"Huh? This place is..."
Despite Konoha's many defenders, the sheer number of Naruto's clones ant that several had already broken through to the streets near the Hokage Office.
One of them was sprinting through the village when sothing in his peripheral vision made him pause.
He turned his head toward a familiar ran shop.
"Wait... Ichiraku Ran is already open?!"
His face lit up with shock and excitent.
"I haven't had ran in so long! Maybe I should grab a bowl first... I an, there are plenty of heading to the office anyway."
He rubbed his hands together, already picturing a steaming hot bowl of miso ran—
Then, soone stepped out from the shop.
"Didn't expect an intruder to know about Ichiraku Ran."
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 ti, he wouldn't waste words on an enemy.
But—
For so 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 !"
A vivid red figure burst out from Ichiraku Ran.
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 sothing 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 mont—
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 so 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 so 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 ti since he simply sat back and watched an event unfold.
The last ti 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 mont 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.
So monts of happiness were better left untouched.
Gensou's eyes lingered on the three motionless figures.
Was there so mysterious connection between family mbers, 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 rembered.
His posture wasn't as hunched.
His presence wasn't as faded.
For a mont—
Naruto's eyes turned red with emotion.
"Old man Third!"
During the Chūnin Exams—Hiruzen's death had co 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 ca the Fourth Great Ninja War—but by then, it was too late.
Even when he t 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 ti he had seen Hiruzen again since the Chūnin Exams.
If only—
The ANBU around him weren't ready to strike.
The mont Naruto burst in, the ANBU imdiately 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 mory.
"I..."
Naruto started to say "Yes!"—but then he hesitated.
This was a different world.
Hiruzen didn't know him.
For a mont, he was at a loss for words.
One of the ANBU silently gestured to Hiruzen, signaling that this was the best mont 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 ti."
He smiled kindly.
"Introduce yourself first."
Naruto took a deep breath, pushing down all his thoughts.
"My na 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 mont, the Hokage's office was dead quiet.
Then—
Hiruzen finally spoke.
But not to Naruto.
He turned to an ANBU mber 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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