Chapter 358: Can I Call You Mom?

Chapter 358: Can I Call You Mom?

Naruto walked step by step toward Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Before he could say anything, tears brimming in his eyes, Kushina acted first. She no longer cared about the many onlookers or whether it would be embarrassing. At that moment, there was only one thing she wanted to do.

She rushed forward and tightly embraced Naruto! Finally, Kushina fulfilled the desire she had felt back at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto, trembling with emotion, was now in her arms. In that instant, Kushina could clearly feel the fatigue, frustration, and loneliness hidden behind Naruto's bright smile.

Not yet a true mother, Kushina didn't know how to comfort him. All she could do was make her embrace warmer and tighter. And that was enough. For Naruto, this far exceeded his expectations. Uncontrollably, tears began streaming from his eyes.

Minato stood nearby, watching the touching scene of Kushina and Naruto hugging. He stepped forward, placing his hands on their shoulders in a gesture of comfort. In the Hokage's office, everyone else remained silent, quietly witnessing this unique family reunion.

"No signs of genjutsu, no falsified details in body language, speech, or expression. Plus, Kurama's Jinchūriki trusts him so implicitly. We can confirm it now!"

Orochimaru licked his lips with his long tongue and was the first to state the fact, "Parallel worlds really do exist! This sudden new breeze is... utterly fascinating." Orochimaru couldn't wait to learn more about this other world. Why, for instance, did he kill his teacher? And why does Naruto carry the Uzumaki surname instead of Namikaze? The implications were intriguing.

Watching the warm scene before him, Orochimaru smiled slightly, already piecing together certain truths.

After some time, Naruto finally parted from Kushina, choking on his words, "Thank you… I finally know what it feels like to have parents."

Hearing this, Kushina, not bothering to wipe away her tears, quickly asked, "Naruto, what happened to your parents?"

"My parents… they died on the day I was born," Naruto said softly, lowering his head.

Upon hearing this, Kushina instinctively glanced at Minato. Minato remained silent for a moment before patting Naruto on the head, asking, "Do you resent them?"

"Of course not!" Naruto immediately raised his head and shouted, "They were heroes of the village!"

Kushina couldn't help but hug Naruto again. "I'm so sorry, Naruto! It must have been so hard for you all these years!"

"Haha! It wasn't that bad," Naruto laughed awkwardly. "Besides, you don't need to apologize. Don't worry! Now that I'm here, that tragedy won't happen again."

"Dad, Mom, and my future self will all be very happy."

At that moment, Naruto's gaze was firm. Meeting his parents for the first time, Naruto was overjoyed and even briefly considered staying in this world. But he knew the truth.

He didn't belong here.

The people in his original world were in danger, and he couldn't just abandon them. Moreover, even if his parents here were willing to accept him, he couldn't take away the future meant for the other version of himself.

All Naruto could do was reveal everything to prevent future disasters from occurring. Oh right! He also needed to warn them about the threats posed by Hagoromo Gengetsu.

Naruto pulled away from Kushina's embrace, looked around, and addressed everyone, "I know you all still have doubts. Now, I will provide more concrete evidence."

After saying this, Naruto glanced at Kushina and, after hesitating for a moment, scratched his head and shyly asked, "Can I call you Mom?"

Upon hearing this, Kushina scratched her head just like Naruto. "Well… I'm not a mother yet, not even a very good girlfriend. But if you want to, go ahead. I'll try my best to be a good mom from now on!" Kushina clenched her fists and made a determined promise.

Naruto couldn't wait and immediately called out, "Mom!" Then he added, "Mom, could you give me some of Kurama's chakra?"

After two calls of "Mom," Kushina complied without hesitation. Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to stop her, but it was too late. Soon, a dense mass of Kurama's chakra condensed in Kushina's hand. Naruto reached out to grab it.

Kushina was startled, "Naruto, be careful!"

This was Kurama's chakra. Only Kurama's Jinchūriki could touch it without worry.

"Don't worry, Mom," Naruto said confidently.

In the next second, his hand touched the chakra. To Kushina's and everyone else's surprise, the wild Kurama chakra didn't corrode Naruto's hand. On the contrary, like a swallow returning to its nest, the chakra immediately broke free of Kushina's control and perfectly merged into Naruto's body.

"This kid actually…"

Inside the sealing space, Kurama couldn't help but raise his head in astonishment.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto was clad in a golden cloak of tailed beast chakra. After flashing a smile at the surprised Kushina, Naruto turned to everyone else and declared, "In my original world, I am the Jinchūriki of Kurama."

As Naruto's words fell, Hiruzen's pupils constricted, Orochimaru's smile grew wider, and the others reacted with varying degrees of shock. Only Kurama's Jinchūriki could so easily control Kurama's chakra and enter a chakra mode that ordinary Jinchūriki could never achieve.

Naruto had provided the most convincing proof.

Only another Kurama Jinchūriki could do this.

And Kurama… ever since the First Hokage captured it, there had only been two Jinchūriki, and Kurama had always been under Konoha's watchful eye. It was impossible for another Jinchūriki to suddenly appear, especially a teenager.

At that moment, everyone present realized the truth.

Naruto was most likely telling the truth—he really did come from another world.

But one final question remained.

"Naruto, where is Kurama inside you?" Hiruzen asked.

Naruto touched his abdomen and replied solemnly, "That's why I'm here."

"Because of a man named Hagoromo Gengetsu, Kurama inside me disappeared. I had actually died, but the Sage of Six Paths revived me. After a complicated battle, we ended up here."

"The Sage of Six Paths?" someone couldn't help but ask, "Does such a mythical figure really exist?"

If Naruto hadn't just provided such solid evidence, many would have assumed he was delusional. Even so, there were still many skeptical gazes.

"The Sage of Six Paths is still around. Though he said he's technically dead, he exists in another form. As for the specifics, his explanation was too convoluted, and I've forgotten most of it. But I do remember what he looks like."

For the rest of the time, Naruto vividly described the appearance of the Sage of Six Paths to everyone. He mentioned eyes like Hagoromo Gengetsu's, a white robe similar to Gengetsu's, black orbs floating behind him, and... traits different from Gengetsu's.