Chapter Eleven: Chunin Exam (2)

At the sound of a buzzer the gates opened for the participants, everyone rushing into the forest. All except Naruto. He strolled into the forest, having a leisurely stroll through the deadly forest. He had little worry in this, just like the previous part of these exams. He looked around, making sure no one was around before slipping into the shadows with his Shadow Flicker technique. He would be nearly impossible to detect while hidden within them. Making it a perfect way to travel without having to get into pointless battles.

He traversed the darkness that was the shadow network within the Forest of Death, easily sensing the sensations of battle vibrating through the darkness. He popped his head out of the shade of a large tree, looking and seeing a group of ninja battling each other. He looked at the headbands, not recognizing them as either Mist of Leaf. Meaning they were open season for himself. He sighed, watching and waiting through the shadows as he watched the two teams duke it out for the other's scroll. It took a total of ten minutes before one team was defeated, laying on the ground panting heavily and wounded. The other team wasn't in much better shape, and that was the opening Naruto needed as he made himself known to the victorious team. The three genin looked at the newcomer, all of them freezing in their place when they realized who it was that came to take from them.

Naruto smirked, looking at the standing team and letting out a cool, yet collected tune leave his lips. "Good work in that fight, I got to say I wasn't expecting a conflict to happen too quickly at the start of this trail. However, I am not really looking to kill or maim. That comes later. That being said…"

He gestured towards the two groups, a hand open when he looked at them. "I won't be opposed to doing so. So either both of you hand over the scrolls you have, or I can kill you all and take them that way. The choice is yours."

The standing group looked to one another, nodding before getting into their stances. Their leader, a girl with black hair, looked at him with determination in her eyes. "Sorry, that's not happening. Now back off or die. The choice is yours."

Naruto didn't like the smirk she had on her lips when she repeated his own words. He sighed, shrugging before running at them. The other two members of her team prepared for the attack, but were stunned when he jumped and fell into one of the defeated team's shadows. They looked around, trying to find where he went. They looked everywhere but at their own shadows.

He reached up behind the leader, hands sticking out of her shadow before he grabbed onto her ankles and dragged her in. When she was taken into her shadow, it quickly disappeared. Her teammate, the other female of their group, was now starting to panic as they jumped away, but no matter when they went they would be exposed to some sort of shadow. While inside the shadow Naruto watched the girl screaming as she could only see the darkness around her and nothing more. He took this time to close his eyes and reveal his Dojutsu when they opened again. Now the only light in the darkness was the ghostly green pupils of her attacker, who watched as she screamed in horror as the psychological trauma was seeping into her mind. After three minutes of this torture he brought them both out of the shadows, emerging behind her teammates where he tossed their leader on the ground.

The girl was shivering, fear in her eyes as she looked at him and screamed before crawling away. Naruto looked at the other two, the same smirk still on his lips as he spoke. "Now, about that scroll."

Both teams, after seeing the madness that took over the girl, didn't object as they quickly handed their scrolls over. Naruto nodded, smiling before leaning down and putting his hand on the screaming girl's forehead. He channeled Spirit Chakra into her, riding the intense fear of the darkness she had grown into her mind. He stood up, preparing to leave before the leader he just cured looked at him.

"W-why…would you torture me than get rid of the trauma you caused? What is your game?"

Naruto turned back to the girl, a smile on his face as he slipped the scrolls into his trench coat. "Because I may be someone who dwells in the dark, but I still have a heart. I don't want to know you stayed afraid, and I honestly wasn't planning on killing your all for these scrolls. It would be wrong to do so. Now, I would suggest you get to work finding others to take down. Both your teams are scrolling less now."

With those words he slipped back into the shadows, smiling inwardly as he felt good about what he just did. Who said you had to kill all the time in the Shinobi world?

For the next hour he kept doing the same thing for the teams he didn't recognize. He made sure not to lay a hand on any teams of the Leaf or the Mist, seeing them as allies. He also chose not to help or interact with the group with the girl he saw earlier in the exams. He sensed they wouldn't need his help.

Now he stood over a shaking boy from another team he had just sent through the shadows, rolling his eyes as he took their scroll and again healed them of their fear. He gave them a goodbye before sinking back into the darkness. He now had a total of three Earth Scrolls and Four Heaven Scrolls. He hoped his work in culling the numbers would help in the end. He had a feeling he didn't need to hunt for more scrolls now. Instead he made his way towards Yuna and her team. He got to her rather quickly, keeping an eye on her as they worked to find a team to take down for their own scroll. He smirked, deciding to have some fun.

