AN - Took a bit longer to get this chapter out, but I believe this will be the best one so far - or the worst - you never know.

They had gotten back to the village a couple hours ago and Naruto was lying in his bed, his room clean having been seldom used. He was pondering what to do next. I cannot solely rely on Baryon mode to beat everything even though it is ridiculously powerful. Plus, what if I become a grumpy old fox like Kurama.

Oi! Brat, I heard that!

Never mind that, Kurama. How should I train? What do I need to improve on?

While Baryon mode is making you smarter you still have a long way to go. Kurama replied. You lack wisdom—and without wisdom, intelligence is nothing. You have a good battle mind, but there is always someone better at something than you. You lack speed, a proper taijutsu style, you have one ninjutsu, and 2 shape manipulation techniques. While your chakra control is excellent, you sometimes use it wastefully.. There will be a time where you will fight someone with more chakra than you, so you need to to use your chakra sparingly. I'd recommend asking the Hokage to give you books for your shadow clones to use and get whatever your parents left you to train with.

Naruto began smirking deviously. Maybe dad left the Flying thunder God Technique. Think about how easy it'd be to get ramen if I could teleport there. Naruto began to salivate; just thinking about ramen always made him hungry.

Stupid Brat! This is what I'm talking about! You're the least wise kid I've ever known—and I've met more people than you could ever count..

Oh! Right, sorry about that. But how do I improve my wisdom?

"There are two sides to being smart: intelligence (what you know at a given time) and wisdom (knowing how to use it). If you have 1 but not the other you are unbalanced. It's like chakra; you cannot have more yin than yang chakra or vice versa. If you do, you'll be severely limited. You have more yin than yang chakra, showing your emphasis on your physical body rather than your mental body. You could have much more power regularly. If you resolve this imbalance , you will become far more powerful.

So do I just have to train my intelligence and wisdom for the imbalance to be resolved?

Yes and no.

What do you mean 'yes and no.'

While there are two facets to smartness there are two types of smarts. Kurama explained. Book smarts and real-world smarts. Real world smarts is how to apply your book smarts. Book smarts and real world smarts are like intelligence and wisdom. You cannot have one without the other.

How do I train real-world smarts?

It's on the name. Apply your knowledge to the real-world. While you are still naive you have more real-world smarts than book smarts.

Why is that?

The abuse of the villagers created a reason for you to become real-world smart, if you hadn't adapted you wouldn't be here today.

Oh. Naruto thought solemnly

Do not let that get you down. With your shadow clones it should be easy to rectify this. You can gain years of experience in a matter of days with your shadow. Now that we are in-sync you can dispel more shadow clones at one time, decreasing the mental side effect of the shadow clone jutsu.

"There is no time like the present. Let's get going." Naruto said with determination as he dashed out of his apartment toward the Hokage Tower.

"I would be happy to give you all that you need." Tsunade said to Naruto with a warm smile.

"Thanks baa-chan. You're the best." Naruto said with stars in his eyes.

Tsunade stood up and walked over the wall with the pictures of the Hokages on them, specifically the 4th and grabbed hold of it and opened it. Behind was a safe. She put in the combination. As she worked the combination, Naruto leaned forward, practically on the edge of his seat despite standing the whole time in her office.

Finally, she pulled out 4 scrolls from the safe and handed them to Naruto. He was eager to read everything they had in them.

At least he is still as curious as ever. Tsunade thought before saying. "This one with the red swirl on it is from your mother and the three with the lightning bolts are from your father. The one with the biggest one is what he wrote to you. We can guess what the other ones are." As Tsunade finished naruto swiped them out of her hand, his eyes drawn to his father's.

Dear Naruto,

If you haven't learned already, I am your father, Minato Namikaze, the 4th Hokage, but if you are reading this you already know that. I wish I could be there with you, but this letter will have to do.

I want to apologize for what I had to do, even though the chakra imprint I left in the seal has likely explained it all by now. I wanted for you to be a hero. That Was my last wish.I wanted you to be the hero who kept Kyuubi under control, but instead, you were probably hated for it. I would like to apologize for putting you through that. Like you I was an orphan, but you are going to have it much worse than me.

I had Jiraiya-sensei (If you ever meet him, please don't become a pervert—your mom would kill me if you did), but you will most likely only have Hiruzen, who will be busy being the Hokage. I should probably tell him that you can use shadow clones to do all the work, But I have no time to do that. I need to seal the Kyuubi.

