"This guy… could it be… he's also a Jinchūriki?"
The Nine-Tails stared at Senju Haruto in shock. Since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, it had already existed. It had been sealed away more times than it could count, yet it had witnessed the entire shinobi era unfold.
But this… this was something it had never seen before.
Such an immense quantity of chakra—something even beyond what it remembered from all but the Sage himself. And what unsettled the Nine-Tails even more was that within Haruto, it could feel not only chakra identical to its own… but also traces resembling that of Shukaku, the One-Tail, and Isobu, the Three-Tails.
A Jinchūriki who holds three Tailed Beasts at once?!
No…
The fox shook its massive head. The chakra was there, yes, but the beasts themselves were not. Otherwise, Shukaku's loud, irritating voice would have already picked a fight with it.
In other words, Senju Haruto wasn't a Jinchūriki—he simply carried those chakras within him.
"But how…? How could he possibly have obtained this power?"
For the first time in ages, the Nine-Tails couldn't make sense of what it was sensing. This boy's existence exceeded its understanding of the world.
"You—tell me. How did you acquire all of these chakras?"
The Nine-Tails leaned forward, pressing close to the iron gate of its prison, its deep growl demanding answers from Haruto.
But Senju Haruto didn't so much as glance at it. To him, the fox's words may as well not exist. Instead, he turned to Naruto, asking him plainly if he was truly ready to open the seal.
After all, Haruto had already completed what he came here for—his objective was done. Whether Naruto chose to proceed or retreat no longer mattered to him.
Yet Naruto was far stronger than Haruto had expected.
Faced with the overwhelming presence of the colossal beast before him, Naruto only took a single steadying breath, stepped forward, and spread his fingers wide. In his palm appeared the key to the Nine-Tails' seal.
But just as Naruto prepared to open it—
A hand suddenly shot out and seized his wrist.
Naruto froze, stunned by the abrupt touch. Haruto stood behind him, but this hand came from in front.
And in that instant, recalling what he had seen in Haruto's genjutsu before, Naruto felt a wave of emotions burst within his chest.
Slowly, he lifted his head to see the owner of that hand.
Senju Haruto also turned his gaze upon the newcomer—and then allowed his chakra to fade away.
Blond hair. Blue eyes. A white Hokage cloak billowing over a green flak vest and deep-blue shinobi garb.
Who else could it be but the Fourth Hokage—Namikaze Minato?
Haruto wasn't surprised. He knew Minato had used the Reaper Death Seal years ago, and at that time had told Kushina that he'd arranged a way for her to one day meet their son, grown into a man. He had also placed a safeguard within Naruto's body: if Naruto ever lost control and was about to release the Nine-Tails, Minato's consciousness would manifest to restore the seal.
The circumstances were slightly different now, but the result was the same. The seal was on the verge of being broken—and Minato had appeared.
Father and son locked eyes. Minato held Naruto's wrist firmly, but a radiant smile spread across his face.
Though his body had long since perished, though even this remnant of his chakra wouldn't last much longer, the Fourth Hokage's heart overflowed with joy. To see his son alive, grown, strong—that was enough.
This was his only way… his only chance to meet Naruto.
But things weren't unfolding the way they were meant to. Because of Senju Haruto's involvement, Naruto already knew the truth of his heritage.
He knew he was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
Yet not everyone was warmed by this reunion.
The Nine-Tails roared with fury the instant Minato appeared, abandoning its astonishment at Haruto in favor of pure rage. It slammed its massive claws against the bars of the seal again and again, the entire chamber shaking from its power.
"Namikaze Minato!" the beast bellowed. "If you've got the guts, come in here and face me! I'll tear you to shreds!"
But Minato remained calm, unaffected by its threats. He cast only a brief glance at the fox before smiling once more at his son.
"You see, Naruto? That Nine-Tails is far too dangerous. Let's move this conversation somewhere else."
Just as Minato prepared to shift the scene to a safer mental space, Haruto stepped forward and blocked him.
"It's you," Minato said softly. There was no hostility in his voice. From within Naruto's body, he had seen glimpses of the people in his son's life. He knew this boy was Naruto's first true friend, one who cared enough to come here and risk everything at his side.
And yet…
Minato didn't believe this was the right moment to attempt to control the Nine-Tails. Naruto was still young, not even a full-fledged shinobi yet, and though he had trained in Sage Mode, the task ahead was enormous. The village was at peace under the leadership of Hiruzen Sarutobi—there was time to wait until Naruto grew stronger.
"Opportunities like this only come once," Haruto cut in sharply. "Fourth Hokage—what we see of you now is nothing but the chakra you left behind. Once this is triggered, it will fade. The next time Naruto comes here, even if he breaks the seal, you won't appear again."
"Do you really think that's the better path?"
Haruto's meaning was clear. Both Minato and Kushina could only appear to their son once. And wasn't it precisely because Minato had sensed Uchiha Madara's shadow looming in the world that he had split the Nine-Tails' chakra in the first place—leaving contingencies behind for this very day?
Even Kushina's lingering chakra was part of Minato's plan, meant to guide Naruto in mastering this overwhelming power.
"I'm ready."
Naruto's voice cut in, firm and unwavering. He stepped into the conversation with eyes burning bright.
He had trained for years at Mount Myōboku for this moment—not just to meet his parents, but to surpass every Hokage before him and earn the world's acknowledgment.
There would be no retreat. Not here. Not now.
Seeing that determination blazing in his son, Minato's heart faltered. He had assumed Naruto had come only to see his parents.
"I see," Minato whispered with a gentle smile. He raised his hand and touched it to his son's forehead.
"You've truly grown into a man."
"And there's one more reason," Haruto added quietly, his voice calm but unshakable. "As long as I'm here, Naruto will never fail."
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