truths

Kaito approached Naruto with a smile. Naruto was still very confused about what was happening, especially when he realized that Ryuji and Hikari were nowhere to be found.

"Hahaha, well done, Naruto. You're a better cupid than I am," Kaito laughed while patting him on the shoulder.

"Uh, what do you mean, Kaito?" Naruto asked, still in confusion.

"Did you not see what you did? Haha, you made Ryuji and Hikari kiss. Simply unbelievable," Kaito said, trying to hold back his laughter.

"I did? I didn't notice that," Naruto scratched his head, still looking surprised.

"That was really fun to watch. Now she won't be able to tease me anymore. Hahaha, well done, Naruto," Ino also praised Naruto.

Naruto continued scratching his head and felt a bit embarrassed by Ino's compliment. After all, he wasn't used to being praised by a girl.

While Naruto was embarrassed, Kaito approached Ino and whispered something to her. Ino nodded and stepped back a bit.

"Is she leaving too?" Naruto asked, noticing Ino stepping away.

"No, Naruto. I asked her to give us some space. I need to talk to you," Kaito replied, looking at Naruto.

"Hey, I don't swing that way," Naruto replied to Kaito, protecting his body like a girl.

Kaito was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly formed a water sphere in his hand and threw it at Naruto's face. Naruto didn't have time to dodge, and the water ball hit his face, leaving him completely soaked.

"Cut it out, Naruto. I like women. I'm not like you, chasing after a certain black-haired guy," Kaito teased.

This time, Naruto was left in complete shock. He wanted to explain that he wasn't after anyone, but then he remembered his past efforts to prove himself better than Sasuke, even though he had stopped doing that lately.

"You should start thinking more about Hinata. People are starting to suspect your preferences," Kaito continued provoking Naruto.

"Damn it, I like women. Let someone say something in front of me, and I'll break them all," Naruto shouted while clenching his fist, an irritated expression on his face.

"Calm down, Naruto. Just do what I told you, and soon everyone will be envious of you," Kaito said, trying to calm Naruto.

He wasn't lying; most people who watched Naruto considered Hinata the best and would like to take Naruto's place.

"Let's stop the teasing, Naruto. We have important matters to discuss," Kaito said, adopting a serious tone.

Upon hearing this, Naruto also became serious and approached Kaito again.

"Alright, Naruto. The reason I wanted to talk to you alone is very serious. Do you know why everyone hates you, Naruto?"

Naruto remained silent for a few seconds upon hearing Kaito speak, but soon his mind returned to normal.

"I'm not sure, but people treat me with hatred. Some say I'm a monster, and they always excluded me or looked at me with hatred. But I never knew the real reason," Naruto spoke, lowering his head, remembering the past.

Kaito was slightly moved because he knew everything Naruto had been through. He was always amazed at Naruto's determination.

'If I were in Naruto's place, this village would have suffered another attack from Kurama.' Kaito thought, but then shook his head, clearing those thoughts from his mind.

"It's okay now. You have many friends around you, Naruto – Shikamaru, Kiba, me, Ryuji. You even have a girl who likes you, Naruto," Kaito said, attempting to reassure Naruto.

Naruto lifted his head after hearing this and agreed with what Kaito had said.

"You're right, Kaito. But do you really think Hinata likes me?" Naruto asked while scratching his head.

"Naruto, you're so slow. She practically melts whenever she's around you. I'm sure I saw smoke coming out of her head the last time you touched her hand," Kaito said, recalling Hinata blushing.

Naruto began to think and had to agree with Kaito. After all, Hinata always acted strangely when she was near him.

"But pay attention, Naruto. I know why everyone treats you with hatred," Kaito spoke and fell silent while looking at Naruto, who stared back seriously.

"Tell me, Kaito. Why does everyone hate me?" Naruto asked, and tears started to gather in his eyes.

Kaito took a deep breath for a few seconds, leaving Naruto anxious.

"How can I say it? Everyone hates you because you have a tailed beast inside you, Naruto. And not only that, but that tailed beast was responsible for the attack on Konoha that killed many people," Kaito spoke, leaving Naruto in silence once again.

Kaito knew that Naruto might already know this to some extent, but he was afraid to say that he had a monster inside him.

"But the truth is, Naruto, you should have received the best treatment. After all, your father was the Hokage at the time, and your mother was the Jinchuuriki. However, someone spread hatred in your name, and Hiruzen found himself powerless—at least that's what he thinks. But if he wanted to solve it, he could have," Kaito spoke while clenching his fists. He felt a certain anger towards Hiruzen. Although he didn't hate the Hokage, he couldn't understand why he let Naruto suffer so much, considering that anyone in Naruto's position would have rebelled against Konoha.

