Chapter 57 - Meeting the parents

Alright, straight up? If things continue to look this way, enlisting in the military will be the best choice of my life. It's hard, very hard, but it's also fulfilling. I feel like I truly belong somewhere, and that I honestly matter. I feel more confident in myself, and I met wonderful people. The pay sucks, but by the time of me writing this, it's literally the only detriment.

It's not as stressful as I thought it'd be, and I'm happy every day. It took some time to get used to, but now I feel that I'm able to write somewhat consistently again. I'll give you a head's up if I'm staying at the base for the weekend (meaning I won't be able to upload a chapter that week) though I don't think it'd happen often. Maybe once a month.

Alright, I'm done ranting, enjoy the chapter!

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"So... Do you want to do it now, or...?" Ryu asked awkwardly after Naruto's intense reaction. "You bastard, you can't just give me a revelation like that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"...Yeah, fine. That's my bad. So, what do you want to do?" Ryu inquired as he shrugged. "I dunno, I think I need some time to process this. Let's do it tomorrow, ok?" Naruto asked. "Sure," Ryu replied.

---

The next day, Ryu approached the apprehensive boy standing before him. "So, are you ready?" he asked. "Nope, not even close, but it doesn't really matter," Naruto replied with a slight tremble in his voice. "True. Alright, let's get started; waiting will only make it worse for you," Ryu said, gesturing for Naruto to remove his shirt.

"Let me work on this a bit..." Ryu muttered as he infused Chakra into his fingertips and carefully made alterations to Naruto's seal. "And... done. Alright, let's enter your mindscape, and I'll help you summon your parents' souls," Ryu announced as Naruto closed his eyes and focused.

In an instant, Ryu and Naruto found themselves in a vast, yellowish expanse with a thin layer of water covering the ground. At the far end of the area, a large gate stood open.

"Is it time?" a deep voice rumbled as Kurama emerged from within the gate. "Yup," Naruto responded, his voice quivering with nerves. "Ha! This is going to be fun..." Kurama smirked, anticipating Minato's shock upon seeing him unrestrained.

"Do it, Ryu," Naruto urged, and Ryu performed a hand sign to activate the seal. Two orbs of light emerged from the shallow water, gradually taking the shape of a bewildered couple. The man had spiky blond hair, while the woman possessed long, red tresses. As the two surveyed their surroundings, they were horrified to find themselves face-to-face with a colossal fox.

"Wait, before you panic—" Ryu attempted to interject, but the two skilled shinobi sprang into action without waiting for him to finish. Silver chains shot from the red-haired woman's back at blinding speeds, and the blond man darted forward even faster, forming a blue, orb-like attack in his hand.

Kurama appeared unfazed as the chains coiled around his body. As the blond man's attack neared his face, Ryu materialized in front of him, seizing his wrist and neutralizing the assault. "As I said, calm down," Ryu said firmly, snapping his fingers to make the silver chains vanish into thin air.

The night before, Ryu had pondered a thought. If he looked at actual nothingness, would his Mangekyo abilities enable him to understand it? Would there even be anything to see? Using Wind-Style Ninjutsu he had acquired from the Third Hokage's memories, he created a small vacuum—a space where nothing exists. He gazed at it, attempting to comprehend the enigmatic concept. While the idea of nothing might seem simple on paper, truly understanding it proved to be a challenge.

What were its properties, how could it be utilized, and how did it affect its surroundings? Ryu spent the entire night examining his self-made vacuum, and although he hadn't fully grasped its nature, his Mangekyo ability provided enough information for him to apply it to some degree.

"Who are you? What are you doing in Naruto's mindscape?!" The blond man demanded, anger and concern lacing his voice as he summoned another orb-like attack. "Relax, I'll explain everything. Just calm down. Naruto isn't in any danger," Ryu reassured, sensing the man's tension ease somewhat.

"...Fine. It seems we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Minato, and this is my wife, Kushina. We're Naruto's parents, though it seems you already knew that," Minato said, suspicion still coloring his voice. "I knew. But before I catch you up on things, your son wants to talk to you," Ryu replied, stepping aside to reveal Naruto, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Naruto..." Minato murmured, kneeling to meet Naruto's gaze. "Dad..." Naruto whispered before his fist collided with Minato's gut, sending him flying several meters back with a dazed expression. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" Naruto shouted, his voice a mix of anger and relief.

"*Cough* Yeah, I deserved that. I'm sorry for sealing Kurama inside of you, Naruto," Minato apologized, struggling to catch his breath. "You think this is about that?! Dad, I'm not angry about you sealing Kurama inside of me. At least, not anymore. I'm angry that you left me in the hands of an incompetent and delusional old man!" Naruto explained, his father's expression hardening.

"Lord Third? Why do you speak of him like that?" Minato asked, confusion evident in his voice. "What else would you call that miserable excuse of a human being?" Naruto retorted, annoyed by his father's reverence for Hiruzen.

"What do you mean by that? Lord Third was a great man, why do you insult him like that? What happened between the two of you?" Minato probed, his intuition telling him something wasn't right.

"A great man? Don't make me laugh. But fine, let me tell you about that bastard," Naruto replied, exasperation lacing his words.