Since they had already mentioned Nawaki's child, they naturally had to go take a proper look.
Hoshiyomi simply said:
"Didn't you also mention Kushina giving birth? Why don't we spend the next couple of days visiting our old friends in Konoha and meeting their kids? We should fulfill our duties as elders, don't you think?"
Hearing this suggestion, Tsunade immediately agreed. The two of them went back to their room, tidied themselves up, and then left the Gekko residence.
Even though Hoshiyomi was a legendary figure in Konoha, three years of absence would make even a superstar fade from public memory. So after adjusting his weapon placement and changing clothes, almost no one recognized him.
Tsunade was more troublesome. Her face—one of the former Hokage—was still carved on the Hokage Rock. It wasn't easy for her to walk around unnoticed.
But makeup exists for a reason—it can turn decay into magic.
A change of hairstyle, a new makeup style, and a little transformation jutsu to alter her body shape, and Tsunade looked like a completely different person. With this disguise, even acquaintances would have a hard time recognizing them.
After dressing up, the two headed out straight toward the commercial district.
The disguise worked perfectly. After disappearing for three years and now carefully disguised, no one noticed them. Those who did look simply assumed they were a young couple in their twenties.
No one would believe that this seemingly young pair was actually the famous Gekko Hoshiyomi and former Hokage Tsunade-hime.
Since they were visiting the new generation of Konoha kids, they couldn't show up empty-handed. The two spent time browsing through the shops, and only after buying a bunch of gifts did they leave the commercial street loaded with bags.
Worth mentioning was that when they passed by the Weapons Shop, Hoshiyomi made a point to stop in. Sure enough, he saw the shop owner with a tiny two- or three-year-old girl.
Because she was only three, her hair wasn't long enough for her signature bun style; she could only wear two short pigtails. Even so, one could vaguely see the future Tenten in her features.
When Hoshiyomi saw them, the little Tenten was enthusiastically waving a kunai around, while her father watched with a helpless, resigned expression.
Hoshiyomi entered the shop, satisfied himself by squishing Tenten's chubby little cheeks, then left with a bag of ninja tools, while the little girl tilted her head and mumbled:
"What a weird big brother."
With the gifts chosen, Hoshiyomi and Tsunade headed to their first official stop of the day: the Senju Compound.
After many years of recovery, the Senju clan finally showed some traces of its former glory. The population was still small, but compared to the desolate state Hoshiyomi remembered from his childhood, it was now bustling in comparison.
There, Hoshiyomi finally met Nawaki's child—Senju Shinji.
Nawaki was overjoyed to see his sister and brother-in-law return so suddenly. He immediately invited them inside and introduced his wife and child. Little Shinji seemed to have inherited Nawaki's carefree personality—he wasn't shy at all and immediately tried to climb into Tsunade's arms.
Seeing this kid's behavior, Hoshiyomi felt certain he was destined to become the future leader of the perverts.
Nawaki's talent wasn't bad, and his wife—carefully chosen from among the Senju—was also a highly skilled kunoichi. Their child's potential was unsurprisingly strong. Even though he was the same age as little Tenten (three years old), Hoshiyomi could already sense chakra in him.
Looks like Neji might actually have a rival in the Academy.
After visiting Nawaki, their next stop was naturally Minato and Kushina's home.
Before visiting Kushina, Hoshiyomi specifically made a trip to the Hokage's office. Minato was shocked to see Hoshiyomi return. After hearing that Hoshiyomi wanted to visit Naruto, Minato readily agreed.
The shadow clone returned home together with Hoshiyomi and Tsunade.
Minato and Kushina were still living in the Uzumaki compound, and Minato had no intention of moving out. As the Fifth Hokage, he was clearly the ideal "dragon-riding son-in-law" type—he didn't care in the slightest if anyone called him a live-in husband behind his back.
Before they even reached Minato's house, Hoshiyomi and Tsunade spotted an exceptionally eye-catching blond brat inside the Uzumaki compound.
Among a sea of red-haired Uzumaki, a sudden blond head stood out like a crane among chickens. Curious, Hoshiyomi and Tsunade walked over and saw little Naruto tagging along behind a group of older Uzumaki kids, playing what they called a ninja game.
This Naruto was nothing like the orphaned fox vessel of the original story.
Since the day he was born, he had made major contributions during the sealing of the Nine-Tails. In today's Konoha, no one could erase that achievement.
One could say Naruto had been treated as a hero of Konoha since birth. Combined with being the son of the Fifth Hokage, his status was naturally distinguished—much higher than even Konohamaru's.
Because of his identity, none of the Uzumaki kids dared to bully him. In fact, not only did they not dare bully him, they were overly cautious while playing, constantly giving way to him, afraid he might trip or bump into something.
But Naruto himself didn't seem aware of his elevated status at all. He hopped along behind the group without the slightest sense of being above anyone.
Seeing this, Hoshiyomi finally let out a breath of relief:
This personality—yep, definitely Asura's reincarnation. Even though the butterfly effect changed Naruto's circumstances, it didn't change that sunny Asura-like nature.
With this background plus being Asura's reincarnation, it felt like the seat of Seventh Hokage was secured from the start. And with Minato and Kushina raising him, there was no fear that he'd grow into someone like Boruto.
Naruto was, essentially, a hundred-percent safe.
Minato's shadow clone, seeing his child there, promptly called Naruto over and took him home. Though Naruto was reluctant to leave his ninja game halfway, he was still more attached to his father, so he obediently followed Minato back.
On the way, Naruto curiously greeted Hoshiyomi and Tsunade. His goofy, energetic expression made Tsunade sigh:
"People always say boys take after their mothers—turns out it's true."
She then looked troubled and turned to ask:
"Honey, what if our future kid ends up with my blond hair? What then?"
Hearing that, Hoshiyomi tilted his head, thinking about Hashirama's black hair, Mito's red hair, Tobirama's silver hair, and finally Tsunade's blond hair. After a moment he shook his head:
"Doesn't matter. With your bloodline, no hair color would surprise me anymore."
After that small interlude, the three adults and one child entered Minato's home. Inside, Kushina—wearing an apron—was preparing dinner. She gasped in surprise when she saw them:
"Big Brother Hoshiyomi! Sister Tsunade! You're back?"
Naruto tilted his head, puzzling and counting on his fingers:
"Why does Dad call him 'sensei' but Mom calls him 'big brother'? So is he my grand-sensei or my uncle?"