Among the group, only Kakashi was unaffected by the emotions overflowing from Naruto and Kushina.
Along the way, after everything he'd experienced, Kakashi rarely ever lost his composure anymore.
But at this moment, his breathing had become a little rough. His eyes were locked tightly onto the person still standing on the ground ahead, wide open in disbelief.
It felt like an illusion.
In the past, he had seen hallucinations like this countless times. His father, who had taken his own life, suddenly appearing at home one day, reaching out with a warm smile to pat his head.
But when that hand fell on his head, only his own breathing remained in the empty house.
Or sometimes, while he was washing his hands, the water would suddenly turn into blood, and Rin Nohara would stand not far away, smiling softly at him, blood pouring out from the gaping hole in her abdomen.
Yet now, Rin Nohara was still wearing her ninja uniform, looking about the same age as when she'd died, around ten or so.
Her large brown eyes and short brown hair, her flawless jade-like face filled with surprise.
She was still stunned by the sudden scene of a mother and son reuniting right before her eyes.
Because in Rin's memory, before she died, 'Kushina-nee didn't have any children, right?'
'But… that little kid really does look a lot like Minato-sensei.'
She quickly noticed Kakashi's intense gaze too, tilted her head slightly, and met his eyes directly.
Rin tilted her head adorably, her expression full of confusion, "This… Oji-san(Uncle)… may I ask if you're Kakashi's relative?"
The Kakashi in her memory was still young, cold, handsome, 'Who is this disheveled Oji-san dressed just like him?'
She knew Kakashi's father had already passed away, so she could only guess this man must be some kind of relative.
She couldn't connect what was happening now with the world more than ten years later.
After all, before she died, she was nothing more than an ordinary chunin.
The idea of being resurrected from the dead was something completely beyond her understanding.
Her last memory was of Kakashi's hand piercing through her chest, the searing pain, and Kakashi's horrified, despairing eyes.
She hadn't thought too deeply at that time; she just didn't want to drag down the village, so she'd chosen to die.
She thought that her life should have ended there.
But unexpectedly, the very next moment after death, she woke up again.
So, in her perception, only an instant had passed, there was no way young Kakashi could have turned into this Oji-san.
"O-Oji-san?"
Kakashi snapped back to his senses instantly. The corner of his mouth twitched violently again. He opened his mouth but froze mid-motion.
Now that he realized this wasn't a genjutsu, he suddenly didn't know what to do.
Not because of anything else, but because of that word: Oji-san.
"Rin, it's me. I'm Kakashi."
"Ah?", Rin stared at him blankly.
The tangled emotions inside Kakashi had mostly faded, leaving only a weary sigh, "I'll explain later."
Though his exhaustion now was clearly different from before.
"Oh."
Rin glanced around, noticing that everyone nearby seemed to be big shots, and couldn't help shrinking her neck slightly. Realizing this wasn't the time to ask questions, she pushed down her curiosity for now.
Slowly, Naruto's sobs also quieted down. He was still huddled in Kushina's arms, though.
Kushina gently stroked Naruto's hair with a loving smile, then turned to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya-sama, have you been the one taking care of this child all these years?"
Jiraiya gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly, "I've only been training him recently."
"The old man didn't make it public that Naruto was your and Minato's child. Because of that, during that time, Naruto suffered quite a bit in the village due to being a jinchuriki."
"What?"
Kushina's eyes widened in fury, her fists clenching tightly.
"That old man, Minato specifically asked him to look after Naruto! I'm definitely going to beat him up when I see him!"
Naruto looked blankly at his mother's current expression.
'Uh… why does she suddenly seem… not that gentle?'
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile, "The old man's already dead."
"Dead?"
Kushina froze, her mouth slightly open, suddenly losing her momentum. The anger in her chest had nowhere to go.
"But Naruto's life wasn't as bad as you might think."
Jiraiya continued, glancing toward Aoba, who was standing obediently beside Tsunade and Shizune.
"Because Tsunade and Shirakumo Aoba have been taking care of him."
And that wasn't a lie. Ever since Naruto was little, he'd practically been raised by Aoba.
From morning to night, Aoba took Naruto everywhere, no matter what he was doing.
Jiraiya had considered taking Naruto under his wing when he learned about the boy's situation, but once he knew that Aoba was with him and that Tsunade had become Hokage, he gave up on that plan.
"Tsunade-sister… and Shirakumo Aoba?"
Kushina turned toward Aoba, discovering a silver-haired young man she'd never seen before.
"Aoba is my first and best friend!", Naruto emphasized proudly, like a little kid showing off his most precious treasure to an adult.
"Hello, Kushina-nee."
Aoba had originally planned to call her auntie, but considering Tsunade's presence, he decided on sister instead.
"Hm?", Uchiha Mikoto, who'd been watching silently from the side, blinked in confusion. Hearing Aoba call Kushina sister gave her a weird feeling.
After all, she and Kushina were about the same age, so why did she have to be called auntie?
"As expected of a considerate kid. Thank you for taking care of Naruto all these years," Kushina was clearly pleased by the "-nee" title, her affection for Aoba rising immediately.
"This brat's my disciple," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes, "but the word 'considerate' doesn't really fit him."
"He's actually your disciple, Tsunade-nee?"
Kushina looked surprised. In her memory before dying, Tsunade had already left the village for various reasons. She hadn't expected her to take on a student later.
"Wait, Tsunade-nee, are you the Hokage now?", She finally noticed the Hokage robe Tsunade was wearing.
"Yes," Tsunade finally replied, "I'm the Fifth Hokage now."
She patted Aoba on the head, "And this kid will probably become the Sixth."
"I see."
Kushina looked at Tsunade's current appearance and couldn't help but feel a bit comforted.
Even though Tsunade kept calling the boy brat, it was obvious she liked him quite a bit.
It seemed Tsunade had finally walked out of the shadows of her past.
"I'll explain your current situation," Aoba said slowly.
"It's been twelve years since your death, Kushina-nee. As for Rin Nohara, it's been almost ten years. As you can see, Naruto's already grown this big."
Kushina nodded slightly.
"Twelve years?"
Rin Nohara, however, looked completely lost. She couldn't understand what was going on at all.
How could someone who died… come back to life again?