blogombal Chapter 31 Naruto's Father
Chapter 31 Naruto's Father
As the Nine-Tails roared, a light red chakra gradually appeared on Naruto's body, and the beard mark on his face gradually became more obvious.
Sakura, who was standing nearby, ran to Naruto's side and called out to him, somewhat bewildered, "Are you alright, Naruto?"
Gaara, who was emotionally distraught over Yashamaru's appearance, was also drawn to Naruto. His dazed gaze shifted slightly, and he noticed the ominous chakra surrounding Naruto. His expression became incredibly complex. Sure enough, Naruto looked a lot like him…
The blond man, or rather the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, Minato Namikaze, reached out and slightly reinforced the seal on Naruto's stomach, causing the red chakra to reluctantly retreat back into Naruto's body.
The Nine-Tails inside the sealed space grew even angrier, its chakra erupting even more violently, but unfortunately, it was firmly suppressed by the sealed space, and could only jump up and down incessantly within the sealed space: "Damn Fourth Hokage!!"
As Minato Namikaze maintained the seal on the Nine-Tails, Naruto gradually calmed down. He stretched out his hands, looked at his body in confusion, and exclaimed, bewildered, "Eh? I'm healed?"
The Nine-Tails' power emerged, inadvertently healing Naruto's external wounds.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze confirmed his guess: his appearance was not because of the children, but because of the Nine-Tails.
After all, although his soul was imprisoned in the stomach of the Shinigami because he used the Corpse Demon Seal, in a way, he could also be considered a loser who died at the hands of the Nine-Tails, so it makes sense that he was summoned.
However, Minato Namikaze's expression was serious. Had he actually managed to penetrate the Nine-Tails' seal and thus affect it?
Konoha's enemy this time is truly formidable. I wonder how things are going with the Third Hokage...
Sasuke Uchiha stared at the man behaving strangely in front of him and coldly questioned, "Hey, Naruto, what's going on? What did you just do? Who are you?"
As Sasuke asked one question after another, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Naruto was alright, and looked up at the blond man who had just seemingly helped Naruto.
Like Sasuke, she also felt that the man in front of her looked somewhat familiar, but she was certain that she had never seen him before. Besides, judging from what the blond man had just said, he should have been dead long ago.
Sakura, who hadn't immediately connected the Hokage Rock to the man in front of her, stared blankly at the man's blond hair and blue eyes, which were exactly like Naruto's, and the excessive concern on his face that he couldn't hide.
Sakura's eyes involuntarily widened slowly, and a sudden thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
"Um... if I may ask, you wouldn't happen to be... wouldn't happen to be Naruto's father, would you?"
Sakura asked the question hesitantly, and immediately regretted it, as the question was indeed somewhat absurd.
What a coincidence! And if what this blond man said is true, that he was defeated by someone present and was then summoned, how could he possibly be Naruto's father!
Just as Sakura was about to laugh it off and say something like, "I was just saying, don't take it to heart," she was shocked to see the blond man in front of her nod slowly after a moment of silence: "I... am indeed Naruto's father."
"Huh? Huh!!!"
Naruto and Sakura exclaimed almost simultaneously, their gazes shifting back and forth between Minato and Naruto.
In that case, Naruto and the suddenly appearing blond man do have many similarities in appearance, the most obvious being their shared blond hair and blue eyes.
Naruto grew up as an orphan, so if that's the case, the young man in front of him does match up. Could it be true?
Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were utterly shocked. Could this man really be Naruto's father?!
Naruto stared blankly at Minato Namikaze, as if he couldn't quite understand what he had just said.
The voices of Sasuke and Sakura gradually faded from his ears, and at this moment, only the phrase "I am indeed Naruto's father" kept looping in his mind.
Looking at Naruto staring at him with wide eyes, Minato Namikaze was also filled with emotion, and for a moment he couldn't bear to look directly at the complex emotions revealed in those eyes.
As a ninja and as Hokage, he did everything he could for Konoha, and even in the end, he sacrificed himself for Konoha without any regrets.
But for his son Naruto, he only felt endless guilt and heartache.
He and Kushina brought Naruto into this world, but they failed to raise him. They even sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto's body for the sake of Konoha, making him bear the heavy fate of a Jinchuriki. He was really not a good father...
A layer of mist faintly appeared in Minato Namikaze's azure eyes, just like Naruto's. Even though he was not a real being, and even though his soul was sealed in the stomach of the Shinigami along with half of the Nine-Tails' chakra, Minato Namikaze did not care.
