Maruboshi Kosuke has a stooped figure, his face is covered with traces of time and wind and frost, and his eyes are squinted so that it is hard to tell that his left eye is actually blind.
The left leg from the knee down was replaced by a wooden prosthesis, which made a slight "click, click" sound when walking.
He was dressed simply and was carrying an old bag that looked like it had been used for many years.
The whole person looks like any old man who has experienced many vicissitudes of life on the streets of Konoha.
However, when his eyes crossed the crowd and fell on Tobirama Senju with silver hedgehog hair and a stern face.
Maruboshi Kosuke straightened his back and opened his often squinted right eye.
It is different from the subconscious fear and restraint that Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura felt when facing Second, and it is also very different from the heavy and complicated guilt and admiration in Third's eyes.
In Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes, there was no fear or dodge, only a pure joy and calmness of seeing an old friend again after a long time.
He was excited because he could see Second Hokage, who was like a monument in his heart, again.
He is magnanimous because he looks back on his life and feels that he is worthy of Konoha and worthy of the trust or expectations that Lord Tobirama may have given him back then.
The last time we met was on the battlefield of First Shinobi World War. At that time, Maruboshi Kosuke was still a young Ninja who was full of passion and agility.
Time flies and the sea changes.
When we met again, Tobirama still looked the same cold, majestic, and sharp-skinned man as before, as if time had frozen on him.
But Maruboshi Kosuke has changed from that energetic young man to a one-eyed, lame, weathered, and decrepit old man.
The cruelty of the war left an indelible mark on him, and the years ruthlessly took away his youth and health.
However, faced with this huge contrast in appearance and the traces of the passage of time, Tobirama's pair of Red Eyes eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything only stayed on Kosuke's face for less than a second before immediately recognizing him.
No doubt, no hesitation.
Tobirama nodded slightly, and said in his usual calm yet gentle tone that was imperceptible:
"It turns out to be Kosuke."
His voice seemed to have passed through decades of smoke and silence, and fell directly on Kosuke's heart.
"You've gotten a lot older."
Tobirama stated this obvious fact, with no pity or emotion in his tone. It was more like a confirmation of the power of time and recognition of the old friend's persistence to this day.
He heard the story of Kosuke and recognized the child's persistence.
Upon hearing Tobirama's words, Maruboshi Kosuke's weather-beaten face showed no trace of self-pity or sadness, but instead revealed a somewhat embarrassed but calm smile.
His remaining right eye was slightly curved, showing the open-mindedness and satisfaction accumulated over the years.
He bowed slightly and his voice was loud and clear, echoing in the quiet courtyard:
"I'm really ashamed to make you laugh."
He paused, raised his head, looked at Tobirama with bright eyes, as if he was looking at the long years he had gone through, his tone was firm and proud:
"However, fighting to protect Konoha has made my life not wasted."
"Okay, come here quickly."
As Maruboshi Kosuke took his seat, the lunch officially began.
Minato Namikaze's Chakra looked at the scene outside inside Naruto's body and smiled.
So good!
A silent but infinitely gentle thought came from Chakra.
Kushina is by Naruto's side, and so am I.
And... you have made a lot of friends, Naruto!
No regrets, no worries, only the deepest satisfaction and blessings.
Seeing my wife return, seeing my son no longer alone, with so many bonds and strength gathered around me, seeing Konoha come to life in the hands of a new generation...
For Minato, this may be the best comfort.
He "watched" quietly inside Naruto's body, feeling the warmth amidst the noise.
Consciousness Space of Shukaku.
This is an endless desert filled with yellow sand.
The hot wind stirred up the sand and dust, making a whining sound.
The huge sand dunes are undulating, and the sky is always a hazy hue.
In the center of this desert, crouched a raccoon dog made of sand, huge in size, and covered with Purple Eyes lines.
It is the ontological consciousness of One-Tail Shukaku.
At this moment, Shukaku was pawing at the sand with his paws a little irritably, his eyes filled with displeasure.
It made an agreement with Naruto and gave Naruto some of its own Chakra.
Although Sealing Space has grown bigger, he is still locked up and was ridiculed by the smelly fox before.
Naturally, my mood is not much better.
However, what made it even more irritating was the arrival of an uninvited guest.
"Wow~ Look who this is?"
A voice with an exaggerated and joking tone sounded in Shukaku's ears like a magic sound.
Shukaku suddenly raised its head and saw a thick, viscous, magma-like Chakra that invaded its territory at some point and condensed into a fox head.
It was Chakra, a branch of Nine-Tails, who came to "visit".
Kurama had an extremely unbeatable expression on that fox's face. It leaned in front of Shukaku's huge head, winked, and spoke in a tone full of schadenfreude:
"Isn't this our Lord Shukaku? Ah? Why are you squatting and digging holes in this useless pile of sand? Hahahaha!"
"Asshole Kurama!"
Shukaku's anger was instantly ignited, it roared, sand and dust rose up around it, and it stared at the annoying stinky fox in front of it.
"Who let you in? Get out of my territory, or I will beat you to death!"
However, in the face of Shukaku's rage, Kurama instead of being afraid, actually laughed even happier. The laughter echoed in the desert and seemed particularly harsh.
It even tilted its ears, as if "you are too loud, I can't hear you clearly", and then said in a tone that made Shukaku even more angry, teasing and "surprise":
"Oh, don't be so fierce. Shukaku, has anyone told you..."
Kurama deliberately lengthened his tone and his fox eyes turned into crescents:
"When you curse, your tone... sounds like you're being coquettish!"
"I'm going to kill you! Kurama!"
Shukaku went completely berserk, and the huge body of sand rushed towards the projection of Kurama. The yellow sand instantly turned into countless sharp thorns and giant palms.
Kurama's Chakra flashed deftly, turning into a red light that shuttled through the sandstorm, leaving behind a series of even more wild laughter:
"Hahaha! I got angry when I was told that I was right. I was really acting coquettishly!
"With this kind of weak attack, you are really going backwards all the time, Shukaku."