Late Night Conversation

The two Sage Modes simply could not coexist. Although Sage Chakra was formed by a 1:1:1 fusion ratio, Sage Modes manifested different Sage Faces based on the unique way Sage Chakra flowed through the body.

For example, Hyuga Mirai’s Sage Mode carried some traits of Ryūchi Cave’s Sage Mode, but most of it had been developed using his own body as a template. When the Sage Chakra Hyuga Mirai gave her entered Kushina’s body, it flowed in exactly the same way as Hyuga Mirai’s Sage Mode, which was vastly different from Shikkotsu Forest’s Sage Mode.

Not to mention two different Sage Modes—Uzumaki Ayaka’s Sage Nine-Tails Chakra Mode had also taken quite some time to cultivate successfully, and the main reason she had managed it was the Spirit Transformation Clone Technique.

"Wanting to control two Sage Modes at once, Madam Kushina really is bold. You haven’t even mastered my Sage Mode, yet you’re fancifully trying to learn Shikkotsu Forest’s Sage Mode. Who suggested this to you?"

Hyuga Mirai stroked his chin with a smiling expression and guessed, "Was it Danzo? The only one in Konoha who would want you dead should be Danzo. Once you die, he’ll have a chance to take control of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Still, it’s strange that you would trust Danzo’s words."

Hyuga Mirai’s half-joking words made Kushina’s expression immediately darken. At the same time, Katsuyu’s body shrank slightly and slowly wriggled behind Kushina.

This was very likely to become reality. Judging from the village’s current attitude toward Naruto, almost no villagers or children Naruto’s age were willing to accept him. That was even with Naruto bearing the reputation of being the Fourth Hokage’s son.

Uzumaki Kushina could easily guess who was stirring things up.

The Nine-Tails sealed inside him? The possibility of going berserk at any time? What a joke. The identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki might not have been Konoha’s most closely guarded secret, but ordinary villagers should not have been allowed to learn it so casually.

When Uzumaki Kushina went to the Third Hokage over this matter, that old man merely gave her the response, "I will resolve this matter and ensure that no one talks about Naruto again," before dismissing her.

"You came here because of Naruto?" Uzumaki Kushina asked calmly, though her hand beneath the table was clenched tightly.

"You could say that. After all, Naruto has the greatest value. But Madam Kushina, don’t underestimate yourself either. After all, you are Naruto’s only hope."

Hyuga Mirai spoke softly. Naruto’s greatest value was not that half of the Nine-Tails, but Asura’s reincarnated chakra.

Asura was one thing, since he had inherited the Sage of Six Paths’ legacy. But why had Indra’s chakra been able to reincarnate for a thousand years?

Hyuga Mirai’s current strength had already surpassed the vast majority of people in the Ninja World, placing him practically at the pinnacle. After activating the Tenseigan, he could even wield power close to that of the Sage of Six Paths and control Truth-Seeking Orbs.

Yet his chakra could only be preserved for a few decades at most before slowly dissipating. If he did not figure out the difference, Hyuga Mirai would feel extremely unsettled.

"So you really did come for Naruto. Other than being disliked by ordinary people, everyone else is tripping over themselves to get close to my son," Uzumaki Kushina said with a cold laugh.

Hearing that, Hyuga Mirai suddenly asked curiously, "Other than Danzo, who else in Konoha has shown an interest in the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"A toad. I heard it was Jiraiya’s Summoning beast before his death."

Uzumaki Kushina glanced at Hyuga Mirai before continuing, "Jiraiya died at your hands, didn’t he? That toad did not explain much to me, but Jiraiya never showed himself during this matter, and that old Third Hokage’s expression was somewhat off. The only possibility is that Jiraiya is dead. Besides, I accidentally learned that the old Third Hokage seems to be searching for Tsunade-sama’s whereabouts."

"A toad? It should be that Shima Toad that escaped. Madam Kushina, did you agree to their request?"

Hyuga Mirai frowned slightly. Even after Fukasaku had died, those toads still dared to come out and cause trouble. Once he returned, he would find a time to have Android 18 take heavy firepower and wipe out Mount Myoboku.

If Mount Myoboku’s toads had not jumped out on their own, Hyuga Mirai might have overlooked Mount Myoboku while occupied with other matters. But they had been so eager to make themselves known—truly like a toad hopping onto someone’s foot!

Kushina snorted. "Of course not. I would rather have Naruto sign a summoning contract with Katsuyu than let him come into contact with people harboring ill intentions. At least Katsuyu gets along well with Naruto, and they can become good partners in the future."

Upon hearing that, Uzumaki Ayaka immediately said to Kushina with some displeasure, "Kushina, are you implying that Lord Mirai has ill intentions?"

"That is your own interpretation, Ayaka. And don’t speak so loudly. You’ll wake Naruto!"

"Your reaction is too slow, Kushina. Your son is already awake, and he’s been standing at the door for quite a while!"

After Uzumaki Ayaka said that, Kushina looked toward the doorway in surprise. At some point, it had been pushed open a crack. Looking closely, she could see a blue eye behind the gap.

Hyuga Mirai and Uzumaki Ayaka had noticed Uzumaki Naruto long ago. Neither their Byakugan nor Mind’s Eye of the Kagura had been deactivated.

Since he had been discovered, Uzumaki Naruto simply pushed the door open and came in. Scratching his head, he said to Kushina somewhat embarrassedly, "Mom, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I just heard you talking to someone when I went to the bathroom."

Uzumaki Kushina hurriedly pulled Naruto to her side, but Uzumaki Naruto kept sizing up Hyuga Mirai and Uzumaki Ayaka. He especially watched Uzumaki Ayaka. She had the same red hair as his mother, and he could feel a sense of familiarity from her.

