Chapter 261 : Appearance Of Namikaze Minato And Uzumaki Kushina

But after Naruto went berserk last time, it was Riku who resealed him.

Tsunade also said, "Release it."

After speaking, she stood up and walked over to Riku’s side. She didn’t truly believe the Nine Tails would behave, but she trusted Riku. So, she stood beside him, offering her silent support.

Sakura and Sai remained on alert. The moment anything went wrong, they were ready to act.

But they clearly underestimated Riku’s strength.

Riku walked up to Naruto, formed a series of hand seals, and pressed one hand against Naruto’s abdomen.

"Seal Release."

As Riku undid the seal, a tremendous surge of chakra burst out from Naruto’s body.

Tsunade frowned as she watched Riku, a trace of concern flickering in her eyes.

But the chakra spike vanished just as quickly as it had come.

In an instant, calm returned.

Naruto blinked in surprise. "The Nine Tails really didn’t take over..."

Sakura and Yamato stood there in shock. "It actually worked? Are you kidding? That’s a tailed beast!"

They had always heard how terrifying the Nine Tails was—wild, powerful, untamable.

But somehow, Riku had managed to reason with it.

At the moment Riku released the seal, the consciousnesses of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki—sealed within Naruto—were suddenly drawn out into his mindscape.

Naruto was completely stunned.

In truth, even Minato and Kushina were caught off guard.

They looked at Naruto and the slumbering Nine Tails beside him.

When Minato had sealed the Nine Tails into Naruto, he had also sealed fragments of both his and Kushina’s chakra into their son. Their souls were set to awaken if Naruto ever managed to access the Nine Tails’ power.

As Naruto saw Minato, he froze. "You... you’re..."

Naruto had always admired the Fourth Hokage. Since childhood, his dream had been to surpass Minato, the hero who saved the entire village.

And now that same legend stood before him.

Minato looked at Naruto, then at the Nine Tails nearby, and spoke softly, "Are you... Naruto?"

Naruto walked toward him, voice trembling. "Yeah... You’re the Fourth Hokage. Why are you here?"

The Nine Tails grumbled from the side, "What do you think? He’s your father. And that woman over there? She’s your mother."

Naruto’s entire body shook. "The Fourth Hokage... is my father?"

Seeing the look on Naruto’s face, Minato smiled. "Naruto... you’ve grown so much."

Naruto still couldn’t believe it. He murmured, "The Fourth Hokage... is actually my father? This is... unbelievable."

He had always wanted to know who his parents were—but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined his father was the very Hokage he idolized most.

It felt like a dream.

Kushina walked up with a warm smile and playfully pinched his cheek. "Looks like someone’s been eating well."

Naruto looked at the beautiful woman before him. There was a warmth in her presence—a mother’s kindness. He could feel it instinctively.

"You... are you my mother?"

Kushina smiled. "Yes, Naruto. You’ve grown so big. It looks like you’ve been taking care of yourself."

The Nine Tails lay on the side, disinterested. Honestly, it didn’t want to see these two humans who had once sealed it away. If not for Riku’s threats and the strange understanding they’d reached, it wouldn’t have tolerated this reunion.

Naruto stood there in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. Slowly, he began to speak, his voice shaky as he shared bits of his life with them. Minato and Kushina listened patiently, their faces full of love and heartache.

In the end, both of them gently rested a hand on Naruto’s shoulder, speaking with pride and emotion. "We’re so proud of you, Naruto... to see how much you’ve grown—and that you’ve been accepted by the Nine Tails."

When Minato had sealed the Nine Tails, he hadn’t severed the connection between Naruto and the beast. He had always hoped that one day, Naruto would learn to control its power.

Even now, with the seal lifted, the Nine Tails didn’t leave. And Naruto hadn’t lost control. It was clear the tailed beast acknowledged him—at least to some extent.

But just as Minato finished speaking, the Nine Tails scoffed from its corner.

"I don’t acknowledge this brat. Some bastard just forced me to work with him. That’s all. Otherwise, I’d never cooperate with him."

Naruto wiped away a tear and laughed. "Dad, Mom... the truth is, the reason I released the seal this time was because Riku managed to strike a deal with the Nine Tails. Somehow, he got it to agree to help me get stronger. I’m not sure what he did exactly, but I bet the Nine Tails is really pissed about it."

Minato and Kushina blinked, clearly confused. Even though their chakra had been sealed in Naruto, they hadn’t been aware of the outside world until the seal was released.

That’s why when Riku entered Naruto’s mind to speak with the Nine Tails earlier, he hadn’t needed to worry about being noticed.

Minato looked at the Nine Tails thoughtfully. For someone to make such a proud beast cooperate with Naruto... they had to be strong—very strong.

And more than that, the ability to enter Naruto’s mindscape itself wasn’t something just anyone could do.

Kushina smiled gently at Naruto. "Is he your friend?"

To her, nothing was more important than knowing Naruto wasn’t alone.

As a former Jinchūriki herself, Kushina knew the kind of pain and isolation that came with it. Though her status had been hidden in Konoha, she understood that in most villages, Jinchūriki led very lonely lives.

Naruto beamed. "Yeah. We were classmates back at the academy. And we ended up on the same team after graduation."

Minato’s face froze for a moment.

The Nine Tails, sensing his reaction, let out a low chuckle. "You won’t believe it, but that guy is the same age as Naruto. And he’s already far stronger than you ever were. Pretty shocking, right?"

Kushina was stunned. Stronger than Minato?

In her eyes, Minato had always been the strongest ninja in Konoha—no, in the entire shinobi world. Back in the day, his name alone was enough to turn the tide of a battlefield.

He was a true legend.

So much so that other villages had rules allowing their ninja to abandon a mission without penalty if they encountered him.

That was the kind of man Minato was.

As for Hatake Sakumo, that was just a rumor. No one had ever proven it.

But Minato—Minato had been very real.

And now... Riku had surpassed even him.

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