"SURPRISE!!"
Naruto stops in his tracks as these words greet him.
POP… POP…
The lights in the room lit up with a burst of party popper.
"Happy Birthday Naruto!!"
The group wishes a warm and hearty birthday greeting to Naruto.
Ah!
Naruto is flabbergasted to see this. He turns to Ayaka.
"I am sorry, Naruto Nii-san!"
Ayaka jumps in front of him and wipes the bloodstain and undoes her transformation.
"It's a surprise, after all."
Ayaka sticks out her tongue.
"You guys!!"
Tears burst out from Naruto's eyes as he stares at the group of people.
Sob… sob…
"I thought you all forgot about it."
Naruto wipes his tears and turns to the group.
"Thank you, everyone!"
"If you want to thank someone, then thank Ayaka." Sasuke remarks.
"Yes, she planned to hold this celebration. We just lent her a hand." Shizune enters the house from the broken door.
"Ayaka!! Thank you so much!" Naruto tries to hug Ayaka with tears and snot.
"Of course, I am your imouto. I have to take care of you." Ayaka smugly folds her hand in front of her chest.
Haha…
The rest of the group laughs at her antics.
Izuna walks in front of Naruto and taps his forehead.
"Naruto you remember the promise I made to you, right!"
"You mean…"
Naruto jumps in excitement as Izuna's promise freshens up in his mind.
'Soon Naruto! Soon… you will meet with your parents.'
He looks around for a while but fails to see anyone else besides the people he already knew.
"Nnn… Nii-san…"
Whoosh…
Suddenly, a pair of hands gently block Naruto's vision.
Eh…
Naruto freaks out and touches the pair of hands. Somehow, he feels a sense of familiarity from these pairs of hands. Numerous emotions surge through his heart as those warm pairs of hands give a familial feeling.
Kushina's motherly instinct triggers the moment her hands touch Naruto.
'Naruto! Mother has missed you for so long.'
Tears erupt in her eyes as she lovingly gazes at Naruto.
'You have grown up, Naruto. Eleven years have passed since then. I could only watch you grow from a distance… never able to ease your pain, loneliness, and sorrow. But now I won't leave your side.'
Kushina silently pledges to herself.
"Mo… Mo… Mom!"
Naruto unconsciously mutters these words as a stream of tears flows from his eyes.
He immediately turns around and hugs Kushina. The once familiar body warmth makes his heart flutter. He silently sobs into his mother's embrace.
Kushina gently caresses Naruto's head and ruffles his hair.
"Yes… Naruto!! Mama is back!"
Tears stream down from Kushina's eyes as she tightly embraces Naruto in her bosom.
Sob… sob…
Naruto continues to shed tears in his mother's embrace. The tears of bitterness, loneliness, sadness slowly flows away.
He separates from Kushina and a sweet smile blooms on his face.
"Welcome home, Mom!"
"Yes, I am back!"
Kushina wipes her tears and gently smiles at him.
"And I won't leave your side never ever again!"
The rest of the members of Konoha 11 silently stare at the reunion of Naruto with his family.
"I am so happy for you, Naruto-kun!"
Hinata wipes tears from her eyes.
"Youth! This is youth!" Lee clutches his fists.
Only Shikamaru notices Minato, who is silently standing beside Naruto with a warm smile.
"He is…"
Shikamaru's eyes widen in shock. He quickly gazes at the Hokage monument from the window to confirm his guess.
"It can't be. He is…"
He compares Naruto and Minato's looks. The close resemblance leaves him flabbergasted.
"I see! Well, whatever. What a drag!"
Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders.
The eyes of Aiko, Fumiko, and Mikoto also widen in surprise. All of them glare at their respective sons for an explanation.
Shisui and Itachi tacitly turn to Izuna.
Izuna notices their piercing gaze and gulps his saliva. He turns towards Shisui and Itachi for help.
Whistle… whistle…
Shisui and Itachi whistle and ignore his glare. Izuna signals to them with his eyes.
'Get ready for double training!'
'We will do triple the amount of training. Just don't drag us into your mess.'
Shisui and Itachi signals with a smug smile.