He popped up in front of them on a tree branch's shade, making the three stop in their tracks as they looked at him. He looked at Yuna, smiling and waving his hand. "Hey sis, Sakura, Sasuke. I see your having some issues finding your other scroll. Would you like some help?"

Yuna smirked at her brother, going to give him a quick hug before pulling away and smiling. Behind her Sasuke and Sakura had their jaws hanging open. They really just saw him appear in front of them through a shadow. They couldn't even sense his presence. How long was he watching them was the only thought the other two could think of.

Yuna looked to her team, giving a snicker to them before turning back to Naruto. "Actually, I think some help would be nice. We can't find any enemy genin teams around here."

Naruto let a mischievous grin spread on his lips. "Well, I'm sad to say I am the cause of that. You see, I have been working on a collection of sorts."

He reached into his inside pockets of the trench coat, pulling out the seven scrolls he currently had. This time Yuna's jaw was hanging low like her team's as he put all but one of each scroll back into his pockets. "So which one do you guys need?"

Sakura gulped, being the first one to be able to respond as she got her bearings together. "W-we need the Heaven Scroll."

Naruto nodded, tossing the scroll to Sakura since she was the only one really responding to him at the moment. He took a deep breath, feeling good about himself helping them. He still needs to find the other Leaf genin, and the only Mist team to give them the scrolls they may need. He shrugged his shoulders as he turned around to prepare for Shadow Flicker, but something felt wrong. He sensed something coming right at them. Naruto acted quickly, diving into his shadow with Yuna in his arms before reaching through Sasuke and Sakura's shadows to drag them in as well. In an effort to avoid them suffering any madness in the endless dark he quickly reappeared under the thick shade of the large trees' base. When they reappeared they saw a large snake crashing through the forest exactly where they were seconds earlier.

"What is that thing?!" Sakura yelled out, making the snake look back down at the group of four before charging at it again. And again Naruto acted, taking them with him as he Shadow Flickered. This time he was a better distance away. He let them get their bearings as he looked around, trying to sense that snake but thankfully he couldn't sense it.

"Seems like you three are specifically being targeted."

Yuna turned to him, panting slightly from being moved so quickly twice now. "That snake might be one of the predators of the forest. Maybe it was just targeting its prey."

Naruto shook his head, his senses on high alert as he felt this wasn't the end of it all. "No, I know the presence of a summon when I feel one. And that was a summon."

The three genin looked to one another, trying to think of someone they might have pist off that used snakes. None came to mind, which only made the situation worse. However their answers were quickly answered as a sinister chuckle made itself known.

"Ku,ku,ku…Seems that the rumors of the Son of Death are true. Tell me Shi no Musuko, why do you care so much for these Leaf genin?"

Naruto turned his head towards the voice, his body absent mindedly bringing out his twin sickles and eyeing the strange woman he saw before the start of this portion of the exam. He got in front of the team, preparing himself for a fight as he felt the scent of death strong on this woman.

"Yuna…get your team and run to the tower. I will handle this."

Yuna stood up, standing at his side as she took a kunai out of her tool pouch. Sasuke joined beside her, Sakura standing behind them for support. "No, Naruto. We are not just going to run. This fight is clearly meant for us and-"

Naruto tackled her into the shadows again, barely dodging the stretching neck of the woman before reappearing a few feet away. He looked down at her, looking her over for any injuries before turning back to the other two.

"Aaaaah!"

His eyes widened seeing the strange woman sinking her…fangs? Her fangs into Sasuke's neck. He blinked before he acted, charging and covering his hands in Death Chakra as he aimed a blow at the woman's long neck. When he reached and aimed a strike down on her neck she quickly retracted, leaving Sasuke in pain as he withered and cringed at the pain the bite gave him. Naruto looked down at the fellow genin, seeing that the fang marks left a strange seal on his neck that was clearing causing Sasuke pain. He gritted his teeth, looking back to only find the woman gone. Her laugh echoing into the forest.

"Yuna! Get over here!"

