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JST Chapter 355: A Hand Across Time
🕑 Added 2025-06-26 15:00:38 +0000 UTC“Naruto?”
The moment Kushina saw the little spiky-haired boy in front of her, a flood of motherly love she had never released before surged forth. She immediately rushed toward him. Though she caught sight of Namikaze Minato standing nearby, she had no time to spare for him.
She wrapped Naruto in a firm embrace.
“Are you all right, Naruto?”
Seeing the tightly scrunched little face in her arms, that look of hurt and grievance made her heart ache even more. “My son…”
Naruto, who had never been held so warmly before, felt that innate maternal affection—deep and unshakable, etched in blood. His eyes welled up instantly, and a tear slipped silently down his cheek as he choked out: “Mom…”
Minato, on the other hand, was more composed than the emotional Kushina.
As the Fourth Hokage, his first instinct was to question: Why am I here?
He and Kushina had left behind chakra remnants for one reason only—to act as a last line of defense in case Naruto was ever manipulated or overtaken by the Nine-Tails.
Which meant—had the Nine-Tails broken free?
Minato glanced sideways at the collapsed gate and felt a chill run down his spine.
So the seal on the Nine-Tails really had been undone?
In a split second, Minato shifted into combat stance, chakra for a sealing technique surging into his palm. He spun around sharply—
And froze.
What he saw was Kazuki, seated cross-legged and smiling calmly atop the Nine-Tails’ head, waving at him in a friendly, almost relaxed manner. “Hello…”
Minato was at a loss.
The Nine-Tails had broken free? Well… yes and no.
The gate formed by the Eight Trigrams Seal had clearly been dismantled and now lay on the ground in pieces.
And yet, it wasn’t quite a full escape.
The creature before him was nothing like the Nine-Tails he remembered—the terrifying beast that had thrown all of Konohagakure into chaos, causing massive destruction. That same Tailed Beast now looked more like a docile giant feline, quietly serving as a mount beneath the feet of that elegant young man.
Even its ominous chakra—once saturated with hatred—was now restrained, its negative aura suppressed to the point that, for a moment, Minato hardly recognized his old enemy…
So unfamiliar. Far too unfamiliar.
There was no doubt—the Nine-Tails' sudden change in demeanor had everything to do with the man sitting atop its head.
So… who was he?
To appear within Naruto’s mind, and to have even subdued the Nine-Tails… Who on earth was this person?
“Kushina!”
Namikaze Minato’s voice rang out, low and firm. “We have company!”
Just moments ago, Kushina had been fully immersed in the overwhelming emotion of reuniting with Naruto. But the sudden edge in Minato’s tone triggered her instincts—those of a seasoned shinobi.
She swiftly pulled Naruto behind her. Her fiery red hair floated around her like tendrils, and in the same motion, she unleashed the Adamantine Sealing Chains from within her, snapping into a stance ready to seal the Nine-Tails at a moment’s notice.
“Eh? Eh? Eh—?!”
But the moment Kushina’s sharp gaze fell on Kazuki, who was politely waving from atop the Nine-Tails’ head, she was instantly thrown off.
Why is there someone else here?!
And not just anyone—someone sitting on top of the Nine-Tails!
“Mom! Kazuki-onii-san isn’t a bad guy! If he hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t have gotten to see you at all!”
Naruto, still just a child but quick to sense the tension, clutched at Kushina’s sleeve and blurted out urgently: “He’s my friend! The only friend I’ve ever had in all my years living in Konoha!”
Both Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina froze.
Part of their reaction was surprise—surprise that Naruto had such a strong companion. But when they heard 'the only friend', a wave of sorrow swept through them as parents… from the deepest part of their hearts.
And with it came a trace of confusion—and dread.
How could this be?
This was their child. How could it be that after all this time, Kazuki—a complete stranger—was the only friend Naruto had ever made?
Could it be… was Kazuki preventing Naruto from making other friends?
If that were the case, then Kazuki’s intentions might be far more sinister—he could be manipulating Naruto, and even Konoha itself…
“Naruto,” Minato asked gently, his ever-sunny smile unwavering, “how long have you known your friend Kazuki?”
“Dad’s really happy you’ve met someone so remarkable…”
Kazuki watched Minato with an amused smile, spreading his hands slightly to show he meant no harm.
But behind Minato’s warm smile, the Yellow Flash was taut as a drawn bowstring. In Kazuki’s eyes, he could see every flicker of chakra shifting within Minato—nothing escaped his gaze.
Minato was like a predator, a panther coiled and ready to strike.
Kushina, on the other hand, was far more straightforward. Once she heard Naruto call Kazuki his friend, her floating red hair began to settle. There was even a faint trace of apology on her face.
