Natsuki glanced around—Anbu were still tailing Naruto closely, never more than a few steps behind. Even speaking a bit louder would be overheard.
Feigning nonchalance, Natsuki shoved a strawberry candied skewer into Naruto's mouth. "If there's a problem, you just solve it, right? Come on, let's sit over there. Tell me everything in detail."
With that, Natsuki led Naruto and Sasuke over to a bench nearby.
Naruto explained carefully how every time he took an exam or sparred with classmates, his Transformation Jutsu would fail.
Sasuke listened intently as well—he also found it strange. Naruto had used the technique on him plenty of times before, and it had always been flawless. But the moment it really mattered, it broke down.
As Natsuki listened, his mind drifted elsewhere.
More than a year had passed, and Naruto was nearly seven now. He hadn't expected that just as the academy began teaching chakra refinement, Kurama had already started causing trouble.
Though Naruto's seal was still intact, the Nine-Tails' chakra was overwhelmingly vast. Even the slightest leak was enough to completely disrupt Naruto's control over his own chakra.
Given how much stronger he'd become himself, wasn't it time to start recruiting elites outside of the Uchiha clan?
Surrounded by many people, Naruto babbled on. After all, he had no family—he only saw Natsuki as an elder figure in his life.
Natsuki reached out, ruffling Naruto's hair. "Naruto, think again."
"Think about what?" Naruto asked blankly.
At that moment, Natsuki's eyes flared. He pulled both his and Naruto's consciousness straight into the boy's inner world.
Naruto tensed, looking around in alarm. Only when he saw Natsuki at his side did he finally relax.
The ground was a simple corridor, and in the distance loomed a colossal gate stretching to the sky.
Since the mindscape reflected reality, Naruto's world was far better than before—no longer damp and gloomy.
"Natsuki-senpai, where is this?"
Sensing carefully, Natsuki felt two distinct chakras. They belonged to the Fourth Hokage and his wife. But neither appeared—likely waiting until Naruto was older.
Natsuki, however, was never one to follow the script. Letting Naruto and the fox grow up together? Not necessarily the best idea. The boy's heart was already brighter—whether Kurama could be reasoned with remained uncertain.
Smiling faintly, he said, "Naruto, this is your inner world."
"My… inner world?" Naruto tilted his head, confused. He knew every single word in that phrase, but strung together, they made no sense.
Natsuki didn't bother explaining. Instead, he asked, "Naruto, do you want to know why you were bullied when you were younger?"
Naruto's body stiffened. Over the past year, his life had become filled with sunshine—he had classmates, friends, Natsuki-senpai, merchants who no longer spoke ill of him, and the Third Hokage who treated him better and better.
But those days when the entire village despised him had carved the deepest scars into his heart.
Even recalling them left him hollow inside.
But Naruto was Naruto. Quickly, he lifted his head, his eyes burning with curiosity.
Natsuki didn't mince words. "At the academy, you've already studied about Jinchūriki, haven't you?"
"And your identity—Konoha's Jinchūriki."
"You have the Nine-Tails sealed inside you."
Naruto froze, stunned. "I… I'm the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki!?"
In this lifetime, Naruto was no longer a lazy troublemaker. He studied hard every single day. Basic knowledge like this had long been taught at the academy.
Natsuki continued, "The villagers hated and shunned you because of the Nine-Tails inside you—the same beast that nearly destroyed Konoha."
"Many of them lost loved ones to the Nine-Tails' rampage. They blamed their ruined homes and parents' deaths on you."
The revelation hit Naruto like a thunderclap. He slowly fell to his knees, tears streaming uncontrollably.
He had waited far too long for this answer.
At last, he understood the reason behind everything.
Crying loudly, Naruto poured out years of bottled-up grief.
As he wept, the two hidden chakras inside him stirred violently but ultimately chose not to appear.
"Why… why did it have to be me? Why make me a Jinchūriki!?" Naruto sobbed bitterly, grief twisting into fury.
Natsuki answered quietly, "Because that was your parents' decision."
"My parents!" Naruto's whole body trembled.
"Natsuki-senpai! I have parents!? I'm not an orphan!?"
Natsuki nodded. "Of course you're not an orphan. You have parents. Who told you otherwise?"
Naruto wiped his tears. "It was Grandpa Third who told me."
Natsuki said casually, "Ah, well, he lied to you. He promised your parents he'd take care of you, but in the end, he failed."
"He promised… to take care of me!?" Naruto repeated, stunned. He recalled how the Third Hokage had given him money and visited often.
"Ha, you fool. Did you really think that money came from him? That was your parents' money."
"What!?" Naruto gasped. He had always been grateful to the Third for supporting him, but it turned out the money wasn't his to begin with!
"All your parents' assets were seized by the Third Hokage. What you received was less than a thousandth of it."
"What!?" Naruto's grief turned into blazing fury.
He had already suspected his parents were dead—otherwise, why would they never appear?
But now he realized all his hardships had been because of the Third Hokage's betrayal. He could have lived comfortably. Instead, he'd been forced to survive on instant noodles and expired milk.
With this truth, his anger shifted. He no longer blamed the merchants who had despised him—after all, many had lost loved ones to the Nine-Tails. Their resentment made sense.
What enraged him was that he had suffered needlessly. With his parents' wealth, life could have been entirely different.
"Natsuki-senpai, who exactly were my parents? Why did they make me a Jinchūriki?"
Natsuki shook his head. "You're still too young. If I tell you now, you might slip up and bring disaster upon yourself."
Naruto bit his lip. "Natsuki-senpai, please tell me! I swear I'll keep it a secret."
Natsuki still refused. Revealing that Naruto was a Jinchūriki was safe—most villagers already knew. Even if Naruto blurted it out, no one could trace it back to him.
But his parents' identities were a different matter—bound up in too many dangerous secrets.
Seeing Naruto's desperate pleading, Natsuki offered a compromise. "Fine. If you can keep today's conversation a secret until you graduate from the academy, then I'll tell you everything about your parents."
Naruto's heart leapt. Even if it meant waiting, at least there was hope now.
"Okay, Natsuki-senpai! I promise I'll keep the secret until I graduate!"
Natsuki nodded. "Good. Since you now understand what a Jinchūriki is, tell me—why do you suddenly lose control of your chakra?"
Naruto had already figured it out. "Natsuki-senpai, it's because the Nine-Tails is interfering."
Seeing how quickly Naruto had answered—shedding the old label of "dumb ninja"—Natsuki felt deeply satisfied.
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