Human talking, "This has gotten out of control."

Human thinking, "It can't be."

Nonhuman talking, "You are dangerous."

Nonhuman thinking, "I was wrong."

Jutsus / unknown names. "Genshi (Atom)."

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, Masashi Kishimoto does.

Chapter 43

While Kyofu was meeting up with Hiashi, Jiraiya and Minato had entered the wooden prison, seeing Tenzō kneeling on the ground in front of the prisoner's cell.

Meanwhile, Naruto was lying on the bed, wearing new clothes and reading an orange book that both recognized with ease.

Jiraiya couldn't but smile, but his student gave him a look that said they didn't have time for jokes.

The Hokage approached the ANBU and spoke, "Tenzō, you can take a break."

The Wood Element user nodded, stood up, and bowed before leaving.

"I'd like you to wait outside too, Sensei," the Yondaime said without looking at his master.

Jiraiya looked doubtful and asked, "Are you sure, Minato? You and him alone could be..."

"Don't worry, Sensei," his pupil interrupted him.

The Sannin just nodded before walking out, waiting near the building in case something bad happened inside.

After that, Naruto closed the book and sat on the bed, seeing his father near the wooden bars. "Do you have news about Sandaime-sama?"

"I'm sorry, son; I'll let you know once I hear anything."

Naruto sighed before lying back on the bed and opening the book to continue reading it. "And what about Kaa-chan? Do you even know if she's okay?"

"I didn't have the chance to take a look by myself yet, but one of my clones put Kushina's coffin in a safe place before the village was destroyed."

Naruto felt a huge weight off his shoulders since he had also been thinking about his mother's body. Not because he wanted to revive her, but because he considered it sacred, and if he had destroyed it when he was out of control... Honestly, Naruto didn't want to think about it.

"I see, so you have finally done something good for a change," Naruto taunted him.

His father lowered his head in embarrassment, and Naruto continued, "Well, what do you want?"

Minato sighed sadly before answering, "I guess you are aware of the events of the last few hours. I would like to know what happened to you."

Unwilling to explain anything to him, the Jinchūriki just said, "It's none of your business... Now, will you tell me what you want?"

The Yondaime knew that his son wouldn't tell him anything, but he still couldn't help but feel somewhat frustrated. Nevertheless, he wouldn't insist at the moment since he was sure that he would have plenty of time to talk with his eldest son now that he sealed his chakra.

Therefore, Minato stated the reason for his visit. "I would like you to help your brother. I don't know if you are aware of it, but he's in a serious condition."

As he put down the book and sat on the bed, Naruto asked, "First of all, how would I do that? Secondly, why should I? And thirdly, what do I get in return?"

"Let me answer by parts," the father asked the son, who just nodded his head.

"I would like you to look for Tsunade with my sensei's help; she is the only one who can save your brother."

The expression on Naruto's face had lost its expressiveness, typical of a Root veteran.

His father was already used to seeing that expression, so he continued without stopping. "Secondly, because he is your brother..."

Minato didn't know how it could be possible, but his son's face had become more expressionless, but he ignored it again and answered his last question, "Finally, you earn the right of not being executed..."

At that statement, Naruto's regained all of its expressiveness, and a mighty laugh echoed on the wooden walls of the prison.

"HAHAHAHA!" The Uzumaki was unable to hold the laughter, standing up while slapping his right thigh repeatedly.

Those that were outside wondered what was happening in there, but they didn't step in.

Meanwhile, Minato looked at him with a shocked expression, as it seemed that his son had lost his mind.

The Yondaime saw him pointing his index finger and looking at him with an expression that said: are you stupid?

The Jinchūriki's amusement continued for several seconds as he tried to reply, but he could only say gibberish due to his laughter.

Minato observed in silence, seeing him move back and forth as he wiped his eyes with his fingers, laughing like a maniac.

The Yondaime then saw him putting a hand on the bars of his cell, motioning him with his free hand to get closer.

The Hokage did so, and when he was close, his son stopped laughing, looked at him with a stern expression, and before he could react, Minato felt a strong blow to his face.

The Yondaime fell to the ground, and Naruto grabbed the wooden bars with both hands as he looked at him with a murderous expression, "You fucking moron, stop with the nonsense."

The blow was not painful since his son currently had the strength of a civilian, but it had taken him by surprise. Who was he fooling? He knew this would happen, but he had approached him anyway; perhaps he had done it with the idea of righting his wrongs.

