XX-level Hokage

Leaving Konoha Hospital, Mashiro arrived at the Hyuga clan's residence and went to their underground training room. It was the same familiar scene.

Reaching the corner, Mashiro summoned a shadow army. The shadow army sank into the ground, and after a while, it emerged from the ground, took out a scroll, and handed it to Mashiro.

Bai Zhen looked at the scroll and muttered to himself, "It seems to have been done at the same time. That's quite surprising."

Holding the scroll, Mashiro disappeared into the shadows, leaving the Hyuga clan's underground training room. In the Land of Iron, in a laboratory, Orochimaru stared blankly at the scene before him. "It feels so familiar... I feel like I've forgotten something," Orochimaru muttered to himself.

Orochimaru's current body is a contingency plan he left behind. After being killed by Mashiro, he was reborn in this body using a soul-splitting ninjutsu.

But whether it was due to the incompleteness of his soul or the changes in his body, Orochimaru always felt that there were some problems with his memories. "Why is this feeling of déjà vu getting stronger and stronger?" Orochimaru muttered to himself.

Orochimaru had always had a strange feeling, which started with a mission. At that time, he, Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina dealt with the turmoil of the Loulan Dragon Vein. But for some reason, Orochimaru always had a misconception that the mission was not a real "mission" but was artificially created.

This feeling grew clearer and clearer as Orochimaru's spirit was eroded, and he began to constantly recall what had happened. "What exactly happened?" Orochimaru muttered to himself.

Mashiro returned to the villa, went up to the third floor, and walked to the westernmost room.

A transparent glass ball appeared in Mashiro's hand, and she placed it on the bed. A wisp of smoke appeared.

Kushina's mind was in a state of confusion. She saw Minato and Izumi, and past memories flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

"What's wrong with me? My head hurts so much." Kushina gently touched her forehead, then looked at the unfamiliar ceiling. "Are you awake?" Mashiro murmured to himself, then helped Kushina sit up.

Seeing Mashiro, Kushina felt a little relieved and asked, "Izumi, where is this? What happened to me?" "This is the future, don't worry, it's normal to feel a little dizzy," Mashiro said gently.

"The future?" Mashiro's eyes widened as she looked at Mashiro and then at the surroundings. "That's right, this is the future," Mashiro said softly.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible, Izumi, are you kidding me? That's such an old joke," Kushina said with a forced smile.

“If you don’t believe me, you can go out and see for yourself,” Mashiro said softly, then stood up and made way for Kushina. Kushina frowned, quickly got up, pushed open the door, went downstairs, and left the villa.

Looking at the scene, so different from what she remembered, and the pedestrians around her dressed completely differently, Kushina felt a little bewildered. "What on earth happened?"

Kushina continued walking forward in the direction she remembered.

Upon arriving near the Hokage's office, Kushina saw the Hokage Rock not far away. "The First Hokage, the Second Hokage, the Third Hokage, and... Minato?!"

Kushina seemed to be both surprised and confused; her mind was beginning to believe, but her heart was still unwilling to accept it.

Arriving at the Hokage's office, she knocked gently. "Come in," Shizune said softly.

With incredibly mixed feelings, Kushina gently pushed open the door.

"Is there something you need?" Tsunade asked lazily, then looked up at the person who had entered. "Hmm?"

Tsunade's gaze turned serious, tinged with doubt. Kushina's self-aura was also filled with loneliness and self-mockery.

"Are you the current Hokage of Konoha, Lady Tsunade?" Kushina said.

"You are?! Kushina?!" Tsunade exclaimed in surprise. Kushina stepped forward, and their eyes met.

"So, does that mean Minato and I are already dead?" Kushina asked softly. Tsunade did not answer.

"Why are you here?" Tsunade asked.

"Perhaps it's because of Izumi," Kushina said softly, a hint of sadness in her voice, as she thought of Mashiro's face.

“Izumi?” Tsunade asked, somewhat puzzled. In her memory, there seemed to be no such person in Konoha. “Hyuga Izumi, a person who traveled through time,” Kushina explained.

“Hyuga? I understand.” Tsunade instantly thought of Mashiro. “What are you planning to do next?” Tsunade asked.

