The sun was just beginning to rise when Tsunade opened the Hokage Tower's rear doors, expecting nothing more than another file from ANBU, or perhaps a rare moment of peace.
She wasn't expecting him.
He stood beneath the maple tree, where red leaves drifted like blood from the branches. A cloak swayed around his tall, broad frame. His hair was blood-red now, tied back tightly. His eyes were hidden beneath a black headband pulled low, his chakra completely masked.
But Tsunade knew.
Even before he spoke.
Even before he raised his eyes.
Even before she saw the whisker-marks.
She knew.
"…Naruto?" Her voice cracked.
His mouth twitched—just a little.
A smile? Maybe. Or maybe not.
But when she took a step forward—he didn't run.
The hug crushed him.
Literally.
Tsunade's arms wrapped around his torso with the strength of a goddamn mountain lion. He barely breathed. He didn't move.
And then—
He melted.
Just slightly.
His chin sank against her shoulder. His breath hitched once. And in the corner of his right eye, one single tear escaped. He didn't wipe it away.
"...You're warm," he whispered. "You're really warm."
Tsunade didn't speak. Not at first. She only gripped him tighter.
And then she whispered, voice shaking with fury and love:
"You idiot… my idiot… my little brother…"
They sat on the wooden bench outside the tower for nearly an hour.
Naruto didn't rush.He just spoke.Everything.
How he was ambushed that night by Kakashi.
How he was buried and left to die.How the village cheered his 'death.'How he trained in the ruins of Uzushio.How Kurama saved him.How his hatred boiled into something he couldn't turn off.The Four Beasts. The Rinnegan. The mutated eye.His path. His silence. His pain.
Tsunade didn't speak the entire time.
Until he finished.
And then—her hands trembled with rage.
"I will kill him," she said, voice ice.
"No."
He was leaning against her now. His head rested in her lap like he was a child again—like he hadn't been turned into a weapon.
" I will string Kakashi's corpse across the gates—"
"No, Tsunade."
He opened his eyes slowly.
"I have a plan."
Jiraiya landed moments later.
He didn't look surprised.
He'd known.
He felt it, the way a father feels when something precious has returned.
But when he saw Naruto, really saw him—something in him broke.
He didn't say a word.
Tsunade told him everything.
And Jiraiya sat on the bench beside them in silence.
"I was wrong about the prophecy," he said eventually. "But maybe not in the way I thought."
Naruto didn't respond.
He was already gone again—his cloak trailing behind him as he vanished into the mist of the streets.
The ramen shop was gone.
Naruto walked past its old foundation with a strange emptiness.
Instead, he moved toward the new district—the open plaza built after Pain's destruction.
There, nestled beside the largest wooden arch, was a traditional tea house-restaurant where chatter echoed like distant drums.
He stepped through the door without a sound.
A long table in the center was filled with familiar faces.
Hinata.
Ino.
Tenten.
Neji.
Lee.
Choji.
Shikamaru.
Even Kiba and Sai.
He didn't speak.
At first, no one noticed—until Sakura turned lazily toward the door.
She scoffed, then blinked. Her eyes narrowed.
"Who the hell—"
She stopped.
So did everyone else.
Because they saw it.
The whiskers.
The way he stood.
The red hair. The bandage over one eye. The presence. The aura. The memory.
"…Naruto?" whispered Ino.
Hinata dropped her tea.
Tenten stood slowly.
And then—
They ran.
Hinata was the first to reach him. She threw her arms around his chest so hard it knocked the wind from him.
Then Ino.
Then Tenten.
Naruto laughed—quiet, warm, real—for the first time in years.
It felt like sunlight. And gods, it hurt.
Then Neji walked up, eyes wide—and hugged him like a brother.
Lee shouted something about youth and cried so hard Naruto had to hold back a snort.
But the others…
Sakura stood frozen.
Shikamaru couldn't speak.
Sai looked ashamed.
And Kiba was looking at the floor.
Naruto stepped forward.
Told them everything.
The betrayal. The lie.
The truth.
He didn't hold back.
And when he was finished, the table was silent.
Sakura wiped her face without looking at anyone.
Neji stood at Naruto's side.
Hinata didn't let go of his arm.
Tenten smiled through tears.
Ino muttered, "I'm sorry," over and over.
Naruto looked at them all.
And finally said:
"I'm not back. Not yet. But when I am—those who stood for me will stand beside me. The rest? Move aside."
He didn't wait for applause.
He vanished into the wind.