Chapter 268 : Persuading

Although Minato Namikaze was not an arrogant man, he firmly believed he was the fastest shinobi in the world—no one could surpass him.

So, Riku must be from the future.

Still, Minato felt genuinely pleased. The idea that someone as powerful as Riku existed in Konoha’s future was enough to assure him of the village’s continued safety.

Riku looked at Minato and nodded. "Yes, I’m using space-time ninjutsu. I can also use your Flying Thunder God Technique."

As he spoke, a kunai appeared in Riku’s hand. He threw it to the side, and in the next moment, he vanished—reappearing beside the kunai where it had landed a short distance away.

Akamichi Choza and Aburame Shibi were both stunned.

"He can use Minato’s Flying Thunder God Technique too? How is that even possible?!"

Minato, however, wasn’t surprised. This only confirmed to him that Riku was indeed a Konoha ninja. After all, only Konoha possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique.

And Minato was the only known ninja who had mastered it. The technique was sealed away in the Scroll of Seals, and even within the village, almost no one had been able to learn it.

Riku’s use of the Flying Thunder God Technique was undeniable proof that he was from Konoha.

Reappearing before Minato once more, Riku said, "The traitor I came to pursue from Sunagakure is likely hiding in Rōran."

"Shouldn’t Rōran be destroyed by now?" Minato asked, frowning.

Riku shook his head and grinned. "Nope. That’s good. That guy should still be there. He wants to use the power of the Dragon Vein to control puppets and conquer the world."

"I joined forces with a Sunagakure shinobi to chase him into the ruins of Rōran. But then he broke the seal on the Dragon Vein."

"By the way, Rōran gets destroyed a few years later in the war, and you’re the one who seals the Dragon Vein."

"I see," Minato replied with a nod.

"But that might not happen this time," Riku continued. "That guy returned to this era—he probably arrived even earlier."

Minato nodded thoughtfully. "You’re right. Rōran’s minister, Anrokuzan, did suddenly appear more than ten years ago and gained the trust of the former queen."

"I believe he arrived more than a decade earlier."

Riku exhaled with relief. "Fortunately, he hasn’t started a war yet. That would’ve had a huge impact on history."

Choza and Shibi, who were standing off to the side, glanced at Riku.

"Wait... did you just say that Minato becomes the Fourth Hokage?"

Riku nodded. "Is that so strange?"

Choza and Shibi had always assumed that Minato would one day become Hokage, but not anytime soon. Maybe when he was in his forties or fifties—around the age Hiruzen Sarutobi was now.

That meant the time Riku came from must be decades in the future.

"So, the future Minato sent you here? And you know the Flying Thunder God Technique—he must’ve taught you. Are you one of his future disciples?"

Riku shook his head. "No. My teacher is Kakashi Hatake. The Fourth Hokage passed away before I was born."

"I currently serve as a guard to the Fifth Hokage—Lady Tsunade."

"She’s also the one who taught me medical ninjutsu."

That left Choza and Shibi stunned.

"You’re Kakashi’s student? But Kakashi’s just a teenager right now! How could you exist already? ...Wait, are you saying Minato doesn’t live long into the future?"

Kakashi was only about ten years younger than Minato, after all.

Riku looked at Minato, who didn’t seem fazed.

Of course, Riku thought. Minato wouldn’t flinch at something like this.

Riku hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Fourth Hokage died in his twenties. Not from illness—he gave his life to seal the Nine Tails."

Riku wasn’t worried about revealing too much. He intended to erase their memories before he returned, so the timeline wouldn’t be affected.

Minato froze. "Seal the Nine Tails? The Nine Tails was released?"

Minato wasn’t worried about himself—he was thinking of Kushina Uzumaki, the current jinchūriki of the Nine Tails.

Riku looked directly at him. "Yes. It happened when Naruto was born. He’s your son."

He turned toward Choza and Shibi. "He’s also your sons’ classmate. And mine, too."

Minato’s brow furrowed. But hearing that Naruto went to school with Riku gave him some peace of mind. Naruto was safe.

The name "Naruto" didn’t surprise Minato—he had already considered it. It came from a character in Jiraiya’s novel.

Still, he had to ask. "How is Naruto now? And... does Kushina survive?"

He knew he shouldn’t ask. But he couldn’t help it.

Minato also understood that Riku must have a way to prevent changes to history—otherwise, he wouldn’t be sharing these details.

Riku paused, noticing the tension in Minato’s expression.

"Don’t worry," he said. "Naruto is doing great. He’s strong—though he might have inherited some of Kushina’s reckless personality."

"He became the Nine Tails’ jinchūriki. When I left on this mission, he had just started mastering the Nine Tails’ chakra."

Choza, Shibi, and even Minato were stunned. "Master the Nine Tails?"

Their surprise was understandable—no jinchūriki had ever truly mastered their tailed beast.

Riku nodded. "In my time, both jinchūriki from the Hidden Cloud—Yugito Nii and Killer Bee—had formed bonds with their tailed beasts. They could fight alongside them without needing a seal."

"That made them far stronger than any jinchūriki who couldn’t control their tailed beast."

"And besides those two, the Fourth Mizukage also achieved harmony with his tailed beast. Even the jinchūriki from Hidden Waterfall formed that kind of bond."

"That’s why I believed Naruto could do it too. I negotiated with kyubi and released the seal."

"Now, Naruto can control Kurama’s chakra. Even without the seal, Kurama won’t go berserk."

Minato’s chest swelled with pride. "Naruto’s amazing... but so are you. You managed to gain Kyubi trust? Even Kushina couldn’t do that."

Riku laughed. "Honestly, the tailed beasts aren’t as unapproachable as people think."

"Yugito and Killer Bee showed that it’s possible. Once I talked to kyubi, I realized the same. Tailed beasts were just isolated. People never truly tried to communicate with them."

"As for Kushina... I didn’t want to say it, but I know you’ve already guessed, Fourth Hokage."

"When the Nine Tails was released, she was gravely wounded. She barely made it long enough to see Naruto one last time."

"In the end, you and Kushina sealed Kurama into Naruto."

"And then... both of you died."

---------------------

Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early Chapters before anyone else! 🔥

/UK21

Your Support is Truly Appreciated

------