Inside the Sealing Space, Kushina watched Naruto comfort Inari, and the words she had been about to say stopped on her lips.
"Naruto's grown up."
Minato slipped an arm around Kushina's waist and whispered into her ear.
"Boohoo, little Naruto's all grown up~"
Hashirama held little Kurama and wiped his tears with his tail as he spoke.
Kurama: I'm touched too, but could you put my tail down first?! Where's your handkerchief?!!!
The door opened, and Naruto walked in.
The others, who had been asking Tazuna about his bridge-building plans, turned to Naruto.
Sasuke gave him a questioning look. Naruto nodded slightly, and then Inari stepped out from behind him, looking a little shy.
"Um... Grandpa, I want to help build the bridge too!"
Inari gathered his courage and shouted to Tazuna.
Tazuna froze for a moment, then broke into a chrysanthemum-like smile that bore a sixty-percent resemblance to Hiruzen Sarutobi's.
"Of course, of course. But we have to wait for our Shinobi guests to stop Gato before we build the bridge."
Tazuna had no intention of letting Inari build the bridge. Never mind that the boy didn't know how to do anything-if Inari died, wouldn't his family line die out?!
"Inari, building a bridge isn't the only way to be a hero. You have to find your own path."
Naruto patted Inari's head, ruffling his hair along the way.
"Yeah, I understand."
Inari nodded, then ran back to his room.
"Not bad."
Sasuke walked over as he spoke.
He certainly didn't know how to coax children. If he had been the one to talk to Inari, the result would most likely have been-
"You're annoying. Spit it out. Shut up. Just stay put in the house."
Something like that, probably.
In Sasuke's eyes, overwhelming pressure could be broken through