"That's fine, but Naruto, why are you looking for the Shinigami Mask?"
Kushina asked, somewhat puzzled. She remembered that these masks could be used to summon the Shinigami, but she wasn't entirely sure of their specific purpose.
When she left the Land of Whirlpools, she was still quite young, so she didn't know much about it.
"The Shinigami Mask can summon the Shinigami from the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and release whatever is sealed inside the Shinigami. That way, we can free Minato's soul and the other half of Kurama. After that, you should be able to truly come back to life in some time."
Naruto explained. It was indeed possible to bring them back to life. When Orochimaru defected from Konoha, he had taken many corpses with him, including those of Kushina, Minato, and even the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
However, there was no complete body of Hashirama Senju left, as it had long been used for experiments. What remained were only fragments.
If it weren't for the fact that cremation wasn't common in the Ninja World, the Fourth Ninja World War in the original work might not have been so difficult.
"Can we really come back to life?"
Kushina's eyes widened, her tone filled with disbelief.
"Yes, my eyes have that ability." Naruto nodded.
But upon hearing this, Kushina's excited expression turned serious.
"Naruto, bringing someone back to life is no small matter. If there are any side effects, we'd rather stay like this."
"That's right, Naruto. If our revival would have any negative impact on you, we'd rather not come back." Minato, who had been silent until now, also spoke up. He didn't want to Naruto to be harmed because of them.
"Don't worry, it won't affect me at all."
Naruto replied in a calm tone, his expression did not change, but he couldn't help but want to complain in his heart, 'Do I look like such a stupid person?'
"Really?" Kushina was still a little worried.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Just take me to find the Shinigami Mask in a few days," Naruto assured her.
There was no way Naruto would be foolish enough to experiment on himself. He had simply come up with the brilliant idea of using Hidan as a resurrection fountain.
Naturally, he wanted to test it out properly, starting with reviving Minato and Kushina.
At that time, he could transplant Nagato's eyes onto Hidan and have him perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
"That's good then."
Seeing Naruto's confident demeanor, Kushina and Minato finally relaxed a little.
---
As the sun began to set, dipping below the distant mountain ridge, the sky was painted in hues of orange and red. The winter sun set unusually early.
At this time, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the school in the Land of Waves.
Amidst the chorus of 'Goodbye, sensei,' the school gates slowly opened.
Soon, students began to pour out of the school building in groups, organized by class, and headed toward the exit. Parents who had been waiting outside the school gates quickly gathered to pick up their children.
Many students left with their parents, while those without parents to pick them up were escorted home by their homeroom teachers. This was a safety measure the school had implemented for the students' return during the winter season.
However, Mikoto Uchiha's class was special. The students in her class were all exceptionally skilled, and even without anyone to pick them up, they dashed off as soon as they left the school gates.
Only Mikoto, Izumi, Sasuke, and Neji remained.
The four of them were used to this and continued discussing the topics they had learned in class that day.
As they were talking, a familiar voice called out.
"Mikoto!"
Mikoto was stunned, then turned around to see a red-haired woman with a bright smile, accompanied by Minato, walking toward her.
"Kushina?"
"Haha, Mikoto, long time no see!" Kushina immediately jumped in front of Mikoto.
The last time they had met was when Kushina was pregnant with Naruto, just before she gave birth.
'What's going on?'
Mikoto's eyes widened in shock. "Kushina…" Then, remembering Minato's situation, she asked, "Are you also..."
"That's right," Kushina nodded, her smile still radiant.
Suddenly, she noticed Sasuke standing nearby, and her eyes lit up immediately.
"Is this Sasuke? He's already so big! I always thought he was a girl back then."
Sasuke, startled by Kushina's energetic demeanor, hid behind Mikoto.
But Mikoto gently pushed him forward and introduced him with a smile, "Sasuke, this is Uzumaki Kushina. She's an old friend of mine and Naruto's mother. Don't be rude."
"Naruto's (-sama) mother?!"
Sasuke, along with Izumi and Neji, who had been curiously observing Kushina, exclaimed in unison.
"Kushina, this is Izumi and Neji," Mikoto introduced the other two.
"Hello."
Kushina greeted them cheerfully.
"Hello, Aunt Kushina."
The three replied promptly, not wanting to leave a bad impression.
"Kushina..." Mikoto was about to speak.
But Kushina had already excitedly grabbed Mikoto's hand, saying happily: "Come on, Mikoto, let's go to Naruto's place for dinner tonight."
"There are plenty of rooms at Naruto's place. We can sleep over if we get tired."
"Eh--"
Watching his mother being pulled away by someone else, Sasuke stood there in confusion, unsure of what to do.
At that moment, Minato walked over and smiled at the three of them. "How about you all come and stay with us tonight?"
---
Naruto's office building wasn't just a single office. It housed many staff members who worked there, as well as several important meeting rooms.
Next to the office building were the staff dormitories, and behind it was Naruto's residence.
It's worth mentioning that Kaho and Karin also lived there. After all, such a large house would feel too empty if Naruto lived alone.
At that moment, in the courtyard of the residence, Naruto was rubbing the head of the small Kurama in the snow.
Kaho was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Her curvaceous figure, accentuated by a tight apron, exuded a mature charm, and her delicate face always wore a gentle smile. She was also very happy to see friends from the Uzumaki Clan again.
Before long, a lively voice rang out from outside the courtyard.
"Mom, I'm home!"
Karin, full of energy, came bouncing in. However, as soon as she entered, she saw Naruto smiling at her, which made her even happier.
"Naruto-sama!"
Karin, still carrying her backpack, hurried over to Naruto and looked curiously at the chubby creature in his hands.
"Is this a piglet?"
"Hahaha."
Naruto burst into laughter, but Kurama wasn't amused. It bared its teeth at Karin and growled, "I'm a fox!"
"Wow! It's a talking piglet!"
Kurama suddenly speaking didn't scare Karin at all. Instead, it made her even more curious because she knew Naruto would never hurt her.
"Naruto-sama, can I play with it?"
Karin blinked her big, crimson eyes and said pleadingly.
"You little Uzumaki brat, can't you understand fox language? I'm a fox!"
Before Naruto could answer, Kurama was already getting worked up.
"Haha, of course you can. His name is Kurama. He's a bit chubby, but he's indeed a fox." Naruto explained with a smile.
"Yay! Got it."
Karin ran back into the house to put down her backpack, then returned to play with Kurama.
Hearing the commotion, Kaho peeked out from the kitchen, her smile growing even wider.
Not long after, Kushina and the others returned.
Seeing the Nine-Tails lying comfortably in Karin's arms, enjoying the 'massage,' Kushina and Mikoto couldn't resist giving it a few pets themselves before joining Kaho in the kitchen to help prepare dinner.
Sasuke, meanwhile, pestered Naruto for a sparring match, dragging Neji along as usual, with Minato acting as the referee.
Izumi and Karin continued to play with Kurama, finding it quite novel as they watched it devour snacks with gusto.
Aside from those who knew the truth, no one would have connected this chubby fox to the legendary Nine-Tails.
When Nono returned from school and saw the suddenly lively courtyard, she was completely bewildered, wondering if she had walked into the wrong place.
The peaceful and leisurely days came to an end two days later.
Naruto received a message from Konan.