Three years had gone by after the incident with the hidden cloud village, known as the Hyuga affair and there was, fortunately, nothing that threatened the leaf village's stability so it could continue its recovery from the Ninetails' attack but that didn't mean anything eventful didn't happen in the village, few things actually and among those worth mentioning was what happened with me, Naruto, and Jiraiya.

When Naruto had turned four, Jiraiya and I had decided that it was time to start his ninja training, at least the basics since he would join the academy in two years and we wanted him to be as prepared as possible while the blond kid couldn't be any happier, only that happiness didn't last long when all Jiraiya and I taught him were simple chakra control exercises, hand seals, and basic taijutsu forms.

Naruto's training routine mostly consisted of practicing simple punches and kicks against a small cushioned training dummy, practicing hand seals, and chakra control exercises that consisted of mostly keeping a leaf stuck to his forehead by using chakra and, whenever he completed that exercise, we simply told him that he would have to keep going longer next time.

Unfortunately for Jiraiya and me, Naruto's attention span was pretty much nonexistent, and he could barely focus on a task that he deemed too dull and uncool, regardless of how many times we told him that he had to master the basics first before we could teach him the 'cooler' stuff and the fox once commented to me snidely that his yang half, and Naruto inheriting his mother's fiery personality, had something to do with it.

Either way, it wasn't until half a year later that Naruto would learn his first jutsu when we showed him the body replacement jutsu and he was ecstatic to learn it so, after practicing the technique for a few months, Naruto still hadn't mastered the body replacement yet since he still had some trouble with the hand seals, but the kid didn't give up because most kids his age didn't learn that technique until they were in the academy so he would have an advantage over them as three years had gone by.

But, Naruto's sixth birthday was coming up in a couple of weeks after that and it was a solemn one for me and Jiraiya since we had been talking whenever he would come to visit and we decided today that it was time for Naruto to learn the truth about what he and I hold within ourselves and who his parents are since he was old enough to handle it so we took Naruto into the living room and he appeared confused by how grim we looked.

"Naruto, you will be six soon so your father and I have decided that it was time for you to know some important things," Jiraiya stated as he placed a hand on the kid's shoulder, looking rather serious as opposed to his usual carefree demeanor.

"We've talked and agreed that it's better that you learn these things from us rather than somebody else," I added, looking just as serious as Jiraiya is while Naruto started looking worried.

"Is it something bad I did?" Naruto asked nervously and I shook my head.

"No, no, of course not...it's just that, well, it's that I'm...you," I stuttered since it was rather difficult trying to muster up the courage to say that I wasn't his biological father.

"He's not your real father," Jiraiya cut in and Naruto gasped in shock while I sent the toad sage an irritable look as a tick-mark appeared.

"Jiraiya, did you have to be so blunt to the poor kid?!" I shouted at the older man, who flinched as he held his hands up.

"What?! You were taking too long!" Jiraiya exclaimed defensively, making me sigh as I shook my head and returned my attention to Naruto.

"Nevermind...Naruto, you know what happened almost six years ago?" I asked and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, a demon fox called the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the leaf village and the Fourth Hokage killed it, but he died in the process," Naruto replied before Jiraiya and I looked at each other uneasily until returning our attention to him.

"You see, Naruto, that's not entirely true because it turns out that the fox is far too powerful to be killed like that, not even somebody as strong as the fourth so the best he could do was split it into two halves and seal them into two people so those two people are your adopted father Seth...and you, Naruto," Jiraiya explained before Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"What?! Why would the Fourth Hokage do that and who is my real father then?! Wait, does that mean the demon fox is going to hurt us?!" Naruto shouted in alarm before I kneeled down and gently grabbed his shoulders.

"Of course not, because the seal that keeps both halves of the fox imprisoned inside of us is very strong and will protect everybody, ourselves included. Besides, you didn't even suspect that there were two halves of a giant fox inside us until we told you and you didn't feel that there was something wrong going on?" I told him reassuringly and Naruto shook his head.

"No..." Naruto trailed off hesitantly.

