Tsunade leaned back with a sly smirk, sipping the last of her sake like it was victory wine.
"Did you really think that's how I'd react?" she said coolly. "Come on, brat. You'll have to try harder than that. I'm just the Hokage figurehead. The real work? That's on you and Shizune."
Naruto blinked.
"What?"
Shizune, sitting nearby and completely unprepared, snapped her head up. "Me?! Why am I involved?!"
Tsunade didn't even flinch, eyes still on Naruto like a predator enjoying her meal.
"You're the one who enables me, remember?"
Karin burst out laughing from across the room, arms folded as she leaned into the chaos.
"She's got you good, Nii-san. Might wanna retire before your term even begins."
Naruto stared at them all.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
He'd teased Tsunade, flipped the love switch, poked her pride—and she hit him with a full-on reverse Uno card.
Defeated, he stood up with a dramatic sigh, pointing toward the door like some tragic hero in a stage play.
"That's it. I'm leaving. I need air. Or space. Or… a shadow clone therapist."
And with a flicker of chakra—
Poof.
He was gone in a flash, leaving behind only a faint spark of red and a room full of laughter.
Shizune slumped in her chair.
"I really don't want to do paperwork…"
Karin smirked. "Too late."
Minato smiled, basking in the rare peace. The laughter, the teasing, the familial chaos—it was everything he had once dreamed of, now right in front of him.
Kushina leaned beside him, her eyes glowing with affection.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked, tilting her head as she smiled.
Minato gave a small nod. "Mm."
"This isn't mine," she said softly, gaze drifting toward the sound of laughter from the other room. "Naruto built this… everything you see now. This is his doing."
Tsunade, sitting nearby with a cup of sake between her hands, spoke without looking up.
"If it wasn't for you, Kushina, he wouldn't have become the man he is. Don't downplay that."
Kana nodded, her tone gentle. "I've seen it. Every minute, every moment… you gave him everything. Your love raised him. And it shows."
Minato felt his heart swell—like it might burst from pride, love, and the ache of lost time finally returned.
He looked at Kushina, eyes glinting.
"I'll be here from now on. For both of you."
Kushina smiled and leaned against him, the two embracing sideways in quiet affection.
Outside, just past the window, Naruto sat silently beneath the shadow of the eaves.
He heard it all.
He wiped away a single tear from the corner of his eye, the kind of tear that came not from sorrow—but from gratitude so overwhelming it leaked out of the soul.
"Mom… you've always sacrificed so much for me. Now it's your turn to be happy," he murmured to himself, standing slowly.
Then, with a lighthearted breath, he turned and walked off into the village.
Konoha Streets — Later
"Hello, grandma. Need a hand?"
An old woman struggled with a heavy basket of vegetables.
She looked up, eyes lighting up as Naruto appeared like a warm breeze.
"Oh, Naruto-kun! You're a lifesaver. Yes, yes—thank you."
"No problem. Let's get these home."
As he walked beside her, carrying the basket with ease, villagers nodded at him with newfound warmth. Children pointed. Whispers followed.
"That's Naruto, right?"
"Yeah"
And yet, he didn't let it get to him. Just kept smiling, one hand behind his head, the other holding the bag—just another day being himself.
Meanwhile…
At the gates of Konoha
The wind stirred dust at the foot of the great wooden gate, now reinforced post-attack.
Two cloaked figures approached under the fading sky, their silhouettes sharp, ominous.
The first figure's sword was strapped across his back—a massive blade, thick like a shark's fin. His skin was bluish-gray, his teeth jagged like broken glass.
"Is this it?" Kisame asked, voice like a low growl. "This is Konoha?"
The second figure didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
His crimson eyes—Sharingan already active—scanned the gates with calculating calm.
Jet-black cloak with red clouds fluttered around him like shadows in the wind. His forehead protector bore a single, defiant slash through the Leaf symbol.
Itachi Uchiha.
A shinobi with 60 million ryō on his head. A ghost of Konoha. A man who slaughtered his clan… or so the world believed.
Kisame cracked his neck and grinned, his shark-like smile stretching ear to ear.
"You left this village because you killed your clan. But now the news says… they're alive. So tell me, partner—" he chuckled darkly, "—what're you gonna do now?"
Itachi remained silent, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he gazed at the village from which he came.
Something glinted in his gaze.
Something like… conflict.
And just behind the gates, fate prepared to crash two storms into each other—Naruto Uzumaki and Itachi Uchiha.
