Beyond the Shinobi World, on the vibrant Yang God Star.
The temporary outdoor viewing area had been fully set up. Naruto and Sasuke's Limited Tsukuyomi life scripts were projected in the air, one on the left and one on the right. With a simple spin of his chair, Hyuga Hitoshi could freely switch between watching their experiences. As the one who cast the jutsu, he could also fast-forward or pause at will.
In short, the first trial of the Limited Tsukuyomi had just begun, yet it was already a great success.
"The Infinite Tsukuyomi is an extremely powerful genjutsu that grants people the most realistic dreams. Almost everyone can fulfill their wishes in its world."
Hyuga Hitoshi curled his finger at the small Kurama, who was also locked outside the warehouse, then turned his head slightly, his expression calm as he looked at Kushina.
"If you want to make up for Naruto's lonely childhood, I can create a perfect dream scenario for your whole family. Even though it's just a dream, the Naruto in it will be real, and I'll include the real you as well. Even if it's only a dream, it should still be able to fill the emptiness in his childhood."
Kushina was tempted the moment she heard this, but just as she was about to agree, something suddenly came to mind.
Oh, right.
Naruto had mentioned before that even in a dream, he would want to change his father—to give her a different husband. And from the way he talked about it, if he really had the chance to relive his childhood, the dream would definitely have her as his mother… and Hyuga Hitoshi as his father.
Wouldn't that mean she had to be with this man...?
Her mind went blank for a moment before she snapped back to reality. Even though she hadn't spent much time with Naruto yet, he was still her son. If this dream world could truly fulfill Naruto's wishes and make him happy, then what she had just imagined would definitely happen!
What kind of situation was this?
A dream where her real self and the real Hyuga Hitoshi appeared… as a married couple?
But it was all for Naruto...
"Um… let's talk about this after Naruto wakes up."
After a brief silence, Kushina took a deep breath and gave her answer. Thinking about it carefully, she realized she didn't need to be so nervous. After all, Hyuga Hitoshi didn't know about Naruto's wishes. Sure, things might be a little awkward when the time came, but as long as she reminded herself it was just a dream, it would be fine.
Yeah, she could just pretend he was Minato!
That was an odd thought.
Uzumaki Kushina tried to keep a straight face, but Hyuga Hitoshi found it amusing. Even without using his visual powers, he could easily see through what she was thinking.
But pretending he was Minato? That was a bit insulting.
With his level of endurance, he definitely wouldn't be mistaken for a 'quick finisher.'
Well, Kushina was probably in for a new kind of experience.
"But earlier, you said that Infinite Tsukuyomi can fulfill everyone's wishes and dreams. What about you? If you were in that world, what would your dream look like?"
Not wanting to dwell too long on the previous topic, Kushina changed the subject. She glanced at the image of her son in the illusion, who had just opened his eyes and was deep in thought. Her voice carried a hint of curiosity.
"That's a good question."
Hyuga Hitoshi casually picked up the trembling Nine-Tails, who had finally worked up the courage to get closer, and placed him in his lap. Stroking his chin, he thought for a moment.
"But no matter how I answer, it wouldn't surpass what I've already achieved. In my case, reality has already reached its peak. Even if I entered a dream world, it wouldn't mean anything to me."
What regrets did he have?
Hyuga Hitoshi touched his chin, lost in brief thought.
Regrets?
Not really.
But if he could start over, he would like to try a different path—the path of becoming Hokage.
The Three-Way Peace Talks back then had been a turning point, not just for him but for the entire Hyuga clan. If the other ninja clans and villagers of Konoha had mustered the courage to stand by the Hyuga clan, the ninja world today would look very different. There would be no Sun God Kingdom, and Konoha would have truly become the number one village.
And the Fifth Hokage wouldn't have been Uchiha Fugaku. Instead, it would have been Hyuga Hitoshi—an unstoppable force. The strongest Hokage in history would have led Konoha to conquer not just the ninja world, but even the lands beyond. He would have carved Konoha's emblem across the entire universe.
