Naruto had spent the most unforgettable three days of his life. Here, he had his father and mother. Here, he had older siblings. No one looked at him with strange eyes. Even the shopkeepers were extra friendly when he went out to buy something.
In this world, Sasuke had never left the village. Sakura still liked Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei still loved reading Jiraiya's smutty novels…
More than once, Naruto thought to himself—if only the world he came from could be like this. If only he had parents. If only… he could stay here forever.
"No, no," Naruto shook his head hard. "I still have to go back. There are things I must do."
According to Minato's examination, there was residual "space-time energy" in Naruto's body. Once it dissipated, he would return to his original world.
"It should be soon, right?" Naruto looked up at the Hokage Rock, where there were only four faces carved. He felt reluctant to leave.
"At the very least, I should say goodbye." Naruto glanced longingly at the people bustling through the streets and slowly made his way home.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto pushed open the door. "I'm ba—huh?"
"Happy birthday!" *n
A banner unfurled above his head as countless strands of confetti rained down on him, covering his hair and face before he could react.
In the centre of the living room stood a giant birthday cake. Minato and Kushina were at the table, surrounded by Kimimaro, Haku, Karin, and the rest of the Konoha 11. Everyone was smiling warmly—even Akamaru. Sasuke looked as awkward as ever, but even he was here.
"What… is all this?" Naruto was dazed and overwhelmed.
"Because I wanted to make up for a missed birthday," Kushina said with a smile, pulling him toward the table. "I told everyone, and they were all happy to come celebrate."
Looking at the smiling faces—and Sasuke's classic tsundere scowl—Naruto's vision began to blur. To hide his emotions, he quickly closed his eyes and made a wish:
"I wish I could bring Sasuke back safely. I wish I could become Hokage. I wish… I could see Mom and Dad again..."
He took a deep breath and blew at the candles—only for the flames to flicker but not go out.
Naruto blinked in surprise and forced a laugh. "Guess I was too greedy, huh? Too many wishes… even the candles won't go out…"
"Naruto…"
"Naruto…"
Everyone was looking at him with concern. Only then did Naruto notice the faint white glow on his body—he was slowly becoming translucent.
"So, this is it, huh?" Naruto lifted his head, forcing a goofy smile as always. "Well then, it's time for me to go. Thank you, everyone, for taking care of me these past few days. Thank you all for celebrating my birthday. Thank you… for letting me meet my parents…"
Minato placed a hand just above Naruto's head. "Naruto, your name came from one of Jiraiya's novels. I gave you that name hoping you'd grow into a great ninja, someone who would never give up no matter how tough things got. Even though you hadn't met us before, your mom and I were always with you in spirit. So go on, Naruto… keep giving it your all."
"I will! I'll work even harder—twice, no, three times harder! I'll become a great ninja that everyone acknowledges! And then… I'll become a Hokage who surpasses even my dad!" As Naruto's body faded, a single tear fell. He left them with his final words:
"Goodbye, everyone…"
Just before Naruto vanished completely, a soft breeze blew out the candles.
…
"This is… a desert?" Naruto squinted, adjusting to the sudden shift in light and scenery. "Right—this is Rōran. I'm back?"
A familiar voice called out beside him.
"Finally back, huh, Naruto? We've been waiting for you," said Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here?" Naruto's eyes widened. Last he remembered, Yamato was leading the mission to Rōran with him, Sakura, and Sai.
Kakashi put away his little orange book. "We got word that you and Yamato went missing. The one who came back was Yamato—and another Naruto."
Sai's smile was as stiff as always. "Anyway, it's a relief that you're back safe and sound."
Yamato nodded. "You gave us all quite a scare."
"You really went to another world?" Sakura asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Yeah. It was an amazing place." Naruto thought back to the past few days. It all felt like a dream.
Kakashi said, "Let's talk on the way. We've already been delayed long enough. Lady Hokage is probably furious."
"Ugh…" Just the thought of Tsunade blowing a gasket made everyone sweat nervously.
"Did you guys meet the other me?" Naruto asked. "What was he like?"
Kakashi scratched his chin. "How should I put it… kind of a menace, honestly?"
"A menace?"
"Yeah. The first thing he did was call Sakura 'Saku-bro.' Then he asked Yamato if he was here to 'reforest the desert.' Told Sai to wipe that fake smile off his face, then threatened to deck him…"
Naruto glanced over at Sai. "Did he hit you?"
Sakura waved it off. "No. Kakashi-sensei stopped him. He said he'd let it go for 'Kak-bro's' sake and dropped it… Though I'm pretty sure, none of those nicknames was compliments."
Naruto chuckled. "He sounds kinda fun, actually. Makes me wanna meet him."
"He's way stronger than you right now. Rasengan, Sage Mode—even Flying Raijin. He was basically…" Kakashi trailed off, recalling the silhouette that looked just like Minato. "Well, anyway, don't lose to yourself."
"Obviously not!" Naruto grinned. "Did he wait for me here too?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Nope. Once he confirmed his situation, he left. Said he didn't have much time and had things to do. We couldn't stop him. Hopefully, he won't cause too much trouble…"
…
The next evening, they returned to Konoha.
As soon as they entered the village, they saw a massive wreckage.
Sai looked at the location. "That's… Root's headquarters, isn't it?"
"Root? An enemy attack?" Kakashi's mind raced. "Don't tell me… he did this?"
They rushed over and questioned the gatekeepers.
Izumo replied, "Yeah, it suddenly exploded yesterday. A huge noise shook the whole village. They found Danzo and a dozen Root members dead in the rubble. Still investigating the cause."
Kotetsu added, "The advisors are saying it was an attack, but no one saw anyone infiltrate. No trace of any intruder at all."
Sai suddenly remembered something. He opened his mouth to show Yamato. "The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal is gone… Danzo really is dead."
Kakashi pieced it together. A Tailed Beast Bomb could've done it. And with his skill, sneaking into the village without a trace wasn't hard at all…
"…Let's go report to the Hokage."
Tsunade had been completely overwhelmed these past two days. First Naruto disappeared, then Root was obliterated. She wasn't exactly mourning Danzo, but something this big happening right under her nose made her uneasy. What if the next target was the Hokage Tower?
After hearing Kakashi's full report, she finally relaxed.
"Another world's Naruto, huh? Not bad. Well done."
"I wonder if he did anything else…" Sakura's question left the room in deep thought.
Tsunade could only order the ANBU to quietly investigate.
In truth, the alternate Naruto hadn't had time to do much. He'd rushed back from the Wind Country just to blow up Root, dropped a future spoiler in Kakashi's home, and then tried to find Sasuke for a beatdown… but got forcibly recalled before even leaving the Land of Fire.
By the time they left the Hokage's office, night had already fallen.
Everyone went their separate ways.
Naruto instinctively walked in a familiar direction before stopping himself.
"…Ah. Wrong way. My house… isn't over there."
After a short silence, Naruto forced a smile and turned around. When he reached his apartment, the lights were out, just like always.
"No big deal. I've been used to this for years, right?" He plastered a grin on his face and gripped the doorknob.
"I'm home." As expected, no response.
He took off his shoes, turned on the lights, and reached for a cup of instant ramen.
"Welcome home!"
Was that… his imagination? Naruto blinked and shook his head, preparing to boil water.
"Naruto!"
Clang! The kettle clattered to the floor. Ignoring it, Naruto dove into his mental space.
Inside, standing before him, were two figures—one with blond hair, the other with red.
Tears burst from his eyes uncontrollably.
"I'm back!"
"Welcome home!"
(End of Story)