Chapter 391: Father and Son Meet Across Time and Space (Dragon Vein End)
For a moment, Naruto forgot what he was even about to say.
He could only stare at Minato Namikaze in a daze.
It felt strange. Really strange.
They had clearly never met, yet Naruto felt an overwhelming sense of closeness toward this man. Maybe it was because Minato looked so much like Mugetsu senpai.
"Are you the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto asked without thinking.
Minato smiled. "No. I am Minato Namikaze. Besides, the village is still in the era of the Third Hokage."
Yamato looked at Naruto with a trace of exasperation. It was not Naruto's first day time traveling, so why was he still acting like this?
Naruto laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
Yamato's mind spun. Why was the future Fourth Hokage here?
He looked at Kakashi and the others, wondering if they had contacted Minato. After all, Minato was one of the people they wanted to save. If Minato knew his own future and could protect himself, their plan's success rate would jump.
"Minato sensei, why are you in Roran?" Obito asked curiously as he patted dust off his clothes. "Did you take a mission?"
Yamato's guess sounded reasonable, but it was wrong. Obito and the others did not know either. Minato's appearance had been just as sudden to them.
"No," Minato answered after a brief pause. "It is more for personal reasons."
Mugetsu had called him. Unlike Jiraiya, Minato came in person, not as a Shadow Clone.
Mugetsu and his team had been in Roran for a while. Minato had just completed a mission, so he came directly.
And the instant Minato saw Naruto, he knew Mugetsu's guess was right.
Naruto was his child.
The Uzumaki surname, the resemblance, the unmistakable feeling of blood, and even the familiar trace of his chakra within Naruto's body.
If Naruto was not his child, then whose child could he be?
"Your battle just now was excellent," Minato said, looking at Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. "It is obvious you have all been training hard. You have made real progress."
He praised each of them without holding back.
"Obito, your Fire Release is not only stronger, it is also more flexible than before. Kakashi, your speed is impressive, and your coordination with your teammates is solid. Rin, you…"
Minato's praise was detailed, warm, and sincere.
Obito, Kakashi, and Rin exchanged glances, each wearing a different smile.
Obito's was the most straightforward.
Kakashi's was subtle, only visible as a faint amusement in his eyes because of the mask.
Rin's was the gentlest of all.
Their determination to change history only grew stronger. How could they allow a teacher like Minato to die during the Nine Tails rampage?
"What about me?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.
Minato turned his gentle gaze toward him. "Your chakra reserves, your combat experience, your timing, your ability to seize openings, all of it is excellent. You are already an outstanding shinobi."
"Hehe." For some reason, being praised by Minato made Naruto ridiculously happy.
"Big Brother Minato," Naruto asked, "do you think I can become Hokage?"
He met Minato's eyes, curious and eager, desperate to hear the answer.
No matter how much had happened, Naruto's dream had never changed. Even now, he still wanted to become Hokage.
But he had matured. He no longer believed becoming Hokage would automatically earn him recognition. He understood that only someone recognized by everyone could truly become Hokage.
"The Hokage is chosen by the entire village," Minato said after thinking carefully. "My opinion alone means nothing."
Then his tone shifted, firmer.
"But if it were up to me, to become Hokage, you must be ready for the resolve that comes with it. No matter what setbacks or difficulties you face, you cannot give up. If you keep pushing to the very end, then there is hope."
Minato could confirm Naruto was his child, but he would not ignore reality and claim Naruto would definitely become Hokage because of that.
Minato had only seen one battle. It showed Naruto's ability, but it did not reveal everything about who Naruto truly was.
"I will definitely fight until the very end!" Naruto said, grinning brightly. "My ninja way is to never go back on my word!"
After saying that, Naruto threw himself right back into training.
It was still early. Their usual training did not end until 5:30 PM.
Kakashi and the others also returned to their training quickly. If they wanted to change the future, strength was not optional.
"Aren't you going to tell him?" Mugetsu asked quietly.
He assumed Minato had already recognized Naruto.
Minato shook his head slightly, eyes still following Naruto. "Since he does not recognize me, there is no need. It would only bring him more pain."
Naruto was indeed his child, but he was a child from the future.
And if Naruto did not recognize him, there was only one possibility.
Minato had died before Naruto was old enough to remember him.
Not a normal death either. Something big. Something heavy.
Kushina may have died as well.
If Minato had simply died in an ordinary way, Naruto would still know he had a father through photos and stories, even if the man was gone.
But Naruto's behavior said everything.
Naruto recognized him as a person, even recognized what he was, but he did not know their relationship.
Minato did not want to dig deeper into the future. He did not want to guess why he died.
