Naruto… you’ll surpass every Hokage who came before you.
And now, you’ve already surpassed the version of yourself from that future…
Seated across from Tsunade, Jiraiya watched Naruto’s back after the boy suddenly flashed into existence behind her.
A warm, satisfied smile silently appeared on his face.
For the briefest instant, another figure seemed to overlap with Naruto’s—
A blond man wearing the ceremonial cloak of the Hokage.
“Did you really master the Flying Thunder God Technique?”
Tsunade stared at him in astonishment.
The kunai in her hand bore a black formula resembling a flickering foxfire flame.
Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned.
He rubbed beneath his nose with one finger before answering proudly—
“Yeah.
It was all thanks to Dad’s help.”
Then his smile widened.
“So, Granny Tsunade… you’ll come back to Konoha with us now, right?”
“…”
Tsunade said nothing.
After a moment, she casually tossed the kunai over her shoulder and lifted her cup to sip her tea.
Naruto caught the kunai and returned it to his ninja pouch.
Shizune quietly refilled the cups in front of Tsunade and Jiraiya.
“Enough running away, Tsunade.”
Jiraiya’s expression became slightly more serious.
“Konoha truly needs you.”
He looked directly at her.
“Dan and Nawaki both dreamed of becoming Hokage, didn’t they?”
“They’re no longer here.”
His voice softened.
“You’re the only person who can carry their dreams forward.”
Jiraiya understood Tsunade better than anyone.
After all, his eyes had followed her for decades.
“Stop being so stubborn.”
He gave her a gentle smile.
“Become the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.”
Jiraiya knew how deeply the deaths of Dan and Nawaki had wounded her.
That pain had driven her away from Konoha.
And perhaps—
Only those same two people could lead her back.
Tsunade lowered her cup and closed her eyes.
“…”
Over the past several days, she had thought about many things.
Because Jiraiya had told her many things.
The future.
The village.
The shinobi world.
War.
Dreams.
The Hokage.
Hope.
She had once thought about those things when she was five.
Again when she was twelve.
And again when she was twenty-two.
Then thirty-two.
Forty-two.
And now—
At fifty-two.
The same questions always produced different emotions and different answers depending on one’s age and place in life.
More than a decade ago, Tsunade’s answer had been to leave Konoha.
She had wanted nothing more to do with the village’s conflicts.
She had wanted to escape from the blood, death, and endless turmoil of the shinobi world.
But now, at fifty-two, after confronting those questions once again—
Her answer had returned to where it all began.
[“Big Sis, I’m going to become Hokage!
I’ll be an amazing Hokage!”]
[“Tsunade, my dream is to become Hokage and protect everyone…”]
Nawaki’s cheerful face.
Dan’s gentle smile.
Their voices and every precious memory she had shared with them appeared before her one after another.
Tsunade’s trembling body gradually became still.
Her hurried breathing slowly calmed.
The deep furrow between her brows finally relaxed.
Then she opened her eyes and glared irritably at Shizune.
“What are you standing there for?
My tea has already gone cold!”
Shizune froze.
Then her eyes widened in realization.
“R-Right!”
Naruto’s face immediately lit up.
“Does that mean you’ve agreed to return to the village with us, Granny Tsunade?”
He quickly walked around the table and sat beside her.
“I’m not going back for the village.”
Tsunade’s face remained expressionless.
She glanced toward Jiraiya’s empty sleeve.
“But if I don’t go, who else is going to give this old pervert his arm back?”
“Hahaha!”
Jiraiya threw his head back and laughed from the bottom of his heart.
…
Let us turn the clock back slightly.
Several days after Naruto and Jiraiya left Konohagakure, the Third Hokage summoned Kakashi to his office.
“A C-rank mission?”
Kakashi picked up the mission dossier Hiruzen had handed him.
After reading the first page, his visible eye showed a trace of surprise.
Ordinarily, newly graduated genin were expected to complete D-rank missions for a considerable period before being assigned anything more dangerous.
That was partly because rookie genin were exactly that—
Rookies.
But there was another practical reason.
The village only received so many missions.
If newly formed teams immediately took all the higher-ranked assignments, what were veteran genin and more experienced teams supposed to do?
Pull weeds?
Collect garbage?
Work on farms?
“Read the entire dossier, Kakashi.”
The Third Hokage remained seated behind his desk, quietly smoking his pipe.
“There’s more?”
Kakashi lowered his gaze and turned the page.
Then his expression changed.
“Momochi Zabuza—the Demon of the Hidden Mist?”
His visible eye narrowed.
“How could an ordinary C-rank escort mission involve a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?”
“Heh…”
Hiruzen had only given Kakashi a condensed version of Naruto’s future information, so the old man was not surprised by his reaction.
