Naruto was almost there.
The seal was right in front of him, just a little farther. He reached out, bracing himself on the bars of the cage, stretching his arm toward the tag holding it all together. A surge of nervous excitement built in his chest. This was it. He was about to get the answers he'd been searching for.
But the second his fingers were about to touch the seal—bam—an invisible force slammed into him. It knocked him backward, sending him crashing into the cold black water below with a loud splash.
Soaked and stunned, Naruto barely had time to process what happened before a roar echoed through the space.
"ROOOAAARRR! Fourth Hokage! You dare show your face here again? I'll kill you!!"
The Nine-Tails' voice thundered across the entire space.
Naruto looked up in shock as the beast's massive claw smashed forward, slamming against the cage with terrifying force. The whole thing shook violently. The claw extended far—almost touching the back of the man who had just appeared.
Minato Namikaze.
The Fourth Hokage.
It stopped less than a centimeter from him. Just… frozen there.
Toji's voice echoed in Naruto's head again: "Exactly as planned. The moment you tried to tear the seal, the last bit of chakra your father left inside you was triggered to stop it."
That's why he had told Naruto it was safe.
Because his father had prepared for this.
Minato stood there, not even glancing back at the furious Nine-Tails behind him. He was silent, but his expression was a mixture of guilt, sadness… and something else. He looked at Naruto, but didn't say a word right away.
Naruto, on the other hand, was completely frozen.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
He recognized the man instantly. After all those years walking the streets alone, looking up at the Hokage Monument, staring at the face of the Fourth Hokage carved in stone…
Now that face was standing right in front of him.
"This is your father. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze," Toji said calmly in Naruto's mind. "You didn't believe me? Go on. Ask him."
Naruto swallowed hard.
His voice trembled. "You… you're my dad?"
Minato hesitated—just for a moment—then nodded slowly.
At first, Naruto felt pure joy.
He had dreamed of this moment. Everyone else had parents. Families. He had imagined his over and over. He never thought his real dad would be the Hokage he looked up to most.
But the happiness didn't last.
It quickly turned into confusion.
If his father was really the Hokage… if he was the son of a hero…
Why had everyone treated him like garbage?
Why did they hate him?
Wasn't the Hokage supposed to be the most respected person in the village?
Why had no one told him?
Before he could ask anything, Toji's voice broke in again.
"That monster in front of you… was sealed inside you by your own father."
The words hit Naruto like a punch to the chest.
He froze.
He thought back to all the dirty looks, the way people avoided him, the loneliness he'd felt every day of his life.
He looked up at Minato, eyes wide, heart pounding.
"You… you sealed this fox inside me?"
Minato nodded again.
This time, Naruto didn't hold back.
The confusion turned to rage.
Even older Naruto, years later, couldn't help but punch his dad when they first met. So it was no surprise when this younger, more emotional Naruto snapped.
He charged forward and started swinging—tiny fists pounding against Minato's chest again and again. Kicking, punching, yelling.
Minato didn't stop him.
He just stood there and took it.
Naruto's punches were wild and messy, but they were filled with pain.
He cried as he hit.
Tears streamed down his face.
"WHY?!" he screamed between sobs."Why did you do this to me?""Do you have any idea what it has been like?""Why would you do this?!"
Minato's expression was full of guilt. He didn't say anything. He knew. He'd seen it all—he knew exactly how badly Naruto had been treated.
He just let his son cry and hit until he couldn't anymore.
Finally, when Naruto's punches slowed, Minato gently said, "It's too loud here. Let's go somewhere quieter."
In an instant, the scene changed.
Now they were standing in a white, empty space. Peaceful. Silent.
The Nine-Tails was gone.
Naruto looked around, confused, but didn't ask. He wiped the tears off his face, looked up at Minato, and waited.
He needed answers.
Minato took a deep breath. "Naruto… I'm sorry."
"I know I don't have the right to ask for forgiveness. I haven't been there. I didn't protect you like a father should've. But I never wanted this for you. I never imagined your life would be like this."
Naruto's expression said it all—he wasn't satisfied with that answer. Not even close.
Minato sighed, then reached into his reserve: the last bit of chakra he had sealed away.
A soft glow began to rise, turning into a wisp of white smoke.
From it, a woman appeared.
Red-haired. Warm smile. Gentle eyes.
Uzumaki Kushina.
Naruto's mother.
She looked around, clearly disoriented. This was her final memory—a sliver of chakra preserved before she died.
Minato looked at her and spoke softly: "Kushina… this is our son. Naruto."
Her eyes widened.
She didn't even glance at Minato again.
Instead, she rushed to Naruto, scooped him up in her arms, and hugged him like she'd waited a lifetime for it.
Tears streamed down her face.
She held him tightly and cried.
And Naruto, feeling her warmth—feeling what a mother's love was like for the first time—broke down again.
Because now he knew.
He wasn't a monster.
He wasn't alone.
He had a father.
He had a mother.
And for the first time in his life… he felt it.