[(Alternate) Konoha — Evening]
After the bathhouse, Naruto and Sakura each made their way back to their respective homes.
Namikaze Residence…
Naruto stood at the front door, hesitating for a moment. Then, with trembling hands, he pushed it open.
"I… I'm back."
"Welcome home. Go wash your hands first — dinner will be ready soon."
Kushina stepped out from the kitchen, her voice warm and gentle.
Naruto spoke carefully, a little at a loss:
"Um…"
Kushina read the situation immediately and smiled.
"You can call me Mom. You're my child too, Naruto."
Naruto could no longer hold back his tears.
"…Mom."
Kushina reached out and gently cradled his face in her hands.
"Mm. Welcome home, Naruto."
She had heard from Nagi long ago about what Naruto's life had been like in the other world — and it had broken her heart. Now, at last, she had a chance to look after this child from another world, even if only for a little while.
"I'm home."
Minato came through the door shortly after, having left the Hokage Office early.
"Welcome home."
"…Dad."
"Mm. Naruto — want to go practice some ninjutsu with me after dinner?"
"Yes!"
Minato had been planning to come home early these past few days. After all, this child from another world had grown up without a father's love, and he wanted to make the most of however much time they had together.
Haruno Residence…
Ino had dropped Sakura off and left.
Sakura stared at the house before her, completely bewildered.
"This is… my house? When did my house get this fancy?"
Kizashi Haruno stepped out from inside.
"Oh ho! You must be my precious daughter from the other world. Minato filled me in — just make yourself at home for the next few days, alright?"
Mebuki Haruno followed him out and gently ushered Sakura through the door.
"Come on, no need to be shy. Treat this place like your own home."
"Uh…"
At dinner that evening, Mebuki kept piling food onto Sakura's plate with tender care, asking her again and again how things were going for her in the other world — whether she was eating well, whether she was happy.
Kizashi, equally attentive, gently asked after this other-world daughter's love life.
Watching these warm, considerate parents in front of her, Sakura felt a deep, quiet envy for the version of herself who lived in this world.
Back in her room afterward, she lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. When she had arrived in this world and first met her own parents here — had she perhaps been too sharp with them? Too quick to push them away?
…
[(Original) Konoha — A Few Hours Earlier]
Ino was up on the back mountain, picking flowers.
Without warning, a flash of light split across the sky.
Ino looked up sharply — and saw two figures tumbling down from above. One had short pink hair. The other had golden twin pigtails.
That's right. These two were none other than Sakura and Naruko from the other world.
The moment Ino recognized them, she cried out in astonishment:
"Sakura!"
"Na— Naruto?!"
(Ino had seen Naruto's Sexy Technique in class when they were younger, so catching sight of Naruko, she immediately assumed Naruto was up to his old tricks again.)
Naruko and Sakura had been half-dazed from the fall. Ino's shout snapped them back to consciousness. The two quickly righted themselves mid-air and landed safely on the ground.
After landing, Naruko and Sakura took stock of their surroundings.
Sakura said slowly: "Mm… is this the back mountain?"
Naruko nodded — then shook her head.
"It looks like it, but… something's off. The chakra here feels different somehow."
At that very moment, at the Otogakure Research Division — Wind Country Branch:
Nagi's eyes narrowed slightly. A flicker of perception crossed his face.
"…Sakura. Naruto."
Ino came hurrying over with her flower basket.
"Ino?" ×2
Ino reached them and looked between the two of them, puzzled.
"So — Sakura, Naruto — why exactly were you falling from the sky?"
"I have no idea. I blinked and suddenly… here I am." Sakura shook her head.
Naruko looked at Ino with a strange expression.
"Ino, my name is Naruko. Not Naruto."
Ino clapped a hand on Naruko's shoulder with a knowing, man-I-get-you look.
"Yeah yeah, Naruko, right. Roleplaying, I get it. Though I have to say… your Sexy Technique is getting pretty convincing."
"Uh…" ×2
Looking at this Ino in front of them, both Sakura and Naruko felt a persistent sense of wrongness they couldn't quite shake.
"Hmm?"
Ino, for her part, was also starting to sense that something genuinely wasn't right.
…
[Hokage's Office]
Tsunade circled Sakura and Naruko, looking them over from every angle.
Sakura and Naruko, for their part, kept staring at Tsunade. More specifically, at the front of Tsunade.
Both of them had the exact same thought running on loop: Is that surgery? Did she have something put in?
Tsunade finally said: "Well, I have to hand it to you, Naruto — this Sexy Technique of yours has gotten seriously impressive. I checked with Medical Ninjutsu. Physiologically, you're completely identical to a woman."
Naruko's face turned red.
"I am a woman — and my name is Naruko, not Naruto — wait. Naruto!"
Something suddenly clicked. Naruko grabbed Tsunade by the shoulders.
"You just said Naruto! Just now!"
Tsunade grabbed Naruko's hands immediately.
"Ow ow ow — let go first—"
Naruko caught herself.
"Sorry. Lost control of my strength for a second."
Tsunade stared at her, genuinely perplexed.
"That's strange — when did you get so strong? And Naruto— no, Naruko — you're saying you're actually a girl. What in the world is going on?"
"Allow me to explain."
An unhurried, measured voice came from behind the group.
Everyone turned.
It was Nagi.
Tsunade frowned. "Nagi, what exactly is—"
"Nagi!!!"
Naruko shot forward and threw her arms around him, tears spilling down her face before she could stop them.
Nagi gently placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair.
"It's been a while, Naruko. Sakura."
"It has. Hello, Nagi." Sakura replied with a polite smile.
"…I'm so glad. It's really you, it's really Nagi. Your chakra is a little different, but your presence — it's still you. Wahhh…"
Naruko buried her face in his chest and kept crying.
…
Tsunade watched Naruko nestled against Nagi's chest, her eyelid twitching slightly — because in her eyes, this looked an awful lot like Naruto snuggling up to Nagi.
"So. She's Naruto from another world."
"Mm."
Ino watched Naruko's easy, familiar closeness with Nagi and asked, baffled:
"Uh… Naruko. What exactly is your relationship with Nagi?"
Naruko answered with a blissful smile:
"Nagi and I are a couple~"
"!!!"
Ino froze completely.
Tsunade and Shizune exchanged a look of weary exasperation. Good grief, Nagi — another girlfriend? Just how many do you have at this point?
Nagi, looking at Naruko, found himself drifting back to the memory of how Naruko, Hinata, and Satsuki had orchestrated their ambush on him that night.
He had been staying at the Hyūga estate, and after finishing Hanabi's bedtime story and waiting for her to fall asleep, he had just been about to leave the room — when the three of them launched a sudden night raid.
All three wore their most decisive outfits. The message was unmistakable: they were not leaving until they got what they came for.
To protect Hanabi's young and innocent heart from the spectacle, Nagi had agreed to their request to become his girlfriends.
"Honestly. Using Hanabi as a bargaining chip — shameless, the lot of you."
And yet — how was Nagi to have known that Hanabi herself had been one of the masterminds all along?
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