After speaking, Naruto threw himself into Kushina's arms, even as bewilderment crossed her face.
Though she existed only as chakra, being hugged by her mother for the first time felt incredibly warm.
Kushina sighed internally. Good thing I'm in chakra form. Otherwise, I might not be able to hold him. This child is so strong!
Minato watched the happy expression on his wife's face, a smile crossing his own features. When he'd fused her chakra into the seal all those years ago, wasn't it precisely for moments like this?
Furthermore, looking at Naruto's development, Minato couldn't help but feel grateful to the Third Hokage. It seems the Third took excellent care of my son. Otherwise, how could he be so well-developed?
Naruto didn't know his father's thoughts. If he had, he would definitely have objected.
He didn't think there was any problem with his height. Some people might say excessive exercise in childhood stunts growth, but his training method was different—it built the body up, not broke it down.
With the right training, anything was possible! Height included!
Mother and son embraced for a long time before reluctantly separating.
Seeing this, Minato cleared his throat. "Naruto, let Dad hug you too." He felt paternal affection should be shared equally.
Naruto wanted to hug his father. He opened his arms toward Minato. But looking at his father's appearance more closely, Naruto suddenly stopped.
Then burst into tears.
The scene shocked both parents. Why was he suddenly crying?
Regardless of the reason, Naruto was crying. Kushina's heart ached immediately. She shot Minato a reproachful glare. "You scared him!"
She stroked Naruto's head, comforting him while asking why he'd suddenly burst into tears.
Being blamed by his wife for no reason left Minato completely baffled. How could he have frightened Naruto? He was the Yellow Flash of Konoha—handsome and cool!
Look at Naruto. He inherited my good looks.
"Naruto, why are you crying?"
Minato asked with concern. But a father's love often wasn't as direct or delicate as a mother's. He wondered if Naruto had just realized his parents were dead, which had triggered the tears.
Naruto pointed at Minato, asking through his crying, "Are you... are you Namikaze Minato?"
"I am." Hearing Naruto's question, Minato looked puzzled. Could it be that Naruto never knew who his parents were?
"Then are you Konoha's Fourth Hokage?" Naruto continued.
"Yes!" Minato answered earnestly.
"Waaaahhhhh!" Once confirmation came, Naruto cried even harder.
Just now he'd felt his father looked familiar—very similar to the Fourth Hokage's face carved on the Hokage Rock. Now that it was confirmed, Naruto couldn't hold back:
"Dad, you're the Fourth Hokage! Why didn't you leave me any inheritance? Do you know, when I was less than three years old, I lived alone in a run-down apartment? The village only gave me a tiny living allowance! Even eating was a struggle! I ate stale bread and drank expired milk..."
"I had no choice! I was just a child, but I had to start a business like an adult! I set up a breeding farm! I worried every day about whether the pigs were eating well, whether the bulls were being lazy, whether the goats had heatstroke..."
Listening to Naruto's account, Kushina felt her heart being twisted with a knife.
My child... Naruto has had it so hard!
Minato stood there in shock. As the Fourth Hokage, he'd entered and exited countless battlefields, completed countless missions. Even using money for his own training, the savings he'd left before death shouldn't have left Naruto this desperate.
"And Dad, Mom—Naruto has been so lonely since childhood. People in the village treat me like the Nine-Tails demon fox. Children won't play with me. They laugh at me, treat me coldly, isolate me. Even when I go to pharmacies to buy medicine, no one will sell to me..."
"But now, fortunately, relying on my own ability, I've not only established a breeding farm and live comfortably—I've also made many friends through my own true strength..."
Naruto sniffled, sucking back the tears and snot.
Listening to Naruto's narration, Kushina's killing intent grew stronger and stronger.
Minato's eyes radiated coldness. It was hard for him to imagine how an immature child had found the courage to keep living while facing cold violence from the entire village.
Thinking about it made him shudder. Even as a mature adult, facing such treatment would be unbearable.
He'd never imagined that after working so hard and dedicating his life to Konoha, this would be the result.
How could his child be treated this way?
He'd always hoped his child would be respected as a hero's orphan.
Kushina couldn't bear to think about it. After all, she'd also existed as a Jinchūriki. Back then, except for Konoha's senior leadership, few people knew she was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. But even with so few knowing, she'd still faced considerable criticism.
At the time, Kushina couldn't stand the mockery. She'd beaten up those guys who laughed at her.
Thinking of this, Kushina held Naruto's face tenderly, helped him dry his nose and tears. "Naruto, if anyone dares to laugh at you in the future, you beat them up hard."
Seeing his mother's fierce expression as she spoke, Naruto shook his head. "Mom, I won't beat them. Because I still want to be friends with them."
"Oh, my poor child! You're so kind! Mother's heart aches for you!" Kushina held Naruto close, two lines of chakra tears streaming down her face.
"But I asked the Third Hokage to take care of Naruto..." Minato's expression fell. He felt like everything he'd sacrificed for Konoha had been for nothing.
Now, he faintly regretted sealing the Nine-Tails inside Naruto all those years ago.
"If you ask me, son, you should punch Hiruzen Sarutobi in the head."
Kushina gritted her teeth. Though hot-tempered, she had a sharp mind. She knew all of her son's suffering came from the Third's negligence and inaction. Her expression turned fierce as she encouraged Naruto.
Minato was startled.
Fortunately, Naruto was a very sensible child. He said seriously, "Mom, I want to be friends with Grandpa Third."
"By the way, Naruto—is the Nine-Tails out of your body now?"
Minato focused on this critical question. It concerned his child's life and death.
As a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, once the Tailed Beast was removed from the host's body, the Jinchūriki would die.
Back then, when the masked man had extracted the Nine-Tails from Kushina, she hadn't died immediately only because she was from the Uzumaki clan, with a far more tenacious constitution than ordinary people.
Naruto nodded. "Nine-Tails is my family now. He's been taking care of my daily life. Dad, Mom, let me tell you—Nine-Tails is really amazing! He cooks for me every day and warms my bed..."
Minato: o((⊙﹏⊙))o
Kushina: o((⊙﹏⊙))o