It was a completely different path—the path of the strongest Hokage, one who upheld the Will of Fire.
But reality didn't offer second chances.
And even if he did get one, Hyuga Hitoshi wouldn't rely on Infinite Tsukuyomi's illusion to relive his dream. If he truly wanted to, he could completely merge with the Golden Wheel Tenseigan, then absorb all of Roran's Dragon Vein energy.
That way, he could preserve the current world while using his near-seventh-stage, almost Otsutsuki-level power to restart the past. Unlike the fake world of Infinite Tsukuyomi, this would create a real parallel timeline of the ninja world. He wasn't sure if it would ever intersect with the present world, but if the chance arose, he would take it.
"So you've reached the peak, huh? Only you would say something like that."
Kushina gave Hyuga Hitoshi a complicated look. Strangely, she couldn't even refute his words.
Looking at the Sun God Kingdom and his status as the Sun God, this man was living out a dream that others wouldn't even dare to have in the illusion of Infinite Tsukuyomi. The irony was almost laughable.
Especially...
"When I look at the current ninja world and Naruto, I feel like Minato died for nothing."
Just thinking about Minato's decision back then made her chest tighten.
He had said he was leaving Naruto with the power to fight the masked man. But who could predict how the ninja world would develop? Who knew what the future would hold? Saying something like that without truly understanding what was to come—it just felt irresponsible.
Especially...
Kushina's gaze shifted, turning toward the image on the left-side projection. The moment she saw it, her eyes turned red.
It felt like a long time had passed, yet at the same time, as if she had just woken from a deep dream.
Naruto's head felt heavy. He could sense his body and limbs, but the familiar weakness made it difficult for him to take in his surroundings.
It was cold. Noisy. His lower abdomen throbbed with pain, making him want to scream. Yet, even that pain felt strangely familiar.
Drip. Drip.
As a roar echoed and Hayate's presence swept past, Naruto felt something warm land on his face.
He wanted to open his eyes and see.
He had this feeling—this strong feeling—that if he didn't look, he would regret it.
At last, the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes managed to gather a bit of strength. With great effort, he pried open his tightly shut eyelids. The sensation of the wind brushing against his newborn eyes stung sharply, bringing tears to the surface. As his strength slowly returned and the burning energy in his abdomen spread to his limbs, his hearing also grew clearer.
"There's not much time. Say goodbye to Naruto while you can."
The man's voice carried a hint of weakness, yet also a strange sense of relief.
Naruto tilted his head slightly. He saw a familiar face—one he had often seen carved into the Hokage Monument in the village.
In the past—no, a long, long time ago—he had only known this face through the stories told by Kakashi-sensei and others. But now, that image had a real, living form.
"The Fourth… He was a great Hokage, a hero who saved the village."
But the truth was, it was the Nine-Tails sealed inside his wife that had gone on a rampage. That was the unspoken second half of the sentence, the part they all kept to themselves.
"Minato was a hero of Konohagakure. Without him, the village would've suffered even more in the Third Great Ninja War. Because of him, we were able to recover from the chaos and return to peace. He was a capable ninja. A worthy Hokage."
But he wasn't a responsible husband or father.
Yet...
The young Naruto's expression grew complicated. At last, he understood what that warm liquid on his face and body was.
It was his parents' blood.
They had saved him, shielding him from the Nine-Tails' deadly claws. No matter why the Nine-Tails had appeared before him, no matter why his father hadn't sealed it back inside his mother—Minato was still his father. And his father had saved him.
Maybe, deep inside, he had already come to terms with this man.
But the truth was, Naruto didn't really understand the situation he was in right now. It was as if he had gone back to that moment—the moment when the Nine-Tails was sealed inside him. Back then, his father, the Fourth Hokage, had used the Reaper Death Seal to split the Nine-Tails in half, planning to seal the other half inside him. But before he could, the beast had lashed out, trying to kill him first.
So, this was how it really happened.
