Feeling Sasuke walk up behind him silently, Kakashi turned and put a finger to his lips. He gestured quietly toward the family on the floor of his room.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the distinct white cloak of the blonde man. He looked back at Kakashi, questioning the sight with a stunned stare. Kakashi gave a slow, silent nod, confirming that it was, in fact, the Fourth Hokage, and he was fully alive.
Sasuke watched the family, feeling a slight tug on his heart. It was a subtle, internal shift that Kakashi picked up on immediately, though Sasuke kept his expression entirely neutral.
Karin appeared in a body flicker directly in the yard. Seeing Kakashi and Sasuke standing together in the open front doorway, she called out to them.
"Hey! What are you two doing just standing around the door?"
Her voice cut through the house, instantly catching Naruto's attention inside. Karin walked up the porch steps, but she froze dead in her tracks the exact moment she peered past the two men. Her eyes went wide as she stared into the room, locking onto the vibrant, unmistakable red hair that matched her own perfectly.
Minato and Kushina looked up, their gazes shifting toward the front door. Kushina's eyes locked onto the girl. She wiped a tear from her face and let go of Naruto, pushing herself up from the floor with a wide, bright smile.
"You must be Karin, right? You're so pretty," Kushina said, her voice filled with immediate warmth. "My son is definitely lucky to have found such a beautiful girlfriend."
Karin's jaw dropped as a massive blush instantly rushed across her face, her eyes darting between Kushina's vibrant red hair and Naruto, completely stunned into silence.
"Well, are you not going to say anything to your future mother-in-law?" Kakashi teased Karin a little, immediately raising his hands in amused surrender when the spiked end of one of her adamantine chains sprang out and danced like a cobra. "Scary."
Kushina's eyes widened to the size of saucers at the sight of the glowing golden link hovering in the doorway, a huge, ecstatic grin immediately splitting her face.
"The Adamantine Sealing Chains!" Kushina gasped, looking like she was about to explode from pure joy as she stared at Karin. "Minato, look! Look, ya know! She can manifest the chains already!"
"I can see that; she must be very talented," Minato replied while standing. He held out a hand to help Naruto up.
Naruto grabbed his hand and pulled himself up, a huge, sheepish grin breaking across his face as he wiped away the last of his tears.
Meanwhile, Karin was practically melting from embarrassment. She quickly snapped the chain back inside her body, her face burning crimson as she shot a glare at a completely unbothered Kakashi.
"I-I'm Karin," she stammered out, bowing her head slightly toward Kushina, completely losing her usual fiery composure. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Kushina."
Kushina instantly stepped forward, catching Karin by the shoulders to gently pull her out of the bow. Before Karin could even look up, Kushina wrapped her arms tightly around her, pulling her into a warm hug.
"Don't call me 'Lady Kushina,' ya know! That's far too formal for us," Kushina said, her voice rich with affection. She kept one arm around Karin's shoulders as she turned her head to look at Kakashi, a playful pout on her lips. "And the same goes for you, Kakashi! None of that formal stuff from now on."
Kakashi gave a thumbs-up, expecting her to bring that up eventually.
Kushina's gaze then shifted past the doorway, landing directly on Sasuke. She went completely still, her eyes widening as she took in the dark hair, the sharp features, and the distinct crest on his clothes. The memories Kakashi had shared of the Uchiha's tragic history and the boy's battles flashed in her mind, but her heart immediately anchored to something else entirely.
The last time she saw this boy, she was heavily pregnant herself, and Sasuke was just a tiny, quiet baby held lovingly in Mikoto's arms.
"Sasuke..." Kushina murmured.
She slowly let go of Karin, stepping toward the doorway. Kakashi turned his body slightly to give her space as she passed, bringing her right in front of the young Uchiha. Sasuke stilled, his arms crossing over his chest as his dark eyes locked onto her, keeping his posture guarded.
Kushina stopped just a foot away from him, looking up at him with a nostalgic expression.
"Look how much you've grown," she said, a small, familiar smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as her eyes crinkled with fond amusement. "The last time I saw you, Mikoto was holding you in her arms, complaining about how much of a quiet baby you were. You look so much like her, ya know."
She crossed her own arms, letting out a soft chuckle. "Though, I suppose you should thank her for that. You definitely got all your good looks from your mother's side of the family. Fugaku was a good man, but he always looked like he was chewing on a sour lemon."
The faintest smirk tugged at the corner of Sasuke's mouth at that. He had never heard anyone say anything like that about his father, alive or dead. Everyone was always incredibly respectful when speaking of the Uchiha clan head, but he had to admit his father really did look exactly as she described him.
Kakashi headed into the kitchen, silently pulling out a large portion of Sea King meat to feed everyone. He checked his inventory, found some name-brand spices from his other life, pulled them out, and started preparing the Sea King meat.
