Chapter 363: The Jinchuriki and Minato Namikaze
"Teacher, is this the airship?" Naruto asked excitedly, leaning against the window as he watched the forest below grow smaller and smaller.
Amamiya Kenichi nodded.
This was indeed the airship he had developed, a simple and convenient flying machine. However, it had long since ceased to be unique. It had already become standard equipment across the ninja world. Konoha, the Land of Fire, and the other major hidden villages all possessed large numbers of airships by now.
He just did not know what those people were using them for.
At the same time, Kenichi glanced at the sealing scroll in his hand.
Inside it lay the corpse of the Second Hokage of Konoha.
The First Hokage's corpse was impossible to keep out of Obito's hands forever. Uchiha Madara already possessed Hashirama's cells, and that was something Kenichi could not prevent. The only thing he could do was use Edo Tensei in advance and reanimate the First Hokage himself, so Obito would not have the chance to summon him later.
Although, just thinking that Obito and Black Zetsu's real target might be Uchiha Madara still made Kenichi lick his lips unconsciously. Uchiha Madara was an enormous problem. An Edo Tensei Madara could still be fought. A fully revived one would be a nightmare.
"Where are we going?" Naruto blinked, still staring outside. His face was full of excitement.
Children were like that. If they spent all their time trapped in one place, they could hardly contain themselves the moment they were finally allowed to travel far away.
"First, the Land of Rice Fields," Kenichi said with a smile.
He guided the airship toward the Land of Rice Fields. Even while flying, however, he remained alert, constantly watching his surroundings.
Ever since airships had been forced into widespread use throughout the ninja world, Konoha's borders had become crowded with them. Flying in directly would attract immediate attention unless he got lucky and slipped through a patrol's blind spot. But the sky was open and vast. An airship was not easy to hide.
Fortunately, he had already prepared for that.
In his previous life, stealth had always been a major topic in military research. When stealth fighters first appeared, some ignorant people even thought they were literally invisible. In truth, so called stealth mainly meant avoiding radar detection.
That was radar stealth.
As for visual concealment, that was more similar to camouflage clothing in ground warfare. Its purpose was simply to make a soldier harder to spot with the naked eye. Some sniper outfits even changed depending on the environment.
Kenichi had not yet hand built a fighter jet, but modifying an airship a little was no problem. He did not believe the ninja world had invented anything like radar yet.
So he did not need any fancy paint. All he needed was to give the airship a layer of coloring that would let it blend into the sky.
"Today's weather is clear, but there are some clouds..." Kenichi muttered.
He climbed out, glanced at the sky, and quickly painted the outside of the airship in a white and pale blue camouflage pattern.
From a distance, it would now be nearly impossible to spot. Even up close, someone would need to look very carefully to notice it. By controlling the speed properly, he could even make it seem like a drifting cloud.
Of course, if Konoha had some ninja with absurd eyesight, that was another story.
When Kenichi returned inside, Naruto was still staring through the glass in fascination, watching the scenery below.
That sight reminded Kenichi of the first time he had ever ridden on an airplane.
"I have some clothes, but... didn't you say we had to leave in a hurry, Teacher?" Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
Kenichi glanced at him.
This poor kid did not even have anything worth packing.
Looking at Naruto, Kenichi hesitated for a moment. He wondered whether he should tell him about his parents now. If he did, Naruto might not be able to handle the shock. But if he kept it hidden...
"Naruto," Kenichi asked, "do you know who your parents were?"
Naruto blinked.
"I don't know. But an old man told me they were ninja from Konoha who died for the village. That's why I get living expenses every month."
Kenichi curled his lip inwardly. Sure enough, that was Hiruzen's version of the story.
"I knew your parents," Kenichi said with a faint smile. "They were very kind to me."
He was not lying.
Back then, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki really had taken good care of him. Of course, they had also hoped he would become good friends with Kakashi, but that was beside the point. Kenichi had once had a fairly close relationship with the Fourth Hokage's family.
"Really?!" Naruto's eyes lit up at once.
There was excitement in his face, but also nervousness. It was obvious he had a thousand things he wanted to ask, yet for a moment he could not force any of them out.
"Your father was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze," Kenichi said softly. "And your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, the previous Nine Tails Jinchuriki, the Red Hot Habanero."
Naruto froze.
The information was too much. His mind clearly could not process it all at once.
Kenichi did not hurry him. He calmly poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. Tea was absurdly convenient in the ninja world. With Fire Release around, he could have a hot drink anytime he wanted.
By the time he finished his tea, Naruto was still sitting there blankly.
