Chapter 75: Minato

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The Sharingan technique allowed Fugaku to slow down everything around him, including Naruto's movements and even his thoughts.

The technique didn't affect Fugaku himself, which enabled him to land a powerful kick on Naruto, who was in his Two-Tailed state.

The Uchiha clan's taijutsu had always been formidable, and Fugaku's swift move sent Naruto flying.

Naruto quickly recovered mid-air, twisting his body, his mouth opening to form a Tailed Beast Bomb.

In a heartbeat, the Tailed Beast Bomb launched toward Fugaku like a speeding bullet.

But as it neared him, its speed drastically slowed down under the influence of Fugaku's technique.

Fugaku dodged to the side, letting the bomb fly past him, where it exploded violently in the forest behind.

Fugaku winced at the destruction. "Why is the Nine-Tails going berserk again?" he thought, but he quickly refocused.

There was no time to dwell on the cause—right now, the Nine-Tails needed to be subdued before it could cause even more damage.

Kento, along with three other Uchiha, rapidly formed hand signs.

A purple barrier formed around Naruto as the ''Four Purple Flame Formation'' activated.

Naruto, trapped inside the barrier, felt a wave of panic.

He began launching Tailed Beast Bombs at the barrier, but it held firm, the powerful jutsu containing his attacks.

However, Kento, who maintained one corner of the barrier, was already drenched in sweat.

Despite the strength of the barrier, the immense power of the Nine-Tails put a heavy strain on him.

Suddenly, another figure materialized inside the barrier—Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi said nothing as his ''Mangekyō Sharingan'' activated, focusing intently on Naruto. "''Amaterasu!''"

Black flames erupted on Naruto's Tailed Beast cloak, burning with an intensity that caused Naruto to roll on the ground in agony.

The dark flames wouldn't extinguish until they had completely consumed their target.

Soon, Naruto's Tailed Beast cloak was incinerated, and he collapsed to the ground, his skin charred like coal.

But then, a powerful heartbeat echoed from within Naruto's body.

In an instant, orange-red chakra exploded out of him, and six tails emerged from behind.

Naruto stood up, his eyes glowing a blood-red hue.

Itachi was momentarily taken aback. "Did Amaterasu fail?"

Fugaku called out, "Use genjutsu, Itachi! Don't kill Naruto!"

Itachi nodded, his eyes meeting Naruto's. For a brief moment, Naruto froze, his body immobilized.

Tears of blood flowed from the corners of Itachi's eyes—controlling a Tailed Beast with genjutsu was no small feat, but for Itachi, it wasn't impossible.

Rather than using ''Tsukuyomi'' to control the Tailed Beast, Itachi employed another genjutsu.

Inside Naruto's mind, he confronted the Nine-Tails, forcing it into submission within the illusionary world.

While Itachi could manipulate time within Tsukuyomi, only a second had passed in the real world.

However, when Tsukuyomi ended, the Nine-Tails would likely be even more enraged. Thus, Itachi transitioned to using other techniques to maintain control.

Meanwhile, inside Naruto's inner world, his naked form crouched in a dark corner, his soul battered by the constant abuse.

Each insult and taunt pierced him like knives, inflicting unbearable pain.

As he watched the Nine-Tails rampage, a twisted sense of relief washed over him. "They deserve it... They all bullied me, and I never did anything wrong!"

Naruto's spirit grew weaker, his consciousness beginning to slip into darkness.

Suddenly, a gentle voice broke through the despair. "Sorry, am I late?"

Naruto struggled to open his eyes, seeing a figure kneeling beside him. The man had the same yellow hair as Naruto and wore a warm, reassuring smile.

Naruto stood up, staring at the man who towered over him. Without warning, Naruto punched him in the stomach. "Who are you?!"

The man winced, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Well, if I'm not mistaken... I'm your father."

Naruto froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Father?"

The word felt foreign to him, something he had never dared to imagine.

Minato nodded. "When I died, I left a part of my chakra inside you. It was meant to appear if the Nine-Tails ever went out of control."

"I didn't expect it to happen so soon... Naruto, you've been through so much."

