"Huh? This place is…"
Despite Konoha's many defenders, the sheer number of Naruto's clones meant that several had already broken through to the streets near the Hokage Office.
One of them was sprinting through the village when something in his peripheral vision made him pause.
He turned his head toward a familiar ramen shop.
"Wait… Ichiraku Ramen is already open?!"
His face lit up with shock and excitement.
"I haven't had ramen in so long! Maybe I should grab a bowl first… I mean, there are plenty of me heading to the office anyway."
He rubbed his hands together, already picturing a steaming hot bowl of miso ramen—
Then, someone stepped out from the shop.
"Didn't expect an intruder to know about Ichiraku Ramen."
The blond-haired man stood tall under the sun, his blue combat uniform glistening beneath his Konoha jōnin vest.
His sharp gaze locked onto Naruto.
"You are…"
Naruto's pupils shrank in an instant.
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
Before he could say anything—
The man disappeared.
A cold kunai was suddenly pressed against Naruto's throat.
"I don't know why you're doing this… but you better have a good explanation."
Minato stood behind him, kunai in hand, his voice calm yet commanding.
At any other time, he wouldn't waste words on an enemy.
But—
For some reason, looking at this young man who shared his hair color and facial features, Minato felt a strange tremor in his heart.
His tone had unconsciously softened.
"Huh? What are you doing here—"
Another Naruto clone leaped down from a rooftop, ready to greet his counterpart.
But then—
He saw the man behind him.
His mouth fell open.
Just like the first Naruto, his mind went blank.
"Minato, leave this one to me!"
A vivid red figure burst out from Ichiraku Ramen.
A woman leaped into the air, her fiery long hair trailing behind her as she clenched her fist.
With a loud cry—
"Go down!"
Naruto instinctively looked up.
His breath caught in his throat.
The woman descending toward him was beautiful—her long crimson hair, her fierce expression—
But most of all—
There was something incredibly familiar about her.
Naruto didn't move.
"That… should be Mom."
Whoosh!
A powerful gust of wind followed her punch—
But at the last moment—
Her fist stopped just before his face.
Uzumaki Kushina froze, her fist trembling.
She stared at Naruto, now only inches away, her eyes widening.
And then—
For some unknown reason—
Her eyes turned red.
She felt like crying.
"Why?"
Kushina couldn't understand—
Why did she suddenly have the urge to break down in tears?
This was so embarrassing!
Inside Kushina's mind—
Kurama, the Nine-Tails, lifted its head.
It turned its attention toward the boy outside.
For some reason—
Kurama could feel a strangely familiar aura radiating from him.
Was it just an illusion?
"A touching scene, isn't it?"
Not far away—
Standing on a rooftop unnoticed, Gensou lightly clapped his hands.
It had been a long time since he simply sat back and watched an event unfold.
The last time was during the Chūnin Exams, when he watched Orochimaru and Hiruzen's teacher-student battle.
Compared to that—
This reunion was far more heartwarming.
It was well worth sticking around to witness.
"I wonder what would happen if I appeared now and turned this happy moment into a bloody massacre?"
The thought flashed through Gensou's mind—
But he quickly shook his head.
He wasn't a psychopath.
Besides—
He still owed Naruto for his contributions in their last great battle.
Some moments of happiness were better left untouched.
Gensou's eyes lingered on the three motionless figures.
Was there some mysterious connection between family members, even across different worlds?
Lost in thought, he prepared to continue watching—
Then—
Poof! Poof!
Both Naruto clones vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Not just here—
Every single Naruto clone across the village disappeared simultaneously.
Gensou turned toward the Hokage Office.
Naruto's real body had arrived.
...
Hokage Office
After evading countless obstacles, Naruto finally burst into the Hokage's office.
The first thing he saw—
Hiruzen.
Sitting behind his desk, smoking his pipe, looking alive and well.
He wasn't as wrinkled as Naruto remembered.
His posture wasn't as hunched.
His presence wasn't as faded.
For a moment—
Naruto's eyes turned red with emotion.
"Old man Third!"
During the Chūnin Exams—Hiruzen's death had come too suddenly.
Before Naruto could even process it, the old man who had played such a big role in his childhood had already been laid to rest in a coffin.
Then came the Fourth Great Ninja War—but by then, it was too late.
Even when he met Minato, he never had the chance to speak to Hiruzen.
When the Edo Tensei was undone, he had been too busy fighting Kaguya and Gensou.
So in reality—
This was the first time he had seen Hiruzen again since the Chūnin Exams.
If only—
The ANBU around him weren't ready to strike.
The moment Naruto burst in, the ANBU immediately moved, ready to subdue him.
But Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
Hearing Naruto's genuine cry of "Grandpa!" his expression softened slightly.
"Child… do we know each other?"
Hiruzen's gaze lifted to Naruto's forehead protector.
He was certain—
There was no such ninja in Konoha.
Not in his memory.
"I…"
Naruto started to say "Yes!"—but then he hesitated.
This was a different world.
Hiruzen didn't know him.
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
One of the ANBU silently gestured to Hiruzen, signaling that this was the best moment to attack.
Hiruzen considered it.
But after a brief thought, he shook his head.
He looked at this strange boy who had caused so much chaos in the village.
Instead of hostility—
He chose patience.
"Child, take your time."
He smiled kindly.
"Introduce yourself first."
Naruto took a deep breath, pushing down all his thoughts.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
Hiruzen blinked.
"Uzumaki?"
His eyes flicked to Naruto's hair—
Not red.
Naruto continued,
"I'm a genin from Team 7—my sensei is Kakashi, and my teammates are Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke."
Hiruzen frowned.
"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yes!" Naruto nodded seriously.
"I know this is hard to believe, but I have to tell you the truth!"
"I am not from this world!"
"I am a shinobi of Konoha from ten years in the future!"
Silence.
For a long moment, the Hokage's office was dead quiet.
Then—
Hiruzen finally spoke.
But not to Naruto.
He turned to an ANBU member and ordered:
"Call the Konoha Hospital."
He glanced back at Naruto and added four simple words—
"Give him a drug test."
(End of Chapter)
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