Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

“Naruto, during the Chunin Selection Exams, Jiraiya-sensei also talked to you about the topic of ‘chakra synchronization’—my idea is a continuation of that topic.”

Naruto stared blankly at Minato Namikaze.

Should we be surprised by Minato Namikaze's idea?

Or should we take Minato Namikaze's idea, which is exactly the same as Naruto's, for granted?

Naruto experienced firsthand Minato Namikaze's genius for the first time.

This young ninja was able to turn the tide of battle for Konoha whenever he appeared on the battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War.

He possesses unparalleled ninjutsu talent and combat awareness among ninjas in the ninja world.

Moreover, he is gentle and kind, and has perfectly inherited the Will of Fire of Konoha.

Everyone firmly believed that Minato Namikaze would bring about a true revolution in the ninja world.

Therefore, even the Third Hokage had high hopes for the future of Konoha under Minato Namikaze's leadership, and his strong support made him the youngest Fourth Hokage to succeed to the throne in history.

—If he hadn't died that night sixteen years ago.

“Naruto, the reason I left my and Kushina’s chakra in your body is because I discovered a conspiracy against Konoha sixteen years ago.”

"Kushina's seal on the Nine-Tails became extremely fragile due to childbirth... At that time, the mysterious masked man who appeared in front of Kushina used the Tail-Release Seal to force the Nine-Tails to break free from the seal and release the Nine-Tails from Kushina's body."

The information that Minato Namikaze is now telling Naruto is not much different from what Naruto already knows.

The only difference is that Iruka Umino also died that night.

"That masked man possessed extremely strange space-time ninjutsu. In the end, I could only barely leave my Flying Thunder God mark on his body."

"Naruto, you can also use the Flying Thunder God Technique, so you should understand what I'm talking about, right?"

Minato Namikaze didn't give Naruto the answer directly, but instead asked him a question in return.

Naruto, of course, understood Minato Namikaze's implication: "The Flying Thunder God Seal will not be erased."

"That's right. This is a secret that the Second Hokage, who created the Flying Thunder God Technique, recorded in the Scroll of Seals without explicitly stating it—a secret that only ninjas who have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique will know."

“Naruto, you have the potential to sense and activate the Flying Thunder God seal I left on that mysterious masked man.”

This is what Minato Namikaze previously referred to as chakra synchronization.

Chakra, which coexists with humans, possesses three properties just like humans: independence, heredity, and sociality.

Just as there are differences between people, there are also differences between chakra, which is independence.

The enduring concept of ninja clans in the ninja world also indicates that chakra has a hereditary component; for example, the Uchiha clan is naturally very compatible with fire-style techniques.

The definition of the bloodline limit for ninjutsu types in the ninja world is also a recognized representative of chakra inheritance: "When a ninja fuses two chakra nature transformations into a completely new attribute, this is called 'bloodline limit,' and the bloodline limit is recorded in the ninja's genes and is inherited dominantly or recessively through bloodline transmission."

As for the social nature of chakra, the five ninja villages of the five great nations are the best examples.

Because of the country's topography and climate, the ninjas living there can more easily adapt to the corresponding ninjutsu.

Sand Village, skilled in Wind Release; Mist Village, skilled in Water Release; Rock Village, skilled in Earth Release...

The "Chakra Synchronization" technique utilizes one of the three properties of chakra: heredity.

Heredity.

Or it could be chakra inheritance.

In simple terms, bloodline inheritance means that ninjas and their offspring can synchronize their chakra, which is both independent and similar, and use each other's chakra to perform techniques.

As for chakra inheritance, Naruto only knows of two examples.

The most typical example is the countless reincarnations of the chakra of Indra and Ashura, the two sons of the Sage of Six Paths.

Another example of chakra inheritance is, of course, Sasuke in the original work, who frequently absorbed large amounts of Karin's chakra for treatment and chakra replenishment, resulting in his child, Sarada Uchiha, resembling Karin.

The synchronization of chakra between Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki is based on the bloodline inheritance between father and son.

The Flying Thunder God mark that will never disappear.

This is the information gap that Minato Namikaze left on the mysterious masked man—that is, Obito Uchiha, who was disguised as Madara Uchiha—for sixteen years.

Naruto deliberately left Minato Namikaze's chakra behind, intending to use this chakra to activate Minato's Flying Thunder God seal on Obito.

With an absolute information disadvantage, they countered Obito's space-time type Sharingan eye technique, "Kamui".

I never expected that Minato Namikaze would have such an idea.

"I won't ask you what you plan to do next. Compared to Kushina, who sincerely wanted to accompany you as you grow up, but had to immediately part ways with you because the Nine-Tails was extracted from her body and she faced certain death... I know very well that I, who could have survived sixteen years ago but chose to face death with Kushina, have no right to lecture you."

