Sasuke suddenly looked up and shouted at the top of his lungs, "You knew all along that training with Shadow Clones would have side effects like this!"
Naruto nodded casually, "Yeah, I did."
Sasuke's already pale face instantly turned bright red. "Then why didn't you tell me?!"
Naruto locked eyes with him, his gaze turning colder by the second. "Seems like your brain's still a little fuzzy. Want me to help you clear it up?"
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. Only now, staring into Naruto's detached and icy gaze, did he realize—Naruto had no obligation to warn him. In fact, he had already given Sasuke help that no one else could or would.
And this lesson—though harsh—had taught him exactly what he needed to know about how to use Shadow Clones properly. Calming down, his mind began racing through new training plans, refining each step with greater clarity.
But even though he'd figured out his next steps, Sasuke suddenly felt stuck.
He couldn't just take back what he'd said, and there was no way in hell he was going to apologize.
With both of them silent, the tension between them thickened to a breaking point. Just when Sasuke thought Naruto might actually throw a punch—
Grrrrrr~
His stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
Instantly, Sasuke's expression turned mortified. His face, already red, darkened further into a deep liver-purple shade. Only after hanging his head in shame for a while did his color gradually return to normal.
Naruto looked at him with a half-smile. "You should go eat. I did remind you about that, remember?"
Sasuke gave a stiff nod and stepped past Naruto, striding away quickly. But after several steps, he suddenly turned and asked suspiciously, "Aren't you going to eat too?"
Naruto replied evenly, "I already did. I was just on my way back."
Poof!
With that, the "Naruto" vanished into a puff of smoke.
"Damn it! I should've guessed it was a Shadow Clone!"
Cursing under his breath, Sasuke broke into a run. Not long after, he crossed paths with an unfamiliar face on the road.
As they passed each other, something about the other person caught Sasuke's attention. He stopped and turned to watch the figure walk away into the distance.
"Transformation Jutsu, huh…"
After a long moment of contemplation, Sasuke glanced down the path he had been taking. Then, forming a hand seal, he cast his own Transformation Jutsu, altering his appearance before continuing onward.
Nara Clan Compound
After lunch, just as Shikamaru was about to leave for school, his father, Nara Shikaku, called out to him.
"Shikamaru, hold up. I suggest you revise your report on Naruto."
Shikamaru raised a brow. "Revise the report?"
Shikaku nodded seriously and pointed at the stack of reports on the desk—the ones Shikamaru had been writing ever since he'd gotten to know Naruto.
"Or rather," he said, "you should add some new material. The Third Hokage's been busy lately. I haven't submitted your last report yet. I skimmed through it, and it's not much different from the ones before."
Shikamaru's expression turned thoughtful. He immediately understood what his father was getting at. After a moment of consideration, he walked over to the lounge, pulled out a blank sheet of paper, and began to write.
That afternoon, when the Third Hokage read Shikamaru's updated report, a strange expression crossed his face for the first time in a while.
If he hadn't misunderstood, it seemed that little Naruto had developed feelings for a certain girl—and, surprisingly, that girl felt the same way.
Not bad, Shikamaru, Hiruzen thought. This might be the best news I've heard in weeks.
As his eyes drifted to the photograph of the Fourth Hokage, a quiet thought struck him—Naruto's situation was beginning to resemble that of the previous jinchūriki in some uncanny ways.
Of course, schoolyard romance was nothing new at the Ninja Academy.
But that girl... she was from the Hyūga Clan. And not just any branch—she was the eldest daughter of the clan head, the heir to the main house.
The Third Hokage's expression gradually grew serious. After a few puffs on his pipe, however, he suddenly smiled.
In some ways, he thought, having the main house's heir as a partner might actually be a good thing...
Time Flies
In the blink of an eye, October arrived.
Inside the sealed space, Naruto sat facing the reflection of Minato Namikaze. Off to the side, the Nine-Tails (Kurama) lay curled up, eyes closed in his usual slumber.
"The time is almost up," Minato's voice wavered slightly. "Naruto, I have to go soon."
Naruto looked at him silently and said, "Father, if one day I'm able to bring you and Mom back to life—will you stand in my way?"
Minato froze. "Bring us back to life? That's not... that's impossible, isn't it?"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm not asking if it's possible. I'm asking—would you stand in my way? You already know... one day, I'll be on the opposite side of Konoha."
"And I've been training someone else who will become another enemy of the village. Over the past few months, you've seen his potential."
Minato's expression turned distant. "I… I don't know."
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "Thank you. I'm glad you were honest. In many ways, you showed me what having a father actually feels like."
Minato's face became a mess of conflicting emotions. Looking into Naruto's calm, unreadable eyes, he lowered his head.
"Naruto, I know what the village did brought you pain… but I honestly didn't know…"
"You're mistaken, Father," Naruto cut him off calmly, then continued, his gaze sharpening. "Because of my unique situation, I've come to believe that there's no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' influence. All influence is inherently coercive."
"For the most part, nothing they did had any real impact on me. Of course... personal grudges are a different matter entirely."
Hearing Naruto say he hadn't been influenced at all brought Minato some relief. As for the mention of personal grudges—well, Minato knew he had no say in that.
After all, he was already dead.
Feeling his chakra clone beginning to fade, Minato spoke again. "Naruto, your mother—she's still…"
"I know." Naruto reached out and placed his hand against the seal gate. "I know Mom has always been there."
Minato's eyes welled up with tears, one drop sliding down his cheek. "It seems I really was an unworthy father. It's a shame… I'll never get to see the day Kushina finally reunites with you."
"That's not necessarily true," Naruto smiled faintly. "There's a real chance that wish might come true. Who knows? Maybe one day, I really will bring you both back."
Minato's face changed suddenly. "Wait—you're not thinking of stealing the Scroll of Seals and using that Reanimation Jutsu Orochimaru used in the Forest of Death, are you?!"
Naruto shook his head. "No, not that. I'm talking about a true resurrection."
Minato let out a breath of relief. "Naruto… the dead can't truly be brought back."
Naruto gave a casual wave. "If souls can be summoned back from the Pure Land, then real resurrection is just a matter of time, in my opinion."
Minato opened his mouth to speak, but his chakra form had already begun to fade away.
Naruto raised a hand and said his farewell. "It's okay, Father. The beginning is hard… the middle's hard… and then—"
"And the end's hard too!"
Naruto blinked, surprised. "Huh? You think so too, Father?"
Now nearly completely transparent, Minato suddenly shouted with urgency, his voice trembling with emotion:
"Naruto! You're in the—"
"Huh? What?!"
Naruto's eyes narrowed, but before Minato could finish, his form fully vanished.
What was Father trying to say at the end…?
(To be continued…)
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789