Naruto casually shook his head—then asked a question that had bothered him for years.
"I've always wondered… Why didn't you seal the Nine-Tails back into Mom instead?
With the Uzumaki clan's vitality, even a brief separation wouldn't have killed her, right?"
At that, Minato Namikaze froze—speechless.
"Back then, it was too chaotic. I… really didn't think of that…"
Minato scratched his head awkwardly, forgetting he was a soul and his hand passed through thin air.
But the more he thought about it, the more Naruto's logic seemed… sound.
Kurama clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Good thing this guy didn't think of it."
This little visit made Minato realize just how utterly flawed his heroic sacrifice really was.
Seeing Minato on the verge of being consumed by guilt, Naruto quickly changed the topic.
"Do you want to be revived?
I can figure out a way—to bring you and Mom back."
Minato blinked, stunned again.
His first instinct was to refuse.
'The dead should stay dead.'
But then he remembered—
He had selfishly sacrificed himself.
He had selfishly sealed the Nine-Tails into his newborn son.
All of this—led to the present situation.
So he didn't answer immediately.
—
While father and son talked, not far away—
Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi continued their brutal battle.
This scene left many of the shinobi outside the barrier stunned and speechless.
After a long pause, Minato finally looked toward Naruto.
"Let me ask Kushina in the Pure Land first.
I'll leave the choice to her.
Is that okay with you, Naruto?"
"Up to you."
Naruto's reply was indifferent.
But to Minato, it sounded like his son was sulking.
—
Just then, Orochimaru gained the upper hand—snatching his soul back.
Hiruzen Sarutobi collapsed to his knees.
Behind him, the Shinigami's ghostly form flickered ominously.
His life was at its end.
As he stared at Orochimaru in his final moments,
He saw not a madman—
But a confused, obedient child, from long ago.
Then, he looked at Naruto.
Naruto looked back, emotionless.
Hiruzen's lips moved. He seemed to want to say a lot…
But in the end, all he could muster was:
"I'm sorry…"
And with that—
Konoha's longest-serving Hokage… died.
Orochimaru glanced at his former sensei.
His eyes flickered with something unreadable.
—
At the same time, Minato's soul began to glow faintly.
He looked at Naruto with warmth.
"Take care of yourself, Naruto.
You're already so strong, but still—always be careful…"
And with those final words—
He vanished into the Pure Land.
—
Due to the interference of both Kumogakure and Iwagakure, this version of the Konoha Crush was far more brutal than in the original timeline.
Konoha was nearly destroyed.
The collateral damage from shinobi clashes alone killed nearly half of the panicked villagers.
To civilians, even the stray edge of a jutsu was crippling, if not lethal.
Three days later—
Konoha barely pushed back the invaders with a full-force counterattack.
The greatest credit went to Jiraiya and Might Guy.
Their high-tier combat strength was what allowed Konoha to survive.
But the cost was enormous.
Konoha's strength was drained.
Its title as the leading Hidden Village was in question.
And this attack?
Was only the beginning.
Konoha's weakening would surely embolden the other villages.
A Fourth Great Ninja War might erupt early.
But Naruto?
He didn't care.
Whether Konoha stood or fell—meant nothing to him.
There were only a few people in the village he genuinely cared about:
Hinata, Ino, and a few others.
Standing atop the Hokage Rock, Naruto looked down.
The streets below were barren.
Konoha's residents limped about, wounded, faces hollow.
Most of them… had lost someone.
Just then—a sigh came from behind him.
"So… you really do hate Konoha, huh?"
Naruto didn't need to turn around.
He knew the voice.
Tsunade, in all her busty glory, had arrived.
Three days earlier, she had returned to Konoha out of necessity.
With countless casualties, the most famous medical ninja in the world had no choice.
She had summoned hundreds of Katsuyu slugs to treat the wounded.
Even with the support of her Yin Seal Chakra, the past three days had left her utterly exhausted.
—
"You're not one to talk," Naruto replied.
"Otherwise, why'd you stay away from Konoha for so many years?"
Tsunade chuckled, her chest jiggling.
"You've got a point. I've heard about what happened to you.
Konoha's changed. It's no longer what it used to be."
"The one who helped found Konoha had a body like yours too—"
"And the same Wood Release. But your personalities? Polar opposites."
The wind brushed past the cliff.
Tsunade's golden hair danced in the breeze.
A few strands swept across Naruto's face.
—
"So, did you just come to talk?" he asked.
Tsunade rolled her eyes.
"Geez, so boring. You talk like a man thrice your age."
Then she hesitated.
"If I'd agreed to your request back then…
Would you have helped Konoha three days ago?"
She looked at his side profile, her gaze complex.
Naruto glanced back at her.
"Who knows?
What? Regretting it now?
It's not too late, you know."
Tsunade stared at him for a while.
Then turned away.
"I'm leaving."
Her ambiguous answer made Naruto raise an eyebrow.
—
With Hiruzen dead, and Tsunade saving countless lives upon her return,
She was naturally elected as the new Hokage.
She didn't want the position—
But she had no choice.
If she didn't step up, the village her grandfather helped build would crumble.
Watching her leave, Naruto sighed.
He felt… nothing.
He laid back on the cliff, staring up at the cloudy sky.
"Guess it's time to visit home."
"System, return me to my original world."
The system didn't reply—
It just silently obeyed.
Naruto blinked.
And the world changed.
Just like when he first arrived in the Naruto world.
He hadn't been hit by a truck.
Hadn't died at work.
It was just an ordinary night—
An ordinary nap.
When he woke up, he'd become baby Naruto.
Looking around—
This room… was familiar.
His room from over a decade ago.
Unchanged.
"Wait… all those years in the other world—was it just an instant here?"
But he quickly rejected the idea.
Because at that moment—
The door opened.
And an old woman, around sixty years old with graying hair, walked in.