Minato and Kushina exchanged a look.
Kushina said, "Although I've never heard of such a precedent, in the Uzumaki clan, there are many heritages regarding ancient secret scrolls that act upon one's own body."
"Although most of these secret scrolls were burned after the fall of the Land of Whirlpools, if Naruto's bloodline has truly undergone an atavistic phenomenon, it is not impossible to awaken something similar but even stronger."
Minato chimed in, "My Rasengan is itself a jutsu that pushes shape transformation to the extreme. In a sense, it is a training process of constantly honing the manipulation of Chakra's form itself."
"If this trait is inherited in the form of a talent and fuses with Kushina's bloodline..."
Minato nodded slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. "Then the appearance of this ability is not without a chance of possibility."
"Alright."
Minato finally made the decision, his expression brightening. "Although the specific mechanism of this Kekkei Genkai exceeds the scope of your mother's and my understanding, the Ninja World is full of wonders."
"Naruto, since you possess it now, it is your power. Your mother and I accept this explanation."
Kushina nodded in agreement. She reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair.
"Besides, no matter what ability you have awakened, I am still your mother. That doesn't need an explanation."
Minato smiled too.
"Alright, let's get to the main point now. Naruto, you said earlier that you need our help? Do you mean that you need us to help you suppress the Nine-Tails Chakra, and then use this ability of yours to control Nine-Tails?"
Kushina took a step forward and stood in front of Naruto, her expression devoid of any joking, filled only with seriousness and worry.
"Naruto, although your Kekkei Genkai can control the power within your body, Nine-Tails is different from your father and me. When it comes to the level of Nine-Tails, the gap between two masses of Chakra is three or four orders of magnitude."
"Nine-Tails's Chakra is not mere energy, it also contains the hateful will it has accumulated over thousands of years."
"Do you know how many Jinchuriki have been backlashed to the point of having their spirits devoured when trying to control Nine-Tails's power?"
"Even I, back in the day, spent most of my life forcibly suppressing it. I couldn't achieve true control at all."
"You are still too young right now. Let's take it one step at a time. When you are a bit older and stronger, we can discuss it further, okay?"
Naruto waited quietly for Kushina to finish, then shook his head. "Mom, Dad, you guessed wrong. I didn't bring you here to help me suppress Nine-Tails."
Minato and Kushina were both taken aback.
"Then what is it?" Minato asked.
"I brought you guys here from the deepest layer of the seal, not to have you help me hold down Nine-Tails, but rather..."
"I want to ask you to be my teachers and teach me Ninjutsu."
"Teach you Ninjutsu?" The couple asked in unison.
Naruto nodded. "That's right. I just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and although I can handle ordinary enemies by relying on Shadow Clone and my amount of Chakra, I keep repeating the same few moves, and my combat system is extremely monotonous."
"Once I encounter a real powerhouse, I will be seen through very quickly. I need stronger Ninjutsu—not the basic kind, but the Ninjutsu you were most proud of during your lifetimes, the kind that will allow me to truly hold my own."
"Once I have enough power, I won't need your help, I will be able to control Nine-Tails Chakra on my own. I have that confidence."
Minato fell silent as he looked into Naruto's blue eyes. When he spoke these words, there was not a trace of hesitation or timidity in his eyes. His logic was clear, his goals were defined, and he understood his current situation and shortcomings. He wasn't just hot-bloodedly shouting slogans, but had truly planned out a path.
What to learn, why he needed to learn it, and what to use it for after learning—he had thought it all through very clearly.
This level of rationality was out of place for any twelve-year-old child he knew.
In Naruto's serious gaze, he caught a glimpse of something he was very familiar with. It was a habit that belonged to himself.
Deducing a plan completely before acting, and locking in both the retreat route and the goal before making a move.
Minato said, "Naruto, although we will certainly give our all to teach you, there is one prerequisite you must understand."
"Your mother and I are now just remnants of Chakra, not complete souls, and certainly not living people. Our amount of Chakra is limited. Once it is exhausted, we will completely dissipate from this mental space."
"As long as we are still here, we can accompany you for a stretch of the road, but you must remember that this road is not long."
"All we can do is hand over as much of the most important things to you as possible, so that when you face forces that can truly threaten you, you won't be empty-handed."
Kushina took over from Minato, her tone tinged with heartache, "And because we are only Chakra entities, our actions are limited to within this mental space."
"We cannot demonstrate moves for you, nor can we take you out to practice Taijutsu. All you will be able to hear is theoretical explanation and oral accounts of our insights."
"All practical training can only be completed by your own body outside of this mental space."
Minato said, "So listen well, Naruto. What we can give you is the spar but it is you yourself who must ignite the fire."
Looking at the serious-faced Minato and Kushina, who had tears hidden in the depths of her eyes, Naruto nodded.
Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance. The tacit understanding developed over years of fighting together allowed them to complete silent communication in an instant.
Their Chakra was limited and there was no time for basics. They could only go directly to their respective core Ninjutsu that Naruto could learn at his current stage.
Minato looked at Naruto with a solemn gaze. "Before we officially begin, I have one more question I want to ask you, as the Hokage, and also as your father."
Naruto nodded.
Minato asked, "Naruto, what is your dream? What path do you want to walk in the future?"
He did not ask Naruto how he viewed Konoha. This child had suffered so much since he was young, this question should not be posed in such a sharp manner.
He would first ask about his dream, ask what kind of person Naruto wanted to become, and then see his attitude towards himself and Konoha.
Naruto knew what this question meant. Before Minato poured out everything he had learned in his life, he needed to confirm what path the person receiving the knowledge would walk in the future.
Naruto thought about his wording for a moment, then looked directly into Minato's eyes.
"I want to become the Hokage."
Naruto was not lying, he did indeed want to become the Hokage, but not on the path of the original Naruto, which was "let everyone acknowledge me."
The original Naruto became the Hokage to gain the love and acceptance of the villagers, out of a compensatory mentality after long-term lack of love in his childhood.
But he wanted to be the Hokage because he needed an indisputable command authority.
There was also a more far-reaching plan: to unify the entire Ninja World, end the centuries-long cycle of war between the Five Great Nations, and integrate all the scattered forces of the Ninja World into a single community to counter the Ōtsutsuki Clan that would descend in the future.
However, Naruto did not say these words out loud. The reason was simple: no matter how much Minato trusted him, he was still the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.
If he were to put words like unifying the Ninja World out on the table, Minato would definitely ask, "What method do you intend to use to unify it?"
And no matter how Naruto answered, it would cause this father to fall into a rift between loyalty and paternal love.