Chapter 368: Return to Daily Life
Sasuke and Boruto left. The forest returned to silence. Naruto clearly hadn't done anything, yet facing Satsuki who now knew the information that "the Naruto from another world very likely has a wife," he couldn't help feeling as if he'd somehow betrayed something.
However, contrary to his expectations, Uchiha Satsuki didn't pursue the matter further, nor did she display any intense emotions.
She simply gazed at Naruto for a moment, then spoke in a calm yet undeniably warning tone. "If you dare try exploring 'other possibilities' in this world... I'll have to go have a 'nice chat' with Kushina-san."
With that said, she turned and just like that, easily "let him off."
Naruto froze, naturally understanding what Satsuki meant—if he, already having the "arranged marriage" agreement, still dared show affection toward other girls beyond friendship.
Although Uzumaki Kushina could be said to dote on Naruto, if she learned that right after formally establishing an engagement with her best friend's daughter, her own son ran off to "seduce" other young girls...
Naruto decided he'd rather not imagine it.
The reason Satsuki could so "easily" let this topic pass largely stemmed from that "arranged marriage" agreement already confirmed by both families' elders. It gave her a solid foundation of confidence and security.
Within this framework, she could temporarily suppress the anxiety brought by information from another world.
The storm subsided. The two briefly said their farewells at the forest's edge, each returning to their respective homes.
Pushing open the apartment door, Uzumaki Kushina—wearing an apron—emerged from the kitchen. Seeing Naruto return, she immediately set down what she was holding and hurried over. She didn't ask other things first, but instead launched into a rapid-fire series of core concerns.
Things like... is your body truly alright? Is there anywhere uncomfortable? What about that strange eye? Will it harm you? And that wandering performer? Who exactly is he? Where did he go now?
Her eyes remained full of lingering worry as she carefully examined Naruto from head to toe.
Naruto patiently answered each question one by one. His body was indeed fine, chakra circulation normal, the new eye currently felt controllable with no discomfort... The matter of Sasuke was glossed over.
Hearing that Naruto's body was unharmed, Kushina's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She didn't pursue the question about Sasuke, but still repeatedly asked about Naruto's physical condition. Only after Naruto reassured her again and again, even proactively circulating chakra to demonstrate his state, did she finally seem to reluctantly accept this answer and stop questioning.
However, immediately after, she made another request. She wanted to... have a talk with that "Minato" remaining in Naruto's inner world.
Naruto immediately nodded without any objection.
Accompanied by an input of chakra, a portion of Kushina's consciousness—using a principle similar to Shadow Clones—once again entered that vast mental world, meeting with the chakra construct of Namikaze Minato who'd been waiting there all along.
Naruto very tactfully didn't go "eavesdrop" on his parents' private conversation during their long-awaited reunion.
Time quietly flowed.
After an unknown period, Naruto felt his mother's chakra consciousness return. He opened his eyes to see Kushina standing before him. Her face no longer held that earlier urgency and questioning, only a deep, long sigh carrying some weariness.
Then, without saying anything, she simply stepped forward, spread her arms, and pulled Naruto tightly into her embrace.
Naruto quietly allowed his mother to hold him. He could clearly feel Kushina's body trembling slightly. Tilting his head just a bit, he could see his mother burying her face against his shoulder, eyes currently closed tight—but the faint moisture at the corners of her eyes, and when they reopened, the impossibly thick emotion within them, like the lingering shock and terror of having survived a disaster.
For Kushina, witnessing her son suddenly fall into deep unconsciousness for unknown reasons was enough to make an ordinary person sick with worry. Even now with the crisis resolved, her son standing safely before her, that enormous shadow and lingering fear that had shrouded her heart couldn't dissipate in just a short time.
Home, warm with lamplight. Konoha finally returned to tranquility.
---
What exactly did Kushina and Minato discuss within the mental world? Naruto could only make slight deductions from some subtle traces he caught during a brief entry into his inner world the next day. Namikaze Minato's face carried an expression mixing guilt with heavy weariness.
Meanwhile, Nine-Tails lying nearby displayed a subtle expression that could only be described as "watching a good show," bordering on schadenfreude.
With Urashiki's threat eliminated, Naruto's personal "crisis" seemed to have temporarily concluded, and life appeared to return to its original track.
However, for Konoha Village and even the entire shinobi world, the true ripples and undercurrents were only just beginning to surge.
The most direct impact came from the intelligence level. Over the following days, Konoha Village experienced an influx of numerous outsiders with complex identities and varying purposes—merchants, tourists, wandering shinobi.
Even "friendly visiting delegations" from other shinobi villages. How many spies sent by various forces to gather information were actually mixed among them? It was probably impossible to completely sort out.
Naruto was happy to remain leisurely. The Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen—whose injuries had improved enough to barely handle affairs—along with Jiraiya who would soon officially take office, were thoroughly troubled by the long, tedious work.
Time passed. The village's order gradually recovered. Under the leadership's efforts, the regular shinobi mission assignment system also resumed operation. The shinobi's lives returned to the familiar daily cycle of accepting missions, executing them, and reporting.
Naruto's life also seemed to return to normal. Training, eating, occasionally executing missions, spending time with Satsuki and sometimes Kakashi or others who came by for meals.
The tremendous waves raised by the outside world due to that battle didn't overly disturb his personal peaceful daily life... After learning the target possessed strength surpassing ordinary people, who would rashly disturb him? They couldn't afford to gamble that every powerful individual was Senju Hashirama.
Of course, there was some impact. For instance, Naruto's name on various underground black markets' bounty boards—the amount skyrocketed at an alarming rate to an eye-popping astronomical figure.
Or, following that, came high-priced intelligence bounties regarding "the origins of the witnessed blue giant canine species."
Even just a few days ago, the Inuzuka Clan sent representatives who arrived for a visit with incredibly respectful, even somewhat humble attitudes.
They first beat around the bush inquiring about Zacian's origins, then even more carefully yet unable to conceal their enthusiasm, proposed whether Naruto would be willing to—for an "extremely high price"—temporarily "loan" Zacian for use in... "breeding research."
Despite the other party's extremely polite phrasing and nearly pleading attitude, Naruto refused without hesitation... How long had Zacian even been born...
Mundane days alternated between missions and training. One day, Naruto accepted what seemed an ordinary escort mission—protecting a female actress traveling to the Land of Snow.
The mission itself had quite a few twists and turns, but with Naruto's current strength he simply "steamrolled" through it. After experiencing some of the Land of Snow's unique customs and conflicts, it counted as an adventure with some novelty.
When he completed the mission, passed through Konoha's gates, and once again stepped onto the village's familiar streets, Naruto raised his head, looking toward the direction of the Hokage Monument.
Then, he stopped in his tracks.
Upon the cliff face, beside the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato's carved image, the originally vacant Fifth Hokage position had now been occupied by a brand new, fully carved monument.
The face was familiar—a head of signature wild white hair, the corners of the mouth carrying a somewhat stiff seriousness.
The Fifth Hokage—Jiraiya's succession ceremony was about to begin.
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