Land of Fire, Konoha.
"Look, that guy's out again—"
"That... Demon Fox!"
"Ugh, how disgusting! Don't come any closer—"
The small, yellow-haired boy walked through the streets of Konoha, his orange sportswear emblazoned with the Uzumaki Clan Crest.
Hearing the whispered remarks, Uzumaki Naruto remained unfazed, his emotions barely stirred by the familiar hostility.
"Boss, two buckets of paint!"
Naruto slapped money onto the counter at a paint shop, his face beaming with boundless energy.
The shop owner frowned, his expression sour.
But Konoha had been too peaceful these past two years, with few new houses being renovated. He couldn't afford to turn down the money, so he pocketed Naruto's payment, waved him away, and gestured for him to hurry up and pick two buckets of paint and get out.
"Hehe~"
Naruto, paint buckets in tow, swaggered out of the shop and headed straight for the Shadow Rock.
Today, he was going to do something big!
As the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki, Naruto had endured years of villagers' cold stares and lived a life constantly feeling like an outsider.
After much deliberation, he'd come up with a plan guaranteed to grab everyone's attention: do something no one else would dare to do, or even could!
Watching Naruto waddle toward the Shadow Rock, even without Minato's insight, both Matatabi and Gyūki could guess what he intended.
"Is this the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki of this timeline? He looks rather foolish," Matatabi remarked, curiously examining Naruto's figure within the Sealing Space.
"More importantly, Minato, look at the portrait on the far right of the Shadow Rock. It looks just like you!" Gyūki observed.
Gyūki continued, "It seems you became Konoha's Fourth Generation. But given your strength, we shouldn't have been able to infiltrate so easily."
"He's probably dead," Minato said calmly. "Normally, Konoha's Jinchūriki of this generation should be Uzumaki Kushina—my girlfriend."
"Wait, wasn't your girlfriend an Uchiha?" Matatabi's eyes widened in surprise.
"That was another one," Minato replied with an awkward chuckle, leaving both Tailed Beasts momentarily silent.
"This child... he must be the son Kushina and I will have in the future," Minato said.
"It's obvious. Same hair color and eyes. But he looks much more foolish than you," Gyūki remarked with interest.
"His face shape is like Kushina's," Minato said with a smile.
"This kid... his circumstances are rather unfortunate," Gyūki said, watching Naruto's retreating figure. "It seems you really died in this world. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state. I even suspect that no one here knows his true identity."
"You were right to be suspicious."
Just as Naruto was about to start scribbling, Minato dissolved into specks of light and reappeared behind him in an instant.
"Pranks will only make everyone dislike you."
"Whoa!"
The sudden voice startled Naruto, making him whirl around like a frightened kitten, staring at the newcomer.
When he clearly saw Minato's face, Naruto couldn't help but freeze.
The same hair color, the same eyes, and roughly the same age.
The wind on the cliff gently stirred the collar of Minato's hakama, revealing a handsome face with a warm, approachable smile.
For some reason, Naruto's heart suddenly began pounding violently.
Meanwhile, within the Sealing Space:
"Minato! You! Wind! Water! Gate!"
With a frenzied roar, the Nine-Tailed Beast bolted upright, staring at Minato in horror.
"This can't be! That guy's dead—wait, those two chakras—"
"You're still as hotheaded as ever, Kurama," Gyūki's voice echoed in the Nine-Tailed Beast's mind, eliciting a cold snort.
"Are you roommates with Matatabi now? If I remember correctly, you should both be in Kumogakure by now."
"Minato released us," Matatabi said simply.
Her words sent a chill through the Nine-Tailed Beast, turning his crimson blood cold.
"What did you say?"
The Nine-Tailed Beast's crimson, vertical pupils widened in disbelief. "Released you?"
That's not how he treated me!
He just snapped me in two with a couple of cracks, then dragged half of me into the Death God's belly—
And you're telling me he released you?
"What exactly happened?"
"We're not the Tailed Beasts of this world," Gyūki said wistfully. "But it seems our connection remains intact, no matter which world we're in."
"Hmph—"
The Nine-Tailed Beast huffed indignantly, a classic display of tsundere behavior, and lowered its head.
If you're from another world, that explains everything.
"It seems this kid is extraordinary, no matter which world he's in," the Nine-Tailed Beast mused, its gaze lingering on Minato with a mix of awe and wariness.
"Of course. He possesses two Bloodline Limits and inherited the First Hokage's Wood Release—"
"Wait a minute—"
The Nine-Tailed Beast's head snapped up again, its eyes blazing with shock. "Two Bloodline Limits? Wood Release? What in the...?"
"Does this world's Minato not have those?" Gyūki scratched his head, genuinely perplexed.
"This world's kid doesn't have a Bloodline Limit! He only knows the Flying Thunder God Technique, darting around like a fly."
The Nine-Tailed Beast clung to the door of the Sealing Space cage. "So, you were all sealed by him too?"
"That's true, but it's different from your case," Matatabi said with a chuckle. "We encountered enemies, and at the critical moment, Minato sealed us to prevent us from being picked off one by one. Besides the two of us, Sun Wukong, King Mu, and Chongming have already been released by him."
"We always thought Minato was the person prophesied by The Old Man, but now we realize that the Minato in our world was different."
Gyūki naturally understood the Nine-Tailed Beast's emotions.
It's like being torn between fearing your brother's hardships and envying his success.
Hearing this, the Nine-Tailed Beast froze in place.
Why must I arrive only to miss the best of times?
Though he hadn't watched Minato grow up himself, he was well aware of his early romance with Kushina. Reflecting on Minato's nature now, it made sense that he would be the most likely to reach mutual understanding with the Tailed Beasts.
"Why is our world's Minato so weak?!" the Nine-Tailed Beast exclaimed, frustration etched on his face.
"If he could become Hokage, he can't be weak, right? By the way, how did Minato die here?" Gyūki asked curiously.
The Nine-Tailed Beast averted his gaze guiltily. "Never mind that. What are you guys here for?"
"We accidentally came to this world. Even though we've found a way back, Minato wants to explore it first, since this world is likely the future of our own."
Gyūki explained, "But now it seems there are some differences between this world and ours, mainly concerning Minato. That's why I was asking—how exactly did Minato die in this world? With his strength, no one should have been able to kill him."
"Uh—"
The Nine-Tailed Beast's lips twitched. "You could call it a double suicide. He could have survived."
"Double suicide?"
Matatabi and Gyūki exchanged bewildered glances.
"So... the person he loved died?" Matatabi asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Mm," the Nine-Tailed Beast grunted softly.
"Was it someone from the Uzumaki Clan, the Uchiha Clan, or both?" Matatabi pressed.
The Nine-Tailed Beast stared blankly. What on earth is this woman talking about?
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