Chapter 262

Hearing what Kurama said, Minato Namikaze looked at Naruto and smiled. "This guy is your teammate? He must be close to you—after all, he was willing to help you form a cooperation with the Nine Tails."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he gets along with everyone really well. Even Kakashi-sensei seems to favor him a little... he’s taught him a lot of jutsu."

Minato chuckled. "So Kakashi’s your teacher. I suppose his style doesn’t suit you very well. Maybe it’s because Riku is more compatible with Kakashi’s jutsu."

Minato, knowing Naruto’s chakra nature, understood why Naruto wasn’t well-suited for much of Kakashi’s ninjutsu.

Naruto nodded again. "Kakashi-sensei told me the same thing. But he started teaching Riku when he was really young... no wonder he’s so strong now."

Kushina smiled. "Kakashi becoming a teacher, huh? That means he’s really moved on from the shadows of his past."

"But for a kid to earn Kakashi’s respect like that... he must be seriously talented."

Before Naruto could respond, Kurama let out a low sigh as he lay down lazily. "He’s strong—strong enough to suppress even me easily. His power is definitely not below that of the First Hokage. And the scariest part? He’s only sixteen. The gap between you humans is ridiculous. You’re both the same age, but the difference in strength... it’s worlds apart."

Hearing Kurama’s assessment, both Minato and Kushina became more curious about Riku.

What Minato cared about most was Riku’s loyalty to Naruto—and to Konoha.

In a way, Riku had become one of the village’s greatest pillars.

Minato smiled. "With such a gifted child, his goal must be to become Hokage someday."

Becoming Hokage had been Minato’s dream since he was young. Seeing someone as talented as Riku, he naturally assumed Riku would share that same dream.

But Naruto gave a sheepish smile. "He doesn’t want to be Hokage. He says I should be. He told me that when I become Hokage, he’ll be my assistant."

"Old Man Third really wanted him to become Hokage. Even Grandma Tsunade thinks Riku should be the next one... but he keeps turning it down. He always says I’ll make a great Hokage."

Kushina laughed. "Grandma Tsunade? Don’t say that to her face. She’ll beat you for it."

She knew Tsunade was older now, but being called "grandma" to her face? That was asking for trouble.

Naruto grinned. "It’s fine! I’ve always called her that, and she’s never said anything. Anyway, she’s the Fifth Hokage now—and Riku’s her personal guard."

Now, Minato and Kushina could finally piece together the relationships.

Riku—Tsunade’s personal guard, an extremely powerful prodigy, and considered by both Hiruzen and Tsunade as a future Hokage candidate.

Even Minato hadn’t received such treatment back in his day.

If not for the demands of the Third Great Ninja War—and Iwagakure’s condition to have Hiruzen step down—Minato might not have become Hokage as early as he did.

But Riku was already being groomed by two Hokage to take the mantle—and still he refused. That kind of treatment was unheard of.

Kushina chuckled. "Now I really want to meet this kid."

Naruto slumped a little. "He’s great at everything, but... he’s way too good-looking. Even Sakura-chan seems to have a thing for him. It sucks."

Kushina smiled. "Oh, Naruto’s got someone he likes~? Don’t worry. As long as you keep chasing after what you care about, something will come of it."

To her, her son was handsome and strong in his own right—of course she had to root for him.

"Yeah... I’m not giving up. Besides, I don’t think Riku likes Sakura that way. I still have a chance."

When Naruto had gone to find Sasuke with Sakura this time, he noticed Sakura mentioning Riku a lot during the journey.

Something felt off. When they finally saw Sasuke, Sakura hadn’t reacted as emotionally as expected. She was excited, sure, but not like before.

And on the way there, she kept bringing up Riku.

That’s when Naruto realized... maybe Sakura had started developing feelings for Riku.

But on the plus side, Riku didn’t seem to have any feelings for her at all.

That was probably the best situation Naruto could hope for.

Minato, meanwhile, was more interested in Kurama.

Looking at the Nine Tails, he asked, "Kurama... earlier you said you were willing to cooperate with Naruto?"

Kurama huffed. "That brat forced me into it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be helping him..."

Minato didn’t mind. As long as Kurama was willing to communicate with Naruto, he knew Naruto could win him over.

He had absolute faith in his son.

Minato smiled. "As long as you’re willing to work together, I know Naruto will earn your respect. I believe in him."

Kurama didn’t reply—just closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

After that, Minato and Kushina spent a little more time talking to Naruto before their forms began to fade.

Minato had only sealed a small portion of his soul inside Naruto, and the chakra required to maintain it was limited.

Once they disappeared, Naruto finally understood the truth of his heritage.

"So my dad was the Fourth Hokage... and my mom was such a kind person..."

Kurama didn’t say anything, but the slight twitch of his lips betrayed his disbelief.

Kind? Uzumaki Kushina?

Kurama thought anyone hearing that would burst out laughing.

Outside Naruto’s mind, Riku remained unaware of what had happened inside Naruto’s consciousness.

Not that he cared.

After helping release the seal, Riku smiled. "Now that the seal is unlocked, you don’t have to worry about Kurama going berserk anymore. But sometimes your emotions will still cause his chakra to go out of control. That’s not his fault—it’s because your body still isn’t fully adapted to his chakra."

"You need to train strictly until your body can handle it completely. Once you do, even if your emotions flare up, Kurama’s chakra won’t rampage."

Naruto nodded. "I understand, Riku. I won’t let you down."

Riku chuckled as he sat down. "You don’t need to say that. Didn’t you say you wanted to surpass Sasuke? Right now, you can’t beat him. But once you master Kurama’s chakra..."

"He won’t be your match anymore."

"Even with the Sharingan, it won’t matter. Even if he awakens the Mangekyō Sharingan, it still won’t be enough."

Once Naruto synchronized with Kurama’s chakra and unlocked Nine-Tails Chakra Mode—or even Kurama Mode—Sasuke wouldn’t stand a chance, not until he awakened the Rinnegan.

And if Naruto could master Sage Mode too?

Unless Sasuke had fully awakened the Rinnegan, he’d never be able to surpass Naruto.

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