Chapter 3: The Disappearance of the Seventh Hokage and a Different Future

"Is your time sufficient? Naruto, can you tell me everything from the moment you were born?" Minato asked.

"I can," Naruto said, looking at his father, Namikaze Minato. In fact, by this time, his father had already started to believe what he said! But he hadn't bumped fists with him, evidently having some plan. Naruto trusted his father, so he didn't ask what his specific plan was.

"Before I was born, because of your outstanding performance in the Third Shinobi World War, you became the Fourth Hokage of Konoha. On the day I was born, the Masked Man, that is, Uchiha Obito, took advantage of the seal loosening during Mother's childbirth and released Kurama—oh, that's the Tailed Beast you call the Nine-Tails." Naruto lowered his head, touched his stomach, and slowly recounted everything that had happened since he was born.

Namikaze Minato listened quietly without saying a word, but his eyes kept changing, from the initial guard, slowly turning into guilt and concern, and finally into pride.

"In the end, although I killed the enemy, everyone in Konoha died too! I had no choice but to use Rinne Rebirth, hoping that everyone would be well-prepared to change this future." Finally, Naruto finished telling his story.

"You must have suffered a lot, Naruto," Minato's voice carried a hint of guilt. Naruto looked up and saw his father's complex expression.

That expression was very complex, containing guilt, concern, and pride. There was also much that Naruto couldn't read at once.

"Actually, it was alright. Shikamaru helped me, and Kurama and so many companions supported me. And you and Mom always believed in me," Naruto said, his voice trembling slightly. "My time is almost up. I've said everything I needed to say. I hope, Father, that you can change this future. This memory orb contains all my memories before I got married, including several battles against the Otsutsuki. You just need to inject Kurama's chakra into it to watch them. If there is enough chakra, it can even allow the entire ninja world to watch together."

Namikaze Minato walked over with tears in his eyes and hugged this child who was even taller than himself.

"Thank you for your hard work, Naruto. Thank you for everything you've done for this ninja world. Thank you for giving me another chance to be a father, and thank you for giving your mother another chance to be a mother! Thank you for giving our family a different future. Regardless of whether you are born into our family in the future, and regardless of whether our child is a boy or a girl, they will only be Uzumaki Naruto. Your mother and I will give them a happy home, and they won't be ostracized or shunned by others. They will only have many friends and be a happy child."

Naruto's body had already begun to slowly dissipate, but Naruto didn't care. He said in a trembling voice:

"Thank you, Father. Regardless of whether I can be born into our family in the future, and regardless of whether I can be born into this world, being able to be your child is the proudest thing in my life." Saying this, he grinned, looking just like the way he did when he first met his father...

In the end, Naruto disappeared. Looking at Naruto who had vanished in his arms, Namikaze Minato wiped away his tears, looked at the memory orb, and muttered to himself, "No matter what, I will find a way to resurrect you, Naruto."

This sentence seemed to be for himself, and it also seemed to be for Naruto's memories. Namikaze Minato was currently in the middle of the Third Shinobi World War, and he had many things to do; for every second he delayed, many people would die.

Namikaze Minato sealed the memory orb in his consciousness world, making it easy to retrieve at any time. Then he left without hesitation.

In the real world, Rin was still holding Obito, while Kakashi and Obito looked dazed. Evidently, all of this had happened in an instant, and they were clearly still immersed in the memories.

This situation was not only happening to the two of them; it was constantly playing out in other parts of the ninja world, some even on the battlefield... The momentary pause brought them danger, but those who could survive until the Fourth Shinobi World War were basically the elites of each nation. Although shocked, they were still able to avoid attacks, with only a small number suffering minor injuries.

Before long, Obito and Kakashi had awakened from the memories. Kakashi looked at Obito with complex eyes, then looked at his teacher and Rin.

Obito, on the other hand, had just reacted. He looked at Rin, who was holding him, and then hugged her tightly, repeating, "Rin, it's really great that you're alright."

Rin was startled by Obito and hadn't come to her senses yet when a feeling of suffocation rushed to her head. She could only say painfully, "Obito, you're hurting me!"

Obito hurriedly let go of Rin and asked nervously, "Rin, are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Rin stood to the side with a flushed face, not knowing if it was from shyness or the suffocation.

Kakashi looked at him helplessly to the side, unable to help but think: Is this idiot really the initiator of the Fourth Shinobi World War? Is he really the mastermind behind the Akatsuki organization, and is he really the person who almost destroyed the ninja world? Kakashi was skeptical of this memory.

Obito was still gently patting Rin's back, hoping Rin would feel better, while Minato was also looking at this disciple who had caused his family to be broken and scattered with a complex expression. For a moment, the Fourth Hokage, who was invincible on the battlefield, didn't know how to face him.

Taking a deep breath, Minato said, "You have also seen the memories that belong to you, right? Don't doubt it; all of this is real." Rin looked at Minato-sensei inexplicably to the side, not knowing what he was talking about.

Obito lowered his head in shame; he also didn't know how to face this teacher whose family had been broken by his future self. Looking at Obito's guilty appearance, and thinking of what Naruto had said, Minato suddenly understood. Perhaps this was an opportunity given by heaven and Naruto to Obito. In that destroyed future, Obito's hands would be stained with the blood of ninjas. But that future had already perished, and now it was a new beginning.

Minato was just about to comfort Obito when Rin, who had sensed something unusual about Obito, spoke first: "What's wrong, Obito? Did you do something wrong?" Obito didn't know how to reply to Rin and could only say intermittently, "Rin, I..." Seeing that Obito didn't want to say, Rin could think of it as being related to Obito's unusual performance just now and said, "It's alright, Obito. No matter what you did wrong, there's still room for redemption now, isn't there?" ===== CHAPTER 5 =====