Yuna moved quickly and got at Naruto's side. In response he had all of them touch Sasuke as he dragged them back into the shadows. He moved quickly, trying to avoid the madness settling into their minds for prolonged exposure to these shadow networks. It took him nearly forty-seven seconds to find it, but he found the tower Anko talked about. He appeared at the entrance's pillar's shadow, dropping the three of them on the ground while Sasuke was still suffering from the seal on his neck. Naruto looked at Yuna, ignoring Sakura's panic.

"Listen to me and listen well Yuna. You go in there and alert the people inside what has happened. I am going to chase down this person and hopefully bring her in. I don't know why, but her presence is completely impossible to feel. Warn the others, tell the Hokage of the situation."

He got up to get ready to jump into the shadows again to hunt down the person that hurt Sasuke. He didn't like the guy personally, but this was Yuna's team, and in turn allies to him. He would make this right for not being able to stop the seal. He was about to jump in when he felt a hand wrap around his wrist.

He turned, seeing Yuna with panic in her eyes. "Naruto you need to stay! We don't know what that woman did to Sasuke, and if she is undetectable that could mean she is more powerful than you think. Please, we need you here."

Naruto looked down at his sister, a strong sense of guilt washing over him as she pleaded with him to stay. But he knew he needed to act, not sit. He closed his eyes before looking at her again. He smiled, making Yuna blush at the sight. "Relax sis, I got this. Just do what I asked and I'll be back before you can say instant ramen!"

With those words he let her go of his wrist, jumping into the shadows and going to track down the attacker. As he did this Sakura ran inside to find help, leaving Yuna there to look over Sasuke. As he withered in his pain, she looked to the forest and frowned deeply.

"I-instant r-ramen…"

~~Forest of Death - Deep Forest~~

Naruto had been shooting through the shadows for what seemed like twenty minutes now. He felt the cold intensity of his killing intent settling into his heart. He didn't like seeing those he saw as allies or friends get hurt, let alone right in front of his eyes. He cursed himself for not being able to see this happening sooner when the snake attacked. He should have just taken them straight to the tower once he found them. He was so stupid, trying to show off to Yuna and have her think he was cool with what he done in a hour. He wanted to show off, and it cost him to lose focus and in turn cause Sasuke to get hurt. He shook his head, focusing on every single shadow in his field of vision within the shadow networks. And after a few more minutes of searching he felt the presence of that monster's shadow.

He went to it, sitting and watching. He saw the strange woman talking to another team of genin. All of them from the same village based on the sound key on their forehead protectors. He listened closely, wanting to know all he could before he striked.

"It seems Sasuke had a friend that could travel through shadows. A useful skill that proved to stop my snake from dispersing his team. However, the fool ended up transporting them towards my exact location. I was able to leave my Curse Mark on the Uchiha's neck, however that brat was able to help him escape and is likely in the tower now. So, it's on you three to get to the tower and test him when given the chance. You can't openly attack him while he is in the tower, nor can you expose yourselves to any association to me. Am I clear?"

The three genin nodded, bowing their heads. However, before any of them could respond they saw a large, fast fireball of black, white, red and green flames being shot right at them. The woman that was talking turned and saw the fireball and couldn't react in time. She took the attack head on while her underlings were able to get out of the way in time since they saw it coming first. They all looked around, then down at the smoldering fire to see the charred remains.

"Orochimaru!"

A girl from the team called out, making the others look at him with great anger. She just announced their leader's name out in the open, to a genin that literally could be in the shadows around them at this very moment. She covered her mouth, blinking as tears left her eyes. She looked behind her, seeing a new figure emerging from the wood with pure anger in her eyes.

"You disappoint me once again, Kin. Your insolence will not be suffered again!"

The man that came from the tree seemed to pull a sword from his throat as he went to strike her down for daring to say his name so carelessly. Her teammates did nothing as they watched, seeing that she deserved it for going against their leader's orders. However, when the blade went to slice through her body she was dragged into her shadows, disappearing from sight. When she was able to see anything again she was now at the center tower, with two scrolls on her lap. A Heaven and Earth scroll.

Naruto then reappeared at the same clearing he had saved her from, emerging from the shadows a few meters away from the three men that stood on the large branches of the tree before him. Naruto opened his eyes, revealing his Dojutsu once again. It was nothing more for appearance at this point in time, but the others had no idea what those eyes were or could do. He could use that to his advantage.