"The commotion was a little too loud. Ayaka, please." Hyuga Mirai gestured to Uzumaki Ayaka.

Uzumaki Ayaka immediately nodded. "Understood, Lord Mirai." After saying that, she quickly formed hand seals and set up a Barrier Technique inside Kushina’s home. However, her chakra control was extremely precise, and she did not alert the Anbu outside.

The Anbu had been stationed around Kushina for several years, and nearly every Anbu had carried out this assignment. Aside from that incident with the Kumo-nin, there had basically never been an accident. Hyuga Mirai and Uzumaki Ayaka had entered without alerting the Anbu either, so the Anbu had not paid much attention to what was happening inside the house.

"Are you one of my mom’s clansmen?" Uzumaki Naruto asked curiously as he looked at Uzumaki Ayaka’s red hair. "You have the same red hair as Mom, so you should be from the Uzumaki Clan too, right?"

"Yes. You should call me Aunt Ayaka." After saying that, Uzumaki Ayaka glanced at Kushina and said, "Kushina, I didn’t expect you to tell Naruto about the Uzumaki Clan. I thought his name was Namikaze Naruto."

Kushina fell silent upon hearing that, saying nothing. Uzumaki Naruto, standing to the side, also sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat strange. With great tact, he lowered his head and leaned against Kushina.

"Naruto."

Veins stood out across Hyuga Mirai’s face as his pure white pupils stared unblinkingly at Uzumaki Naruto. He opened his mouth and asked, "I heard that you are ostracized by others in Konoha? I remember that some children even spoke disrespectfully of your father, believing that he should not have sealed the Nine-Tails inside you on his own, and so they complained often. Doesn’t that make you angry?"

Gazed upon by those Byakugan filled with an inexplicable pressure, Uzumaki Naruto thought for a while before gathering his courage and saying to Hyuga Mirai, "I won’t care about those things. Sooner or later, they’ll understand Dad’s intentions. And I will become a great Hokage like Dad and make everyone acknowledge me."

"Naruto, I don’t think he was all that great. The greatest thing the Fourth Hokage did was protect this village, right? In that regard, many people contributed just as much as he did, perhaps even more. So the only people who should thank him are Konoha’s villagers."

Hyuga Mirai continued, "And the father you admire most is being misunderstood by the villagers, yet you don’t seem angry at all."

"Sooner or later, they’ll understand. Dad was a great man!" Uzumaki Naruto shouted.

Had the Barrier Technique not been set up earlier, the Anbu outside would likely have sensed his voice already.

"Indeed. Once you become useful to them, once you risk your life again to save them, the villagers will understand why the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine-Tails inside your body."

As though he were arguing seriously with Naruto, Hyuga Mirai continued to refute him. "And as I said, Naruto, your father’s greatness only applied to Konoha’s villagers. In fact, if I had been the same age as your father, it would be hard to say who would have become the Fourth Hokage. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your mother."

Uzumaki Naruto turned to look at his mother, seeking an answer, but Kushina did not respond.

If Hyuga Mirai had been the same age as Minato, then with his talent, even if Minato had learned the Flying Thunder God, he would not have been Hyuga Mirai’s match. There was also that formidable Medical Ninjutsu and his way of handling matters that won people over.

Aside from the major drawback of being from the Hyuga Branch Family, Minato truly would not have been much of a competitor for Hyuga Mirai. Uzumaki Kushina thought to herself that with this man’s deep scheming, even his Hyuga Branch Family status would not have been able to restrain him. Just like now—Kushina raised her eyes and looked at Hyuga Mirai’s immaculate, pure white forehead.

He could even erase the Caged Bird Seal, and after having the Nine-Tails extracted from him, he could still live for several more years. What was there that this guy couldn’t do?

Kushina’s silence was the best answer she could give Uzumaki Naruto, and Naruto immediately sank into dejection.

"Naruto, looking at it this way, wasn’t your father actually kind of foolish? He gave his life only for things to turn out like this. The villagers didn’t understand him and even blamed him, while you and your mother didn’t exactly live well either. Whether as a Hokage or as a family man, he seemed to have failed at both."

"That’s not true! Dad was just… just…" Uzumaki Naruto’s little face scrunched up as he tried to refute Hyuga Mirai, but he had seen too little and lacked the words to express himself. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t squeeze out a single sentence.

Hyuga Mirai tapped the table twice, cutting Naruto off. "Naruto, let’s end tonight’s debate here. You should go back and sleep. Children shouldn’t stay up late."

After saying that, Hyuga Mirai glanced at Kushina. Kushina then said to Naruto as well, "Naruto, we still have something to discuss. Go back and rest first."

"Yes, I understand." Having his argument interrupted, Uzumaki Naruto replied in disappointment and returned to his room.

Once Uzumaki Naruto had left, Kushina immediately asked Hyuga Mirai, "Why did you say those things to Naruto?"

"Don’t be angry, Madam Kushina. I merely wanted to test something. Don’t you think Uzumaki Naruto is rather strange?"

"Test what? What’s strange about Naruto?"

"He doesn’t seem to get angry. I said those things about Namikaze Minato just now, yet Naruto didn’t get angry or furious. Did you teach him that way? Or was he influenced by someone else?"

Rubbing his chin, Hyuga Mirai said thoughtfully, "Isn’t it strange? A child his age has no temper at all. Even after hearing me call Namikaze Minato foolish, he didn’t get angry. What do you think it would take to make Naruto angry?"

There are still two chapters to come!