He only knew that if he revealed the truth here, Naruto would carry unbearable pain when he returned to his own world.
They were father and son, but they existed in different times. The time they could spend together was painfully short.
Naruto, who had never known a father's love, might have already learned how to live without it.
Minato did not want to drag Naruto, who had learned to endure darkness, into a brief patch of light, only to send him back into endless darkness afterward.
The only thing Minato could do was take care of Naruto properly before Naruto returned.
Because Naruto was his child.
"That is very much your style," Mugetsu said.
Minato was a gentle man. Revealing the truth would give Naruto warmth and joy in the moment, but it would leave Naruto with a longer, deeper pain later. Mugetsu had expected Minato's choice.
Minato smiled and gave a small bow of thanks. "Thank you for taking care of Obito, Naruto, and the others these past days. I know it was not easy."
"It was nothing," Mugetsu replied. "But Minato, you should hurry. They will be returning in a week."
Naruto and Yamato had already been here for a long time. Time travel was mysterious, and Mugetsu could not be sure what state Naruto would return to.
Would Naruto return to the exact instant he left, or would the timeline shift based on how long they stayed here?
Mugetsu did not want Naruto to go back and immediately face Pain.
If Minato had not arrived, Mugetsu would have arranged their return as soon as Naruto learned Yang Release Breathing.
Minato nodded. During this week, he would take care of Naruto as much as he possibly could.
After training, Mugetsu prepared another lavish dinner.
Whether it was because Minato's future identity as the Fourth Hokage or because of blood, Naruto became extremely curious about Minato. He asked questions nonstop before and after they ate.
Minato answered every one patiently, without the slightest hint of irritation.
That only increased Naruto's affection. The image of the Fourth Hokage in Naruto's mind gradually became fuller, clearer, more real.
Because Minato treated Naruto so well, even Yamato began to feel something was off.
He had heard the Fourth Hokage was kind, but this was beyond kind. In just a few days, Minato had been fulfilling practically every request Naruto made.
Naruto casually mentioned wanting ramen in the middle of the night. Not long after, Minato brought him a steaming bowl.
Naruto wanted combat training with Minato. Minato agreed without hesitation, then calmly pointed out Naruto's flaws while they fought.
And ever since Minato arrived, Naruto, who always moved around in his sleep, had not dropped his blanket onto the floor even once.
Naruto himself did not notice a thing.
But Yamato, who shared a room with him, felt the abnormality clearly.
Yamato had suspicions, but he kept them to himself. Minato, the person involved, chose silence. As an outsider, Yamato could not just blurt it out.
On the final day, since Naruto and Yamato were returning to their original timeline that night, Mugetsu did not have them train. He let them relax and enjoy life instead.
Naruto suggested exploring Roran thoroughly.
Minato, hearing that, said he had been planning the same.
"Naruto, you go play first," Yamato said after thinking for a moment. "I have something to handle here. I will explore by myself later."
"Same for us," Kakashi added, speaking for Obito before he could say something reckless.
Kakashi had noticed it too. He wanted to give Minato and Naruto some time alone on this last day.
They were not time travelers. If they wanted to visit Roran, they had plenty of time in the future.
Obito opened his mouth, ready to complain, but Kakashi's eye signal shut him down. He closed his mouth in the end.
"Oh, okay then!" Naruto did not think much of it. "Big Brother Minato and I will go out first!"
He left cheerfully with Minato.
The moment they were gone, Obito turned on Kakashi, disgruntled.
"Kakashi, what is that supposed to mean? Big Brother Naruto is going back tonight. Shouldn't we spend time with him?"
"We have already spent plenty of time with him," Kakashi replied simply. "One less day will not matter. But it is different for Minato sensei."
He did not elaborate.
Obito hated Kakashi's habit of being vague, but he nodded anyway, pretending he understood.
Because Obito noticed the others did not look confused.
If he kept asking, he would be the only one looking stupid.
Mugetsu also left soon after. He had many things to handle and could not afford to sit around.
As they prepared for the return, Obito suddenly remembered something and turned to Yamato.
"Since we are leaving soon, Yamato, try to remember if there is any important future information you have not told us."
Obito often forgot things, so he projected that habit onto Yamato and worried Yamato might have forgotten something.
"Important information…" Yamato hesitated.
Thinking carefully, there was indeed one major event related to Obito that he had never mentioned.
The Uchiha clan massacre.
"We have already said so much," Kakashi added. "There is no point hiding anything now."
Yamato took a breath and spoke quickly.
"The Uchiha clan will be wiped out. Only two survive. Uchiha Itachi, who personally carries out the massacre, and his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."
The words were concise.
