Konoha Hospital.
Morning sunlight spilled through the wide windows of a pristine ward. On the bed lay Naruto, still unconscious. Transparent tubes snaked across his body, feeding into strange instruments. Four medical-nin in white coats stood watch, their eyes fixed on the monitors that displayed chaotic, fluctuating streams of data.
Around the bed stood the Third Hokage and a circle of ANBU, silent and tense. The air itself felt heavy.
Naruto had not awoken since last night. All through the long hours, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his subordinates had remained here, watchful and unspeaking. Outside this room, no one else in the village even knew what had happened.
"Lord Hokage," the leading medic finally said, stepping closer, "the jinchūriki's body shows no abnormalities. In fact, his health could be called exceptional. According to our analysis, his unconscious state is the result of extreme mental fatigue, brought on after the Nine-Tails' chakra dispersed."
Hiruzen's bloodshot eyes narrowed. He had not slept, shuffling documents by day and keeping vigil through the night. His voice came out low and cold. "Are you saying this is only possible, or certain?"
The medic stiffened. "The data does not lie. You need not worry, Lord Hokage. The jinchūriki's life is not in danger. We have all of his medical records since birth. We will continue to monitor him closely."
Hiruzen let out a long breath, still unsatisfied, yet unable to argue further. His gaze flicked toward the wall clock. Duty called. Though unrest gnawed at his heart, the affairs of Konoha would not pause. He turned away at last, casting one last lingering look at the boy on the bed before leaving with the ANBU at his side.
The room fell silent. Only the rhythmic beeping of the monitors remained.
Beep, beep
Then, without warning, Naruto's eyes snapped open. A sharp gleam lit his gaze, and the corner of his mouth curled upward in a cold, wolfish smile.
"Naruto, are you alright?"
His father's voice, calm yet worried, echoed in his mind.
"I am fine, Father. Do not worry."
Closing his eyes once more, Naruto allowed his consciousness to sink into the seal.
Inside, Kurama's eyes blazed with fury as it glared at the great iron gate. "Something is wrong. The chakra I sent through to you is scrambled beyond use."
"This is the Five Elements Seal," Naruto answered steadily, stepping through the gate. "I know it. Father left me the knowledge. It can be undone with all five chakra natures, wind, fire, lightning, earth, water, working together. But for now, I only wield wind and fire."
Kurama's fur bristled. "What? Then what are you supposed to do?"
Minato spoke quickly, his tone soft. "It can be undone. As Naruto grows stronger, he will naturally gain other chakra natures. Even if he cannot break it now, in the future he will have a way..."
Bang.
Kurama slammed a claw against the gate. "Spare me! Fourth Hokage, you cannot pretend ignorance. You know exactly why the Third would place this seal atop your own."
Minato's face darkened. He had crafted the Eight Trigrams Seal carefully designed so that the Nine-Tails' chakra could leak through, converted into Naruto's power. But Hiruzen had added another layer, a crooked Five Elements Seal that disrupted the flow, twisting Kurama's chakra and even hindering Naruto's control over his own.
It was poison disguised as protection.
Minato's fists trembled. He had thought he entrusted his child to comrades. Instead, the village he died for shackled his son even further.
Naruto extended a hand toward Kurama, his expression calm. "Do not be so angry. The situation is not beyond saving."
Kurama blinked, then slowly pressed its massive paw against Naruto's fist. A sharp grin tugged at its muzzle. "Hah. I almost forgot. There are still paths open to you."
Minato watched them both in bewilderment. He did not know what secret passed between boy and beast, only that Kurama suddenly looked… amused.
"Naruto, what did you mean just now?" Minato asked.
"That things are still good," Naruto replied flatly.
His father faltered. This was good?
"Yes," Naruto said, his eyes unwavering. "If handled carefully, this can even serve as cover."
He spoke with chilling clarity. "From the moment I was born, the Third Hokage and his council never saw me as human. They see only a weapon. I am to be watched, molded, and shackled until I am theirs. To them, my body is nothing but a vessel of balance among the villages. And so they watch, and they scheme, arranging even the friends who approach me."
His blue eyes gleamed coldly. "They are not nurturing me as a child. They are cultivating their weapon."
Minato's face twisted, anguish and fury warring inside him.
Naruto's words struck deeper. "Does it feel familiar, Father? This way they bind me, does it not echo the way you and Mother were bound together?"
Minato staggered. "Impossible! No one designed that! My bond with Kushina was real!"
Kurama bared its fangs, silent but alert. It too heard the venom in Naruto's tone.
Naruto's voice remained quiet, merciless. "From the memories you shared with me, I know your love was true. But in the end, what result did the village secure? Kushina, the Nine-Tails' vessel. You, the Hokage who sealed it. And me, the child left behind. Planned or not, the village got exactly what it wanted."
Minato closed his eyes, his heart breaking.
Naruto turned back to Kurama. "Unlike my mother, my nature is not gentle. They will not chain me so easily. They believe they hold all the strings. Let them think so."
His gaze burned. "I will let them walk blind into the abyss they created. Let us see who truly holds control."
With those words, his consciousness shifted into the Mirror World. He skimmed through the puppets waiting to be challenged, then, almost casually, moved toward the one crafted in the likeness of Shikamaru Nara, the friend the Hokage had chosen for him.
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