As he stood up, the Uzumaki continued. "Stupidity has a limit. Do you think I will believe that nonsense that I will be executed if I don't cooperate? You would never do it; you're just a damn coward."

The Hokage looked like he wanted to refute, so he raised his index finger slightly but then dropped it in a sign of defeat. "You're right," Minato admitted as he clenched his fists and bowed his head. "But still..."

Naruto then saw him doing a dogeza as he exclaimed, "I beg you! Please convince Tsunade to return and treat your brother! He is not to blame for the actions of my pathetic self!"

The Yondaime kept his head glued to the floor, waiting for his son's response.

Naruto snorted before stating, "You really are pathetic."

"You're right, I am. But you are the only one who can convince her," the blond man replied without looking up.

The Uzumaki stepped back and sat on the wooden bed in his cell before saying, "If you say that, then I can guess you already know why Tsunade-sama doesn't want to return to this place. She saved my life and gave me a purpose to keep on living. What makes you think I would want to manipulate her to return to a place that only causes her pain?"

What the legendary Sannin had said to him that fateful night forged his character, those were the words that made him the person he was today, and for that, he would be eternally grateful to her. Naruto appreciated her as much as the Sandaime, although he had never seen her in person. The first reason was that he had been blind the first time he met her. The second reason was that he did not find her in time when he was in Root. And the third reason was that leaving the village had been impossible when he left Root, thus couldn't meet up with her when people in his organization found her.

Minato then pulled his head away from the floor, looking at his son to see that he had an expression of disgust on his face.

"You're right, but still, please listen to my selfish request," with that said, the Hokage stuck his head back on the floor, waiting for his son's response.

Naruto sighed as he sat on the bed. "Okay, I'll do it."

Minato raised his head slightly and asked with a hopeful expression. "Really?"

The Uzumaki looked at him so severely that Minato couldn't help but feel chills.

"I will, but I'll want something in return when I come back."

His father slowly stood up, and although he was willing to give him almost anything he wanted, some things would be difficult to fulfill.

But he couldn't be picky at this time, so he just nodded, bowed in gratitude before stepping out to make the call with the device Kyofu had handed him.

Once the Uzumaki was the only one left in the room, he heard a sneering voice in his head. "Heh, such an obedient son."

The Jinchūriki tried to ignore the voice in his mind, but since he knew that Kurama would continue annoying him if he didn't say anything back, Naruto replied, "I only accepted because he saved Kaa-chan's body. Besides, I can't let that idiot die if we want to get your power back."

Kurama felt that there was something weird in Naruto's voice, as if he was absent, disconnected from reality. The Bijū concluded that he still felt guilty for what he had done to the red-haired girl, and also because he almost killed Orochimaru's former student, and because he eventually tried to murder all living beings on the planet.

Intending to distract him from it and cheer him up a bit, the Bijū joked, "I thought you were doing it for your dear daddy."

"You are a pain in the ass, did you know that?" Naruto responded with annoyance.

Kurama growled and added, "Grumpy."

Annoyed, the Uzumaki stated, "You don't need to worry about me; I can deal with my problems by myself."

The Bijū rolled his eyes but was not offended by his comment, as he was used to his container's behavior when he was upset or distressed. Besides, as unbelievable as it seemed, he was still a kid and one who had begun to experience 'positive' feelings in recent years, when he had been an unscrupulous sociopath who didn't care about anything or anyone most of his life.

It wasn't as if he wasn't one anymore, but currently, those were no longer the only traits in his personality. That was why Kurama decided to give him some time to reflect on what had happened, and when Naruto calmed down, they would talk about it.

The Kyūbi changed the subject. "Well? What will you ask him when you come back? To let you go?"

Naruto let out a snort and smiled slightly. "You and I know that won't be necessary. But for the joke you made before, I'll only let you know when I tell the Hokage."

Kurama growled annoyed, "Grumpy and resentful."

The Jinchūriki couldn't help chuckling, but said nothing, as his Bijū continued. "Anyway, what happened to Nikushimi? Any chance of him reappearing?"

Naruto put the book aside and looked at the ceiling of his cell before mentally responding, "There are no traces of him, as the Apple erased his existence, although he seemed to be sure of his return. I haven't noticed anything strange in my Curse Mark's chamber either. And though I'll hate to do this again, I'll have to absorb Orochimaru's soul to find out how he managed to contact the King of Hell. The fragment in my Curse Mark didn't know it. When I find out how he did it, I will have a few words with the bastard that sent that good for nothing."

"I don't think that would be wise. I remember my father mentioning the King of Hell on a few occasions, and he always said it was someone difficult to deal with. Moreover, if 'it' is the creator of that thing, then its power must be unimaginable."

