Chapter 391: A Father-Son Reunion Across Time and Space (Dragon Vein Conclusion)

Chapter 391: A Father-Son Reunion Across Time and Space (Dragon Vein Conclusion)



For a moment, Uzumaki Naruto was at a loss for words as he stared at Namikaze Minato. He felt something peculiar, a strange sense of familiarity emanating from this man who bore a striking resemblance to Mu Yue.

"Are you the Fourth Hokage?" Naruto asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"No, I'm Namikaze Minato, and as far as I know, the village has only had three Hokages so far," Minato replied with a smile.

Taiju gave Naruto a bemused look. It wasn't like it was his first day time-traveling; why was he acting so surprised?

Naruto let out a sheepish laugh and scratched his head awkwardly.

"I wonder why the Fourth Hokage is here?" Taiju mused, turning to Kakashi and the others. He suspected that they might have contacted Minato, as he was one of the people they were trying to save. If Minato knew about the future and took steps to save himself, their chances of success would increase significantly.

"Minato-sensei, what brings you to Lou Lan? Did you take on a mission here?" Obito asked, brushing the dust off his clothes.

Although Taiju's guess made sense, it was unfortunately wrong. Obito and the others were just as clueless as to why Minato had suddenly appeared in Lou Lan.

"Not exactly a mission, more like a personal matter," Minato said after a moment's thought.

He had been summoned by Mu Yue, but unlike Jiraiya, he had come in person, not as a shadow clone. Mu Yue and her group had been in Lou Lan for some time, and Minato had just completed a mission, so he decided to join them directly.

From the moment he laid eyes on Naruto, Minato knew that Mu Yue's guess was correct—Naruto was his son. The Uzumaki clan's surname, the resemblance in their faces, the sense of familial connection, and even the presence of his chakra within Naruto—there was no doubt that Naruto was his child.

"Your battle earlier was impressive," Minato praised generously. "It's clear that you've all been training diligently and have made significant progress."

He went on to commend each of his students individually. "Obito, your Fire Release techniques are not only more powerful but also more versatile than before. Kakashi, your speed is remarkable, and you work well with your teammates. Rin, as for you..."

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin exchanged glances, each wearing a distinct smile. Obito's smile was the most unrestrained, while Kakashi's eyes betrayed a hint of mirth behind his mask, and Rin's smile was the gentlest of them all. Their determination to change history was strengthened by the thought of letting such a wonderful teacher perish in the Nine-Tails' rampage.

"What about me?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Your chakra control, combat experience, and ability to seize opportunities are all commendable. You're already an exceptional ninja," Minato said, his eyes warm as he looked at Naruto.

"Hehe," Naruto couldn't help but feel especially pleased to be praised by Minato.

"Minato, do you think I can become the Hokage?" Naruto asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Naruto and Minato locked eyes, the former brimming with curiosity as he waited for Minato's response.

Despite everything that had happened, Naruto's goal remained unchanged. Even now, he still aspired to become the Hokage. However, he had matured somewhat and no longer believed that becoming the Hokage would automatically earn him everyone's approval. He understood that it was the other way around—only those who were accepted by everyone could become the Hokage.

"The decision of who becomes Hokage rests with the entire village, and my opinion holds little weight," Minato said thoughtfully, before continuing with a slight shift in his tone. "But if you ask me, anyone who wishes to become Hokage must be prepared for the challenges ahead. No matter what setbacks or obstacles you face, you must never give up. If you persist until the end, you will have a chance to become Hokage."

Minato was certain that Naruto was his son, but he wouldn't let that cloud his judgment and simply declare that Naruto would definitely become Hokage. He had only witnessed Naruto's combat abilities in their brief interaction and didn't know enough about Naruto's character or his path as a ninja.

"I'll definitely persist until the end. Keeping my word is my ninja way," Naruto said, his face lighting up with a brilliant smile.

With that, Naruto returned to his training. It was still early, and they usually trained until 5:30 in the afternoon.

