Naruto claimed he didn't care, but clearly, he was still somewhat emotional about the subject.
After all, being chosen for sacrifice by one's closest family in the name of "the greater good" is an unspeakable injury for the child who is "sacrificed," no matter how noble the reason used to gloss over it.
However, in fairness, Minato Namikaze didn't leave Naruto with absolutely nothing.
That nearly blind "trust" was the most precious, yet also the heaviest, "inheritance" he left his son.
Unfortunately, this so-called trust was too ethereal and baffling, with no clear origin.
"If this trust truly originated merely from a few vague prophecies by Jiraiya about the 'Child of Prophecy,' then he was indeed, as Naruto said, utterly foolish."
"But what if it was because he had prior knowledge of the future..."
Kun'shiki thought of the Ryūmyaku (Dragon Vein) that appeared in the movie Naruto Shippuden The Movie: The Lost Tower.
In the original plot, Tsunade, who later became the Fifth Hokage, dispatched Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato to the city of Rōran for a mission.
Rōran contained the Ryūmyaku, a massive energy source capable of warping space and time.
Mukade, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, fled there and unsealed the Ryūmyaku, opening a channel for time reversal.
Naruto and Yamato, who were pursuing him, were accidentally sucked into it and transported back to a time before Minato Namikaze had become the Hokage.
There, Naruto met Minato Namikaze, Chōza Akimichi, and Shibi Aburame, who were on a mission. Minato was not yet the Hokage then.
Finally, as Naruto was about to return to his own time, Minato sealed and erased everyone's memory to prevent historical disruption.
At the time, Minato had recognized Naruto as his son, and even correctly deduced his own future death from the fact that Naruto didn't recognize him.
If this particular movie plot was a genuine occurrence in the timeline.
Then it's possible Minato recalled some of the sealed and erased memories, which led him to have that inexplicable trust in the newborn Naruto when he sealed the Nine-Tails.
"The Ryūmyaku, huh?"
Kun'shiki mused silently, a vague plan gradually coming into focus: "A power capable of traversing time, if it truly exists, perhaps it can be utilized..."
"Teacher."
Just then, Naruto's voice pulled Kun'shiki's thoughts back to reality.
He lowered his head. Naruto was looking up at him, his figure clearly reflected in those eyes like the clean, blue sky.
"I want to become stronger," Naruto declared. "Stronger than the Fourth Hokage."
"Please teach me. What should I do?"
Hearing this, Kun'shiki looked deeply at him, his gaze seeming to penetrate the boy's soul.
He said nothing more, merely flicking his hand casually.
Shua!
A streak of jet-black shadow shot out, embedding itself in the ground right in front of Naruto.
It was a black rod, about a chi long, completely dark, of an unknown material, radiating a cold and strange aura.
"Do you see those reserves of chakra?"
Kun'shiki's tone was calm: "Besides the chakra of your parents, there is a third, even mightier chakra that is tightly intertwined with your own and difficult to separate. It's the one that is more ancient and robust."
Naruto paused at this, then refocused his gaze on the night sky.
This time, he held his breath, staring intently at the largest cluster of blue chakra, which belonged to himself.
Finally, he distinguished it.
Within that boundless azure, two pools of chakra, extremely similar in color but subtly different, were mixed in. One felt significantly more ancient, powerful, and brimming with vitality.
"What you must do is concentrate your spiritual energy. Like navigating a boat, wrap around that chakra that is not inherently yours, and guide it, infusing it into the black rod in front of you."
Kun'shiki continued: "In this process, use your 'heart' to feel it, and use your will to give it shape."
"When you solidify this power within the black rod, and can wield it as if it were an extension of your own arm, you will truly master this immense strength that was not originally yours."
The immense strength Kun'shiki referred to was, naturally, the Chakra of Asura.
Although it's called a Chakra reincarnation, Chakra is formed by the fusion of spiritual energy and physical energy, and it naturally includes Asura's spiritual energy, which is his soul.
The black rod was the conductive rod Nagato used to remotely control the Six Paths of Pain. It possessed excellent Chakra conductivity and malleability.
It was clearly the most suitable medium to contain the Asura Chakra and be reforged into a "Zanpakutō".
"..."
Looking at the black rod in front of him, Naruto took a deep breath.
He stepped forward, reached out, and grasped the black rod stuck in the ground.
A bone-chilling coldness spread up from his palm, causing him to involuntarily pause his action.
In that moment, he had an inexplicable feeling.
He wasn't just picking up a tool; he was pulling out a key—a key that would open a door to a completely different destiny.
Once pulled out, he would completely deviate from the predetermined path.
However...
In fact, no matter how he changed, his fundamental nature remained the same.
He was still the young man who treasured his comrades, was deeply loyal, possessed an innate stubbornness, and at his core, wished to make the world a better place.
What had changed was his approach and his understanding.
He had simply become acutely aware that mere reckless impulse driven by passion, and vague slogans about "bonds," were utterly incapable of achieving that grand wish.
He was simply more rational and calm, better at suppressing his impulsiveness, better at pondering the root causes of problems, and better at keeping his focus on the future.
He no longer blindly championed "mutual understanding" while simultaneously performing various self-centered, willful acts, as he did in the original work.
—Despite knowing Sasuke left Konoha due to unspoken hardships and unavoidable reasons, he still stubbornly declared he would bring him back, even if he had to break his bones, prioritizing his own desires over another's choice.
—Despite clearly understanding the pain and hatred Sasuke's joining the Akatsuki and killing Killer B brought to the Fourth Raikage and the entire Kumogakure, he still unrealistically hoped the other party would forgive Sasuke, disregarding the justice owed to the victims.
The current Naruto had simply realized that Konoha was not the entirety of the world; it was merely a very small part of the Shinobi World.
Simply making Konoha better was insufficient to change this wretched world, which was rife with conflict and hatred.
He even realized that even if he attained the seat of the "Kage" of Konoha, the changes he could effect would be extremely limited, making it difficult to even eradicate Konoha's own deep-seated problems.
If the Naruto of the past embodied the so-called "Hokage mentality," the current Naruto was halfway to a "Transmigrator mentality."
This meant he was already destined not to accept the Sage of Six Paths' millennial narrative of predestination and would not choose to stand on the side of preserving the old order.
All of this was a conclusion Naruto reached and a choice he made through his own learning, observation, and reflection.
All Kun'shiki had done was provide different perspectives, guiding him to see the vast world and the deeper conflicts beyond Konoha's high walls.
"Sometimes, guiding a person doesn't require weaving a lie," Kun'shiki thought with a smile. "You just need to teach them how to think."
Teach him to observe with his own eyes and judge and think with his own mind.
Clang.
With a crisp sound, the black rod was pulled out by Naruto.
Naruto gripped it tightly, feeling the cold texture transmitted by the strange material.
Seeing this, Kun'shiki's gaze flickered. He subtly raised his head, looking up at the wisps of golden light flowing in the night sky.
That was the chakra left behind by Minato Namikaze. The chakra contained a portion of his spiritual energy.
"You can hear and see this, can't you? So, what are your feelings now?"
Kun'shiki chuckled internally: "Seeing your child this exceptional, possessing foresight that transcends the era, and the ideals and talent to reform the Shinobi World, you should be thanking me, right?"
"I truly look forward to the day you, the Hokage, and Naruto truly meet, and what your attitude and reaction will be."
Perhaps it was a bit of dark humor, but in the process of climbing to the highest point, if there was only deception, battle, and death, it would be far too dull.
It was like wine tasting—sometimes you take a sip, sometimes you drink freely. Whatever brings pleasure is the way to go. That's what makes it more interesting.
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