After indulging for about ten minutes, Shinji, feeling that he might get carried away, finally heeded Minato's pleas and switched the view to Barbecue Q.
"Naruto, as the son of the hero who saved the village, the Fourth Hokage, you must grow up well!"
Watching Choza, who sat by the window in a booth at Barbecue Q, encouraging Naruto while constantly putting meat on his plate, Minato didn't even have time to think of a response before Shinji spoke up.
"Yare yare, your son really does have an incredible curse on him."
"Curse?" Minato was puzzled.
Shinji, sitting on a rock and waving his hand dismissively, continued nonchalantly, "Don't you know? 'Love' is the deepest curse in this world. And those overly high expectations you have for him can be seen as selfishness."
Minato pondered for a moment and then said, "I admit that love might be a curse, but I don't believe my high expectations for Naruto are selfish.
After all, wars are born out of love. People fight to protect what they care about, and as long as love exists, it will endlessly give birth to new hatred. This cycle traps the shinobi of this world in perpetual conflict. From that perspective, 'love' is indeed the deepest curse. But my high expectations for Naruto aren't selfish because I believe he can find the answer in my place."
Shinji couldn't help but burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes. "Hahaha... That's the most brilliantly naïve statement I've ever heard! Hahaha... War born out of love, you're too adorable (or rather, foolish)! Hahaha..."
As Shinji laughed uncontrollably, Minato scratched his head and awkwardly smiled. "Mr. Anli, is there something wrong with what I said?"
After calming down, Shinji wiped his eyes and praised Minato's cold joke. "That was one of the best jokes I've heard in a long time. I didn't realize you had such a talent for cold jokes. Really, good job!"
With Shinji patting him on the shoulder, Minato, feeling like his shoulder might break, could only smile wryly.
"While love and war are indeed timeless human themes, explaining war as a consequence of love is something I've never heard before. You're unique in all of history!"
"Um... Did I get it wrong? Even my teacher and many others think this way..."
"Don't worry about it." Shinji patted Minato's shoulder again. "Just keep believing that. It's entertaining. You'd make a great comedian! Keep it up!"
Despite the mockery, Minato remained firm in his belief that ninja wars stemmed from the hatred born from love.
"Given everything, maybe it was a good thing you died young."
Hearing Shinji's serious tone, Minato frowned. Did that mean he was bad for the world if he lived? Did he really deserve to die?
Sensing Minato's thoughts, Shinji turned his gaze back to the screen. "Yes, for the world, it's better that you died. Even if you found the answer to break the curse and brought peace, it wouldn't last. In a few generations, the world would suffer a worse fate because of your naivety.
"And all of this would be due to the naivety of several generations before you... Wait!" Shinji paused, looking interested. "Watching humanity self-destruct might be fun. If it didn't take so long, I'd like to see that ending myself."
"Mr. Anli, do you mean that even if we find the answer to break the curse, the world would still end in war and destruction?"
"Don't worry about it. This world will be destroyed by me before that happens. Keep dreaming. Humans love dreaming, right?"
Though Shinji spoke lightly, Minato felt an unsettling certainty that he wasn't lying. He would do it. He definitely would.
Cautiously, Minato asked, "Mr. Anli, can your curse be broken? Or is it just that no one has found the way yet?"
"Of course, it can be broken. Destroying everything, including humanity, should do the trick."
As expected!
Shinji's words confirmed Minato's previous suspicion: the only sure way to lift Angra Mainyu's curse was to eliminate all humans and erase human history.
"Mr. Anli, I won't let you do that."
"Is that another joke?"
Shinji blinked in confusion.
Minato: …
Yes, what good would my permission do?
Can I even stop you?
Damn, it really is a joke!
"Haha, right? I think it's funny too, hehehe..." Minato laughed awkwardly and then changed the subject. "Mr. Anli, about that girl you saw today, she might not have a boyfriend yet. Maybe she's just being pursued! If you try earnestly and compete fairly, I think you have a chance. I could help if you promise to be responsible."
Seeing Minato, the former Fourth Hokage of Konoha, offer such words, Shinji shook his head internally.
He's really turned into a goody-two-shoes.
"Sorry, I have no interest in romance or the process of courtship."
So, you're only interested in the adult results?
What's the point without the process? Purely adult results without love are meaningless!
Minato believed this firmly.
"Did you forget? I'm a demon. I may look like you, but my essence is that of a demon."
Casually, Shinji turned back to the screen. There, the main character finally appeared—an eleven-year-old with gray-green hair, who looked more mature than his age, exuding a sunshine-like smile that rivaled Minato's own.
Kozuki Chloe!
A young ninja highly regarded by the current Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, who believed he would become a cornerstone of Konoha, comparable to Minato.
"Naruto, sorry I couldn't attend your entrance ceremony because of a mission."
"It's okay, Brother Kuro."
Minato, now drawn to the screen, felt a sense of kinship with the gray-green-haired boy, whose bright blue eyes and sunny smile reminded him of his younger self. Naruto, despite being chubby, was lucky to have such a positive influence in his life.
"Chloe, come, sit with us. Let's celebrate Naruto and Choji's entrance together!"
Choza enthusiastically invited Chloe, whom he had heard much about—a young ninja who always put his team first, shielded his comrades with his body, and had faced death twice to protect his friends.
His impeccable character and skills made him a new favorite in Konoha.
Seeing this, Shinji dismissed the screen. What followed would be typical, heartwarming interactions and gifts.
He wasn't worried about Chloe, who had been hiding his true nature for centuries. With his ability to farm reputation points, he had reached elite jōnin status in just a few years.
Given time, Chloe would reach the Kage level, earning enough reputation points through well-timed heroic deeds.
For Shinji, Chloe was the ultimate worker, tirelessly accumulating points.
Of course, Shinji wasn't as ruthless as his predecessor. All the reputation points Chloe earned were split fifty-fifty, and Shinji generously let Chloe keep all the daily login points.
The items in the reputation points shop were fairly priced, ensuring that even when Shinji reclaimed the points, it would be worthwhile.
After all, keeping Chloe well-equipped and motivated was beneficial for everyone involved.