Kakashi and the others quickly resumed their training as well, knowing that powerful strength would be essential to changing the future.

"Aren't you going to tell him?" Mu Yue asked.

She felt certain that Minato had recognized Naruto as his son.

"Since he doesn't recognize me, there's no need to say anything. It will only cause him more distress," Minato replied quietly, his eyes never leaving Naruto as he shook his head gently.

Indeed, Naruto was his son, but he was his son from the future.

If Naruto didn't recognize him, there was only one possible explanation—he had died before Naruto could form any memories of him, and his death had been far from ordinary. The circumstances surrounding his demise were complex and likely involved Kushina as well.

If it had been an ordinary death, even if he had passed away, Naruto would have learned about his existence through photographs and stories told by others.

But what did Naruto know? He recognized him as a person but was unaware of their father-son relationship.

Naruto, who had never experienced paternal love, might have already grown accustomed to his life without it. Minato didn't want to pull Naruto out of the darkness he could endure, only to immerse him in brief warmth and then thrust him back into endless darkness.

The only thing Minato could do was to take good care of Naruto before he returned. After all, he was his child.

"That's very much like you," Mu Yue said, her prediction about Minato's decision proving true.

Minato was a gentle person. While acknowledging their relationship might bring Naruto momentary happiness and warmth, it would also lead to prolonged pain upon his return, and so Mu Yue had anticipated Minato's choice.

"Thank you for taking care of Obito, Naruto, and the others for so long," Minato said with a smile.

"It's not a problem for me, but you should make the most of your time. They'll be leaving in a week," Mu Yue replied.

Naruto and his group had already spent a considerable amount of time in Lou Lan. Due to the enigmatic nature of time travel, Mu Yue wasn't sure what would happen to Naruto when he returned. He might go back to the moment of his crossing, or the time he spent in Lou Lan could affect the timing of his return.

To prevent Naruto from immediately confronting Pain upon his return, Mu Yue didn't plan to keep him in Lou Lan for too long.

If it weren't for Minato's arrival, Mu Yue would have sent Naruto back as soon as he mastered the Yang Release.

Minato nodded, intending to care for Naruto as much as possible during the remaining week.

After the training session, Mu Yue prepared another sumptuous dinner.

Whether it was because of Minato's future identity as the Fourth Hokage or their blood connection, Naruto was extremely curious about him. Before and after the meal, he kept asking Minato various questions.

Minato patiently answered each of Naruto's queries without showing any sign of impatience.

This endeared him to Naruto, and the image of the Fourth Hokage in Naruto's mind gradually became more complete.

In fact, Minato was so good to Naruto that Yamato found it a bit odd.

He had heard that the Fourth Hokage was very easygoing, but this seemed a bit excessive. Despite having known Naruto for only a few days, Minato readily fulfilled all of Naruto's requests.

If Naruto casually mentioned that he wanted to eat ramen in the middle of the night, Minato would soon arrive with a steaming bowl of noodles.

When Naruto expressed a desire for combat training, Minato readily agreed and even pointed out his shortcomings as they sparred.

Moreover, since Minato's arrival, Naruto, who usually tossed and turned in his sleep, no longer experienced any incidents of his blanket falling onto the floor.

Naruto, being rather oblivious, didn't notice anything amiss, but Yamato, who shared a room with him, definitely sensed something unusual.

Yamato had his suspicions but kept them to himself. Since Minato, the person involved, chose to remain silent, Yamato, as an outsider, decided it wasn't his place to speak up.

On the last day, as Naruto and Yamato would be returning to their original timeline that evening, Mu Yue didn't schedule any training. Instead, he let them enjoy their day.

Naruto suggested exploring Lou Lan, and Minato expressed his intention to do the same.

"Why don't you go ahead, Naruto? I have something to take care of. I'll wander around by myself later," Yamato said after some thought.

"Same here," Kakashi quickly added on behalf of Obito. He wanted to give Minato and Naruto some time alone on their last day together.