The shock was not.
"The Uchiha clan wiped out?" Obito blurted, eyes wide. "By someone named Uchiha Itachi?"
It was the first time Obito had heard the name, and he carved it into his memory instantly.
Obito did not have much clan pride. He had few friends within the Uchiha, and the one time he attended a clan meeting left him with a terrible impression.
But hearing the clan would be wiped out still enraged him.
It was still his clan.
And he did not want the few friends he had to die.
"Did he do it alone, or did he have help?" Kakashi asked, frowning.
If Itachi did it alone, then Itachi's strength would be absurd.
The Uchiha were currently Konoha's strongest clan. They had many Three Tomoe jonin.
Kakashi found it hard to imagine all of that being erased by a single person.
"I do not know the details," Yamato admitted. "But Itachi's strength is immense. Kakashi senpai, you were injured by him once and ended up hospitalized."
Kakashi's expression did not change.
His future self had lost before, but that did not mean his current self would lose.
"I will go back and ask around," Obito said, already deciding. "I want to see how strong that guy is right now."
While Obito and the others planned how to change their future, Naruto was having the time of his life.
Minato wanted Naruto to have no regrets, so he had prepared in advance. He had asked around days earlier, recorded the best places to eat, the best places to see, and the most fun spots in Roran.
They spent the entire day eating, drinking, and playing.
Local specialty snacks.
Unique buildings.
Every corner of the city that felt worth remembering.
"I have not been this happy in a long time," Naruto said, stretching with a relaxed smile. "Thank you so much, Big Brother Minato."
"I am glad you are happy," Minato replied, smiling gently.
Naruto sighed inwardly, deeply satisfied.
This trip was incredible.
He met a younger Ero Sennin.
He met people like Big Brother Mugetsu.
And he met Big Brother Minato.
Naruto felt completely content now. His only hope was that when he returned, he would find the past had changed through Kakashi and the others' efforts.
Then his mind jolted.
The world tilted, and a giant cage appeared in front of him.
"Naive brat," a voice sneered. "Why do you think he is so good to you?"
Naruto did not panic. It was not his first time here.
He glared at the Nine Tails with irritation. "Hey, what do you mean by that?"
"Hmph." The Nine Tails snorted. "It means nothing. I am just telling you that Minato Namikaze is your father, and he is the one who personally sealed me inside your body."
"Oh, so he is my fa"
Naruto froze mid thought.
His face darkened. His fists tightened. He glared at the Nine Tails like he wanted to tear the cage apart.
"That is not funny," Naruto said, voice cold. "You had better explain yourself."
As an orphan, Naruto hated nothing more than people joking about his father.
"I have no obligation to explain anything to a brat," the Nine Tails said, flashing a wide, bloody grin. "He is right in front of you. Go ask him yourself."
He was not telling Naruto out of kindness.
He was annoyed. Thoroughly annoyed by how happy they were.
The Nine Tails was sick of the Namikaze family.
Kushina trapped him for so long, then stole his chakra again.
Minato split him in half, then sealed him into Naruto.
As the one who had watched Naruto grow from the inside, the Nine Tails knew exactly what Naruto had endured since childhood, and why he had endured it.
He did not believe Naruto would not resent Minato for causing all of it.
Naruto tried to press further, but in a blink, he snapped back to reality.
His eyes met Minato's concerned gaze.
"Is there a problem with the sealing?" Minato asked, worry in his voice. "I sensed the Nine Tails chakra."
Before Naruto could respond, Minato lifted Naruto's shirt and checked his abdomen.
Seeing the seal, Minato's eyes flickered. He lowered the shirt quickly.
Naruto barely noticed.
The Nine Tails words echoed in his head again and again.
And the more Naruto thought, the more he realized something.
Minato's kindness really had been too abnormal.
Mugetsu was kind too, but when they first met, Mugetsu actually beat him up. That kindness only came after time, after understanding, after bonding.
Minato was different.
From the first moment, it felt like Minato was trying to make up for something, trying to fulfill every request, trying to fill a gap that should not exist.
"Big Brother Minato," Naruto asked, refusing to dance around it, "are you my father?"
Minato's expression froze.
Naruto's question had plenty of points that could be teased, but Minato had no mood for that.
"It seems my disguise is terrible," Minato sighed softly, helpless.
He did not expect to be exposed on the very last day.
Minato had not planned to say it.
But with Naruto asking so directly, he could not keep pretending.
Naruto stared at him, stunned.
Then his vision blurred.
Tears slipped down in two unstoppable lines.
In that instant, countless memories flooded him.
He remembered being a child walking to school alone while other kids had parents waiting for them.