"As for answering your questions, the reason the fourth chose us is that you have a special kind of chakra that will help keep your yang half of the fox imprisoned while my kekkei genkai does the same with my yin half of the fox so, if he chose two different people to hold them, then the fox would've escaped and continued his rampage while he believed that we could use the Ninetails' power for good in the future," I explained as Naruto started clenching his hands.

"I-I see...so that's why when we go out that people avoid us and grownups tell kids not to stay near us? Because they're afraid of the fox?" Naruto asked while he sounded like he was about to cry as Jiraiya and I nodded solemnly.

"And to answer your second question...your father was the Fourth Hokage himself, Minato Namikaze while your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, the last known member of the Uzumaki clan so that's why your biological father decided that you should inherit her last name instead of his since he was born to a simple civilian family that wasn't well-known," Jiraiya added as Naruto was rendered speechless and started tearing up.

"So, my father died fighting the fox...and what about my mother?" Naruto inquired, then my eyes glazed over slightly as I remembered Minato and Kushina's deaths and the guilt came back while I sighed tiredly.

"She died during the attack too...many people died tragically and those who lost their loved ones that night will mistakenly blame you and me for the Ninetails' actions but don't let them get to you, kiddo," I said just before Naruto broke down crying, causing me and Jiraiya to do the only thing we could by pulling him into a hug and held him while the poor kid cried his eyes out for nearly twenty minutes.

"Listen Naruto, we understand that you may be angry with us for not telling you sooner," Jiraiya told Naruto without breaking the hug.

"But we will always love you and we will always be here whenever you need us," I added and, after wiping the tears from his face, Naruto smiled at us tearfully.

"D-Don't worry guys...I-I'm not angry...a-and...I don't care what other people said, dad, because we both have two halves of the fox sealed in us, and Uncle Jiraiya doesn't see us as monsters, which is all that matters, and if they still think we are...I will prove them wrong!

I'll become the greatest ninja who ever lived and I will become Hokage, just like my father!" Naruto declared shakingly and I couldn't help but smile warmly at that, though I was a little concerned that the hatred in this world could take him like it took so many others but a part of me reassured myself that it wouldn't be the case, that Naruto would succeed where others have failed so I should keep having faith in him.

"Of course you will, bud," I agreed softly.

"Yeah, you show them who's boss," Jiraiya added as we moved back so that we could look at him fully.

"Thank you, err...even if you're not my real father...can I still call you dad?" Naruto asked me and this time, it was my turn to break down crying as I agreed.

Not long after that, I managed to compose myself and told the others that I was going to lay down and rest since I was worn out from all the excitement so I headed to my room and stripped down to my boxers before climbing into bed and laying down until I found myself being pulled into my mindscape before I saw the fox staring down at me with an unreadable expression.

"So, you told the brat the truth and I have to admit, he took it better than I thought," the fox said stoically while he laid on the floor with his head resting in his hand as he gazed down at me, then I smiled softly up at him before the fox narrowed his eyes at my expression.

"Yeah...he's a strong kid to go through so much and deserves better but he still carries a smile on his face, no matter what the more hateful villagers throw at us," I replied, then the fox scoffed at that before he sat up and leaned forward with a deadly serious expression.

"Here's what you need to understand, that boy won't last long and will give in to the hatred and despair that had consumed this world long ago...they always do," the fox told me cynically with a strange gleam in his eyes and I was confused by how something about him seemed different than before so I filed it away for later as I sighed.

"I know you might think that since god only knows what humanity put you through to cause you to have such a pessimistic and cynical look of the world around you, but I told you three years ago that I'm nothing like those people and us being at each other's throats isn't worth it because we're stuck together so we might as well get used to each other," I said tiredly, then the fox scowled at me darkly while lowering his massive vulpine head to stare right at me coldly.