I want you to know that I will always love you more than anything. And the other two scrolls are for the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God, but Jiraiya has probably taught you the Rasengan by now.

Minato Namikaze,

4th Hokage,

And, most importantly,

Dad

Tears were already streaming down his face by the time he had finished the letter. But, they were not tears of sadness—but tears of pure happiness. After being told for years your father and mother abandoned you knowing they didn't was a great thing. Warmth was bubbling in his chest. This was the happiest moment of his life.

Since he didn't want this to end he started to read his mother's letter, hoping the contents were similar to his father's

Dear Naruto,

I am currently writing this before your dad takes me to the hidden place where you will be born. I have a bad feeling, like something will go wrong during your birth, so I am writing this just in case. I want you to know that me being pregnant with you was the happiest time in my life. Every time you kicked, I was overcome with joy, knowing I would meet you, my little bundle of joy.

But I fear you may face challenges like I did. If things don't go as planned, you might end up as the Kyuubi's vessel. If that happens, remember that people may be unkind, just as they were with me. I was picked on for my red hair and being different, but those words weren't true. And the things they say to you aren't true either.

In my years of living I have believed in many things, but this is what I am sure of is you. You will grow up to be a wonderful man and a powerful shinobi. Just know that I will always support you, no matter if I am with you or not. I love you more than anything in this world

Kushina Uzunami-Namikaze,

Your Mother.

As Naruto read what his mother wrote a new wave a tear streamed down his cheeks. Warmth filled his heart, grounding him with a love that, despite everything, had never left him.

Naruto clutched the letters close, letting his breath steady as he absorbed the warmth of his parents' words. Their confidence in him wasn't just comforting—it was empowering. He could almost feel them by his side, guiding him through each new challenge. Taking a deep breath, he carefully folded the letters and tucked them into his jacket, near his heart. This connection to them was too precious to risk losing, even for a moment.

Kurama's voice broke the silence, gruff but softer than usual.
Well, brat… they sure believed in you.

Naruto's hand rested over the letters in his jacket.
Yeah, they did. They… they still do.

A moment passed, and then Kurama, unable to resist the urge to keep Naruto grounded, added, Sentimental fool. They're not here, but that doesn't mean you're any less of a knucklehead.

Naruto chuckled, wiping away his tears, but his grin remained.
Guess I'll have to make 'em proud, huh? And maybe you, too, furball.

He felt Kurama's amused scoff rumble in his mind, followed by a flicker of approval that Naruto didn't need to comment on to recognize.

With renewed determination, Naruto turned and bolted toward the training grounds, knowing what he needed to do. His heart raced not just from the sprint but from the newfound purpose that his parents' words had sparked. The scrolls he held were gifts from them—gifts he needed to master if he was going to carry on their legacy and protect the village.

The training ground felt different today. The usual buzz of chakra in the air, the wind rustling through the trees, and the sunlight spilling over the area felt more alive, charged with energy. As he summoned his clones and laid out his plan, a wave of dizziness washed over him, but he brushed it aside.

"Alright, guys," Naruto said to his clones, "We're going to master the Flying Thunder God technique. In no time flat. Now, 100 clones work on now wasting chakra, of you 100 on water, the other on trees. You all will try to perfect the rasengan, and I mean make it perfect, more perfect than the faces on the Hokage mountain," Naruto commanded, voice steady despite the strange weight pressing on him.

As his clones dispersed to their tasks, he dived into the Flying Thunder God scroll; however, between studying complex patterns and focused breaths, the weight grew heavier. His movements began to slow as he noted instructions, his fingers trembling slightly.

As dusk fell, Naruto could feel the Baryon Mode's lingering toll resurfacing, a delayed backlash from the massive amount of chakra that was in his system. Just as he tried to summon more clones, the world spun faster than ever, darkness closed in on him, and he stumbled forward falling face first on the ground.

Naruto blinked, his vision slowly focusing on the sterile white ceiling above him, the distinct antiseptic smell filling his nose. He was definitely in the hospital. The last thing he remembered was pushing himself to his limits in training, dismissing any signs of fatigue—until everything went dark.

Oi, brat, Kurama's voice echoed in his mind. Now that you're awake, you can thank whoever dragged your unconscious self in here.

"Right," Naruto thought back. "Guess I owe them one. But...what happened? Why'd I pass out?"

Kurama grumbled, his tone a mix of irritation and concern. If I were to hazard a guess your body's still reeling from the strain of Baryon Mode. That technique's beyond anything else you've tried, and it looks like your body wasn't fully ready for it. When the Sage said there were no bad effects he might have been mistaken considering he was a grown up and had the rinnegan when he used it and—unlike you—was half extraterrestrial."

