Chapter 356: Naruto, Father, Mother
Chapter 356: Naruto, Father, Mother
"Huh? Where am I?"
Even with many ninja intercepting them, there were still countless Naruto shadow clones that had managed to get close to the Hokage Tower. As one of the Narutos was running, his eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar shop, and a surprised expression appeared on his face.
"I didn't expect Ichiraku Ramen to be open for business already! It's been so long since I've had ramen! Maybe I'll just have a quick bowl. There are still plenty of me to spare, after all."
Naruto rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Just then, a figure walked out of Ichiraku Ramen.
"I didn't think that even the invaders of Konoha have heard of Ichiraku Ramen."
The sunlight made the blond hair shine brilliantly. Dressed in a blue combat uniform with the green vest of a Konoha Jonin, Minato Namikaze's cold eyes were fixed on Naruto.
"You are..."
Naruto's pupils constricted, and his voice trembled involuntarily.
Before he could finish his sentence, Minato had disappeared from his sight.
The cold metal of a kunai pressed against his neck.
"Even though I don't know your reason for doing this, you better be prepared to explain yourself in the next few minutes."
Minato appeared behind Naruto, his hand still holding the kunai as he spoke.
If it were any other time, facing an enemy, he wouldn't have said so much.
But for some reason, looking at the young man in front of him with the same hair color and style as himself, Minato's heart trembled, and his tone unconsciously softened from his initial coldness.
"Huh? Why are you sti—"
At that moment, another Naruto shadow clone leaped down from the roof, about to greet the Naruto below him. Then he saw Minato standing just behind.
Similar to the previous reaction, the new Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his brain suddenly went blank.
"Minato, leave this to me!"
A fiery figure rushed out of Ichiraku Ramen, leaping into the air above Naruto, her fist clenched. "Take this!"
In that moment, Naruto looked up, staring blankly at the striking fist of the beautiful woman with eye-catching long fiery red hair.
Naruto stood there, frozen.
"She must be Mom."
Whoosh!
A gust of wind brushed past.
The next instant.
The delicate fist stopped just in front of Naruto's face, unable to go any further.
Kushina paused, her eyes widening as she stared at Naruto, mere inches away. For some reason, her eyes suddenly felt hot and watery.
"Why?"
Kushina couldn't understand why she suddenly felt like crying.
How embarrassing!
At the same time.
The Nine-Tails inside Kushina's stomach lifted its head, looking at Naruto outside with a puzzled expression.
For some reason, he felt a familiar aura coming from this little brat.
Was it an illusion?
"What a touching scene, isn't it?"
Not far away, standing on a rooftop, Abi Moonrise observed the reunion of the Uzumaki family with a light smile, gently clapping his hands.
It had been a long time since he had been a mere bystander.
The last time he could remember was during the Chunin Exams, watching the drama between Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi, master and apprentice.
In comparison.
The reunion of the Uzumaki family was a much more delightful scene.
It was worth his time to come and spectate.
"I wonder what would happen if I showed up now and turned this heartwarming moment into a bloody mess?"
Abi Moonrise suddenly had this thought, but he quickly shook his head.
He considered himself a relatively sane person.
Moreover, he still needed to properly thank Naruto for his help during the recent major battle.
So, if there was no need to destroy such a beautiful moment, it was better to leave it be.
Abi Moonrise looked at the three people standing motionless in front of him.
Was there an invisible thread connecting familial bonds, even when one traveled from one world to another? Abi Moonrise wondered, deep in thought, as he prepared to continue watching.
Bang! Bang!
The Narutos in front of Minato and Kushina suddenly turned into white smoke and disappeared.
This was because the real Naruto had arrived at his destination - the Hokage's office.
A good show was worth waiting for.
Yuyi Xuan Yue had his suspicions about Naruto's purpose in coming here, but with nothing better to do, he decided to observe the proceedings.
After all, no matter how much noise Naruto made, to Yuyi, it would be nothing more than a fleeting display of fireworks.
And if it turned out to be especially dazzling, he wouldn't mind applauding a little louder.
"Grandpa Sarutobi!"
After a game of cat and mouse, the real Naruto successfully barged into the Hokage's office, and the first thing he saw was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting at the back of the room with a smoking pipe in his mouth.
Although he looked much younger than Naruto remembered, with fewer wrinkles and a more vibrant aura, seeing the Third Hokage like this brought tears to Naruto's eyes as he blurted out.
During the Chunin Exams, the news of the Third Hokage's death had come as a sudden shock.
Naruto hadn't even had time to process it before the grandfather figure, who had loomed large in his childhood, was laid to rest forever.
And in the recent Shinobi World War, he hadn't gotten the chance to speak with the resurrected Third, or even his father, Minato.
By the time he was resurrected, the war was already drawing to a close, and all the reanimated shinobi were turned to ash by Yuyi Xuan Yue's power.
The Third Hokage had managed to survive until the very end.
But at that time, Naruto was busy dealing with Kaguya Otsutsuki and Yuyi Xuan Yue, leaving no opportunity for a conversation.
To be honest, this was the first time Naruto had faced the Third Hokage since the Chunin Exams.
Of course, it would have been better if the tense atmosphere created by the surrounding ANBU ninjas didn't exist.
As Naruto barged in, the ANBU ninjas prepared to take action.
However, the Third Hokage waved his hand to signal them to hold off.
Hearing Naruto address him as "Grandpa" so earnestly, the Third Hokage's expression softened, and he spoke gently, "Child, do we know each other?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lifted, noticing the forehead protector Naruto wore, bearing the symbol of Konoha.
He could affirm that this young man was not a ninja of Konoha, nor did he recognize him from his memories.
"I..."
Naruto was about to say that they knew each other, but he suddenly remembered that this was an alternate world, and the Third Hokage wouldn't know him. This realization left him momentarily tongue-tied.
One of the ANBU captains in the room, who had been keeping a close eye on Naruto, silently made a hand signal to the Third, indicating that now was the perfect time to take action.
Hiruzen considered this for a moment, then shook his head.
Facing the young man who had caused quite a stir in Konoha and now stood before him in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage maintained a gentle demeanor and patiently said, "Take your time, child. Why don't you introduce yourself first?"
Hearing this, Naruto nodded, pushing his jumbled thoughts aside.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Uzumaki?
Hiruzen's eyes instinctively flicked to Naruto's hair, noting that it wasn't red.
Naruto continued, "My status in Konoha is... a genin of Team 7. My team leader is Kakashi-sensei, and my teammates are Sakura, Sai, and Sasuke."
"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yes!" Naruto lifted his head, his expression earnest. "I know it's hard for you to accept, Grandpa Sarutobi, but I still need to tell you the truth."
"I'm not from this world. I'm a ninja from Konoha, but from a time fifteen years in the future!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
The room fell silent.
After a moment, the Third Hokage finally spoke, but not to Naruto. He addressed one of the ANBU ninjas instead, "Send for someone from the Konoha Hospital."
The Third Hokage turned his gaze back to Naruto and slowly uttered four words, "Have him drug-tested."
(End of Chapter)
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