Monitor Room
The buzz of chakra scanners and data streams filled the room like low static. Screens flickered. Dials shifted. The air was thick with tension.
"Sir," a chunin called out, eyes wide as he stared at his panel. "We've got two unfamiliar chakra signatures—north entrance gate."
"Identification?" asked Inoichi Yamanaka, head of Intelligence Division, stepping closer, arms folded behind his back.
The chunin's fingers danced across the console. "Running a match now…"
A moment later, another voice came from the side. "Sir—we've got confirmation on one of them."
Inoichi glanced over.
"It's Itachi Uchiha."
A silent pause swept across the room.
Whispers erupted. Fear. Confusion.
That name still held weight like a thunderclap.
"…And the second?" Inoichi asked calmly, though his mind raced.
"We don't have records of the other one."
'Itachi Uchiha…' Inoichi thought grimly.
His mind flashed back to Naruto's words—not long ago—when truths were brought into the light. How the Third and the elders had orchestrated the near-extermination of the Uchiha. How Itachi had been used.
Not a traitor.
A tool.
Inoichi clenched his jaw. If that's true…
He gave a firm nod.
"Contact Naruto."
One of the sensor-nin blinked. "You want Naruto to handle it directly?"
"He's the only one who can."
No arguments followed.
Because they all knew… that was true.
Within seconds, the long-range chakra link pulsed to life.
"Inoichi here. Naruto—it's urgent. Itachi Uchiha has entered through the north gate."
There was a beat.
Then, through the line came Naruto's calm voice—strong, unwavering.
"I know."
Inoichi blinked. "You know?"
"I sensed him the moment he stepped into the village. I'm already heading there. Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
Click.
The line went silent.
But the tension in the room? Gone.
Because Naruto was on the move.
And when Naruto Uzumaki says he'll take care of it, you believe him.
Inoichi exhaled, and the shinobi in the room slowly returned to their posts, the hum of mission protocols resuming—like the heart of Konoha never skipped a beat.
North Gate
The wind stirred gently as two cloaked figures stood before the towering gates of the Hidden Leaf.
Kisame cracked a toothy grin, eyes narrowed as he glanced around.
"Your village has some impressive sensory types. One of 'em is already closing in," he said with sarcastic admiration.
Itachi, ever calm, corrected him without turning his head. "Not one. Four are approaching."
Right on cue, three figures landed in front of them—quiet as shadows, swift as vengeance.
All wore variations of the Uchiha battle attire—black, sleek, traditional red-and-white fan crest gleaming on their backs.
Sasuke. Shisui. Izumi.
Sasuke stepped forward, calm but fierce. His voice was firm, yet carried a soft undertone only family could provoke.
"My foolish little brother," Itachi greeted, his voice hollow but no longer cold.
"Brother," Sasuke said, taking a step closer. "Come home. Father and Mother are waiting for you."
Itachi's eyes trembled—but he didn't speak.
He tried to focus only on Sasuke. But Shisui… his brother in arms. And Izumi…
She was a wound he never let heal.
"I'm sorry, Itachi," Shisui said, his voice low with regret. "Sorry for leaving you to bear it all. For trusting the wrong people."
He stepped forward beside Sasuke. "Please. Come home. You don't need to run anymore."
Itachi's throat tightened. He tried to suppress it—but emotions flickered in his gaze.
And then Izumi moved.
She didn't speak at first. Her gaze never left his. Not once. She walked toward him with slow, deliberate steps, each one heavier than the last.
When she stood barely a foot away, she looked up.
He was still taller. Still composed on the outside.
But his eyes—his eyes were screaming.
SLAP.
The sound echoed across the clearing like thunder in a quiet storm.
It wasn't to hurt him. It wasn't rage.
It was grief.
She clutched his cloak, trembling.
"Why did you do this?" she choked out, tears already breaking free. "Why did you leave me, Itachi? Why couldn't you just tell me? Or your father? He would've helped you. We would've helped you!"
Her voice cracked, raw from years of bottled heartbreak.
"I waited… I hated you. But I still loved you. And now I'm just—"
She couldn't finish. Her body shook against him.
Itachi didn't speak. He simply let the cloak fall from his shoulders and wrapped one arm around her.
He held her gently, like something precious he never thought he'd touch again.
His voice, quiet but trembling, slipped through the moment like a razor through silk.
"…I'm sorry. But I can't come back."