"Naruto, there are still a few techniques I never mastered myself."
"I won’t be able to explain or demonstrate those."
Minato felt completely drained.
Every ninjutsu he had mastered...
Naruto had already learned.
At this point, he felt like a salted fish with nothing left to offer.
"It’s fine."
"I’ve already learned more than enough today."
"I’m tired too."
"I’ll practice the rest another time."
After all...
If Minato hadn’t mastered those techniques during his lifetime...
Neither had Naruto.
Time to leave.
I can’t keep "learning."
Otherwise, my image as a genius who masters everything after seeing it once is going to fall apart.
Seeing Naruto stop practicing, Minato felt deeply touched.
Naruto must be worried about hurting my feelings...
That’s why he’s choosing to stop.
His heart warmed.
"Go on, Naruto."
"We’ve been training for so long that we didn’t even notice the time."
"It should already be late afternoon."
"Go get something to eat."
"As soon as I master the remaining techniques..."
"I’ll teach them to you."
Minato’s fighting spirit reignited instantly.
Just as Naruto was about to leave, he paused.
"You can still learn new ninjutsu?"
Minato nodded.
"My current state is similar to a Shadow Clone."
"So I can still learn."
"The only requirement..."
"Is enough chakra."
As he spoke, he glanced at Kurama.
Using ninjutsu required chakra.
Since Minato’s existence was sustained by Kurama’s chakra...
Learning new techniques meant Kurama would have to keep supplying him with chakra.
Naruto turned toward Kurama.
Before he could say anything...
Kurama spoke first.
"I can keep supplying your chakra."
"But, Fourth Hokage..."
"I have one condition."
"You must release the seal on the other half of my body."
Kurama had become much smarter lately.
No matter what...
He knew he would end up helping Minato anyway.
So this time, he made sure to negotiate before Naruto could open his mouth.
Minato fell silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"The Yin half of your chakra was sealed inside my soul."
"After that..."
"My soul was sacrificed to the Shinigami through the Reaper Death Seal."
"To release the other half of you..."
"My soul would first have to be freed from the Shinigami’s stomach."
"But once that happens..."
"My soul wouldn’t be able to remain in the living world."
"It would immediately return to the Pure Land."
"Then..."
"It would have to be summoned back from the Pure Land."
"Only then could I personally remove the seal."
"It’s... incredibly difficult."
"And right now..."
"I don’t know of any method capable of summoning a soul back from the Pure Land."
(Author’s Note: In the original series, it was never clearly explained why Edo Tensei Minato still possessed Yin Kurama. This novel treats Yin Kurama as having remained sealed within Minato’s soul.)
In truth...
Minato knew that Konoha’s Scroll of Seals contained a forbidden technique capable of summoning souls back into the living world.
However...
The technique was unimaginably cruel.
Even when he was Hokage, he had only skimmed through it without memorizing its contents.
Now...
The only way to obtain it would be for Naruto to steal the Scroll of Seals.
The risk was simply too great.
Minato had no intention of letting his son endanger himself.
So he deliberately kept that information to himself.
Kurama fell silent.
Minato’s explanation made perfect sense.
It sounded genuine.
Even after living for a thousand years...
Kurama knew of only one being capable of summoning souls back from the Pure Land.
The Sage of Six Paths.
Disappointment flashed across his face.
Naruto quietly looked at Minato.
As a former Hokage...
There’s no way he doesn’t know about the Reanimation Jutsu.
But Naruto didn’t expose him.
Instead, he walked over to Kurama.
"Don’t worry, Kurama."
"Just because there’s no way now..."
"Doesn’t mean there won’t be one in the future."
"We’ll definitely find a way to free the other half of you."
Minato nodded solemnly.
"That’s right."
"As long as we find a way to bring my soul back from the Pure Land..."
"I’ll personally remove the seal."
Kurama looked back and forth between the two of them.
"...Fine."
"I’ll trust you this once."
Whether it eventually worked or not...
At least...
He finally had something to hope for.
Naruto left the sealing space.
Glancing at the clock in his room...
He realized it was already past four in the afternoon.
He walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a carton of milk.
As he drank it, his gaze drifted toward the cabinet full of instant noodles.
...I really don’t want instant noodles again.
Forget it.
I’ll go for a walk.
Besides... today’s my birthday.
It’s also the anniversary of countless villagers’ deaths.
Annoying them a little might improve my mood.
Having made up his mind, Naruto changed out of his pajamas, put on his usual clothes, slipped on his shoes, and headed outside.
Hidden in the shadows...
Kakashi blinked.
Sensei’s son... is actually leaving the house?
According to the reports...
Naruto was practically a shut-in.
He rarely went outside more than a few times a month.
Without thinking much of it, Kakashi reluctantly closed the latest volume of Make-Out Paradise, tucked it away, and quietly followed.
Walking through Konoha’s streets...
Naruto automatically tuned out the villagers’ insults.
He had no idea the ANBU assigned to monitor him had already been replaced.
Not that it mattered.
They changed often enough.
He had stopped caring long ago.
After wandering aimlessly for a while...
His eyes landed on a dango shop.
Three-colored dango...
I’ve always wanted to try it.
After all...
It was the legendary snack that somehow turned Anko Mitarashi into... well...
Anko.
He’d been curious about it for a long time.
Unfortunately...
He’d never had the chance to try it.
...Would the owner even sell any to me?
Standing quietly at the corner of the street...
Naruto hesitated.
Forget it.
No point asking for trouble.
Just as he was about to leave—
"Oh, right."
"Itachi."
"Congratulations on awakening your Sharingan."
"My treat."
"Let’s go get some dango."
Naruto froze.
Itachi?
Uchiha Itachi?
He turned toward the voices.
Not far away...
A boy and a girl, both around seven or eight years old, were walking side by side.
Their conversation continued.
"No need..."
"It isn’t really something worth celebrating..."
The boy’s expression darkened for a brief moment.
After a pause, he added,
"...Besides."
"I don’t even like sweets."
Even as he said that...
His eyes secretly drifted toward the dango shop.
A faint blush crept onto his handsome face.
"Doesn’t like sweets."
Yep.
Definitely Uchiha Itachi.
As for the girl...
She looked familiar.
A young girl walking beside Itachi...
That could only be Uchiha Izumi.
"Heehee..."
"So Itachi really doesn’t like sweets?"
Izumi teased with a playful grin.
"...If you want some..."
"Go ahead and buy them."
Itachi looked as embarrassed as a newlywed.
His face turned even redder.
"Hehe."
"Then let’s go."
The two stopped in front of the dango stand.
Izumi held up four fingers.
"Boss."
"Four servings of three-colored dango, please."
"Coming right up!"
The owner lowered his head and began preparing them.
Naruto’s eyes suddenly lit up.
He quietly slipped behind Itachi, using him to block the owner’s line of sight.
Then he spoke.
"Boss."
"I’d like two servings too."
"Coming right up!"
As a precaution against mixing up customers’ orders, the owner habitually looked up to memorize each person’s face.
The moment he did...
He froze.
"...You two are together?"
He looked at Itachi in confusion.
"It wasn’t me."
Itachi started to step aside, intending to reveal the person behind him.
The instant he moved—
Naruto grabbed Itachi’s arm with his left hand, stopping him.
With his right hand, he held up a hundred-ryō bill.
"I’m the one ordering."
"Just make them."
"I’ve got the money."
As he spoke...
A strange seal appeared in the palm of Naruto’s left hand.
It silently imprinted itself onto Itachi’s arm.
Then...
It vanished without a trace.