Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 112

The Fourth Hokage, the man who made it suffer with the Flying Thunder God Technique and sealing techniques!

Nine-Tailed Fox grinned, revealing sharp fangs, and laughed arrogantly: "My mortal enemy! My roommate! How about it? You're not convinced?"

Looking at the impressive lineup of "fellow inmates" and "guards," and then at his own lonely figure, Shukaku was filled with grief, indignation, and helplessness: "You...you..."

It finally understood why the Nine-Tailed Fox was so arrogant!

This guy has some serious connections!

"Alright, Nine-Tailed Fox, let's get down to business."

Minato spoke gently, but his words carried an undeniable force.

The Nine-Tails put away its playful expression and stared at Shukaku with its huge beastly eyes: "Listen, you stupid tanuki, my son has something to say to you."

"What? Son?"

Shukaku was dumbfounded, its one eye scanning back and forth between Kurama and Naruto, filled with a sense of absurdity: "You stinky fox, did you get your head caught in a door or are you out of your mind from burning up your chakra? Where would we tailed beasts get offspring?!"

Madara's icy gaze instantly locked onto Shukaku, and the scarlet Eternal Kaleidoscope slowly began to rotate.

An invisible, terrifying pressure seemed to freeze Shukaku's sand body: "Oh? You... have a problem with my son?"

Shukaku felt a chill rush from the tip of its tail straight to the top of its head!

Faced with those eyes, it couldn't even muster the slightest thought of resistance!

He immediately put on an extremely obsequious smile: "Oh...oh, no! Lord Madara, you misunderstand! Absolutely no objection! I didn't know...I didn't know your son was..."

Its voice was trembling.

Nonsense, all nine of them combined couldn't defeat the other side, not to mention that their strongest member had defected.

Naruto stepped forward, pointing to himself: "It's me!"

Shukaku: "..."

It was utterly speechless, staring blankly at Naruto with its one eye: "You?? Aren't you the stinky fox's jinchūriki?! How did you become his son?!"

This relationship is so complicated!

"There is no conflict between being a Jinchūriki and having a son."

Nine-Tails said matter-of-factly, "Enough with the nonsense! Just tell me if you agree or not!"

“A...agree to what?” Shukaku had a bad feeling.

Naruto looked at Shukaku seriously: "It's simple. First, you're not allowed to disturb Gaara's sleep anymore! Let him rest properly! Second, when Gaara needs to fight, you must cooperate with him, provide him with power, and not hold him back!"

"Why?!"

Shukaku instinctively wanted to explode, but upon catching a glimpse of Madara's cold gaze, she forced herself to suppress her anger and muttered pitifully, "Why should I listen to you..."

Minato's face still wore a gentle smile, but his words sent a chill down Shukaku's spine: "The sealing technique within Gaara-kun seems a bit crude. If you won't agree, then I'll have to 'help' modify it. Hmm... how about using the 'Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique'? I'm very familiar with this technique, and as for its effectiveness..."

He paused deliberately.

Nine-Tailed Fox immediately chimed in, adding gloatingly, "Stupid raccoon, you don't know about the Eight Trigrams Seal, do you? It's the one that's keeping me locked up right now! It's incredibly effective! Once it's used, hehe, even I would have a hard time breaking free! As for you..."

It deliberately dragged out its tone: "You'll just be that red-haired brat's chakra engine for the rest of your life! Want to come out for some fresh air? No way!"

Shukaku imagined himself trapped in that level of seal, with no hope of ever escaping, and his single eye instantly filled with tears of despair: "You...you...you're bullying me!!"

It bitterly denounced the situation.

Madara snorted coldly, his crimson Sharingan narrowed slightly, and his terrifying eye power pressed down on Shukaku as if it were a tangible force: "So, will you agree... or not?"

Under the tyranny of the three big shots (especially Madara), Shukaku's silly body visibly withered away.

Finally, Shukaku, her voice trembling with tears, said with utter frustration, "Waaah... I... I promise..."

Consciousness returns to the real-world dungeon.

Naruto retracted his fist, a bright smile on his face: "Done! See, your problem is solved!"

Gaara stared blankly at Naruto. Everything that had just happened in the sealed space felt like a dream, yet incredibly real.

He could clearly feel that the raging monster inside him had become unusually "quiet" and "obedient".

The insane whispers and murderous intent that had been tormenting him and keeping him awake at night had actually disappeared!

An unprecedented sense of tranquility enveloped him, leaving him momentarily dazed.

Gaara's voice was filled with unprecedented confusion and a barely perceptible tremor: "Why are you helping me?"

His life was filled with betrayal, fear, and loneliness. No one ever showed him kindness, let alone helped him get rid of this ever-present nightmare.

Naruto scratched his head, seemingly organizing his thoughts, his eyes clear and sincere: "Well... how should I put it? Probably because... I also know what kind of life Jinchuriki live."

