"I'm sorry, Naruto. I never imagined your life would be so painful. You should have been treated like a hero..."
Minato's eyes were filled with deep guilt. Naruto wiped away his tears. Truthfully, he'd once wanted to punch Minato for everything, but seeing him like this, all that anger dissipated.
The father and son stood in silence—until Chiga, who had been watching with his arms crossed, finally spoke.
"Minato, the chakra you left behind shouldn't last much longer, right? If you've got something else to say, better say it now."
Minato gave a slow nod. He gently ruffled Naruto's spiky blond hair, which mirrored his own, and said,
"Naruto... I wasn't a good father. I—"
"Alright, alright, enough already. Giving you a chance was pointless, you're just saying useless things."
Chiga interrupted impatiently. He walked up to Minato and punched him squarely in the stomach. Though Minato was merely chakra now, the blow still caused him to stumble back, clutching his abdomen.
Despite his spiritual state, Minato felt the pain. He cast a resentful look at Chiga, thinking, Didn't you just tell me to speak quickly?
Still, he knew he deserved that punch. In a strange way, accepting it made him feel a little better.
Naruto watched his father's pained expression and suddenly asked,
"Congratulations, Chiga-san... How much longer can my dad exist?"
It was the first time Naruto had referred to Minato as "Dad." Hearing it, Minato's heart surged with warmth—but it only deepened his remorse.
Chiga glanced at Minato's increasingly transparent form and answered,
"Less than five minutes."
"Five minutes..."
Naruto lowered his head. He had just reunited with his father, and now he was already losing him again. It was cruel.
Minato sighed heavily and looked at Chiga with a pleading gaze.
"Chiga, once I disappear... could you take care of Naruto? As his father, I've failed him in every way."
Chiga rolled his eyes.
"No."
"Thank you very much... Wait, what?!"
Minato stared at Chiga in disbelief. Given their relationship, he'd thought Chiga would at least look after Naruto. What was this refusal?
Chiga narrowed his eyes and scoffed,
"Don't look at me like that. Take care of your own son yourself."
"But I'm about to vanish!"
"Then come back after you disappear."
"Are you serious?! I'm already dead!"
"I know you're dead, stop repeating it."
"Chiga, I'm begging you! I can't rest unless I know Naruto will be okay!"
"What? You don't trust Konoha now? Because the Third Hokage is gone?"
"..."
Minato's expression darkened. Mentioning Konoha was a trigger. He had just seen glimpses of Naruto's childhood—how he was neglected, how he ate spoiled food, wore threadbare clothes, and had no warmth from the villagers.
He was the Fourth Hokage! Where was Naruto's inheritance? Why hadn't Hiruzen or the elders ensured Naruto had it?
The villagers beat him, insulted him, and isolated him from other children. Rage swelled inside Minato.
He could understand why they hid Naruto's identity as his son—to protect him. But then why didn't they hide the fact that he was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki? Why let people call him "Child of the Fox Demon"? Why didn't they educate the village about what a Jinchūriki truly is?
The more he thought, the angrier he got. His chakra fluctuated violently.
He was already fading, but the agitation only accelerated the process.
Naruto's heart ached watching it all unfold.
"Dad..."
That single word shattered Minato. His defenses crumbled, tears welled in his eyes, and he shut them, unable to face Naruto any longer.
Chiga sighed. He stepped forward and flicked Minato's forehead.
Minato opened his eyes, wincing in pain, confused by Chiga's gesture.
Suddenly, black ripples appeared in Chiga's eyes—his Rinnegan awakened.
Minato's eyes widened in astonishment. He blinked several times in disbelief.
"Those are... the Rinnegan?!"
Chiga said nothing. He deactivated the Rinnegan and turned toward Naruto, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Without glancing back, he said calmly,
"I said take care of your own son. Go reflect inside the Shinigami's belly for now."
With that, Chiga vanished, taking Naruto with him.
Minato stared at the spot where they had stood, his voice soft and filled with sorrow.
"Thank you, Chiga..."
---
Back in the real world, Naruto's eyes regained clarity. The first thing he did was turn to Chiga and ask anxiously,
"Congratulations, Chiga-san... my dad—?"
"He's gone."
Even though he expected it, Naruto still felt a crushing wave of disappointment. After a quiet pause, he asked,
"Will I get to see him again?"
Chiga looked at the boy's hopeful eyes, sighed, and said gently,
"Yes. You will."
Naruto's face lit up. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and bowed deeply.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Chiga-san!"
Chiga waved a hand. An invisible force lifted Naruto back to his feet.
"Alright, enough with the gratitude. Save it for when you meet your dad again."
Yamato and Sakura, who had been watching from the sidelines, were thoroughly confused. From what they had heard, Naruto's father was the Fourth Hokage. But the Fourth had long been dead... so how had Naruto just spoken to him?
Sakura tapped Naruto on the arm and whispered,
"Naruto... did you really just see Lord Fourth?"
"Yeah."
"And... he's really your father?"
"Yes."
Naruto's mind was still lost in thoughts of Minato. His distracted tone irritated Sakura, and she raised a fist, intending to smack him.
But before she could act, her hand was caught mid-air.
Chiga had appeared silently in front of her, his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing cold and merciless.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The weight of his glare crushed her. Sakura swallowed nervously, fear overtaking her body, and her eyes shifted to Naruto in silent desperation...
---
Milestones
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
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