Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 232

Naruto twitched the corners of his mouth, and a silly, tired yet incredibly genuine smile slowly crept onto his face.

"Hehe..." He couldn't help but laugh out loud, even though it aroused his tired nerves.

Although I was scolded mercilessly, and although my ears were practically calloused...

But he has a mother!

A living, breathing mother who would fly into a rage because he was sloppy and would feel sorry for him and nag him for spending money recklessly!

This feeling……

It was unfamiliar and novel, yet like a warm current, it washed away all the fatigue and "fear".

Getting scolded by mom can actually be a happy thing!

With this complex feeling of happiness and "surviving a disaster".

For the first time ever, Naruto carried out his mother's "supreme instructions" from the previous night with utmost seriousness.

He took a thorough hot shower and scrubbed off any "mushrooms" that might be on his body.

He changed into an old but clean orange training uniform, free of oil stains and holes.

She even tried to straighten her golden hair in front of the mirror.

After doing all this, he dragged his leaden legs, his eyes still bulging with dark circles.

He strolled leisurely toward the open space where he had arranged to meet Class 7.

When Naruto arrived at the open space, Sakura and Sasuke were already waiting there.

Sakura was kicking pebbles listlessly.

Sasuke, meanwhile, leaned against a tree with his arms crossed, eyes closed, looking as cool as ever.

"Good morning... Sakura, Sasuke..."

Naruto greeted them listlessly, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded.

Sakura looked up at the sound and was startled by Naruto's appearance, exclaiming, "Naruto?! What...what were you doing last night?! Did someone punch you in the eye?!"

She strode forward, pointing to the two huge dark circles under Naruto's eyes, her face filled with worry and disbelief.

This looks much more serious than a regular training injury; it's like the person has been mentally devastated.

Sasuke also opened his eyes, his dark pupils landing precisely on Naruto's face.

His sharp gaze held a hint of barely perceptible inquiry and...surprise.

He frowned slightly and spoke in a cool voice, "You look like you haven't slept for three days and three nights. What were you doing last night? Stealing chickens or doing other petty things?"

His understanding of Naruto far surpasses that of others.

Knowing full well that this guy could fall asleep with a toad in the extreme environment simulated at Mount Myōboku, his energy was comparable to that of a tailed beast.

His current appearance, as if all his energy had been drained, is truly abnormal.

Naruto forced himself to stand up straight, trying his best to force out his usual energetic smile.

Unfortunately, the effect was not good; the twitching of his lips paired with those dark circles under his eyes looked particularly comical.

"No...it's okay! Really!"

He tried to wave his hand to make it more convincing, but his arm was sore and weak that he shook it: "It's just... I had a... uh... really vivid nightmare!"

"Yes! A nightmare! The super scary kind! That's why I didn't sleep well! Hehe!"

He chuckled twice, trying to get away with it.

Sakura looked at him suspiciously: "Nightmare? What kind of nightmare could scare you like this? Did you dream that Kakashi-sensei stole your limited edition instant noodles?"

I tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

Sasuke wasn't fooled. He stared at Naruto's wide, yet weary, blue eyes.

His tone was unquestionable: "Nonsense, your body and mind are in a state of extreme exhaustion, which cannot be caused by a simple nightmare."

He paused, then added, unusually, with a hint of concern he himself wasn't even aware of: "Go get some sleep for the mission later. Leave the rest to me and Xiaoying, otherwise you'll be a burden."

Upon hearing the words "holding him back," Naruto instantly reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his forced spirit suddenly jolted.

"Who...who needs a break! Who's holding us back!"

He stiffened his neck and strained his eyes: "I'm in great spirits! Super great! Better than ever before! Look!"

As he spoke, he jumped up and down twice, but his legs gave way when he landed, and he almost fell flat on his face. Luckily, Sakura caught him in time.

"Hey! Watch out!"

Sakura steadied him, her worry growing: "Are you really alright, Naruto? Maybe we should..."

"I'm fine! I'm really fine!"

Naruto broke free from Sakura's hand, steadied himself, and took a deep breath.

He forced a tired yet exceptionally bright smile onto his face, a smile that carried a strange sense of satisfaction.

"I was just... talked about by someone important all night! I'm a little tired... but... I'm super happy!"

