If one were to describe Hagoromo's feelings at this moment, he'd probably have to say that the wind was rather boisterous today...
This was a somewhat cheerful yet slightly unpleasant first meeting. Regardless, Mirai was still very self-conscious about her red hair.
After all, bright red hair was uncommon. Even though Hagoromo said her hair was something to be proud of, how could a child like Mirai completely ignore the opinions of others?
Therefore, it was only natural that Naruto would get a sound beating.
In the time to come, and in the n years following, even with Naruto Uzumaki's straight-line way of thinking, he would eventually come to understand a profound truth: impulse is the devil, and one must never carelessly say things that shouldn't be said.
Since Naruto's last electric shock was a year and a half ago, it was impossible for him to remember anything before that. He didn't even have the slightest impression of Hagoromo.
This was perfectly normal. If he actually remembered "Big Brother Hagoromo," one would have to suspect if he had transmigrated from somewhere. Having a clear memory at age three—who do you think you are, Hagoromo?
However... Hagoromo was actually quite relieved by Naruto's current state. Although he didn't quite understand the principles behind Naruto's personality development in this kind of environment, being a bit of an idiot like this was always better than being gloomy and depressed.
Blond hair and blue eyes, exactly like Minato, but with a round face like Kushina's. However, his face and body were covered in dirt.
This kid was quite busy. Had he already gotten into a fight with someone early in the morning? That wasn't the case. In reality, as a good child aspiring to become a ninja, Naruto had gone out early in the morning to "train."
"What's wrong?! You damn thieves, why aren't you saying anything?!" Seeing Hagoromo remain silent, the brat started jumping up and down.
A bit too emotional, huh...
Hagoromo slapped his forehead; this kid was a bit too rowdy.
Mourning for him in silence for three seconds, Hagoromo then pointed a finger at Naruto:
"Mirai, catch him."
In Naruto's eyes, Mirai's red hair seemed to dance without wind... looking like tentacles, it was somewhat terrifying.
For some unknown reason, looking at this young lady's face and his own clear reflection in her pupils, the courage Naruto had when he barged in was suddenly swept away, and he turned around and ran...
Naruto didn't know why, but he ran anyway, and he felt he made the right choice. Yes, following one's instincts at a time like this is not wrong.
Naruto fled out the door, but Mirai delayed making a move. Hagoromo looked down at her—what happened to "catch him alive"?
Mirai looked up and answered Hagoromo's unspoken question: "I have a forty-meter long blade. I'll let him run thirty-nine meters first."
Hagoromo: "..."
It seems I've told her way too many fairy tales.
For Hagoromo, there was a basic rule: someone who had endured three and a half years of electric shocks couldn't beat someone who had endured five years of electric shocks.
Furthermore, Mirai had already mastered many ninjutsu, most of which were advanced techniques.
In short, when Naruto ran from his mid-rise apartment down to the street level, he felt relieved that the other party hadn't chased him out. But he shouldn't have turned his head to confirm anything; otherwise, he could have remained immersed in his beautiful delusions!
When Naruto turned his head, a terrifying scene fell right into his field of vision.
He saw Mirai vault directly out of his apartment window, leap down, and with a few light bounces for leverage, jump from that height all the way to the ground, landing squarely in front ofhim.
He finally realized the truth: no matter how he ran, he couldn't escape. It was a tragic reality.
Mirai grabbed Naruto by the collar. Seemingly just to scare him, after catching him, she completely ignored the normal route and instead bounded back up the exterior of the building in a few jumps.
She was as light as a swallow in the clouds, but Naruto, experiencing this for the first time, was practically foaming at the mouth... Ninjas generally weren't afraid of heights, but no one had ever taken Naruto on a joyride like this before.
"I brought him back, Hagoromo. What do we do next?"
Hagoromo blinked. Mirai's mood wasn't quite right. What happened to the moving reunion?
"Anyway... let's strip him first."
Regardless of whether it was moving or not, they had to get down to business.
"Hold on, what are you doing?"
The word "strip" instantly jolted Naruto out of his shock. Every time this word appeared, a heart-wrenching story was about to unfold. No matter the time or place, this word was simply bad news.
I can't be stripped!!
But the victim's opinion was clearly not within Hagoromo and Mirai's scope of consideration. At any rate, Mirai didn't have any resistance to the idea.
"Strip completely? What about the lower half?"
Hagoromo: "..."
Ahem, hello hello, villagers of Konoha please pay attention, villagers of Konoha please pay attention, we interrupt this broadcast for breaking news: a young lady is attempting to strip her younger brother naked...
"The shirt. Just the shirt is enough."
What mistake did this child make to almost end up making a fully nude on-screen debut?
"Wait wait wait... Help!" By the end of the sentence, it had turned into a scream like a pig being slaughtered.
Was it really that serious? It really was.
Naruto's struggle was quite fierce, and then... he lost control of his body.
Naruto was shocked to find that he couldn't move or speak.
This made it convenient for Mirai to act. In short, two minutes later, on a very cold day, Naruto was half-naked.
Of course, Hagoromo wasn't here just to strip a child for fun. He crouched down, pressed his palm against Naruto's abdomen, and the Eight Trigrams Sealing formula materialized.
Mirai also moved to Naruto's front.
She knew exactly what was sealed within her "little brother."
"How is it?" Hagoromo asked.
"There really is a strange chakra leaking out from the gaps in the seal," Mirai said.
Through the gaps of the two Four Symbols Seals, the Nine-Tails' chakra was constantly leaking out... This was the Fourth Hokage's provision so that Naruto could control the Tailed Beast in the future.
However...
"I'm sorry, Fourth Hokage..."
This wasn't in line with Hagoromo's plans. Things done by the dead will always be altered by the living.
Naruto saw that the two people in front of him both wore completely serious expressions... This made him panic relentlessly. He wanted to say something, but it was completely impossible.
Hagoromo began drawing a new jutsu formula on Naruto's abdomen. He intended to add another Four Symbols Seal on top of the Fourth Hokage's sealing formula, completely blocking the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Naruto couldn't lower his head, nor could he see what Hagoromo was doing, but the sensation on his abdomen made him feel that things were very bad.
Human experimentation?
Countless terrifying stories he had heard and seen resurfaced in Naruto's mind at this moment. The figures of Hagoromo and Mirai before him had already transformed into demons engaged in some sort of delightful butchery in his eyes.
But why didn't these two have horns?