Chapter 300: Meeting
"This is outrageous! Why didn't you ANBU stop her?!" Koharu Utatane demanded, her wrinkled face full of anxiety.
"We're extremely sorry, Advisor!" The ANBU captain responded stiffly, his body still firmly blocking the corridor leading to the Hokage's office. "But the Hokage issued explicit death orders—no matter what occurs inside, without his direct command, no one may enter!"
Behind his glasses, Homura Mitokado's expression appeared grave and harsh. He said in a heavy voice: "Forget it, Koharu. Arguing about this now is meaningless. We should hurry inside. If something truly happens to Hiruzen in there, the situation will be irreversible."
In the Hokage Building's corridor where earthquake-like sounds continuously emanated, these two high-ranking Konoha advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, were attempting to forcibly break through the ANBU blockade. Their faces showed obvious anger and worry.
As they spoke, they tried bypassing the ANBU captain to charge directly toward that Hokage office constantly emitting violent sounds. The ANBU captain groaned inwardly but had no choice except to move his feet again, resolutely blocking the two advisors' path.
"But, Advisors! The Hokage's orders were extremely clear! Except for his personal direct summons, no one is permitted entry!" His voice carried determination, though beneath his mask his forehead was already covered in cold sweat.
"Move aside!" Koharu Utatane's tone was urgent. "As advisors, our duty is to carefully consider the Hokage's major decisions, preventing him from making impulsive actions due to personal feelings! Hiruzen's current decision is far too emotional!"
Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement beside her. "Exactly. Konoha is currently in the post-war period. The Hokage as the village's leader absolutely cannot have any mishaps! Moreover, the next Hokage successor Jiraiya is also inside at this moment—the situation might be more complex."
He tried persuading the ANBU from a more rational angle. "Although Kushina Uzumaki was the previous generation's Nine-Tails jinchuriki and already confirmed dead, now merely temporarily returned to this world through forbidden jutsu... to us, she's still ultimately a young junior."
"Providing necessary advice and restraint to the young, preventing her from taking excessive actions due to emotional loss of control—this is also our duty as advisors!"
The ANBU captain listened to the two advisors' righteous words, struggling internally, but the Hokage's orders superseded everything. However, under the combined pressure of two high-ranking advisors and their sharp gazes, he ultimately difficultly, extremely slowly stepped aside to clear the path.
He watched the two advisors hurriedly push open that heavy Hokage office door, walk inside, then the door closed again. Beneath his mask, cold sweat had already soaked his hair.
The sounds... stopped? He listened—those demolition-like tremendous sounds and tremors from inside had indeed abruptly ceased. Had they begun talking?
However, this brief calm lasted barely half a minute.
BANG!!
A massive crashing sound! The Hokage office door was suddenly slammed open from inside as two figures fell directly onto the corridor floor. Immediately after, the office door "clang" rapidly shut tight again.
The ANBU captain's heart jumped in alarm as he rushed forward to check. When he saw clearly those two people on the ground, he immediately gasped, extremely horrified. Thrown out were precisely the two advisors who'd aggressively barged in moments ago—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane!
Only now they'd completely lost their previous dignity. Both their faces were swollen like pig heads, bruised purple and blue, features distorted and deformed, completely unconscious with breath so weak it could cease at any moment.
"Quick... someone come quickly! Is there a medical ninja here?!"
---
That evening, warm light illuminated Naruto's small apartment. Despite experiencing that afternoon's turmoil, the two had ultimately succeeded in purchasing needed food at another normally operating shop without accepting "charity," and had specifically visited the pet supply store run by the Inuzuka Clan to select a soft, comfortable bed for little Zacian.
Satsuki's sudden emotional outburst, that sorrow and fury arising because of him, had indeed left Naruto somewhat at a loss at the time. But during the walk home and while preparing dinner, he gradually calmed down and began thinking seriously.
Had he... always underestimated the suffering he'd once experienced?
While handling ingredients, he reflected. Because he'd chosen not to care, had he unconsciously minimized the harm that years of cold violence actually caused? No... it wasn't like that.
Though memories had grown somewhat distant and blurred, he clearly remembered that as a child, when facing that rejection and malice alone, his heart had indeed been filled with indescribable sadness and depression.
Then, from a very young age he'd begun desperately training, using physical exhaustion and the desire to grow stronger to fill time, leaving himself no excess energy to feel that pain...
Until later, when people began accompanying him... Was it from that time he'd truly, from the bottom of his heart, stopped caring about those gazes and rumors? Then before that... had he always been deceiving himself, using "not caring" to numb real feelings?
A deeper thought surfaced, making him feel a trace of chill. Moreover, his soul was essentially mature, able to process and digest those negative emotions in a relatively rational manner... But if... if he had no memories, just a purely childlike mentality? Could that version of himself have endured it?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help feeling grateful toward Satsuki. Those words spoken for me today... He understood—Satsuki didn't want him easily writing off childhood pain with simple apologies and redemption.
Naruto didn't plan to simply forgive them either... But what exactly should he do? Curse back? Hit back? Or... think it over carefully.
In any case, he definitely needed to properly thank Satsuki today. Then... regarding Mother and Impure World Reincarnation, he also had to quickly figure something out.
He carefully plated the finished dishes—vibrantly colored tomato scrambled eggs, fragrant tomato beef stew, refreshing cold tomato salad... Almost all flavors Satsuki loved. Of course, there was also the specially made nutritious meal mixing warm milk and vegetable-fruit puree for little Zacian.
As he began bringing dishes to the small table in the living room, Satsuki immediately rose to help.
"Naruto... these dishes..." Satsuki noticed tonight's meal's obvious bias, speaking somewhat hesitantly.
"Yeah, they're all things you like." Naruto showed a gentle smile. "Today... I truly thank you very much. If not for you, I really wouldn't have known what to do then. I might have just stood there stupidly."
"...It's fine." Satsuki lowered her head slightly, voice very soft. She'd originally worried somewhat whether Naruto would think her afternoon behavior too violent and extreme, viewing her with strange or disapproving eyes.
After all, in her view, Naruto was sometimes really excessively kind, even to a degree that made her worry.
Just as Naruto placed little Zacian's milk dish before it on its small mat and the two prepared to begin eating—
"Knock knock.
A clear knocking sound suddenly rang out.
Naruto stood up somewhat strangely. Someone knocking at this hour? Quite unusual. Who could it be?
Satsuki's heart instantly tensed, worry flashing across her face. Could it be... those villagers coming to apologize or pester endlessly again? She really didn't want that afternoon's irritating scene disturbing Naruto again.
"Coming." Naruto responded, walking to the door and extending his hand to open it.
However, standing outside the door wasn't anyone anticipated.
The next moment, a slightly cold yet filled with affection and trembling embrace suddenly held him tightly!
The instant Naruto opened the door and saw clearly the other's face, his pupils violently shook, his brain went blank, his entire being freezing in place.
Kushina Uzumaki used all her strength embracing her lost and regained son, voice choked with accumulated longing and pain.
"...I've always... wanted so badly to see you just once."