Winter faded, giving way to spring.
With the warm breeze sweeping through, people shed their thick winter clothes. Snow melted, and barren trees sprouted fresh buds. The village of Konohagakure once again thrived with life.
Mirai stepped out of a dessert shop and made his way to a two-story residence. He knocked on the door, and soon, a red-haired woman peeked out.
Seeing Mirai, a look of surprise and joy flashed across her face. "Mirai! What brings you here?"
Mirai lifted the gift in his hand and smiled. "Minato has become the Fifth Hokage. I came to congratulate him."
Uzumaki Kushina quickly stepped aside and called out, "Minato, Mirai is here!"
"Got it."
Namikaze Minato's voice came from inside the house as Mirai stepped in.
As soon as he entered, a lively voice rang out. "Mom, who's here?"
Mirai looked up just in time to see a blond-haired boy clutching a stuffed bear, happily running toward him. The boy was neatly dressed and incredibly cute, his bright blue eyes full of spirit.
It wasn't hard for Mirai to guess the boy's identity—Uzumaki Naruto.
Compared to what he remembered, Naruto's face was free of the fox-like whisker marks, making him look like an innocent little kid.
"Naruto, this is your Uncle Mirai. Greet him properly."
At Kushina's words, Naruto's face lit up with excitement. "So you're Uncle Mirai?"
Mirai's mouth twitched.
Uncle?
This brat really had a way with words.
Seeing Mirai remain silent, Naruto continued, "Uncle, my parents talk about you all the time! They say you're the strongest ninja in the world."
"Hehe... Now that I finally get to meet you, I challenge you to a fight! If I beat you, that means I get to be the strongest, right?"
Mirai casually dug a finger into his ear. "What did you just say?"
Naruto beamed. "I said I'm going to beat you! Uncle, you better watch out—dattebayo!"
With that, Naruto tossed his stuffed bear aside, pulled out a wooden kunai from his pocket, and charged at Mirai. He ran serious laps around the sofa, circling four or five times before finally picking his angle and making his move.
A second later, Naruto was sent flying backward at an even faster speed.
"Hey, hey! Mirai, don't you think that was a bit much? Naruto's just a kid!"
Seeing her son knocked back, Kushina pouted in protest. She hurried over and scooped Naruto into her arms, worriedly checking him over.
"Naruto, are you okay?"
Naruto sniffled, his eyes welling up.
At that moment, Mirai's voice drifted over. "Kid, you're not gonna cry, are you?"
"If you start bawling over this, you can forget about becoming the strongest in the ninja world."
Naruto froze, tilting his head back at a forty-five-degree angle, stubbornly holding back his tears.
"I-I wasn't crying!"
Mirai chuckled. "Now that's more like it."
"You may be my opponent, but you're not half bad."
Hearing Mirai's praise, Naruto's face lit up with joy. "Mom! Dad! Did you hear that? Uncle Mirai said I'm good!"
"See? Now you can't keep making fun of me!"
Minato walked out from the kitchen, giving Kushina a knowing look that seemed to say,
"Just let him have this moment." He smiled warmly. "Naruto really is impressive. You surprised me."
"Now, it's time for your nap. You need plenty of rest to grow big and strong."
At his father's words, Naruto nodded and turned to Mirai, holding out his fist.
"Uncle, next time we meet, I'll be even stronger."
"And when that time comes, I won't lose so easily!"
Mirai bumped fists with him. "Oh yeah? I'll be waiting."
"Just make sure to wipe your nose before making any big declarations next time."
Naruto's face flushed red. He quickly grabbed his stuffed bear and dashed back to his room.
Watching this, Minato looked surprised. "Mirai, I never expected this side of you."
In his mind, Mirai had always been sharp-tongued with his friends and ruthless toward his enemies. He never thought Mirai would be so gentle with a child.
Mirai replied calmly, "I get along well with him."
In his past life, Mirai had always had mixed feelings about Naruto—admiration for his perseverance, sympathy for his struggles, and frustration with his boundless forgiveness.
He had often imagined how he would have handled things if he were Naruto.
Now, he finally had the chance.
He would make sure Naruto had a life completely different from the one in the original story. He would teach him right from wrong.
Love people, but don't be a saint.
This was going to be an interesting experience.
Kushina laughed. "Mirai, when I first met you, you had just graduated from the Academy. Now, in the blink of an eye, Naruto's already three years old."
"Maybe it's time for you to have a kid of your own."
Pfft!
Mirai nearly spat out his tea.
Seriously? He traveled to the ninja world only to get nagged about having kids?
"Kushina, let's not rush into that. By the way, why did you name him Uzumaki Naruto?"
Mirai looked at Minato in confusion, and Minato explained,
"The Uzumaki clan was wiped out, and their surname has all but disappeared from the ninja world."
"Kushina and I didn't want the Uzumaki name to fade into history, so we decided Naruto should take her surname."
Mirai nodded in understanding.
Although scattered Uzumaki clan members still existed throughout the world, most had abandoned their surname long ago. It made sense for Minato and Kushina to make this decision.
Besides, if his name had been Namikaze Naruto, Mirai would have had a hard time getting used to it.
With that thought, Mirai changed the subject. "Minato, it's been a week since the Hokage inauguration ceremony. How's the transition going?"
Minato smiled. "It's going smoothly. Starting tomorrow, I'll be handling things on my own."
"Mirai, I really have to thank you. You made Kushina's and my dream come true."
Minato and Kushina stood up and bowed deeply to Mirai.
If not for him, Minato's dream of becoming Hokage might never have been realized.
More importantly, if Mirai hadn't stopped the masked man's plot that night, Kushina and Naruto might not have survived at all.
For that alone, they owed him a debt they could never fully repay—even if it cost them their lives.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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