"I already know that," the Uzumaki replied, stopping to look at his right fist in frustration. "Right now, I can't even beat my 'dear daddy,'" he stated the latter with sarcasm, but he showed no signs of hopelessness, rather, excitement.

That did not surprise the Bijū since he knew how much his container enjoyed difficult challenges.

"Once I leave this place, I'll have to train as if there is no tomorrow. Holidays are over," the Uzumaki stated, grabbing the book to continue reading it.

"And why don't you just leave this place once and for all? What are you waiting for?" Kurama questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"First of all, I want to know how what happened to the old man. Secondly, because I must bring Tsunade-sama to heal the Yondaime's son, and thirdly because I must wait for Tayuya."

"Tayuya? Do you mean the redhead with the loose mouth?" the Bijū inquired as he recalled what happened on the roof of the Kage box.

Naruto smiled because of his accurate description before answering. "Indeed, that's her."

"But why? When did she tell you that?" Kurama asked as he recalled about the events at the stadium, but he couldn't remember them talking about it.

The Uzumaki shook his head before answering, "No, she didn't tell me anything. I know this because I absorbed the soul of Orochimaru's clone. Well, she and those guys who accompanied her will return. The plan is to take me and Sasuke to Orochimaru."

"Will you go? That bastard could help you to become stronger... "

Naruto snorted before answering, "Please, Kurama, stop with the bad jokes. I'd rip my balls off before doing that."

The Kyūbi laughed slightly before asking, "And what about the Uchiha? Will you allow him to go? Just kill him already."

"That will be his decision to make. I won't meddle... But I won't kill him yet; I plan to give Sasuke a little surprise soon." He couldn't help saying the latter with a dark and evil smile on his face.

Kurama couldn't but smile alike, and his curiosity made him ask what he had in mind, getting as an answer to wait for that moment.

Sighing annoyedly, the Bijū decided to put his antics aside. Instead, he decided to get serious. "Why didn't you tell me that you had that thing inside you?"

The Jinchūriki stopped reading and sighed before answering, "I thought I felt something inside me the first time I used the Curse Mark but I also thought it was just me in an uncontrolled state since I merged three types of Chakras."

Naruto closed his eyes and recalled the day when he and Anko used their Curse Marks for the first time and how he almost ended up hurting her.

After opening his eyes, he continued, "But as the days went by, I was surer that I had something inside me that worsened my temper, so I thought about mastering the levels of my mind in secret to avoid that thing from finding it out. But at the time it was just a guess; that's why I didn't tell you."

"You don't convince me. Nothing stopped you from telling me. Had you done so, maybe I could have helped you."

Naruto sighed again. "In what way? Do tell me."

The Bijū growled slightly angry. "I don't know. That's why I said maybe I could have."

Naruto retorted calmly, "Kurama, remember that my temperament was quite unstable back then. Most likely, I would have taken it out on you in a way that neither of us would have liked it. I didn't tell you either because of that."

"That's more convincing..." the Bijū muttered.

The Jinchūriki added, "Now I need to concentrate on this journey and what I will say to Tsunade-sama; it will have to be something convincing."

Kurama nodded and didn't speak anymore, letting his container think of the words he would say to the Legendary Sannin. The Biju would rather have him think about that than what he had done to Karin.

Meanwhile, Minato had finished narrating to his Sensei what happened inside, omitting the reward Naruto would ask for upon returning.

"I see. Then use the device Kyofu-dono gave you and ask where Tsunade is."

Minato nodded and pulled the device out from his pants pocket before raising the lid.

"Strange device," the Hokage muttered, stopping to look briefly at the cell phone.

However, before he could press any of its buttons, his master told him to look up, and upon doing so, he could see Kyofu descending from the sky.

Minato decided to wait for him, and when his feet touched the ground, the masked man bowed slightly and both shinobis of Konoha did the same.

"I have finished my meeting with Hiashi-dono. I have come to say goodbye. We shall continue our conversation once I know about young Naruto's decision."

Once he finished saying his words, he noticed the phone in the hands of the Yondaime. Therefore, he put a finger on the chin of his mask and asked curiously, "Did he already give you an answer?"

"Yes, he will try to convince her," Minato answered.

That surprised Kyofu a bit since he didn't expect his original self to accept so easily, though he didn't care either.

"I see. In that case, let me make the call for you. Or have you already done it?" Kyofu mentioned as he stretched out his hand.