"First you attack and put what you call the Curse Mark on a friend of mine, then you have the audacity to try and strike your own subordinate down for a simple slip up. You are nothing but scum, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru smirked, his sword his hand held tightly as he waved his hands for the other two to spread out and prepare for a group attack if needed. "My, you must be either foolish or arrogant for wanting to fight me, Naruto Shingami. I am the legendary Snake Sanin of the three Sannin. My power is unmatched."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "The Snake Sannin? I got to admit, I never heard of you before. The Toad and Slug Sannin, yeah I've heard of them, but not you. Must mean you are the weakest of the three then huh?"

This did exactly what Naruto hoped it would do, it pist Oorochimaru off enough to lash out and come charing right at him. Naruto smirked, sinking back into the shadows and letting Orochimaru fall within. Just as quickly Naruto appeared between the other two genin, smirking as he ignited his fists with Death Chakra. "So, you two found it okay for him to kill your teammate huh? Man, I am going to have fun-"

Before he could finish he could hear a gasped breath come from the shade from the tree he was standing in. He turned around, and to his shock he saw Orochimaru dragging himself out of the shadow network.

"That…shouldn't be possible!"

Orochimaru stood up, snickering as he looked at Naruto. He brought his sword up and got into another stance. "I think I figured out exactly how that technique of yours works. It's almost like the Yondaime Hokage's Flying Thunder God jutsu. But instead of being a jutsu of space-time creation, it is one purely made through the darkness within the world. I must say I am interested in using this jutsu of yours."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he stood back, jumping away and making some distance from Orochimaru. He had figured out how to escape one of his better techniques, but thankfully didn't figure out how to use it or what hand seals were needed. Naruto silently thanked Shinigami that he mastered the technique to the point of only needing one hand seal. However, this now puts him in a severe situation. It was clear that he would not beat Orochimaru in kenjutsu, he knew from the time he spent with his godparents how strong each Sanin was in certain aspects. The Snake Sanin was a true prodigy in kenjutsu, along with ninjutsu and his Snake Contract would make things harder for him. He could always call out his own summons, but compared to the snakes they may be outclassed. He regretted now working on making better connections with the higher ranked Metal Lizards. They could be very useful right now.

In truth, the situation was no longer in Naruto's favor. He needed to escape, but at the same time he couldn't risk performing even the single hand seal for his Shadow Flicker. He couldn't let his foe see anymore of it or else gamble him being able to discover how to use it. He sighed, of course the one jutsu he used that wasn't made of either of his special chakra would come to bite him in the ass.

He sighed, preparing for the onslaught that was about to happen. He just hoped he would be able to hold out, and hopefully some reinforcements would get to him in time.

~~Central Tower - Forest of Death~~

Minato Namikaze had rounded up every Jounin under his control at the tower. He wasn't too worried at first, things like this happened in the Chunin Exams. However, the fact that this individual was able to place a Curse Mark on the Uchiha's neck automatically told him who the attacker was. His sensei's former friend turned traitor had returned to the Leaf, and his reason was clear. He wanted Sasuke.

Now a dozen teams of three Jounin of the Leaf were searching through the forests, looking for any trace of the Snake Sanin. Minato too was on the hunt, but his lack of foresight left him with not a single one of his marked three-pronged kunai to use to his Flying Thunder God Technique. This left him running at insane speeds through the forest, looking for the Snake Sanin and his son. He feared for Naruto's safety. He had no doubts in his mind that his son was stronger than he led on, but this wasn't a normal Jounin he was fighting. This was Orochimaru, and that in the end could be what kills Naruto.

He cursed the fact his son was acting so brash to chase down the Sanin, acting just like he would if he was in the same situation. Turns out the apple didn't fall from the tree with him. He inwardly prayed that he would find Naruto in time. He prayed he'd be able to save him in time.

~~Back with Naruto~~

Naruto grunted as he was flung against another tree, causing the trunk he hit against to wither and rot away as the Death Chakra he encased himself in for defense ate away at it. He stood back up, bringing his left arm to the right shoulder and trying to put it back in place. With a sickening crunch he felt the joint set, his body shaking from the pain as he looked to the three. He was in a dire situation. Nothing he was using was working out for him. Null Void ended up being useless when Orochimaru quickly discovered its fatal flaw, sending various kunai and shuriken at him and forcing Naruto to retreat from the field the technique provided. He had little to no time to prepare other jutsus, each time one relented the other would strike and the three of them attacked like a trio of snakes snapping at their prey. He hated himself for not mastering the other jutsu like he did the Shadow Flicker. He got arrogant, and he was paying the price for it.

