“Are you telling the truth?
Is the person you just described really our future child…
Naruto Uzumaki?!” Kushina exclaimed, her voice trembling with barely contained emotion.
After stepping inside, Minato had guided her to the sofa in their living room.
He sat beside her, holding both of her hands, and meticulously detailed the entire temporal briefing he had given to the Hokage.
Kushina felt her entire world tilt on its axis.
It was the most emotionally violent day of her life.
When Minato first explained that they had been murdered by Obito Uchiha, disbelief temporarily paralyzed her.
She had viewed the goggled boy as a little brother.
They shared the same dream of becoming Hokage.
Obito had a heart of pure gold; the idea of him slaughtering them and turning against the entire world seemed impossible.
But when Minato detailed Naruto’s childhood, the disbelief evaporated, instantly replaced by a crushing, suffocating guilt.
Then came the pride.
When she heard how her son had saved Konoha from Pain, her heart soared.
Kushina had spent her own childhood drowning in the misery and warfare that followed the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.
She understood the agony of losing a homeland.
It was that exact trauma that had fueled her dream of becoming Konoha’s first female Hokage—to build a place where children wouldn’t have to suffer.
She had never achieved that dream, but her son had built that exact peace.
As Minato recounted how Naruto befriended Kurama, pulled Obito back to the light, and stood against Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki, Kushina’s chest swelled with an indescribable elation.
She was the mother of the shinobi world’s greatest hero.
But the triumph was paid for in blood.
The story shifted to the battle with Sasuke, where Naruto lost an arm.
It moved to the desperate struggles against Momoshiki and Isshiki Otsutsuki, culminating in Kurama’s ultimate sacrifice.
Kushina’s joy bled into profound sorrow.
The world had hurled god after god at her son, forcing him and Sasuke to hold the line alone.
Finally, Minato reached the end.
He described the desolate crater, the Forbidden Jutsy, and Naruto’s body dissolving into ash.
Kushina broke.
She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Naruto was such a good, kind boy.
Despite the village treating him like a monster, he had never wavered.
He had changed the hearts of everyone he met, ultimately saving the entire world.
He was more magnificent than anyone could have ever imagined.
Wiping her tears, Kushina placed a hand flat against her stomach.
“Thank you, Kurama,” she whispered softly.
“Thank you for always being there for Naruto.
Thank you for keeping him safe when he had no one else.
I am truly grateful.
I…
I know I held a lot of unfair prejudice against you in the past.
I formally apologize.”
Hmph.
Don’t flatter yourself, woman.
A deep, rumbling voice echoed directly into Kushina’s mind, vibrating against the seal on her stomach.
I didn’t do it for you.
I did it for your brat.
He erased my hatred.
He was different from you and your predecessors.
He never wanted to chain me; he just wanted to be my friend.
And the stubborn fool actually succeeded.
He is my partner.
You don’t need to thank me or apologize for him.
It was immediately clear that Kurama still held a grudge against Kushina’s historical treatment of him, but the animosity lacked its usual venom.
Minato had already factored this into his tactical assessment with Shikaku.
If Obito had received the memories, it was a tactical certainty that the Nine-Tails and the other eight Tailed Beasts—who had all linked their chakra with Naruto during the war—had also received the memory transfer.
Kushina gasped, genuinely shocked that the great demon fox had actually responded to her.
The sheer absurdity of the situation managed to lift some of the heavy sorrow from her chest.
“Regardless, I am truly grateful,” Kushina said firmly to her seal.
“I hope we can build a partnership like the one you shared with Naruto.
And when he is born…
I hope you’ll continue to watch over him.
Deal?”
Kurama did not answer.
He merely offered a dismissive, heavy snort that echoed in her mind.
“Seriously?
You can’t even give a proper reply?” Kushina huffed, her fiery temper flaring up just a bit.
“Your attitude is terrible!
The fact that Naruto actually managed to make peace with you is a miracle!”
Minato offered a strained, awkward smile from the sofa, wisely choosing not to intervene in an argument between his wife and a weapon of mass destruction.
Kushina took a deep breath, her gaze softening as she looked down at her stomach.
“I agree with you, Minato.
The baby will be named Naruto Uzumaki.
That is final.”
She gently stroked her stomach.
“Please guide us from now on, Naruto.
In this life, your father and I will be right beside you.
We will watch over you every step of the way.”
Kushina sniffled, wiping away the last of her tears.
She looked up at Minato, a determined, watery smile breaking across her face.
“It’s a happy day!
Let’s go out and celebrate!”
Minato blinked.
“Celebrate?
Where did you have in mind?” He was a tactical genius, but spontaneous event planning was not his strong suit.