The perceptive Kakashi had a hunch about the situation, and he wanted to ensure that Minato and Naruto could spend some quality time as father and son.

After all, they weren't time travelers themselves, so they had plenty of time to explore Lou Lan if they wanted to.

Obito opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately closed it again at Kakashi's subtle signal.

"Alright then, Big Brother Minato and I will head out first," Naruto said cheerfully, not giving the matter much thought as he left with Minato.

As soon as they stepped out, Obito glared at Kakashi and asked, "Kakashi, what's the meaning of this? Naruto is leaving tonight. Shouldn't we spend time with him instead?"

"We've been with him for a long time, so one less day doesn't make a difference. But it's different for Sensei Minato," Kakashi explained briefly without going into detail.

Obito disliked Kakashi's enigmatic behavior, but he reluctantly nodded, pretending to understand as well to avoid appearing foolish since no one else seemed confused.

Soon after, Mu Yue also left, as he had numerous tasks to attend to.

"Since you're leaving soon, Yamato, try to recall if there's any crucial information about the future that you might have forgotten to mention," Obito said, remembering something.

Given his tendency to forget things, Obito was concerned that Yamato might have overlooked some important details as well.

"Crucial information..." Yamato hesitated.

After some thought, he realized there was indeed a significant future event related to Obito that he hadn't mentioned—the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

"There's no need to hide anything at this point," Kakashi chimed in.

"The Uchiha Clan will be annihilated, and only two survivors will remain: Uchiha Itachi, who carries out the massacre, and his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke," Yamato revealed.

Although he was hearing the name Uchiha Itachi for the first time, Obito etched it deeply into his memory.

Obito didn't have a strong sense of clan honor, as he didn't have many friends within the Uchiha clan, and the one clan meeting he attended left him with a very negative impression.

However, the news of the Uchiha clan's impending annihilation still angered him, as it was still his family, and he didn't want his few friends there to perish.

"Did he do it alone, or did he have help?" Kakashi frowned, his mind racing with questions.

If Uchiha Itachi single-handedly wiped out the Uchiha clan, his strength would be unbelievably formidable.

The Uchiha clan was currently the strongest ninja clan in Konoha, boasting numerous elite Jonin-level members with three tomoe Sharingan. Kakashi struggled to imagine how a single individual could annihilate such a powerful clan.

"I'm not clear on the specifics, but Uchiha Itachi is indeed very strong. Kakashi, you were once injured and hospitalized by him," Yamato explained.

Kakashi's expression remained unchanged, as the future he had experienced could be different from what was to come.

"When I get back, I'll go to the clan and ask around. I want to see just how strong that guy is now," Obito said, his determination clear as he made plans to investigate everything related to Uchiha Itachi.

While Obito and the others plotted to change the future, Uzumaki Naruto was having the time of his life.

To ensure that Naruto had no regrets, Minato had gone to great lengths, spending several days gathering information about fun activities and delicious food in Lou Lan.

They spent the entire day indulging in culinary delights and entertainment, exploring everything from local specialties to unique architectural wonders.

"It's been a long time since I felt so happy. Thank you so much, Minato," Naruto said with a relaxed smile as he stretched his arms.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Minato replied with a warm smile.

"This mission has been amazing. Not only did I get to meet the lecherous sage in his younger days, but I also made friends with Mu Yue and you, Minato," Naruto thought to himself, feeling incredibly fulfilled.

Naruto was truly content at that moment, and his only wish was for the past to have changed for the better due to Kakashi and the others' efforts.

"You naive brat, do you know why he's being so nice to you?"

Naruto suddenly felt a sense of disorientation, and before him appeared a massive cage.

"Hey, what's your problem?" Naruto asked, unfazed by the apparition as he had experienced this before.

"Hmph," the Nine-Tails snorted derisively, "I have no ulterior motives. I'm just telling you that Namikaze Minato is your father, and he's the one who sealed me inside you."

"Oh, so he's my fa..." Naruto trailed off, his eyes widening as he processed the Nine-Tails' words.

