Three years later, in Konoha.
Over those three years, all of the Future Konoha 12 had been born.
One thing differed from the original story: the Nine-Tails incident had never happened.
When Naruto was born, Yūto had been outside the delivery room, eating hot pot over a charcoal stove.
With him standing guard, Obito really hadn't dared come and try anything.
Kushina had suffered a little, though, enduring excruciating pain while the aroma made her mouth water.
Pedestrians thronged the streets of Konoha.
Yūto and Tsukimi walked side by side, though something was a little different from usual: a tiny figure now accompanied them-three-year-old Naruto Uzumaki.
Because the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was alive and the Nine-Tails incident had never happened, Naruto had been born and raised as a hero's son, surrounded by affection and expectations.
Rather than shunning and fearing him as they had in the original story, the villagers respected and adored him. Quite a few adults even affectionately called him Young Master Naruto.
With both parents alive, his personality was even sunnier and more cheerful than in the original story. He was something of a little sun himself.
Still, the heroic Hokage's work was always especially demanding. Minato was often so busy that he was nowhere to be seen, leaving the energetic Kushina to shoulder most of the responsibility for looking after little Naruto.
Today happened to be the day Kushina had arranged to go shopping with her close friend Uchiha Mikoto, so the arduous task of watching Naruto naturally fell to an old acquaintance who was, for once, in the village and relatively free: Yūto.
"Naruto," Tsukimi turned slightly toward him and asked with a gentle smile, "we've been walking for so long. Are you tired? Would you like me to carry you?"
Tsukimi genuinely liked