Kushina didn’t even have to think about it.
“Ichiraku Ramen!
The place Naruto always loved!” She grabbed Minato’s arm, her excitement bubbling over.
“Honestly, we haven’t had a proper date night in weeks.
Let’s go eat some ramen and celebrate our new future!”
Minato frowned slightly, his protective instincts kicking in.
“Are you sure?
You’re pregnant now, Kushina.
You need nutrient-dense meals.
Ramen isn’t exactly a balanced diet for a developing baby.”
“Oh, hush!
Once or twice won’t hurt the baby!” Kushina laughed, forcefully dragging the future Fourth Hokage toward the front door.
“Let’s go!”
Ichiraku Ramen was tucked away in a bustling commercial district of Konoha.
The stall itself was small, barely seating more than a few patrons at the counter, but it possessed a legendary charm.
In the future timeline, thanks to Naruto’s patronage, even the Five Kage would dine under its humble awning, making it the most politically significant restaurant in the world.
Minato pushed the fabric flaps aside.
Teuchi, currently a robust middle-aged man, looked up from his cutting board.
“Welcome!”
Teuchi froze mid-chop as he recognized his customers.
“Ah!
Lord Fourth, Lady Kushina!
What can I get for you?”
Minato and Kushina exchanged a knowing look.
The old man hadn’t used Minato’s current Jonin rank; he had used the honorific of a Kage.
In the memories Naruto had transferred, the Ichiraku stall was a beacon of light.
Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, were among the very few citizens who had treated the demon fox child with genuine warmth and kindness.
Given Naruto’s fiercely loyal nature, there was a zero percent chance he would have forgotten them when casting the forbidden jutsu.
The ramen chef and his daughter were among the rare civilians to receive the future memories.
Because they possessed zero combat value, Shikaku had naturally excluded them from the military briefing at the Third Training Ground.
A lone customer sat at the far end of the counter, hunched over a steaming bowl.
At the sound of the old man’s greeting, the boy turned around.
His eyes widened.
He scrambled off his stool and bowed deeply.
“Lord Fourth!
Lady Kushina!”
“Hello,” Minato said, offering a warm smile.
“I hope we aren’t interrupting your meal.”
Because the Third Shinobi World War was still raging at the borders, the village economy was strained.
Most of Konoha’s shinobi were deployed, leaving Ichiraku practically empty.
Minato’s sharp eyes analyzed the boy.
He recognized him instantly from the gathering at the training ground earlier that afternoon.
The boy possessed the memories.
Because Shikaku hadn’t formally introduced the entire roster yet, Minato didn’t know the kid’s name.
After all, the boy looked no older than ten; Minato couldn’t be expected to memorize the face of every academy student in the village.
“No, not at all.
We were just chatting,” the boy said, fidgeting nervously under the future Hokage’s gaze.
“May I ask your name?” Minato inquired politely.
Most of the veterans who received the memories had spent the evening locked in their homes, desperately clinging to their living families.
Coming to Ichiraku Ramen tonight, of all nights, was a deliberate act of mourning.
The boy was grieving for Naruto.
“Reporting to Lord Minato, my name is Iruka Umino,” the boy answered respectfully.
In this current timeline, the Nine-Tails had not attacked.
Iruka’s parents were still alive and safe.
But the memories of the future had hit him like a physical blow.
He remembered treating Naruto like a little brother.
He remembered standing as the boy’s father figure at his wedding.
And today, he had learned that his brightest student had burned his own soul to ash to save them all.
Devastated, Iruka had wandered the village in a daze, eventually finding himself standing outside Ichiraku.
Teuchi, seeing the boy’s hollow expression, had ushered him inside for a hot meal.
Minato and Kushina looked at the ten-year-old boy.
Without a word of discussion, the future Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki bowed deeply from the waist.
“Thank you,” Minato said softly.
“Thank you for taking care of Naruto all those years.”
They knew the truth.
During the darkest, most agonizing years of Naruto’s childhood, Iruka Umino had been the only one to stand by him.
He was the man who had acknowledged Naruto’s existence, ultimately saving the boy from the same hateful path Obito and Nagato had walked.
Naruto revered this man enough to ask him to stand as his father at his wedding.
“N-no!
Please, raise your heads!” Iruka stammered, his face flushing crimson as he waved his hands frantically.
“It was…
it was my duty as his sensei.
He saved me just as much as I saved him.”
Kushina smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling.
She gestured to the empty stools next to the boy.
“May we sit and eat with you, Iruka?”
“Y-yes!
Please, have a seat!” Iruka said, quickly shuffling down the counter to make room.