"Naruto's father is the Fourth Hokage!?"
Sakura cried out in shock, while Naruto himself was still frozen, unable to process the news.
For a long while, Naruto's dry lips trembled before he finally managed to ask,
"Then why is my surname Uzumaki instead of Namikaze?"
"Uzumaki is your mother's surname. Your mother was Uzumaki Kushina. As for why you weren't given the Namikaze name—heh, you'd have to ask the Third Hokage about that. Oh, wait, I almost forgot—the old man's already dead."
Kaito's tone carried open mockery, with a faint undercurrent of killing intent.
Yamato's expression darkened. Clearly, this senior Kaito had little fondness for Konoha's leadership.
If anyone else in the village had voiced such words, as an ANBU captain Yamato would've immediately detained them. But this was Kaito—a man who had effortlessly handled Orochimaru and who wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan as an Uchiha.
Yamato knew very well he didn't have the power to arrest someone like him. Even Tsunade-sama, the current Hokage, might not be his match.
After all, Tsunade and Orochimaru were both Sannin. And since Orochimaru had been defeated so utterly, there was no guarantee Tsunade would fare any better.
Naruto still stood there, dumbstruck. Kaito shook his head, then once again activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, locking eyes with Naruto.
...
In a dark underground prison, the Nine-Tails lay sprawled on the floor, feigning sleep. Suddenly, Kaito appeared at the cell door, bringing Naruto with him.
The great beast's ears twitched. Slowly, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes. Upon seeing Kaito's scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan, its face twisted in disgust.
"Filthy Uchiha. What are you doing here?"
Kaito smiled faintly.
"Kurama, I have no interest in you. Just behave yourself."
"What?! How do you know my—"
Before the Nine-Tails could finish, the tomoe of the Sharingan spun in its eyes, and it immediately fell into a trance.
Seeing that pattern, Naruto instantly thought of Sasuke. He couldn't help but ask,
"Kaito-senpai, do you know Sasuke?"
"I do. But now's not the time to talk about him."
With a casual wave of his hand, Kaito pulled away the sealing tag plastered across the cell door. Immediately, the Nine-Tails' chakra flared, becoming even more violent.
Just as the tag was about to be fully removed, a figure suddenly appeared, pressing it firmly back into place.
Naruto froze when he saw the kanji for "Fourth Hokage" on the man's cloak.
It was none other than Namikaze Minato. But this Minato was only a remnant of chakra he had left inside Naruto.
After resealing the tag, Minato turned with his trademark bright smile.
"It's not time yet, Naruto. …Huh? Kaito!?"
Minato's eyes widened at the sight of Kaito standing beside Naruto, as if he'd seen a ghost.
Of course, at this moment, who was the ghost was debatable.
Kaito folded his arms and said irritably,
"What? That's the face you make when you see me?"
"Uh…"
Minato scratched his head, then dropped down lightly from above. He walked up to Kaito, staring at his face over and over, completely ignoring Naruto.
When his gaze fell on Kaito's Mangekyō Sharingan, shock swept across Minato's features.
"That… that's Mangekyō Sharingan? Kaito, just what have you been through all these years?"
As Hokage, Minato knew some secrets of the Mangekyō—that it could only be awakened through an immense emotional trauma. The Uchiha were a clan of "love," and that trauma was often the loss of someone most dear.
Minato couldn't help but ask,
"Was it because of my death…?"
"No. I awakened my Mangekyō during a war, before you died. Every single one of my clansmen who fought alongside me was killed. I was the only survivor."
Minato's face flushed red, embarrassment clear.
Kaito shot him a glare and scolded,
"How many times did I tell you? Kushina's childbirth must remain top secret. The most important thing was not to tell Kakashi! Did you tell him?!"
In the anime, Obito had learned about Kushina's delivery only because Kakashi let it slip while visiting Rin's grave. That was why Kaito had warned Minato repeatedly never to tell Kakashi.
Minato shrank his neck and muttered defensively,
"I was just worried about Kakashi. With everything about Rin and Obito, he was too depressed. So I assigned him to guard Kushina, hoping he could witness the birth of a new life. Maybe it would help heal his heart a little…"
"You idiot! You treated my top-secret order like background noise?!"
Minato bristled at being called an "idiot." Stiff-necked, he shot back,
"How am I an idiot!? And besides, what does this have to do with Kakashi? As if he'd ever leak something like that to the enemy! I asked you about it back then and you wouldn't even explain!"
"Tch… Namikaze Minato, I swear I'll—"
Naruto, watching the two bicker like quarreling friends, couldn't hold back anymore.
"Um… Kaito-senpai, and… Fourth Hokage-sama. Could you maybe argue later? I… I have some questions I really need to ask…"
Only then did Kaito and Minato remember Naruto was still there. Kaito shrugged and went silent.
Minato, however, blinked, staring at Naruto in puzzlement.
"What did you just call me?"
"Fourth Hokage-sama!"
"And?"
"Kaito-senpai said you're my father… but I can't believe it. So…"
"You need Kaito to tell you that? I am your father! Didn't the Third Hokage tell you?"
"No. All I ever knew was that I was an orphan. And… a demon fox!"
At that, pain flickered across Naruto's face. He stared fixedly at Minato, voice choked.
"So Fourth Hokage-sama really is my father? Why did no one ever tell me!?"
Minato froze at the sight of Naruto's anguish, suddenly at a loss. He turned helplessly toward Kaito.
Kaito shook his head, then leaned in close to Minato, pressing a finger to his forehead.
In an instant, scenes from Naruto's childhood—lonely, painful, and bittersweet—flashed through Minato's mind like a slideshow.
Minato's expression shifted again and again. By the time it ended, tears were streaming down his face.
He pulled Naruto tightly into his arms, wanting to say "I'm sorry," but the words refused to leave his throat…