Naruto looked at the seal paper in front of him, then at Hana who was looking at him with a mixed expression of hope and... something that made him shiver a little.
The desire to 'free' Hana-neechan a little, who had helped him so much, mixed with curiosity about his parents, finally overcame his hesitation.
"Alright, Hana-neechan," Naruto said, his voice trembling slightly.
"I'll tear it a little. But... you promise you won't do anything weird, right?" he asked, remembering Hana's 'fanatical' reaction earlier.
Hana chuckled, trying to restrain herself.
"Of course, my prince. I will behave... as best as I can."
However, the glint in her eyes said otherwise.
With trembling hands, Naruto reached out towards the seal paper.
He took a deep breath, then carefully tore off a small portion from the edge of the seal paper.
Not too much, maybe around 40%, as Hana had suggested.
Instantly, Naruto felt a wave of warm and incredibly strong chakra surge throughout his body.
It felt like a dam had burst within him, releasing an overflowing energy.
However, what was more surprising was what happened to Hana.
With a part of the seal torn, the giant iron bars imprisoning her seemed to stretch slightly, and Hana's increased power allowed her to do something she couldn't before.
Slowly, starting from her fingertips, then her arms, her shoulders, up to her beautiful head with fox ears, could now emerge through the gaps in the iron bars.
"FINALLY!"
Hana exclaimed with a voice full of triumph and relief, her eyes looking at Naruto with a... very intense glint.
"MY PRIIIINCE!"
That night, Naruto finally truly experienced the 'suffering' of what Hana called an 'affectionate assault'.
With part of her body now able to reach Naruto, Hana didn't waste the opportunity to hug, caress, pinch playfully, and even occasionally try to 'steal a kiss' on Naruto's cheek.
His usually quiet subconscious was now filled with Hana's triumphant laughter and Naruto's protesting screams.
When Naruto finally woke up in the morning in his apartment, his body felt sore all over as if he had been thoroughly beaten up (though it was only an 'affectionate assault').
The first thing he realized was... his 'Naruto Jr.' had also 'woken up' valiantly.
Naruto's face immediately turned beet red.
He hurriedly pulled his blanket higher.
"Ugh... I'm so sinful..." Naruto muttered softly, his face buried in his pillow, feeling extremely embarrassed by his own body's reaction.
As he groggily made his way to the bathroom, a thought crossed his mind.
He paused for a moment in front of the mirror, looking at his slightly disheveled reflection.
"Hana-neechan!"
Naruto called out loudly, his tone full of warning.
"I'm going to take a shower now! Don't you dare peek! I'm serious!"
From within his mind, Hana's amused chuckle was heard.
"Fufufu~ My prince is so grumpy in the morning. Of course, I won't peek... maybe. I will 'try' my best not to see what I shouldn't see."
"I don't believe you!" Naruto said.
"Come on, Naruto-kun, a little trust wouldn't hurt, right?" Hana teased.
Naruto sighed in resignation.
No one believed Hana's words, perhaps not even Hana herself believed what she had just said.
But Naruto had no other choice.
He could only hope in his heart that Hana-neechan wouldn't be as perverted as Ero-sennin.
'Right? She wouldn't be that perverted, right?' Naruto thought with great doubt.
When Jiraiya met Naruto at their usual training spot a few hours later, he immediately frowned upon seeing Naruto's appearance.
The blond brat looked lethargic, there were faint dark circles under his eyes, and his walk was a bit... strange?
"Yo, Brat! What's wrong with you?"
Jiraiya asked, one eyebrow raised.
"You look like you've been chased by dogs all night. Didn't you sleep?"
Naruto only replied vaguely while yawning widely.
"I... I'm just a little tired, Ero-sennin. Yesterday's training really drained my energy." (He certainly wouldn't tell him about the 'affectionate training' from Hana).
Jiraiya looked Naruto up and down, then a mischievous and knowing smile suddenly etched itself on his face.
"Hohooo~ Tired, you say?"
He brought his face close to Naruto, whispering.
"Don't tell me... you've had 'that dream' already, Brat? You know... 'the dream' that every teenage boy entering puberty experiences? Fufufu, welcome to the world of adults!"
Hearing the words 'wet dream' and remembering his 'Junior Naruto' 'waking up early' that morning, Naruto's face immediately turned as red as a boiled shrimp.
"WH-WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU PERVY OLD SAGE! DON'T SAY WEIRD THINGS!" he shouted in panic.
"HURRY UP AND TEACH ME A NEW JUTSU! DON'T WASTE ANY MORE TIME!" Naruto urged Jiraiya, trying to change the subject.
Seeing Naruto's panicked reaction and his beet-red face, Jiraiya burst out laughing until tears came to his eyes.
"BUAHAHAHA! Look at your face, Brat! I knew it! So, how was it? Fun, right? Tell your Sensei, what kind of girl appeared in your dream? Was she red-haired? Or maybe blond like you? Or don't tell me..."
Jiraiya continued to tease Naruto relentlessly, making the boy even more flustered and annoyed.
Naruto really couldn't take it anymore.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, ERO-SENNIN! I'M GOING HOME IF YOU KEEP THIS UP!"
Naruto threatened, preparing to run away.
"Eh, eh, wait a minute, Brat! Don't get sulky like that!"
Jiraiya hurriedly stopped Naruto, his laughter still lingering.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. For now."
He then took out a water balloon from his pocket. "Look at this."
With a little concentration, Jiraiya made the water inside the balloon spin rapidly until the balloon burst. Then, he gathered chakra in his palm, forming a wildly spinning, stable blue chakra sphere.