He remembered walking home alone too.
He remembered other kids eating home cooked meals while he lived on instant ramen.
Naruto could tolerate instant ramen.
But he had wanted, just once, to eat food made by his parents.
Seeing Naruto crying without even noticing it, Minato gently placed a hand on Naruto's head. His expression was full of apology.
"I am sorry," Minato said.
Minato did not know what Naruto had experienced in that future, but the outcome was obvious.
His future self had failed as a father.
"Did you seal the Nine Tails inside me?" Naruto asked again, voice trembling.
"Yes," Minato admitted, nodding.
He had just seen the seal. There was no doubt. It was his work, but it was his future self's work.
Naruto clenched his fists tighter.
All the unfair treatment from childhood rose up like boiling water. Grievance, confusion, anger, all of it tangled together.
Bang!
Naruto punched Minato.
He did not use chakra, only raw strength.
Even so, Naruto's physical power was no joke. The punch landed solidly, and even Minato's expression shifted slightly.
Minato did not speak.
His future self was already dead.
So Minato would take the blow in his place.
"Good hit!" the Nine Tails cackled inside, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
This was exactly what he wanted.
If Naruto lost control and one killed the other, that would be perfect.
"Why would you seal a tailed beast inside your own child?" Naruto shouted, tears flooding again. "Because of the Nine Tails, the adults in the village never looked at me kindly! The kids never wanted to be my friends!"
His voice shook as he spilled out everything he had endured.
Minato had no words.
Paying for the sins of the future in the past, he might truly be the first.
"You have had a hard time," Minato said at last, smiling gently despite the pain. His hand stroked Naruto's golden hair. "I was not a good father. If hitting me makes you feel better, then you can punch me a few more times."
Minato did not know what reason his future self had, but in the end, he owed Naruto.
Naruto's fists trembled.
He stared at Minato through tears.
Then, instead of punching again, Naruto let his hands open and wrapped his arms around Minato tightly.
"I will not listen to you," Naruto said, voice breaking.
All the dissatisfaction of more than a decade had poured out in that first punch.
How could he bring himself to hit his father again?
But his emotions were still uncontrollable. Tears kept streaming. He had carried too much for too long.
Minato gently rubbed Naruto's back and waited in silence for Naruto to calm down.
"Boring," the Nine Tails muttered inside, disappointed.
He had been ready. If Naruto went wild, he would have poured chakra into him to help Naruto fight Minato.
Then the Nine Tails grin returned.
"I cannot wait to see your faces when you separate later," he thought, cheering up.
That was why he told Naruto now.
Even if they did not fight, they would still part soon. The sadness would still be there.
When Naruto's breathing finally steadied, Minato smiled softly.
"Want to go eat a bowl of ramen?" Minato asked. "My treat."
"Not at a shop," Naruto replied quickly, wiping his tears. "I want Big Brother Mugetsu senpai's."
One of the things Naruto would miss most was Mugetsu's huge bowl of pork chashu ramen.
Minato nodded. "Compared to mine and the shops, Mugetsu senpai's really is better."
Over the past few days, Minato had tried to learn ramen from Mugetsu, but he was still far from that taste.
If ramen had ninja ranks, Minato's ramen was barely academy level, while Mugetsu's ramen was already Hokage level.
"Dad," Naruto said, cheeks slightly red, "I want yours too. I want two bowls."
It was the first time Naruto said that word, and he still was not used to it.
Minato's feelings were complicated.
Relief, happiness, and something oddly surreal all at once.
Next, they returned to the rented house.
"Big Brother Naruto, what happened to you?" Obito asked, staring at Naruto's messy clothes. "Did you run into an enemy?"
Kakashi's eye caught the tear stains on Naruto's clothes, and he understood something immediately.
"No," Naruto answered, forcing a lighter tone. "I had a lot of fun today."
"That is great!" Obito grinned. "You have to come play again if you get the chance!"
Naruto nodded hard. "Yeah. You guys have to work hard too."
Now that Naruto knew the Fourth Hokage was his father, he desperately wanted Kakashi and the others to succeed.
If they changed history, maybe he would have a father too.
"Do you think time travel is like visiting neighbors?" Kakashi stared at Obito, speechless.
"With you saying that, we are set," Obito said happily.
From Obito's experience, the final outcome was usually the opposite of what Kakashi said.
Kakashi was too tired to argue. Space time was one of the hardest fields in ninjutsu. This kind of time travel was unheard of. How could it happen so casually?
"What flavor ramen do you want?" Minato asked.
"Dad, make me spareribs and chashu," Naruto replied after thinking.
He could happily eat two bowls of the same flavor, but two different flavors he liked would be even better.