Naruto turned away, his emotions swirling. "You think one sentence can explain away more than ten years of suffering? I... I resent you for leaving me."

Despite his anger, Naruto had always admired the Fourth Hokage.

He had thought it was noble—sacrificing oneself for the village. But he never expected that person to be his father.

Minato looked at Naruto with a sad smile. "You're right. I wish I could have been there for you as you grew up. But as Hokage, I had responsibilities. Responsibilities to protect the village."

He sighed, glancing at the giant gate in the distance, behind which the Nine-Tails lurked. The beast grinned at Minato. "Hey, we meet again!"

Minato's expression remained calm. "Yes, we do. But this time, I'm here to seal you away once more. ''Sealing Jutsu: Eight Trigrams Seal!''"

Minato strengthened the seal on the Nine-Tails, preparing to disappear once his work was done.

But just as he was about to vanish, Naruto placed his hand on the newly formed seal. "You idiot! Do you even know what I've been through all these years? No one understands me, everyone bullies me!"

'The villagers you sacrificed yourself to protect—those same villagers tormented me, even though I did nothing wrong!"

"They threw rotten eggs and vegetables at me, and even the people you trusted in Konoha... they never helped me. To appease the villagers, they sacrificed me!"

Naruto's voice trembled with rage. "Some people aren't worth protecting. I'd rather side with the Tailed Beast than with them. The Nine-Tails doesn't need to be sealed!"

With that, Naruto shattered the Eight Trigrams Seal, freeing the Nine-Tails from its cage.

Minato watched silently as Naruto made his choice.

He spoke softly, "Naruto, this is your decision to make. I'm dead—I can't change what happens in this world anymore."

"The Konoha of today has its own Hokage. My time has passed. But please... don't bring disaster upon yourself."

With those final words, Minato's figure faded away.

The Nine-Tails chuckled darkly. "Naruto, you're right. Is there any point in staying loyal to Konoha after all this?"

The Nine-Tails' giant paw slammed down toward Naruto, intending to crush him. But as Naruto raised his head, looking up at a 45-degree angle, something made the Kyuubi hesitate.

The sight stunned the beast. "That face... it looks so familiar!"

Kyuubi saw the shadow of Asura on Naruto's face. "Could it be an illusion?" the beast wondered. But the resemblance felt too real.

Kyuubi's thoughts drifted back to the distant past.

When the Nine-Tails was still a small fox, barely formed, it clung to the Sage of Six Paths. At that time, the Sage had yet to fully control the Ten-Tails, and the Nine-Tails was merely one of the vessels created by him.

Initially, the Sage of Six Paths intended to give each of the nine tailed beasts an equal portion of the Ten-Tails' power. But the Sage had a special fondness for the Nine-Tails, so he gave it just a little more power.

One portion for each tail...

One portion for Shukaku, one for the Two-Tails, one for the Three-Tails...

And so on, until the Nine-Tails received its share—slightly more than the others.

The Sage of Six Paths had two sons: Indra and Asura. Kyuubi often found itself bullied by Indra, but Asura always stood up for it. Over time, Kyuubi and Asura grew close.

Now, seeing Naruto, Kyuubi felt a strange connection, as if the past and present had collided. The beast decided to test it, filling Naruto with its chakra. To its surprise, there was no resistance—only perfect harmony.

"This... this connection is undeniable," Kyuubi thought, astonished.

Suddenly, Kyuubi didn't want to kill Naruto anymore. It wanted to see how far this boy, so deeply connected to Asura, could go.

"Kid," Kyuubi spoke, its voice echoing in Naruto's mind, "if you ever need my power, just ask, and I'll give it to you."

...

Outside

Within the Four Purple Flame Formation, Naruto was still under the control of Itachi's genjutsu. But suddenly, a massive surge of chakra filled the barrier, breaking Itachi's hold.

Seeing this, Fugaku grew concerned. "The Nine-Tails is really hard to handle," he thought.

Fugaku quickly ordered, "Kento, release the Four Purple Flame Formation! If it can't contain the Nine-Tails and explodes, none of us will survive the blast!"

Immediately, Fugaku and Itachi exchanged glances and nodded in understanding.