"This is the Rasengan. A jutsu created by my proud student, the Fourth Hokage."
Naruto's eyes widened seeing the spinning chakra ball.
"Rasengan... So cool!"
Jiraiya smiled proudly.
"Seeing your rapidly improving talent and chakra control, I think you should be able to learn this jutsu. There's still plenty of time before the third stage of the Chunin Exams begins. This will be your trump card."
He then enthusiastically recounted how he 'accidentally' saw a water-filled balloon in the market and suddenly got a brilliant idea for the best training method to learn the Rasengan.
He prided himself on being a genius teacher.
Naruto listened intently, then with a hesitant tone, he asked,
"Ero-sennin... so... this Rasengan... is a jutsu created by my Father?"
Jiraiya, who was boasting, immediately fell silent.
His proud expression vanished, replaced by shock.
He didn't expect Naruto to connect the dots so quickly.
"H-how... how did you know, Brat?" he asked, slightly stammering.
Naruto smirked faintly.
"I'm not as stupid as you think, okay? I could already guess from the way you talked about the Fourth Hokage. And your reaction just now... that's enough to confirm my guess, dattebayo."
Jiraiya could only sigh softly, scratching his un-itchy head.
"Haaah... you really are... Well, you're right, Brat. The Rasengan was indeed a jutsu created by Minato… your Father."
He looked at Naruto with a deeper gaze.
"It seems it's time we talked about this more seriously. After this, we'll meet with the Third Hokage to discuss this matter further."
"Meet Grandpa Hokage?"
"Yes. But for now," Jiraiya switched back to teacher mode, "focus on this first stage of training."
He demonstrated how to rotate chakra inside a water balloon until it burst, without using the other hand.
"I'll be gone for a bit to take care of something. You just focus on training here. Don't try to run away or do anything weird!"
"Yes, Ero-sennin!"
In the Hokage's office, Jiraiya recounted the incident to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
About how Naruto already knew that Minato was his father.
Hiruzen, who was smoking his pipe, just sighed softly, but there was a faint smile on his lips.
"Hooo... so the boy already knows, huh?" he muttered.
"It seems he has indeed grown up faster than we expected. It's natural for him to guess, especially with all the clues around him."
He looked out the window, towards the Hokage faces carved on the mountain.
"Perhaps it's indeed time, Jiraiya."
—----------------------------
After a full day of training the first stage of Rasengan with Jiraiya, which was initially filled more with chasing and teasing than serious training, finally, in the late afternoon around four o'clock, Naruto and Jiraiya walked together towards the Hokage's office.
Naruto was still a bit drenched and tired, but there was a new sparkle of enthusiasm in his eyes.
"Ero-sennin, is Grandpa Hokage really going to tell me everything now?"
Naruto asked, his voice a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
Jiraiya patted Naruto's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Brat. The Third Hokage is a wise man. He surely has his own considerations. And after what you've shown, I think you're indeed ready."
They arrived in front of the Hokage's office door.
After Jiraiya knocked and received permission to enter, they both faced Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting at his desk, his pipe emitting thin wisps of smoke.
"Jiraiya... Naruto... Welcome,"
Hiruzen greeted with a friendly smile, though his eyes looked at Naruto with a deeper gaze than usual.
"I've heard from Jiraiya that you already... know some things, Naruto."
Naruto nodded, slightly tense.
"Yes, Grandpa Hokage. About... my Father."
Hiruzen let out a long sigh, putting down his pipe.
"Naruto, the main reason why your identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, has been kept secret all this time was for your own safety. Your father had many enemies outside the village. If they knew you were his son, you would have become their primary target since you were a baby."
"Father's enemies?" Naruto asked softly.
"That's right," Hiruzen nodded.
"Especially after the Third Great Shinobi War. Many would try to use you or even harm you. I, as Hokage, and upon Minato's last request, swore to protect you. My plan was to tell you this truth at least until you became a Chunin, when you were strong enough to protect yourself from various threats."
Hiruzen smiled faintly.
"However, seeing your rapid development lately, your courage in the Forest of Death, and the fact that you've already started to guess it yourself... I think you are indeed mature enough to know this truth now. Moreover,"
Hiruzen chuckled softly,
"I also remembered my promise in the Forest of Death when you managed to drive Orochimaru away. Technically, you've already shown the qualities of a Chunin, so you indeed deserve to know now."
Naruto fell silent, digesting all the explanations.
There was a sense of emotion, sadness, but also understanding in his heart.
Hiruzen then rose from his chair, walked towards a hidden safe behind a painting of the Hokages.
He took out two scrolls that looked old but well-maintained.
"Here," Hiruzen said, handing the two scrolls to Naruto.
"This one is a scroll containing your father Minato's ninjutsu research notes. There are many interesting techniques and concepts in it, including the basics of Hiraishin no Jutsu. And this one," he pointed to the second scroll,
"is a record and some signature jutsus of the Uzumaki clan, a legacy from your mother, Kushina Uzumaki. Study them well, Naruto. This is your heritage."
Naruto's eyes welled up with tears as he received the two scrolls. His hands trembled slightly.
"Father... Mother..."
"Oh, and Naruto," Hiruzen added,
"inside that Uzumaki scroll, there are some sealing techniques that might be very useful for Karin-chan too. I hope you're willing to share that knowledge with her. After all, she is also a remaining Uzumaki."
Naruto nodded quickly, wiping away the tears that almost fell.
"Of course, Grandpa Hokage! I'll definitely share it with Karin! No problem at all!" he replied sincerely, without any complaint.