"They're both doing well."
Memories of Minato surfaced, and Shinichi couldn't help smiling warmly. "Naruto's grown up now, too. Kakashi and I are looking after him, so you don't need to worry."
"Really?"
Minato looked wistful as he thanked him. "Thank you for looking after Naruto and taking on our responsibilities as his parents."
"Don't say that. You can keep those responsibilities for yourself."
Shinichi waved a hand, sounding exasperated.
"Huh?"
Minato scratched his head in confusion and said without thinking, "But I'm already dead!"
"Does being dead mean you can't be brought back?"
Shinichi looked at him in frustrated disbelief. "Why do you think I went to all this trouble to force you out? Did you really think I undid the Nine-Tails' seal because I had nothing better to do..."
The chakra Minato had left inside Naruto was meant to serve as a final safeguard against the Nine-Tails' seal being undone.
In other words, unless the Nine-Tails' seal showed signs of coming undone, Minato wouldn't readily appear.
"Shinichi, are you saying you want to bring me back to life?"
Minato's expression grew grave.
"To be precise, I'm bringing back both you and Kushina! I've helped you look after Naruto for all these years. Isn't it time I got a break? Don't forget, Naruto is your child. Looking after him shouldn't fall to me!"
Shinichi gave him a wry smile. "You have no idea how much trouble it is for a bachelor to look after a kid!"
"I'm sorry. We've really caused you a lot of trouble."
An apologetic look crossed Minato's face before he grew serious again. "But resurrecting the dead is absolutely forbidden. Shinichi, I know you mean well, but you can't do this."
In the ninja world, life and death were treated with considerable reverence.
Even if