"This isn't a very funny joke. You'd better explain yourself clearly," Naruto said, his face darkening as he glared at the Nine-Tails, his fists clenched.

As an orphan, Naruto despised it when people made jokes about his father.

"I have no obligation to explain anything to a brat like you. The man is right in front of you, so go ask him yourself," the Nine-Tails retorted, its bloody maw twisting into a malicious grin.

Its motive for revealing the truth wasn't out of any goodwill towards Naruto; quite the opposite. The Nine-Tails was simply irritated by their happiness and wanted to sow discord.

The Nine-Tails loathed the entire Uzumaki and Namikaze families. It had been trapped by Uzumaki Kushina for a long time, and Namikaze Minato had divided its chakra in two and sealed it within Naruto.

As the entity that had watched over Naruto's growth, the Nine-Tails was intimately aware of everything he had experienced and the reasons behind it. It didn't believe that Naruto wouldn't harbor resentment towards Minato for causing all of this.

Naruto wanted to press for more answers, but in the blink of an eye, he snapped back to reality, his vision filled by the concerned gaze of Minato.

"Is the seal acting up? I can sense the Nine-Tails' chakra," Minato said anxiously, lifting Naruto's shirt to examine the seal on his abdomen.

Minato's eyes flickered as he took in the seal, and he quickly lowered Naruto's shirt, his expression unreadable.

Naruto paid no heed to Minato's actions, his mind reeling from the Nine-Tails' words. He thought back to Minato's behavior, and it all seemed to make sense now.

Mu Yue had also been kind to him, but their first meeting involved Mu Yue punching him. It was only after spending more time together that Mu Yue began to treat him warmly.

Minato, on the other hand, was different. From the moment they met, Minato seemed driven by a desire to make up for something, showering Naruto with attention and doing his best to fulfill all his requests.

"Minato, are you my father?" Naruto asked bluntly, not one to beat around the bush.

Minato's expression froze, and although Naruto's question was unexpected, he couldn't bring himself to tease Naruto about it.

"Looks like my disguise skills aren't very good," Minato sighed in resignation.

He never imagined that he would be found out on their last day together.

Minato hadn't wanted to acknowledge their father-son relationship, but with Naruto's direct question, he couldn't maintain his pretense any longer.

Naruto stared at Minato, his vision blurring as tears began to stream down his face.

In that moment, Naruto's mind was flooded with countless thoughts and emotions.

Minato didn't know what had transpired in Naruto's life, but it was evident that he had failed in his duty as a father.

"Was it you who sealed the Nine-Tails inside me?" Naruto asked, his voice shaking.

"Yes," Minato nodded.

He had just inspected the seal on Naruto's body, and there was no doubt that it was his doing, even if it was a future version of himself.

Naruto clenched his fists, his mind flooding with memories of the injustices he had endured as a child. He felt wronged and misunderstood, and a torrent of emotions overwhelmed him.

Bang!

Naruto couldn't contain himself and threw a punch at Minato, not infusing his chakra but using only his physical strength.

However, Naruto's punch was far from weak, and even Minato's expression shifted slightly from the force of the blow.

But Minato remained silent, choosing to bear the brunt of Naruto's anger in place of his future self, who was already gone.

"Good punch!" The Nine-Tails, witnessing the scene from within Naruto, was grinning from ear to ear.

This was exactly what he wanted to see—he hoped that Naruto would go berserk and that the two of them would fight to the death.

"Why did you seal the Tailed Beast inside your own child? Because of the Nine-Tails, the adults in the village never looked at me kindly, and the other children avoided me..."

Naruto's eyes welled up with more tears as he poured out his heart to Minato, recounting the hardships he had endured over the years.

Minato: ...

He was probably the first person to experience the consequences of his future actions in the past.

"You've had it tough all these years. I wasn't a good father, and if hitting me will make you feel better, go ahead and hit me a few more times." Minato gently caressed Naruto's blond hair and smiled softly.