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts as he dodged the elongated neck of Orochimaru, barely missing the fangs that were aimed at his neck. That was another thing he was constantly trying to avoid. He had no idea what this Curse Mark was, or what it would do to him. He needed to stay clear of that over anything else. However, when he dodged he didn't see the one genin with strange holes in his hand act, sending a condensed sound wave at him and sending Naruto crashing into another tree. This time he felt his back crack, sending intense pain through his body as his legs twitched. He looked down, then to the trio and spit blood out from his lips.

"Come on then you fucks, end me already!"

Inwardly Naruto hoped they'd just kill him instead of putting that seal on him. If he died, he would just reincarnate. However, the sickly laughter of Orochimaru told him that the Snake Sanin knew his plan.

"Ku, ku, ku. Come now Naruto, do you truly think I'd dare to do such a thing. If the rumors are true, you'd just come back to life. No, I think I'll take your body as my own. I could finally kill that pathetic excuse of a Hokage with your bloodline. I'll exact my revenge, and when Minato dies, he will see the face of his son doing it."

The Snake Sanin let out a anothering hissing chuckle as he reached down and was about to bite down on Naruto's neck. The boy could only wince as he prepared for whatever hell was about to happen. He lost due to his pride in himself, and his self righteous attitude for what had happened. He deserved this. He closed his eyes, preparing for what's to come. However, instead of the fangs of Orochimaru sinking into his neck, he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

When he opened his eyes again he saw Minato carrying him over his shoulder, running through the trees as he was trying to be gentle with his son's body. "M-Minato…?"

The Hokage smirked, turning his head as they ran through the trees, keeping him close as he turned back to look at the branches. "I was able to get to you just in the nick of time. I tossed my marked kunai towards Orochimaru when I saw he was about to bite your neck. He dodged out of the way, giving me the chance I needed to grab you and get you out of there."

Naruto coughed blood onto Minato's white rob, feeling the loose ribs and broken bones along his spine. He was in bad shape, but his persistence was making itself clear. "Drop me off…at the tower…you need to kill him."

Minato shook his head, keeping his eyes upfront as he got closer to the tower. "No…I am not going to abandon my son when he is critically injured. I chose the village over you once, now it's time for the village to be put aside for once. I have at least six dozen Jounin hunting him down. Even if he escapes, he won't be able to act on you or Sasuke anymore."

Naruto was too tired to even argue, his body screaming for him to close his eyes as he felt the sharp pain of something stabbing into his heart. He smiled, his breathing slowing before stopping as the fractured sternum he suffered had pierced into his vital organ. Minato stopped running, looking down at Naruto with his eyes wide as he saw he stopped breathing.

"Naruto? Naruto! NARUTO!"

~~The Pure World~~

Naruto opened his eyes, looking up and finding himself in a very familiar field. He slowly got up, standing on his two feet as he looked around and sighed. Turns out he died once again. That was twice now. He looked for the Shinigami or the tear into the Mortal World to have his soul return. However, he saw neither. He went to the winding road that cut through the ever lasting prairie, his hand touching the long grass that edged on the road. He couldn't help but smile, the comfort of the Pure World strong though he did worry. It was about ten minutes since he entered into the Pure World, and the Shinigami had not yet come to him.

He kept walking down the road for what seemed like hours, the road never seemed to want to end. He stopped, looking around again for any sign of something. When he looked to the east he saw a trail of smoke rising into the sky. He decided to go to the smoke, heading towards its source. It took him a bit to walk through the thick grass, but after some time he eventually reached the source of the smoke. Sitting on a large hill was a man that wore what looked like traditional Samurai armor, though it looked old and decrypted. The man looked at Naruto, smiling softly as he patted the ground beside him.

"I am glad to finally meet you, Naruto Shingami."

Naruto did what the spirit asked, sitting beside him while he poked the fire before them with a charred stick. The two sat there for a few moments, both just looking over to the horizon where the road led onto. Finally the man spoke up.

"Do you know what that road represents, Naruto?"

He looked at the man, shaking his head. The man chuckled, putting the poking stick down before looking to the horizon again. "That road represents how much farther you are going to have to go before you're finally given your final rest and have your soul stay in the Pure World. As you can see, it's far from its finish. It is ever going, ever expanding. Just like your story."