The Hokage shook his head, so he handed over the device, seeing him pressing a button on it and bringing it to his ear.

Jiraiya and Minato then heard a voice on the device but could not grasp the conversation clearly due to the low volume of the device, but they realized the excitement of the person on the other side once the masked man had started talking.

After several seconds in which he reiterated the same question due to the person's joy, Kyofu cut off the call and put the phone in his pocket while sighing.

"Well?" Minato asked impatiently.

"She is in Tanzaku," the masked man revealed.

The Hokage nodded and looked at his master, who had a look of perversion on his face. "What are you thinking about, Sensei?" Minato asked with narrowed eyes.

Jiraiya's face regained its seriousness, so he coughed once to try and defend himself, but Kyofu had spoken first. "Aha, the brothels of Tanzaku. If you have some spare time, I recommend mine: The Paradise. If you're lucky, one of my employees will be interested in you. By the way, I think you will be in for a big surprise if you go there," he said the latter with a smile while thinking about Kurenai. Most likely, she had already arrived.

"N-No, how can you think that? My godson's life is at stake," the Sannin replied with a nervous smile.

His student looked at him suspiciously and added, "I hope so Sensei. I want this to be settled as soon as possible. Once my child is well, you can do whatever you want. Is that clear?"

Jiraiya bowed his head and dropped his hands before obediently saying, "Hai."

Minato nodded and added, "Then go and get everything you'll need and wait for me on the outskirts of Konoha. Take this." With that said, the blond man handed him one of his special Kunai, and his master put it in his ninja bag.

"Okay, I'll go and get ready. I'll stick the Kunai when I am there."

The Hokage nodded but before he could leave, Kyofu mentioned, "Go directly to the nearest city, Jiraiya-dono. Some people will be waiting for you to take you to Tanzaku in an automobile. If you guys walk, it would take you at least two days to get there; I guess you are not willing to waste that much time."

Getting on one of those machines would be a first for the Sannin, but since he was in a hurry, he had no time to contemplate the idea.

Jiraiya nodded and said, "Okay. Then I will leave immediately. Could you prepare the things for the boy, Minato?"

"Sure. Go quickly, sensei," the Hokage answered as he watched his master nod and disappear into a puff of smoke.

Minato then looked at Kyofu, but neither of them could say anything, as a third person had asked. "What should I do, Hokage-sama?"

Looking in that direction, he saw Tenzō and responded, "You will go with them. Your element will be needed in case anything happens. I also want you to create a clone and look for Yugao. Tell her that her current mission is on hold and that I command her to come here immediately."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the Mokuton user replied, creating a clone before heading into the prison.

"Yugao-chan? The boss won't be bored during the trip," Kyofu thought with a smile as he saw Tenzō returning to the provisional prison and his clone walk away in search of the purple-haired ANBU.

Minato then seriously looked at Kyofu and asked, "You said you wanted to assist in the reconstruction of the village. Tell me, what do you want in return?"

"I think I have already established my interests at the council meeting, Hokage-dono," the masked man replied.

"You don't fool me. I'm sure you're looking for something else," the Yondaime said with a look of suspicion.

Kyofu chuckled before answering, "I had already told you, but I shall repeat it: you are remarkably sharp. You are right, I want something in return."

"As I thought," Minato thought with narrowed eyes as he signaled him to continue.

"The taxes of my future undertakings in Konoha must not exceed ten percent, and I want a five-year exemption from real estate taxes. In return, I promise you to employ at least 80% of Konohanian labor. I would also like to use 20% of the surroundings of Konoha to promote agriculture. In addition to that, I want to use the trees knocked down during this incident for the reconstruction tasks."

If it was just that, then he had no reason to oppose. Besides, he needed new investors to revive the economy. This was one of Konoha's peculiarities: the fact that they did not depend entirely on the funding of the Fire Daimyō.

It was an important trading point within the Land of Fire, and for that reason, it attracted so many investors, although Minato had the suspicion that these investors had been the same person disguised under different names.

Minato then sighed. "If it's just that, then I'll allow it."

"I'm not done yet," the masked man interrupted, causing the Hokage to look at him suspiciously.

The wood clone smiled and stated, "I would also like to open a temple."

"A temple? What do you mean?" Minato asked puzzledly.

Although what Kyofu was about to say amused him, it also made him feel shame and disgust, so he waited a moment to compose himself before saying, "My employees have a tendency of worshiping me as a kind of god, Hokage-dono, and since they will be in this place for a long time, I would like them to have a place to express their beliefs and improve their performance."

