章 2: 2. Happy times are always short
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Kushina's stomach grew noticeably with each passing day. During this period, Alex began to grasp the reality of his predicament.
According to the anime, he had somehow traveled to the Naruto universe, becoming Naruto before his birth.
Was this a direct reincarnation or a replacement of Naruto's soul? The question lingered, but Alex remained calm.
After all, he had already faced the strangeness of being reborn in California at the New Horizons orphanage.
Although Naruto's body was still incapable of speech or movement, his mind was incredibly active.
His primary concern was the imminent threat posed by Uchiha Obito during his birth.
Obito, driven by rage and resentment, would push Naruto's parents to sacrifice themselves to weaken the Nine-Tails' seal.
This was his chance to unleash the Nine-Tails and attack Konoha.
In Alex's previous life, he hadn't fully grasped the significance of Obito's actions until the story's conclusion.
Naruto knew that this calamity would claim the lives of many Konoha ninjas, including his parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
But as a fetus, there was nothing he could do—no way to warn them, no way to prepare.
For now, Naruto could only passively receive the nutrients provided by his mother while listening to Kushina's voice, which reached him through some mysterious connection.
From the first time she sensed Naruto in the awareness space, Kushina had been visiting his consciousness daily, speaking to him. Her words were simple but filled with love:
"Naruto, grow up quickly; your father and I can't wait to meet you."
"Your father is a super-powerful ninja, the Fourth Hokage."
"Mom is strong too! See that big, scary fox over there? Your mother can handle it easily." (In the background, a fox's roar echoed in protest.)
"Naruto, it wasn't easy for your mother to bring you into this world, so you must be obedient in the future."
"Naruto, your dad asked me to pass something on to you..."
"I don't care if you understand it or not, but I want to tell you anyway."
Despite the absurdity of it all, Naruto understood her, even though the language was different.
Over the months, he absorbed a surprising amount of knowledge.
He learned that their home was located in Building 101 on Ramen Street in Konoha Village.
He knew that his mother's close friend, Uchiha Mikoto, was also expecting a child.
He also knew that his father's disciple was a masked, white-haired ninja with dead-fish eyes—Kakashi Hatake.
In the ninja world, it's common knowledge that a fetus can't understand what's being said to them, but my mother was already planning my future. Is this what it's like to be an Asian child?
It seemed that he would have to study hard even before he was born.
Did she somehow know I was a scholar in my previous life?
Naruto almost resigned himself to spending the rest of his pre-birth days in 'Kushina's Parent-Child Prenatal Education Class.'
Until one day, a few months later...
"Who are you, handsome guy?"
As Naruto opened his eyes, he was startled to see a striking man standing before him.
Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Fourth Hokage and Naruto's father, had blonde hair, bright eyes with an orange ring around them, and a smile that radiated warmth. But why was he in Sage Mode?
"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? Did I fast-forward to the Ninja World War in my sleep?" Naruto's thoughts were a jumble of confusion.
Before Naruto could make sense of it, Minato spoke, his voice gentle but tinged with awkwardness. (Author's note: Minato's arrival in Sage Mode might have caused some confusion.)
"Hello, Naruto. This is our first meeting. I'm Minato Namikaze, your father. Uh...this..." Minato scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.
"I'm a first-time father, with no experience. I even asked the Third Hokage and Jiraiya-senpai for advice on 'how to get along with my kid' and 'what to say when I see my son for the first time.'"
"In short, I'll do my best to be a good father. Please take care of me in the future!"
He extended his right hand as if to shake hands with Naruto, his expression hopeful.
"Pfft, hahaha..." Kushina, standing nearby, burst out laughing. Minato, normally so composed, was adorably clumsy.
She remembered how, just days before, Minato had practiced his "first meeting with Naruto" speech at home.
He had termed it "The Family Struggle Over the First Meeting Between Father and Son."
Minato had rehearsed dozens of lines, but the final result was a disaster.
"Minato, Naruto is still a baby. How could he possibly shake hands with you?"
"Haha, that's true." Minato realized his mistake, laughing it off.
Naruto had already pieced it together—Minato must have found a way to enter the sealed space to meet him ahead of time.
'This father seems pretty great,' Naruto thought as he tried to raise his tiny hand, gently placing it on Minato's outstretched one before it could retreat.
"Ugh..." Minato was so touched that tears nearly spilled from his eyes. "Did Naruto accept me?"
"Yeah!" Kushina exclaimed, her joy evident, though her cheeks puffed up in mock annoyance. "Really, Mommy has been talking to you for so long, and you don't care, but when Dad comes, you say hello. It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair...not...fair..." She playfully poked Naruto's cheek.
"Wow ah ah." Naruto waved his little hands in protest, trying to fend off his mischievous mother while making noises that had no clear meaning.
"Hahaha." Minato grinned, pulling both mother and son into a warm embrace.
A family of three, enjoying a precious moment together...if you ignored the large fox in the background.
"Hmph, stupid humans."
Kurama watched them, a tinge of envy in his eyes. If only the old man were still around... Many generations had passed since then.
"Hey! Human, how did you get inside?" Kurama suddenly realized there was something he'd overlooked.
"Me? I devised a trick called [Father and Mother Chakra Resonance Control] to meet Naruto earlier."
"Huh?" Although Kurama had always known Minato was a genius, he still found it hard to adjust. "What is this guy talking about?"
"In simple terms, it's a technique to improve perception through chakra control. By adapting my chakra to a specific frequency based on Kushina's chakra fluctuations, I could control the chakra and enter through the seal. I've been practicing chakra control for months to pull this off."
Kurama couldn't help but be impressed by Minato's ingenuity.
Naruto, nestled in Kushina's arms, felt the same way. My father is amazing.
After just a few months of practice, he discovered this technique by combining it with chakra control.
It reminded Naruto of the method he later used to distribute chakra to the entire ninja coalition during the Fourth Ninja War.
Come to think of it, after mastering chakra control, when your misguided disciple returns to cause trouble in a few months, will you be able to defeat him?
A sudden wave of confidence surged through Naruto. Hold on, we can win this! His gaze on Minato was filled with admiration.
If you looked closely, you could almost see the words "Big boss, please take care of me!" written in his eyes.
From this day on, Naruto's hope for his future life grew even stronger.
And from this day on, Naruto's daily "Kushina's Parent-Child Prenatal Education Class" was upgraded to the "Minato and Kushina's Parent-Child Prenatal Education Class." Emmmm...hopefully, this isn't just an illusion.
Happy times are always short.
***
Thank you for reading.
週次パワーステータス
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