Chapter 391: Sasuke: Why Is My Embarrassing History Growing?
Minato, trying to shift the topic, glanced toward the dark Nine-Tails behind him.
During the years spent in the Death God's stomach, Minato and the Nine-Tails had many conversations.
At first, the Nine-Tails despised Minato, wishing he could tear him apart within the Death God's stomach.
But there was nothing he could do—he was powerless in that place and had no choice but to coexist with the enemy he hated, Minato.
As time passed, boredom set in for both of them. Minato began sharing his ideals with the Nine-Tails.
The prideful Nine-Tails pretended not to care, often saying, "I'll never forgive you for sealing me."
In truth, though, the Nine-Tails heard every word Minato said.
There was no escaping it—the Death God didn't speak, and the only company in the stomach was Minato. Ignoring him was nearly impossible.
Over time, the Nine-Tails noticed similarities between Minato and the Sage of Six Paths. Especially Minato's compassion and sunny, responsible demeanor, which gradually captivated the Nine-Tails.
Eventually, the Nine-Tails came to accept Minato and even took the initiative to discuss the innocence of the tailed beasts with him.
When two intelligent beings open up, it's not impossible for animosity to dissipate into laughter and camaraderie.
The Nine-Tails thought to himself—why was he even holding a grudge against a dead man? After all, he could eventually resurrect, while Minato, once free of the Death God's grip, would leave reality forever.
This realization was why the Nine-Tails chose to forgive and recognize Minato.
Minato's Edo Tensei body would eventually be undone, and the Nine-Tails saw no purpose in staying within it.
Minato spoke to the Nine-Tails:
"Kurama, would you be interested in returning to the real world and reuniting with your other half?"
"You're heading to the Pure Land?" The Nine-Tails looked at Minato, eyes wide.
"More or less. I'll be back in a while," Minato replied with a sunny smile, seemingly unconcerned about his journey to the Pure Land. "In the meantime, I'll leave my son Naruto in your care."
The Nine-Tails snorted a few times and shut his eyes, refusing to look at Minato.
"I've lived for so many years and never babysat anyone, but since you rarely ask me for favors, I'll reluctantly agree."
Naruto, standing between the dark and light halves of the Nine-Tails, couldn't help but shout:
"I'm not a kid anymore!"
The dark Nine-Tails glanced at Naruto with amusement, teasing him:
"Then what are you?"
"A student at the ninja academy! Once I graduate, I'll be a ninja!"
"The normal graduation age is twelve. Even if you graduate, aren't you still a kid?"
"..." Naruto, who only has his talk-no-jutsu buff in critical moments, found himself at a loss for words when it came to jokes like these.
At that moment, the light Nine-Tails interjected on Naruto's behalf:
"Naruto's strength far surpasses that of a genin. Not even some jonin could defeat him. He's already a qualified ninja."
Naruto pumped his small fists and declared:
"That's right! I'm already a qualified ninja! If it weren't for Haneda-uncle stopping me from graduating, I'd already be a ninja!"
Why does it feel like my other half is really fond of this kid... The dark Nine-Tails chose not to argue with himself and let the matter drop.
With a glance from Minato, the dark Nine-Tails left Minato's Edo Tensei body and fully entered Naruto.
The moment the dark and light Nine-Tails bumped fists, yin and yang merged, and the complete Nine-Tails once again appeared in the ninja world!
"Your experiences are quite fascinating..." The Nine-Tails took a deep look at Haneda, who stood with arms crossed, and fell silent.
At this moment, Minato and Kushina, knowing their time was almost up, also turned to Haneda.
Minato spoke:
"Haneda, let's proceed as you suggested earlier. How much chakra do you need?"
"Minato-senpai should have already calculated it, right?" Haneda replied.
"Yes," Minato said. Before becoming Hokage, he had already been incredibly meticulous.
Following Haneda's earlier instructions, Minato approached the matter as if it were a mission.
He had previously tested the average rate of chakra consumption in the mental space, then calculated how much would be needed over six months to sustain another chakra clone of himself.
Minato divided his chakra, leaving a portion within Naruto to ensure the clone was adequately supplied.
The chakra, originally somewhat illusory and translucent, became dense and tangible as it fused with the new supply.
The same went for Kushina.
Although she might not excel at calculating chakra, as an experienced ninja, her reserves far exceeded Minato's.
Her chakra output was so abundant that by the time Minato stopped, there was still more than enough to spare.
Once finished, Edo Minato and Edo Kushina left Naruto's mental space.
Haneda followed closely behind.
Outside, where Sasuke was waiting with Orochimaru, he observed Naruto's parents with curiosity.
To be honest, Sasuke's impression of Minato was limited to what he had read in textbooks, while Kushina left a stronger impression.
His mother, Mikoto, had often mentioned Kushina, praising her warmth and temperamental nature.
"You must be Uchiha Sasuke. How adorable!" Kushina exclaimed, her motherly instincts flaring up as she lunged to hug him, only to miss.
Sasuke quickly dodged behind Naruto, muttering in exasperation:
"Is your mom always this enthusiastic?"
"Of course! We're best friends! Actually, we're more like brothers. So, my mom is your mom too," Naruto replied nonchalantly.
"..." Sasuke glared at Naruto in annoyance but begrudgingly greeted Minato and Kushina:
"Hello, Uncle and Aunt."
"You're Uchiha Sasuke, huh? Your skills look impressive," Minato complimented.
"Sasuke, I held you when you were little, remember? This isn't the first time I've hugged you," Kushina teased.
"When?" Sasuke's expression darkened. When had this embarrassing moment occurred?
"When you were just born, of course. You've forgotten? Mikoto didn't tell you?"
"She didn't!" Sasuke's face turned even darker. He instinctively glanced at Naruto, who remained calm, and let out a sigh of relief.
Who remembers what happened as a baby?!
Still, bringing it up now...
Wait, wasn't Naruto's family present during that time...
Sasuke's gaze toward Kushina softened as he came to terms with the idea.
Meanwhile, a question popped into his head.
Since his mother was friends with Kushina, could it be that his older brother...
Sasuke grinned slyly and asked:
"Kushina-auntie, my brother once took on seven opponents at once. Did you hold him too?"
"Seven opponents? Uchiha Itachi?" Kushina pondered briefly. She had indeed held Mikoto's first child back then.
"He was much better behaved than you. When I held you, you often cried and fussed, especially when your brother was around."
"..." Sasuke thought bitterly to himself—how was his embarrassing history piling up like this? He had only wanted to hear about his brother's faults or stories from his youth!