Chapter 130 The Fox Who Knows Everything!

"The Fourth Hokage is you, Uncle Raiden, who sealed the Nine-Tails inside me."

Uzumaki Naruto's words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone speechless. Uzumaki Raiden stood frozen, staring at Naruto in bewilderment.

"You said... what? Before I died, I sealed the Nine-Tails inside you?"

"I died young?"

Raiden's focus was different from everyone else's. Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly grabbed Raiden's arm and exclaimed excitedly: "Hey, Raiden, you actually became Hokage! You're the Fourth Hokage!"

"If you become Hokage in the future, you must treat our Uchiha clan well."

"If I become the patriarch someday, I will definitely follow your example."

After Fugaku finished, he laughed and patted Raiden on the shoulder. He turned to Naruto and asked eagerly: "Hey, kid, tell me. When Raiden became Hokage, did our Uchiha clan hold a high position in Konoha?"

"Surely, by then, the Konoha Guard wasn't limited to members of our clan."

Fugaku looked at Naruto confidently, smiling as he awaited an answer. To him, Uzumaki Raiden was a trusted comrade who had faced life-and-death battles by his side. Now that Fugaku had started dabbling in Konoha politics, he understood that although the Uchiha clan was powerful, they faced marginalization from Konoha's higher-ups.

So when Fugaku heard Naruto say Raiden became Hokage, his heart swelled with joy. He thought Raiden's position as Hokage would protect the Uchiha clan from being suppressed.

"Uchiha? Sasuke's clan?"

Naruto's head snapped toward Fugaku, and he replied without hesitation: "I know! The Uchiha clan was wiped out later by Uchiha Itachi, leaving only Sasuke."

Fugaku, who had been grinning moments before, froze. His expression darkened, and he cried out in shock: "What? The clan was exterminated? How is that possible?"

"My Uchiha clan is invincible—how could we be wiped out?"

Fugaku's anger surged, his aura shifting dangerously as if he might lash out. Sensing this, Minato grabbed Fugaku's sleeve and spoke calmly:

"Fugaku, don't get excited. Naruto said the one who exterminated the clan was Uchiha Itachi."

"If you know this now, can't you take measures when we return?"

Minato was curious about the future but different from Raiden and the others. He worried that knowing too much might alter events in unpredictable ways. Resolving to minimize risks, Minato had already decided: once Naruto left, he would seal the team's memories of him.

"Sit down, Fugaku," Raiden said firmly, snapping out of his daze. He placed a hand on Fugaku's shoulder, calming him. Turning back to Naruto, Raiden began scrutinizing the boy before him.

Despite Naruto's golden hair, which matched Minato's, his face bore a striking resemblance to Raiden's. The chakra flowing from Naruto carried a familiar sense of intimacy. Through it, Raiden sensed a powerful and peculiar chakra sealed in Naruto's abdomen.

"My perception is correct. What's sealed inside him isn't half the Nine-Tails—it's the full tailed beast."

"And this seal isn't just an Eight Trigrams Seal formed by combining two Four Symbols Seals. Its complexity surpasses anything I can create today."

"Minato and my sister wouldn't have achieved this alone. It must be my own work."

"But if I became Hokage, why did I still die? Did I fail to defeat Uchiha Madara?"

Raiden's mind churned with questions as he slowly moved his hand toward Naruto's abdomen. Alarmed, Naruto jumped to his feet and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Naruto's wariness was understandable. He knew the Nine-Tails was sealed in his body and feared anyone meddling with the seal.

"Don't worry. I believe you're my nephew, and I won't harm you," Raiden reassured him.

"But some answers may not come from you. I need to consult someone else."

Raiden gestured for Naruto to sit. Once Naruto complied, Raiden placed a hand on his abdomen, channeling chakra toward him.

A sizzling sound filled the air as Raiden's chakra interacted with the Nine-Tails' chakra. Both Raiden and Naruto were enveloped in the tailed beast's chakra cloak. Its corrosive nature forced Fugaku to back away. Seeing this, Minato formed hand seals, erecting a barrier to isolate Raiden and Naruto's energy.

Raiden closed his eyes, focusing intently. Moments later, his eyes flashed open, and he found himself standing in a sewer, ankle-deep in murky water. Beside him stood a wide-eyed Naruto.

Before them loomed a massive iron cage, its bars wrapped in golden chakra chains intertwined with crackling lightning chakra. At the center of the cage, a golden paper covered in glowing runes shimmered brightly, illuminating the sewer.

"Uncle, how did you get here? My father said I couldn't access this place without mastering Sage techniques," Naruto said in astonishment.

"I've only been here once, and I didn't even know how I got in."

"You've only been here once? Probably when you were near death," Raiden replied quietly.

"This place… it holds the answers I need."

Raiden's voice echoed in the dim space. From within the cage's darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly gleamed.

"Hahaha..."

A deep laugh rumbled through the air.

"Long time no see, Raiden, brat."

"It's nostalgic to see you again after so long!"

The Nine-Tails—Kurama—opened its mouth slightly, exhaling a gust of air that rippled across the water.

"Kurama."

Raiden's gaze softened as he looked at the creature behind the bars. Kurama's scarlet eyes weren't filled with hatred or malice. Instead, they held a deep, wistful warmth, as though reunited with an old friend after many years.

(End of this chapter)