Misinterpreting what his future son had meant, the Fourth Kazekage nearly choked on his breath.
Fortunately, Gaara hurriedly added, "Naruto is my first friend! Of course he's incredibly important to me. And he's a hero to the entire ninja world. Mentioning him often is only natural, right?! Please don't connect this to romantic feelings! That would be an insult to Naruto!!"
By the end, even Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, was visibly upset. He had always been calm and composed, and this was the first time anyone had ever questioned him in this way. Thankfully, the Seventh Hokage Naruto didn't hear any of it. Otherwise, how was he supposed to explain something like that?!
After standing there in stunned silence for several seconds, the Fourth Kazekage finally pulled his Kazekage hat down to hide his embarrassment.
"H-Hahaha… so that's how it is? Well then, since that's the case, I think we should get moving and head for Konoha as soon as possible."
Gaara let out a quiet sigh. When he was young, he had never known his father had this side to him. It really left him at a loss.
...
On the other side, much like the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, another father who had personally turned his own son into a Jinchūriki, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, was bringing Naruto back to Kakashi's old family home.
Because Naruto had almost been late for the exam earlier that day, Minato decided to suggest that the two of them live here together from now on.
As for the concern about the distance to Konoha being too far…
With Flying Thunder God, was that even an issue? (Thanks to the Second Hokage-sama for his generous authorization.)
Naruto was, of course, more than happy to agree.
This was a kind of life he had never even dared to imagine before.
Minato used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as an ordinary ninja.
And since Naruto had passed the first stage of the Chūnin Exams, completed an S-rank mission, and finished a C-rank mission, Minato decided to celebrate properly with his son.
He asked Naruto what he wanted, took him shopping for daily necessities, bought him new clothes, and picked up all his favorite foods…
After parting ways with Gaara, they wandered around until nightfall. Being so completely wrapped in familial warmth left the young Naruto almost weak in the knees.
Shopkeepers who normally refused to sell him anything didn't dare say a word when they saw "Minato" wearing the uniform that marked him as part of the Hokage's personal ANBU. They quietly completed the sale, offering no complaints.
But there were always a few who didn't know when to quit.
The moment father and son left, those shop owners immediately scattered salt and beans both inside and outside their stores.
(*Salt and beans are commonly used to ward off ghosts, evil spirits, and unclean things, similar to items like black donkey hooves or black dog blood.)
Like any doting father who encountered this kind of treatment while shopping with his child, Minato's expression turned icy with anger. Yet as someone who inherited the Will of Fire and would one day become Hokage, he couldn't bring himself to lash out at unarmed villagers.
Besides…
Wasn't it this version of Minato Namikaze, from this parallel world, who had allowed Naruto to be treated this way in the first place?
Minato tightened his grip on his son's hand, pursed his lips, and felt a dull ache in his chest.
Naruto, however, didn't seem bothered. After so many years, he was already used to it. He was even thinking about buying a bowl of sweet red bean soup, and while he was at it, fulfilling Obito's request to bring him a rich, sugary red bean cake.
What delighted him even more was spotting Sasuke Uchiha, who also seemed to be wandering around nearby.
"Hey!! Sasuke!!!"
Naruto shouted from far away.
Sasuke tried to keep up his aloof front, but he still looked a little embarrassed. Blushing faintly, he complained, "Why are you yelling so loud?! It's not like I can't hear you!"
Naruto was standing in line at the Amaguri shop and looked at him curiously. "I thought you didn't like sweets?"
"That idiot Obito insisted I bring it for him!" Sasuke said. As always when he lied, his eyes drifted off to the side.
Naruto muttered to himself. If Obito wanted someone to help him, why ask Sasuke too? He had clearly already asked him. Was Obito really that distrustful?
Standing behind Naruto, Minato saw through Sasuke's little scheme at a glance. Saying he was buying red bean cakes for Obito was just an excuse. What he really wanted was an excuse to go see Itachi.
Even now, Sasuke still didn't fully understand what had happened to the Uchiha Clan back then. Minato didn't know how to deal with that problem either, so for the time being, he could only continue to put it off.
"Hey, you want some three-color mochi, dattebayo?" Naruto suddenly asked. "I keep seeing you glance over at the dango shop."
"Idiot! Idiot! Who would ever like something that sweet and greasy?!"
Sasuke snapped back on instinct.
After all this time, Naruto already understood what kind of person Sasuke was. He always said one thing while meaning another, tsundere to the extreme.
