Synopsis:
For some reason, Uchiha Madara appeared in the body of a three-year-old Naruto.
Due to some circumstances, he was mistaken for Naruto’s father.
Madara initially rejected this.
However, at some point, the situation began to change…
“Naruto, kill him! Dad will protect you!”
“You dare to hurt Naruto? You’re dead!”
“Don’t think you’re safe just because you’re me, I’ll still fight you!”
And so, a strange father and an interesting son began their wonderful story.
Chapter 1:
On a cold, howling night, three-year-old Naruto Uzumaki shivered under a thin blanket in the orphanage.
Outside, the laughter of villagers celebrating the winter solstice could be heard, while in his hand, he clutched only half a moldy piece of bread.
This was what the shopkeeper, who was unwilling to give him more, had thrown at him earlier that day.
“So cold…”
Naruto pressed his reddened little hands against his stomach, where a burning pain was located.
He didn’t know what was happening, only that he could curl up his body to try and lessen the pain.
However, the sharp pain suddenly intensified, causing Naruto to roll off the bed.
In a daze, he saw the seal pattern on his belly glow with an eerie red light, as if flames were burning beneath his skin.
“Help, help…”
Naruto struggled to reach out, but his consciousness suddenly plunged into darkness.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a vast sewer.
Murky wastewater reached his ankles, and a chilling breathing sound echoed from the distance, each breath causing dust to fall from the pipes.
“Where… where is this?”
Naruto trembled as he walked forward.
After turning a corner, he froze abruptly.
Behind a huge iron grate, a pair of scarlet, vertical pupils lit up in the darkness, like two blood moons.
“Finally, you’re here, brat.”
The Nine-Tails’ voice rasped like countless knives scraping against metal.
“Come here, let this old man get a good look at you.”
Seeing this, Naruto instinctively recoiled but was thrown to the ground by a sudden surge of chakra.
The Nine-Tails’ claws pierced through the gaps in the grate, hovering above his head.
“Do you want to know why everyone hates you? Break this seal, and I’ll tell you the truth…”
That extremely seductive voice tempted Naruto’s young heart, which yearned for family.
“If I break this? I can…”
Just as the claws were about to touch Naruto’s forehead, a ghostly blue flame erupted from Naruto’s body, forcefully pushing back the Nine-Tails’ claws.
“What a beast, actually trying to trick a child now.”
Naruto looked up blankly, seeing a tall, dark figure blocking his path.
The man wore strange armor, his long black hair moved like a living thing, and several wisps of chakra, like ghost fire, floated behind him.
The moment the Nine-Tails saw this person, all the fur on its body stood on end, and its inner roar transformed into a shockwave that spread out: “Uchiha… Madara!!!”
The dark figure—or rather, the soul of Uchiha Madara—formed a hand seal, and the three tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly.
“Go back to sleep.”
As the genjutsu activated, the Nine-Tails let out a roar of unwillingness, but its massive body still collapsed uncontrollably onto the ground.
The entire space returned to silence, with only the sound of dripping water.
Naruto sat on the ground, looking up at the man who had suddenly appeared.
Faint light filtered down from cracks in the ceiling of the pipe, illuminating the man’s angular profile.
“You, who are you?” Naruto asked timidly, “Dad?”
Madara’s body visibly stiffened.
He looked down at the little boy with blond hair and blue eyes, his brow furrowed into a tight knot.
“Are your eyes faulty? I am not your father.”
“But, but…” Naruto scrambled to his feet.
“Grandpa Third Hokage said that Dad sacrificed himself fighting the Nine-Tails monster. You can fight the Nine-Tails monster, so you must be Dad!”
Madara’s lips twitched.
Just because of that?
He hadn’t expected this brat’s imagination to be so outlandish.
“I’m not,” Madara turned away decisively.
“You can leave.”
His robe was suddenly tugged.
Madara turned back and saw Naruto tightly gripping the hem of his armor, his blue eyes brimming with tears.
“Please don’t go… Everyone hates me, but Dad will protect me, right?”
Madara’s brow furrowed even tighter.
He should have shaken off this annoying brat.
But those eyes reminded him of Izuna back then, powerless in the face of the deaths of other siblings.
“Call me whatever you want.”
Finally, Madara compromised, using the gentlest tone he could manage.
“Now let go, I need to check this seal.”
Naruto, however, broke into a smile, tears forgotten, and rushed forward to hug Madara’s leg.
“That’s great! I have a dad now!”
Madara’s expression was as if he had swallowed a kunai.
Although he wanted to shake Naruto off, looking at the happy little face, Madara couldn’t bring himself to do it for some reason.
He grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his neck, lifting the little golden furball.
“Listen, first, no hugging people randomly; second, no calling me Dad outside; third…”
His voice trailed off.
Through Naruto’s eyes, he saw the situation in the real world.
Three ninjas wearing animal masks were surrounding the unconscious Naruto, and one of them was forming hand seals to investigate the seal.
Was this some kind of ANBU that Tobirama had created?
He remembered that Hashirama didn’t need it, so Tobirama had only proposed the theory.
It seemed that after his death, Tobirama had put this idea into practice.
“Trouble’s here,” Madara sneered, putting Naruto down.
“Someone has discovered the seal is loosening.”
Before Naruto could react, Madara pushed him.
“Wake up, kid, unless you want to be captured and studied by Konoha’s ANBU.”
In the real world, Naruto’s eyes snapped open, meeting the gaze of a cat-faced mask.
He let out a startled scream and recoiled.
“Target is awake,” the ANBU ninja reported coldly.
“The seal shows signs of temporary loosening. Enhanced surveillance is recommended.”
Ignoring Naruto’s current reaction, the ANBU members disappeared from Naruto’s room after confirming there were no issues.
After the ANBU left, Madara’s voice echoed in Naruto’s mind.
“This is how a village treats its Jinchūriki? Heh!”
Hearing Madara’s cold snort in his mind, Naruto couldn’t help but cheer inwardly, “You’re really still here!”
“Shut up, I’m going to sleep,” Madara’s voice was tinged with weariness.
“Remember, don’t reveal my existence to anyone, or else…”
“Or else Dad will disappear, right?” Naruto suddenly became dejected.
“I know… I’ll keep it a secret.”
Madara was silent for a moment, uncharacteristically not refuting the title.
In the last moment before falling into slumber, he vaguely thought: this brat’s chakra…
why does it feel like Hashirama’s?
And deep within the seal, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes and looked at Madara’s soul, enveloped in blue chakra, with a thoughtful expression.
Soon, as the sun rose the next day, Naruto woke up.
It was a rare night where he had slept comfortably.
The sound of the Third Hokage’s footsteps could be heard outside the door, and Naruto looked in that direction.
As the old man pushed the door open and entered, he immediately noticed the expression on Naruto’s face – happy.
“Did something good happen, Naruto?”
Naruto remembered Madara’s warning and shook his head.
“Nothing! I just… had a good dream.”
The Third Hokage looked at him thoughtfully and suddenly said, “Last night, I sensed an abnormal chakra fluctuation around here…”
Naruto recalled this and blurted out, “My Dad protected me!”
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.
But strangely, the Third Hokage didn’t press further, only stroking his head.
“Is that so… That’s wonderful.”
After the old man left, Madara’s voice sounded in Naruto’s mind.
“Trying to pry information out of a child? It seems this brat has vaguely sensed something.”