Return to Konoha

Inside Minato Namikaze's personal space.

In an environment identical to Minato's home in Konoha, Kushina and Minato embraced in silence.

Minato recounted every detail of his journey to Kushina, speaking in a gentle, flowing stream.

From his grueling first battle against Kizaru to the initial shock of witnessing the Main God Space; his first enhancement exchange, traveling through the timeline to fight Red-Haired, and the promises he made to little Nami and little Luffy...

"After all that, I finally saved up enough points to resurrect you. And so, you were brought back."

Minato summarized his journey with a mix of deep emotion and pride.

As she listened, Kushina's mood shifted from nervous tension to joyful laughter.

Yet, when he finished, her eyes turned red and she remained silent, staring intently at her lover as she reached out to gently caress his face.

"Minato-kun, I missed you so much! So, so much. You've worked so hard to get here."

Hearing his beloved's concern, Minato, whose will was as strong as iron, felt a lump in his throat and nearly wept again.

He placed his palm gently over Kushina's hand, his voice raspy yet firm.

"From now on, I will protect this home of ours."

Konoha Village, Ninja World.

A flash of teleportation light flickered, and the figures of Minato and Kushina appeared inside the Uzumaki Residence.

"Welcome home, Kushina."

Minato said tenderly, holding Kushina's hand.

Looking at every familiar piece of decor, Kushina felt an overwhelming sense of joy; she stepped forward and pulled Minato into a tight embrace.

After lingering in the moment for a while.

"Where is Naruto? I want to see my son."

"Haruna is looking after him. At this hour, she should be coaxing him in the courtyard. Haruna is a younger member of the Third Hokage's clan; she is trustworthy."

In the lush, green courtyard of the Minato household.

Haruna Sarutobi, as gentle and graceful as a traditional Japanese woman, was supporting little Naruto as he learned to walk step by step. The courtyard was filled with the sounds of little Naruto's giggles and Haruna's laughter.

"Naruto, Naruto!"

Seeing Naruto toddling toward her, Kushina burst into tears.

For her, the transition from death to life had been instantaneous, but seeing the child who was a newborn infant in her memories now able to stumble about on his own—the immense sense of temporal displacement and the guilt welling up in her heart made the strong kunoichi weep uncontrollably.

Haruna looked on in surprise at Kushina's sudden appearance.

As the famous Nine-Tails jinchuriki of the village and the wife of the Fourth Hokage, very few people in the ninja clans did not recognize Kushina.

However, since she had been sent by the Sarutobi clan to secretly care for little Naruto, she was naturally the type of person who knew what to ask and what not to ask. Furthermore, Minato Namikaze had also appeared in the courtyard, merely watching the scene in silence.

"Lady Kushina, Lord Minato, welcome back."

After bowing to the pair, Haruna left with a light step.

Just then, little Naruto babbled his way over to Kushina, but suddenly lost his footing and began to fall.

Kushina was quick-witted; she crouched down to catch him and scooped him up into her arms.

Little Naruto seemed to sense the connection in his bloodline; as he was lifted by Kushina, he let out a giggle.

"Naruto, my child, let Mommy hold you. Mommy missed you so much!"

Kushina's heart melted as she held Naruto close, showering him with affection.

At that moment, little Naruto seemed to understand Kushina's words; his soft, pink lips parted slightly.

"Mom... Mommy. Mommy hold!"

Plop, plop... Kushina could no longer hold back her tears as they streamed down her face, and she gently patted Naruto's back.

"Mommy is here, Mommy is here. Let Mommy hold my little treasure~"

A warm, broad chest pressed against Kushina's back, wrapping both mother and child in an embrace.

"From now on, we will always be together, and we will have plenty of time. You, as his mother, must supervise him to eat well, not be a picky eater, and bathe on time~ I will protect you both well."

In this moment, a profound warmth and happiness enveloped the family. Kushina wished time would stop right there, allowing them to remain happy together forever and ever...

The next morning, Minato secretly brought Kushina to the Hokage Office.

When Kushina appeared before the Third Hokage with her bright, vibrant red hair, he nearly snapped his prized pipe in half.

"Kushina, you actually resurrected!" The Third Hokage was still in disbelief.

"Yes, Lord Third. It's all thanks to Minato." Kushina looked at Minato with a gentle gaze.

"Hoo~" Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe and let out a long sigh.

"Minato said before that he would resurrect you; I thought he was just giving himself a conviction, but I never expected he would actually succeed!"

Minato smiled slightly and spoke up.

"Lord Third, I have always kept my word."

"Hahaha, that is true. You are the pride of our Konoha. Besides, since even you have been resurrected, then Kushina's resurrection is not so inconceivable."

After a brief catch-up, the three began to discuss serious topics.

"Since Kushina has been resurrected, then Minato," the Third hesitated for a moment before saying, "why don't you take back the position of Hokage? In the eyes of the other villages in the Ninja World, Konoha is currently suffering from a lack of successors. This is the moment we need you to step forward and boost morale."

Indeed, it had been over a year since Minato's death. During this time, Konoha had experienced too much turmoil:

The Nine-Tails Incident had severely damaged the major ninja clans of Konoha, the Fourth Hokage—who had deterred the entire Ninja World—and his wife, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had both died in battle, and of the Sannin, one had defected while two had left the village. The only Kage-level combat power left on the surface was the Third himself, and the surrounding ninja villages had been restless for a long time.

In particular, Sunagakure and the Cloud Village, two nations occupying barren lands, had long been dissatisfied with Konoha occupying the vast, fertile lands in the center of the Ninja World, and the two sides had already had multiple frictions.

Minato also understood that what the Third said was not false, but a few words from him dispelled the Third's idea.

"Third, it may seem like I haven't returned to the village, but on another battlefield, I have actually returned."

"I once told you that the Ninja World is currently in a state of great transformation, and countless powerful individuals will emerge, many of whom will be ambitious."

"A strategy limited to a single village or a single world is not enough to protect the village."

"In my last mission, I believe the news that I am still alive has already been learned by many ninja villages. As for the various frictions you are worried about, as long as they know the news that I am still alive, they will surely calm down very quickly."

Minato was referring to the various ninjas who participated in the battle against Hanba, as well as the few low-level ninjas from other villages who caught a glimpse of him during the world mission.

Through their mouths, the news of the Yellow Flash's return would naturally spread throughout the Ninja World.

A note here: although the Main God Space prohibits mentioning information about the Main God Space, it mainly concerns the rules, mechanisms, and specific mission information of the Main God Space. News like Minato's resurrection, as long as it is not mentioned that Minato is a Reincarnator of the Main God Space, is perfectly fine.

The facts were exactly as Minato had said; a few days after Minato's return, all provocations against Konoha from other ninja villages abruptly disappeared, replaced by an unprecedentedly intense level of spy infiltration.

Of course, the above reactions of the Ninja World are a story for another time and will be set aside for now.

The Third was infected by Minato's powerful self-confidence, but then his brows furrowed tightly, and he asked:

"Then in your opinion, in this great transformation, what should our Konoha do?"

"It's very simple: walk at the forefront of the torrent of the era's transformation! Since we cannot guide the torrent of the era's transformation, what we must do is adapt to the era and not be left behind by it!"

Minato's words were resonant and forceful. After speaking, he took out a document he had prepared in advance and handed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

What came into view were several large characters:

<Analysis on the Changes in the Ninja World Situation and Konoha's Response Strategy>