Hearing Rengoku's teasing remarks, Choza only let out a few simple, honest laughs, then obediently reached up and took off the mask on his face.
A face that looked slightly younger than it did on the battlefield was revealed before everyone.
On the other side, Aburame Shibi remained silent from start to finish. Even though he was the target of Rengoku's mockery.
He still stood quietly to the side, making no attempt to refute or explain anything.
Minato continued to patiently wait for Rengoku to give an answer.
At this moment, Rengoku looked at Minato and Naruto, who both seemed to have suffered a tremendous shock.
He sat casually in midair, a hint of amusement in his manner.
"Since you're interested, let me introduce myself."
"I am Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Rengoku!"
Rengoku had never had the habit of wearing a forehead protector, nor did he ever wear the Hokage robe that symbolized the Hokage's status.
Ever since he became the head of the Uchiha clan, the clothes he wore were basically the clan's distinctive attire.
This was not because he was deliberately trying to stand out.
Rather, for someone as powerful as him, ordinary combat clothing and even the Hokage robe.
Could not bring him much actual benefit or provide any effective protection.
After this self introduction, everyone present finally snapped out of it, realizing as if from a dream.
The mysterious man standing before them was actually Konoha's Hokage.
Minato quickly exchanged glances with the others beside him, and from each other's eyes, they all saw the same confusion.
After all, although they had met quite a few members of the Uchiha clan, they had never heard the name Uchiha Rengoku before.
Or perhaps, at this moment in time, Rengoku had yet to rise to prominence and make a name for himself.
Who could have imagined that a member of the Uchiha clan would actually ascend to the position of Hokage.
And not just any Hokage, but the Fifth Hokage?
"But… didn't you say earlier that the Uchiha clan was completely wiped out?", Minato frowned slightly and asked with doubt.
Faced with Minato's question, Rengoku merely nodded, then pointed a finger toward Naruto and said slowly, "All of this is thanks to the power of the Dragon Vein. The Dragon Vein allows time travel."
Naruto was sixteen years old at this time, while Minato was twenty two.
When Minato died at the age of twenty four, Naruto was born into this world.
Calculated this way, the current point in time was eighteen years ago.
"Not only that, the Dragon Vein can even achieve spatial travel."
"So I am not from the same time space that you and Naruto are in."
"For certain special reasons, I know everything about the course of history at this moment."
Rengoku continued explaining.
"And in the time space I belong to, I have already successfully rewritten everything."
As someone with outstanding spatial talent and complete mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato understood Rengoku's explanation very quickly.
But understanding it did not mean he was not shocked.
'So he's actually the Fifth Hokage of Konoha from another time space?'
Standing to the side, Choza and Shibi felt as though they were listening to a fairy tale, their faces filled with disbelief.
As for Naruto, he did not have the mood to think about any of these complicated things at all right now.
All he wanted was for Minato to hurry up and take off that mask.
"Well? Don't you really want to know the specific details?"
"But sorry, I suddenly don't feel like talking anymore. Who told you to keep hiding behind a mask in front of me?", A sly smile hung on Rengoku's face. Clearly, the bait he had thrown out had already been swallowed by Minato.
Seeing Minato getting anxious, he deliberately began to tease instead.
Seeing this, Minato grew even more impatient inside.
He did not hesitate at all, reaching up and swiftly removing the mask.
In an instant, a handsome face was fully revealed.
Rengoku curled the corner of his mouth slightly, secretly muttering to himself that this guy looked almost exactly the same as the Minato in his own time space.
Which made sense. After all, Minato would die in just two more years.
In such a short span of time, how much could his appearance really change?
At this moment, Minato's expression looked somewhat dim. He looked at Naruto with deep apology and said softly, "I'm sorry, Naruto. I really didn't expect the Third Hokage to treat you like this."
Clearly, after his conversation with Rengoku, Minato already believed everything Rengoku had said.
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes instantly turned red, and tears poured out like a burst dam.
Then, he suddenly let out a burst of incredulous laughter, "Hahahaha! So you're really my biological father?"
Minato nodded heavily and replied, "That's right, child. Your name was chosen by me based on the protagonist of my teacher Jiraiya's book, The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja."
After a brief pause, Minato continued, "So without a doubt, I am your father."
Naruto wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, then slowly lifted his head and stared at the man in front of him, both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth and called out that one word, "Dad…"
However, just as Minato responded with a simple, "Hm?"
No one could have expected it.
Naruto suddenly swung his fist, carrying all his anger and grievance, and smashed it hard into Minato's abdomen.
Thump!
With a dull sound, Minato doubled over from the sudden blow, the intense pain forcing him to bend forward.
Naruto stood there, sobbing as he cried out loudly, "Why? Why did you seal the Nine Tails into your own son?"
"Because of it, how much suffering did I endure growing up, how many strange looks and how much bullying did I have to bear."
"Adults all looked at me coldly, and I couldn't make friends for a long time."
"That's why I kept working hard, working hard."
"To earn everyone's recognition."
"I trained bitterly, kept getting stronger."
"And then I met Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and the perverted sage. Being able to get stronger made me happy."
"Why did you die? Do you know how much I suffered?"
"But… huh? I… what…"
As he spoke, Naruto painfully grabbed at his own hair.
"Right now, I don't even know whether I should be happy or angry anymore."
Minato stood silently to the side, watching all of this, his heart filled with guilt and helplessness.
He knew very well how much suffering sealing the Nine Tails into his son had brought Naruto.
But at that time, he must not have had any other choice.
Yet judging from how Naruto had been bullied since childhood, Kushina must have met with an accident just like him.
Now, all the questions were focused on the Uchiha Rengoku standing nearby.
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