Snowflakes drifted down beside the lamppost, and little Naruto slowly opened his eyes, murmuring the words he hadn't yet spoken in his dream:
"Who are… huh?"
He looked around, puzzled by the familiar surroundings, and scratched his small head in confusion.
For a moment, he gazed down at his unharmed clothes and the snug red scarf around his neck. Mumbling, he wondered, "Was it just a dream?"
There were no towering bars, no colossal fox lurking behind them—just the world he knew. Yet the dream felt so real, as if it had happened right in front of him, not like any usual dream he could easily forget.
But being only a child, Naruto assumed he must have fallen asleep under the lamppost. As he stood to head home, a strange feeling caught his attention.
"How odd," he whispered, rubbing his hands together. "It's snowing, but I'm not cold at all." His hands, usually red from the freezing temperatures, felt warm and comfortable, and a wide grin appeared on his face.
Just then, he remembered why he'd been here in the first place—he'd walked a strange girl with white eyes back to her house. Had he just been out too long and fallen asleep by the road?
Guessing he must be too weak to handle the cold, he pondered whether he should eat something extra tomorrow… if he could find any money, or maybe some food outside.
As little Naruto wandered off in thought, he failed to notice a Konoha shinobi watching him closely from a distance, quietly noting in a small journal:
"...Target was unresponsive for three minutes; unusual chakra fluctuations detected. Likely experiencing psychological effects after contact with the Hyuga compound. Recommend providing minor aid to foster goodwill..."
Jotting down the notes quickly, the shinobi shut the notebook and vanished in a blur, leaving no trace behind.
A flawless shadowing mission.
Yet all this went unseen by two pairs of watchful eyes.
"This is how your son, Namikaze Minato's son Naruto, is treated in the village. Oh, did I mention he's only three?" The Nine-Tails, lazily sprawled on the ground, let out a tired yawn as he observed Minato's sullen face outside the iron bars.
"This has to be one of your illusions. Just another attempt to unsettle me and break free…" Minato said slowly, almost trying to convince himself. "But I can't lie to myself. It's true, isn't it?"
"Lies are a human skill, not mine." The Nine-Tails replied.
Minato's blue eyes glanced down at himself, taking in the red chakra swirling around him—a formidable force. This crimson energy felt oddly familiar but lacked the fierce malice he once felt when facing Kushina.
"The seal restricts me, so this is all the power I can lend you," explained the Nine-Tails, as if sensing Minato's thoughts. "But it's enough to keep your soul here for quite a while."
"Why?" Minato asked.
The Nine-Tails only snorted, reflecting on the memories. Of a small figure, solitary in the village; a boy shunned and feared for reasons he couldn't understand; a child whose life was constantly manipulated for the sake of controlling the fox inside him…
Naruto, who wouldn't learn of his true heritage until he saved the world, deserved better.
"I'm not a teacher, but you could do worse than teaching your own kid yourself," the Nine-Tails answered dismissively, offering little more.
Minato could sense there was more to it, but if the fox wasn't going to say, there wasn't much he could do. Besides, watching over Naruto and helping him grow felt like a gift to him—a father who'd left too soon.
"So why not let Naruto break the seal?" Minato pressed.
"Not yet," the Nine-Tails replied without hesitation, his large fox eyes revealing a glimmer of caution. "Once the seal breaks, he'd be overwhelmed by my chakra. If someone senses it… the one who attacked you will come back. And Konoha as it is now couldn't protect us."
"The masked man? Uchiha Madara?" Minato asked.
"No, Madara is long dead. It was your student, Uchiha Obito." The name struck Minato like a thunderbolt. He never expected to hear that name here.
"Impossible!"
"Calm down. I'll explain everything," the Nine-Tails said, seeing the suspicion in Minato's eyes, though it didn't bother him.
Though he didn't know why he had been brought back in this era, memories of the Ōtsutsuki's threat made even the ageless beast shiver.
But beneath his dread, the Nine-Tails felt a surge of defiance—whatever they had planned, he and Naruto could stand against the god-like Ōtsutsuki together. This time, things would be different. This time, they'd crush the Ōtsutsuki underfoot!
At that moment, in the Hokage's office:
"I see. Thanks for your report." Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long draw from his pipe, the wrinkles on his face softening slightly. "Chakra leakage caused by a child's envy or longing is nothing alarming. Just a minor Nine-Tails chakra spike."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." The Konoha shinobi stood respectfully, listening to the response without argument. "I'll return to my post…"
"No need to rush back." The Third Hokage waved, standing up from his chair with a smile. "Take a break. I'll step out for some fresh air."
And with that, he strolled out of the room, leaving the shinobi standing there.
After a moment, the shinobi sighed, pulling a notebook from his vest and passing it behind him.
A hand stretched from the shadows and took it. "Hiruzen knows who you are. Return to 'Root.' You won't be involved in the Nine-Tails matter anymore."
"Understood," the shinobi responded simply.
Night deepened, and as the Hokage's office lights dimmed, the darkness quietly reclaimed the room.