Chapter 70 - (Time Skip)

Name:A New Path Author:Vallori
In a white space without any visible walls, Naruto stood with his normal black Kung Fu outfit. Dragon stood behind him with his own black and white Tai Chi Kung Fu outfit. His top was white and his pants were black.

"How are you feeling? Are you sure you are up for this?"

"i know i probably can't beat him. But i wanna see how strong i have become these last 3 years."

Dragon didn't allow Naruto to fight the nine tails until he was at least 9 years old. And he had finally reached 9 years old i few weeks ago. So now was the time for him to test his mettle.

"Okay. But before that! There is something i need to tell you." Dragon kneeled down to Naruto's eye level. He put his right index finger on the seal on Naruto's stomach.

"Imbued inside this seal is some chakra from your birth parents. Their chakra will activate when we release the 9 tails from it's cage. but i can stop this." Dragon noticed the quick swirl of emotions surfacing inside Naruto's eyes.

"if i allow them to activate you will meet your birth parents. So this choice is now up to you. This is why i wanted you to wait to fight him. I wanted your emotions to be stable for this very moment. And i feel that you are now mature enough to make this decision yourself."

"My... Birth parents? I don't know." He felt like every existing emotion striking on his heart as fast as lighting and disappearing just as fast.

"Do you think I'm ready?" He looked up at the man he knew as his only parent.

"If i didn't think you could handle this, i would not have allowed for this to happen. i would have made you wait for a few more years."

"I don't feel any longing to meet them. I don't feel hate or love towards them. I don't know what i would say when i see them."

Naruto had grown a lot in these 3 years. And he looked more mature then before. But at this moment he reverted back to the lost and confused kid Dragon picked up from the orphanage 6 years ago.

"Thinking about what to say beforehand is an impossible thing to do. The right words will come to you when you see them. You should not worry about saying the right or the wrong things."

"Do i have to meet them? I don't feel ready to meet them yet."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I can put their leftover chakra in a pocket dimension outside the seal and you can then call upon them when you feel ready to do so."

Dragon was fully aware that he is amazing at spoiling his kids. because he is who he is, he can give them everything they need and want.

He knew that he needed to start balancing that aspect of his life. Or his children would grow up to be spoiled nobles that had enormous egos and plenty of misplaced arrogance.

"I came here to challenge the nine tails and i really wanna do just that today. I want to wait a few years before i meet my birth parents. I want to wait till i feel ready to do so."

Naruto stood there in his Kung Fu outfit and clenching his fists in frustration. He felt the frustration build up because of the difficulty in making this kind of decision.

He wanted to meet his birth parents someday but he felt angry and frustrated about the fact that he didn't know when that day would come. He just knew it wasn't today.

"It's okay, Naruto. But i would recommend you hold on to that anger. It's going to help you in this fight. Use that anger to fuel your attacks. Anger is a very powerful emotion if you can control it."

"Use it, but don't let it control your actions. Use it to your advantage." Dragon said seriously while raising his finger and pointed in front of them.

"Now let's get that cub over here." The scenery changed and they were transported into a forest that seemed to go on for an eternity.

In the distance, you could see that big red cage that housed the legendary beast. The nine-tailed fox. The big fox was sleeping and didn't notice the arrival of the two guests.

Naruto glanced at his dad and saw the relaxed and confident look that he normally always had on his face. Naruto had noticed that Gildarts inherited the confident look that Dragon always showed.

But instead of relaxed, Gildarts always looked bored or lost in thought. He would randomly walk into walls and doors. he even broke his nose one time when he was running and not paying attention to his surroundings and the wall that was in front of him.

"Remember to not underestimate the fox. Even though you are very strong, the nine tails is still a lot stronger then you. You only need to get a few good hits in and that should show him that you are starting to become worthy of a partnership.

"I know! I think this is the 100th time you told me." A sigh escaped Naruto's lips and he rebooted himself to get into gear for this fight.

"Okay. it's time to see what these 6 years of training have accomplished." Dragon smiled and both the father and son started to walk towards the cage.

The nine tails had woken up thanks to his incredible senses. He could smell and hear them even from the large distance between them

He was laying down like usual inside the cage and now he was watching the duo approaching the cage with steady steps. For some reason, Naruto both looked and smelled different this day. There were smells of anxiety, fear, happiness and excitement all around him.

"So the seal is coming down today, huh?" He already figured out why Naruto had all these emotion around him. this is the emotions you show before a good or tough fight. He glanced at Dragon and sighed loudly so both humans could hear him.

"So i suppose i will not get my freedom with you following the boy here." He kept eye contact with Dragon. Nine tails were fully aware of the power behind Dragon's fists.

"Today my boy here will show you his worth. Your requirement was that he needs to win in a fight and today he will show you his progress. And if he happens to win, you will technically gain your freedom." Dragon smiled teasingly at the old giant fox.

"Sure. If he thinks he can win, then let him try." The fox stood up and got ready for this long-awaited moment.

"Naruto, are you ready?" Dragon looked at his son.

Naruto looked back at him and nodded. And at the same time, he clenched his fists and they turned fully black. This was the power that allowed him to even stand a chance against Gildarts anymore.

Without haki, Gildarts would completely decimate Naruto now after 3 years of magic control training.

Dragon raised his right index finger and a small visible blue flame appeared on the tip of it. Dragon pointed at the seal of the cage and the flame crossed the space between the finger and the seal in less then a second.

"Let the battle commence!" Dragon said loudly and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

----------------------------------

End