Minato nodded and walked into the kitchen. He said something to Mugetsu senpai, and the two prepared dinner together.
Minato was mostly assisting.
"Wait," Obito blurted. "Big Brother Naruto, what did you just call Minato sensei?"
"Dad." Naruto blinked, then rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. I am actually his future son."
Yamato and Kakashi were not too surprised. They had suspected it.
Still, hearing Naruto say it out loud was shocking.
Obito looked completely stunned. "If you are Minato sensei's kid, why are you called Uzumaki Naruto and not Namikaze Naruto?"
He truly did not expect the future shinobi he got along with so well to be his sensei's future son.
Obito's brain started spinning.
"In that case, is me calling Naruto Big Brother kind of wrong? He should be calling me Big Brother," Obito said, rubbing his chin as he fell into thought.
Kakashi looked at him helplessly. He really wished Obito would think before speaking.
"I do not know," Naruto admitted, shaking his head. "I do not have any memories of my family when I was little."
"I am sorry," Obito said quickly, covering his mouth with his hand. He only realized now what that meant.
Minato must have died before Naruto could remember him.
Otherwise, Naruto would never have called Minato Big Brother.
"It is fine," Naruto waved it off. "It has been over a decade. I am used to it."
His biggest regret now was that he had not realized sooner.
If he had known earlier, he could have spent more time with his father.
When the dishes and the ramen were finally served, the conversation at the table gradually quieted, then faded entirely.
With Naruto's full effort, even two large bowls of ramen did not take long. He still managed to eat a lot of Mugetsu's other food too.
"It is so delicious," Naruto said, rubbing his slightly bulging stomach in pure satisfaction.
"If only I could stay one more day."
"Then stay one more day," Mugetsu senpai said, sipping tea calmly.
Naruto's eyes went wide. He stared at Mugetsu like he had just performed a miracle.
He thought time travel was serious. Could it really be delayed by a day?
"Mugetsu senpai," Yamato asked carefully, "is it really okay to stay one more day?"
"One more day is fine," Mugetsu replied, setting his teacup down. "But longer than that, I cannot guarantee anything."
Now that Naruto and Minato had reunited, Mugetsu felt it was fine to give them one more day. They had already been here for so long. One extra day would not change much.
"Big Brother Mugetsu senpai, you are practically Mugetsu senpai the Sage!" Naruto declared, instantly joining Obito's Mugetsu senpai worship.
Naruto really was happy today, but it was impossible not to feel heavy after reuniting with his father only to part so soon. Hearing Mugetsu offer one more day made Naruto genuinely thrilled.
Inside Naruto, the Nine Tails was displeased. This was not the script he imagined.
"Where did this guy even come from?" the Nine Tails thought, annoyed. "I do not remember him being here before."
Unable to figure it out, the Nine Tails shut his eyes. He was too lazy to care.
Minato also looked at Mugetsu with surprise. It was an unexpected gift.
Minato suspected the time could possibly be extended even further, but he did not ask. Mugetsu clearly had his reasons.
When the true last day arrived, Minato took Naruto to explore Roran again.
Roran was not large, so they revisited some places from the day before, but Naruto was still delighted. This was a trip with his father, something he had never experienced.
Before they left, Obito suddenly spoke up.
"Naruto, I have called you Big Brother so many times. Now that you are leaving, why not call me Big Brother Obito properly?"
Then Obito added, as if arguing a case in court, "Even if I look older than you, if we count actual age, you should be older than me."
"Then wait until you are born and let me call you that," Naruto laughed.
Naruto found it strange to call someone younger than himself Big Brother.
He only called the younger Kakashi Little Kakashi sensei.
Naruto's words nearly fried Obito's brain.
"It is about to begin," Mugetsu said, placing his hand on Anrokuzan. "Get ready."
Naruto took a breath and looked at everyone.
"Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Big Brother Mugetsu senpai. Goodbye, Little Kakashi sensei. Goodbye, Obito. Goodbye, Rin."
"Goodbye, Naruto," Minato said, smiling as he waved.
Bang!
Kakashi's head snapped slightly to the side.
Yamato finally could not hold back and punched him.
"Senpai Kakashi, I am sorry," Yamato said with a smile, apologizing politely. "But you always bully me. I could not help it."
Kakashi looked at Yamato darkly.
Yamato, right?
He remembered that face and that name.
Yamato would have it coming later.
Mugetsu entered Flame Breathing chakra mode and covered Anrokuzan with Fire Release.
When Anrokuzan died, the powerful Dragon Vein energy inside him erupted. Purple light flashed.
Naruto and Yamato vanished from sight.
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