He didn't know what his future self's intentions were in sealing the Nine-Tails within his own child, but he knew he owed Naruto an apology.

Naruto tightly clenched his fists, his tearful eyes fixed on Minato.

"I won't listen to you!" Naruto suddenly released his fists and threw his arms around Minato, hugging him tightly.

He had vented his years of resentment with that first punch, and now he couldn't bring himself to hit his own father.

However, Naruto's emotions were still raw and uncontrollable, and tears continued to stream down his face as he recalled the many trials he had endured.

Minato gently rubbed Naruto's back, silently waiting for him to calm down.

"This is boring," the Nine-Tails grumbled within the separate dimension.

He had been ready to lend his full power to Naruto if he went berserk, hoping to see the two of them fight it out.

"I can't wait to see the looks on your faces when you part ways soon," the Nine-Tails thought, his mood lifting at the prospect of their impending separation.

"Would you like to go for a bowl of ramen? My treat," Minato offered with a smile, seeing that Naruto's emotions were stabilizing.

"No, I don't want to go to a restaurant. I want to eat the ramen that Mu Yue makes," Naruto replied hastily, wiping away his tears.

With his departure looming, one of the things Naruto would miss the most was Mu Yue's special pork belly ramen.

"Compared to the ramen I make and the ones sold in restaurants, Mu Yue's ramen is indeed the best," Minato agreed with a nod.

Over the past few days, Minato had tried to learn ramen-making from Mu Yue, but his attempts paled in comparison to Mu Yue's culinary masterpiece. If ramen-making were a ninja rank, Minato would be a novice ninja, while Mu Yue's ramen would be at the level of a Kage.

"I want to eat the ramen you make too, Dad. I want two bowls," Naruto said, his face slightly flushed.

It was the first time he had called someone "Dad," and it felt a little strange.

Minato's emotions were mixed—he felt relieved, happy, and yet slightly odd.

The two of them returned to the rented house.

"Naruto, what happened to you? Did you encounter an enemy?" Obito asked, perplexed by Naruto's disheveled appearance.

Kakashi noticed the tear stains on Naruto's clothes and understood what had transpired.

"No, I just had a lot of fun today," Naruto replied.

"That's great! You should come back and play again sometime," Obito said with a smile.

"Yeah, you guys take care too," Naruto nodded emphatically.

Now that he knew Minato was his father, Naruto desperately hoped that Kakashi and the others would succeed in changing history. That way, he would no longer be fatherless.

"Do you think traveling through time is like visiting a neighbor?" Kakashi rolled his eyes at Obito's naivete.

"If Kakashi says so, then it's a sure thing," Obito exclaimed happily.

Based on his past experiences, Obito knew that the outcome was usually the opposite of what Kakashi predicted.

Kakashi ignored Obito and turned away. Time-space techniques were among the most challenging in ninjutsu, and this kind of time travel was unprecedented. He didn't believe it could be that simple.

While he could happily eat two bowls of the same flavor, having two bowls of his favorite flavors would be even better.

Namikaze nodded and walked into the kitchen, speaking briefly with Mu Yue before they began preparing dinner together, with Minato primarily assisting Mu Yue.

"Wait, big brother Naruto, what did you call Sensei Minato?" Obito exclaimed, thinking he had misheard.

"Dad. I forgot to tell you that I'm actually his son from the future," Uzumaki Naruto explained.

Yamato and Kakashi were not overly surprised, as they had had their suspicions, but hearing it straight from Naruto's mouth still left them a little shocked.

Obito wore a stunned expression, his curiosity getting the better of him as he asked, "If you're Sensei Minato's child, why are you called Uzumaki Naruto instead of Namikaze Naruto?"

He never imagined that the future ninja he had gotten along with so well was Sensei Minato's son.

"In that case, calling you big brother Naruto feels a bit strange. Shouldn't you be calling me big brother instead?" Obito stroked his chin in thought.

Kakashi sighed in exasperation at Obito, wishing he would think more before speaking.

