Night.
A long-overdue rain brought a hint of coolness to the sweltering summer heat, but the heavy, dark clouds and the occasional rumble of thunder created an oppressive atmosphere. The lights in the Hokage Tower were, as always, constantly lit—a symbol, known to all villagers, of the Third Hokage still diligently at work.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly shifted his gaze from the crystal ball to the figure who had appeared outside his window.
"You're back?"
"I'm back."
After a moment of silence between the two, Jiraiya asked, "What's the deal with Naruto's situation?"
Logically speaking, all intelligence regarding jinchuriki should be strictly concealed. But Naruto's identity, to a certain extent, wasn't just well-known in Konoha; it was practically common knowledge among households. This was a rather ludicrous state of affairs. One had to remember what Konoha was—the strongest hidden village in the ninja world! The ninja regulations, drafted by the First Hokage, perfected by the Second, and supplemented by the Third, clearly stated that a ninja should regard intelligence as life itself!
"…It was an accident." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe, then slowly exhaled moments later. The thick smoke completely veiled his line of sight, making it impossible to discern any change in his emotions. The strong smell of burning tobacco instantly filled the entire room.
"Is that so." Jiraiya didn't say anything more. The Third Hokage wasn't a fool, and neither was he. Pressing further was pointless; asking too clearly about certain matters benefited neither of them.
The next day.
Naruto sat cross-legged in his usual spot. This time, he wasn't fishing but had plucked a leaf and placed it in his palm. After a moment, he slowly moved his hand away. A leaf, cut halfway through, lay quietly in his palm. Thanks to Jiraiya's guidance yesterday, his training in Wind Nature Transformation had progressed significantly. At this level, his Wind Nature Transformation could already provide a substantial boost to his abilities.
Shing!
He drew Kusabimaru and slashed at a nearby tree trunk. The blade sank several inches into the wood. Withdrawing it, he instantly enveloped the blade in Wind-natured chakra. Same tree, different spot, same force.
With a soft 'pff' sound, Kusabimaru easily split the tree trunk in two.
Naruto held the chakra-enveloped Kusabimaru before him, a sense of wonder in his expression. And this was only at the level of being able to cut half a leaf. When he could cut through an entire leaf, how much sharper would Kusabimaru become?
Of course, such formidable attack power didn't come without a price. The amount of chakra consumed just to maintain it for that short period was already enough for Etsureki to unleash his Lightning Release: Static Charge several times. However, while such horrific chakra consumption might be a problem for others, for him, it was manageable.
[That being said, the consumption of chakra by the material itself cannot be ignored.] If, say, he infused ten units of chakra into Kusabimaru's blade, then the chakra ultimately manifested would only be five units. A large portion of the chakra was wasted in the 'transport' process. This was determined by the metallic material used to forge Kusabimaru; there was nothing he could do about it. The best solution would be to find a piece of chakra-conductive metal and reforge Kusabimaru. However, that was unrealistic. Chakra-conductive metals were rare and consistently unavailable on the market, even if one had the money. Academy textbooks only gave them a cursory mention, just enough for students to have a general concept of their existence, never imagining they would be used in actual combat. With his current means, let alone buying it, he couldn't even get access to the market where such materials might be found.
"Yo, training so early?" Jiraiya's voice came from a distance.
Naruto's heart stirred slightly. His choice to train here was, in part, not without the hope of receiving further guidance from Jiraiya. Perhaps in terms of raw strength, he wasn't much weaker than an average jonin. But regarding his understanding of ninjutsu knowledge, he was still at a genin's level. Being taught by a strong individual with excellent teaching ability and a wealth of knowledge was, by any measure, better than fumbling around on his own. Although Jiraiya had only briefly shown his hand yesterday, that very display had made Naruto understand that this seemingly frivolous Jiraiya was definitely a cut above Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao.
"Mhm, not bad, not bad at all!" Jiraiya said, nodding slightly as he looked at the fallen tree trunk. "Your nature transformation training is coming along nicely. Want to learn some new ninjutsu?"
"…Why teach me?" Naruto knew full well what kind of existence he was to Konoha—a pariah that others couldn't avoid fast enough.
"To have a renowned teacher like me, who trained the Fourth Hokage himself, offering to guide you, and you actually have other thoughts?" Jiraiya's expression was one of utter astonishment, as if he had heard something completely outrageous and unacceptable.
"…" Naruto simply looked at him.
[Nine-Tails, is my father the Fourth Hokage?] In his mental space, Naruto asked the Nine-Tails, which was sprawled on the ground. Though phrased as a question, his tone was certain. He didn't know if it was due to his rebirth or some other reason, but he had no deep memories of his infancy. Regarding his own identity, he could only make some guesses based on the Nine-Tails within him and the differing attitudes of those around him. But from Jiraiya's demeanor towards him, his past speculations were pretty much on the mark.
"…That's right. Your father is the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Your mother was my previous jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina." The Nine-Tails met his gaze for a moment, then its massive fox head nodded lightly.
"Is that so…" Naruto nodded slightly, about to withdraw from his mental space.
"Brat, don't you hate me?" The Nine-Tails slowly propped itself up, looking down at him.
"Hate? Why do you ask?" Naruto looked up at it, asking in surprise.
"They both died at my hands. Don't you hate me?" the Nine-Tails asked in a deep voice.
"Logically, I should indeed hate you," Naruto nodded. "But I have no memories of their existence, so from where would this hatred arise…?" The debt of birth was greater than any other. But without any emotional foundation, how could hatred be born? Furthermore, the Nine-Tails had been sealed within him by the Fourth Hokage, his father, unable to live, unable to die… From an objective standpoint, it seemed the Fourth and his wife, and even his own existence, should be more deserving of the Nine-Tails' hatred.
"For my parents' discourtesy, I apologize to you, Nine-Tails." Naruto bowed deeply to the great fox. As their son, he inherited the gift of their life, but also accepted their responsibilities, and their mistakes. "If there's ever a chance, I will find a way to help you break the seal."
"…" The Nine-Tails looked at the bowing child, silent for a long while. "You are not at fault. Rise."
"I don't know the full history of your grievances; I can only make a judgment from a relatively objective standpoint," Naruto said. From what he understood, they were the ones at fault.
"Hmph…" The Nine-Tails lay back down.
Naruto withdrew from his mental space; there was still someone waiting for him outside.
"My name is Kurama."
In the mental space, the Nine-Tails suddenly spoke.
"Hello, Kurama!" Outside, Naruto smiled faintly.