Over at the dining table, the group settled in smoothly. Karin and Kushina talked with immediate energy, sharing stories and consistently pulling Sasuke into the conversation to keep him included.
On the other side of the table, Minato turned to Naruto to talk about the Flying Raijin, knowing from the memories that his son had mastered it. Minato listened in genuine shock as Naruto explained how he had to use Level 3 to send a Tailed Beast Bomb away from the Eight-Tails, even putting a permanent mark on Killer Bee.
Leaning in closer, Naruto started to whisper.
"I actually pushed the Flying Raijin to level 4 with the help of Karin; level 5 is something I can use too. I've had some," Naruto spared a glance at Sasuke. "Inspiration for level 5."
Minato's eyes instantly lit up with the pure excitement of a total jutsu fanatic. He leaned in even closer to his son, completely captivated by the breakthrough. "Level four and five? That's incredible, Naruto! Tell me, do you have the names for them yet? Because if you need any help, I actually have a few ideas; maybe we can work a name out for them—"
Naruto let out a small chuckle, a massive sweatdrop forming on the back of his head as he held up his hands defensively.
Across the table, Kushina paused mid-sentence. She hadn't been paying close attention to their talk, but her ears picked up her husband muttering something about naming a technique. She leveled a stern, mock glare straight at him.
"No," Kushina spoke up firmly. "Minato Namikaze, you and naming things should never be spoken in the same sentence, ya know!"
Minato flinched slightly, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Come on, Kushina, my names aren't that bad."
"Not that bad?" Kushina huffed, crossing her arms. "You wanted to call the Rasengan the 'Halo Frozen Dessert Hair Whorl Jiraiya Twin Formula Sphere!' It takes three minutes to say it out loud!"
A deep flush immediately crept up Minato's neck and onto his cheeks. He looked down at the table, completely embarrassed as he muttered under his breath about the benefit of a descriptive title.
Naruto lightly patted his dad on the back, blinking when the man seemed to bounce back fast, the embarrassment evaporating instantly as Minato leaned back in, his eyes gleaming once more.
"So," Minato whispered, lowering his voice like they were a bunch of gossiping housewives. "Tell me about this Level 4."
"Well, Level 4 is about Spatial Recall," Naruto whispered, leaning in closer. "Instead of leaving my kunai all over the place or picking them up after a fight, I just flare my chakra. Every knife with my mark teleports right back into my pouch, or straight into my hands."
Minato's jaw dropped slightly, staring at his son as he processed the idea of reversing the formula's direction.
"And if I'm in a fast fight, I can throw a kunai, use Level 2, and then instantly pull that same knife back to my hand mid-air to throw it again," Naruto added with a grin. "But the best part is if I put a mark directly on an enemy. If they try to run, Level 4 doesn't move me to them; it pulls them through space right to where I'm standing. The rest at that point is for me to decide."
Before Minato could ask about Level 5, Kakashi walked out carrying a massive, steaming server plate piled high with the freshly spiced Sea King meat, stacked steak on top of steaks. Alongside the meat, he carried silverware and plates for everyone.
The rich, savory aroma immediately filled the entire room, completely cutting off the whispering.
A chorus of loud, violent stomach growls suddenly echoed around the table. Kushina quickly wiped a trace of drool off the side of her mouth, her eyes glued to the meat. Even Sasuke's nose twitched as he watched the massive stack.
Kakashi set the food down in the center of the table, arranging the plates and silverware for everyone. "Alright, conversation pauses here. Dinner is served. Eat up while it's hot."
Kakashi paused, realizing he had forgotten the drinks, and went back into the kitchen, returning with a large pitcher of iced sweet tea and cups for everyone, pouring them all a drink before taking his place to the right of Naruto, Minato on Naruto's left, and Karin across from Naruto, Kushina across from Minato, and Sasuke across from Kakashi.
"Well, what are you all waiting for?" Kakashi asked, seeing that everyone hadn't touched the food.
"You should take the first piece, Kakashi," Minato said with a warm smile, answering directly. "You prepared everything, so it's only right."
Hearing that, the rest of the table settled their eyes on Kakashi, waiting for him to start. Kakashi let out a small, amused huff and reached forward with a fork. He pulled a thick, perfectly seared piece of Sea King meat onto his own plate.
The moment his steak touched his dish, the polite restraint ended. Everyone quickly but orderly reached for their own plates and silverware, eagerly serving themselves from the massive stack of steaks.
Kakashi cut into his tender steak, feeling good to have these two back; he nearly forgot how much they could light up a room.
- Chapter End -
I was only able to create 2 chapters for you all today, sorry about that. I was looking forward to making 3 or 4, but I tend to get busy at the drop of a hat.