3rd POV:
The morning sun slanted through half-open blinds, casting dusty rays across a small, well-worn living room. Naruto Uzumaki stretched with a loud yawn, his hair a tousled mess of sun-bleached gold threaded faintly with red at the tips. The house—his house—still smelled like old paper, steel, and an undertone of something nostalgic. Ramen broth, maybe. Or time.
Naruto scratched his stomach lazily and padded barefoot into the kitchen. A pot of instant noodles boiled over with a hiss, and he muttered something about setting an alarm before flicking the heat off with a hand seal.
"Domestic god you are not," Bura teased from somewhere inside him.
"Shut up. I'm evolving," Naruto mumbled, wiping his hand on a towel before sitting cross-legged on the floor and fiddling with his console prototype. The screen flickered, displaying a pixelated toad leaping through clouds.
A slipper flew across the room. "You wanna cook next time?"
Bura laughed. Kurama, quieter these days, let out a soft grunt. "She's not wrong, y'know."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Et tu, fuzzball?"
---
Ichiraku Ramen - Noon
Iruka had insisted. And Naruto, despite every excuse he'd planned, didn't really have it in him to say no.
Teuchi gave him a wide smile. "Still alive, huh?"
"Barely," Naruto replied with a grin. Ayame giggled and handed him a double portion.
"It's on the house. Welcome home, Naruto-kun."
He slurped dramatically. "Still the best ramen in the world."
Iruka watched him carefully, a quiet pride simmering in his chest. Naruto had grown—not just taller, but... steadier. His movements were precise now, his expressions layered. There was a calm to him that hadn't been there before.
"No headband this time?"
Naruto snorted. "Why? You already gave me one when I graduated. It's hanging by the door. I'm not exactly going incognito."
"Fair. But I still say you should wear it more. Let the others see it."
Naruto slurped again, hiding a smirk. "They'll know soon enough."
---
Outside the Academy
Naruto sat perched on the roof, eating dango while watching the newly graduated students shuffle below. He caught a few eyes glancing up at him. Familiar faces. A different energy.
Hinata passed by with Kiba, her posture straighter than he remembered. More composed. She smiled more, but her eyes still flicked around like they were always calculating.
Sasuke leaned against a post, looking almost bored, until her gaze locked with his.
"Yo," Naruto called lazily, raising a hand.
They both looked up, surprise softening into faint recognition.
---
Hokage Tower
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched through the crystal orb as Naruto mingled. "He's adapting quickly."
The ANBU beside him nodded. "And drawing attention."
Hiruzen scribbled on a scroll. "Assign him something small. Something harmless. A local mediation or babysitting request. Let's see how he moves in peace, not war."
---
Mini Mission - Afternoon
Naruto didn't even argue when the messenger arrived. Babysitting two bratty academy kids? Sure. Fine.
He spun a simple genjutsu game for them—trees turned into slide puzzles, the floor into lava. His console was hacked into kid mode, the girls bouncing on the couch as pixel frogs exploded on-screen.
"You gonna be a teacher?" one asked.
Naruto hesitated. "Nah. I'd corrupt you too fast."
Bura snorted. "You're not wrong."
He let them braid his hair out of boredom. Kurama grumbled somewhere deep inside.
---
Late Evening - Naruto's House
Naruto leaned back on the couch, fingers twirling the faintest strands of red in his hair. The mirror across the room showed a different version of him than two years ago. Taller. Broader. Sharper eyes. More secrets in them.
He thought about Bura. About that night.
Her form had shifted more lately—solidifying in his dreams. That time on the cliffside, right after he cracked one of the older Uzumaki seals, she'd leaned in, just close enough for their lips to brush—then grinned and vanished.
"Bold much?" he'd muttered, touching his lips.
Now, his fingers hovered near them again.
He whispered something. Her real name.
No reaction.
Until a voice purred, "Took you long enough."
Naruto chuckled, booting up the console beside him. A new pixel frog blinked onto the screen, holding a scroll.
---
Konoha Park - Next Day
Naruto lay on the grass, head tilted back as he listened to Sasuke rant about the Academy politics.
"You're telling me you decked a clan heir over a seating arrangement?"
Hinata, seated beside him, giggled. "It was more like... a firm nudge with a kunai."
Naruto laughed, resting his head in her lap without asking. She didn't flinch. Sasuke just sighed and shifted closer, until their shoulders touched.
"Missed this," Naruto murmured.
"Missed you," Sasuke replied.
Hinata blushed but nodded. "Glad you're back."
Naruto yawned. "Let's stay like this a bit. Just a bit longer."
Bura hummed softly in the back of his mind. "You're soft."
"Yeah," he whispered. "Finally."
--
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Author's Note
Guess who's actually being consistent for once? That's right—daily uploads are officially a thing now. No more disappearing arcs, no more "I'll update soon" lies (I mean... probably). We're in that zone.
This chapter was all vibes: slice-of-life comfort, Naruto being Naruto (lazy genius energy intact), Bura being the bold menace she is, and some actual feelings showing up between our trio. And yes, I'm fully leaning into that slow-burn chaos.
So yeah—bookmark it, tell a friend, tattoo it on your heart—I'm back, and I'm staying. See y'all in the next one 😏