Inside the Third Hokage's home, the room was quiet.
Only Naruto and the old man remained. Even Konohamaru had been sent outside under the Hokage's firm command.
Naruto had a faint guess about what the old man wanted to talk about. He sat silently on the couch, his hands resting on his knees, waiting.
The Third Hokage lifted his pipe, drew in a heavy breath, and released a perfect ring of smoke. His eyes, dimmed by years of burdens, lingered on the boy before him. Finally, he spoke in a low voice.
"Naruto, when you were younger, you always asked me who your parents were, and why I never gave you an answer. Now, I can finally tell you."
Naruto's chest tightened. He already knew the truth he had learned it in the depths of the Nine-Tails' seal but hearing it spoken aloud by the Hokage himself still stirred emotions he could barely contain.
"Your father was none other than the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. And your mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki."
Naruto's blue eyes locked on the Hokage, searching for confirmation in his gaze. His lips trembled slightly before he asked, "The Fourth Hokage… he was already the Hokage. Then how did he die? Was it the Nine-Tails?"
The Hokage inhaled from his pipe again, silence stretching between them before he answered. "That… even I do not fully know. To explain, I must begin from twelve years ago."
Naruto leaned forward, his heart pounding, and listened quietly.
The Hokage's eyes became distant, as though drawn into old, painful memories.
"Twelve years ago, on the day you were born, your mother's labor was kept under the strictest secrecy. Kushina carried the Nine-Tails within her, and when a jinchūriki gives birth, the seal that restrains the beast weakens. That moment was the most dangerous of all."
"To protect her, we built layered barriers. My own personal ANBU guarded both inside and outside, along with your father's trusted men. My wife, Biwako, was the one who delivered you into the world."
Naruto's throat tightened at the mention of a woman he had never known.
The Hokage continued, his voice heavy. "Even with every precaution, disaster still struck. The Nine-Tails broke free of its seal. It appeared in the village. And strangely… Minato was not there when it happened."
His face darkened.
"I fought the beast to push it away from the village, but in that moment, I saw something impossible. The Nine-Tails' eyes glowed with the Sharingan."
Naruto's own eyes widened.
"I realized then Kushina must have been attacked, and Minato was being held back by an enemy. He did return eventually, but not before the Nine-Tails had already been unleashed. He fought desperately, moved the beast, and finally used the Reaper Death Seal to imprison it inside you. In doing so, both he and Kushina lost their lives."
The Hokage's voice faltered.
"Afterward, I investigated the birthing site. The signs were clear an intruder had struck. The ANBU squad protecting her were all slaughtered. And my wife, Biwako… she was gone as well."
For a moment, the Hokage's voice broke. The grief of losing his wife still clung to him like an old scar that never healed.
Naruto lowered his gaze. He didn't know how to comfort the old man, especially when that day had stolen his own parents as well. In the end, the weight of loss belonged to them both.
The Hokage continued after a pause, his tone grave. "The enemy knew the exact date of Kushina's labor. They bypassed the barriers, slaughtered my best men, and even managed to tear the Nine-Tails from her seal. That was no ordinary foe."
Naruto's hands clenched. "The Sharingan. So it was someone from the Uchiha?"
The Hokage gave a slow nod. "That was my first suspicion. But an ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan cannot control the Nine-Tails. To dominate a tailed beast requires at least a Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Then it wasn't Fugaku, was it?" Naruto pressed.
"Exactly. He and his wife were Minato's close friends. They had no reason to betray him. And even if they had, defeating Minato, slaughtering dozens of ANBU, and manipulating the Nine-Tails would have required power no Uchiha in the village possessed."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Then it was a rogue Uchiha. Someone outside the clan."
The Hokage tapped his pipe against the ashtray. "One name comes to mind. Only one man could have possessed that power and knowledge. Uchiha Madara. But he should have been long dead by then."
His gaze turned troubled. "For years I've had my people investigate. But nothing. No trace of him."
Naruto fell silent, his eyes closing. When he opened them again, a storm of killing intent burned in his gaze.
"Whoever it was, Madara or not… I'll find him. And I'll kill him."
The Hokage met that gaze and gave a faint nod.
"Forgive me, Naruto. I should have told you sooner. You've carried pain and loneliness all these years, while the village treated you cruelly. And I… I could do nothing but watch."
Naruto shook his head firmly. "Don't blame yourself, old man. You did what you could. If the truth about my father had been revealed earlier, spies would have swarmed the village. I'd have been hunted down before I could even grow strong enough to fight back."
He paused, then added with conviction, "Besides, I know what kind of man my father was. The Yellow Flash wasn't just a name. He built that title with his own blood. I learned about the war he fought against the Stone he wiped out fifty men in the blink of an eye and forced an entire nation to retreat. That's the legacy I carry. And I won't let it be wasted."
The Hokage smiled faintly, relief flickering in his weary eyes. Naruto understood him. Truly understood.
"Now that you know, it's time you received what your parents left behind." His tone softened. "And one more thing. Your identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage it's time the village knows as well."
Naruto looked at him in surprise.
The Hokage continued, "With your current strength, any assassin who comes after you will be walking into their own grave. There's no longer a reason to hide. Let the world know who you are."
For the first time that night, Naruto smiled. It was not the grin of a mischievous boy, but the steady, determined smile of a man who had accepted both his past and his future.
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