"This is exactly what I wanted to tell you, Naruto… you are the son of a hero."
Senju Haruto looked straight into Naruto's eyes, slowly letting the Sharingan fade from his gaze. His voice was firm, unwavering.
In truth, when Naruto had seen the final scene in Haruto's genjutsu earlier, a faint suspicion had already formed in his mind.
But he hadn't dared to believe it.
Now, hearing Haruto say it aloud, the words struck him like a thunderclap—his mind went completely blank.
I'm… the son of a hero?
I'm… the son of the Fourth Hokage?
"Yes," Haruto continued. "Back then, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine-Tails inside you—both to save the village, and to give you the strength to one day defeat the masked man."
"To… defeat that masked man…"
Naruto blinked. Was it his imagination, or had he actually seen that man in the middle of the night yesterday?
But he didn't tell Haruto. Even Naruto himself couldn't be sure if it had been real… or just a dream.
Either way, he finally understood the truth of his own origins—
He was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
"Wait!"
Naruto's eyes went wide as a key detail suddenly flashed through his mind.
His father, Namikaze Minato, had said before dying that he would let Kushina meet the grown-up Naruto.
Which meant… Naruto could see them too!
A spark of excitement—unlike anything he'd ever felt before—ignited inside him.
Hope blazed in his chest.
He couldn't wait to meet his parents, no matter the cost.
No matter how impossible it seemed.
In fact, this was exactly why Haruto had created that particular genjutsu.
He wasn't a psychologist, but he understood perfectly what Naruto's heart longed for.
Once Naruto knew there was a way to meet his parents, no obstacle in the world would be able to stop him.
Haruto wouldn't even need to persuade him—Naruto would beg for it himself.
"Haruto?"
Naruto's throat bobbed nervously. He swallowed hard, staring at Haruto's serious face, terrified the answer would be no.
"This won't be easy."
Haruto let out a long, heavy sigh, then turned his back.
"Maybe… I shouldn't have told you this truth."
"Why?!"
Just as Haruto expected, Naruto wasn't discouraged at all.
Instead, he shot up from the bed in a rush, his eyes burning with determination.
Haruto glanced back at him, their gazes meeting evenly despite the height difference.
"All right. Back then, the Fourth Hokage sealed both his own chakra and Kushina's chakra inside your body."
"Kushina?"
"Mm. Uzumaki Kushina—your mother. She was an exceptional kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf. Your family name comes from her."
"My surname… Uzumaki? My mom's name was Uzumaki Kushina?"
"Yes," Haruto nodded, confirming it. Then he told Naruto how he could meet them.
Because their chakra had been sealed together with the Nine-Tails, the only way Naruto could see them was by confronting the beast directly.
And the Nine-Tails… was no ordinary enemy.
"The reason people in the village look at you that way—why they unconsciously avoid you, reject you—it's not because they hate you. It's because… they fear the Nine-Tails. They're afraid the disaster from back then might happen again."
Haruto paused.
"If even the adults of the village feel that way… imagine how it's been for you, Naruto."
This time, Naruto fell silent.
Not because he was afraid of the Nine-Tails,
but because… he finally understood why everyone had treated him that way all these years.
"So… it wasn't me they hated. They were afraid of that stupid fox."
Now that he knew the truth, Naruto could clearly separate himself from the Nine-Tails.
He was not the beast—he was its jailor.
And his father… had made that choice to save the village, to protect the Leaf.
I… am not the Nine-Tailed Fox.
In that instant, instead of feeling sad, Naruto felt a strange sense of relief—like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Still, no matter how dangerous it sounded, he didn't want to give up this chance.
"Can't we… please do it?"
Naruto looked at Haruto with pleading eyes, his face the very picture of desperation.
"Well…"
Haruto let his tone soften just a little, as if he wanted to say yes but was still worried about the danger.
"Haruto, please…"
"All right…"
Haruto sighed in mock defeat. "I'll agree, Naruto. But in exchange, you have to do exactly as I say."
"Yes! Yes!"
The moment Haruto agreed, Naruto's excitement shot through the roof.
As for whatever conditions Haruto might set—Naruto didn't care in the slightest.
Because deep down, he knew—if there was anyone in the world he could trust completely, it was Senju Haruto.
Haruto would never lie to him.
Never.
"You can't tell anyone about the truth from back then," Haruto warned. "And you absolutely cannot tell anyone that you're the Fourth Hokage's son. At least not until you can control the Nine-Tails' power."
Then Haruto smiled.
"But I believe you can do it. If it's you, Naruto, you can master the Nine-Tails' power."
"Master the Nine-Tails' power…"
Naruto froze. Right now, all he could think about was meeting his parents—controlling the beast wasn't even on his mind.
But as Haruto explained further, Naruto began to understand exactly what that would mean.
"If you can turn the power that once destroyed the village into the power that protects it… then you'll be the village's hero. Everyone will acknowledge you."
"That's why… whether or not you can control the Nine-Tails will be the most important thing in your life."
Haruto paused for a moment, then added,
"But don't worry. I won't throw you straight into facing the Nine-Tails. Before that, I'll train you—build you up—until you're an exceptional shinobi."
"An… exceptional shinobi."
Naruto's mouth fell open.
No one had ever said anything like that to him before.
Until now, no one had believed he could even become a shinobi at all.
"Haruto, you're amazing!"
Naruto burst out, grinning from ear to ear, and threw his arms around Haruto in an excited hug.
"Training's going to be tough," Haruto warned with a smile.
Even so, he was already preparing for the trip to Mount Myōboku.
Right… before heading there, I'd better pack some human food.
Just thinking about the "unique" cuisine of Mount Myōboku was enough for Haruto to abandon any thought of "eating like the locals."