"...Naruto."
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke after a long, heavy silence, his voice tinged with age and regret. He looked at the boy standing before him—the boy burdened with a fate no child should carry—and sighed deeply. "Do you know who your parents are?"
Naruto, whose mind was currently under Indra's subtle control, lowered his head slightly. His voice emerged low, distorted by a strange tone of grief and confusion, "The big fox inside me… it told me that my father was the Fourth Hokage—the one who sealed it inside me."
As those words hung in the air, a glint of understanding flashed in Sarutobi's eyes.
So it's true, he thought. The seal is loosening.
Recent reports from Ebisu had already hinted at something strange—whenever Naruto experienced intense emotions, the Nine Tails would seemingly pull him into the sealed space and speak with him. At first, Hiruzen hadn't been concerned. The seal placed by the Fourth Hokage was meant to be unbreakable, and the Nine Tails should have remained securely imprisoned.
But now, not only had the Nine Tails initiated contact with Naruto, it had also started revealing the truth about his heritage—something that Hiruzen had carefully kept hidden for twelve years. That scarf, the one Konohamaru discovered and brought to Naruto… that must've been mentioned by the Nine Tails as well.
Hiruzen's gaze darkened.
It shouldn't have happened like this.
Beside him, Kakashi—the version of him now called "Black Kakashi"—stepped forward and explained, "Back in the Land of Waves, when we fought Zabuza and Haku for the second time, we were nearly overwhelmed. At that moment, Naruto lost control and unleashed some of the Nine Tails' power. I suspect that's when the Nine Tails began truly communicating with him."
Hiruzen nodded gravely.
"I see," he murmured.
Then, turning his gaze back to Naruto, he said, "Naruto, there's no point hiding it anymore. What the Nine Tails told you… it's true. Your father was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
Inside Naruto's Mind—The Sealed Space
A heavy atmosphere hung within the sealed realm where the Nine Tails lay caged in towering iron bars. Its crimson eyes gleamed with amusement as it watched the conversation unfold.
"Here it comes," the Nine Tails muttered with a toothy grin, voice filled with dark excitement. "Let's see if what those 'other world' versions said is true. If Sarutobi gives the same answers they predicted… then it means he's lying to you."
"Grandpa Hokage would never lie to me!" Naruto retorted instinctively.
But even as he said it, uncertainty clouded his expression. His consciousness drifted, split between this inner space and the physical world. He watched and listened more carefully now.
Back in the Hokage's Office
"Your father," Hiruzen began with a nostalgic smile, "was one of the most talented shinobi Konoha has ever known. He ended the Third Great Ninja War earlier than expected. If not for him, the number of casualties would've been far greater."
Naruto stayed silent, still watching.
"But that came at a cost. He made too many enemies during the war. If people had found out that his child was still alive…" Hiruzen's voice softened, carefully controlled, "You would have been in danger, Naruto."
Kakashi added solemnly, "To protect you, Lord Third ordered Anbu to guard you in secret every day before you graduated from the Academy. Many of them gave their lives shielding you from the shadows."
Naruto looked down at the green scarf wrapped around his neck, his face showing a complex mix of confusion and sorrow.
Inside the Sealed Space
The real Naruto stood in silence, staring at the floor.
That was exactly what Menma said would happen.
That Sarutobi would use the story of his father's enemies… would speak with regret… and even bring up the sacrifice of Anbu guards. It was all part of a carefully scripted lie—one designed to manipulate his heart.
No… No way.
"Ahahahaha," the Nine Tails laughed cruelly, clearly delighted. "So, what do you think now, brat? Still calling him 'Grandpa Hokage'? Every word out of that old man's mouth is a lie."
"No…" Naruto mumbled, his hands clutching the sides of his head. "That can't be…"
The Nine Tails snorted but said nothing further. Instead, it began quietly transmitting a faint trickle of its chakra—rich with malice and resentment—into Naruto's body. Slowly, the suppressed negative emotions inside Naruto began to surge and grow.
Back in Reality
"Grandpa Hokage," Naruto said aloud, looking up with a wavering gaze. "I understand… but… if that's true, then why didn't you ever tell me about this scarf? This scarf… my mother made it, didn't she?"
Hiruzen's heart leapt. He thinks I'm telling the truth.
He clasped his hands behind his back and said with a sigh, "Naruto, I owe you an apology. I failed you. Between the duties of Hokage and overseeing the safety of the village, I neglected something so important."
He stepped down from his desk and walked over to Naruto, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I truly am sorry. You must promise me, when you become Hokage someday, don't make the same mistakes I did."
From the outside, it looked like a touching moment—an old man humbling himself before a boy. But inside Naruto's head, chaos brewed.
Within the Sealed Space
Indra appeared, splitting a fragment of consciousness to speak with Naruto and the Nine Tails.
"Well, Naruto?" he asked, his voice calm but firm. "What did you think of Hiruzen's response?"
Naruto hesitated.
"The order of his words, the emotions, the reasons he gave…" Indra continued. "It's exactly the same as what Menma and Black Kakashi predicted, isn't it? Every detail. Even his movements."
Naruto didn't answer immediately. His thoughts spun in circles. He wanted to believe in the Hokage. He wanted to believe that everything he had suffered had a reason.
But if that were true, why did it hurt so much?
Why did every part of him scream that this was a carefully rehearsed performance?
"I… I don't know what to believe anymore."
"Hmph," the Nine Tails chuckled darkly. "If we hadn't warned you, you'd be hugging that old liar right now."
As the demonic chakra continued to feed Naruto's pain and confusion, his fists clenched involuntarily.
A dark shift was taking place.
And the Nine Tails reveled in it.
Meanwhile, in the Gedo Statue's Realm
A swirl of ethereal energy coalesced as the members of the Akatsuki gathered in the shadowy domain, each figure manifesting as a translucent illusion atop the fingers of the massive Gedo Statue.
"Another meeting?" Deidara asked first, arms crossed. "Any word on Orochimaru's whereabouts?"
Pain, standing silently with eyes closed, finally opened them.
"No," he said after a moment. "Something… strange has occurred. The information we had on him was wrong. The one who captured the One Tail Jinchūriki… it wasn't Orochimaru."
"What do you mean?" Sasori asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
Pain's gaze hardened. "Orochimaru contacted me recently using the Akatsuki ring. He rambled about alternate timelines, conflicting memories, and 'other versions' of himself."
"What the hell?" Kisame snorted. "Is he losing his mind?"
"I thought so too," Pain admitted. "But some of what he said… it matches things we've observed."
It was unsettling, even for the Akatsuki.
If Orochimaru wasn't the one hunting tailed beasts—then who was? Who was interfering with their plans?
And worse—if he was telling the truth about different timelines or parallel realities, that meant they were up against something beyond even their comprehension.
"Regardless," Pain said, standing tall. "We will continue with our plan. But we must proceed with caution."
Behind the scenes, a storm was rising.
From Naruto's boiling emotions and growing instability…
To the Akatsuki's dawning awareness of forces beyond their knowledge…
A battle was drawing near.
And the world would never be the same again.
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