Naruto: Reborn in His Younger Self

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Minato felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

He never expected that his son would have lived such a miserable life in Konoha.

Seeing Kushina's devastated expression, Naruto quickly tried to comfort her.

"It's okay, Mom. Don't cry," Naruto said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's all in the past now. Look, I'm fine! Sure, my childhood wasn't great, but once I graduated from the Academy, I worked hard and earned the acknowledgment of many people. I made friends, and because of everything that happened, I even became a hero of Konoha. I've gained recognition from other ninja villages too!"

Kushina wiped her tears and looked at Naruto. "You say it so lightly, but it breaks my heart."

She clenched her fists, her voice trembling. "Now that you're older and independent, it's different. But when I think about how you suffered as a child—alone, bullied, without parents to support you—I just..."

She couldn't finish the sentence before fresh tears welled up.

Then, suddenly, she turned toward Minato with anger burning in her eyes.

SLAP!

Minato barely had time to react before Kushina smacked him across the face.

"I told you not to sacrifice yourself! I begged you to survive! But no, you just had to be the great Fourth Hokage!"

Minato rubbed his cheek, looking at Kushina with a mixture of guilt and helplessness. "Kushina... I didn't think things would turn out this way..."

Kushina's hair started to float wildly around her, the telltale sign of her rage.

Naruto immediately took a step back. He remembered hearing from his father in his previous life that his mother had been called the Red-Hot-Blooded Habanero. When she got angry, it was best to stay out of her way.

Minato, sensing the danger, quickly stood up, waving his hands in defense. "Honey, let's calm down. It's all over now, right?"

"Over?!" Kushina snapped, her crimson hair flaring around her like a wildfire. "That's easy for you to say, Hokage-sama! That old man, Hiruzen Sarutobi, I'm going to settle accounts with him sooner or later!"

She clenched her fists tightly. "What kind of 'Will of Fire' is this? My clan was destroyed, and Konoha barely lifted a finger to help! Because Mito-sama, Hashirama-sama, and Tobirama-sama were gone, our Uzumaki Clan became nothing but an afterthought!"

Minato tried to pacify her. "Maybe Lord Third had his reasons. Naruto still attended school normally, which means the village provided at least some care, right?"

Kushina glared at him. "Isn't that the bare minimum?! You and I both died protecting this damn village! As our son, Naruto should have been treated as a hero, or at the very least, like the child of a martyr!"

She took a deep breath, trying to contain her anger. "Even if the village needed to keep his identity a secret for his safety, why couldn't they assign a caretaker? Even the Sarutobi Clan could've arranged for someone to look after him!"

Naruto stood quietly, watching his mother vent her frustration. Deep down, he felt a strange sense of comfort.

As a child, he never understood why he was hated so much. He had always tried to be kind to everyone, but the villagers repaid him with hostility and isolation.

His mother was right.

If not for Iruka-sensei, Jiraiya, and later Hinata, he might have turned out like Sasuke—obsessed with revenge against Konoha.

Kushina pointed at Minato again. "Tell me, Minato, what did I gain from marrying you?!"

Minato gulped.

"My family was wiped out, and I couldn't do a thing to save them!" Kushina continued, her voice filled with sorrow. "I became the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails! Then I had our son, and I died giving birth to him! And after all that, my son was abandoned and treated like a monster!"

Minato had no defense.

He looked down, unable to argue against her words.

Kushina scoffed. "Hiruzen Sarutobi, what a great Hokage he was!"

Minato wanted to defend his former mentor, but he couldn't deny that the Third Hokage had made some terrible choices.

There had always been things Minato didn't fully agree with.

Like the destruction of the Uzumaki Clan.

At the time, he and Kushina had pushed for Konoha to send reinforcements, but the village was caught in war, and the Third Hokage hesitated. By the time a decision was made, it was too late—the Uzumaki Clan was wiped out, with only a handful of survivors.

And then there was Orochimaru.

Minato's subordinates had reported strange disappearances in the village. After investigating, they discovered that Orochimaru was conducting human experiments.

Minato had been a Jōnin at the time, leading Konoha's defense forces. Even his subordinates had uncovered Orochimaru's crimes.

It was impossible that Hiruzen Sarutobi—Orochimaru's own master—hadn't known.

But the Third Hokage had hesitated.

He couldn't bring himself to punish Orochimaru, hoping his former student would return to the right path. But by the time he finally acted, it was too late—Orochimaru escaped.

Jiraiya had once admitted, after a few drinks, that Hiruzen should have stopped Orochimaru when he had the chance. At the very least, he should have captured him and locked him up.

Naruto saw his father's conflicted expression and sighed.

"Mom is right," he said. "The Third Hokage was too soft. But... he wasn't evil. He wasn't a bad person, just... incompetent."

Minato looked at Naruto in surprise. "Naruto, are you saying... Lord Third is dead?"

Kushina frowned. "Impossible. I haven't seen him in the Pure Land."

Naruto nodded. "That's because he used the Reaper Death Seal, just like Dad did. He sealed Orochimaru's arms and sacrificed himself."

Minato's eyes widened. "He... died?"

Naruto nodded. "It happened during the Chūnin Exams. Twelve years after you both passed away."

A long silence followed.

Minato closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. "So, in the end, he still gave his life for the village..."

Kushina snorted. "That doesn't change the fact that he failed my son when it mattered most."

Naruto smiled wryly. "Yeah, I won't argue with that, Mom."

Kushina reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. "It doesn't matter now. You're strong, you've overcome everything, and you've made me proud."

Naruto's eyes softened. "Thanks, Mom."

Minato, despite everything, smiled. "Naruto, I'm proud of you too. You've grown into a remarkable man."

For the first time, the three of them sat together as a real family, cherishing the moment they never got to have.

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