Without another word, Naruto went to the dango shop next door, bought a pack of three-color dango, and carried it for him.
His powers of observation were sharp. Three-color dango was something Itachi Uchiha often ate back when they traveled together to the Warring States Period.
Naruto didn't know exactly what had happened back then either, but he always had a feeling that Itachi Uchiha didn't truly hate Sasuke. And Sasuke, too… seemed to be hoping for an explanation, wanting to know what really happened that year, and whether their true enemy was actually the masked man.
Carrying a bag of three-color dango and a bag of red bean cakes, Minato also bought a cake for Rin and a grilled fish for the young Kakashi.
The three of them returned together to Kakashi's old family home. To their surprise, night had already fallen, and Itachi Uchiha seemed to have been waiting there for quite some time.
"Minato-sama, I have something I need to discuss with you."
His tone was formal, and Minato immediately sensed that something was wrong. He told Naruto and the others to go eat the snacks first, then went into a room with Itachi Uchiha and set up a sealing barrier.
"Please, go ahead…"
During his time staying at the Hatake residence, Itachi Uchiha never wore the forehead protector that symbolized a missing-nin, nor did he put on the black cloak with red clouds that represented the Akatsuki organization.
Instead, he wore simple, practical ninja attire. A plain cord hung around his neck, and his long hair was casually tied into a small braid at the end. That was his everyday look here.
The Hatake family home was an old, conservative building, with tatami mats laid out in every room.
At this moment, Itachi knelt formally in front of Minato Namikaze. One hand rested on his thigh, while the other reached behind him to take out a scroll, which he handed to Minato sitting across from him.
"!!!"
Minato froze the moment he saw the style of the scroll.
"Is this Obito and Naruto's mission scroll?!"
Itachi nodded, then shook his head.
"It does resemble Obito and Naruto-kun's mission scrolls, but it doesn't belong to either of them. I found it in my own ninja pouch this afternoon," Itachi said calmly.
Minato looked puzzled. After asking for Itachi's permission, he said, "May I open it?"
"Please."
Minato unfolded the scroll, which was slightly larger than his palm.
Unlike the scrolls belonging to Naruto Uzumaki and Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha's mission scroll contained one SSS-rank mission and one D-rank mission.
As Minato read the four lines written on it, he looked up at Itachi with a trace of concern.
Itachi lowered his gaze, looking like a criminal awaiting judgment.
[Mission Rank: SSS]
[Mission Content: Retrieve all Sharingan scattered outside.]
"...."
[Mission Rank: D]
[Mission Content: Bow ten thousand times before the graves of your parents and clan members.]
"...."
These two missions left Minato silent for a long time, unsure of what he should say.
That D-rank mission was strange. In one sense, it was easy to complete. In another, it was anything but.
For a ninja's physical stamina, bowing ten thousand times was not an impossible task. The real issue was what kind of heart Itachi would need to face his parents and the departed souls of his clan.
Minato already knew that the clan's annihilation had been ordered by the Third Hokage and the council.
He had also seen, through Tsukuyomi, how Itachi and Shisui once tried so desperately to persuade every clan member, hoping to change their mindset and ease the conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha.
In those memories, Itachi was still just a child. He and Shisui had poured in unimaginable effort, endured countless disappointments, and in the end were driven into despair by the persecution of the hawkish Uchiha faction and Danzō. That was when the seeds of original sin were planted by their own hands.
That suffocating anguish flowed through Itachi's memories and reached Minato Namikaze, along with the other three from the early days.
Minato could not bear to see this young man, who had already experienced so much and had even joined Akatsuki in exchange for the masked man leaving Konoha alone, suffer even more.
"The reward for a D-rank mission is only gold coins."
He didn't spell it out, but the meaning was clear. This was a mission that didn't need to be completed.
Itachi kept his gaze lowered, as if he hadn't heard him at all.
He pointed at the SSS-rank mission on the scroll.
"After the Uchiha clan was wiped out, the Sharingan of the clan should have fallen into the hands of Danzō Shimura and Tobi."
Tobi was the masked man's public identity within the Akatsuki.
"…"
Minato lowered his eyes as well, remaining silent for a long while.
After traveling through time several times and confronting the masked man head-on, Minato had already narrowed his suspicions down to two possible identities.
Since he could now sit here with Itachi and talk things through calmly, Minato thought that perhaps it was time to speak openly.