I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI

Namikaze Minato

Deep in the forests of the Land of Fire, Naruto was enjoying an impromptu barbecue.

The meal had an unusual assortment of participants—an unfortunate wild boar, a hare, and even a stray bird—all of which had unwittingly fallen victim to Naruto's Wind Release training. His rapidly developing chakra control had inadvertently turned his training ground into a hunting ground.

Feeling a mix of guilt and pragmatism, Naruto shed a few crocodile tears as he took another bite, reassuring himself that wasting food was the greater sin. Over the past month and a half, this accidental hunting method had become routine. The excess meat didn't go to waste either—Naruto had taken to packaging and selling it in nearby towns, padding his wallet with unexpected earnings.

Yet, the true benefit wasn't financial. His control over Wind Release had advanced significantly. He had fine-tuned his techniques, expanding the range of conventional Wind Release jutsu, enhancing the speed of his attacks, and refining the scale of the Rasenshuriken to be more efficient rather than overwhelmingly destructive.

Of course, much of this progress could be attributed to his battles with Danzō Shimura. The old war hawk, infamous for his clandestine operations and mastery of Wind Release, had proven to be a valuable opponent. From those encounters, Naruto had adapted his techniques, and with the aid of the Sharingan—acquired under circumstances he chose not to dwell on—he had copied several of Danzō's more formidable jutsu.

After finishing his meal, Naruto extinguished the fire and retrieved the Scroll of Seals from his storage scroll.

Breaking the seals in this forbidden tome had become part of his daily training regimen, a challenge he took on alongside his usual taijutsu and ninjutsu exercises. He had coveted the techniques hidden within it for some time now.

Half an hour later, he paused, his instincts warning him of potential danger. He knew the risks—Konoha had embedded tracking techniques within the Scroll of Seals. Normally, he could block their detection, but during the process of unraveling the seals, the suppression weakened temporarily. This brief vulnerability was often enough to alert ANBU to his location.

That was precisely why he had sent Shisui Uchiha ahead to the Land of Whirlpools. Naruto could afford to be caught—he was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, after all. But Shisui, an Uchiha and a traitor in the village's eyes, would not be granted such mercy. Konoha had a very different approach to dealing with missing-nin, especially when it came to the remnants of the Uchiha Clan.

Naruto heightened his sensory perception and waited, expecting ANBU operatives to appear at any moment. But minutes turned into hours, and no one arrived. A creeping suspicion formed in his mind—were they preparing something bigger? Perhaps the Third Hokage himself was leading the mission this time.

After leaving a shadow clone behind to monitor the situation, Naruto decided to head toward the nearest town. Upon arrival, he donned a mask and transformed into Menma, his alternate persona. With his recent earnings, he indulged in luxuries, spending extravagantly before retreating to a hotel room for some well-earned rest.

As he lay on the bed, he spoke casually to the presence within him.

"Kyuubi, my idea's not bad, right? If you materialized your chakra, you could eat, drink, and have fun like me."

Kurama, still recovering from the effects of the alcohol Naruto had forced upon him earlier, merely grumbled in response.

Naruto sighed before shifting his consciousness into the seal's inner space.

Standing before the Eight Trigrams Seal, he exhaled sharply, his patience wearing thin.

"You've been watching me for over two weeks now. If you won't show yourself, I'll just remove the seal entirely."

His voice echoed through the vast, dimly lit space. There should have been only two presences here—him and Kurama.

But he knew better.

There was a third consciousness.

A fragment of chakra sealed within the Eight Trigrams Seal. A remnant of Namikaze Minato.

Naruto didn't wait for a response. He walked straight to the cage, his fingers tracing the intricate formula of the seal before tearing it off.

The moment the Eight Trigrams Seal unraveled, the heavy gates confining the Nine-Tails swung open.

And then, he appeared.

Namikaze Minato.

The Fourth Hokage stood before him, his expression calm but tinged with inevitable regret.

Kurama, now free from his confines, immediately snapped to attention. The drunken haze vanished from his eyes, replaced by pure, undiluted rage.

The last time he had been released, Minato had split his chakra in half and sealed it away, stripping him of his freedom once more. The sight of the man responsible for his imprisonment reignited a deep-seated fury within the Tailed Beast.

Naruto, however, had his gaze fixed on the man before him.

Minato was exactly as the village remembered him—golden-haired, blue-eyed, and radiating warmth like the sun itself. His smile was contagious, the kind that drew people in without effort.

Perhaps this was why he had surpassed someone like Orochimaru to become Hokage. Power alone didn't win over people—it was light that drew them in, not the shadow of a serpent.

But Naruto wasn't here to admire him.

As Minato studied him in return, an unsettling realization dawned on the Fourth Hokage.

For the past half-month, he had been observing Naruto and Kurama in silence, waiting for the Nine-Tails to seize an opportunity to break free. He had expected hostility, expected to see a struggle for control.

But there was none.

Naruto and Kurama were already allies.

That meant Naruto was well on his way to becoming a Perfect Jinchūriki—a rare phenomenon that only a few in history had achieved. It was the very outcome Minato had hoped for when he made the decision to seal the beast within his son.

Yet something was wrong.

Naruto wasn't the child he had envisioned. The boy before him—no, the young man—was too composed, too calculated. He wasn't just strong for his age; he was unnervingly mature.

Even more concerning, Minato had witnessed Naruto's battle with Danzō, his dealings with the Uchiha Clan, and the events that had unfolded after his death.

He had always known that conflict between Uchiha and Konoha was inevitable, given the nature of their assigned role as the village's police force. But he had never expected Itachi to be the one to slaughter his own clan.

Most of all, he hadn't expected Naruto to side with the Uchiha.

Minato finally spoke, his voice measured.

"Naruto, you might not recognize me, but I—"

Before he could finish, Naruto cut him off.

"You're Namikaze Minato," he said flatly. "The Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure. The man who fathered this body."

Minato blinked. "You... you know who I am? The Third told you?"

Naruto scoffed. "The old man wouldn't tell me a damn thing. But your face is carved into the Hokage Monument—hard to miss."

Then, folding his arms, he continued, his voice devoid of warmth.

"Let's skip the sentimental nonsense. I'm not interested in some half-hearted father-son reunion. What I care about is simple—what do you have to offer me?"

Minato fell silent.

He had always envisioned himself as the Hokage, as the protector of the village.

But in this moment, standing before his son—he was nothing more than a dead man and an absent father.

And he had no idea how to reach him.

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