"Flying Thunder God? No way, Carl, I can't possibly… wait! My father!?"
Naruto stared wide-eyed at Carl in disbelief. The Book of Seals described the Flying Thunder God as a jutsu created by the Second Hokage and later perfected by the Fourth Hokage, who became famous across the ninja world as the "Yellow Flash."
But because the technique was so difficult to master, only the Second and Fourth Hokage had ever managed to use it proficiently.
And obviously, the Second Hokage couldn't be his father—the age gap was way too great. Which meant… there was only one possibility left: the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
Naruto swallowed hard and murmured,
"Carl, you're kidding, right? Don't tell me… my father is the Fourth Hokage?"
Carl nodded calmly, his tone light.
"Who else could it be? Who do you think you got that spiky yellow hair from?"
"Then… why is my surname Uzumaki and not Namikaze?"
"Uzumaki is your mother's name. Your mother was Uzumaki Kushina—the previous Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. The Uzumaki clan was once a great family like the Uchiha, and their end was similar too. Because of their powerful talents, the ninja world couldn't tolerate them, and only a few survived in the end. Still, the Uzumaki had strong ties to Konoha's higher-ups. You could say they were a noble lineage. Your father basically married into the family."
"Uzumaki Kushina… I've never heard that name before…"
"If your father hadn't been the Hokage, probably no one in Konoha would still mention him either."
"So, Carl, how do you even know all this?"
"Heh, that's not something you need to worry about. If you still don't believe me, just ask the Nine-Tails inside you. It witnessed your birth with its own eyes."
"No need… I believe you, Carl…"
For someone like Naruto—who had never known who his parents were—this revelation was simply too much. His brain went blank, and even his shadow clones in the room froze, all wearing the same stunned expression.
Naruto stood motionless, murmuring,
"How is that possible? My father… the Fourth Hokage? Why has no one ever told me that?"
Carl understood his feelings and said softly,
"Your father had many enemies. The Konoha leadership thought keeping it secret was the best way to protect you."
He didn't comment further—it was up to Naruto to decide how to take it.
Naruto was silent for a long time. Then, as his clones vanished one by one in a series of pops, he couldn't hold it in anymore. His eyes filled with tears, and he cried out,
"But the Fourth Hokage was the hero who sealed the Nine-Tails and saved the village! I'm… I'm the son of a hero! So why… why have I been treated like this all these years!? I don't want this kind of 'protection' anymore!"
He fell to his knees with a thud, palms pressing against the floor as tears streamed down his face. His heart overflowed with resentment and pain.
Memories flashed through his mind—the beatings, the scorn, the spoiled food, the isolation from other kids.
He had never done anything wrong. The peaceful lives those same villagers now enjoyed were paid for by his father's life.
Why?
Why did the son of a hero have to suffer this way? Why wasn't he even allowed to know who his parents were?
Protection?
What a joke!
At that moment, twelve-year-old Naruto could only feel disgust. That so-called "protection" felt like pure filth. The image of the Third Hokage—kind and benevolent in his memories—twisted into something hateful.
As his emotions surged out of control, the sealing space inside him began to shake violently again. The Nine-Tails, however, remained completely unfazed. It had failed to break the seal during a much better chance just moments ago; it wasn't about to get its hopes up now. Still, the disturbance caused its chakra to resonate with Naruto's.
Outside, a red chakra cloak began to cover Naruto's body, and two translucent tails took shape behind him.
He had entered his Two-Tails form.
At this stage, Two-Tails Naruto might have seemed intimidating to others—but to Carl, he was no more threatening than a pet.
Carl crossed his arms, frowning slightly as he looked down at the panting Naruto.
"Need me to help you cool off?"
As soon as he spoke, Conqueror's Haki spread from his body, filling the room. The moment Naruto sensed it, it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. His red chakra cloak vanished even faster than his rage.
In the blink of an eye, he was back to normal.
But the sudden loss of chakra left him completely drained, and he collapsed flat on the ground.
Carl crouched down, poking Naruto's spiky yellow hair with a finger.
"Hey, don't slack off. Get up—we're starting your Flying Thunder God training."
Naruto lifted his head weakly.
"Carl, I really don't have any strength left..."
Carl tilted his head, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
"Is that so?"
He slid his finger from Naruto's head to the back of his neck, and in an instant, his crimson fingertip pierced the skin. A surge of blood energy flowed into Naruto's body.
Naruto jolted as if electrocuted. Then, with a burst of wild energy, he sprang to his feet like a shot, shouting,
"Whoa!!"
The vitality that had been drained away with the Nine-Tails' chakra returned all at once—he was practically bursting with energy now.
Carl summoned the Scroll of Seals, which had been blown into a corner by the chakra burst, and tossed it casually toward Naruto.
"Make good use of your time and learn it well. Your thoughts earlier were dangerous. Once I'm gone, you might need this technique to run for your life."
Naruto froze mid-motion. Then, realizing what Carl had just said, he grabbed his sleeve in a panic.
"You're leaving, Carl!?"
Carl flicked Naruto's forehead and chuckled.
"What, you think I'm your babysitter? I've got no intention of hanging around with a blond kid forever."
Naruto's mind went blank again, and he blurted out,
"Carl, I've got this technique—Sexy Jutsu—"
Wham!
Before he could finish, Carl smacked him straight into the wall.
Watching Naruto slowly slide down the wall, Carl's face darkened as he muttered,
"Save that trick for Sasuke, will you?"