A gentle breeze and fine rain fell as the willow branches swayed in the wind.
Kakashi sat alone in the backyard, flipping through a book that detailed the secrets of Yang Release.
This was the path Kakashi had chosen for himself.
Just as the combination of Yin Release and Lightning Release had birthed his Purple Electricity, Kakashi intended to merge Yang Release with Lightning to create an entirely new form of jutsu. To this end, he had made a special trip back to the Senju clan's archives to pore over their records on Yang Release.
Compared to the ethereal and elusive nature of Yin Release, Yang Release was far more direct.
It was physical power. More accurately, it was vitality.
The stronger one's life force, the more potent their Yang Release. This was clearly evidenced by four specific individuals: Hashirama Senju, Nagato, Karin, and Naruto. Each of them possessed Yang Release that ranked among the strongest in the shinobi world.
Setting aside Hashirama Senju—whose sheer prowess was solidified by his ability to heal without weaving signs—the others were equally remarkable.
Despite being paraplegic, Nagato had single-handedly invaded Konoha, released a Shinra Tensei powerful enough to level the village, and engaged the rampaging Nine-Tails after subduing Sage Mode Naruto. Even after his Chibaku Tensei was broken by an eight-tailed Naruto, he still had the strength to resurrect everyone in the village. His Yang Release was undeniably massive.
Karin possessed the Uzumaki clan's unique Heal Bite ability; as long as she hadn't lost a limb or suffered ruptured organs, a single bite from a wounded person could heal almost any injury.
As for Naruto...
"Naruto, come here for a second."
Thinking of this, Kakashi called out to Naruto, who was busy counting ants in the corner of the yard.
"Kakashi-niichan, what is it?"
Because their home was currently undergoing renovations, Naruto was staying at the Senju compound along with Hikari. He came running over to Kakashi at a trot.
"Gather your chakra, then give me your hand," Kakashi said.
Though Naruto didn't understand what Kakashi was up to, he obeyed without question. Kakashi took Naruto's palm in his own, sensing the boy's chakra—or more specifically, the Yang Release hidden deep within him.
He truly was the child of destiny. Even at only seven years old, Naruto possessed staggering chakra reserves and a boundless, roiling life force.
As Kakashi delved deeper into the boy's chakra signature, he felt another presence. It was a chakra Kakashi knew all too well: violent, irritable, and unfathomably dense.
It was the power of the Nine-Tails.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed slightly.
At that moment, Naruto felt the world flash before him. One second he was standing in the garden; the next, he was in a strange, dark, and damp sewer.
"Ka... Kakashi-niichan?"
Naruto looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, panic rising in his chest. He instinctively called out Kakashi's name—the one name that always brought him a sense of security.
"I'm here."
A large hand came down to ruffle Naruto's hair.
"Kakashi-niichan, where are we?!" Naruto's fear subsided slightly at the sight of him, and he gripped Kakashi's hand tightly.
"Naruto, do you know why so many people in the village dislike you?"
Since they had already entered the sealed space within Naruto's subconscious, Kakashi saw no reason to keep hiding the truth. He was now the Fifth Hokage; he finally had the power to protect Naruto. All of Konoha belonged to him now. It was time for Naruto to know everything.
"Why?" Naruto looked up at Kakashi, his curiosity piqued.
"This story begins with your parents."
Kakashi led Naruto by the hand, walking deeper into the darkness. He could feel it—a chakra ahead so massive it rivaled his own.
"Parents?" Naruto muttered, sounding a bit resentful. "Kakashi-niichan and Hikari-neechan are my dad and mom."
Kakashi had once promised him that he would reveal the identity of his parents once he graduated from the Academy, but Naruto had reached a point where he wasn't sure he wanted to know. What did it matter now? They had left him all alone, hadn't they?
Kakashi chuckled softly at the boy's sulky tone but didn't press the issue. Instead, he began to speak as they walked.
"Decades ago, when Konoha was first founded, the village had a steadfast ally known as the Uzumaki Clan..."
Uzumaki? Naruto's ears perked up. That was his name.
"The Uzumaki were world-renowned for their massive chakra reserves and their unparalleled Sealing Jutsu. Unfortunately, this also made them a target for the ambitious..."
Kakashi slowly unfolded the history: the existence and eventual destruction of the Uzumaki clan, the arrival of Kushina Uzumaki, how she met Minato Namikaze, their romance, and finally, the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
Throughout the telling, Naruto remained silent.