Minato Namikaze.

He could be the most trusted comrade-in-arms of the Konoha ninja;

It could be the Hokage whom everyone firmly believes can lead Konoha to prosperity and bring about change to the ninja world;

He could also be a loving husband who dotes on his wife, Kushina Uzumaki.

But he will never have the identity of a "father".

Moreover, the Naruto standing before Minato Namikaze was no longer the Naruto Uzumaki who regarded Minato as his father.

The premise of his "good father" image in the original work is that Naruto Uzumaki, as a son, can recognize, understand, and practice Minato Namikaze's ideals, and let go of everything he has experienced as a Jinchūriki.

Unfortunately, Minato Namikaze no longer has this prerequisite.

Minato Namikaze protected Konoha with his life, but Danzo Shimura, a high-ranking official in Konoha, turned around and tried to take Naruto's life.

The ideals upheld by Minato Namikaze were not trampled upon by Naruto—but by Konoha.

Minato Namikaze himself was well aware of this.

“Naruto, you have to be careful of that mysterious masked man. The number of times my chakra can be used depends on the distance you can reach when you activate the Flying Thunder God Seal, but it’s definitely not many… So make sure your attacks can hurt that mysterious masked man.”

The first, and perhaps last, conversation between father and son ended in a completely devoid of any familial affection.

Minato Namikaze dispersed the consciousness attached to his chakra, returning it to its purest form, making it easier for Naruto to control.

……

The intense heat emanating from the Nine-Tails' chakra melted the ice and snow over a large area.

As she approached the barrier, Kazeka Koyuki suddenly felt stuffy and subconsciously unbuttoned her thermal coat to let her tightly wrapped body breathe a little.

"Karin, how is Naruto now?"

Fuuka Koyuki stared intently at the Nine-Tails, which had been quiet and no longer struggling within the barrier, and asked Karin a question.

Karin simply shook her head in response.

Karin could sense that the Nine-Tails' chakra, which had been violently unleashed after the seal was broken, had become calm.

In other words, Naruto did indeed suppress Kurama in his mental space.

According to Naruto and Karin's deductions before the experiment, Naruto should have been able to deactivate his tailed beast form by now.

However, the actual situation deviated from expectations.

The Nine-Tailed Fox was calm.

However, Naruto has not yet deactivated his tailed beast form.

This left Karin momentarily at a loss as to how to handle the situation.

Did he use the Adamantine Lock that he used to restrain the Nine-Tails to seal it back into Naruto's body from the outside?

Or should we wait and wait for Naruto to release his tailed beast form on his own, as originally planned?

"Lady Xiaoxue, please leave. I can't guarantee what will happen next!"

Karin chose to continue waiting.

Everything that is about to happen is unpredictable.

Karin asked Fuuka Koyuki to leave.

As soon as Karin finished speaking, the Nine-Tails within the barrier began to behave strangely.

"What's going on?!"

Feng Hua Xiaoxue exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing this, Karin quickly positioned herself in front of Fuuka Koyuki, channeling more chakra into the Adamantine Lock that bound the Nine-Tails, which had sprung from her back, to guard against the strange occurrence at that moment.

Karin focused intently on Kurama, not daring to relax for a moment. She adjusted her perception to the maximum precision, monitoring even the slightest changes in chakra.

The Nine-Tails' chakra.

Naruto's chakra.

There's also Karin's own chakra that she left inside Naruto.

A short while later, Karin sensed that her chakra, which was holding the Nine-Tails' chakra, suddenly surged towards Naruto's chakra in large quantities.

Up to this point, everything is as expected.

The Vajra Sealing Seal took effect, not only suppressing the Nine-Tails but also stealing its chakra from Naruto.

Next, all Naruto needs to do is to reverse the broken Four Symbols Seal, and he can then release his Tailed Beast transformation.

But a fourth chakra hidden deep within Naruto's body appeared in Karin's perception.

The amount of chakra was not large, and in Karin's perception, it was very similar to Naruto's own chakra.

Then that chakra suddenly disappeared and could no longer be sensed, as if Naruto had assimilated and preserved that chakra.

Karin even felt that she was having a perceptual illusion because she was worrying too much.

Before Karin could process her thoughts, the Nine-Tails within the barrier finally reverted to its tailed beast form and transformed back into Naruto.

"Retract the Kongo Lock, Karin. The experiment was a success."

The Adamantine Lock that had been binding the Nine-Tails was now tightly binding Naruto, making it difficult for him to move.

Chapter 28 Reunion

Let's go back to the present.

A town in the Land of Fire.

"Can we really get information about 'Akatsuki' from the black market?"