The Nine-Tails, along with his father and mother's chakra, had remained inside him.
His great father had left behind his chakra to prevent the beast from going berserk. As for his mother—she had just wanted to see him one last time.
Naruto's tangled emotions slowly faded. Then, in an instant, something deep inside him was shaken.
He looked at his mother's tear-streaked face and suddenly realized just how helpless and reluctant she was. The love she had for him overflowed uncontrollably, pulling him in.
"Naruto, don't be a picky eater. Eat well and grow up strong! Take a bath every day to keep warm. And don't stay up too late—make sure to get enough sleep."
"And make some friends. You don't need a lot, just a few true friends you can really trust."
"Also, I didn't do a great job myself, but you should study hard and practice your ninjutsu. But remember, everyone has things they're good at and things they struggle with. So don't get discouraged if something doesn't come easily. At the academy, be sure to respect your teachers and seniors."
"Oh, and something really important—about the three ninja taboos. Especially money—be careful with loans. Save your mission rewards wisely."
"And the biggest issue of the three taboos… 'women.' Well, I'm a woman, so I don't fully understand it myself. But in this world, there are men and women, and one day, you'll like a girl. Just don't let yourself get tricked by the wrong kind of girl. Find someone like your mom."
"Naruto, life will bring you pain and hardships, but you have to stay true to yourself. Always hold onto your dreams. And have the confidence to make them come true!"
"And!! And!! And!! And!!"
"There's still so much… So much more I wanted to teach you. So much more time I wanted to spend with you.
Mom loves you."
In her final moments, these were the heartfelt words of a great mother.
It was as if history had come full circle.
Feeling the reality of his mother's last words, Naruto was completely overwhelmed. The baby, who had remained silent all this time, finally cried out—just like any newborn should.
He reached out, trying to grasp his mother as her presence weakened.
But he was just a tiny infant. He didn't have that kind of strength.
All he could do was watch.
Watch as the two people before him slowly collapsed to the ground.
That powerless feeling took root deep in his heart.
And along with it, a growing desire for strength.
His mother's words remained, echoing in his ears.
This was the truth of his birth.
The cause and consequence of the Nine-Tails' attack.
And the beginning of the rejection he would face in the future.
All of it—
Because of that masked man!
At last.
The Third Hokage and his men arrived—late, long after the Fourth had fallen and the barrier had disappeared.
But all they found was the lifeless Fourth Hokage, his wife—
And a newborn baby, his face still wet with tears.
"The Fourth… He's dead. And that child…?! That child's stomach—!"
"A demon fox! It's a demon fox!"
"Shh! Don't let anyone hear you."
"Is that the Fourth Hokage's kid?"
"Not sure, but we should stay away from him. No one knows how stable the seal is this time."
"Yeah, even that red-haired Uzumaki woman would lose control. Letting this kid stay in the village is just too dangerous!"
"Speaking of which, since we know Jinchuriki seals weaken during childbirth, why did the Fourth and that Uzumaki woman still—"
"Heh, probably that woman's doing. The Fourth is a hero of the village. If she hadn't seduced and pressured him—"
"…"
Alright.
This was something he had gone through before, but now, hearing it as a newborn, Naruto felt a strange sense of sorrow. At the same time, a deep anger started to build inside him.
They were already judging an innocent baby? My great Hokage father, is this what you wanted?
Is this what you wanted your son to experience?
Was this also what my mother went through?
So this is Konohagakure… Why does it make me feel sick to my stomach?
It wasn't me who lost control—it was the Nine-Tails!
The one who made the Nine-Tails go on a rampage was that masked man… no, the psycho Uchiha Obito that Kakashi-sensei once mentioned!
And why were these people speaking so badly about my innocent mother?!
It felt like something from long ago, yet also like a vivid dream. He had heard stories about his mother before. A poor girl, taken to Konohagakure at a young age. She had never wanted to be a Jinchuriki in the first place. Her existence was just a continuation of the fate of the woman who had married Senju Hashirama.
