On a night when the icy wind howled without mercy, three-year-old Uzumaki Naruto lay curled beneath the thin blanket of the orphanage.
Outside the window came the villagers' laughter—joyful voices celebrating the Winter Solstice.
Inside, all Naruto had in his hands was half a piece of moldy bread.
It was the only thing a shop owner had been willing to throw to him today.
"So cold…"
Naruto pressed his reddened little hands against his stomach. A searing pain burned there in a tight circle.
He didn't know why it hurt. All he could do was curl his body tighter, trying desperately to ease the pain.
But suddenly, the agony surged.
Naruto cried out and rolled off the bed.
Through his haze, he saw strange sealing patterns on his belly begin to glow an eerie red—like flames burning beneath his skin.
"Help… help me…"
He struggled to raise a hand—
and then his consciousness plunged into darkness.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, he found himself standing inside an enormous sewer.
Murky water rose past his ankles. From far away came a terrifying, rhythmic breathing—each exhale shaking the pipes until dust fell from above.
"Th-this… where am I?"
Trembling, Naruto walked forward.
When he turned a corner, he froze.
Behind massive iron bars, a pair of crimson slit-pupiled eyes lit up the darkness—like two blood-red moons.
"So you've finally come, brat."
The Nine-Tails' voice sounded like countless blades scraping against metal.
"Come closer. Let this old man take a good look at you."
Instinctively, Naruto stepped back—
but a sudden surge of chakra blasted him off his feet.
A massive claw slipped through the bars, hovering above his head.
"Don't you want to know why everyone hates you?"
"Undo this seal… and I'll tell you the truth."
That irresistibly seductive voice preyed on Naruto's small heart—lonely, desperate for family.
"J-Just undo this… and I can—"
Just as the claw was about to touch Naruto's forehead—
A ghostly blue flame erupted from within his body, violently knocking the Nine-Tails' claw away.
"So even a beast like you has stooped to seducing a child."
Naruto stared blankly upward.
A tall, dark figure stood in front of him.
The man wore strange armor. His long black hair moved as if alive, and several will-o'-the-wisp-like clusters of chakra floated behind his back.
The moment the Nine-Tails saw him, every hair on its body stood on end.
Its inner roar exploded outward like a shockwave.
"Uchiha… Madara!!!"
The shadow—more precisely, Uchiha Madara in his soul form—formed a hand seal with one hand.
The three tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly.
"Go back to sleep."
The instant the genjutsu activated, the Nine-Tails let out an unwilling roar. Its massive body collapsed, completely out of its control.
Silence returned to the space.
Only the sound of dripping water remained.
Naruto sat on the ground, staring up at the man who had appeared so suddenly.
A faint beam of light leaked down through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the sharp contours of the man's side profile.
"Y-you are…?" Naruto asked timidly.
"…Dad?"
Madara's body stiffened visibly.
He looked down at the blond-haired, blue-eyed little bean in front of him, his brows knotting tightly.
"Is something wrong with your eyes?"
"I'm not your father."
"B-But—!" Naruto scrambled to his feet.
"Grandpa Third said my dad died fighting the Nine-Tails monster! You can fight the Nine-Tails, so you have to be my dad!"
Madara's mouth twitched.
That's the logic?
Even he hadn't expected a child's leap of reasoning to be this outrageous.
"I'm not," Madara said curtly, turning away.
"You can go now."
Suddenly—
His armor was grabbed.
Madara turned back to see Naruto clutching the hem of his armor desperately. Tears pooled in those bright blue eyes.
"Please don't go…"
"Everyone hates me. Only Dad would protect me, right?"
Madara frowned even deeper.
He should have shaken the annoying little brat off.
But those eyes—
They reminded him of Izuna back then.
The same helplessness. The same grief, facing the death of a sibling.
"…Call me whatever you want."
In the end, Madara compromised.
His voice was as gentle as he could manage.
"Now let go. I need to check this seal."
Naruto burst into tears—and laughter at the same time, throwing himself at Madara's leg.
"That's great! I have a dad now!"
Madara's expression looked like he'd just swallowed a bitter gourd.
He really wanted to fling Naruto away—but for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
He grabbed Naruto by the back of the collar and lifted the golden little creature up.
"Listen carefully. First—don't hug people without permission.
Second—don't call me 'Dad' outside.
Third—"
His voice cut off abruptly.
Through Naruto's eyes, he saw the real world.
Three ninja wearing animal masks surrounded Naruto's unconscious body. One of them was forming hand seals to inspect the seal.
So that's ANBU… Tobirama's doing?
Back then, Hashirama didn't need such a force.
Tobirama had only proposed it in theory.
Looks like after my death, that brat actually put it into practice.
"Tch. Trouble," Madara sneered, setting Naruto down.
"Someone noticed the seal loosening."
Before Naruto could react, Madara shoved him.
"Wake up, kid. Unless you want Konoha's ANBU dragging you off for research."
In the real world, Naruto's eyes flew open—
and immediately met a cat-faced mask.
He screamed and scrambled backward.
"Target has regained consciousness," an ANBU ninja reported coldly.
"There were brief signs of seal instability. Recommend increased surveillance."
Ignoring Naruto's reaction, the ANBU vanished from the room after confirming there were no immediate issues.
Once they were gone, Madara's voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
"So this is how a village treats its Jinchūriki? Heh."
Hearing Madara snort in his head, Naruto cheered inwardly.
"You're really still here!"
"Shut up. I'm going to sleep," Madara replied tiredly.
"Remember—don't reveal my existence to anyone. Otherwise—"
"Otherwise Dad will disappear, right?" Naruto's voice fell.
"I know… I'll keep it a secret."
Madara fell silent for a moment.
Rarely, he didn't refute the title.
Just before drifting into sleep, a vague thought crossed his mind:
This kid's chakra… why does it feel like Hashirama's?
Deep within the seal, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes, gazing at Madara's soul wrapped in blue chakra—its expression thoughtful.
The next morning, when the sun rose, Naruto woke up in bed.
It was the first night in a long time he'd slept comfortably.
Footsteps approached outside the door.
Naruto looked up as the Third Hokage entered the room.
The old man immediately noticed Naruto's expression—
He looked… happy.
"Did something good happen, Naruto?"
Remembering Madara's warning, Naruto shook his head.
"Nope! I just… had a really good dream."
The Third Hokage studied him thoughtfully, then said slowly,
"Last night, I sensed an unusual chakra fluctuation here…"
Naruto thought back and blurted out—
"My dad protected me!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Strangely, the Third Hokage didn't press further. He only patted Naruto's head.
"I see… That's wonderful, then."
After the old man left, Madara's voice echoed in Naruto's mind once more.
"Hmph. Trying to fish for answers from a child?"
"That old fox definitely sensed something."