Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 229

He looks more like a parent with a terrible temper... uh...?

"Watergate……"

Kushina subconsciously moved closer to her husband's ethereal soul, her voice trembling slightly with a hint of bewilderment.

Minato felt both sorry for his wife and a little amused as he watched her worldview being repeatedly distorted.

He gently put his arm around Kushina and soothed her in a soft voice, "It's alright, Kushina. Madara-san isn't usually... that irritable."

He paused, glanced at Kurama with a "bump" on its head and still humming, and added, "It's just... Kurama... is sometimes too impulsive, um, yes, too impulsive."

"Mr. Ban just... um... gave it a little 'education' to make it quiet so we could talk."

Minato tried to justify Madara's violent behavior.

Kushina's eyes met Minato's gentle smile and Madara's still cold but seemingly...

Hmm... his profile, which wasn't so menacing, scanned back and forth.

She keenly noticed the evasiveness in Minato's words and the seemingly indifferent but actually non-confrontational attitude of Madara.

A deeper question arose in my mind.

"Watergate……"

Kushina's voice lowered, tinged with a barely perceptible sob and urgency: "What... exactly happened during the time I was asleep?"

"Why did Madara... and Kurama... appear in Naruto's sealing space in this way?"

"You...between you..."

She simply couldn't imagine her husband, the legendary Uchiha Madara, and the sealed Nine-Tailed Fox.

These three elements will form a... seemingly "peculiar" coexistence.

Minato understood his wife's confusion and worries.

He sighed softly and pulled Kushina to sit down at the low table in the center of the "Japanese-style room" in the consciousness space.

Madara remained seated atop Kurama's head, eyes closed in repose, seemingly indifferent to the conversation below.

But Kushina could sense that his scarlet Sharingan seemed to have opened slightly.

The nine-tailed fox lay there whimpering, its enormous ears standing up high.

Minato began his narration.

He awakens inside Naruto's body and encounters a confrontation with Madara.

The two of them and the beast worked together to teach Naruto a lesson.

Later, during the mission to the Land of Waves, he fought alongside Madara against the enemy.

The Chunin Exams, the mission to the Land of Snow, everything.

Minato's narration is calm and clear, recounting the turbulent events within the sealed space over the past three years, as well as the life-and-death trials Naruto experienced in the outside world.

They were all presented to Kushina.

He emphasized the "teachings" that Madara and Kurama (the Nine-Tails) gave to Naruto during his training.

It tells the story of how Madara and Kurama (the Nine-Tails) helped Naruto when he was in real danger, despite their seemingly awkward but actually firm actions.

Kushina listened quietly, her expression shifting from initial shock and confusion.

It gradually transformed into something complex and moving, and finally into an indescribable warmth and... a trace of guilt.

She finally understood.

Madara Uchiha, who is depicted as a demon in history books.

He is essentially an extremely arrogant, hypocritical guy who has his own unique principles deep down.

He and the Nine-Tails are practically a match made in heaven.

One is sharp-tongued and sarcastic, the other is hot-tempered and arrogant. They are either constantly arguing and bickering, or preparing to do so.

But when it comes to crucial moments, they always manage to reach a consensus in an awkward way and work together against external threats.

What brought tears to Kushina's eyes and deeply moved her was Minato's final words.

"Kushina,"

Minato's eyes were incredibly serious, filled with deep gratitude: "Although Mr. Madara and Kurama have never admitted it, they may not even have realized it themselves..."

"But over the years, as Naruto grew up without our support, they... and I, in a way, shared the responsibility of being 'fathers'."

"As Naruto's biological father, I have an unshirkable responsibility." Minato's voice carried a hint of pride and tenderness.

"Kurama, although it was sealed here and its fate was intertwined with Naruto's, it witnessed all of Naruto's efforts and struggles."

"It spurred and protected him in its own unique way, and even... began to identify with him."

"And Mr. Madara..."

Minato looked at the figure still sitting on the Nine-Tails' head with his eyes closed, and said with respect, "He has a vision and power that are ahead of his time, although his teaching methods are extremely strict and even inhumane."

"But he did pour his knowledge, experience, and even... a certain expectation into Naruto."

"He honed Naruto in his own unique way, guiding him towards becoming stronger."

Kushina's tears finally flowed uncontrollably.

She looked at the unruly, dark-haired man.

Then look at the Nine-Tailed Fox, whose face was bruised and swollen, but whose huge beastly eyes seemed to have lost some of their ferocity.

Finally, she looked at her gentle and affectionate husband.

She understood why Minato had broken the seal to let her out.

It wasn't just about reuniting, but also about letting her see with her own eyes that her child wasn't alone during the years she slept.

He has three "fathers" with very different, even eccentric, personalities.

In their own ways, they clumsily, awkwardly, yet with unwavering determination, protected and guided him.

This bond, this protection, transcends blood ties, transcends race, and even transcends life and death.

Kushina suddenly stood up, facing Madara sitting on Kurama's head and Kurama lying on the ground whimpering.

She bowed deeply and solemnly! Her fiery red hair fell down, and her voice was filled with a deep sob and sincerity:

"Thank you! Mr. Madara! Kurama! I really... thank you so much!"

"Thank you for taking care of and protecting Naruto all these years! Thank you for not letting him walk alone in the darkness!"

This sudden, heartfelt thank you brought the sealed space back to silence.

Ban kept his eyes closed, but his brows seemed to twitch very slightly, and the corners of his mouth tightened almost imperceptibly, which could be considered as tacit acceptance.

But his posture seemed... a little more upright?

Nine-Tailed Fox was clearly taken aback, a hint of astonishment and... a very rare, acknowledged feeling flashed in its huge beast eyes?

But its proud nature immediately made it turn its head to the side, letting out a heavy, disdainful snort through its nose: "Hmph! Now you know how to say thank you?"

"You just used the Vajra Locket to bind me up like a dumpling without saying a word, how are you going to settle this score?! Don't I have any dignity?!"

Although the tone was still dissatisfied, the whining and grumbling was noticeably quieter, and even carried a hint of... grievance?

Kushina straightened up and looked at Kurama's awkward expression that seemed to say, "I'm angry, but come and comfort me."

Knowing she was in the wrong, she could only awkwardly scratch her fiery red hair, apologetic and ingratiating smile on her face: "This... hehe, Kurama, I'm sorry!"

"I had no choice! I just woke up and sensed the seal loosening and the Nine-Tails' chakra surging. My first reaction was to suppress you and protect Naruto!"

"A conditioned reflex! It's definitely a conditioned reflex! See, I know I was wrong!"

She clasped her hands together and made a "please, please" gesture towards the Nine-Tails.

Combined with her spirited yet slightly naive face, there's a strange and endearing contrast.

The Nine-Tailed Fox glanced at Kushina with its enormous beastly eyes, then snorted heavily, but said nothing more, barely accepting the explanation.

Its massive body shifted, finding a more comfortable position to lie down.

However, the dark circles under its eyes and the crooked nose made this majestic tailed beast look particularly comical.

Madara slowly opened his eyes, his crimson kaleidoscope sweeping across Kushina, who was showing genuine emotion, and Minato, who was gazing tenderly at his wife.

Ultimately, it fell on Minato.

His cold tone seemed to carry a hint of... barely perceptible emotion?

Ban's voice echoed in the empty space: "I never expected that the Bagua Seal you set up back then would have such a hidden trick."

"Let Kushina Uzumaki's soul serve as a final insurance policy, awakening when the seal is completely broken, to help suppress or even... eliminate the rampaging Nine-Tails."

He paused, a pure admiration flashing in his crimson eyes: "Indeed... he is the most intelligent and thoughtful Hokage I have ever seen."

“That treacherous Tobirama may be no less skilled than you in sealing techniques, but when it comes to long-term planning for the future, he is not as good as you.”

To be personally acknowledged by Madara Uchiha as the "most intelligent Hokage" is an extremely high compliment.

Minato paused for a moment, then gave a humble and warm smile: "You flatter me, Mr. Madara. As a father, I always want to leave my children a few more options."

His eyes were full of love when he looked at Kushina.

Chapter 252 Mother and Son Reunion: The Prelude to a Storm

The mention of children immediately drew Kushina's attention back, and the slight embarrassment on her face was instantly replaced by raging anger!

She stood with her hands on her hips, her fiery red hair seemingly about to burst into flames, and a dangerous glint flashed in her purple eyes.

"That's right! Minato! Where's the Third Hokage?!"

"That old monkey! Back then, he patted his chest and promised me that he would take good care of Naruto and treat him like his own grandson!"

"And then what?! Naruto when he was a child..."

She recalled Minato's description of Naruto's childhood experiences—being ostracized and isolated by the villagers, living in a dilapidated apartment, and eating expired food...

My heart aches like it's being cut by a knife!

"I'll teach him a lesson! I'll pluck every single hair off his white beard, or I'm not Kushina Uzumaki!"