Regardless of his form or whether he was Minato Namikaze himself, he was Naruto's father, and being able to see Naruto was an immense surprise for him.
Minato Namikaze closed his eyes to suppress the tears welling up in them. As an extremely skilled ninja, he quickly calmed his turbulent emotions. Now was not the time to continue explaining.
He turned to look at the group of Sand Ninja not far away and said, "Are you still going to attack Konoha? It seems that the enemy's attack includes your Sand Ninja as well."
Temari and Kankuro exchanged a glance, reached a consensus, and quickly carried Gaara away.
Yashamaru glanced at Minato Namikaze and followed the direction Temari and the others had gone.
Unlike Minato Namikaze's pure joy at seeing Naruto, Yashamaru's feelings upon seeing Gaara again were so complex that they were hard to describe.
As Yashamaru followed behind Temari and the others, he quietly watched Gaara's retreating figure. Since fate had given him this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he had some things he wanted to say to that boy Gaara...
Seeing the Sand Ninja group leave, Sasuke Uchiha said to Minato Namikaze with some dissatisfaction, "Hey, since you're a Konoha ninja, why did you let them leave? The Sand Ninja are the enemies who attacked Konoha this time!"
Minato Namikaze shook his head, smiled at Sasuke's dissatisfied look, and patted his head, explaining, "The culprit is probably not the Sand Village. Summoning dead enemies is not a method that the Sand Village possesses, or rather, it's not even certain that such a method is a ninjutsu."
Upon hearing Minato Namikaze's last words, Sasuke suddenly froze, and the images of Zeref and Mavis flashed through his mind.
It might not be ninjutsu? Could it be magic?!
Thinking of Zeref, who supposedly left Konoha with a rogue ninja, Sasuke vaguely felt that he had guessed the truth.
Lowering his eyes to hide the surprise and doubt in them, Sasuke couldn't help but think about why Zeref did this, and wished he could go find Mavis, who was still in Konoha, right now to ask her for an explanation.
“Besides, I was summoned by the enemy. Although I haven’t been given any orders yet, it’s hard to say what will happen in the future. And you don’t have any fighting power right now, do you?” Minato Namikaze continued.
With his head being held down, Sasuke temporarily put aside his speculations about Zeref and reluctantly accepted Minato Namikaze's explanation for not continuing the pursuit.
He turned his head, broke free from Minato Namikaze's hand, and glared at Minato. What was wrong with this guy? Did they know each other well? Why was he patting Minato's head?
Minato Namikaze, who had been glared at by Sasuke, widened his smile.
Oh dear, this kid's arrogant attitude is really typical of an Uchiha, but judging from how worried he was about Naruto just now, it seems they have a good relationship.
At this moment, Sakura looked at Naruto, who had been silent and with his head down, his expression unreadable, and couldn't help but ask, "So, you really are Naruto's father? Then why were you summoned here? It doesn't seem like we could have defeated you, right?"
At that moment, Naruto also suddenly raised his head and stared straight into Minato Namikaze's eyes.
At this moment, the pressure emanating from Naruto's gaze was even greater for Minato Namikaze than the crimson pupils of the Nine-Tails back then. Sasuke also looked over curiously.
Minato Namikaze, facing three pairs of eyes that wouldn't give up until he got an answer, especially Naruto's, knew he had to explain things clearly.
So he walked up to Naruto, bowed slightly, his expression becoming gentle yet sorrowful. He met Naruto's unwavering gaze and said softly but firmly, "Naruto, I am your father..."
……
On the other side, after the group from Sunagakure quickly withdrew, they soon encountered their leader, Jonin Maki, who had several wounds on his body and had clearly just gone through a fierce battle.
Maki immediately noticed Gaara's numerous injuries and his expression changed. He hurriedly asked, "What happened to Gaara?"
Temari opened her mouth, her face full of complicated emotions, and said, "Gaara was defeated by that Naruto Uzumaki from Konoha."
Maki was shocked to hear this. He had thought that Gaara had been injured by a Jonin from Konoha, after all, he knew Gaara's strength very well.
Moreover, Shukaku was there, so it was unexpected that he would be defeated by a mere genin from Konoha. However, there was no time to ask about the details right now.
