Change

Warm sunlight poured down over the Flower Country, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air.

Minamoto Takuya concealed himself among the trees, his gaze fixed on the four-person squad carrying out a mission not far away.

When his eyes fell upon the blond boy wearing a Konoha Ninja forehead protector—Namikaze Naruto—his heart gave a slight jolt.

Though the Naruto before him was still young, the contours of his brow and that familiar expression overlapped astonishingly with Uzumaki Menma from Tenten's Infinite Tsukuyomi Illusionary Realm in his memories.

The Uzumaki Menma in that illusion possessed a calmness and wisdom that his original self, Naruto Uzumaki, lacked.

If Naruto Uzumaki's bravery was bold yet not entirely reckless, then Uzumaki Menma was exceptionally clever.

However, Minamoto Takuya was not especially surprised by the composure Namikaze Naruto now displayed, far beyond that of his peers.

After all, this child had avoided the lonely, malicious childhood he suffered in the Original Work.

Moreover, he had grown up under the careful guidance of two exceptional parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.

If Namikaze Naruto had still grown into the loud, attention-seeking "dead last" from the Original Work under such circumstances, Minamoto Takuya would instead have begun to doubt whether the course of fate truly could not be altered.

Seeing the boy before him conduct himself with such restraint, Minamoto Takuya finally felt at ease.

Still, while some things had changed, others had never changed at all.

Minamoto Takuya keenly noticed that whenever Hinata Hyuga spoke with Namikaze Naruto, her fair little face would instantly flush crimson. Her eyes darted away, her fingers twisted together unconsciously, and her shyness had not diminished in the slightest.

It seemed that childhood encounter, where a hero saved a beauty, had still happened.

Only this time, with Minato Namikaze's guidance