"From a young age, I was looked at with disgust, called a monster, had no friends, and was incredibly lonely..."

His voice was calm, as if he were talking about someone else's business: "So, when I saw you, a Jinchūriki like me, trapped in such pain, I wanted to... reach out and help you out."

"Reach out your hand... and help me up..."

Gaara murmured the same words over and over again, as if his heart, which had been frozen for more than a decade, had been struck by a warm current!

That hard, cold shell, at this moment, quietly cracked open in the face of Naruto's pure and warm kindness.

It revealed the softness inside that had never felt the sun.

A bittersweet feeling, unlike anything he had ever experienced before, welled up in his nose, making his eyes slightly warm.

For the first time, he truly felt that he was not a monster destined to be alone.

Several days later, in front of the gate of Konoha Village.

After paying a huge ransom, Temari and Kankuro, sent by Sunagakure to welcome Gaara, are anxiously waiting.

Their faces showed exhaustion and worry, especially Kankuro, who kept nervously wringing his hands.

When Temari saw Gaara walking out of the gate "escorted" by two Konoha ANBU members, she immediately went to greet him: "Gaara! That's great! Are you alright?"

Her tone was full of genuine concern.

Kankuro quickly stepped forward, but seemed somewhat hesitant and uneasy: "Konoha... didn't give you any trouble, did they...?"

He hesitated, as if he wanted to explain something but was afraid of angering Gaara.

Gaara stopped and looked at the brother and sister in front of him.

Their worries and anxieties were so real, no longer the hypocritical politeness mixed with fear of the past.

He was silent for a moment, then spoke in a voice that was calm and clearer than ever before:

"thank you all."

Temari and Kankuro were both stunned, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

Kankuro stammered, "No...no, no, we just...just..."

“We just care about you!” Temari said quickly, her eyes slightly red.

These simple words contained the true feelings she had suppressed for so long as an older sister.

"I know."

Gaara nodded, his face still expressionless, but the frost in his emerald green eyes seemed to have completely melted away, replaced by an indescribable gentleness.

He said softly again, "Thank you."

Temari could no longer hold back and stepped forward to give Gaara a somewhat awkward but incredibly warm hug.

Kankuro stood to the side, a relieved smile on his face, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Not far away, Naruto Uzumaki leaned against the door frame, watching this scene with his signature bright smile on his face. He raised his hand and waved vigorously in Gaara's direction.

Gaara seemed to sense something, tilting his head slightly, his gaze passing through his siblings, and meeting Naruto's gaze in the air.

He nodded slightly.

Sunlight shone on the ruins of Konoha's reconstruction, and also on the three siblings from Sunagakure, as if foreshadowing a new beginning.

As the smoke cleared from the Konoha Crush plan, what remained was not only ruins, but also new bonds and understandings that transcended hatred sprouting from the ashes.

Chapter 127 Unknown Threat & New Mission

The wounds of the Konoha Crush have not yet fully healed, but the reconstruction of the village is proceeding in an orderly manner.

The air was filled with the scent of fresh wood and earth, masking the smoke of past battles.

But traces of broken walls and ruins are still visible everywhere, silently telling the story of that tragic battle.

The villagers were busy, their faces showing relief at surviving the disaster and anticipation for the future.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the village, on the edge of a tranquil forest, the air suddenly distorted violently.

A blinding yet heatless light appeared out of nowhere, as if tearing apart the curtain of space.

As the light faded, two dusty figures appeared in the spot.

One of them was dressed in a dark, somewhat oddly styled, fitted combat suit, with a tattered dark cloak over it, and long black hair that covered most of his face.

As the breeze blew, his eyes, hidden by his black hair, were a deep purple, with faint, peculiar concentric circles flowing within them, exuding an indescribable sense of vicissitude and sharpness.

He was tall and straight, with a calm and profound demeanor. A long sword wrapped in cloth was slung across his back, and a faint but dangerous aura surrounded him.

Standing next to him was a blond boy who looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old.

He was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and dark trousers, with a ninja tool pouch tied around his waist, and most noticeably, a Konoha headband on his forehead.

However, the style of the headband is clearly different from that of the present era.

The boy's face showed the weariness of a long journey, but his blue eyes sparkled with curiosity and a hint of barely perceptible tension.

He looked around warily, instinctively clenching his fists.

"Phew... Have we finally arrived? Where is this? Konoha Village?"

The blond boy caught his breath, his gaze sweeping over the faint outline of a village in the distance. Then he looked up further into the distance: "The Hokage Rock... only four portraits? First Hokage, Second Hokage, Third Hokage... Fourth Hokage, but not Tsunade?"

The black-haired man also raised his head, his deep purple Rinnegan staring in the direction of the Hokage Rock, as if confirming something.

"Hmm. The Third Hokage is still in office, and the Fifth Hokage's statue is not yet completed. It seems that we arrived shortly after the Chunin Exams ended."

His voice was deep and calm, with a hoarse quality that came from years of experience.