And that wretched woman even told her this was her destiny?
In the end, she became the ultimate weapon that secured Konohagakure's position. But no one had ever asked for her opinion.
And now, they were pinning all the blame on them?
Fine.
No matter when or where, being watched and whispered about was never a pleasant feeling.
*Sigh.*
Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
As the cold emotions around him grew, Naruto slowly closed his eyes. Darkness crept in, and at that moment, he finally sensed a presence deep inside him—something watching him.
Ah, so the Nine-Tails had already started putting mental pressure on him at this point?
Tch, whatever.
It wasn't like he was just some helpless baby. This feeling of being watched… he had long since gotten used to it.
"Kurama, you're just as pitiful as I am, huh?"
With a simple farewell to the newly sealed Nine-Tails, Naruto, drained from all the emotions he had just experienced, finally drifted off to sleep. He still had time to figure out what had happened and analyze the situation.
Hmm, there was someone important… Someone had told him a long time ago that a trial awaited him. Who was it again?
Forget it.
Too tired to think.
As the scene faded, the Third Hokage finished cleaning up the mess, bringing an end to the Nine-Tails' attack. Naruto, too, slipped into deep sleep. But the consequences of this event were only just beginning.
Inside the vision and outside of it, it felt like two different worlds, separated by time and space.
Finally, after the Third Hokage arranged for Naruto's care, everything seemed to settle.
Outside the vision.
Orochimaru let out a long breath, glancing at Kushina, who had secretly wiped her face, then turned to Hyuga Hitoshi with a look of deep respect.
The suffocating emotions, the incredibly vivid images, the perfectly logical sequence of events… Even if someone told him that everything in the vision had truly happened before, and that what came next was simply a continuation of that reality—if they exaggerated the truth like that and told Kushina straight to her face—she would probably believe it.
Although Sun God had shown him some alternate versions of events through Limited Tsukuyomi, seeing everything unfold right in front of him was a completely different experience.
Konohagakure.
Looking at the village through Naruto's eyes, he found it utterly disgusting.
And Minato… The man who had defeated his own superior to become Hokage, leaving him nothing but a shadow in the background. Had Minato realized the true nature of the village and placed his hopes on his son because he himself couldn't bear it any longer?
That look of relief on his dying face was too real—it left her in a daze.
As for Naruto's reaction, and the way every character in that scene responded, there were only two words to describe it.
"Absolutely brilliant."
Hyuga Hitoshi was the first to applaud in encouragement, then casually handed a tissue to Kushina so she could wipe her tears.
"It's only just begun, but Naruto's performance is already impressive. Especially that look he gave the villagers as they gossiped about him—it proves that Kakashi's teachings over the years have been very effective."
More importantly, now that the Asura persona within Naruto had been completely stripped away, his real self was even more captivating.
To be honest, Hyuga Hitoshi was very interested in how Naruto's story would unfold from here. He was especially curious to see how this version of Naruto would eventually "repay" the so-called warm and welcoming Konohagakure.
But while Naruto was still at the stage where his main focus should be getting enough sleep and growing up strong, on the right side of the projection, Sasuke had finally connected to the system. His young face, still only four or five years old, was filled with a deep seriousness.
An outsider might not understand how much pressure this little boy was under. But the moment he spoke, the heavy atmosphere in the room spread instantly.
"So… my brother… is going to wipe out the Uchiha?"
And that's not even a wild guess—it's something that had already happened before!
Yeah, Sasuke's situation was far worse than Naruto's.
Technically, he had woken up even earlier than Naruto, but he had spent all that time gathering information, trying to figure out what was happening. And as soon as he realized the conflict between the village and the Uchiha had reached an irreversible breaking point, he immediately turned his attention to his brother, Uchiha Itachi.
What he found out was exactly what he had feared. His so-called "caring older brother" had been unusually busy lately.
Which meant Sasuke's trial…
At that moment, Sasuke finally understood.
He had only one mission.
Save the Uchiha!