Hnngh…
Izuna grits his teeth but raises his hands in surrender before the power of the Mother gang.
The Mother gang nod their head and turn to Naruto and Kushina with motherly love in their eyes.
"What about me? Are you upset with your dad?"
Minato ruffles Naruto's hairs.
"DAD!!"
Naruto tightly hugs Minato.
"I missed you Dad!"
"Dad missed you too!! You have grown well Naruto!"
Minato laughs heartily and pats Naruto's head.
"Happy Birthday Naruto!!"
"Thank you, Dad!"
Naruto flashes a brilliant smile.
"So, did you like my birthday present?"
Izuna smiles at the family reunion.
"Yes, Nii-san. It's the best gift ever."
Naruto wipes his face as tears and snot leak out, making a mess of his face.
"Ok! Alright! For starters, go and wash yourself. The party hasn't even started yet." Minato pats Naruto's head.
"Yes, Dad!"
Naruto nods his head.
"Come to Mama!"
Kushina waves her hand.
"Mama will help you bath. I never got a chance to bathe you."
"But… But… I have grown up."
Naruto awkwardly rubs his head.
"It's fine. You are still a kid to me."
Kushina forcefully drags Naruto in the bath.
Haha…
The rest of the group laughs at their antics.
"That's just like Kushina. She hasn't changed at all."
Tsunade remarks.
"Of course, she is still the Red Hot-blooded Habanero of Konoha."
Izuna laughs.
"Alright! Now tell us everything in detail."
The Mother gang turns their gaze to Izuna.
Gulp…
"It's like this."
Izuna hurriedly recounts the major details while skipping a few important parts.
Hmph…
Bam… bam…
Two giant lumps rise on Izuna's head.
Izuna silently uses the Mystic Palm Technique to heal himself as he turns to Tsunade.
'I can understand why mother bonked me; but why even you?'
"Haah! That helped me shook off some pent-up frustration. I feel so relaxed now." Tsunade stretches her arms.
Izuna swallows his words and walks to the middle of the room. He clears his throat and addresses everyone.
"The news about Minato and Kushina-san is a very confidential matter. It can disrupt the fragile balance of peace among the five shinobi nations.
Sunagakure already suffered a crushing defeat under our hands and the entire world is aware of our alliance with Kirigakure.
I bet Kumogakure, and Iwagakure are already on tenterhooks at the moment. Iwa had to bitterly swallow the taste of humiliating defeat during the Third Shinobi War, whereas Kumo has suffered way too many losses under my hand.
Now if they come to know about the presence of the previous Hokage, then they might as well as join hands and ally with neighboring small countries to attack us."
Izuna pauses as he stares at the expression of all present here.
The adults nod their heads in affirmation whereas the kids except for Sasuke, Shikamaru and Neji are slightly clueless.
The revival of Minato is a huge matter. He acts as a major deterrance to the Shinobi world with his feats recorded during the Third Shinobi War.
"Good! I think everyone is aware of the graveness of this matter. With that being said, let's continue the celebration."
-----------
Later at night,
On top of Hokage Monument,
Izuna is silently staring at the starry night as the huge moon flickers in the sky.
'I have four years to search for a solution. Although, I have already harnessed the Six Paths Chakra. It's not enough to heal the damage in my body.
Perhaps I will get my answers from the Otsutsuki shrine in Land of Demons. But that shrine is so elusive. I haven't been able to track its whereabouts at all.'
Izuna slightly tilts his head as Mei appears in his vision.
"Wow! It's such a wonderful place to look at stars." She remarks.
"Yes, it is."
Izuna hugs her in his embrace.
Ahem…
"So, Izuna, why did you call us here?"
Kakashi coughs slightly.
Izuna lifts his head and remarks.
"Kakashi, can't you pretend to be air for a bit while."
"…"
"I have been here for the past half hour. Isn't that long enough?"
Kakashi rolls his eyes and takes out a book from his pocket as he grumbles.
Besides him, Guy is climbing back and forth on the backside of the Hokage monument with one hand. As for Yamato, he is standing still like a tree.
Whoosh… Whoosh…
Several figures gather in front of him.
"Alright! Since everyone is here. Let's start the meeting."