Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Family Reunion
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Namikaze Minato: ???
Naruto: ???
'Why do I need to call him dad? That's the fourth Hokage…'
"Ahem!" Colt coughed into his fist and said, "I mean, he's your father."
Naruto looked at Colt in disbelief, finally understanding.
"I know some things are hard for you to accept, but this is the truth," Colt explained patiently and gave him some time to think it through, and then turned to Minato.
"How can we awaken Kushina's chakra?"
Minato replied quickly.
"As long as Naruto tries to become a perfect Jinchūriki and tries to control the Nine-Tails' chakra, Kushina will appear to help him."
There was a look of anticipation in his eyes.
Kushina was Minato's one and true love.
The prospect of seeing his wife again naturally excited him.
Colt nodded and called out to the Nine-Tails, "Nine-Tails, cooperate."
The Nine-Tails was about to angrily berate Minato with his new curse words when Colt asked him to cooperate.
Needless to say, his reply was the same as usual.
"No."
Colt replied, "It's up to you."
His [Sharingan] flickered, and the Nine-Tails fell into an illusion.
"[Genjutsu: Sharingan]," Minato sighed and looked tenderly at Naruto.
"You're lucky to have such a friend, Naruto."
Naruto lowered his head, hiding his expression.
Colt soon controlled the Nine-Tails' chakra, allowing it to envelop Naruto's spiritual body.
Naruto then moved so fast and… punched Minato.
Boom!
Caught off guard, Minato took a solid punch from Naruto.
Colt looked on strangely, unsure if it was the Nine-Tails' influence or Naruto's own will. It seemed both played a part.
"Naruto."
Fortunately, Naruto's sanity returned somewhat at the sound of a gentle female voice.
A beautiful figure with red hair appeared before them.
At that moment, Naruto couldn't understand why, but his tears fell heavily.
"Kushina!"
Minato steadied himself, gazing excitedly at his long-missed wife.
"I'll give you some privacy. I'll chat with the Nine-Tails in the meantime. Come find me when you're done," Colt said, and Minato nodded gratefully before the family disappeared.
In the sealed space, only the Nine-Tails and Colt remained.
"Nine-Tails, you know why I'm here, don't you?" Colt conjured a wooden chair from thin air and sat down.
The Nine-Tails' tails stirred uncomfortably as Colt released the Genjutsu, and then he replied irritably, "You just want to use my power, right? Give it up, human. Even if you can control my body, you'll never have my heart!"
Colt: ???
Can't you phrase that better?
The Nine-Tails glared at Colt firmly.
His hatred for humans had accumulated since Hashirama Senju sealed him.
For thousands of years, humans had regarded the Tailed Beasts as symbols of disaster, leading to countless conflicts.
The Nine-Tails killed all opposition, and the humans sought to subdue him.
The cycle couldn't be explained in just a few short sentences.
Colt pondered for a moment, organizing his thoughts before speaking slowly, "Nine-Tails, you must have learned a lot through Naruto's experiences, right? There are people in the ninja world trying to capture the Tailed Beasts. Except for you, the other eight have already been caught."
The Biju's tails settled, his eyelids drooping.
Of course, he knew. He had seen Pain's [Rinnegan] clearly and understood the implications. Someone wanted to resurrect the Ten-Tails.
Colt continued, "I'm not asking you to wholeheartedly accept Naruto right away. Just give him a chance, and both of you try to work together. That way, you can continue to survive in this world, right?"
After saying this, he felt a bit awkward.
Why did it feel like he was playing matchmaker?
The Nine-Tails remained silent, and a strange quiet fell between them.
Soon, the Uzumaki family reappeared.
Minato and Kushina looked somewhat drained, especially Minato, whose face was bruised and swollen, clearly having endured some rough treatment.
Colt hurried over to replenish their chakra, curious about what had transpired.
"What happened?"
Kushina angrily explained, "It's all Minato's fault for making Naruto suffer so much. My poor child!" Tears filled her eyes as she hugged Naruto.
"Mom, it's alright. I've gradually been accepted by everyone, and I'll definitely become the Hokage in the future!" Naruto quickly comforted her.
Minato smiled helplessly; this wasn't how he'd wanted things to go.
Colt snickered inwardly.
Kushina truly lived up to her "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" nickname.
Thankfully, the members of his family were gentler not like her.
With Naruto's comfort, Kushina's mood quickly improved.
She remembered to thank Colt.
"Colt, right? Thank you for taking care of Naruto all these years. Without you, who knows how much he would have suffered."
Colt waved his hands dismissively.
"No need to thank me. Naruto is my friend too. I just hope you don't blame me for arranging this meeting so late."
"Not at all," Kushina said quickly.
She understood Colt's reasoning.
With Danzō's presence in Konoha and Naruto's immaturity, an earlier revelation would have only hindered his growth. The current timing was just right.
Her Naruto had become a reliable ninja.
Kushina gazed tenderly at her son.
Colt then discussed the practice of controlling the Nine-Tails' chakra.
With Minato and Kushina's help, progress should be much faster.
Kushina also entrusted her own seal to Colt, allowing him to preserve this chakra.
Outside, Jiraiya and Konan looked puzzled at the suddenly tearful Naruto.
However, Jiraiya's eyes moved to the gradually fading [Eight Trigrams Seal], and he began to understand.
**********
Meanwhile, after taking Nagato's body and one [Rinnegan], Orochimaru couldn't wait to transplant it into himself. With his current body, he forcibly endured the [Rinnegan]'s terrifying pressure.
He also learned the Akatsuki's true purpose in capturing the Tailed Beasts.
However, to prevent Konoha from summoning the Gedo Statue through the [Rinnegan], Obito had placed many seals on it. Orochimaru's attempt to summon the Gedo Statue failed.
He managed to attract several White Zetsu by releasing the whereabouts of the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki.
After capturing a few, he released one with a certain mission, instructing the White Zetsu to deliver a message to Obito:
Orochimaru was ready to cooperate with the Akatsuki.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone