Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"There are three situations in which a Flying Thunder God marker can no longer be used, even though the marker itself never truly disappears."

"The first is the destruction of the object carrying the marker. For example, if the marker is placed on a piece of clothing, it can't be erased directly, but the clothing itself can be burned or destroyed, causing the marker to vanish along with it."

"The second is when the marker exists in a space separate from the normal space occupied by the user. Since Flying Thunder God is itself a space-time ninjutsu, it can't be sensed through certain barriers that isolate space, nor can it be detected if it exists within another dimension."

When mentioning the second possibility, Minato deliberately glanced at Kurama and used an example.

"I once fought the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki and left a Flying Thunder God marker on one of the Eight-Tails' tails. However, after the Tailed Beast's power was withdrawn, I could no longer sense the marker."

"You didn't leave one on this old man too, did you?"

Kurama looked at Minato suspiciously.

After all, the man had a habit of scattering Flying Thunder God markers everywhere during battle. Surely he had left one on the Nine-Tails back then as well?

[Maybe I should check someday.]

Minato merely responded with a gentle smile before continuing his explanation to Naruto.

"As for the third possibility... it exists only in theory."

"The Flying Thunder God Technique is a combination of sealing techniques and ninjutsu. Naturally, it can theoretically be countered through the principles of sealing techniques as well."

"However, that method is highly impractical."

"Setting aside the complexity of Flying Thunder God's seal formula itself, if someone discovers a marker and simply wants to get rid of it, it's far easier to destroy the object carrying it."

This was the first time Naruto had received such a systematic explanation of both the strengths and weaknesses of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

It also made him realize how little he truly understood about the techniques he wielded.

He had always focused on using them more effectively and becoming more proficient.

He had never really considered analyzing them from these perspectives.

"So regardless of which possibility it is, none of them can directly tell us what happened to the surviving Uchiha clan members."

Minato concluded.

"We'll still need to investigate personally."

Inside the mental world, Minato had just finished explaining the principles behind the Flying Thunder God Technique and was beginning to speculate which possibility was most likely.

At that moment, Kurama suddenly spoke up.

"The Flying Thunder God kunai you used to transfer them... was that the same one used to seal that Dragon Vein chakra?"

"Dragon Vein chakra?"

Naruto blinked.

"You know about that, Kurama?"

Even Minato looked surprised.

That mission had taken place before Naruto was born. Furthermore, because parts of his own memories had become unclear, Minato had never fully explained the details even to Kushina.

So how did Kurama know about it?

"...It's a long story."

Kurama lay on the ground and lifted his head slightly.

The expression in his eyes looked as though he had just remembered something deeply unpleasant.

"But if that's the case, this old man can roughly guess what happened."

"All Uchiha are the same."

Kurama snorted.

"This old man would bet they started seeking power and revenge again."

"And what better source of power could they find than the Dragon Vein chakra sitting right in front of them?"

"In that situation, the seal you left behind would naturally become an obstacle."

He clicked his tongue.

"Come to think of it, Minato..."

"Didn't you intend that from the very beginning?"

Afterward, Kurama explained everything he knew.

"So Naruto also traveled through time?"

Minato finally understood.

"To avoid altering the future, I sealed everyone's memories?"

"And because nobody knew Kurama was inside Naruto, you became the only one who remembered everything?"

"That's right."

Kurama nodded.

"You guessed correctly."

Minato fell into thought.

"To be honest, part of my reasoning really was that the surviving Uchiha clan could potentially make use of the Dragon Vein's power."

"But I expected that to happen only after Naruto made contact with them."

"My seal shouldn't have been that easy to break..."

"See?"

Kurama scoffed.

"You always plan ten steps ahead."

"But reality doesn't always follow your calculations."

After that, Minato and Kurama launched into an incredibly lengthy discussion regarding the Dragon Vein chakra and what the surviving Uchiha might be trying to accomplish.

Very lengthy.

So lengthy, in fact, that when Naruto thought back on it now, he could barely remember any of the details beyond a few scattered scenes.

His father and Kurama spent nearly every day inside his mental world discussing plans and strategies.

After a while, it all started blending together.

The only thing Naruto clearly remembered was Kurama's final conclusion—

"Don't let Sasuke search for his clansmen alone."

"It could be extremely dangerous."

—

"Hey..."

"Did you pass out in there?"

"Huh? Ah?"

Naruto snapped back to reality and immediately found Sasuke's face right in front of his own.

He instinctively jerked backward.

"What are you doing? I have a girlfriend!"

"...What the hell is wrong with you?"

Black lines practically appeared on Sasuke's forehead.

"You've been staring into space without saying a word for ages. I thought you'd gotten dizzy from soaking too long."

For a brief moment, Sasuke felt that worrying about Naruto had made him just as foolish as the idiot himself.

"Oh..."

"Oh, right."

Naruto laughed awkwardly.

"...I'm done here."

Seeing that Naruto was fine, Sasuke stood up and climbed out of the hot spring.

"Remember to drink some milk before bed!"

"..."

Sasuke paused.

Then he silently changed clothes and left.

Passing by the refreshment area, he grabbed a cup of hot milk.

Standing in the corridor, he took two sips.

Immediately, a look of disgust appeared on his face.

"They added sugar."

"Way too sweet."

—

"So I'm the only one left."

"Kakashi-sensei sure is taking his time."

With the hot spring now empty except for himself, Naruto copied Sasuke's earlier posture and leaned back against the rocks while staring up at the stars.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

[Kurama.]

"What?"

The Nine-Tails replied instantly.

[When I'm soaking in a hot spring, can you feel it too?]

"Not right now."

[Right now?]

"Not while I'm sealed."

Kurama answered lazily.

"Once the seal is removed and our chakra becomes fully synchronized, this old man will be able to share your senses."

[That's a shame.]

Naruto sighed.

"Hot springs are amazing."

"Oh."

[Then let's come back together sometime.]

[After we remove your seal.]

"...Do whatever you want."

Hearing Kurama's tone, Naruto could practically picture the giant fox pretending not to care.

A smile unconsciously spread across his face.

Then—

He heard a voice coming from the neighboring bath.

"Hm?"

Naruto blinked.

The men's bath should be next to...

"Is... is that Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata?"

Naruto froze.

A bamboo partition separated the men's and women's baths, but it did nothing to block sound.

—

Meanwhile, on the nighttime streets of Yugakure—

"Looks like my luck isn't very good."

"I thought I'd find you quickly, Jiraiya-sama."

Wearing a yukata and emerging from the last hot spring inn on his list, Kakashi let out a sigh.

"Maybe I should just go back and enjoy the hot springs instead..."

However, when he returned to his own inn and spotted a familiar figure sitting beside the elderly receptionist, he stopped in surprise.

"Finished with your errand?"

Mei Terumī looked up from her thoughts and turned toward him.

She was dressed in a yukata.

Her wine-red hair flowed naturally over her shoulders, while a faint smile curved her lips—equal parts charming and unexpectedly cute.

After giving a casual wave to the half-asleep receptionist, she stood and walked toward Kakashi.

"The baths are currently in a do-not-disturb period."

"Let's find somewhere else and have a chat."

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