"Should I just pick a good day and destroy Konoha?"
The moment this thought appeared, a flood of memories and information rushed into his mind: the villagers' ostracism, the always-smiling Third Hokage, the seemingly indifferent but secretly caring Kakashi-sensei, the unreliable Pervy Sage, and his "biological father," Minato Namikaze, whom he had just learned about!
Naruto decided to sort through the information one by one!
First, himself and his father, the Fourth Hokage!
The surname issue? He instantly understood! To avoid being hunted by his father's enemies, he had taken his mother's surname, Uzumaki. That had misled him for so long!
But as for this "Fourth Hokage father's" decision, Naruto instinctively rubbed his temples—he was a bit confused. Making his own biological son the Nine-Tailed Fox's Jinchuriki? This move was really baffling!
In short, Naruto felt like punching someone! If it weren't for the Nine-Tails inside him, Naruto couldn't imagine how much easier his childhood would have been. But his own father had to give him this "negative buff." It was unnecessary! It only made the game harder for him!
But did he feel any deep emotional connection to this "legendary father"? Not really. He had never even met him. In Naruto's mind, he was just a shiny face on the Hokage Rock and a heroic legend in textbooks. Since he was a transmigrated soul with memories from a past life, his feelings about "blood ties" were quite limited. If they were to meet, they'd probably end up being more like brothers.
Finally... there was this identity! The heroic Fourth Hokage's biological son?!
Revisiting this, a strong sense of "missing out" washed over him. Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Why didn't you say anything?!
If this identity had been revealed earlier, how much better would things have been? It was the perfect "tragic hero's orphan" template—if he played his cards right, becoming Hokage would have been a given!
Wait, that logic is flawed.
This identity could have been hidden from the common villagers, but certain key people must have known for sure! Did Kakashi-sensei know? Did the Pervy Sage know? And the Third Hokage... that old man definitely knew!
The problem was—you all knew, so why did you keep it a secret? To protect him?
No way, man. I'm invincible now, who can threaten me? It seems like these people conspired to hide a huge secret from him! And they made him suffer for it!
Ahem, was it really 'suffering'?
Although as a transmigrated soul, Naruto had actually enjoyed his childhood, that didn't stop him from putting on a show of "being wronged and complaining" now. The "tragic orphan" persona needed to be built! Kids care about right and wrong; adults only care about benefit!
Naruto's mind raced as he began to evaluate how much "brand premium" this "tragic orphan" persona could bring—no, how much he could exploit from Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the Third Hokage!
Wait!
There were two more key players he couldn't overlook: the entire population of Konoha and... Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox inside his belly!
First, these stubborn villagers of Konoha! They discriminated against him, ignored him, and alienated him.
Naruto's previous attitude toward them was: "I understand, but I don't accept it, and I'll deal with it coolly."
Understanding: When the Nine-Tails first appeared, its terrifying aura was truly frightening and must have caused incalculable damage to Konoha. That was the original sin, which he didn't deny.
Not accepting: I'm the one being discriminated against! How could anyone accept that?
So, he chose to set the controversy aside.
But now...
I'm the biological son of the heroic Fourth Hokage!
Where do you villagers get the nerve to discriminate against and even hate the son of a hero? Purely stubborn people!
Oh? What? You say they didn't know I was the hero's son?
Just because you didn't know... doesn't mean you weren't wrong!
Naruto suddenly felt a pang of regret: Why did I choose the Forest of Death as the battlefield last time? If I had chosen the main stage of Konoha... what a perfect opportunity that would have been! First, he could have revealed his black hole Rasengan, and then a gigantic Dust Style Jutsu to clear the field! He would have made all of Konoha feel his great kindness!
Alas, he had missed an excellent opportunity for a magnificent debut.
But it didn't matter. The location for the next group event would be Konoha!
He would deal with the villagers later; for now, he would put them aside. The next target on his hit list: Kurama!
This guy! He had kept the shocking secret that "Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son" tightly under wraps! He couldn't not have known!
And he called himself his friend?
He'd deal with Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the Third Hokage later; he could settle the score with them in the fall.
For now, Lord Naruto was going to turn up the heat on the big fox!
Naruto lifted his eyelids and saw Sasuke and Sakura still chatting about math. He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking, and instantly entered his training space.
He teleported into the Nine-Tails' and Naruto's house (Land Six-Six).
Plonk!
Kurama was skillfully using its claws to control a handheld game console, savagely beating Hashirama in a game.
"Naruto?"
