In a forest near Konoha Village, Naruto lay slumped on the grass, panting and disheveled, but a triumphant smile stretched across his face.

"Hehehehe… That'll teach him not to spend time with me! That'll teach him not to teach me ninjutsu!" he said between gasps. "As long as I learn everything in this scroll, I'll definitely be able to beat Dad! I'll be invincible in the Chunin Exams!"

"Hah… this is no time to rest," he muttered, pushing himself up. "I just learned the first one. Time for the next!"

"Okay, let's see what the second jutsu is… Hmm?"

A large hand suddenly appeared, snapping the scroll shut. Naruto's head shot up, his triumphant expression instantly replaced by anger. "Who are you?! Uh… Dad?!!"

Standing before him was none other than Minato Namikaze, his face uncharacteristically stern.

"Tsk!" Naruto scowled, his brief surprise turning back to fury. "Get out of my way! Don't stop me from learning ninjutsu!"

"Don't be so impatient, Naruto," Minato said, his voice firm. "The techniques in this scroll are not for you to learn."

"What do you care?! What are you even doing here?"

"You are my son. Of course, I have to care!"

"Oh, so you remember you're my son now?" Naruto shot back, his voice cracking with a pain deeper than his anger. "Have you ever really been there for me? Have you ever properly taught me anything? You're always busy, busy, busy! It's so annoying!"

Hearing the raw hurt in his son's voice, Minato's stern expression softened. His eyes filled with a familiar mixture of apology and helplessness. "Naruto, I was the Hokage. Everything I do is for the village, for every person living in it."

"Stop being so full of yourself! You were the Hokage, but you're not anymore!" Naruto roared, tears now streaming down his face. "Do you know what the other kids say about you? They say you're the one who caused the Uchiha to leave, that you're the one who plunged the village into trouble. You're always trying to protect everyone, but the people you protect hate you the most! Stop being so selfish! If you have so much time for them, why don't you spend some of it with your own son?!"

"…"

Looking at his hysterical son, Minato fell silent. He knew what the villagers thought of him. He knew the whispers that followed him. Sometimes, it wasn't a kunai that killed a shinobi, but the hearts of the people they swore to protect. He remembered Hatake Sakumo, a great man brought down by gossip and judgment. Minato had sworn never to follow that path. He remembered his teacher Jiraiya's words, his belief that a world where people could truly understand each other would one day come. He just had to keep dedicating himself, keep sacrificing, and one day, the villagers would understand.

But perhaps, in his obsession with that ideal, he had ignored the one person who needed his understanding the most.

"Sigh…"

Minato knelt down, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and gently wiped the tears from Naruto's face. "Don't cry, son," he said softly. "Dad knows he was wrong. Starting tomorrow, until the Chunin Exams, I will teach you a powerful ninjutsu. How does that sound?"

Naruto's sobs subsided, the resentment on his face instantly replaced by wide-eyed excitement. "Really…? For real?" His moods, as always, came and went like a summer storm.

Minato knew his son all too well. He smiled and nodded. "Of course, it's real. Provided you come back with me, tell me the whole story, and apologize to the Third Hokage."

"Sure, sure! Hehehe! Dad, what are you gonna teach me? I want to learn your specialty, the Flying Thunder God! It looks so cool!"

"Hahaha, it's not the right time for you to learn that just yet. I can teach you other things first, such as…"

Before Minato could finish his sentence, a clear, furious voice cut through the air, making both father and son jump.

"Naruto! Look at the trouble you've caused!! I think you're asking for a spanking, aren't you?!"

"Oh no… It's Mom!"