Naruto instinctively blinked out of sight, flustered, hiding himself in the corner of the room.
The old woman stepped into the room without a word and began to clean.
She swept the floor, wiped down the table, dusted every surface…
Then she carefully returned everything to its original place.
Her back was hunched, her movements slow—but meticulous.
Watching his now-elderly mother tidying his room just like she used to…
Naruto finally understood—
Why his childhood room hadn't changed in over a decade.
—
After finishing the cleaning, his mother quietly walked out.
Naruto dropped the invisibility technique.
His brilliant Tenseigan shimmered faintly—with a long-lost sadness.
—
In the living room.
His mother and father, both much older now, sat eating dinner.
Across from them sat a young man in his twenties, with a buzzcut and a decent face.
He picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it in his mouth, grumbling as he chewed:
"Mom, it's been more than ten years. Big Bro's gone—
Can't you let it go already? That empty room's just a waste of space.
I could've turned it into a gaming room."
His mother stared at the black-and-white photo on the wall.
It was a picture of Naruto from before—
Not as handsome as he was now, but still a cute kid.
With a thud, the father slammed his chopsticks on the table.
"All you ever do is play games!
If you don't get out and find a job soon, you can pack your bags and leave!"
—
Behind the door, Naruto watched the three eat together.
And felt… a kind of distance.
Even though he could use a transformation technique to look like his younger self—
If he suddenly showed up now, it wouldn't be a surprise to his parents…
It would be a heart attack.
Especially with his mom's weak heart.
Right. Her heart condition!
Naruto's eyes sharpened as he remembered.
—
That night, Naruto quietly approached his sleeping parents.
Two gentle streams of chakra flowed from his fingers into their bodies.
Soothing, bright yang-attributed chakra circulated through them, healing his mother's heart disease and all the chronic illnesses both had developed with age.
When it was done, Naruto let out a breath of relief.
"Good thing I came back now…
A few years later, and Mom's heart might not have lasted."
He looked at them one last time…
Then silently left the apartment.
—
Back on the street, walking under the city's neon glow, Naruto felt a strange sense of detachment.
The streets were cleaner than he remembered.
The buildings—sleeker, more high-tech…
And somehow, more unfamiliar.
"It's been what, ten years?
I wonder how many generations they're up to now with those fruity smartphones…
Or if some new brand took over."
He chuckled to himself.
—
Just then, three girls approached from the opposite direction—
All stylishly dressed, with bold makeup and revealing outfits.
They were a head shorter than Naruto.
When they got a good look at him, all three lit up.
The one in the middle—pink-haired, cute and bold—ran ahead and called out:
"Hey, handsome~ All alone?
Wanna come party with us? There's a bar just up ahead!"
Now that she was close, the girl got an even better look at him—
Flawless skin, piercing blue eyes—
He looked like he'd stepped out of a movie.
Naruto glanced at her pink hair and… thought of Sakura.
He shook his head immediately.
"No thanks. I don't like bars."
The girl blinked—
Then scrambled to save the situation:
"Ahaha—me neither, really!
It's just my friends, those two back there—they dragged me along!"
Her two friends rolled their eyes.
Still, they had a rule when going out together:
First girl to make a move gets the guy.
The other two have to back off—and even help out.
—
The pink-haired girl pulled out her phone and smiled sweetly:
"Well… even if you're not coming with us, can I get your number?"
"I don't have a phone," Naruto replied honestly.
That line caught them off guard.
In this day and age, who didn't have a phone?
To them, it was obviously just an excuse to reject her.
The two girls in the back stifled giggles.
The pink-haired one's smile froze.
"You don't need to make up such a lame excuse.
You could've just said you had a girlfriend."
She shot him a glare and turned away.
"Let's go. He's no fun."
As she walked off, the two friends trailing behind subtly gave Naruto a thumbs up.
—
"Girlfriend, huh…"
The comment made Naruto pause.
He did have a girlfriend—
Before he'd crossed into the ninja world.
"I wonder how she's doing now…
She must be nearing forty. Probably married. Might even have kids in middle school…"
With nothing better to do, Naruto decided to go check on her.
—
Walking down the street, he passed a bubble tea shop.
It had been ages since he had anything sweet.
He suddenly craved one.
He went to the counter and ordered a drink with a ridiculously fancy name.
But when it was ready, Naruto reached into his pouch—
Only to realize he only had money from the ninja world.
No good here.
Setting the drink down, he scratched his head and asked:
"Uh… would you accept payment in gold?"
He pulled out a gold ring from one of his treasure hauls and held it up.
The boss stared at him.
"You messing with me, kid?"
Seeing Naruto was serious, the man took the ring and examined it.
It was heavy.
The craftsmanship—exquisite.
In an era where everything was mass-produced, this kind of detail was rare.
The owner's expression softened.
"Alright then—
For this, all your drinks here are free, for life."
Naruto thought for a second.
"That won't do. You should give me change."
The owner hesitated—then went upstairs and brought back two months' worth of cash.
"This is all I've got."
Naruto accepted it without fuss.
Took his drink—took a sip—
And immediately frowned.
"Ugh… that's way too sweet."
He stared at the wad of cash in his hand.
And found himself wondering—
"Maybe it's time I stopped living so… safe."
"With my current strength, even modern weapons can't touch me."
—
He arrived at the building where his ex-girlfriend used to live—
But it was long gone.
The entire complex had been torn down.
"Guess she got married after all.
Her kid's probably in junior high by now."
—
For the next three months, Naruto tried living a modern life.
Eating. Drinking. Playing.
At first—it was fun.
But slowly…
It grew dull.
All the things he'd once craved—
Were now easily within reach.
And no longer satisfying.
—
He left behind a stack of money for his family.
Then made his decision.
"Time to return to the ninja world."
"System, send me back to the Naruto world."