The moment it sensed the familiar chakra, Kurama, out of instinct, called out his name with a hint of lazy warmth, intending to continue its game.
However, its call was suddenly cut short at the end.
Wait!
A feeling that made its fur stand on end, an incredibly pure and scrutinizing sense of... immense "attention," had landed squarely on it! This attention wasn't malicious, but it made Kurama even more uncomfortable than pure malice!
Suspiciously, Kurama turned its head, and its golden slit pupils met Naruto's gaze. Naruto was standing not far away, with a familiar smile on his face, but his two clear blue eyes were as calm as a deep ocean, devoid of even the slightest ripple.
This gaze... something was wrong! Very wrong!
An alarm immediately went off in Kurama's mind! It dropped the console like lightning, "shoop"-ing off the couch, and cautiously approached Naruto. "Uh... Naruto? Are you... okay?" Its voice held a caution it would never normally display.
"Kurama."
Naruto's gaze was locked on the fox, his voice unfamiliar and slightly cold. "Tell me, as a friend, is there some little 'surprise' you've been hiding from me and just forgot to mention?"
That name! That expression!
Kurama instantly felt immense pressure. Its name, the Nine-Tails, was feared throughout the ninja world, but in front of Naruto, its presence felt as small as a grain of sand! It just wasn't enough to face him!
"A sur... surprise?" It frantically searched through its nearly three hundred years of memories. It couldn't think of anything! Recently, it had been incredibly well-behaved, only fighting Hashirama in the game! Was this ancestor looking for trouble again?
Naruto tilted his head slightly, his deep blue eyes unblinking as they focused on Kurama. "A friendly reminder... keyword... Fourth Hokage."
BAM!
Kurama felt its heart get squeezed by an invisible hand!
It's over! The cat's out of the bag! That thing!
Without any need for intimidation, under that abyss-like, calm gaze that held no emotional fluctuations, Kurama instantly surrendered:
"Cough, cough, cough! Naruto! I, Kurama, want to confess! I want to be a good fox! Please give me a chance to explain!"
"Explain?"
Looking at this "weak, pathetic, and helpless" legendary Tailed Beast, a faint, imperceptible smile flashed in the depths of Naruto's eyes. "Come on, sign this agreement first."
Kurama looked at the agreement Naruto had suddenly pulled out.
"Memorandum on Kurama Concealing Naruto's Identity as the Fourth's Son, Leading to the Failure of His Fifth Hokage Candidacy."
The contents of the agreement were that if it signed, it, the Nine-Tails, would become a complete puppet! But... after a glance at Naruto's cold eyes, Kurama felt it had no choice!
"Good!"
After Kurama signed, a smile finally appeared on Naruto's face. As soon as Naruto smiled, Kurama's tense nerves could finally relax a little. But Naruto's next words made it feel as if it had fallen into an icy abyss!
"But... now! Immediately! Right now! Let's go out and train!"
Kurama's fur immediately stood on end, its head shaking like a rattle.
Are you kidding?! "Train" with this ancestor?
Every time, it was beaten to the point of questioning its existence as a fox! The experience was so "profound" that it had developed a conditioned fear. Although their friendship was ironclad, getting beaten up really hurt!
"Hm?"
Naruto simply let out a tiny sound of doubt, and his calm, still eyes fell on Kurama again. The immense pressure was instantly cranked up!
"Okay, okay, train! Let's train! A little exercise is good!"
Kurama shuddered, immediately putting on a forced smile, and trudged toward the training ground's door like it was heading to an execution.
The moment it stepped out, its body instantly swelled back into its mountain-sized true form as the Nine-Tails. It let out a roar toward the heavens, and its ferocious chakra erupted, causing ripples in the space around it! It was trying to use its aura to dispel its inner fear.
I, Kurama! I'm the leader of the Tailed Beasts! Are you going to train me? What about my dignity?
However, when it looked up, ready to enter battle mode and find Naruto, the world disappeared!
As far as its eyes could see, the sky was completely blocked. Its raised head could only see a vast, boundless "canopy" with a faint, dark blue color. As its gaze moved downward, a massive, thick column that was beyond its comprehension was connected to the earth, its surface as clear as mountain ridges and valleys.
Was that... one of Naruto's legs?!
It strained its eyes, its fox pupils contracting to their limit, barely able to make out a fraction of the giant shadow's outline below the knee. The rest of it had already disappeared into the clouds above, out of sight.
And it, the Nine-Tails, was not even as big as one of Naruto's toes!
I'm—doomed—!!!