"That's the brat…" a passing villager muttered, casting a disdainful glance.
"Stay away from him! Don't let him come near you!" Another villager pulled her child behind her protectively, shooting Naruto a look of disgust.
"Damn it, why did the Hokage bring this kid out of the orphanage…" Even a Konoha shinobi, bearing his forehead protector, didn't bother to hide his contempt.
The sun was warm, but Naruto felt nothing but cold.
Naruto trudged down the street, head bowed. The reactions of those around him filled him with confusion and hurt. He hadn't done anything wrong, so why did everyone in the village seem to despise him?
At that moment, a slightly worn-out ball rolled to a stop by his feet. He looked up to see a child his own size waving, signaling for him to pass it back. Naruto's face brightened with a hopeful smile. But just as he reached down to pick up the ball, the child's mother appeared, grabbing her son and whisking him away, leaving Naruto's smile frozen in place.
He stood there, clutching the ball, and as he looked around, he realized that all the mocking voices had faded. He was alone, standing on a deserted street as if the world had emptied out around him.
The little blond-haired boy stared down at his empty hands, his heart hollow, his gaze forlorn.
"Naruto."
A familiar voice broke the silence. Behind him stood a golden-haired man, calling his name with a mixture of regret and tenderness. But Naruto remained still, staring blankly ahead.
"It's no use; this is his dream," rumbled the deep voice of the Nine-Tails. Kurama explained, "He's never seen your face. In his memory, in his dreams, you can't be here."
"I see." Minato Namikaze nodded, yet his gaze remained fixed on the little Naruto in this dreamscape.
Kurama observed the father's pained expression, though it couldn't fully comprehend Minato's complex emotions. It simply continued, "Like I told you, if you want to approach him in his dream, you'll need to appear as someone he knows. Only when he senses something familiar will you be able to reach him. Then you can start teaching him…"
Minato nodded again but stayed where he was, still calling Naruto's name softly.
This time, he added, "Your mom, Kushina, she loves you very much."
As though hearing a familiar word, a new scene flickered into Naruto's dream. A mother led her child by the hand down the street toward a ramen shop, both laughing happily. Naruto watched them, unmoving, as the mother and child vanished.
He didn't hear Minato's voice, didn't react. Yet Kurama seemed to understand what Minato was trying to do and stopped urging him.
In Naruto's dreamscape, familiar scenes of isolation played out repeatedly. Unfriendly villagers, groups of sneering children, and the occasional kindness of the Third Hokage—each vision filled him with both warmth and pain. Most of all, he watched himself, a small, lonely figure, hiding and crying in the shadows.
Minato stood behind little Naruto, watching as each scene and each face appeared. Some of these faces were ones he recognized from his own past, people who had once shown him respect. Yet here, in front of Naruto, he saw nothing but bitterness and resentment. Though it wasn't truly directed at Naruto himself, the burden weighed on the child.
Behind him, Minato repeated soft, gentle words, each a little different, but each filled with love, remorse, and hope.
Kurama observed the scene quietly until finally, it spoke, "Time's up."
With those words, the dream world shifted. The young Naruto's form faded from Minato's sight, replaced by the dark, enclosed space of Naruto's sealed inner world, with Kurama's massive form looming behind the bars.
"Is it over?" Minato asked, closing his eyes as though to replay the scenes in his mind.
"In a person's dream, time flows differently," Kurama yawned, glancing at Minato. "It might have felt short to you, but in reality, it's already morning. Naruto's awake."
"Is that so? Time passed so quickly…" Minato's expression revealed a quiet sadness.
"So, what was the point of this?" Kurama's narrowed eyes held a hint of mockery. "Have you forgotten you're already dead?"
"…" Minato didn't reply immediately. After a pause, he said, "Just keep an eye on Naruto when he wakes up. See if he's any different."
"Fine, fine. Let's see…" Kurama reported lazily, "He's sitting on his bed, staring blankly… He just murmured 'Mom'… and then… said something like 'Hokage' and 'recognition.' Now he's getting up to make breakfast."
"I mentioned Kushina's name twenty-six times, called her 'Mom' seventeen times, and mentioned the Hokage once…" Minato calculated softly, comparing Kurama's observations.
After a long moment, he sighed. "Barely two percent… Even in the dream, it wasn't enough to really reach him. I'd hoped I could at least comfort him somehow, like Kushina would have."
"…Naruto's memories don't hold images of you or Kushina," Kurama said, almost as if trying to console him. "All your talk about her is meaningless to him right now; even in the dream, he'll forget it quickly…"
"Huh?"
Kurama's sudden change in tone caught Minato's attention.
"What is it?"
"…" Kurama remained silent.
In reality, Naruto sat absentmindedly at the kitchen table, doodling with a damp finger. He mumbled softly to himself, "Kush… Kushina… what was it?"
"Perhaps things aren't as hopeless as you think," Kurama remarked with a grin.
For the first time since entering Naruto's inner world, Minato allowed himself a genuine smile. Quietly, he murmured to himself, "Kushina, our Naruto really is a wonderful child."