"The day I become your ally is the day that hell freezes over because you're no different than any other human I've met, just another worthless meat bag and it's only a matter of time before you decide to use me like all the others, so don't you dare fucking pity me because you have no damn right," the fox growled lowly before I was booted out of my mindscape, then I just stared up at the ceiling and could've almost sworn that I had seen a terrible loneliness and exhaustion behind the fox's angry exterior as I went to get some sleep.

After that, a couple of months had gone by and during those two months, Naruto had come home with a black eye a few weeks after Jiraiya and I told him the truth before it made me question what had happened until Naruto explained that he saw three boys bullying a girl with white eyes and he stepped in to put a stop to it, then it broke out into a fight with the three kids instigating it and Naruto was forced to defend himself before he sent the kids running after using the current training Jiraiya and I taught him.

I was relieved that Naruto didn't get seriously hurt but an Anbu operative showed up and had us escorted right to the Hokage building, where the parents of the three bullies were waiting with Hiruzen in his office and the parents say that their sons showed up looking badly hurt while the kids explained that Naruto just walked up and attacked them for no reason before the parents demanded that Naruto apologized to their sons for assaulting them unprovoked while I had tried to calm them down since they were openly shouting at us, then I had Hiruzen bring the Hyuga girl to his office to prove that it was nothing more than self-defense and imagine my surprise when Hiashi showed up with his daughter Hinata.

Hinata was a little nervous, but she confirmed that the three boys were going after her because of her eyes and Naruto had stepped in to stop it, which led to the fight happening because of the three boys and the parents were more than a little embarrassed for the misunderstanding as they apologized for their sons' behaviors and swore that they would punish them once they headed back to their homes.

Once that fiasco was over, the two months had gone by and now I was in a dango shop after coming home from a mission while having lunch with Itachi Uchiha, his younger brother Sasuke, and another Uchiha by the name of Shisui who was a teenager that was a few years older than Itachi.

While I felt out of place being the only one who's not an Uchiha, Itachi insisted that I join him and I couldn't pinpoint when it happened exactly but Itachi and I had become good friends during the past few years while we even sparred quite a few times and I also helped Itachi and his unit prepared for the Chunin exams.

Itachi was treating us at one of his favorites spots to celebrate his first successful mission as a team leader and I found it hard to believe that this kid, who was barely eleven, was the same one I met in that grocery store almost six years ago and could have ascended to the rank of Chunin so quick when most kids his age didn't even graduate from the academy yet.

"So, tell us Itachi, and be honest, were you afraid during the mission?" I asked curiously and Itachi hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd lie if I said I wasn't so maybe a little," Itachi admitted while Shisui chuckled.

"Only a little? Man, when I led my first mission, I was such a nervous wreck that I couldn't sleep the night before...but then again, it wasn't as bad as it appeared," Shisui commented before Sasuke started looking puzzled.

"But my big brother completed lots of dangerous missions so why should he be scared?" Sasuke asked in confusion as we looked at him.

"Sasuke, when you're in charge of a unit, everything changes because not only are you responsible for making sure the mission is a success, but you also have to ensure that all of your teammates come back home alive and, if possible, without any missing limbs," Shisui explained and Sasuke still didn't appear to understand.

"But if you have to take care of your teammates, doesn't that mean they're a burden to you so why didn't Itachi go do the mission alone?" Sasuke asked and I sighed.

"Because some missions can't be done by one ninja because, if you need to break down a door reinforced with protective seals, you need a seal master to disable them and, if you're in a search and rescue mission, you'll need a sensor and most likely a medic while it's also a matter of numbers since there will be times where two or more people will need to be at two or more places at the same time, so do you understand Sasuke?" I explained and the youngest Uchiha nodded.

"Seth is right, being a powerful ninja on your own is fine, but there will be times where your strength alone won't be enough and you'll need the help of others," Shisui added.

"By the way, Sasuke, how is the academy treating you?" Itachi inquired before Sasuke looked at him and shrugged.

"Eh, it's okay I guess since they teach me mostly stuff I already know so it's kinda boring but, at the very least, the shuriken and kunai toss practice and taijutsu are nice," Sasuke replied nonchalantly as I perked up.

