The sadness of little Naruto overwhelmed the hearts of Namikaze Minato and Kushina.
Every whispered lament was like a red-hot branding iron, searing into the hearts of the father and mother...
"I, I..."
Faced with little Naruto's question of why the demon fox was sealed within him, Namikaze Minato stammered, unable to speak.
According to the script of the original timeline...
Namikaze Minato would say to Naruto, "The reason for sealing the Nine-tails' chakra within you is because you are my son, and I believe my son can use the power of the Nine-tails for good..."
"The reason for insisting on this, I discovered during the Nine-tailed Fox Chaos, is that there is a powerful mastermind behind the scenes manipulating everything, and without special powers, there is no way to contend with it."
Simply put, it was about making Naruto a future weapon to protect Konoha.
As the Fourth Hokage, this decision could even be considered great, a village shadow sacrificing his own son just to protect future villagers.
But as a father...
Especially since Konoha did not care for Naruto well, these words were extremely feeble and powerless.
Namikaze Minato couldn't say—
He originally thought Konoha would treat Naruto with the care of the Fourth Hokage's surviving son, a war hero's child, helping him master the Nine-tails Power from a young age to become the village's next Hokage...
But the life Naruto lived was entirely different from what he had imagined!
Where exactly did it go wrong?
Namikaze Minato closed his eyes sharply, quickly recalling various information from his son's memory after the chakra fusion with Naruto.
"Naruto, have you ever heard of the name Jiraiya?"
Namikaze Minato took a deep breath, his voice slightly trembling as he spoke:
"Apart from Jiraiya, have you heard of Hatake Kakashi, Shiranui Genma, Namiashi Raido, Yamashiro Aoba, and Gekkou Hayate?"
Seeing Naruto continuously shaking his head, Namikaze Minato's face grew darker:
"Aburame Shibi, Akimichi Chouza..."
One name after another was mentioned, and Naruto's little head shook like a rattle-drum.
"Dad... I haven't heard of any of these people you mentioned, and I've never even seen them. I actually don't know many adults..."
Naruto looked at Namikaze Minato with guilt in his eyes, as if he had done something wrong:
"As for adults, besides the ninja school teachers, I only know the Third Hokage grandpa... But none of them have the names you mentioned..."
Seemingly thinking of something, Naruto's eyes lit up:
"But I have a few friends my age; maybe we will become friends!"
"One of them is named Nara Shikamaru, and another is named Akimichi Choji! Sometimes during class, we chat together and even get punished to stand together!"
After listening to Naruto's words, the anger in Kushina's eyes intensified!
The people Namikaze Minato mentioned were all very close to him as ninja, whether as his strong comrades on the battlefield or his Shadow Guard when he served as the Fourth Hokage...
And, of course, his old mentor Jiraiya.
How could it be that Naruto hadn't met a single one of them?
When someone leaves, the hospitality cools down, but it shouldn't be so absolute!
"Only the two children of Nara and Akimichi showed some kindness to Naruto..."
Thought Namikaze Minato internally, still wanting to ask more, but Kushina's anger could no longer be suppressed!
"What's there to say? Minato, you were once the village's shadow, and I was the former Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!"
Kushina glared at her lover's somewhat flustered face and shouted in a deep voice:
"Konoha has already forgotten the contributions that you and I made!"
"In their eyes, Naruto is only the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki! They don't even tell him about being the Fourth Hokage's son, just to prevent Naruto's mindset from becoming unbalanced!"
"They're afraid that if the village's ninja know the Fourth Hokage's son is being treated this way, it will shake the Will of Fire!"
Kushina's fiery red hair waved aggressively in the air, like sharp blades anxious to tear something apart.
"I've long been dissatisfied with this village..."
Kushina muttered to herself, and a wisp of Nine-tailed Chakra appeared on her body surface, as if she were about to wear the Tail Beast Cloak.
Yet Kushina noticed nothing, murmuring to herself:
"The Uzumaki Clan... Why didn't Konoha come to aid the Village of Whirlpools during the invasion?"
"Lady Mito was so right... It's said to be a vessel of love, said to be love, but the essence of each person's contribution is just a vessel!"
Kushina recalled that the Anbu once referred to her not by her name but as a code name akin to an experimental vessel—
Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
And no matter what, Kushina could not accept her son experiencing such a childhood, being viewed from an early age as nothing but a container for the Tailed Beast!
In Kushina's vision, Naruto should be carrying the fame and reputation of her and Minato, overcoming the Nine-tails within him with the praise and support of everyone, becoming an outstanding ninja!
He should certainly not be like he is now, like a little puppet dressed up by anyone...
Kushina absolutely could not accept it!
"Was it you who did this?" Aomi stroked the fur of the Nine-tails, studying the rampaging Kushina with great interest.
The Nine-tails shivered violently, exhaled two heavy streams of white air from its nostrils, and shook its head repeatedly.
"Wasn't it?"
Aomi nodded slightly, deep in thought.