"I don't know. I don't have any memories of my family from when I was young," Uzumaki Naruto answered with a shake of his head.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong," Obito said, covering his mouth with his hand.

It had just occurred to him that Namikaze Minato must have passed away before Uzumaki Naruto could remember, otherwise, Naruto wouldn't be calling him big brother.

"It's fine. I've lived with it for decades, so I'm used to it," Uzumaki Naruto waved it off nonchalantly.

He mostly regretted not discovering that Namikaze Minato was his father sooner, as he would have spent more time bonding with him.

As plates of dishes and bowls of ramen were served, the conversation at the table gradually tapered off and eventually ceased.

Thanks to Uzumaki Naruto's efforts, even two large bowls of ramen couldn't slow him down, and he still managed to sample many of Mu Yue's other culinary delights.

"That was delicious," Naruto said contentedly, rubbing his slightly bulging stomach.

"It would be nice if we could stay one more day," he added.

"Then let's stay one more day," Mu Yue said, taking a sip of tea.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at Mu Yue's suggestion. He never thought that time travel could be so flexible, allowing them to postpone their departure by a day.

"Senior Mu Yue, is it really alright to stay one more day?" Yamato asked, equally unsure.

"One more day is fine, but any longer than that and I can't guarantee anything," Mu Yue replied, setting down his teacup.

With Naruto and Minato's reunion, Mu Yue felt it was fine to grant them an extra day of warmth before their departure, especially since they had already stayed for so many days.

"Brother Mu Yue, you're a living saint!" Naruto enthusiastically joined Obito's 'Mu Yue the Saint' fan club.

Naruto was truly happy that day, but having just reunited with his father only to part ways so soon tugged at his heartstrings. Hearing that they could stay one more day brought him genuine joy.

However, the Nine-Tails was less than thrilled with this unexpected development.

"Where did this guy come from? Why don't I remember him from before?" the Nine-Tails wondered, perplexed by the absence of any memories related to Mu Yue.

Unconcerned, the Nine-Tails closed its eyes, deeming the matter unworthy of further thought.

Namikaze Minato, too, was surprised by Mu Yue's suggestion, glancing at him with curiosity. He never expected that they could extend their stay, and he wondered what Mu Yue's reasoning was.

Minato guessed that perhaps they could prolong their stay even further, but he refrained from asking Mu Yue, trusting that Mu Yue had his reasons.

On what was truly their last day, Namikaze Minato, as a father, took Naruto sightseeing around Lou Lan.

Since Lou Lan wasn't a very large place, they revisited some of the spots they had seen the day before, but Naruto didn't mind. He was simply happy to be spending time with his father, an experience he had never had before.

"Naruto, I've called you big brother Naruto so many times. Now that we're leaving, how about you call me big brother Obito?" Obito suggested with a mischievous grin.

"Even though you look older than me, in terms of actual age, I should be older than you," Naruto pointed out.

"Then wait until I'm born and let him call me that," Naruto laughed.

The idea of calling someone younger than him "big brother" felt strange to Naruto, and he usually just called the younger Kakashi "Little Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto's response almost caused Obito's CPU to overheat.

"Get ready, it's about to start," Mu Yue said, placing his hand on An Lushan's body.

"Dad, Brother Mu Yue, Little Kakashi-sensei, Obito, Little Rin, goodbye!" Naruto bid his farewells.

"Goodbye, Naruto," Namikaze Minato waved with a smile.

Bang!

Yamato couldn't resist taking a swing at Kakashi's head, his fist connecting with a satisfying thud.

"Kakashi-sensei, sorry, but you bully me all the time, so I couldn't resist," Yamato apologized with a grin.

Kakashi glared at Yamato, his expression darkening. Yamato had just earned himself a spot on Kakashi's revenge list.

Mu Yue entered the Fire Breath Chakra Mode and covered An Lushan with a Fire Release jutsu. After An Lushan's death, the powerful dragon vein energy within him erupted, and a purple light flashed as Naruto and Yamato vanished from sight.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end