"Teacher... my father was the Fourth Hokage? And my mother was... the Nine Tails Jinchuriki? What is a Jinchuriki? What is the Nine Tails?" Naruto finally asked, his voice dazed and uncertain.
Kenichi reached into his sealing scroll and took out an old photograph.
"This is a picture of me with your parents."
It had been taken long ago, when he visited Kushina's home together with Kakashi. All four of them were in the picture. Kenichi had always kept it because it was one of the few precious photos of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina.
Originally, he had once considered selling it to Naruto when the boy grew up.
Now that Naruto was his disciple, there was no need for that.
Naruto stared at the photo.
There were four people in it. Kenichi. A blond man with a warm smile. A red haired woman grinning fiercely as she punched a silver haired boy in the head. The atmosphere in the picture was lively and close.
Almost instantly, Naruto's eyes filled with tears.
Since the day he was born, he had never known his parents. To him, "father" and "mother" had only ever been vague words. Now, for the first time in his life, he knew what they looked like.
Watching Naruto clutch the photograph and cry so hard his eyes turned red, Kenichi rubbed his nose.
Naruto really was the most unfortunate person in the entire ninja world. He had been thrown into hell from the moment he was born, and yet somehow he still managed to grow up without being stained by it. His will was honestly astonishing.
After Naruto calmed down a little, Kenichi began explaining the idea of a Jinchuriki.
"A Jinchuriki is someone who has another being sealed inside them. Your mother was once Konoha's Jinchuriki. The Nine Tails, a fox shaped tailed beast, was sealed inside her."
Naruto listened, still looking dazed.
"And now," Kenichi continued, "the Nine Tails is sealed inside you. After your mother, you became Konoha's next Nine Tails Jinchuriki."
Naruto went blank all over again.
That expression made Kenichi feel that perhaps he really had told him too much too soon.
Still, he continued. He told Naruto, in simple terms, what happened that night. How Kushina had grown weak while giving birth. How the enemy had struck at that moment. How Minato and Kushina had died.
He did not tell Naruto Obito's exact identity. He only let the boy know one thing.
The man who caused his parents' deaths was still alive.
By the time Kenichi finished, Naruto's expression had changed completely. The carefree look that usually clung to him had faded, replaced by confusion, pain, and anger.
"Teacher... who was that man?" Naruto asked, fists clenched. "Why did he do that?"
Kenichi smiled faintly and patted his head.
"I don't know who he really is. But I do know one thing. He is definitely not a good person."
Outside the window, the airship had already passed beyond the Land of Fire's borders. The patrols at the border had indeed failed to notice him. Whether that was luck or whether the camouflage had worked, he could not say.
Either way, it was good. He did not want Konoha finding his laboratory.
Looking at Naruto's face, which now looked like several emotions had been crammed together all at once, Kenichi's mouth twitched.
Maybe he really should not have told him this yet.
Naruto was still too young.
"Naruto," Kenichi said, patting him on the head again, "don't think too much right now. What you think today doesn't mean much. In the ninja world, the only thing you can truly rely on is your own strength."
Naruto bit his lip.
He did not know what to say. He only felt powerless. Just the title of Hokage already told him how terrifyingly strong his father must have been. If even someone like that had died, then how strong would he need to become to avenge them?
"Don't worry," Kenichi said with a chuckle. "You are the Nine Tails Jinchuriki, and you are the Fourth Hokage's son. Your talent is naturally extraordinary. As long as you work hard, you will definitely become strong."
Of course, that would take far too long. Kenichi did not have the patience to wait for Naruto to grow into the version from the future.
So he would deal with Obito himself one day.
At most, he could leave the final blow for Naruto.
That way, the boy could at least settle that grudge with his own hands.
Kenichi guided the airship down. They had reached the laboratory, and he needed to pick up a few things.
After he finished retrieving what he needed, Naruto still looked completely distracted.
Kenichi did not push him further. He could not expect too much from a child of this age.
"Naruto," Kenichi said, scratching his head, "come on. I'll take you to play in the snow mountains."
Naruto looked up at him blankly.
Kenichi had already decided.
First, he would let Naruto relax a little. Training could wait until later.
At the same time, once he got back, it would be time to restart his own experiments. This trip to Konoha had delayed him quite a bit.
Still, there was some good news.
Nagato's matter had been settled for the moment.
Once he returned to the Land of Snow, he could try communicating with Nagato again and continue discussing his plan.
He just did not know what Nagato was thinking now. Still, after helping him kill Danzo today, Kenichi felt his chances of persuading him had increased.
And once Nagato was on his side, it would be time to deal with Obito and Black Zetsu.
Those two bastards had taken the forbidden technique scroll.
That was truly troublesome.
.....
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