"Minato and I have a child, right?" Kushina said.

“Yes, his name is Naruto Uzumaki,” Tsunade said, not hiding her true feelings. “I want to see him,” Kushina said softly, closing her eyes.

"Okay, here's Naruto's address, but I hope you won't cause him too much trouble." Tsunade wrote Naruto's address on the paper and then said meaningfully.

"Don't worry, I won't reveal my identity." Kushina took the paper Tsunade handed her and whispered. (Author's Note)

I have something to do today, I'll be back at dawn tomorrow.

Chapter 126: Kushina and Naruto (Part 2)

Leaving the Hokage's office, Kushina was still somewhat incredulous, following the address Tsunade had given her. She had arrived in the future, but this future did not include her.

Arriving at the apartment building shown in the address, Naruto was the only resident in the entire building. After the Third Hokage arranged for him to live here, all the other residents of the building moved out.

"Are you here to see Naruto?" Just as Kushina was standing in front of the apartment, a black-haired girl carrying two transparent bags walked over.

“Yes, that’s right.” Kansina hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Haha, it seems I guessed right, after all, very few people come back here." The girl sighed softly and said. "What's wrong?" Kushina sensed something else in the girl's words.

"Because Naruto is here. Everyone else has moved away, and very few people come here anymore," the girl said.

"Why did everyone else move away? Shouldn't Naruto be very popular in the village?" Kansina asked, frowning slightly, somewhat puzzled.

In her view, since she and Minato died protecting Konoha, their son Naruto should be treated like a hero.

"Are you a ninja from another village? That should be common knowledge." The girl looked at Kushina with some doubt.

“Yes, I am from Loulan. I came to Konoha for certain reasons. I saved Naruto back then, so I wanted to come and see him,” Kushina said softly, her eyes lowered.

"I see. Naruto has been helping the village with a lot of missions lately, and many Konoha residents are starting to change their opinion of him."

Naruto is a very tragic person. When the Nine-Tails caused chaos, the Fourth Hokage risked his life to seal it away. The Third Hokage found Naruto at the place where it was sealed. Because the villagers believed that Naruto was the incarnation of the Nine-Tails, they all hated him. No children wanted to play with him, and no merchants wanted to sell him anything. He could only rely on the Third Hokage's help.

Naruto drinks milk and eats instant noodles, but because the Third Hokage is busy with his affairs, he can't visit Naruto often, and many times the milk Naruto drinks is expired.

It was under these circumstances that Naruto grew up. He was hardworking, optimistic, and beautiful.

Sometimes I think, if it were me, drinking expired milk, with no one to keep me company, facing the hateful gazes of the entire village, I definitely couldn't do what Naruto did. "The girl said with a hint of regret.

"Didn't the Third Hokage mention Naruto's parents?" Kushina asked, her expression grim and her voice low. "No, Naruto has always been an orphan," the girl replied, shaking her head.

"Oh, I see. By the way, are you here to see Naruto too?" Kushina put away her cold expression, revealed a smile, and asked the girl softly.

"I was sent by Lady Mashiro to deliver supplies to Naruto. Although Naruto has money now, he still forgets to buy supplies. I come about once every two weeks, and I've been doing this for three years now," the girl said with a smile.

"Um, may I ask who Mashiro-sama is?" Kushina asked softly. "Mashiro-sama is Mashiro-sama," the girl replied noncommittally.

After saying that, the girl picked up the vegetables and fruits in her hand and prepared to go into the apartment. Kushina saw this and wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

At this moment, the girl turned her head and looked at Kushina, whose expression was complicated, and said softly, "How about you help me deliver supplies to Naruto today? I happen to have some things to do later."

Is this okay?

Kushina was still somewhat hesitant.

Her hesitation and confusion are completely understandable. In her memory, she and Minato were not yet married, but suddenly, her son was already an adult. She felt scared and at a loss, not knowing how to face Naruto.

"This is the key to Naruto's room. If he's not home, you can use the key to open the door." The girl said, handing the supplies she was carrying to Jiu.

Xin Nai then took out a key and placed it in her hand.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll be going now." The girl said, turning to leave.

Although it felt a little strange, Kushina really needed a legitimate reason to see Naruto. "Thank you."

