As the barrier's dust settled and the ANBU stood down, another wave of chakra approached—fierce, familiar, and fast.
Tsunade and her team arrived at the epicenter, eyes scanning the scene.
But Kushina didn't hesitate for even a second.
The moment her eyes found him—
"Naruto!"
She bolted forward like a crimson comet, her chakra flaring with motherly instinct. She didn't spare a glance at Orochimaru, the ANBU, or even Minato.
Only one person existed in her world right now: her son.
Naruto turned just in time to catch her as she slammed into him with a full-bodied hug, arms wrapping around him with years of love, regret, and relief.
"My baby… are you alright?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Naruto smiled softly, rubbing her back. "Yeah, Mom. I'm okay now."
For a moment, the world went quiet. Just a mother and her child, reunited against the odds.
Then Naruto pulled back slightly and grinned. "Actually… I've got a surprise for you."
While they shared their moment, Tsunade stepped forward to face the ANBU captain.
"Captain," she said calmly, "Naruto spoke the truth. Hiruzen Sarutobi needs to be taken into custody."
The ANBU captain hesitated, eyes flicking from the wounded Hiruzen to the powerful kunoichi before him. "You're certain?"
Tsunade's voice didn't waver. "I am. And evidence will be submitted soon. But for now, he needs to be detained."
And in that moment, it clicked for the captain. This wasn't just Naruto's crusade. Tsunade—the most respected medical kunoichi in the world, a sannin, and granddaughter of the First—was backing it.
She had nothing to gain from lies. Only pain to relive.
"…Understood," he said quietly.
With a subtle motion, he signaled to his team. They approached Hiruzen, binding him carefully in chakra seals before lifting him.
The old man didn't resist.
Meanwhile, back with Naruto and Kushina—
Naruto gently turned her toward two figures nearby.
"I think there are some familiar faces you should see."
Kushina blinked, then her eyes widened.
"…Mito-baachan? Minato?"
Her breath caught.
She slowly approached, like stepping through a dream.
The first one she reached for was Mito. Without hesitation, she pulled the older woman into a hug.
"How are you doing, Oba-chan?"
Mito chuckled softly, her voice rich with warmth even in undeath. "Well, I'm dead, so that part's settled. But in the Pure Land? I'm doing alright."
She pulled back just enough to cup Kushina's cheek. "I heard you got married. Had a son. Tell me—how's that little grandchild of mine?"
Kushina beamed, nodding like a bashful girl. "I think I found the perfect husband… and my son—" she looked back at Naruto, eyes full of pride, "—he's everything I ever hoped for. I love them both."
Mito smiled knowingly, her gaze drifting to Naruto. "You raised him well—even if only in your heart."
Kushina turned, grabbing both Naruto and Minato by the hand and pulling them forward.
She smiled brightly, cheeks flushed with joy.
"Oba-chan, this is my family. My son… and my husband."
Naruto bowed his head respectfully. Minato smiled softly.
"Mom," Naruto said gently, his voice dipped in fond amusement, "I think you need to give someone else a turn."
Kushina blinked and stepped aside, wiping at her eyes.
Behind them stood Tsunade.
She had known Mito was here from the moment she stepped into the epicenter. She'd sensed her. Felt her.
But duty had come first.
That was what being Hokage meant: village first, always.
But maybe… just maybe, that was something that needed to change in the future. A balance. One where even leaders were allowed to be human.
Mito opened her arms wide without a word.
Tsunade didn't wait.
She leapt into the embrace like a child who had held in too much for too long, tackling Mito and making them both fall softly to the ground.
And then—
The tears came.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just quiet, broken sobs against the shoulder of a woman who had long since left the world.
"I'm sorry," Mito whispered, stroking Tsunade's back. "I'm sorry I left you alone."
Tsunade didn't speak.
She couldn't.
Only a soft, trembling hum escaped her lips as she clutched Mito tighter, as if afraid that letting go would wake her from a dream.
It wasn't every day that the world saw Tsunade Senju—the Senju Princess, the Slug Princess, the Legendary Sannin—cry.
But today… she wasn't a title.She was just a granddaughter.A little girl who missed her grandmother.
Kushina couldn't hold back anymore. Tears welled in her eyes as she hugged Minato, burying her face in his chest.
Even though Mito's reanimated form gave no warmth, no heartbeat, Tsunade felt it. That motherly warmth she hadn't known in decades—long buried under duty and grief.
Slowly, her sobs softened.
Her breathing calmed.
And with her cheek pressed against Mito's shoulder, Tsunade… slept.
Like a child.
Mito smiled softly, brushing the golden bangs from Tsunade's forehead.
"She's sleeping like a little girl… even after all these decades."
Naruto knelt beside them, watching in silence. Then he said, almost to himself:
"After carrying so much death on her shoulders, I think she forgot how to rest."
He looked at her with quiet reverence.
"At least now… she remembered."
Mito's eyes shimmered as she continued stroking Tsunade's hair.
"She always carried more than she should have."
And for a moment, there was peace.
Not just silence.
But real, earned peace.
In the Days that Followed…
The Konohagakure slowly began to stabilize.
The chaos had passed, and though the dust still clung to broken walls and cracked streets, the spirit of the people remained unbroken.
The jōnin quietly assured the civilians:It had been an attack by Suna-nin, but it was repelled swiftly.There was no further danger.They were safe now.
And so, with heavy hearts and trembling hands, the villagers began to rebuild.
Shops.Homes.Streets.Some things were reduced to rubble—but none beyond repair.
Most importantly: not a single life was lost.Not among the Leaf.Not even among the invaders.
It would take weeks—maybe longer—to restore what was damaged.But that was better than mourning names carved into stone.
Then came the announcement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with the elders Homura and Koharu, had been taken into custody.
The reason?
Their involvement in the Uchiha clan's attempted extermination.
The news hit like thunder.
And just as shock was setting in—another truth dropped.
The Uchiha clan had not been wiped out.
They had escaped.
The man who delivered this truth was none other than Fugaku Uchiha himself—alive, standing proud, and flanked by the very clan once thought extinct.
Even the most seasoned jōnin found themselves speechless.
It was a truth too heavy to fully absorb.A lie shattered after years of being accepted as gospel.But the evidence stood right in front of them—Uchiha eyes, Uchiha armor, Uchiha strength.
And so, slowly… the village began to believe.
Whispers turned into conversations.Doubt turned into questions.And in time, questions turned into reflection.
This was the legacy of the Suna attack—but even more so, it was the legacy of truth finally clawing its way to light.
As for Rasa and his shinobi—they returned to the Suna.
Defeated.Not just in battle, but in pride.
What began as an incursion ended with the revelation of an entire system's corruption.A silent revolution had begun.Not with blood—but with truth.
And in the shadow of that revolution, a new era had already begun to bloom.