Thinking about what they had just discovered, Maki gritted his teeth and said, "We were all fooled by that Orochimaru! We just found the Kazekage's body! That despicable Orochimaru impersonated the Kazekage to deceive us!"
Temari and Kankuro were shocked upon hearing this. What?! The Kazekage actually...
Maki continued, "The situation is very bad now. We don't know what Orochimaru has done, but the people we killed have appeared in front of us, both the Konoha ninjas and us!"
When Gaara heard Maki mention "the people he had killed," his body trembled slightly. Temari and Gaara exchanged complicated glances.
Just as Maki was about to say something more, he saw Yashamaru catching up from behind and was startled, but then he realized what was happening.
He glanced subconsciously at Gaara, who was being held up by Temari and Kankuro, and understood immediately.
At this moment, Yashamaru had also caught up. Temari and Kankuro keenly sensed that Gaara's body suddenly became extremely stiff. Temari turned her head slightly, but could only see Gaara's lowered head.
Kankuro opened his mouth as if to say something, but Temari shook her head slightly to stop him.
Without hesitation, Maki stepped forward and stopped Yashamaru. He pulled out a kunai and pointed it at Yashamaru, questioning, "Are you an enemy now, Yashamaru?"
Yashamaru stopped on a tree branch a few steps away, looking at Maki's wary expression, and explained again, "The caster of this technique did not control our will, at least not to me, and I have no intention of being your enemy."
Maki cast an inquiring glance at Temari and Kankuro, and only after receiving their affirmative replies did he put down the kunai he was holding against Yashamaru, though he remained somewhat wary.
Looking at Yashamaru, Maki seized the opportunity to ask, "Yashamaru, do you know who this caster is? Could it also be Orochimaru's doing?"
Yashamaru shook his head: "It's not Orochimaru, it's someone else, a very terrifying guy, perhaps even more powerful than Orochimaru."
Through magical connection, he could vaguely sense Zeref's presence. It was a power different from chakra, so powerful and dark, as unfathomable as an abyss.
Upon hearing Yashamaru's description, Maki frowned. Was he even stronger than Orochimaru?
Such a guy, such methods, they had never heard of him in the ninja world before. They had to report this important information to the elders when they got back. What if this guy wasn't satisfied with Konoha and was now targeting the Sand Village as well?
Although it's hard to admit, in terms of overall strength, Sunagakure is indeed inferior to Konoha.
Since the establishment of the ninja village system, Konoha has always occupied the richest land and the most resources.
This Chunin Exam alone shows that, unlike the Sand Village which can only pursue an elite training path due to insufficient resources, Konoha's Genin are commendable in both quantity and quality. It is likely that these ninjas will become the backbone of Konoha in the future.
Sunagakure is not only located in a desert with sandstorms everywhere and insufficient resources, but the Daimyo of the Land of Wind is even thinking of cutting village expenses... Thinking of this, Maki couldn't help but sigh in his heart again.
Now, not only has the plan to destroy Konoha failed, but the Kazekage has also been killed, and the Sand Village is now constantly falling into a disadvantageous position.
Afterwards, Konoha would definitely demand compensation, and thinking about the situation that Sunagakure would face, Maki's mood became increasingly heavy.
Forcing down his turbulent emotions, Maki looked at Konoha, where the sounds of battle were everywhere, and gave the order: "Let's leave Konoha first. Orochimaru's target is Konoha; there's no need for us to get involved any further."
He then turned to look at Yashamaru, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Yashamaru, you'll come with us too."
Yashamaru's current state is unbelievable. Taking him back to the village and studying him carefully should yield more information, Maki thought to himself.
Seeing Maki's calm demeanor, Yashamaru could guess his intentions.
He gave a bitter smile that seemed both mocking and helpless. Isn't that how ninjas always act? They always view everything through the lens of self-interest.
Yashamaru glanced at Gaara again. Gaara hadn't said a word the whole way, just letting Temari and Kankuro carry him along.
With a deep sigh, Yashamaru replied, "No, I will not leave Konoha. To be precise, I cannot leave Konoha."
"We can't leave Konoha?" Maki was taken aback. What did that mean?
Yashamaru didn't care what Maki thought; he was already dead, and now he was just a remnant of history constructed by magic. He didn't need to, and didn't want to, blindly obey the village's arrangements anymore.
Now, he just wants to do something and say something while the magic that summoned him hasn't worn off yet.
"Could you please step aside for a moment? I have something I'd like to say to Lord Gaara."