Brothers and Disciples

"All right, quit licking the bowl."

"Hehehe, sir, is there any more? I want another bowl!"

Naruto wiped away his tears and asked eagerly, clearly still hoping to savor his mother's cooking a little longer.

"Next time. Unless you want to eat your father's portion, too."

"Huh? This really came from my mom and dad when they were alive?"

"Of course."

"I can't believe you can actually do something like this. Can Great-Granduncle Hagoromo travel through time, too?"

"He can't. He's still a long way off."

"Then, can I—can I see my parents? I..."

Naruto looked up at Natsu Yuu, his eyes filling with boundless hope.

Meeting loved ones who were still alive felt entirely different from meeting Reanimated Ninja.

Besides, Naruto had never liked Impure World Reincarnation. Otherwise, he would have asked Orochimaru or Kabuto to bring his parents back long ago.

But after eating the ramen his mother had made—and being jolted by the experience of being trapped alone inside the dark cauldron—he couldn't help longing for a mother's and father's love.

No matter how powerful Naruto was now, he was still only human. If anything, his emotions ran deeper than most.

"Not this time. Maybe you'll get another chance to see them in the future."

Natsu Yuu hadn't yet allied himself with any faction in Ninja World 7, so he couldn't take Naruto from that world on a tour of the others.

After all, Ninja World 7 was rather complicated, and Natsu Yuu hadn't decided which faction to support.

"I see. Sorry for asking."

Naruto nodded apologetically.

Now in his thirties and having served as Hokage for so many years, he was no longer the reckless hothead he'd once been.

Back then, he'd had no sense of boundaries and was always causing trouble, which made him rather