Slowly, a crowd had begun to build within the Uzumaki residence. Family patriarch Naruto Uzumaki lay on his bed, friends and family looking down at him from his bedside. Naruto appeared to be alive, alive; he still possessed a faint pulse and a body temperature that suggested the Seventh Hokage had still been amongst the living. Joining his family included Iruka Umino's likes, Sakura Uchiha, Sarada Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake/Sixth Hokage, Tsunade Senju/Fifth Hokage, Ino Yamanaka, and Shikamaru Nara, Naruto's right-hand. They all came to his side when they learned of the ongoing situation that Naruto found himself in, his empty-minded body proving to be quite the cause for concern. The idiotic Seventh's actions left his adult body an empty husk, almost as though he was brain-dead or in a self-induced coma. They had to act fast, so Naruto was escorted from the location. He used the hidden technique over to his family home. Konoha couldn't know that the Lord Seventh- a war hero- was no longer available to protect them from external threats. Someone would need to take on the facade of being Naruto, keeping up appearances, so all looked well.

"This huge idiot … What could Naruto have been thinking?" Shikamaru asked aloud. Naruto's past antics and troublemaking were one thing; this stunt, however, was on an altogether more extensive scale. However, the right hand of the Hokage did feel rather stupid and full of guilt, as only he knew that this was all his fault. After all, he's the one who informed Naruto of the secret technique. If he kept his mouth shut, Naruto, and the village, wouldn't be in this mess. "This is the first time I've seen someone who used the technique, so I'm not sure how to help," Ino said, taking a step closer and placing a hand on Naruto's forehead. Boruto, standing beside his mother, looked rather pissed off at his father, leaving his mother and sister to worry like this. But, Himawari, Naruto's daughter, merely looked at Ino, asking the question on everyone's mind: "Auntie Ino, isn't there some way to help daddy?" Himawari loved her father, just as much as any child would, and wanted to see her family reunited. He was made whole again. But, with a saddened expression, Ino shook her head, not entirely confident about what she could do to assist in this developing situation. "I… I'm afraid I don't know how to help, Hima. What your dad did… it's different from most techniques, in that. Currently, somebody can't force his mind back." Ino explained, making it clear that her Yamanaka clan techniques wouldn't be able to help retrieve Naruto's mind. She couldn't undo what the Lord Seventh did by any unique Jutsu developed by her clan.

As tears filled her eyes, Himawari tightly embraced her mother, Boruto taking a more violent reaction to what was happening. When Ino proclaimed her inability to help, Boruto started to slap Naruto's expressionless face, yelling: "Wake up, you useless, absent father!" As they watched him let loose, Kakashi would, eventually, pull the young blonde away from his father's body, holding onto him tightly as angry yet sad tears overcame him. He sometimes hated his father, wished his father wasn't Hokage, and even wanted to surpass the infamous jinchuuriki; yet, none of that changed the fact that he loved his dad. He wanted the Seventh Hokage back just as much as everyone, despite the aggravation the Uzumaki patriarch was causing many people with his intentional actions. Hinata would look down at her weeping children, shifting her gaze to Iruka as she gestured for him to approach them. And, after a somewhat brief exchange, she was able to get him to take the children elsewhere, taking Himawari and Boruto for a walk, letting them start to relax. Not that they were likely to get over this anytime soon.

Meanwhile, in the absence of her squadmate, Sarada had turned to her mother, Sakura, nervously asking: "Is Lord Seventh going to be alright, mom?" Sakura, who at this moment wanted to scold Naruto for causing trouble, was similarly at a loss for words. If Ino didn't know of a way to bring back Naruto's mind, they faced an overwhelmingly hopeless situation. "I'm sorry, Sarada, I don't know, to be honest. Growing up, I felt like Naruto could do anything. So powerful, so determined… But, I don't think this is something even he… or your father could fix." Sakura answered with a sigh, wishing she had better news for her daughter. But, she knew Sarada was instead attached to Naruto, wanting to become a Hokage just as he did; Sasuke and Naruto's kids wished to be like the other's parents. So, like Sarada wished to become the Hokage like Naruto, Boruto aspired to become a shinobi like Sasuke. Perhaps it had even been their destiny to recreate their fathers' relationship.

Finally, the most important question was being asked by none other than Naruto's predecessor as Hokage, Kakashi Hatake. In this crucial question, he had to ask: "What are the options for returning Naruto's mind if dispelling the jutsu isn't possible by any of us?" With their faces turned toward Ino, all of the remaining adults, and Sarada, were wondering the answer to this query, though likely none as intensely as Hinata. She was his wife, after all, and missed him dearly. She was vying for any opportunity to bring him home to her, no matter how small it might be. Ino didn't know many means to return Naruto's consciousness to his adult body. There was the only method of producing to his body his free will, choosing to cancel this hidden technique while in his younger body. However, Ino could think of a possible option, something they could at least try because Naruto hasn't yet chosen to come back.

"There is one thing we can do, but it risks doubling our current problem," Ino answered, looking down at the empty-minded Naruto as she pieced together this idea. Kakashi and Tsunade looked at each other as Ino said this, knowing they had to try something, regardless of the potential downside. Naruto was too important to let him rot away like this, possibly unconscious for the rest of his adult life. "It may be risky, but we need to hear it, Ino. What can we do?" Shikamaru finally asked the guilt pushing him to ignore all the consequences that the former teammate had mentioned. Ino took hold of the secret scroll, having held onto it ever since they found Naruto, his body having already been made into an empty shell. "We can't force Naruto to return, but we could send someone to where- I mean when he is. They can try to convince, or make him return." Ino's explanation boiled down to having someone else use the forbidden technique, sending them back to their younger body.

"Well, if we were to do this, Kakashi and I can't do it. We'll need to stay here, in case things go awry. If Naruto fails to come back, things could get tough, especially if the other villages and smaller nations learn of this." Tsunade had explained, fearing their established peace could fall without the Seventh's presence. After all, he was one of the more significant influences when promoting harmony between the powerful shinobi nations. Due to how the technique works, the candidates were brought down to Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino, and Sakura, assuming they don't try to pull in another shinobi or kunoichi. But, with the need for secrecy in this situation, telling others was a bit risky. "Maybe," Shikamaru began to say, "it should be Ino, Sakura, or Hinata that goes after him. Naruto might listen to his wife, or teammate more than anyone. As for Ino, she knows this technique better than anyone here, so she might be useful in that regard." It was a difficult choice regarding who to send after Lord Seventh, as both Hinata and Sakura presented problems with no parent being around to watch their respective children. Though, Shikamaru was confident they could have someone watch the likes of Himawari and Boruto or Sarada. It was a difficult decision to make and one that the named individuals had to think over. However, since this was Naruto they were trying to help, the women felt obligated, like they had to do something.

The choice to go to the past to bring back Naruto's consciousness had been a hard one, as none of the women had any idea about the success rate of their venture. Lord Seventh could easily ignore them and continue doing as he wished in his younger body. So, when goodbyes were ultimately made, it was done with much hardship and tears, knowing things could turn out very difficult for those impacted by the journey. They hoped they could identify Naruto's adult personality within his younger body and show the jinchuuriki how greatly he's needed in the future. If all else failed, they would do whatever necessary to force him to cast the dispelling technique. So, after making sure they knew how to cancel the method themselves, they brought themselves back to the Genin-years, beginning their search to locate their Naruto.