"The third power... Susanoo!"

Crimson Susanoo formed around Fugaku, while Itachi's jet-black Susanoo materialized beside him.

Just as they prepared to engage in battle, the overwhelming chakra receded. Naruto returned to normal, and the Kyuubi's rampage ceased.

Fugaku: ???

Itachi: ???

"Wait... What? We were just about to fight seriously, and now it's over?" The two Susanoo figures dispersed in confusion.

Itachi started to approach Naruto to ask what had happened, but suddenly, the orange-red chakra flared up again.

Both Fugaku and Itachi immediately rearmed themselves, ready for another round.

But after a tense moment, Naruto simply lay on the ground, smiling. "You... you're Sasuke's brother, right? Man, I feel so strong now. It's like my chakra is overflowing!"

Itachi, sensing no threat, dismissed his Susanoo again. He approached Naruto and asked, "Why did the Nine-Tails go berserk?"

Naruto hesitated before responding. "I... my friend died, and it hurt a lot. Then, I saw some villagers from Konoha. I greeted them, but they just insulted me."

"What did they say?" Itachi asked gently.

"They called me a demon fox... said I was cruel and worthless."

Fugaku's temper flared. "Damn it," he thought. "Because of such nonsense, we almost had a disaster on our hands!"

Fugaku turned to Kento. "Kento, issue a public notice to the guards. Naruto is the son of Minato, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, and a hero."

"We cannot allow our heroes to bleed and shed tears like this."

He continued, "From now on, anyone who dares to insult Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchuuriki, will be arrested for treason!"

Kento hesitated. "Treason, clan leader? Isn't that a bit extreme?"

Fugaku shook his head. "No, it's not! Remember, the tailed beast is a vital strategic weapon for the village."

"If someone's words push the Jinchuuriki to defect, causing massive consequences, how is that not treason?"

Kento nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Yes, clan leader!"

Naruto, feeling drained, lay on the ground, his belly full of chakra like a balloon.

As the chaos subsided, more people began to arrive—among them, Tsunade, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and other high-ranking officials of Konoha.

Tsunade surveyed the damage, her expression serious. "Did the Nine-Tails go berserk just now?"

Fugaku nodded. "Yes, but it's under control now. Naruto managed to suppress it himself."

Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Naruto, you... you can control the Nine-Tails on your own?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know why, but the Kyuubi isn't as angry anymore. It's like... it's easier to talk to."

Inside Naruto's mind, the Nine-Tails grumbled, "Call me Kurama! That's my name!"

Tsunade's eyes widened. "If that's true, does this mean Naruto could be a perfect Jinchuuriki?"

She was about to ask more questions when Kakashi rushed onto the scene, his face full of concern. "What happened here? Why is everyone gathered?"

Tsunade filled him in. "You got here just in time. The Nine-Tails went berserk, but Naruto suppressed it. We suspect he might have become a perfect Jinchuuriki."

Kakashi frowned. "It's not that easy to perfect a Jinchuuriki. The tailed beasts have their own emotions and consciousness, and the Nine-Tails is particularly violent..."

Inside Naruto's mind, Kurama grumbled again. "Who the hell keeps spreading these rumors about me? If I wasn't mistreated, I wouldn't be so cruel!"

But Kakashi couldn't hear Kurama's protests.

Tsunade, sensing the tension, said, "Alright, Kakashi, you take Naruto back and observe him closely."

Kakashi nodded, ready to comply, but Fugaku interjected. "I don't think Kakashi has the strength to fully monitor the Nine-Tails. I suggest Naruto be taken to the Uchiha compound for observation."

Tsunade: ...

Fugaku: ...

The two stared each other down, tension thick in the air. Finally, Tsunade spoke. "You're already in charge of the ANBU and the military police. Now you want to take the Nine-Tails too?"

Fugaku responded calmly, "It's not about taking it away. The Nine-Tails will remain in Konoha. But Kakashi isn't strong enough to handle the Nine-Tails if it goes berserk again. Only the Uchiha can."

Tsunade opened her mouth to argue, but Fugaku cut her off. "Hokage-sama, how about we let Naruto decide for himself?"