"Are you kidding me?" The Hokage spoke with a tone of disbelief, although after recalling for a little bit, he remembered the expressions on the faces of his men when they looked at him.

"I'm not kidding," Kyofu seriously replied.

At that moment, Minato's voice and expression became stern. "I refuse."

The wood clone felt a little surprised and curious by his prompt decision, so he inquired, "Could I know the reason?"

"What do you think will happen if I allow a bunch of religious zealots in this village? You said not to trust you, and I intent of following that advice."

"Can you say the same thing when it comes to your children? If so, you would not trust me about Tsunade-sama's whereabouts," the masked man replied.

"That has nothing to do with this. In this case, I'd only get problems."

"You get the reconstruction of your village and new jobs for your citizens, jobs that will bring bread to the tables of each of them," Kyofu corrected him.

Faced with this, Minato mentally cursed because he knew he was right. His people needed help, and especially jobs so that they could hope on moving forward.

The Hokage clenched his fists, trembling because of the frustration and doubts he had.

Naruto's clone smiled as he saw his father's internal struggle. He wondered what his final decision would be, but he wouldn't care what he ended up choosing. Although he had just given him reasons to accept, he only did it to level the pros and cons so as not to be so evident.

This continued for another minute until Kyofu saw his tremors stopping. The Hokage raised his head slowly and looked at Kyofu with a serious and doubtful expression.

"I may regret this, but I must put my people's wellbeing first. So, I accept your offer."

The masked man wanted to shrug but he nodded instead. "I understand, Hokage-dono. A representative of mine shall bring a contract so that both of us can fulfill our parts."

With an expression that still reflected doubt, Minato nodded. "I understand."

After that, Kyofu turned around and looked in a specific direction. "It's such a pity that the mall was destroyed... Anyhow, we shall start with the reconstruction immediately; some people should be arriving soon."

Minato nodded, but moments later he realized something. "Wait, did you already know that I would accept?"

Kyofu shook his head and replied, "No, but I assumed you may."

"Hmm, I see," the Hokage answered, unsatisfied with his answer, but it was not relevant.

Suddenly, Minato moved his right hand to his face when seeing that Kyofu had thrown something at him, and after looking at his hands, he saw the device that Kyofu had given him before.

"We will be in touch through that medium. You already know how to turn it on, but in case it doesn't, you must provide it some of your Chakra. It was a pleasure to chat with you, Hokage-dono. I hope that we can have a more pleasant relationship in the future." After bowing slightly, Kyofu began to float, and a few seconds later, he disappeared into the finite blue sky.

Minato reflected while looking in that direction, "I don't know what you're looking for, but I'll be ready for whatever you have in mind."

After that, he stood near the wooden prison and waited there until the return of Tenzō's clone, who returned a few minutes later accompanied by the ANBU of the rabbit mask.

"Hokage-sama," both ANBU said as they knelt before their leader.

"Usagi-san, get ready. I will assign you an escort mission," the Hokage informed.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Could I know who I will be escorting?" She asked since Tenzō had only told her that the Yondaime required her presence.

Minato seriously looked at her before answering, "My sensei and... Naruto."

Upon hearing that last name, Yugao's eyes widened slightly, but she kept her head down and made sure not to reveal her surprise; she just waited quietly until the Hokage finished speaking.

"They are on a mission to search for Tsunade. I want you to make sure they don't deviate from their mission for any reason. Understood?"

The other reason he wanted her to go was that she had been the only one able to approach his son years ago; Minato thought that his son wouldn't act recklessly if she accompanied him.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the ANBU replied before he ordered her to stand up and prepare to leave immediately.

"I have everything I need with me, Hokage-sama. Just give me the order and I will leave immediately," she replied.

"Okay. Then follow me," Minato ordered as he turned around and walked inside the prison.

She nodded and walked behind him, happy and a little nervous because she would meet up with Naruto.

Tenzō's clone decided to disperse by itself instead of waiting for his original to do so.

Notes

I'm sorry for the delay. It's been two years.

In addition to the whole issue of the pandemic, the main reason why I was not publishing anything was because of pure laziness. I just didn't feel like reading and revising the chapters. Keep in mind that I write the story and then translate the chapters by myself (it's not perfect, but it's something. Most of you should already be used to it).

I will do my best to pick up my stories. But I must be honest and say that I forgot many things, just like you (possibly). I will have to reread the story.

I thank those that are still reading the story despite all this time.

I don't have much to say about this chapter, just that it was short.

I hope you enjoyed it, and until next time.