After obtaining the information he wanted, Carl no longer paid any attention to the Third and the others. He returned home directly using Kamui and spoke to Lily, who was watering the flowers in the courtyard.
"Let's go. Take the fruit."
Lily set the watering can aside, nodded, then glanced toward the house and said,
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to that blond kid?"
Carl smiled faintly.
"Of course."
He flashed into the house. Inside, Naruto was sitting cross-legged on the floor, eyes empty, his whole body in a dazed, absent-minded state.
Carl only needed a brief sweep of his Tenseigan to see that Naruto was currently inside the sealing space, engaged in his daily "friendly communication" with the Nine-Tails—namely, bickering with each other.
On the surface, Naruto and the Nine-Tails looked like they were arguing until their faces were red and necks strained, but in reality, this was a sign that the bond between the boy and the fox was steadily growing stronger.
Now, whenever Naruto needed the Nine-Tails' power, all he had to do was call out "Kurama" in his heart. At most, the fox would sneer once or toss out a sarcastic remark, then violently inject chakra into Naruto's body—chakra that would no longer cause any negative effects to him.
That ANBU who had previously been sent flying by a single swipe from Naruto had already proven this point.
...
Inside the sealing space—
"I failed again today! Kurama! You deliberately messed up my chakra again, didn't you?!"
The Nine-Tails lay sprawled on the ground, glancing sideways at Naruto and replying indifferently,
"No wonder people call you dead last. If the person's useless, don't blame the fox for being useless. If you really can't do it, then stop rubbing that blue marble of yours. How about I spit out a really big one for you? One that could wipe out the entire Leaf Village with a single shot."
"What do you know?! That's Dad's signature jutsu! No matter how strong your ball is, didn't it still get suppressed by Dad?"
The moment he heard that, the Nine-Tails exploded in anger. It sprang up from the ground in one motion, charged forward, and slammed against the bars, glaring furiously at the small Naruto below.
"You brat! What do you mean I was suppressed by your father?! It was all that damned sealing technique! Without sealing jutsu, what would your father have used to fight me?!"
Naruto showed no fear at all. He even stuck his head through the bars, lifting his chin as he shouted back,
"Sealing techniques are also Dad's ability! Dad is the strongest Hokage!"
"Oh?"
Hearing that, the Nine-Tails raised an eyebrow in a very human-like manner. Then it actually stood upright, crossed its forepaws over its chest, and said disdainfully,
"The strongest Hokage? As expected of an ignorant little kid. Have you ever heard of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama? Have you ever seen him fight?"
Naruto froze for a moment. Of course he had heard of the First Hokage. In the Leaf Village, that name was already a legend. But for him, that era was far too distant—how could he possibly have seen the First Hokage fight?
He frowned and asked back,
"Have you?"
"Hmph! Not only have I seen it, I fought him personally. I may not like that guy, but there's one thing I have to admit—First Hokage Senju Hashirama is absolutely the strongest ninja I have ever seen!"
As it spoke of the First Hokage, a strange expression appeared on the Nine-Tails' face. Back then, it had been ridden by that damned Uchiha Madara, only to face Hashirama clapping his hands together and unleashing that "True Several Thousand Hands." In the end, even its Susanoo armor had been shattered, and it had been subjected to a posture so unbearably "shameful"—a head-pat execution.
Naruto, of course, had no idea about any of that. He still held deep respect for the First Hokage, so he didn't argue further with the Nine-Tails. He simply nodded and said,
"Maybe you're right. But in my heart, Dad is still the strongest Hokage."
At that moment, a hand patted Naruto's shoulder. A smiling voice sounded by his ear.
"If Namikaze Minato heard that, he'd probably be so happy he wouldn't know where north is."
Naruto startled, then turned around and saw Carl. His face instantly lit up as he happily called out,
"Carl!"
Carl smiled back, then turned his gaze toward the Nine-Tails. From the instant Carl appeared, the Nine-Tails had become completely well-behaved. Seeing Carl look over, its huge mouth twitched, and it deliberately turned its eyes away, clearly unwilling to meet the oppressive gaze of those Tenseigan eyes.
Naruto asked from the side,
"Carl, why did you suddenly come here? Did that Boros already confess everything?"
Carl nodded slightly.
"Everything that could be squeezed out of him has already been squeezed out. I came here to say goodbye before leaving."
As soon as those words fell, sorrow immediately appeared on Naruto's face, impossible to hide. The Nine-Tails, on the other hand, struggled desperately to suppress its wild joy, its fur trembling uncontrollably.
Looking at the dejected Naruto, Carl raised a hand and gently rubbed his head, chuckling softly.
"No need to be sad. You have this fox with you now—you won't be as lonely as before. If that still isn't enough, I can bring two more people to keep you company."
"Huh?! No, no, that's not necessary! Carl, you should hurry and go do what you need to do. You've already done more than enough for me!"
As he said this, tears welled up in Naruto's eyes. In his heart, Carl was truly a good guy sent from the heavens. Though Carl's power always manifested in dark and terrifying ways, it had genuinely brought light into his life. What hurt Naruto the most now was that he didn't even know how to properly thank him.
But Carl only waved his hand.
"It's nothing worth mentioning—just things done in passing. As for those two people, I think you'd better meet them."
As he spoke, Carl's golden Tenseigan eyes narrowed slightly. In the next instant, brilliant golden light burst forth from them. The previously dark sealing space was instantly flooded by a vast ocean of gold.
The seal pasted on the prison gate dissolved into countless points of light within the radiance. Two figures gradually emerged from the glow.
When Naruto finally saw their faces clearly, his eyes filled with disbelief, and he blurted out,
"Dad! Mom!"
Appearing before Naruto were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina—more precisely, the two strands of chakra they had left behind within Naruto's spiritual world.
During this period, Naruto had been looking through the photos left behind in the residence every single day. Their appearances were already deeply engraved in his mind, so he recognized them instantly. For Minato and Kushina, however, this was the first time they had seen Naruto grown up.
Fortunately, they reacted quickly enough to realize that the blond, spiky-haired boy standing before them was their child—Uzumaki Naruto.
There was no time to think further. Naruto had already thrown himself at them. Minato and Kushina hurriedly leaned together, catching him in a shared embrace.
Carl watched this scene without saying a word. He only smiled faintly. Then his figure gradually faded from the space.
...
That matter settled—it was time to go find Isshiki and grab some fruits to eat.
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+85 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg