"Of course." Uchiha Ran nodded and stood up. "I will take care of him. I'll let him experience a real life and teach him the Uchiha clan's ninjutsu and swordsmanship."
"During this time, spend as much time as you can with your son," Ran said calmly. "I can sense that your soul energy will dissipate completely in two or three days."
Minato Namikaze immediately stood up and looked at Uchiha Ran. Then he brought his right index and middle fingers together, condensed his soul power at his fingertips, and lightly tapped Ran's forehead from a distance.
Uchiha Ran froze for a moment. The next instant, his mind swelled as an enormous amount of knowledge poured in—sealing techniques, their origins, evolution, practical applications, and countless advanced and special forms.
A complete, systematic sealing legacy.
Uchiha Ran instinctively released chakra. Like a surging tide, it swept outward, knocking over nearby vases. They crashed to the ground with sharp, brittle sounds.
Clatter!
Almost instantly, Uchiha clan shinobi rushed out from all directions. Their clothing was still somewhat disheveled, but their hands were already on their swords and ninja tool pouches.
Such a disturbance inside the Uchiha compound meant only two possibilities—an intruder, or an assassination attempt.
An ANBU shinobi knew that Minato Namikaze was present, but his body reacted faster than his thoughts.
"Protect Hokage-sama!"
With that shout, he leapt down from the roof, standing in front of Uchiha Ran with a kunai raised, its point aimed directly at Minato.
They did not concern themselves with Minato's former status as Fourth Hokage. They were ANBU personally promoted by Uchiha Ran and answered only to him. As for anyone else—step aside.
Minato Namikaze sighed helplessly.
"There's no need to worry. I merely transferred the memories of sealing techniques to Uchiha Ran using soul power."
"This method allows him to fully grasp all sealing techniques instantly. The only side effect is temporary mental confusion. With his strength and willpower, that won't be a serious problem."
There were two reasons he didn't want a confrontation.
First, Naruto was about to become Uchiha Ran's disciple. Clashing with Ran's trusted subordinates now would only create unnecessary friction.
Second, that transfer had already consumed nearly eighty percent of his remaining soul power. The rest was barely enough to maintain his presence, let alone fight. After tonight, he would fade away regardless.
The ANBU shinobi frowned, still uncertain. At that moment, Kakashi Hatake spoke up.
"Stand down. If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility."
"It's Captain Kakashi!"
"In that case, we'll hold position and wait for Hokage-sama to awaken."
The ANBU naturally deferred to their captain. They began explaining the situation to the surrounding Uchiha clan members and to Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"That's enough. Stand down. I believe Minato—and I trust my son even more."
At his words, the Uchiha shinobi slowly lowered their weapons, though many activated their Sharingan, keeping Minato and Kakashi under close watch.
Minato scratched the back of his head with a wry smile.
"As expected of the Uchiha. This really increases the pressure on me."
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Minato with a complicated expression, then closed his eyes and silently waited.
About ten minutes passed.
Suddenly, the powerful chakra radiating from Uchiha Ran receded completely.
Everyone's attention snapped back to him.
Uchiha Ran opened his eyes.
"As expected of the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques. Comprehensive, refined, and extremely practical," he said calmly. "Fourth Hokage, I will keep my promise to you."
He paused, then glanced at Naruto's small body.
"However, I'm afraid you…"
Minato Namikaze chuckled softly.
"I'm already dead. Being able to stay with Naruto for these past days was more than enough. Even if I hadn't passed these memories to you, I'd only be prolonging my existence by two or three meaningless days."
"O-otōsan…"
Naruto's voice sounded from within. Even in his confusion, he could feel his father's presence weakening rapidly.
"Silly child," Minato said gently. "Grow up well. No matter what you become in the future, you'll always be the pride of your mother and me."
"And Naruto… your mother was a very gentle and beautiful woman. If she could see you now, she'd be so happy."
His soul power continued to dissipate, faster than he had expected. He realized it wouldn't even last through the night.
So he stopped hiding anything and spoke from the heart, saying everything he wanted Naruto to hear—right here, in front of everyone.
Several Uchiha kunoichi broke down in tears. Hidden among the crowd, Uchiha Sasuke stood frozen in shock.
So Naruto was never unloved.
Even after death, his parents had continued to protect him, leaving behind countless safeguards for his future.
Just like now.
Sasuke clenched his fists. For Naruto's sake, he was willing to bow his head before his second brother.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his pupils had turned crimson—and two tomoe spun within them.
The surrounding Uchiha were stunned.
Uchiha Ran felt the sudden chakra fluctuation and looked up sharply.
When he saw Sasuke's eyes, his lips twitched.
Two tomoe?
In the original timeline, Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan with only one tomoe after the clan massacre. And now, just from witnessing Naruto's past, he had jumped straight to two?
This was completely unreasonable.
Minato Namikaze spoke again, his voice steady despite its fading strength.
"Fifth Hokage, from this moment on, I entrust Naruto to you. Please take good care of him."
"Thank you… in the Pure Land."
As his final act, Minato condensed his remaining soul power and imprinted the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Rasengan directly into Naruto's mind.
Because of past events involving the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, he had ultimately chosen not to entrust Naruto to his former teacher.
Minato feared that Jiraiya, like the Third Hokage, might also be constrained by the village and hesitate.
Only Uchiha Ran—a powerful, resolute, and compassionate man with no interest in the Tailed Beasts—could truly protect his son.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze no longer cared about the village.
He cared only about Naruto.
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