The Land of Grass.
"Boom!"
A sudden, deafening noise echoed through the dense forest as a towering figure nearly ten meters tall appeared out of nowhere, causing the ground beneath it to tremble. Alongside the giant, Minato and Kushina materialized, Minato casting a sidelong glance at Kushina.
"Are you ready?" he asked calmly.
Kushina nodded, her expression resolute. Her hands moved swiftly as she completed her seal, then slammed her palm onto the ground with a fierce determination. From beneath her hand, black patterns sprawled rapidly, forming intricate designs that spread outward to cover the ground beneath the giant's feet.
The lines of the seal expanded to create a barrier more than ten meters wide, encapsulating the giant completely.
In a flash, Minato appeared at one corner of the barrier, his hands forming a sequence of seals so quickly that he seemed almost like a mirage. As the seals took hold, the armor encasing the giant began to crack and crumble. Stone fragments and debris peeled away, revealing its core.
Once the outer shell fell off entirely, all that remained was a massive orb of energy—a glowing, dark purple ball, several meters in diameter, pulsing with intense light that radiated outward in waves like ethereal sparks.
"Just as I thought," Minato murmured as he completed his hand seals. With a final gesture, he pressed his palm to the ground. His chakra surged through the earth, and glowing lines spread from his hand, fusing with the barrier Kushina had created.
With the giant removed from Rōran, its controller had lost their grip on it. Even with access to the dragon veins' power, it couldn't sustain itself without guidance. Yet Minato knew that if the energy within the core were to spiral out of control, it would cause an explosion large enough to obliterate the entire forest.
The Land of Grass is a peaceful nation, and he couldn't allow such a destructive force to unleash itself here.
"Boom!"
The light within the barrier grew blindingly intense before finally detonating. Violent waves of energy buffeted the barrier, testing its strength as the lines shimmered and pulled taut to contain the explosion.
After several tense minutes, the energy waves gradually began to subside. When the barrier finally faded, Minato and Kushina observed the aftermath. The area within the barrier's radius, a circle more than ten meters wide, had been completely obliterated; even the ground was carved out several meters deep. This was the smallest amount of damage they could manage, given the circumstances.
Minato moved beside Kushina, and with a single touch, they vanished from the scene.
Back at their base, Naruto sat in front of a Flying Thunder God Kunai, his gaze distant as he stared at it in contemplation.
"What's on your mind?" Minato and Kushina reappeared, Minato smiling as he addressed his son.
Seeing them return, Naruto rose to his feet. "Where did you take the giant?"
"The Land of Grass," Minato replied, nodding. "It's been taken care of."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly, a realization dawning on him. He turned to Minato, his voice filled with wonder. "You really know the Flying Thunder God Technique. Who...who exactly are you?"
Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that this technique should be exclusive to his father—it was a space-time jutsu that only the Fourth Hokage, his father, was known to master.
Minato returned Naruto's gaze thoughtfully. "I could ask you the same question. How is it that you, too, know how to use the Rasengan?"
Kushina stepped closer, eyeing Naruto curiously. She seemed about to add something but paused when Minato subtly motioned for her to hold back.
"I think we should discuss this somewhere safer," Minato suggested, casting a quick glance around. Naruto noticed the unconscious guards lying nearby—evidence that someone might have been controlling one of them to speak to him just moments ago. Although Minato believed they weren't in immediate danger, he wasn't about to take chances.
Both Naruto and Kushina nodded in agreement.
"Let's move," Minato instructed.
As they prepared to leave, Naruto glanced back, his gaze sharpening as he added, "It's pointless to hide if you don't shield your own chakra."
With that, he crossed his legs and began to concentrate, intending to enter Sage Mode to mask his presence and block out any perception from the dragon vein.
Minato, observing Naruto's actions, cautioned, "Using Senjutsu frequently can be hard on your body."
With a swift sequence of hand seals, Minato reached out with his chakra, effectively blocking Naruto's chakra from detection. "As long as you stay close to me, the shielding effect will hold."
Naruto blinked, slightly taken aback as he realized this man had dampened his own presence. He hadn't even entered Sage Mode, yet his chakra was already cloaked from detection. He hadn't known the man possessed such skill.
Kushina, standing nearby, mirrored the action, blocking her chakra fluctuations as well.
In an instant, Minato took hold of Naruto's and Kushina's hands, pulling them along as he moved at a speed Naruto could hardly comprehend. The trio blurred into motion, disappearing from the stone pillar, leaving no trace of their chakra.
Meanwhile, a figure cloaked in dark robes sat within a hidden chamber. His eyes, sharp and calculating, suddenly flickered with annoyance. He muttered to himself, "It seems that no matter the era, Minato is always a troublesome man."
He hadn't anticipated that Minato would counter his plans so decisively.
"Looks like it's time for a different approach."
-----
Minato, Kushina, and Naruto found themselves within the quiet solitude of an abandoned building. Hidden in the shadows on the first floor, they took a moment to regroup.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked, gazing at the two masked figures before him. Their presence felt familiar, but their appearance threw him off balance. His mind raced with questions, each one as confounding as the next.
Seeing Naruto's struggle, Minato exchanged a knowing glance with Kushina. In his gaze, she saw a warmth and understanding that eased her own confusion.
"Kushina," Minato murmured, "I think it's time."
Kushina hesitated, recalling Minato's earlier insistence on using code names for discretion. But she trusted him. She reached up, lifting her mask.
Naruto's eyes widened, his mind struggling to keep up with the sight before him.
"Kushina...?" He repeated the name, voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and hope. That name—it was unmistakably his mother's.
Minato followed, removing his own mask. Naruto's blue eyes met the familiar gaze of the man before him, his heart pounding with realization. "Dad? Mom?"
He couldn't mistake those faces, not for anything in the world.
But there was something strange about them. These were undoubtedly his parents, yet they looked young—nearly his age.
Kushina's initial reaction was one of shock, her cheeks flushing with a hint of embarrassment. "I've told you already, don't go shouting such nonsense. Who are you calling your parents?" She said, visibly flustered.
Minato chuckled softly, his gaze settling on her with a gentle understanding. "Kushina," he said warmly, "he's not making it up."
Kushina's eyes widened, the realization slowly dawning as she turned to Minato, then back to Naruto. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Minato, what are you saying? How could we…how could we possibly have a son this grown?"
Naruto, equally astonished, found himself at a loss for words.
Minato took a breath, a small smile forming as he began to explain. "Believe me, it's possible," he reassured her. "Because he's not from our time."
Both Kushina and Naruto stared at him, stunned into silence.
Minato continued, his tone calm yet solemn. "This young man before us—he's from the future, decades from now."
==============================================
Support me at p@treon.com/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this FANFIC or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
==============================================