Naruto’s Decision (4)

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Silence filled the room. Orochimaru seemed to not expect my outburst and so was Minato. The silence was broken when Orochimaru and Kabuto left me alone with Minato. I didn't know the guy had some decency to butt out of a family matter. Of course, it didn't matter. The family business was finished. It was time to move on.

"Naruto… I am sorry. I didn't know that—"

I raised my hand, stopping Minato from getting into the mushy part.

"I am going to extract Kurama's Yin Half from you."

"…is that why you summoned me?"

I quirked an eyebrow as disappointment flashed across Minato's eyes.

"What? Do you think I would summon you just to punch you? It's a waste of life don't you think?"

Realization dawned on Minato, causing him to look down on his body. He looked at me disapprovingly before sighing helplessly. He didn't have any right to lecture me about killing. His body count was enough to fill up a small village, after all.

"Why do you need it?" he asked softly.

"To fully embrace my identity as Konoha's Demon," I scoffed, earning an apologetic smile from him. "There is a group chasing after Jinchūriki. I need the power to face them."

"I can sense great power from you. Given a few years, I believe only a few can touch you. In other words, this group is powerful enough to declare war against the entire continent. Is that what you are saying?" Minato concluded.

I nodded lightly, causing a contemplating look to appear on Minato's face. He nodded resolutely not long after and then smiled at me.

"Let's do it. But I guess an apology is—"

"We'll do that later," I interjected him. "Let's proceed with the ritual."

Minato looked bitter, but I ignored it. I drove my palm into his stomach, punching a hole in his clothes. As soon as my palm was in contact with his seal, I felt my connection with Kurama's Yin Half established. I found myself standing in a groundless black space, staring directly at Kurama's Yin Half who was standing behind Minato.

"I thought it would be a simple extraction," I remarked.

"Yo, my other half," Yang Kurama greeted with a smirk.

"Are you working together with a human?" Yin Kurama scoffed.

"Unbelievable, right?" Yang Kurama snickered.

"Waste no time and absorb him, Kurama," I admonished.

"I didn't know we were in a hurry," Yang Kurama said dryly.

"I don't like wasting time."

"Then, why don't you spend it on rekindling with your father?" Yang Kurama told me dismissively.

A frown marred my face before I shrugged and went along with Kurama. Minato sent a thankful look to Kurama, causing the Bijū to snort. Minato walked to me. I looked at him cautiously as I anticipated what he was trying to do.

"You have grown up to be an outstanding young man, Naruto."

He hugged me and I remained steady for a few seconds. A part of me screamed at me to reciprocate. My logical side told me I had no obligation to do that. However, the warmth made me return the gesture, albeit reluctantly. Minato's embrace tightened. I let him be until he let go of me.

"I have received the memory from the Chakra I left in your seal. I am sorry for what I did to you," Minato said solemnly. "I didn't know the village would be so clouded by sorrow and hatred that they ignored what was right. If I were there, that wouldn't have…"

Minato trailed off as he met my unamused gaze. A wry smile crept up his face before he ran a hand through his hair.

"Right, I wasn't there… and neither was Kushina. I am sorry for being a naïve father." Minato looked at me with a defeated look. "Do I have any chance of being forgiven?"

Myriads of emotions crossed Minato's eyes as he looked at me. A corpse expressed more emotions than I did. The reaction was very different from what I had seen in the anime. Minato looked unapologetic in the anime. Although he said he was sorry, his look was saying he would do it all over again.

The Minato whom I met truly regretted his decision. The wry smile that couldn't leave his face and his fluctuating emotions were testaments to that. Maybe, it had something to do with the way I reacted. After all, in the anime, Naruto forgave him like it was any other Saturday. My reactions must have caused him to realize what he had done wrong.

I was tempted to make him Dogeza, but I held myself. The man had gone through a lot. What he had done to his son was stupid, but it was a wise decision for a leader. Of course, he must be punished still.

"What is your most prized possession, Minato?" I asked calmly, causing the blond guy to light up.

"Of course, it would be you and Kushina-chan. Nothing precedes my family," he answered surely before realization dawned on him. "Of course, my lapse in judgment made me forget that. I put the village before my family, costing my wife and son. I was wrong. I was naïve to think that everything would go according to my plan… I am sorry."

I watched as Minato bowed lower than he ever had in his life. As irritating as it was, Minato was not wrong to assume nothing bad would have happened if everything went according to his plan. If Kurama hadn't pierced Kushina along with Minato, she would have been walking alongside me.

Minato's plan would have worked regardless if there hadn't been a mishap during the Chakra implant. Half of Kushina's soul was trapped in the seal, leaving her in a comatose. It was absurd to demand Minato to expect such a thing to happen, but he should have considered a mishap to happen. He was pretty reckless for such an intelligent person.

"Raise your head."

But then, what do you expect from a man who was forced to defend his village just after his wife gave birth to his son?

"Let's put away what happened in the past. I can say I have already forgiven you but not I like you. It takes time to let the pain go. With that said, it bears no fruit bowing your head to me forever," I said as I grasped Minato's shoulder.

"Naruto…" Minato gritted his teeth, eyes watering. "I am sorry," he repeated as he hugged me.

I had forgiven Minato. I despised his decision but not him. With that said, Konoha remained unforgiven. Minato, Kushina, and I had lost a lot to save their asses and they spat on our sacrifices. They needed to suffer.

"Please, take care of Kushina for me," Minato said as he let me go. "I know you can wake her up. Plus, I know that you hate Konoha for what it did to you and only used what you did as a reason to leave it, but I am proud of you. Thanks to you, Konoha would be safe even without you."

Minato chuckled while scratching his cheek in the next second, probably realizing the absurdity of his sentence. I nodded and then turned to Kurama. He had finished merging with his other half. In the blink of an eye, we were back in the outside world. I retracted my hand as it stopped absorbing Chakra.

My body felt stuffy, my Chakra was more controllable than ever. With a little practice, I wouldn't need my Chakra Control Seal anymore. That being said, my body would need to acclimate with Kurama's Chakra again. It was not mature enough to handle the brunt of Kurama's corrosive Chakra.

"Although I would rather you stay in Konoha, I support your decision to rebuild Uzushio. I bet Kushina will like it," Minato said with a smile and a hand on my shoulder. "It will be a long and arduous path, but I am sure you will succeed. Naruto, take care of Kushina-chan for me, and don't lose yourself in pursuit of power."

I stared at the man silently for a few seconds before nodding in acceptance.

"That will do…" Minato looked at me expectantly. "Dad…" I drawled reluctantly.

"I believe in you, Son," Minato smirked, prompting me to return it. I would, of course, take care of Kushina; just not the way he intended me to.

I watched as Minato's skin peeled off like sticky notes being pried off. He was returning to the afterlife on his volution. Before long, the corpse retained its initial form and dropped to the ground. Orochimaru took it as his cue to enter. He asked me how I felt with intrigue dancing in his eyes.

"Take this," I threw him a jar.

"Sharingan," Orochimaru remarked. "I have a lot of them. But I suppose the ones you give me are better than the synthetics I have."

"I wonder if you can integrate my Sekigan ability into Sharingan."

"Is that a challenge?"

Orochimaru looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. I only smirked at him.

"Challenge accepted."

"Ah, one more thing."

"What?" Orochimaru frowned.

A scowl marred my face. "You have seen my mother's body, asshole. You can choose between castration or turning into a woman."

"Ah, I guess I will choose the latter."

Orochimaru smirked as I frowned.

Surely, the guy couldn't…

He could.