Just as Kazuki had imagined she would be.
After all, this was the very same sharp-tongued young woman who once threatened to strangle the Nine-Tails with her Adamantine Sealing Chains on the night of the attack…
“Dad, I only met Kazuki-onii-san today…” Naruto hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Kazuki’s encouraging gaze, he felt reassured and finally answered.
Upon hearing Naruto’s reply, Namikaze Minato discreetly glanced at Kushina, who stood beside him.
Kushina responded with a firm shake of her head.
Minato’s silent question was clear—Had Naruto’s chakra been tampered with in any way?
And Kushina’s answer was equally clear: no.
That meant Naruto’s thoughts and words were completely his own. Kazuki hadn’t manipulated him.
Which meant… Naruto’s isolation in the village had nothing to do with Kazuki.
For a moment, even Minato—who had always placed the interests of Konoha above all—found himself unsure of what he was supposed to do next.
Yes, discovering who Kazuki really was remained important. But more than that, as a father, Namikaze Minato desperately wanted to understand—
How had his son, the orphaned child of the Fourth Hokage, grown up in the village with no one but a total stranger as his only friend?
It was unthinkable.
'This is ridiculous…'
Kazuki finally spoke, his tone calm. “Although Naruto and I haven’t known each other long, I couldn’t help but feel... unsettled by the life he’s endured. If you truly wish to understand him—why not link your chakra with his as a family?”
He looked at them evenly. “See what Naruto’s been through.”
Minato drew in a deep breath and gave a solemn nod. “No matter what happens… thank you.”
A man who could dismantle the Eight Trigrams Seal and subdue the Nine-Tails with ease—what could they possibly do against him in this ghostlike state, reduced to nothing but lingering chakra?
Let alone Kazuki—even facing an unsealed Nine-Tails, he and Kushina had once paid with their lives just to seal it away.
Minato had no choice but to place his hopes in Kazuki’s goodwill toward Naruto.
“Naruto, give me your hand…”
Kushina gently took hold of Naruto’s hand. Compared to Minato, who was more focused on the village’s well-being, her concern as a mother far outweighed any other thought in her heart.
Minato stepped forward as well, letting out a faint sigh as he laid his palm over theirs.
And just like that, the hands of the three members of the family came together.
Through the flow of linked chakra, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina witnessed everything sealed within Naruto’s memories—
It all began with a childhood spent alone…
Labeled a demon fox and a harbinger of misfortune by the villagers. Bullied by the children around him. Living in solitude in a cramped, narrow room…
Spoiled milk. Half-eaten instant noodles left on the table. Hand-me-down clothes like those distributed at orphanages…
One scene after another pieced itself together, until Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina finally understood—
Why Naruto had only one friend.
Even in the Ninja Academy… even the teachers of the village harbored prejudice toward him.
But those teachers weren’t like the uninformed villagers—they were at least chūnin, carefully selected through rigorous screening.
How could they not have known who Naruto really was?
If Naruto had been just an ordinary jinchūriki, then perhaps Minato and Kushina wouldn’t have been so shocked by the harsh life he endured.
Because in the broader context of the shinobi world, this kind of treatment toward jinchūriki was the norm.
Killer Bee. Gaara…
Every shinobi who became a jinchūriki from childhood was raised in such an oppressive environment, bearing the twin burdens of their hidden village and the Tailed Beast sealed within them.
In the eyes of Kazuki—who had once been part of the ruling elite of a hidden village—this was nothing more than a test of obedience and endurance.
A jinchūriki was, at its core, a living bomb.
What mattered most was stability: the ability to follow orders in any state or condition, without losing control.
And the most extreme method was this—subjecting them to environmental pressure from a very young age. If they could resist the beast’s temptations and suppress their own inner turmoil without going berserk, they passed the test.
Sometimes, auxiliary tactics were added to the mix.
Typically, each village’s Kage would assume the role of a 'kind and dependable' figure in the life of a promising young jinchūriki, cultivating trust and emotional reliance.
Take the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee, for example…
To be fair, their brotherly bond might well have become genuine in the later years—but that relationship was still built on the fact that Killer Bee, even as a child, could control the Eight-Tails.
In Konohagakure, the counterpart to this arrangement was Naruto… and the Third Hokage.
If no one else was allowed to approach Naruto, then no one else could become his friend.
And if the Third Hokage was the only one who visited him each month, then he would inevitably become, in Naruto’s subconscious, the sole friend of the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki.
Some might call it a conspiracy theory—but from a pragmatic standpoint, it was an undeniable truth.
Comments
Zero Speed
Remember to read 2, thanks for the chapter ✨
