Chapter 296: The Death of Minato and Kushina

"Jiraiya, don't you think your acting is a little too exaggerated?"

"That three-headed giant snake may look impressive, but there's not a trace of senjutsu chakra on it. In Ryūchi Cave, it would probably be nothing more than a nameless cannon-fodder serpent."

"With your strength, one ninjutsu would be enough to kill it instantly. Yet you and Gamaken couldn't even defeat it together?"

"Who exactly are you trying to fool?"

After clearly seeing the scene in the vision, Tsunade let out a disdainful snort, clearly dissatisfied with Jiraiya's clumsy acting.

Jiraiya gave an awkward laugh.

"Don't take it so seriously… who knows whether this future is even real."

As he spoke, he glanced at Uchiha Ren, hoping for an explanation.

Although Ren had already shown him many of the darker deeds committed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya knew those things alone weren't enough to make him stand by and watch Hiruzen die.

Jiraiya wasn't ignorant of Hiruzen's political methods.

He had his criticisms, yes—but regardless, Hiruzen had always treated him well.

Perhaps not fulfilling every request, but he had always shown care and support.

Even if Hiruzen had made mistakes, Jiraiya didn't believe he could simply watch his teacher die.

Ren shook his head.

"How should I know what you were thinking?"

"But…"

After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand again.

"I suppose it might be because of this."

The scene before them changed once more.

They now stood within a dark forest at night.

Whoosh—!

A gigantic beast suddenly appeared among the trees, as massive as a mountain. The violent wind it generated snapped nearby trees in half.

The next moment—

Whoosh—!

A blond man appeared beside the beast, holding a newborn baby in his arms while supporting a weakened red-haired woman.

Jiraiya's voice trembled.

"This… this is the night of the Nine-Tails Incident?"

His fists clenched unconsciously.

"That's right," Ren replied quietly.

"Just keep watching."

Even Ren felt a heaviness in his heart watching the scene unfold.

The vision continued.

Kushina Uzumaki used Adamantine Sealing Chains to restrain the Nine-Tails.

Ignoring her protests, Minato Namikaze prepared to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal along with the Eight Trigrams Seal to split the Nine-Tails and seal half within himself and half within their son, Naruto.

Then—

The Nine-Tails suddenly lashed out.

Minato and Kushina threw themselves forward, using their bodies to block the Nine-Tails' claws from striking Naruto.

And so began their final farewell.

"Naruto…"

"Don't be picky with food… eat well every day and grow strong."

"Take baths every day… and don't stay up too late…"

"Make friends… you don't need many… just a few true ones."

"Learning ninjutsu will be difficult… but if you persevere, you'll master it."

"And remember… everyone has things they're not good at."

"So even if you learn slowly… don't worry about it."

"Always respect your teachers…"

"And there's one more important thing…"

"About the 'women' rule in the Three Ninja Taboos…"

"But… your mother is a woman too, so I'm not sure how to explain it…"

"Anyway, you'll have to figure that out yourself."

"Oh! But if you end up as dense as your father…"

"I won't forgive you!"

"Oh, and also…"

"You'll probably encounter many painful things in life…"

"But you must keep walking your own path."

"No matter what path you choose…"

"I believe you'll become a great ninja."

"Naruto… and also… also…"

"No matter what happens in the future…"

"Please… be happy."

"Being your mother…"

"Made me so happy."

"I will always love you."

Tsunade and Jiraiya both felt their eyes redden.

After all—

Tsunade was Kushina's cousin.

And Jiraiya was Minato's teacher.

Scenes like this were unbearable to watch.

Yet before they could recover from the sorrow, the vision changed again.

A small blond boy with blue eyes walked cautiously along a street, clutching his rumbling stomach.

His orange jacket was worn and faded.

The edges of his pants were frayed.

Even his shoes were falling apart, making soft slap-slap sounds as he walked.

"Ugh… that demon fox brat is out again…"

"Stay away from him. Who knows what he might do."

"Just seeing him reminds me of that night…"

"Exactly. I don't know what the Third Hokage was thinking. That fox demon should've been killed long ago."

The whispered words were like knives stabbing into the boy's ears.

He lowered his head and quickened his pace, trying to escape the hostile stares.

Nearby, a man wearing a straw hat sold grilled fish.

The delicious aroma made the boy swallow hard.

His stomach growled loudly.

"H-hey… mister… how much for the grilled fish?"

The boy asked timidly.

The vendor turned around, saw who it was—and his expression darkened instantly.

"Get lost. I'm not selling to you."

"But I have money…"

The boy carefully pulled out a worn coin.

It was one of the few pieces of allowance he had left for the month.

Under normal circumstances, the money given to him should have lasted a month.

But children rarely understand money well.

And worse—most places simply refused to sell him anything at normal prices.

So his allowance rarely lasted long.

"I said I won't sell it to you!"

The vendor angrily waved his fan.

Hot smoke from the grilled fish blew directly into the boy's face, making him cough and stumble backward.

The surrounding villagers showed expressions of disgust.

Some even pulled their children away, afraid they might get close to him.

"I didn't do anything wrong…"

"So why does everyone hate me?"

The boy bit his lip, trying to hold back tears.

But soon he couldn't endure the hateful stares any longer.

He ran away.

He wandered the village all morning.

He tried several different places.

Yet he remained hungry.

The coin in his palm had become damp with sweat.

Still, no one was willing to sell him food.

Finally, as evening fell, the boy arrived at a small shop near the edge of the village.

The old shopkeeper there also despised him.

But he would still sell him things—

At double or triple the normal price.

Usually food like half-spoiled bread or nearly expired milk.

Late at night, the boy returned to what he called home—

A tiny apartment provided by Konoha for orphans.

The room was nearly empty.

The wooden floor creaked.

Cold wind leaked through the windows.

Even the bedding was torn and ragged.

He curled up in the corner, wrapping his jacket tightly around himself to keep warm.

Carefully, he picked up a piece of stale bread and broke off a small chunk.

As he chewed—

Tears slowly formed in the corners of his eyes.

"…It tastes awful…"

"But at least…"

"…it fills my stomach."

◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇

◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!

◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.

◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → /Sagamaster789