The same golden hair, similar features.
Even those azure blue eyes were strikingly alike.
Mirai looked at that face he hadn’t seen for three years, suppressing countless complicated emotions.
Finally, he nodded.
“Yes, I’m back.”
This was his first time seeing Minato Namikaze after three years.
Even though it was just a chakra manifestation, the appearance was identical.
And it retained all of Minato’s memories from his lifetime.
There were countless unspoken words between the brothers, but they all fell silent.
Minato’s gaze moved past Mirai and settled on Naruto. For some reason, his eyes started to tremble.
“He is…”
“He’s your son, Naruto. It’s been three years; don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own son!”
Mirai said with a smile.
Swish!
Minato disappeared.
The next moment, he was in front of Naruto.
Naruto instinctively shrank back, but when he saw the man’s face, his eyes filled with tears instantly.
“Are you…”
“My father?”
He had seen images of Minato on the Hokage Rock in photos hanging in the Hokage’s office and in his uncle’s descriptions.
But never once had he seen him in person.
Hearing Naruto’s words, Minato could no longer hold back. He pulled Naruto into a tight embrace.
“Naruto, I’m your father!”
After three long years, the father and son were finally reunited.
“Naruto has had a hard time these three years…”
A sad voice came from behind.
“He was seen by the villagers as the cause of the chaos, the Nine-Tails, and endured the entire village’s bullying…”
Listening to Mirai’s recount, Minato’s hands gradually clenched.
“How could this happen?”
His eyes were slightly red.
“Didn’t the Third Hokage do anything? How could he just watch Naruto endure so much suffering…”
Alongside the heartbreak and guilt, there was also anger.
He had sealed the Nine-Tails into Naruto, hoping he would one day master its power and become a village hero.
But it seemed things had gone entirely the opposite way.
Naruto’s childhood had been miserable.
“I’m okay.”
Naruto, ever the understanding child, wiped away the tears from Minato’s eyes.
But the more he acted this way, the deeper Minato’s guilt grew.
He couldn’t understand why the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been so negligent.
Mirai glanced at Naruto and, after a moment of hesitation, sighed deeply.
“Minato, the inheritance you left behind was also taken by them, not a single bit was left for Naruto.”
Silence Minato just fell silent.
But the fingers resting on Naruto trembled slightly.
“Naruto, do you hate me?”
Because of his selfishness, he had sealed the Nine-Tails into Naruto, causing him to endure so much hardship.
Just hearing Mirai’s description made him feel a suffocating pain.
Such experiences would be unbearable even for an adult.
Let alone for a child who was only three years old.
He had been wrong!
Wrong!
“No, I don’t hate you.”
Naruto shook his head.
“At first, I didn’t understand why my parents would do such a cruel thing, sealing the Nine-Tails inside me.”
“But now, I understand. They must have wanted their son to become a hero like them!”
Tears streamed down Minato’s face as he hugged Naruto again.
A silly smile spread across Naruto’s face.
This is the warmth of a family’s embrace.
So warm.
After a long embrace, they reluctantly let go.
“Mirai, thank you. If you hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t know how to face Naruto.”
Minato’s voice was full of gratitude.
He felt immense guilt toward Naruto.
“No, it’s I who returned too late.”
Mirai shook his head.
He was the one who should be apologizing.
“By the way, you seem even stronger than three years ago.”
Minato smiled, giving him a playful punch in the chest.
He had sensed Mirai’s battle with the Nine-Tails from within the sealed space.
Though the Nine-Tails had underestimated Mirai, to be able to slap it like that proved his strength.
“Yes, despite some unexpected events, my abilities have indeed improved a lot compared to three years ago.”
“I see…”
Minato’s eyes were filled with emotion.
His little brother had surpassed him?
“With you here, I can finally rest easy.”
Mirai’s expression turned serious, and he asked in a grave tone.
“What exactly happened that night?”
He had often investigated the events of the Nine-Tails’ night, gathering information from Kakashi and the Uchiha clan.
But it wasn’t enough.
Minato, as the most crucial eyewitness, would know the details best.
“That night…”
Perhaps touching upon an old wound, Minato’s gaze turned cold.
“I was by Kushina’s side during childbirth when we were suddenly attacked. The assailant wore a tiger-striped mask and had space-time abilities on par with mine…”
As expected, it involved space-time abilities.
Mirai’s expression grew solemn.
Just as he had speculated, only another space-time user could put Minato in such a difficult situation.
“The enemy was incredibly strong, using my concern for Naruto to abduct Kushina right after childbirth…”
Minato carefully recounted, highlighting the essential points as time was limited.
The mysterious masked man, his hatred for the Leaf Village, claiming to be Madara Uchiha, possessing space-time Mangekyo Sharingan…
Listening to Minato, Mirai’s impression of the enemy became more apparent.
The image of a man wearing a tiger-striped mask emerged in his mind.
The cold, red Sharingan outside the mask showed a sinister smile.
Mirai’s eyes grew cold.
Without a doubt.
This masked man, who had done such a thing, would be his greatest enemy in the future!
No matter who he was, Mirai would not let him go!
“Mirai, time’s almost up.”
Minato’s gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.
The chakra-formed body began to emit a soft white light.
“Already?”
Mirai’s eyes darkened.
Time was passing faster than he expected.
“I’m leaving Naruto in your hands.”
Minato smiled gently.
“This is my last request as your brother.”
Buzz!
His gradually fading body dissolved into countless white lights, floating toward the dark sky of the sealed space.
“Dad!”
Naruto reached out, but the lights passed through his body.
He was already crying.
“Why so soon? I still have so much to say. Why not wait for me to finish? Why…”
Mirai knelt, gently stroking Naruto’s golden hair.
“Don’t worry, Naruto. You’ll meet them again someday!”
“R-really?”
Naruto wiped his tears.
“But Dad and Mom are already…”
“Silly boy, who said the dead can’t be revived?”
Mirai flicked his forehead playfully, his eyes crinkling into a smile.
“This world is vast and full of amazing secrets, even ones I haven’t mastered. There might be a jutsu out there that can bring the dead back to life.”
“Really?”
Naruto’s heart raced.
If Dad and Mom could come back…
“One day, it will happen.”
Mirai gazed into the distance with a smile. He wasn’t just making empty promises. He knew Orochimaru had a forbidden jutsu that could revive the dead, though it was not yet perfected.
But it was a start.
The world was vast, filled with countless wonders waiting to be discovered.
He might find the perfect way to bring the dead back one day.
When that day comes, Naruto’s family could be reunited.
“So, Naruto, stay strong. If your parents come back and see you all depressed, they’ll be disappointed.”
“Yes! I understand, Uncle!”
Naruto was filled with determination!
“For a future reunion, let’s make a promise!”
Mirai hooked his little finger.
Naruto hooked his finger in return.
“For a future reunion!”
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