Chapter Sixty: Nothing Much

“You go on with your work—I just came by to have a look. There’s nothing else, so I’ll be on my way after this,” Yu Higashino said to Ayano Nakagawa.

“All right,” Ayano replied, lifting the bowl in her hands. “Thank you for the noodles, Yu.”

“You’re welcome,” Yu said as he turned and walked outside, making his way back to his own agency.

“How did it go, Yu?” Naruto asked curiously from his seat at the counter.

“It went fine. She got the job and is in her probation period now.”

“Oh,” Naruto responded, as though lost in thought.

Yu paid it no mind. He rummaged through his things, pulling out the paper and pen he’d bought earlier, ready to begin writing his book.

“You’re going to write now?” Naruto asked.

“Mm. I’ve more or less got the inspiration.”

“Oh.” For once, Naruto didn’t press further.

Yu glanced over at Naruto a few times as he started writing, jotting down a few words, then looking at Naruto again.

“What is it? You seem distracted,” Yu said.

“Yu… do you think she might know my parents? After all, she has the same last name as me.”

No wonder Naruto was acting so strangely; that was what was on his mind.

Yu fell silent for a moment, hesitated briefly, then spoke. “She doesn’t. But why have you never asked me about this before?”

“About what?” Naruto was momentarily confused.

“Whether I know your parents.”

“What? Wait—you know them?” Naruto exclaimed in shock.

“I know them, but they don’t know me,” Yu replied calmly. He saw no reason to keep it secret; Naruto had never asked before, but now that he had, there was nothing to hide.

“So…?” Naruto’s voice was uncertain, caught between hope and confusion.

“Do you know the name of the Fourth Hokage?”

Naruto looked puzzled, but still answered Yu’s question. “I think it’s Minato Namikaze. I read it in a book.”

“Did the book have his picture?”

“Yes.”

“Did you ever notice how much he looks like you?”

“…” Naruto seemed to understand what Yu was getting at. “You mean…”

“Yes. Your father is the Fourth Hokage.”

Naruto was dumbstruck. This was something he had never even considered.

“And him…?”

“According to the books, he died in order to seal the demon fox.”

“Then me…?”

“He sealed the fox inside you.”

“Why?” Naruto asked, stunned.

“How should I know? I wasn’t close to him.”

Naruto remained in shock, silent for a long, long time. The things Yu had just told him left him at a loss for words.

“Yu… is all of that true? You’re not lying to me, are you?” he finally asked.

“I’m not so bored as to make up something like that.”

“Then why do I have my mother’s last name?”

“Because your mother’s surname is Uzumaki—Kushina Uzumaki. Maybe some people didn’t want your true identity revealed, so you took your mother’s name.”

Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn’t find the words.

Since he’d already started, Yu thought he might as well explain further.

“The demon fox is called the Nine-Tails. It’s a being made of chakra. Besides it, there are eight other similar creatures in the ninja world, called tailed beasts. People who have tailed beasts sealed inside them are called jinchuriki—like you. Your mother was the previous Nine-Tails jinchuriki. When you were born, someone interfered, breaking the seal and letting the Nine-Tails loose. Afterwards, your father sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails inside you. That’s how it happened.”

Having finished, Yu hesitated briefly as another thought came to him. He decided to go all the way.

“Do you want to meet your parents?”

“Huh? Is that possible? Aren’t they already…?”

“They left a trace of chakra inside you. If you want, you can see them through that.”

“I want to.”

“All right.” Yu used some techniques from his illusion skill, sending his consciousness into Naruto’s mind. He found the chakra left by Minato and Kushina, then used illusion skills to manifest them in Naruto’s inner world.

Once he’d done all this, Yu withdrew his consciousness from Naruto. He had no interest in eavesdropping on a family’s reunion.

As he continued writing on the paper, Yu still glanced occasionally at Naruto, who was immersed in his inner world. Sometimes Naruto frowned, as if demanding answers; sometimes tears fell, as if he was sharing sorrow; sometimes he broke into a broad smile, as if something had delighted him.

In the end, Yu simply put down his pen and focused on watching the changing expressions on Naruto’s face. He found it more interesting than writing.

After a long while, Naruto finally emerged from his inner world. For a moment, he just sat there dazed, as if awakening from a dream. Yu didn’t disturb him.

Before long, Naruto finally came back to himself.

“Yu…”