He smiled faintly.
“In any case, an opponent of that caliber is not someone you can easily find for practical combat training.”
The Third Hokage folded his hands upon the desk.
“That is why I intend to have you lead a special group of genin on this mission.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Can you handle it?”
“I don’t have a problem with it personally.”
Kakashi lowered the dossier.
“But Zabuza is infamous for mastering the Silent Killing Technique.”
His tone became serious.
“If those rookie genin make even one mistake, they could lose their lives.”
Hiruzen merely smiled.
At that moment, the door to the Hokage’s office opened.
Five genin entered.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Hyūga Hinata.
Rock Lee.
Haruno Sakura.
And Nara Shikamaru.
“What a drag…”
Shikamaru lazily scratched the back of his head.
His face openly displayed both irritation and exhaustion.
“What’s so special about this mission?”
Sasuke remained expressionless.
He was slightly displeased that his training had been interrupted.
Still, when he heard that they would be undertaking a special mission, his mood improved somewhat.
At the very least, he would not have to spend another day pulling weeds, collecting garbage, doing farm work, or chasing runaway cats.
Will this finally involve real combat?
Sakura, meanwhile, was still shuddering over Lee’s earlier “harassment.”
That bowl cut…
Those ridiculously thick eyebrows…
And those drooping eyelashes…
I seriously can’t handle him!
Hinata appeared nervous.
Their D-rank missions had been progressing without any trouble, so why had they suddenly been summoned for a special assignment?
It sounds difficult…
What if I only hold everyone back?
Kakashi turned and examined the five genin.
He understood what the Third Hokage intended.
The Uchiha clan’s Sharingan.
The Hyūga clan’s Byakugan.
The taijutsu disciple personally trained by that lunatic Might Guy.
The Nara clan’s shadow techniques and exceptional intelligence.
Even Zabuza might find such a combination troublesome.
However—
Kakashi’s gaze stopped on Sakura.
Why is this girl here?
No matter how he looked at her, she appeared completely ordinary.
Hiruzen immediately saw through Kakashi’s confusion.
“I believe Tsunade may find that girl rather interesting.”
“Oh?”
Kakashi blinked.
Having yet to experience the terror of Sakura’s future fists of love, he naturally had no idea what the Third Hokage meant.
…
While they were packing for the return journey, Jiraiya noticed that Naruto kept falling into a daze.
“What’s wrong?”
Naruto did not immediately answer.
Jiraiya suddenly thought of something.
He walked over and placed his remaining hand upon the boy’s shoulder.
“There are some things whose passing we can’t prevent, Naruto.”
His voice was gentle.
He was thinking of Minato’s chakra fragment.
By now, it had most likely disappeared.
“Yeah… I know.”
Naruto nodded.
He placed a hand over his abdomen and smiled with narrowed eyes.
“But I’m not going to fall apart, so don’t worry, Pervy Sage.”
His expression became warm.
“Inside me…”
“There are three suns shining upon me.”
Naruto smiled softly.
“I’m really happy.”
…
“Who are you?!”
A vague human silhouette appeared within that space.
This was Naruto’s inner world.
His spiritual domain.
Apart from Minato’s remaining chakra, Kurama’s consciousness, and Naruto’s own mind—
How could another person possibly exist here?
The silhouette gradually became clearer.
Naruto remembered the faint presence he had sensed after meeting Kushina.
Back then, he had also felt as though someone else were standing nearby.
A possibility suddenly flashed through his mind.
Could it be—?!
The figure finally took shape.
He was a little over one hundred and seventy centimeters tall and wore a battered black-and-orange outfit, as though he had only just emerged from a brutal battle.
Three whisker-like marks adorned each cheek.
He possessed short—
Blond hair.
And tied around his forehead was a Konoha forehead protector.
“Naruto?!”
Minato stared at the inexplicably appearing figure in shock.
Then he looked at the twelve-year-old son standing beside him.
Kurama silently studied the taller Naruto.
A flash of realization appeared within the fox’s eyes.
“So it was you…”
The younger Naruto gradually recovered from his surprise.
All three of them recognized the person standing before them.
And yet—
The newly appeared man seemed to be the only one who did not understand who he was.
Confusion filled his blue eyes.
“It’s me…?”
His lips moved weakly.
“I…”
“Who am I…?”
Then he finally noticed the blond man in the white Hokage cloak standing beside the younger Naruto.
Tears immediately gathered within his eyes.
His mouth opened.
“Dad…”
Little by little, light returned to his clear blue eyes.
Hot tears streamed down his cheeks.
Then, in a low but certain voice, he said—
“I am…”
“Uzumaki Naruto.”