Board Thread:Theories and Speculation/@comment-34277398-20190309153341/@comment-24729606-20190312015156

well I agree with the first contributor that Hiruzen probably was Naruto's model and initial father figure but I also doubt its a coincidence that Naruto and Iruka met (although its entirely possible that it was just a coincidence). once Iruka did meet and bond with Naruto he would take over from Hiruzen as Naruto's father figure (and the second biggest influence on Naruto overall after Hiruzen and Naruto's parents, after he meet them). Iruka would continue to fill the role until Naruto meet and won the respect of Kakashi (although I also agree that however fond of Naruto, and however much of a redeemer Naruto ended up being for Kakashi, Kakashi became that he would be more akin to an affectionate uncle than a proper father figure). of course one should not discount Jiraiya. although they only had a little over three years or so together overall Jiraiya would ultimately be the closest thing Naruto had to an actual parent (by reason of being not only Minato's teacher, and the one to give Naruto his name albeit indirectly, but Naruto's godfather) before meeting the remnants of his mother and then his reanimated father (although I doubt Naruto ever learned that it was Orochimaru that make this reunion possible). once those things happened and although they had the most fleeting experience of all of naruto's foster family up to that point they would still become the "two suns" that would ultimately enable Naruto to defeat kaguya, black Zetsu, and ultimately (albeit temporarily, as is the nature of such things) break the "cycle of hatred" that madara had acted btoh as the instigator and harbinger of. the question/challenge for Naruto (I suppose) now becomes whether he can be a stable enough presence in the lives of his own children to have them be less prone to relying on parental figures outside of their actual family (although with figures like the reclusive and conservative Hyuga on the one hand, the equally distant but now largely redeemed Sasuke uchiha, and extended familial metaphor of the Hidden Leaf on the other) I don't think Naruto need worry overly much. the question is whether or not Kata and other such secret organizations are being used like the Akutski, Obito, and Madara were by Black Zetsu or whether they are just the ashes of the Akutski. that is one question I look forward to pondering and puzzling out the answer to. if nothing else I can satisfaction in one thing. I figured that Black Zetsu was acting as the envoy of someone or something well before this was confirmed as an actuality.