How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

At first, Kushina thought Sasuke was the only normal one. But it turned out he was only normal because his time to act weird hadn't come yet. 

She let out a long sigh. What else could she do? One was her son, the other was her best friend's son… 

Might as well spoil them both. 

Kushina instantly knew what to do. 

She smiled gently and looked at Naruto with eyes full of encouragement and affection. "Naruto, I never expected you to convince even the Nine-Tails in the future. That's just like you." 

As she spoke, she reached out and gently ruffled Naruto's hair. 

To be honest, Naruto was already fifteen years old. He wasn't as short as before, and he was almost the same height as Kushina. In fact, if you counted that one stubborn tuft of hair sticking up, he was actually a little taller than her. 

(*PS: Officially, Naruto is 166 cm at 16 years old, Kushina was 165 cm when she died, Minato is 180 cm, and Sasuke is 168 cm at 16.*) 

So the scene looked a little strange, especially since Kushina wasn't even eighteen yet at this point in time. 

The Fourth Great Ninja War ended in Konoha Year 68 when Naruto was 17, meaning he was born in Konoha Year 51. Kushina was 24 when he was born, meaning she was born in Konoha Year 27. 

Now, going forward in the timeline: 

The Third Great Ninja War lasted from Konoha Year 45 to 48. When the war started, Kushina was eighteen. Right now, they were still before the war, meaning she wasn't even eighteen yet. 

Even if the war started next year, that would make Kushina 17 right now and Naruto 16. 

Pretty funny, huh? Kushina isn't even 18, she and Minato are supposed to be the same age, and yet here's Naruto, already 16. 

This world sure is full of surprises. 

But clearly, after getting together with Minato, Kushina had mellowed out a bit. The way she looked at Naruto was full of warmth. If this had been her past self, she probably would've dragged him straight back to Konoha to let him experience some proper motherly love. 

Faced with such a gentle approach, Naruto turned red and stammered shyly, "If it were you, Mom— 

I mean, if it were you, I'm sure you could've convinced Kurama too." 

"Convinced with fists, right?" Kurama rolled his eyes. "And you two both know the truth, so why are you still acting so awkward? Can't you just call each other what you want already?" 

Kushina didn't mind much since she always called him Naruto, but Naruto kept hesitating every time he tried to say "Mom." He would always stop halfway and switch to "you" or "her" instead. 

Wasn't that exhausting? 

Sasuke nodded in agreement. Even as a bystander, it felt weird to listen to. 

Kurama shot him a look. "And you're one to talk? You're just like Naruto. Fugaku is right over there, isn't he? What's stopping you from going to see him?" 

Sasuke: "..." 

He lowered his head and stayed silent. 

That one hit deep. 

But jokes aside, he really didn't dare to. His father's personality was completely different from Minato and Kushina. If he really went up to meet him, at best, his father would give a simple "hm." He wouldn't even ask about the future. 

Both Minato and Fugaku knew the dangers of learning about the future. The difference was that Minato gently explained things, while Fugaku probably just thought, "My son is smart enough to figure it out on his own. No need for me to say anything." 

Sasuke was sure he had read his father's thoughts perfectly. 

Kurama saw his silent reaction and rolled his eyes again. "Hmph, see? Your whole family is full of tsunderes. Except for your mom." 

Fugaku… such a stubborn old man. 

To be fair, back when Sasuke was training and got hurt, it was always Fugaku who bought the medicine for him. But he never said anything—just being his usual proud self. 

When Sasuke left for school, Fugaku would secretly watch him until he was sure Sasuke was safe, then head to work. But again, he never said anything—just being his usual proud self. 

And there were plenty of other times like that. Fugaku was always quietly looking after Sasuke from behind the scenes. Itachi and Mikoto knew about it, but they never told Sasuke. They all just assumed Sasuke would figure it out. But Sasuke never did. From childhood to adulthood, he always thought Fugaku was just a strict father. 

Honestly, half of Sasuke's awkward personality in the original story is because of his dad. 

Everyone fell silent, watching Kurama with a pained expression. 

"I can't deal with you people," Kurama grumbled. "I'm going back to sleep. Unless Urashiki shows up, don't wake me. You all know how grumpy I am when I wake up." 

With that, Kurama disappeared into Kushina's inner world without looking back. 

The three of them exchanged glances, then all gave the same helpless smile. 

"Sigh~ When did I start overthinking things so much?" Kushina chuckled to herself. 

She used to be fearless—she even dared to pull Sarutobi Hiruzen's beard! But now, she couldn't even bring herself to acknowledge her own son right away. 

She had definitely grown up, but she had also changed a little. She was still hot-tempered, but if you asked her to pull Hiruzen's beard again… well… actually, she probably still would. 

She just wasn't as carefree as before. After all, she had a husband now. 

Taking a deep breath, Kushina smiled and reached out her hand toward Naruto. 

"Naruto, I'm Uzumaki Kushina, Namikaze Minato's future wife and the second Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails in Konoha." 

Naruto froze for a moment, then broke into a bright smile. 

He reached out, shook Kushina's hand firmly, and said in a serious tone, 

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the second Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha—also the third Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails." 

Then, he grinned widely. 

"Mom, it's been a long time." 

"Then I suppose I should say… nice to meet you," Kushina laughed, her expression softer than ever. In that moment, she truly looked like a mother. 

"Naruto, I don't know what happened in the future, but I have always been, and will always be, your mother who loves you the most." 

Naruto nodded firmly. 

"No matter what happened in the past, thank you… for making me your son." 

They smiled at each other, their expressions growing brighter and warmer. 

Sasuke watched them from the side, a flicker of envy flashing in his eyes. 

In his mind, he couldn't help but picture his own mother. 

If it had been her instead of his father who came here… how wonderful would that be? 

That thought lingered in his heart. 

Suddenly, both Naruto and Sasuke widened their eyes, instinctively turning their gaze outside the sealed space. 

A powerful and incredibly familiar chakra had appeared on the outskirts of Roran. 

The power of the Six Paths! 

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