"Mom…"
This call escaped Naruto's throat uncontrollably. He didn't understand the situation at all, but the moment he was tightly embraced by this strange yet familiar red-haired woman, a torrent of unfamiliar yet incredibly warm emotions, which he had never truly experienced in his life, surged and overwhelmed his entire heart.
It was a kind of maternal love he had only glimpsed in dreams or on others, but which had never belonged to him.
"Mm… it's me…" Hearing this call, even though her Edo Tensei body couldn't shed real tears, Kushina's voice was full of tears and tenderness. "It's Mom…"
She just continued to hold the child in her arms even tighter with her slightly trembling arms. The immense regret of not being able to witness her child's growth before her death seemed to be somewhat alleviated at this moment.
Immense tenderness and a deeper sense of guilt for missing his entire childhood intertwined, filling her soul.
Satsuki, who had been standing by, had already stood up, her brows tightly furrowed. According to her usual personality, if she saw a strange woman suddenly hug Naruto, her reaction would definitely be very intense and impolite.
However, when the red-haired woman spoke her first words, the intense emotion contained within them made Satsuki freeze instantly.
Satsuki felt a sense of familiarity.
It wasn't until Naruto called out "Mom" that Satsuki suddenly realized what that familiar emotion was—it was unconditional maternal love.
But… Naruto's mom?!
Satsuki's heart was filled with immense confusion and bewilderment. Wasn't Naruto an orphan since childhood? She grew up with Naruto, and not only had she never seen his parents, but she had never even heard anyone mention their identities or names, as if they didn't exist at all.
And… wasn't this woman in front of her a bit… too young?
The red-haired woman tightly holding Naruto looked at most in her early twenties. Based on Naruto's current age, they didn't look like mother and son at all; saying they were siblings might even be more believable.
What exactly was going on?
Thinking of this, a feeling of doubt welled up in her heart. Satsuki immediately stepped forward, and while Kushina was still immersed in the choked-up excitement of their reunion, she reached out and gently separated the two.
Her embrace suddenly empty, Kushina looked up blankly, somewhat lost and bewildered, at the black-haired girl who had interrupted their mother-son embrace—this was the girl she had seen that afternoon when she secretly followed, the one who dared to confront the entire Village for Naruto, fiercely speaking up for him.
Why was she still at Naruto's house at this hour?
"Wait? You said… you're Naruto's mom?"
Looking at Satsuki's wary gaze, Kushina carefully observed the exquisitely beautiful, cool-tempered black-haired girl in front of her… She was so protective of Naruto, and she was still at his house at this hour… Could it be?!
A thought that made her heart stir surfaced, and Kushina immediately reined in her excitement, trying to show her gentlest side as she introduced herself. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Naruto's mom, Uzumaki Kushina."
She looks a bit older than that woman… Satsuki looked at the other person's face, which appeared to be only in her early twenties, and her confusion deepened. Just as she was about to press for more answers, Naruto spoke.
"Mm… Satsuki," Naruto's voice carried a complex but certain meaning. His gaze towards Kushina was filled with indescribable emotion. "Although it looks really strange, she is indeed my mom… there's no mistake."
Hearing her son's certain tone, Kushina's last trace of uncertainty vanished. It seems he recognized me even when I was controlled and fighting him?
Was it a resonance deep in their bloodline? Or the natural intuition between mother and son? However, she didn't care at all how Naruto recognized her; as long as their reunion at this moment was real, that was enough.
Although at the end of the battle, the Naruto she saw seemed a little more mature than he was now—this world's Naruto knew how to eat a balanced diet, so he had developed better than in the original story. So at least he wasn't the shortest one in Team 7 anymore.
Kushina had already prepared herself for detailed questioning and having to explain at length. However, what she didn't expect was that after Satsuki heard Naruto's personal confirmation, although an expression of extreme surprise instantly appeared on her face, the doubt in her eyes quickly dissipated?!
She… just believed it?
Immediately after, when Satsuki looked at Kushina again, the surprise in her eyes faded, replaced by a more obvious dissatisfaction, even carrying… reproach.
"…So…" Satsuki's voice deepened, "Why… all these years, have you never been by Naruto's side?"
Every time she recalled the isolation and cold stares Naruto suffered in the Village, Satsuki couldn't help but feel anger and heartache.
At this moment, even though she realized that the woman in front of her might take some of Naruto's attention, her deeper desire was for Naruto to have a happy childhood surrounded by maternal love. This question was asked for Naruto.
Kushina, having learned of Naruto's childhood experiences from what she witnessed that afternoon, naturally understood the reason behind Satsuki's questioning and her deep protectiveness.
She looked at Satsuki, her eyes dimming slightly, and replied with a bitter tone. "Because… on the day Naruto was born, I already died. So, my age and appearance are forever frozen at the moment my life passed away."
She savored Satsuki's even more shocked expression at this answer than before, and then, she performed an astonishing act: she raised her right hand, and then, under Satsuki's and Naruto's gaze, with a "snap," she cleanly broke one of her fingers!
However, the expected gushing blood did not appear. The broken finger quickly turned into fine dust, scattering silently into the air.
And at the site of the broken finger, a new finger rapidly condensed from dust and grew out at a visible speed, restoring itself to normal in an instant.
"Do you see? I also only 'returned' to this world today because of some forbidden jutsu… But this isn't true resurrection. In this state, I can't even feel pain."
And during the previous conversation and observation, Kushina also understood who this beautiful and distinctively spirited girl was from Satsuki's features and Naruto's address to her. An Uchiha… Satsuki… Could this be Mikoto's youngest daughter?!
This was a huge surprise for Kushina. She remembered very clearly that when she was pregnant with Naruto, she had visited Uchiha Mikoto shortly after she gave birth and had seen the tiny Satsuki still in her swaddling clothes.
Because her relationship with Mikoto was so good, the two had even agreed that if she gave birth to a boy, they would arrange an engagement for the two children… She never thought… their fate would continue in this way… Finally having explained the most basic situation, Kushina no longer hesitated, stepped through the door, and once again reached out, gently and lovingly pulling Naruto, who was still a bit stunned, back into her embrace.
"…Mom has… so, so many things she wants to tell you."
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