"You know, my son also goes to the academy and his name is Naruto, so have you seen him?" I asked curiously and it got Sasuke's attention.

"Naruto? Does he have spiky blond hair, is super loud, and claims every five seconds that he's going to be Hokage?" Sasuke questioned as I chuckled.

"Yeah, that's an accurate description of him so I presume that you met him then," I remarked and Sasuke nodded.

"I did but, for some reason, he likes to sit beside me and no offense to you or Lord Jiraiya but given who is helping you take care of him, I expected Naruto to be stronger," Sasuke pointed out before I waved it off to show that I didn't take any offense to it.

"Well, you could say that Naruto has some trouble focusing since his body moves way faster than his brain does, but we're working on it," I assured while Shisui looked curious by what I was saying.

"He sounds like an exciting fellow so maybe you should befriend him," Shisui suggested, and it gave me an idea.

"In fact, I was about to take Naruto to the park once I head home so do you want to join us, Sasuke?" I offered before Sasuke shook his head.

"Eh, I'll pass since Itachi promised to train me when he came back so maybe another day," Sasuke refused with a dismissive handwave.

"Come on kid, I'm sure you'll have fun because there is more to life than just training," Shisui insisted and I held up a hand to get his attention.

"It's okay, I don't want to force him to come and, like he said, maybe another day and I better get going so, Itachi, congratulations again for your first mission as team leader and Shisui, Sasuke, it was nice to meet you," I said as I stood up from my seat while Shisui sent me a nod of acknowledgment.

"Nice to meet you too, Seth," Shisui replied as I left the dango shop and headed home.

After that, I had arrived home and taken Naruto to the park where the other kids were playing but their parents quickly spotted us and took their kids out of the park, making me sigh in disappointment as I watched all the kids leave the playground and not before some of the parents shot cold glares at me and Naruto while the poor kid slumped sadly, something that happened far too often.

"Don't worry, Naruto, we don't need them so what do you want to do?" I asked with a false smile, trying to hide my irritation and remaining optimistic as Naruto perked up.

"The swings!" Naruto cheered excitingly as he rushed towards them and I didn't need to ask if he wanted me to push him while I was expecting that now he had finally started at the academy, Naruto could make some friends but such a thing didn't happen because of the other kids being indoctrinated by the adults to hate us and it pissed me off to no end because of it.

Not only that, but both Jiraiya and I were very concerned with Naruto's performance at the academy since he would more often than not ignore the teachers that explained something he wasn't interested in, loudly complained about how boring their lessons were and demanding them to teach him some cool jutsus while he would also boast about how strong he was for his age and how he was going to be Hokage, but he fortunately never revealed who his biological parents were and often challenged the other boys like Sasuke Uchiha to one on one duels while also being fond of pulling pranks on his classmates and teachers.

It was pretty clear that the poor kid desperately needed a friend his age so that he wouldn't be a victim of a constant need to prove how "awesome" he was to everybody, something that worried me greatly since this kind of thing Naruto is going through affects someone psychologically and what worried me is that it might make the poor kid mentally unstable as he gets older, even if Jiraiya and I are there for him.

Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from the trees nearby and while I wasn't a sensor, my senses were sharp enough to detect that somebody was watching us while hidden behind the trees before I looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, I need to find a restroom so I'll leave a clone to keep an eye on you for a few minutes, okay?" I commented and Naruto nodded with a beaming smile.

"Sure, take your time, dad," Naruto replied happily, just before I created a shadow clone and used body flicker to move behind the person watching us from behind the nearby trees until I saw a little girl peeking out at the playground before I crossed my arms and cleared my throat to get her attention, startling her and making the girl squeak loudly as she quickly turned around until I saw that the girl was Hiashi's kid, Hinata.

"Excuse me, didn't your parents teach you that spying on people is rude?" I questioned with an arched brow.

"Sorry, err...I, um...I didn't mean to...ahh," Hinata babbled, her words tumbling into an unintelligible stuttering mess as I uncrossed my arms and kneeled down to make myself less intimidating.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble and you're Hiashi's daughter Hinata, right? If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here and why are you watching us?" I questioned gently, which calmed Hinata down enough for her to not sound so panicked.