Sakura and Sasuke were both taken aback by his inexplicable "super happy" expression and eerie smile.

Someone important? Someone you talked about all night? Someone you were happy about?

This logical chain just won't connect!

Especially Sasuke, could it be that this guy has developed mental problems after being scolded by his ancestor? I should ask him about it sometime.

The two then exchanged a glance, both seeing deep confusion and a sense of skepticism in each other's eyes, as if to say, "This guy must have lost his mind."

Just as Naruto was forcing a smile and dealing with his teammates...

Deep within his consciousness, in the sealed place that had been transformed into a Japanese-style room, the atmosphere was completely different.

Kushina Uzumaki paced anxiously in the center of the room.

Her fiery red hair swayed restlessly with her movements.

Her hands were clasped together, her beautiful face filled with regret, worry, and a hint of...fear?

She was completely devoid of the tigress-like aura she displayed when scolding Naruto last night.

"Watergate! Watergate! What do we do?!"

Kushina's voice trembled with tears as she abruptly stopped and looked at her husband, who was gazing at her tenderly beside her.

"Was I...was I too much last night? I yelled at him all night long!"

"From lifestyle habits to healthy eating to personal hygiene...Am I...am I like a nagging, wicked stepmother?"

She became increasingly flustered as she spoke, her purple eyes welling up with tears: "If he saw me looking so fierce, would he... would he hate me?"

"Will you find me, this mom who suddenly appeared, annoying? Will you... never want to talk to me again?"

The thought of this possibility made Kushina's heart ache as if it were being squeezed.

Seeing his wife's panicked state, so different from last night, Minato felt both amused and heartbroken.

He reached out and gently grasped Kushina's hand.

He spoke in his unique, soothing, gentle voice: "Kushina, calm down. Don't you know what kind of person our son, Naruto, is?"

"He has a heart that is warmer than the sun and more inclusive than the ocean."

"He has longed for a mother's love for so many years, how could he hate you just because of his mother's concern—even if it's a bit harsh?"

Minato smiled confidently: "Believe me, even though he has dark circles under his eyes right now, he's secretly thrilled."

"Being able to hear his mother's nagging is one of the happiest things in the world for him."

"Really...really?"

Kushina, as if grasping at a straw, looked anxiously at Minato, seeking confirmation.

"Of course it's true." Minato smiled, his tone absolutely certain.

A cold snort, full of disdain and a sense of watching a show, came from the side.

The Nine-Tails, lying on the ground, had recovered from the panda eyes it had gotten from Madara's beating yesterday, and now it was rolling its eyes even wider.

He mumbled in a deep voice, "Humans are truly complex and contradictory creatures."

"She was the one who scolded the most harshly and mercilessly, but now she's also the one who's terrified and worried that people will ignore her."

"Hmph, if I had known this would happen, why did I get so angry last night? You kept me from getting any sleep."

The Nine-Tails' tone was full of resentment, as if it said, "You humans are so hard to understand."

A shorter, colder snort came from above the Nine-Tails' head.

Madara Uchiha had somehow shifted to a more comfortable position—

It lay directly on top of the Nine-Tailed Fox's huge, furry head.

With his hands behind his head, his scarlet Mangekyou Sharingan stared at the "ceiling" simulated in his consciousness space.

He had an air of detachment, as if out of sight, out of mind.

He parted his thin lips slightly, and the words he uttered carried a sense of profound experience and ultimate conclusion about troublesome matters:

"That's why I think women... are such a hassle."

His tone was calm and even, yet it precisely hit the core of the contradiction in the space at that moment.

Back then, Hashirama introduced him to several women, but they all disappeared the next day.

Nine-Tailed Fox shook its head slightly, not too much, for fear of shaking the evil spirits above it off and getting beaten up again.

"Hey! Old man! Don't use my head as a mattress! And what you're saying is way too broad a target!"

Minato smiled helplessly, while Kushina was so angry at Madara's "troublesome" that her eyebrows furrowed. She was about to retort when Minato gently squeezed her hand to stop her.

The space was filled with Kurama's complaints, Kushina's lingering anger, Minato's helpless attempts to comfort her, and Madara's indifferent detachment.

This creates a unique portrait of the diverse characters within a "family."

Chapter 255 A New Mission, Akatsuki Attack