Naruto nodded, looking to the fire and then to the man. "If this is my road to the end, why are you here? Shouldn't it only be me and Lord Shinigami here?"

The man let out another hearty laugh, nodding to his words. "Technically yes, however your soul is not like mine or any others. You already know you were the first living person to ever enter the Pure World. And as a result, many things changed. Your blood changed, your destiny changed, and your very soul changed."

Naruto looked down to his chest, bringing a hand to where his heart is. "My…soul changed too?"

The man nodded, looking at the boy with a smile. "Indeed it has. You're bonded to the Pure World, Naruto, and thanks to that those who wish to help you from within this world can do so with full permission of the Shinigami."

Now Naruto was confused, he had interacted with the souls of the Pure World many times over the years, but never once did they say they could actively help him from the Pure World like this man was suggesting. Unless…

"Wait, are you the Summon that Lord Shinigami bestowed on me?"

The man chuckled, tending to the fire once again. "Yes, but also no. Lord Shinigami told you that more spirits would be added to the contract when he found suitable ones, no?"

Naruto blushed a bit, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "I'll be honest, I don't remember what he said back then. It's been eight years, and I haven't once used Pure World Summoning."

The man sighed heavily, finding that answer a bit annoying before he looked at Naruto again. "I see…well, let me explain it to you like this. Yes, the Shinigami approved of the souls you can summon, but it is us souls that choose to offer ourselves to the contract."

"Wait, so what're you saying you're going to be a new summon for the contract? I haven't even summoned the first one yet but you want to be the second?"

The man brought his smile back, nodding with a bit of eagerness. Naruto let out a sigh, leaning back on his arms as they went back to silence. After a few minutes Naruto spoke up again. "So, what is your name?"

The man chuckled, putting the fire poker down again. The fire's smoke got thicker til before the two of them the tear into the Mortal World was opened, revealing Naruto on a hospital bed within the tower. He would see Yuna at his side crying, Minato looking over him with guilt in his eyes. There was also the girl he saved, standing at the door where she was failing to stop tears going down her eyes.

Naruto stood up, but looked back down to the man. "Your name before I go, please?"

The man chuckled, standing up and offering his hand to shake. "My name is Akio Shintami, the first Kuraikage and one of the founders of Chikyugakure."

~~Hospital Wing - Central Tower - Forest of Death~~

Yuna was crying hard when she held Naruto's hand on her own, looking over the lifeless body of her brother. She hated herself for not trying harder to make him stay, she let him go too easily. She felt such shame and guilt for failing him. But at the same time she felt the pain was more than just the loss of her brother. She felt like she lost something more than that, which only confused the girl more as the tears never seemed to end.

Minato looked down at his son's body, watching for any sign of him returning. He heard the stories, he knew he came back from a damn Bijuu Bomb so there is no reason he couldn't come back from this. He felt his own guilt washing over him, looking at the same colored hair as his own and knew his own blue eyes were under the closed eyelids that hid their piercing glow.

The girl he had saved was trying hard to remain strong, after all she didn't even know the guy. But, at the same time, he didn't hesitate to save her when she was faced with Orochimaru's killing intent towards her. He stepped in, but put himself in the situation that got him killed, all because he saw what had happened to her and decided it was not just for her to die like that. She owed him her life, a debt she feared she'd never be able to repay now that he lay dead.

As the three of them looked at him, their own thoughts making their pain only worsen, his body twitched. Minato's eyes shot open as he looked at his son, going to the railing of the bed and looking down as he saw and heard the bones crunching and snapping back in place. His distorted chest was repairing itself, his spine aligning and repairing the fracture bones til he looked normal again. Not long after did the blood start pumping through his veins again, giving his body the color of a living man.

Naruto opened his eyes, quickly closing them as the lights in the room were bright. After blinking a few times he started to lean up from the bed, only to be brought back down when he felt two people tackle him down in their hugs. He opened his eyes, seeing the girl he saved and Yuna holding onto him as they let their tears fall. He was back, and it was clear they thought he was dead.

Minato smiled down at his son, the guilt leaving his heart as he saw his son being smothered by the two girls. However, seeing his daughter act this way made him a bit concerned. He noticed that her emotions towards Naruto were slowly growing out of that sisterly bond and potentially something more. He sighed mentally, knowing he needed to talk to her and Kushina about this as soon as he could. For now he was content watching the two girls smother his son. He found it a bit funny that Naruto might die again due to being hugged too tightly.