After Kushina finished speaking, she went up the stairs of the apartment building.

After Kushina's figure disappeared, Mashiro emerged from the shadows.

"Lord Mashiro, I have completed the task you assigned me." Upon seeing Mashiro, the girl knelt on one knee and said respectfully. "Yes, you did very well," Mashiro praised.

Yamamoto Kazuya, a former member of the "Root" reconnaissance department, was given a special mission by Mashiro three years ago: to take care of Naruto Uzumaki's daily life and to try to become a close person to him.

She came here today on Mashiro's orders; everything she said and did just now was all part of Mashiro's plan. "So, what will you choose, Kushina?" Mashina murmured, then walked up the apartment stairs.

In front of Naruto's residence, Kushina breathed a sigh of relief and then knocked on the door. "Knock knock knock"

"Is that you, Kazuha-nee?" Naruto's joyful voice came from the doorway. Then came the sound of the door opening.

“Hehe… um, who are you?” Naruto opened the door, saw Kushina, and asked.

"I have some business with her, so I asked her to bring you supplies for the next two weeks." Kushina said in a low voice, looking at Naruto's face, which bore a striking resemblance to Minato's.

"Oh, this is really troublesome. Please come in." Naruto scratched his head, took the supplies from Kushina's hands, and then led her into the room. Sitting on the sofa, Kushina looked around at the surroundings. It was somewhat cluttered, but the furnishings were very simple, with nothing superfluous except for the most basic furniture.

The clutter made the space somewhat cramped overall.

Naruto poured a glass of water and handed it to Kushina.

"Why not move to a bigger house?" Kushina asked softly, holding her water glass in both hands.

"I live in a much bigger place now, with a sofa and some appliances, and sunlight shines through the windows. It's enough for me living alone." - Naruto

He smiled and said he was very satisfied with his current living situation.

Naruto's current room was arranged by Mashiro. Before, Naruto lived on the top floor; the room was old, messy, and always in disarray. "Is that so?"

For some reason, Kushina burst into tears, her tears falling into the cup and dissolving in the hot water.

Although Kushina was terrified of seeing Naruto before, when she actually met him, her heart suddenly trembled, and an innate sense of closeness still surrounded her.

So when Naruto was content with the room that seemed a bit cramped to her, the information she had heard from him earlier also came flooding back. A strong sour feeling filled her nose, and her heart ached for Naruto.

"Sister, what's wrong? Um, I, um..." Seeing Kushina suddenly start crying, Naruto was at a loss and could only hurriedly look for...

He handed over the banknotes.

"Naruto, she's alright. She's probably a little sad because you remind her of family." Mashiro appeared in the room at that moment and said softly.

"Mashiro-nee, you're here." Naruto greeted her with a smile.

Mashiro sat down next to Kushina, and Kushina also turned to look at Mashiro.

Their eyes met, and Kushina's gaze held sadness, heartache, and confusion. "Mashiro?"

Kushina seemed to be beginning to understand something.

"Naruto, this is my friend, her name is Uzumaki Izumi." Mashiro glanced at Kushina and said softly.

Chapter 127: What is your choice?

"Uzumaki Izumi? Uzumaki? That's the same surname as mine," Naruto said, somewhat surprised.

"That's right. The Uzumaki clan has been sparsely populated since the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools. Not long ago, Izumi's relatives also passed away. This morning I brought her to Konoha. Perhaps it's because her relatives looked somewhat like you that I felt a little sad." Mashiro said with a smile.

"I see." Naruto said softly, then looked at Kushina with eyes full of affection.

For some reason, when he first saw this red-haired woman, he felt a strong sense of familiarity, which made him inexplicably want to get closer to her. Now it seems that this may be because they are of the same race.

"So I thought I'd let her come see you. Blood-related, you two should be considered family, so you can spend more time together in the future," Masashi said with a smile.

"Of course, from the moment I first saw Eto, I felt an inexplicable sense of closeness, and I also wanted to connect with Eto more." Naruto smiled and then looked at Kushina, who had stopped crying.

At this moment, Kushina's mind was in chaos. Too many questions surfaced in her mind, and she felt like a piece of driftwood floating in a flood, drifting with the current.