"Before they died, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki split the Nine-Tails in two, sealing half of its power inside their newborn son."
As the final words left Kakashi's lips, Naruto looked up.
"So... Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki... they're my mom and dad?"
Naruto wasn't slow. On the contrary, he could be incredibly sharp when it mattered. From the moment Kakashi mentioned the romance between Minato and Kushina, he had suspected where the story was heading.
"You shouldn't address your parents so formally," Kakashi said with a smile, flicking Naruto's forehead. "Besides, they were my teacher and his wife."
"Eh?!" Naruto stared at Kakashi in shock. He had no idea there was such a deep connection between them. "So... is that why you've been taking care of me all this time? Because of them?"
There was a hint of sadness in Naruto's voice.
"At first? Yes," Kakashi admitted honestly. Naruto's face visibly darkened. "But if that were the only reason, I wouldn't have asked you to live with me."
Seeing the boy's dejection, Kakashi knelt down so he was eye-level with the young blond, staring into blue eyes that were the mirror image of his father's.
"Then... that means... Kakashi-niichan actually likes me?" Naruto's eyes lit up with a mix of hope and anxiety.
"Of course. Who would let someone they didn't like live in their house?" Kakashi asked rhetorically.
"Hehe, I knew it! So what happened next? What happened after that?" Naruto grinned, flashing his signature bright smile.
"What happened next... well, rather than talking about it..." Kakashi stood up slowly, facing the massive iron cage before them. "We should meet the one responsible for all of this."
Kakashi had spoken the rest of the story in front of the Nine-Tails, which meant...
Kakashi glanced at the sealing formula on the cage doors. It meant he had also spoken in front of Minato Namikaze.
Just like Hashirama Senju dwelling within Tsunade's necklace, the lingering chakra left behind by Minato Namikaze could see everything through Naruto's eyes.
"The one responsible?"
"He's nothing but a brat who knows nothing!"
In the pitch-blackness of the cage, a pair of eyes snapped open, glowing like twin lanterns in the dark. But to call them lanterns was an understatement.
"Wicked humans... always hiding your greed behind self-righteous, 'noble' excuses," a voice boomed, chilling to the bone. "You've been hovering over this brat just because you crave my power, haven't you? How pathetic!"
As the terrifying words echoed, crimson chakra—thick and viscous like liquid—began to pour through the gaps in the cage, surging toward Kakashi and Naruto.
Naruto, who had been about to ask what was inside the cage, instinctively hid behind Kakashi.
The red chakra lunged forward to swallow them whole, but...
A wall of chakra, as solid as stone, blocked the encroaching malice. This was Kakashi's chakra—pure white and shimmering, forming a barrier that the Nine-Tails' influence couldn't penetrate.
"Nine-Tails," Kakashi said calmly.
The moment the words left his mouth, a massive claw thrust through the bars, aiming straight for Kakashi! It stopped inches from his face, halted only by the physical bars of the cage. Kakashi didn't even blink.
"Human brat... I don't like your eyes," the Nine-Tails growled from within its prison, its voice dripping with venom. "If the day ever comes that I get out of here, you're the first one I'll slaughter!"
"Look, Naruto," Kakashi said, ignoring the threat. "This is the thing your father sealed away. Pretty powerful, isn't it?"
Naruto peeked out from behind Kakashi. Seeing the Nine-Tails' massive form illuminated by the glow of the chakra, he nodded in awe. "That's a huge fox. Amazing..."
Kakashi smiled. His point was that Minato Namikaze, the man who had managed to seal such a beast inside Naruto, was the one who was truly amazing.
"ROAR!"
The Nine-Tails erupted in a furious howl, enraged at being treated like a museum exhibit by two humans. A violent shockwave blasted out from the cage, but Kakashi's white barrier held firm. Not a single hair on Kakashi's head moved.
Kakashi's gaze shifted back to the seal on the gate.
"You've been watching for a long time now. Aren't you going to come out and say hello?"
"Sensei."
Kakashi's voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed clearly through the entire sealed space.
Both the Nine-Tails and Naruto looked at Kakashi in surprise. Naruto remembered Kakashi saying his father was his teacher, which meant...
"Kakashi... you've grown even stronger than I was."
With a soft sigh, a figure appeared out of thin air, landing between Kakashi and the Nine-Tails.
"Can you tell me? How did you manage to find me?"
The blond man spoke, his warm eyes fixed on the student who had now become the Hokage. It was none other than Minato Namikaze, who had been dead for seven years.
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