The light of the setting sun streamed through the windows of the Fourth Hokage's office. It was a spacious room, decorated with maps, scrolls, and the Konoha banner hanging behind the central desk. Sitting with his elbows on the table and a furrowed brow was Minato Namikaze—the legendary Yellow Flash of Konoha, leader of the village… and Naruto's father.
Next to him, standing with a worried expression, was Kushina Uzumaki, the Bloody Habanero. Anxiety danced in her eyes.
Leaning casually against the wall were the siblings Arashi and Hikari. Arashi had his arms crossed, wearing the same smug grin as always. Hikari chewed a candy with indifference, as if everything were a waste of time.
Then, the door opened.
Naruto stepped in.
The atmosphere shifted immediately. Silence grew heavy, as if the air itself refused to move. His figure cast a shadow longer than it should have, as if a presence beyond human accompanied him.
"Naruto," Kushina whispered, taking a step forward, her eyes shining. "You… you're back."
Minato rose slowly. His expression was hard to read—part relief, part doubt, part guilt.
"Son…" he began, but Naruto interrupted him with a formal bow.
"Hokage-sama. Uzumaki-sama."
The strike was subtle but devastating. He didn't say "father." He didn't say "mother."
Only titles.
Kushina froze. Minato took a deep breath, as if he had expected this… yet it still hurt.
"Naruto… you have no idea how much we regret everything that happened," Minato tried, lowering his gaze. "We thought you were dead, lost. And when we learned you had no chakra… everything became complicated."
"Don't justify it, Dad," Hikari interrupted, rolling his eyes. "It was obvious he wasn't going to be the one. How could he be the chosen of the prophecy if he can't even make a normal clone?"
Naruto lifted his gaze, his eyes sharp as blades. For the first time, he spoke directly to his siblings.
"I see you haven't changed."
Arashi shrugged.
"And you have? You don't look very impressive. What kind of weird technique did you pull today? Circus magic?"
Naruto didn't respond immediately. He stepped toward the desk, stopping in front of Minato.
"I didn't come to fight. Nor to ask for apologies. Nor to listen to excuses. I came because I was summoned."
Kushina, her voice trembling, tried to approach.
"Naruto… we are your family. You're home now. We can… we can start over."
The young man looked at her, this time with less hardness. But still no affection.
"I was your son. Now I am a stranger. I accept it. I don't hate you. But I also don't recognize you as my family."
Kushina recoiled as if she had been struck in the chest.
Minato said nothing. His hands trembled slightly.
"But them," Naruto turned toward Arashi and Hikari, his voice dropping to a deeper tone, "I do hate. Not for being spoiled. Not for having everything. But for taking everything I never had."
The twins stared at him arrogantly.
"How dramatic," Arashi scoffed. "If you were so weak that you didn't even have chakra, how were we supposed to treat you like an equal?"
"Because you should have," Naruto said. "And you chose to be the worst brothers I could have had. I haven't forgotten how you used me as a punching bag when no adults were around. Or how you faked crying to get me punished. Did you think I forgot?"
No one answered.
"And now? You're here to get revenge?" Hikari sneered.
Naruto stepped forward slowly, stopping right in front of her.
"No. I wouldn't stoop to that. I just want you to understand something very simple."
He extended his hand, and a wave of invisible energy filled the room, making the walls tremble slightly. Minato stepped forward, alert.
"Naruto, what are you doing?"
"Demonstrating."
A brilliant figure appeared in the air. The shadow of a winged dragon, massive and imposing, flickered across the room. A distant, deep, ancient roar shook the ground. Then it vanished.
The siblings stumbled back, pale.
"That is Draegor. And I am his chosen."
Minato's eyes widened.
"The beast… of the prophecy?"
Naruto nodded slowly.
"Yes. It was me. It has always been me. But you were too blind to see it."
Kushina fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"Naruto… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
Naruto watched her silently. Then he spoke calmly:
"I didn't come here for apologies. I came so you would listen. I'm back. I'm taking the Genin exam. And I am not the same child you left behind."
He turned to leave, but before crossing the doorway, he stopped.
"I don't want your love. I don't want your acceptance. Just make sure you never stand in my way again."
With that, he left.
The door closed.
Silence reigned in the Fourth Hokage's office. Only Kushina's sobs could be heard, echoing the truth none had wanted to accept for years.
Naruto had returned. And with him, the era of fire was about to end. Because something older, something more powerful, was awakening.
And its roar… was already beginning to be heard.