Chapter 188: The Second Hokage's Inquiry
In the early morning, Naruto stretched lazily.
Looking at the sky, it should be about seven o'clock.
It had been a long time since he had woken up this late.
After getting up, Naruto took ingredients and cooking utensils from his ninja tool pouch, then went to the yard to start cooking.
He had been busy outside all day yesterday, and the kitchen was still empty now. Fortunately, firewood was not lacking, so he could make a fire and cook.
"Little Naruto, you're up so early."
Uzumaki Mito led Kushina out from the room; the two had chatted all night again yesterday.
Kushina directly approached the stove, curiously watching Naruto's skilled movements, her nose twitching: "It smells so good!"
Both of them were Edo Tensei bodies, needing neither sleep nor food to maintain bodily functions.
Of course, they retained sensory abilities related to combat.
Vision, touch, smell, hearing, and even taste.
This was perhaps set by Orochimaru, or perhaps by the Second Hokage when developing this technique, to ensure that Edo Tensei bodies possessed complete combat perception.
This also allowed them, in a "non-combat" state, to experience the world and feel the warmth of being with loved ones in a way closer to "being alive."
"Mm, I'm up."
Naruto responded briefly while flipping the food in the pan.
Regarding Kushina's question, he did not answer in detail, only saying lightly: "Living alone, one has to know a bit."
He served a portion of breakfast onto a plate and placed it on the small wooden table nearby.
Hearing this, Kushina's eyes dimmed briefly, then she perked up again.
"This afternoon, let Mom cook!"
Naruto's hand holding the bowl paused.
He looked up and saw Kushina's eyes filled with expectation and nervousness, falling silent for a second.
Then, the corner of his mouth stiffly twitched upward, revealing a very faint smile.
He nodded, his voice calm but carrying a trace of barely noticeable gentleness, "Okay."
This simple response seemed to give Kushina the greatest encouragement.
The smile on her face instantly became more genuine and bright, as if she had received the most precious promise in the world.
Naruto lowered his head.
"This afternoon, I want to invite some friends over for a meal; I need your help."
Uzumaki Mito showed a kind smile and nodded.
"Alright, leave the cooking this afternoon to Grandma and your mom!"
Naruto stood up.
"I'll go wake Karin up."
After saying this, he turned and walked toward the wing room on the other side of the main house.
The five of them sat in the yard having breakfast; to be precise, Naruto and the other two ate breakfast, while Mito and Kushina watched the three of them eat.
"Seeing Naruto and Karin reminds me of you and Minato."
Uzumaki Mito gently rubbed Kushina's back of the head; having restored her youthful appearance due to abundant Chakra, she was indeed the oldest person in all of Hidden Leaf Village at the moment.
"Grandma..."
Kushina was uncharacteristically bashful because the children were still watching.
Although she knew Minato's Soul was in the Shinigami's stomach, as an Edo Tensei, she was completely countered by the Shinigami due to lacking a Physical Body to anchor the Soul, making it impossible to rescue Minato.
Regarding this matter, she had come to accept it.
The Shinigami was just a Sealing Jutsu technique that would not erode Minato's Soul, but even if Minato were rescued, there would be no way to bring him back via Edo Tensei.
Even if Minato were truly brought back via Edo Tensei, would that really align with Minato's wishes?
If not for Naruto, Kushina would not want to stay in a place like Hidden Leaf Village either.
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Breakfast ended, the dishes were cleared away, and the yard still retained a faint aroma of food and the tranquility of the early morning.
Just then, the courtyard gate was gently pushed open, and a figure silently appeared at the entrance.
It was the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, in his Edo Tensei state.
He still maintained that calm, serious, and imposing demeanor; his Sengoku-era armor was slightly damaged, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.
He did not directly enter but stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping over the people in the yard before finally settling on Uzumaki Mito, nodding slightly:
"Sister-in-law."
Hearing the voice, Mito turned her head and, seeing it was Tobirama, showed a gentle smile: "It's Tobirama. What is it? Is something the matter?"
Senju Tobirama's gaze then shifted to Naruto, who was preparing to go out, getting straight to the point:
"I have something I want to discuss with Naruto."
Naruto, about to step out of the courtyard, paused.
He turned around, looked at the Second Hokage at the entrance, his expression unchanged, and responded calmly:
"We'll talk when I have time."
He indeed had plans for today.
With Hidden Leaf Village's reconstruction initially settled, besides searching for the scrolls documenting Uchiha Hikari, he also needed to personally check on several other companions, including Might Guy, to feel assured.
However, Senju Tobirama clearly did not intend to accept this "talk another day" proposal.
He took a step forward into the yard, his red eyes narrowing slightly like a hawk before hunting, his sharp gaze seeming to pierce through Naruto's calm exterior and reach his core secrets.
"This is a very urgent matter."
Tobirama's tone intensified; last night, this guy had shown quite a friendly face to Orochimaru.
He stopped beating around the bush and directly posed the long-troubling, core-of-the-core question:
"I want to know..."
"How did you learn my Edo Tensei, my Flying Thunder God Technique, and... my elder brother's Wood Release?"
He had wanted to ask this yesterday, but after initially establishing cooperation, Naruto had directly run off.
The Second Hokage specifically emphasized "my" Edo Tensei and Flying Thunder God; it seemed he also knew about the Fourth Hokage using Flying Thunder God to gain great fame.
"Edo Tensei and Flying Thunder God were in the scroll of seals given by the Third Hokage; Wood Release was something I created through Chakra nature transformation using Water Release, Earth Release, and Yang Release."
Naruto had no intention of hiding these things; there was no need to conceal them.
It was like how Heaven Rank Cultivation Techniques such as 'Thought Science' and 'Engineering Cybernetics' were sold online, yet no second figure like the author emerged.
The Second Hokage's research abilities were no less than Orochimaru's.
He also had some ideas about Ninjutsu development he wanted to consult this Ninjutsu Great Master about.
So Yang Release was added too?
No wonder I couldn't figure it out when I studied my elder brother before.
The Second Hokage nodded thoughtfully.
My elder brother always said his Wood Release was Water Release and Earth Release, but there was indeed something else mixed in.
Even that child called Tenzo's Chakra attributes were Water, Earth, and Yang.
In that case, Wood Release was actually more like a secret technique of the same type as the Ino–Shika–Chō trio's secret techniques.
A special manifestation formed by mixing in Yin Release or Yang Release?
Seeing the Second Hokage lost in brief thought, Naruto had no intention of waiting for him to figure it out.
"Alright, you come here at noon too; we'll have a gathering. Now I need to get busy."
Naruto walked past the Second Hokage and left home.
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