Sage of Six Paths kept his promise.
On the afternoon of the second day after Naruto Uzumaki returned to Konoha from the moon and initially finalized the strategy to deal with "Life-and-Death Shogi" with Shikamaru Nara, a series of events occurred in Konoha that quietly but shocked the entire Shinobi World senior management.
Konoha Hospital, special care unit area.
Some special patients are housed here.
Among them, they include First Hokage Hashirama Senju, Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki and others whose souls were "led" away by Sage of Six Paths in some way during the Fourth Shinobi World War or Shinobi World Unification War, causing their bodies to become empty shells.
This afternoon, the sun shines through the window into the silent ward.
Suddenly, the life monitoring instrument connected to Hashirama Senju made a steady and powerful "di-di" sound.
Then, like a chain reaction, Tobirama Senju, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki...
Almost at the same time, all the physical bodies stored here began to twitch their eyelids, move their fingers slightly, and then slowly opened their eyes.
They are back.
The soul returns from Pure Land, reintegrating perfectly with the long-awaited body.
After a brief period of confusion and adaptation, their bodies were quickly filled with powerful vitality and Chakra.
Soon, under the shocked and ecstatic gaze of the medical staff, these legendary figures sat up one after another and moved their slightly stiff limbs.
As if the news had wings, it spread throughout Konoha High Command in an instant.
Those who knew about it were in great shock and joy because of the resurrection of First, Second Hokage, Fourth Hokage and others.
But for those involved, the first thing after returning is often to reunite with the people closest to them.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki used Flying Thunder God Technique almost as soon as they regained consciousness and confirmed that each other was safe, and instantly appeared in front of Naruto's Mansion who was located at Konoha.
"Naruto!"
The energetic voice of Kushina, with uncontrollable excitement and choking, sounded in Courtyard.
Her bright red hair was beating like Flames, her eyes were reddish, and she couldn't wait to open the door of the house.
However, the first person to throw herself into her arms was not the son she had missed for a long time, but a girl with the same Red Eyes hair, round-rimmed glasses, and tears of excitement - Karin.
"Aunt Kushina, it's great that you're awake!"
Karin hugged Kushina tightly, her voice choked with sobs.
In her heart, Kushina is not only Naruto's mother, but also an elder who gives her warmth, teaches her Sealing Jutsu, and makes her feel cared for like a family member.
During the period when Kushina was "sleeping", Karin missed her more than Naruto to some extent.
After all, Naruto was so busy all day that no one was seen, and Kushina spent more time with her before.
"Karin-chan, I'm making you worry."
Kushina also hugged Karin hard, her eyes full of love. She could feel Karin's dependence and joy.
At this time, another figure quietly came over, it was Uchiha Hikari.
This Uchiha girl also blushed and shouted softly, "Aunt Kushina... welcome back."
She had also received guidance from Kushina on Sealing Jutsu, and was very fond of this red-haired aunt who was enthusiastic and cheerful, like the sun.
"Has Hikari-chan grown taller again?"
Kushina let go of Karin, smiled and rubbed Uchiha Hikari's hair, his eyes filled with relief.
For a moment, the door of the Mansion was filled with the warmth and joy of reunion. The three women were chattering as if they had endless things to say.
In stark contrast to the excitement at the door, is the inner courtyard of the Mansion, on the steps of the wooden corridor.
There, two people were sitting.
Naruto Uzumaki, and his father, Minato Namikaze.
The father and son sat side by side, with a fist's distance between them.
The afternoon sun shone slantly on them, casting long shadows.
Occasionally, Kushina and the others' chatter and laughter could be heard in the yard, which made the silence here even more subtle.
Neither of them spoke.
Minato had the same gentle smile on his face as always, but there was a hint of nervousness and uncertainty hidden in that smile.
He looked at his son next to him who had grown taller than him, with broad shoulders and a resolute profile. He had thousands of words in his heart, but he didn't know where to start. The last "meeting" was after Chunin Ninja Exams, when Second Hokage Tobirama Senju got stuck in Death God's bug, summoning his soul from Death God's belly.
But that time was short, and the father and son could not even speak a few words, let alone sit together calmly like now.
Naruto put his hands on the steps behind him and looked up at the sky slightly. Golden's broken hair was shining in the sun.
His expression was very calm, even a little too calm, making it difficult for people to tell what he was thinking.
Regarding the "return" of everyone Hokage, he was undoubtedly happy and excited in his heart, but this emotion was wrapped up in deeper and complex emotions.
Be wary of the arrangements of Sage of Six Paths, and be solemn about the upcoming "Life-and-Death Shogi".
And the inertia developed by facing everything alone for a long time, and being not good at expressing intimate emotions.
They are obviously father and son who are connected by blood and care about each other, but at this moment it seems that they are separated by an invisible river and they don't know how to cross to the other side.
The last brief reunion was more like a quick glance before fighting side by side than a communication.
But this time, with a relatively calm time and environment, both of them were a little overwhelmed.
How to start? Where to start? Ask each other about their experiences over the years? Talk about the current situation?
Or... just a simple "Welcome back" or "I'm back"?
Silence spread, and there was only the sound of the breeze blowing through the leaves of Courtyard, and the faint sound of Kushina and theirs chatting in the distance, which was gradually lowered but still cheerful.
In the end, Minato moved first.
He took a gentle breath, turned his head and looked at Naruto's side face, and in his unique, gentle and slightly apologetic voice, he tentatively spoke:
"Naruto... I... are back."
It was a very ordinary sentence, but it seemed that he had exhausted all his courage.
Naruto's body trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
He slowly turned his head, and his Blue Eyes eyes met his father's equally blue eyes, which were full of tension and expectation at the moment.
Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Naruto opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded slightly and squeezed out a somewhat dry sound from his throat:
"... Hmm."
Then, he added another sentence in a very soft voice, but it seemed to carry a huge weight:
"Welcome back, Dad."
The tension in Minato's eyes instantly melted away, turning into a warm smile of relief, and even a hint of tears.
He stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to pat Naruto on the shoulder, but halfway through, he stopped hesitantly.
Naruto looked at his father's hand in mid-air, was silent for a second, and then took the initiative to lean forward slightly, letting his father's palm fall on his shoulder.
A very light pat, but it seemed to have opened up some kind of barrier.
The father and son looked at each other and smiled. Although they still didn't say much, the embarrassment and alienation that filled the air seemed to have quietly dissipated a lot in the exchange of smiles.
The sun was still warm, and the figures of the father and son in the corridor finally slowly overlapped in the light and shadow.
Inside the house, Kushina seemed to have noticed something. He looked towards the corridor and when he saw this scene, he showed a brighter and gratified smile. Then he pulled Karin and Uchiha Hikari and quietly walked away, leaving this rare quiet time to the father and son who had reunited after a long separation and were cautiously approaching again.