Panic seized Minato Namikaze.
Based on Naruto's current mindset, Minato didn't believe he was qualified to be Hokage. If Naruto was determined to take the position, he likely wouldn't use conventional methods.
And his ideal was to unify the ninja world...
Did this mean starting another war? Minato had almost single-handedly ended the Third Great Ninja War. Was his own son now going to ignite a fourth?
"Naruto, you don't understand the cruelty of war..."
Minato carefully tried to explain the horrors he had witnessed. As a key figure in the Third Great Ninja War, he had seen too much pain and too many tears. Even though he was known as the Yellow Flash and was unstoppable on the battlefield, two of his own students had still died in the conflict.
The Fourth Hokage wasn't naive. While he didn't fear war the way the Third Hokage did, he didn't want the ninja world to fall into chaos again.
Naruto glanced at him and waved a hand dismissively. "War has never truly ended. The struggle between ninjas has never ceased. I have seen Konoha ninjas turn their blades on their own comrades with my own eyes. Is that the peace you want?"
"How is that... possible? Such a thing would never happen in Konoha. No ninja would kill a comrade from the village..."
Minato was speechless. Then, his expression suddenly shifted as he added with some bitterness, "Unless that person is... Danzo Shimura."
That kind of sharp insight was just what you'd expect from the Fourth Hokage.
But the topic had been sidetracked again. It seemed any conversation between this father and son was bound to end up on Danzo. Why did that old man, who already had one foot in the grave, keep appearing in their discussions?
Even the Nine-Tails was a bit speechless. It had a trump card ready to shatter Minato's resolve, but now the father and son were preoccupied with Danzo. Although, that guy really was a piece of work.
"That's not the first time he's done something like that," Naruto said, calmly spreading his hands with a small chuckle. "The village has become corrupt and dirty. It seems even the great Fourth Hokage doesn't have a solution for that, does he?"
"Naruto..." Minato frowned and explained softly, "This isn't something that can be solved overnight. Jiraiya-sensei and I are also searching for the answer..."
Naruto looked at his father and cut him off. "That means you haven't found the answer yet. But I have. The current Konoha is not the Konoha I want, and the current ninja world is not the one I envision. I will change all of this!"
The father and son reached a stalemate.
Minato looked up at his son, unconsciously rubbing his fingers together. He needed to think calmly, to find a way to change his son's mind.
The problem was, they weren't the only ones in this sealed space.
The Nine-Tails watched them fall into silence and sneered at Minato. "Fourth Hokage, don't even think about changing Naruto. His ideas are correct. Only Naruto can change this ninja world. You people, just like the old Hokage, are just a bunch of pathetic idealists..."
"..."
Minato was stunned for a moment. He looked at the Nine-Tails, then at his son, and said in a deep voice, "Naruto, has the Nine-Tails been influencing you?"
This was strange. Why would the Nine-Tails praise a human? And how could a Tailed Beast so easily acknowledge a jinchuriki? If Naruto's ideas were all from the Nine-Tails' influence, then the solution might be simple.
As this thought crossed his mind, Minato's hands began to form a series of extremely complex hand signs.
The Nine-Tails's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Four Symbols Seal... Hmph. Fourth Hokage, a mere seal won't be enough to do anything to me..."
"I'm well aware of that," Minato said, shaking his head. "So this time, I'm bringing in someone more suitable to deal with you."
"Could it be..."
The Nine-Tails's head snapped up. A flash of surprise crossed its eyes before it bared its teeth in a careless grin. "Then I look forward to her arrival..."
Only someone from the Uzumaki clan could truly suppress a Tailed Beast. Minato's wife's name was Kushina Uzumaki.
If Minato was going to pull out his wife's chakra remnant, he would have to undo the seal. This was an opportunity for the Nine-Tails. Besides, Minato clearly didn't know his own wife very well.
When a woman has a child, a huge portion of her love shifts to her son. Minato didn't understand women at all. The Nine-Tails, on the other hand, felt it understood them quite well. For instance, the Nine-Tails had witnessed most of the changes in Kushina after she became pregnant. She had glowed with the light of motherhood.
Minato's hand signs accelerated, then suddenly stopped. He whispered, "Four Symbols Seal: Release!"
He paid no mind to the threat of the Nine-Tails being released. In this sealed space, anyone who had put in the effort to be here wouldn't let the Nine-Tails get its way so easily.
A massive amount of chakra suddenly burst forth.
The Nine-Tails was ready. The moment the seal was released, its chakra merged with Naruto's.
Within the seal, Naruto's form became like a god's, a brilliant golden chakra cloak enveloping him. He looked at his transformation with some surprise and rubbed his forehead. "Is this what it feels like to use the Nine-Tails's chakra?"
"That's right! Brat, you regret not undoing the seal earlier, don't you?"
Both father and son could feel the Nine-Tails's laughter. They also sensed Naruto's aura continuously surging, which astonished Minato even more. He had only meant to summon the chakra his wife had left behind, but in that single instant, the Nine-Tails had seized the opportunity to lend Naruto its power.
The only good thing was that the Nine-Tails wasn't causing trouble.
But it didn't matter anymore. Minato shook his head, sighed, and looked at the third phantom that had appeared in the seal space. His heart began to tremble.
Long, red hair. A simple set of clothes, more suited for home than for a ninja.
Kushina Uzumaki's chakra remnant appeared abruptly. She looked around, her gaze finally settling on the father and son. "This is..."
"Sorry, Kushina. I probably shouldn't have awakened you now," Minato said apologetically, teleporting to her side. "But I need your help. You have to convince Naruto to give up these dangerous ideas..."
Kushina blinked, showing she understood, but then calmly shook her head. "Why should he give up?" she asked. "As his parents, shouldn't we support our son's dream?"
"But..."
"Let's go see Naruto first!" Kushina's chakra remnant took Minato's hand and led him toward the golden-cloaked Naruto. Looking at her son, she said, "Sorry, my husband has been causing you trouble."
"..."
-----
Bonus Scene:
Minato: Kushina, our son has these crazy ideas...
Kushina: I support him.
Minato: What?
Kushina: Besides, you can't beat him.
Minato: ...What?