"I...well...I-I wanted to...to thank Naruto again for h-helping me against t-those three bullies," Hinata mumbled shyly and I smiled at how cute she was being right now.

"Then why aren't you doing that instead of stalking him from here?" I asked before Hinata blushed and averted her gaze until I realized that she was far too shy to talk to him directly so I decided to give her a nudge in the right direction.

"You know, I don't think I properly introduced myself so my name is Seth Mercer, a pleasure to meet you and would you like to do something for Naruto as a way to thank him?" I inquired until Hinata nodded timidly.

"Y-Yes, of course," Hinata replied before I pointed at Naruto.

"Take a look at Naruto, and what do you think he'd like the most at this moment?" I asked, causing Hinata to look at Naruto while he was swinging solemnly with my clone standing guard nearby.

"H-He'd like for a f-friend to play with him," Hinata stuttered and I nodded.

"Correct, now you know what to do," I stated before Hinata's eyes widened in shock.

"W-What?!" Hinata squeaked out with a stunned expression and I smiled at her.

"Come on, I can see in your eyes that you want to play with him more than anything, or I could tell Naruto that you were spying on him and didn't even bother to say hello," I remarked with a smirk until Hinata started looking mortified while quickly shaking her head.

"Please no, I'll d-do it!" Hinata almost shouted frantically while looking extremely flustered and I gestured at Naruto as a signal to go see him.

"Then you better hurry since I don't think Naruto will be there for much longer once he gets bored," I encouraged, making Hinata gulp as she nodded and turned around to slowly approach the blond.

I watched with a soft smile as Hinata introduced herself to Naruto and they chatted for a little bit before they started playing on the swings, though Hinata was having trouble and Naruto helped her out by pushing her until I decided to come back by body flicker and Naruto perked up when he saw me.

"Hey Naruto, I'm back," I announced and the blond beamed as he jumped from his swing in mid-air and landed in front of me.

"Dad, you're not going to believe this, but I made a friend! Hinata, come here!" Naruto called out to the Hyuga girl, who got down from her swing and joined us.

"Really? That's great, Naruto," I said with fake surprise, though it was fortunately for me that Naruto was too excited to notice but my joy was real.

"Hello, I'm Hinata Hyuga," Hinata greeted as she bowed respectfully and I repeated it.

"And she even goes to my class at the academy, which means that we can see each other every day!" Naruto cheered as he bounced to express how overjoyed he was, then I chuckled as I ruffled his hair.

"I'm so happy for you, kiddo, though it's getting a bit late so we should probably head back home," I stated before Naruto started pouting in disappointment.

"So soon? But I want to play with Hinata more," Naruto groaned.

"I-It's okay, Naruto, we can see each other again...in fact, I-I should be going b-back home too since I d-don't want to w-worry my parents," Hinata reassured as she twiddled with her fingers and Naruto sighed.

"Bummer...okay then, see you tomorrow, Hinata," Naruto said as we went to leave, then Hinata said her goodbyes while she headed home.

I was happy that Naruto had finally made a friend since he needed this badly, but I wondered if Hiashi and Hinata's mother would be okay with it because of what was sealed inside Naruto but, considering how I prevented the death of Hizashi and that Naruto stood up for Hinata when she was being bullied, I doubt that Hiashi and his wife would mind so only time would tell where this could go as Naruto and I headed home.

A/N Looks like Naruto made a friend and Kurama is warming up to Seth since he is giving him a warning and we get to see the elderly fox showing his true self for a few seconds, a lonely and tired person who just wants a friend to ease that terrible pain so it's how I think Kurama feels during his early encounters with Naruto in the manga/anime but he's too wary and distrustful to get close to anyone since he doesn't want to experience any kind of betrayal, so his hateful and malicious self is a front to only protect himself from the pain of experiencing more torment from other humans.

Well, let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.