The chakra remnants of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina were fading. Their bodies began to glow softly, dispersing little by little.
"Naruto… no matter what happens, I will always… always love you."
Kushina clung tightly to her son, unwilling to let her arms loosen. Minato, meanwhile, simply smiled at Naruto. Seeing how much stronger he had become filled his heart with profound relief.
Still, the chakra he had left behind all those years ago was terribly limited. Even though he hadn't consumed much while suppressing Kurama, the time of separation had inevitably come. Yet, being able to meet his son now, as a grown boy, left him deeply satisfied.
"Haruto, I need to thank you as well."
Minato turned toward Senju Haruto, his voice carrying another meaning: he hoped Haruto would continue to treat Naruto like a younger brother—support him, look after him.
Haruto caught Minato's sincere gaze. With a small, deliberate tap to his own forehead, he gave his silent reply.
And so, with their final words entrusted, Minato and Kushina slowly vanished before Haruto and Naruto's eyes.
Especially for Naruto—
Now sobbing uncontrollably, his arms suddenly lost the warmth of his mother's embrace. He grasped at nothing, his hands clutching himself instead, his legs growing weak until he collapsed to his knees.
Even though he had finally met his parents, Naruto's heart only grew heavier.
How he wished time could stop here, in this moment.
There were still so many things he wanted to tell them—stories of joy, of pain, of everything in between.
Haruto silently took it all in.
According to the original timeline, Naruto was only supposed to meet Kushina and awaken Kurama's chakra much later—deep into the Shippuden era. By then, he would already have been the hero who saved the Hidden Leaf from Pain, a shinobi carrying the burdens of the world.
But the boy kneeling before him now hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy. He hadn't fought in the battles that defined shinobi life.
Naruto, at this stage, was still raw—an unripe fruit.
So it was only natural that parting from his parents left him completely undone.
This time, Haruto didn't simply walk away. Instead, he stepped forward, crouched down beside Naruto, and placed a steady hand on his back.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something… but in the end, no words came.
Comfort?
That wasn't what Naruto needed.
What he needed was the space to let his emotions pour out.
So Haruto stayed by his side in silence, offering presence instead of platitudes.
Not far away, Kurama watched the scene unfold.
Yet when the beast caught Haruto's gaze, a shiver ran down his spine.
If there was one person Kurama never wanted to face again, it was without doubt Senju Haruto.
The memory of that overwhelming True Several Thousand Hands technique made the Nine-Tails tremble all over again.
Fortunately for him, Naruto's tears didn't last too long. Eventually, his sobbing quieted. He wiped his face, then turned to Haruto with a faint, determined smile.
"Let's… leave this place too."
The precious moment was over.
Short, fleeting—but unforgettable.
At least he had met his parents. At least he had gained Kurama's chakra.
Haruto answered with a simple nod.
But as he was about to leave, Naruto suddenly walked over to Kurama.
During the struggle for chakra, he had not only felt the crushing waves of negativity but also sensed Kurama's deep-seated hatred.
The Tailed Beasts were nothing more than beings born of chakra. Their fates were never their own to choose. Each of them longed for freedom, yet they were forever trapped by humanity's wars—enslaved as weapons, sealed away with no will of their own.
Kurama's hatred of humans was born from that cycle.
And that hatred wasn't his fault.
"One day," Naruto said, lifting his head with a warm smile that lit up his tear-stained face, "I'll erase the hatred in your heart."
Only then did he turn to leave.
Left behind in the empty space, Kurama narrowed his eyes. After a pause, he muttered under his breath:
"Just… don't ever bring that Haruto guy here again. I'd be grateful enough for that."
Reality — Mount Myōboku.
Haruto's consciousness returned to his real body. He opened his eyes slowly, checking to make sure no danger lurked nearby before dispelling his Wood Clone and the defensive barriers around them.
"Hah…" Naruto let out a long exhale, only to notice his cheeks were still damp.
"Little Naruto… and you too, Haruto."
Fukasaku's gaze shifted nervously between them, his expression tense.
Unable to enter Naruto's mental world, none of them knew exactly what had transpired inside.
All they had seen was Naruto entering Sage Mode, suddenly losing control and beginning to transform into a Tailed Beast, only for the process to stop midway. Then, miraculously, the dangerous transformation had reversed itself—and finally, tears spilled from Naruto's eyes.
The series of shifts had everyone deeply on edge.
Naruto, however, didn't bother hiding anything. He recounted everything exactly as it had happened in his inner world.
When he spoke of meeting Minato and Kushina, Jiraiya's face hardened, his expression heavy with guilt.
In his heart, he had always carried regret.
If only he had returned to the village when he learned Kushina was about to give birth—if only he had stood guard by her side—perhaps…
Perhaps the tragedy could have been prevented.
But fate allowed no what-ifs. Even as the Toad Sage, Jiraiya could not have foreseen disaster before it struck.
"So… does that mean little Naruto succeeded?"
Fukasaku's throat bobbed as he tried to steer the conversation away, not wanting Naruto or Jiraiya to drown in grief.
"Mm-hm!" Naruto nodded firmly. To prove it, he called on Kurama's chakra, his entire body cloaked in a blazing golden form.
Haruto gave a single approving nod.
With this, the Hidden Leaf had gained another powerful fighter.
And the dream of unifying the ninja world had taken a step closer.
"About what I plan to do next…"
Naruto steadied his emotions, looking at every face gathered around him—people who cared for him, people he didn't want to let down. His voice trembled with excitement as he declared:
"After meeting my father—the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato—I'm more determined than ever to become a shinobi… to become Hokage myself!"
But most of all…
He clenched his fists, eyes blazing.
"…I really want to get back to Sakura and beat Sasuke into the ground! I'll show her once and for all who's number one!"
"I want to return to the Academy, pass the graduation exam, and become a true ninja."
His words surged with passion, his face alight with conviction.
"And someday… I'll surpass every Hokage before me, and earn the recognition of everyone!"