Uzumaki Naruto stared blankly at Minato, his vision suddenly blurring, and tears poured down uncontrollably.
In that instant, Uzumaki Naruto thought of many things.
He remembered going to school as a child, where other kids were picked up by their parents, but he was always alone, going to school alone and returning home alone.
He remembered how other kids had homemade meals from their parents, whereas he could only eat instant noodles on his own. Although Naruto could accept the taste of instant noodles, he also longed for meals cooked by his parents.
Seeing Naruto unknowingly in tears, Namikaze Minato placed his hand on Naruto's head and said apologetically, "I'm sorry."
Namikaze Minato didn't know what had happened to Uzumaki Naruto, but in conclusion, it's clear that his future self hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities as a father.
"Is it you who sealed the Nine-Tails inside me?" Uzumaki Naruto continued to ask.
"Yes." Namikaze Minato nodded slightly.
Just now, he had checked the seal on Uzumaki Naruto, and without a doubt, it was the Fuinjutsu he had performed, though by his future self.
Naruto clenched his fists tightly, with memories of unjust childhood experiences flooding his mind. A whirlwind of emotions, from grievance to confusion, surged within him.
Bang!
Uzumaki Naruto couldn't help but punch Namikaze Minato, a punch merely fueled by his physical strength, without any Chakra.
Nevertheless, Uzumaki Naruto's physical strength wasn't weak; even Minato couldn't help but show a slight change of expression after taking such a solid punch.
But Minato didn't say a word. His future self was already gone, so he let himself bear Naruto's anger on behalf of his future self.
"Good punch!" The Nine-Tails, observing the scene from within Naruto, laughed heartily.
This was precisely what he wanted to see—hopefully, Naruto would go berserk, and one of them would end up killing the other.
"Why seal a Tailed Beast inside your own child? Because of the Nine-Tails, no adults in the village ever treated me well. Even the children didn't want to be friends with me..."
More tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, and he passionately recounted his hardships over the years to Minato.
Namikaze Minato: .....
The misdeeds of the future come back to haunt the past, and he is probably the first to experience it.
"You've had a hard time these years, and I'm not a good father. If hitting me makes you feel better, you can punch me a few more times." Namikaze Minato gently touched Naruto's blonde hair and smiled warmly.
He didn't know why his future self sealed the Nine-Tails inside his child, but ultimately, he owed Naruto.
Uzumaki Naruto, with tears in his eyes, tightly gripped his fists looking intently at Minato.
"I'm not listening to you!" Naruto released his fists and hugged Minato tightly.
He had already let out all his grievances with that first punch. How could he bear to hit his father again?
Still, Naruto found it hard to control his emotions; tears kept flowing as his suffering had been too much.
Namikaze Minato gently stroked Naruto's back, waiting silently for his emotions to stabilize.
"How boring." The Nine-Tails, in a different dimension, watched this unfold, feeling disappointed.
He was ready; if Uzumaki Naruto went berserk, he'd go full force with his Chakra to help Naruto attack Minato.
"Really looking forward to the look on your faces when you part." The Nine-Tails regained his delight, thinking about their imminent separation.
The reason he chose this time to tell Naruto was that if Naruto and Minato didn't fight, they would soon part, and then being upset would be inevitable.
"Want to go for a bowl of ramen? My treat," Namikaze Minato asked with a smile, seeing Naruto's emotions gradually stabilize.
"Not at the shop; I want Mokgetsu's ramen," Uzumaki Naruto replied quickly, wiping away his tears.
As his time was running out, one of the things Naruto would miss the most was Mokgetsu's pork chashu ramen in a big bowl.
"Compared to mine and the shop's, indeed, Mokgetsu's is much better," Namikaze Minato noted.
In recent days, Minato had been trying to learn how to make ramen from Mokgetsu, but he was far from achieving that taste, equivalent to Ninja Level; Minato had just become a Ninja, while Mokgetsu's ramen was at Hokage level.
"Dad, I want yours too. I'll have two bowls," Naruto said, his face slightly flushed.
Calling that out for the first time, he still wasn't quite used to it.
Minato felt very mixed; he was relieved and happy but also found it a bit strange.
Afterward, the two returned to their rented room.
"Naruto, what's wrong? Did you run into an enemy?" Obito asked, puzzled, seeing the slightly disheveled Naruto.
Kakashi looked at the tear-stained marks on Naruto's clothes and realized something.
"No, I had a great time today," Uzumaki Naruto replied.
"That's good. Be sure to come again," Obito said with a big grin.
"Yeah, you guys keep it up," Naruto nodded emphatically.
Upon knowing that the Fourth Hokage was his father, Naruto earnestly hoped that Kakashi and the others' mission to change the past would succeed. Then he would also be a kid with a father.
"You think time travel is just like visiting neighbors?" Kakashi looked at Obito speechlessly, thinking he always had time for a return visit.
"With Kakashi saying that, it's definitely going to work out," Obito said, grinning widely.
Based on his past experiences, the final result always turned out to be the opposite of what Kakashi predicted.