded enthusiastically while Hinata nodded. The third member of their team—a tall, quiet boy wearing dark sunglasses that obscured his eyes—simply inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.
"Goodbye, Chiharu-kun, Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly, gathering her courage to look directly at Naruto for a brief moment before Team 8 followed their sensei into the Hokage Building.
"By the way, who was that guy with the sunglasses?" Naruto asked, folding his arms behind his head in a casual pose as he watched them leave.
"His name is Aburame Shino," Chiharu replied with an exasperated sideways glance at his brother. "He was our classmate at the Academy. Don't tell me you don't remember him?"
Naruto squinted his eyes and tilted his head, genuinely perplexed. "I have absolutely no memory of him. Was he really in our class all this time?"
Chiharu's expression shifted between disbelief and resignation, at a loss for how to respond to his brother's obliviousness. Some things about Naruto would never change, regardless of how much he grew as a shinobi.
"Hehehe," Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in his characteristic gesture, blissfully unaware of the impression his forgetfulness had made.
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