Naruto sighed internally, feeling the weight of the revelation. "How am I supposed to defend the village if I pass out every time I try something like that? I can't afford to be out of commission with the Pale Man and the Masked Man just brought to Anbu Prison the other day. Wait! Did you say the Sage of Six Paths was half-alien."

Kurama huffed. Yes, I did, but we can save that conversation for later. You cannot rush what you can endure. It takes time. It can be a long process, but if anyone can do it in such a short time, it would be you. Take it slow for now.

Before Naruto could respond, a familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Naruto, you're awake!" Tsunade's voice filled the room, her expression shifting from relief to her usual tough love. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"

Naruto managed a weak grin, already feeling the familiar mix of comfort and anxiety that Tsunade's presence always brought. "Baa-chan," Naruto whined, "How was I supposed to know I was going to pass out."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Well learn your limits, Brat, because if you keep pulling stunts like that, no more Fly Thunder God Training for you!" Tsuande commanded.

"Aww… But Baa-chan… but it is such a cool jutsu." Naruto pouted.

"And it is a jutsu that puts you in urgent care. Don't push yourself anymore than necessary Brat!." And with that Tsunade walked out of the room leaving Naruto with just Kurama.

Once Tsunade left, Naruto let out a long sigh, sinking back into his bed. The adrenaline from the training had faded, leaving a lingering ache in his muscles. He knew better than to argue with Tsunade, especially when she was in "lecture mode," but he couldn't shake the frustration. How could he be expected to protect everyone if he had to hold back?

Oi, brat. Kurama's voice echoed in his mind. She's right, you know. You keep using Baryon Mode in a battle like it's a standard jutsu, you're going to pay for it. Pushing your limits doesn't mean ignoring them.

Naruto sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I know, Kurama. It's just—I thought I had it under control. I have to get stronger, though. If I don't, the Pale Man and the Masked Man…"

Kurama huffed. Then get stronger the smart way. Training isn't about hitting a wall over and over; it's about gradually breaking through it. Besides, you've got the Flying Thunder God to master, don't you?

Naruto's eyes lit up a bit at the mention. "Yeah! I mean, that was part of why I was training so hard," he admitted, his voice tinged with excitement. "Dad made that jutsu into something amazing; if I can master it, maybe I won't have to rely on Baryon Mode as much."

Well it since you have used Baryon mode you have finally seem to be able to think coherently. Kurama teased.

At least I'm not a grumpy old fox with a god complex! Naruto shot back.

At least I'm not a brat that doesn't know what his limits are.

After their banter, a comfortable silence settled between Naruto and Kurama, each reflecting on the conversation. The harsh truth in Kurama's words lingered, but so did the unspoken encouragement, and Naruto couldn't help but feel grateful.

He took a deep breath, savoring the feeling of calm, something rare since the war. Slowly, he sat up, ignoring the dull ache in his muscles. He was drained, sure, but the determination simmering within him kept him moving.

As he reached for a glass of water beside his hospital bed, the door creaked open. Naruto turned to see Ino stepping inside, her expression softening with relief when she saw him awake.

"I'm guessing you were the one who found me?" Naruto asked Ino.

Ino nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, I found you out cold in the training grounds. You're lucky I was out there; otherwise, who knows how long you'd have been lying there."

Naruto blinked, just now realizing he hadn't even asked. "Wait…How long was I out anyway?"

"2 days."

"WHAT! 2 DAYS!" Naruto's jaw dropped, his shock quickly giving way to a wave of embarrassment.

"Why did you pass out anyway?"

"Well, it is just a theory," Naruto began, scratching the back of his head.,"but me and Kurama, the Kyuubi, think it was from using Baryon mode."

"I heard it wasn't supposed to have any side effects."

"I thought that too," I think there will be no adverse side effects if your body can handle that amount of power flowing through it at one time. Kinda like how Bushy brows and Bushier brow sensei are after they use the eight gates."

Ino nodded, her expression thoughtful. "So, it's like there's a hidden toll on your body you didn't know about?"

"Exactly," Naruto said. "It's like I thought I was ready, but my body just... wasn't there yet."

"Well I've got to tell everyone that you are 've all been worried sick about you," Ino said, giving him a quick smile before turning toward the door. "See you soon!"

Ino ran out the door of his room and Naruto lay back down, a soft smile covering his face, waiting to see his friends.