Naruto was in shock after hearing what Kaito was saying. His mind went blank, and his eyes were wide open.

"What did you say, Kaito? Repeat it," Naruto recovered from the shock and asked hastily, holding Kaito's arms in fear that he might run away and not tell again.

"Someone spread hatred in your name, and Hiruzen found himself powerless—at least that's what he thinks. But if he wanted to solve it, he could have..." Kaito repeated.

"Not that, what you said before, Kaito," Naruto shook him for a few seconds. Kaito almost felt dizzy, but he understood Naruto's reaction.

"Your father was a Hokage, Naruto. You see that statue, the one of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto? That's your father," Kaito spoke. This information simply exploded in Naruto's mind. He didn't know how to react to what he had just heard. Naruto sat down, trying to process everything.

Kaito was a bit worried about Naruto seeing him fall to the ground, but he was sure that this information for Naruto would only serve to increase his determination to become stronger.

After a few minutes of silence, Naruto stood up, and his eyes sparkled with determination.

"Do you know more? Where did you learn all of this?" Naruto asked anxiously. He wanted to ensure the accuracy of this information.

"Of course, my father told me, Naruto. After all, he's been a ninja since that time," Kaito replied to Naruto's question, who became even more excited.

"By the way, your father was a very strong ninja, Naruto. He was known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha. He was so fast that everyone feared him. His name made his opponents retreat, but he died in the Kyuubi attack, trying to save your life. He and your mother tried to protect you in every way, but unfortunately, they ended up losing their lives," Kaito finished speaking and fell silent again. This was certainly a bombshell for Naruto.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly. His eyes were a mix of sadness, agony, happiness, and longing.

He was happy to finally know who his parents were, but the rest of his feelings were because he couldn't meet and live with them.

After this, Kaito continued telling Naruto about his parents and how powerful they were, especially about Minato's technique, the Hiraishin, and how his mother was a powerful Jinchuuriki.

Naruto became increasingly fascinated as he listened to Kaito speak. His parents were simply very strong, and Naruto enjoyed hearing about them.

After a few minutes of conversation, Kaito looked at Naruto and spoke again.

"Alright, Naruto. What I have to tell you now is, you should talk to the tailed beast inside you. It's powerful and quite dangerous, but if you can convince it to help you, you'll be much more powerful than you are now," Kaito finally spoke his mind.

Naruto was already prepared to know about Kurama. He was learning various ninjutsu, and he was already very strong without relying on Kyuubi's chakra.

"How do I do that? Can I really do it?" Naruto asked.

"Well, Naruto, I don't know how you can do it, but your mother could. So, I think you can do it too. And, by the way, Naruto, you could ask the Hokage to teach you the Hiraishin. I'm sure he must have hidden that technique in some scroll. He can test your talent on it and then let you try to learn it. After all, it was your father's trademark, and Hiruzen owes you after everything he did to you," Kaito suggested to Naruto.

Naruto agreed to this idea. He was determined to combine the best of both his parents to feel a bit of both with him. This was the way he found to fill the void they left.

Kaito smiled, seeing his determination, and walked back to Ino, who was still waiting, sitting on a tree branch.

Naruto followed him while thinking about everything he had heard today, and soon the three of them were together again.

"You took a long time, Kaito," Ino said. She had been waiting all this time.

"Sorry, Ino. It was something private about Naruto," Kaito apologized to Ino, who accepted it easily.

"Kaito, I have to go now. See you next time. You're leaving today, right?" Naruto asked, looking at Kaito.

"Yes, I'll leave today, so until next time, Naruto. I hope you're much stronger the next time I see you. I want a good fight," Kaito confirmed, raising his fist towards Naruto.

"Alright, next time I'll defeat you, Kaito. Train hard, or I'll surpass you," Naruto hit his fist against Kaito's, with a sincere smile on his face.

Kaito was also smiling. Ino was standing next to them, watching their interactions. Naruto said his goodbyes to Kaito and Ino, and soon only the two of them were left.

"Is it true that you're leaving today?" Ino asked, her voice trembling a bit. Kaito could feel that Ino's eyes were starting to tear up.

"Yes, but I'll come back to the village several times, so I'll see all of you regularly," Kaito tried to comfort Ino.

Ino lowered her head a bit, but when Kaito was about to say something, she raised her head, and there was a smile on her face.

"Alright, since you're leaving, could you at least take me for a walk around Konoha? I wanted to spend more time with you," Ino said while still smiling. There was a bit of red on her face, but she had gathered the courage to ask for this.

"Hahaha, sure. I'll spend the last few hours until my departure with you, Ino," Kaito said, laughing a bit, but the sparkle in Ino's eyes only increased.