Naruto's gaze hardened with determination. What would this man think of him? Although Naruto had always tried to act indifferent about it, he couldn't deny it — this was his father, a great ninja.
Naruto had done many things he wasn't proud of. He'd killed many people and witnessed countless brutal scenes. Even now, using the Sharingan gave him a lingering sense of unease, but he had no choice. If Minato judged him for it...
"I'm incredibly proud — you have no idea how much," Minato's words interrupted Naruto's thoughts. "You're an outstanding ninja, protecting Konoha in ways I never could've imagined. You're a good person. Don't blame yourself for that eye — you did what needed to be done. You were never consumed by darkness, no matter what happened." He gestured toward the Nine-Tails. "You handled it well. You kept it under control completely, and I always knew you could."
"Speaking of which," Naruto said, "I should go now, Dad. I need to release the Genjutsu on the Nine-Tails and get back to the fight. Right now, I'm fighting against Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha. It's a miracle I'm still standing."
Minato shook his head.
"Time spent here in the Spiritual World translates to only a moment in the real world. I know we don't have much time, but I have to say this — trust what Itachi tells you. There really is a masked man who attacked Konoha and controlled the Nine-Tails. As you've heard, I never imagined it would turn out to be Madara Uchiha."
Naruto nodded seriously.
"You can defeat him. He's the one behind Akatsuki — the man wearing the orange spiral mask."
Naruto looked at him in confusion.
"But what about Pain...?"
"I saw it too," Minato recalled Jiraiya's defeat, and Naruto being overwhelmed by that man's power. "Pain is a broken product of the ninja world. He grew up in the shadow of war, enduring endless suffering. Madara probably used him to collect tailed beasts. But as long as this system exists, more people like him will continue to appear."
"Pain said something similar," Naruto replied. "But he's just too strong. I'm no match for him at all."
Minato placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"You can defeat him — because he didn't finish you off back then. I believe in you, Naruto. You can change this world, but first, you must win this battle."
He walked toward the Nine-Tails' cage and placed his hand on the seal.
"I'll help you. Place your hand over mine and channel your chakra through it — as if I were the Nine-Tails."
He saw the look of confusion on Naruto's face.
"I know you wanted to do this anyway, but doing it this way is safer. The last bit of chakra I left inside the seal can serve as a medium, preventing the Nine-Tails from taking advantage when you release the Genjutsu. Next time, you'll have to figure it out for yourself — don't let the Nine-Tails slip into this state again."
Naruto nodded and placed his hand on Minato's arm, beginning to transfer his chakra.
"It's good to see you, Dad. I swear I won't lose this time. I will become the Hokage. I'll surpass you and find a way to stop all this… I promise. I won't let Madara do to this world what he did to Konoha."
"I know you will, Naruto," Minato said with a smile as the seal glowed brightly and the spirit realm began to collapse. "Remember, I believe in you. I love you, my son..."
***
## Back in the Real World – Five Seconds Later ##
Sasuke stared at an unresponsive Naruto and slowly unsheathed the Sword of Kusanagi from behind his back.
This was his chance to finish off Naruto and then focus entirely on Itachi.
"In the end, you're still not as strong as me, Naruto. You shouldn't have gotten involved in our fight."
Before his words could even finish echoing, he charged toward Naruto.
Clang!
Naruto's eyes snapped into focus as he blocked Sasuke's attack with a swift swing of his sword.
His breathing turned heavy. He kicked Sasuke away and stood face-to-face with Itachi.
"Sorry," he joked, referencing the sewer-like maze inside the Nine-Tails' mind. "I just went to fix a clogged pipe down there."
"Nine-Tails, are you awake?"
"What?" The Nine-Tails' voice sounded groggy, like it had just woken up. "What's going on? Aren't you fighting them right now? Why did you suddenly stop?"
"It was Genjutsu," Naruto explained. "Itachi nearly fried your mind."
Naruto could hear the Nine-Tails roaring furiously in his mind, clearly hating the mere mention of "Itachi."
"Don't worry, it's over now. There's no more illusion."
"Really? No more Genjutsu?" The Nine-Tails' tone was filled with disbelief and relief.
"Yeah. Hypnotism is also a type of Genjutsu, and even without the Sharingan, I can sense it. Since you've been constantly grumbling inside my head, I've long gotten used to ignoring this level of mental interference," Naruto replied while estimating how much chakra remained.
He hadn't kept the Sharingan active for long in the real world, but breaking free from the Genjutsu had drained a significant amount of his chakra.
Still, Itachi looked exhausted too, and Sasuke didn't seem to be in much better shape.
"This turned out easier than I thought. I actually feel pretty good. If Kakashi-sensei knew I managed to keep going for so long using the Sharingan for the first time without hitting my limit, he'd totally flip out. Being a jinchuriki has its perks."
Itachi looked at Naruto and spoke slowly.
"I don't know how you broke free from that illusion, but Naruto, you've given me quite a bit of trouble. Now I've made up my mind—I'm after your life, and I want Sasuke's eyes."
His voice was icy and merciless.
"I don't care about Madara's plan. Killing you won't benefit me at all. Once this fight ends, I will complete my goal."
On the ceiling, the strange plant-man smiled faintly.
"It seems Itachi's angry. He's going all out now!" its dark half exclaimed eagerly.
Naruto looked at Itachi and Sasuke, raising his sword.
"So… is the glaring match over? Ready to get serious now?"
Itachi closed his left eye and stared coldly at Naruto.
"He suddenly broke free from all my genjutsu without any warning during my battle with Sasuke. He doesn't even know how genjutsu works—even with the Sharingan, that shouldn't have been possible. Could it be that his willpower and chakra are so overwhelming that he forcibly broke through my illusions?"
Not that it mattered anymore. Naruto was too dangerous to let live. He was interfering with Itachi's plan, which could absolutely not be tolerated.
Sasuke noticed Naruto's right eyelid twitching slightly every few seconds, but judging by his expression, Naruto seemed either unaware of it—or simply didn't care.
"Was he experiencing the same strain from the Sharingan as Kakashi-sensei does?"
Not quite. He definitely felt the strain now, but he had more than enough chakra to sustain it. His current chakra reserves were at least ten times greater than Kakashi's. If Kakashi could endure for a certain amount of time, Naruto could last over ten times longer.
Everything was back to square one.
To onlookers, the battle seemed like it was only just beginning.
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