"Naruto, eat up. Just make yourself at home."
"Look how skinny this child is."
Uchiha Mikoto was Itachi and Sasuke's mother, Uchiha Fugaku's wife, the wife of the Uchiha clan head, and, more importantly, a close friend of Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki.
Just moments earlier, Fugaku and his two sons had returned home with Naruto and run straight into Mikoto, who had been waiting at the door. As a woman, it really hadn't been convenient for her to accompany the clansmen, so she could only wait obediently at home for her husband and sons to return.
Fortunately, the goddess of luck had smiled on her this time. Her husband and sons had all returned home safely, and they had even brought an unexpected surprise.
Looking at Naruto's familiar face, with a smile just like his father's, Mikoto fell into a slight daze the moment she saw him.
When Naruto smiled, he was like a little sun, constantly warming people's hearts.
The sight of Naruto walking in with her children left Mikoto a little distracted. Looking at his face, which bore some resemblance to Minato's, she murmured aloud.
"So alike. So very alike."
"Hello, Auntie. Sorry for imposing tonight."
Seeing how polite Naruto was, Mikoto was a little surprised and hurriedly welcomed them inside.
"Oh, you're no trouble, no trouble at all. I've been hoping you would come. What a polite child you are. Come in, it's just the right time this evening."
A little embarrassed, Naruto followed Sasuke and the others inside.
The table full of dishes Mikoto had prepared whetted Naruto's appetite. He had been hungry for a long time, and after fighting for so long, he was already starving.
"You must all be starving. Hurry up and eat."
At Mikoto's invitation, they began eating dinner. Mikoto kept piling food into Naruto's bowl, making Sasuke terribly jealous.
"Naruto, try this. Eat more, and try this too. Don't be shy. Just make yourself at home."
"Look how skinny this child is."
Feeling sorry for Naruto, Mikoto kept piling food into his bowl without paying any attention to Sasuke beside him.
"Mom, I want some too."
"Go get it yourself. Don't you have hands?"
Sasuke fell silent. Sasuke wanted to cry. He even had the illusion that he was the one they had picked up off the street.
Then Itachi silently placed a chicken drumstick in Sasuke's bowl, and Sasuke cheered up again. See, that was how a child his age ought to behave, unlike Naruto and Itachi, who were old men despite their young age.
"Naruto, I actually wanted to bring you here a long time ago, to keep you by my side and look after you. That would have been better than leaving you all alone at such a young age. But, sigh, this useless husband of mine... sigh, he just couldn't manage it."
Fugaku, who was eating at the time, instantly felt that the food in his hands had lost its flavor.
Come on, chat all you want, but why drag me into it? And why put it so harshly? What did she mean, a useless husband? Didn't I have my pride too? Wasn't I doing it for the bigger picture, for the Uchiha's future? As clan head, how could I act rashly?
"Sigh, I'm sorry, Naruto. Ever since the Nine-Tails' Rampage, they've kept a very close eye on us Uchiha. Otherwise, we wouldn't have left you living alone."
Naruto merely shook his head, indicating that he was fine.
"It's all right, Auntie Mikoto, Uncle Fugaku. I'm used to it. Besides, haven't I taken good care of myself even living alone?"
But the calmer Naruto was, the more it revealed. The easily moved Mikoto even walked over and pulled Naruto into her arms.
"Silly child, what does being used to it have to do with anything? What parents would want to see their child living like that? You've suffered all these years, haven't you?"
Stroking Naruto's hair, Mikoto comforted him aloud:
"There, it won't happen again. From now on, think of this as your home. Come whenever you like. You're always welcome here."
Held in Mikoto's arms, Naruto had initially wanted to struggle, but now he slowly stopped. Although he had transmigrated here, Naruto had still been young at the time, so he had experienced a little of Naruto's childhood himself. Honestly, it had felt pretty awful. If he hadn't already possessed an adult's soul, he might have broken down long ago.
Now, Naruto slowly quieted down too, thinking, Actually, this feels pretty nice.
After all, he wasn't stupid, nor was he an ungrateful wretch like Obito. He could still tell who treated him well.
After everyone finished eating, Sasuke couldn't help asking Mikoto.
"Mom, you seem really familiar with Naruto, even though you only met him for the first time today. I'm the one who's your son."
Seeing her second son's jealous expression, Mikoto smiled and tapped his forehead.
"You little fool, I met little Naruto a long time ago. He was still a tiny baby then. Itachi and you went along too, to Konoha's hospital."
Then, seemingly recalling something sad, Mikoto sighed.
"Sigh, Naruto's mother and I were actually close friends. Back when I was pregnant with Sasuke and Naruto's mother was pregnant with him, we thought you two would be a boy and a girl and wanted to arrange your marriage. Who could have known you'd both be boys? Sigh, but later, Naruto's mother..."
Mikoto didn't continue, because she wasn't sure how much Naruto could be told at this point.
Sasuke bristled immediately at that. Clearly, his attention wasn't on the identity of Naruto's mother.
"What? Naruto and I almost became husband and wife? Can I still become husband and wife with Naruto now?"
Everyone listening rolled their eyes at that, and Mikoto even grabbed Sasuke by the ear.
"Sasuke, boys can't become husband and wife with other boys."
"Ow, that hurts, that hurts! Mom, I get it, let go! We won't become husband and wife. We'll be the closest brothers from now on."
Only after hearing Sasuke's answer did Mikoto breathe a sigh of relief. She couldn't let her child go astray. Seemingly remembering something, she glanced at her eldest son, Itachi, already pondering his marriage to Izumi.
With Sasuke's interruption, the gloomy atmosphere from earlier vanished.
At that moment, Fugaku spoke up as well.
"Naruto, do you know your true identity?"
Naruto nodded in acknowledgment.
"Mm-hmm."
"What? You actually know your identity? How did you find out? Who told you?"
Naruto's answer surprised Fugaku a little, but he quickly grew wary. He was worried that someone had deliberately let Naruto learn these things.
Naruto pointed at his stomach.
"My dad told me?"
"What?"
They all looked at Naruto in shock. His dad had told him? Then why was he pointing at his stomach?
But Fugaku was the first to react.
"Naruto, are you saying you met your father at your seal?"
"That's right. One day, I accidentally entered the sealed space and met a man who said he was my father. After that, he told me everything."
Now they all understood why Naruto knew so much.
As for whether Naruto had ever entered the sealed space or whether Minato had told him anything, he didn't care. He could just let Minato take the blame. It wasn't as though he could say he had transmigrated here.
Fugaku's reaction, however, was rather strong.
"No wonder. If it was him, perhaps he really could have done it."
Hearing their father say that, Sasuke and Itachi also grew curious about Naruto's father.
"Father, who exactly is Naruto's father? Why do you seem so excited?"
"Sigh, there's no harm in telling you. Naruto is actually the Fourth Hokage's son. His father is the Fourth Hokage you see on Hokage Rock-Minato Namikaze. As for Naruto's mother, your mother knows more about her."
"Whoa, Naruto, you've got that kind of background?"
Sasuke sucked in a breath. He hadn't expected the usually low-key Naruto to have such an incredible identity.
As for Itachi, he understood the whole sequence of events at that moment. No wonder Naruto knew so much. If he was the Fourth Hokage's son, and the two could still communicate, then everything that hadn't made sense could be explained and become reasonable.
Mikoto picked up where Fugaku had left off and continued:
"Naruto's mother was called Kushina Uzumaki. She was the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, as well as the Fourth Hokage's wife. She was a strong person."
"Gasp."
Sasuke sucked in another breath, looking at Naruto with shining eyes. This guy had such a powerful background.