Konoha Notes.

Chapter 462 The Temporary Dawn

My father's body is not warm.

But when he was hugged, Naruto felt a sense of security he had never experienced before.

"Do you want to see your mother?"

The sound of the water gate echoed in my ears.

Naruto instinctively looked out the window, where there was only night.

At that very moment.

The scenery in the field of vision rippled and melted like water.

Instead, there was an endless expanse of warm golden light.

The light wasn't dazzling; it gently enveloped him, like soaking in a perfectly warm hot spring.

The slightly chilly room from before had disappeared, and the father's embrace had temporarily loosened.

Then a completely different person appeared before me.

She had long red hair, wore a white sleeveless top, and a refreshing green long skirt over it. She stood there with a gentle expression on her face that Naruto had never seen before, yet had imagined countless times in his heart.

He had never met her, didn't know what her voice sounded like, or what her smile looked like.

For the first time, his mind was acutely aware of who she was.

His body reacted even faster than his brain. By the time he realized what was happening, he had already pounced on the other person and wrapped his arms tightly around their waist.

"I……"

"I've always... always wanted to see you, Mom..."

Kushina's hand rested on Naruto's shoulder, stroking his back. Her eyelids lowered, her eyelashes casting small shadows in the warm light. "Finally..."

Minato approached from the light, stretched out his arms, and pulled his wife and son into his embrace.

Kushina then leaned the child against her husband's chest.

"Finally, Minato..."

A cool breeze flowed in through the open window.

Naruto closed his eyes and rested his cheek on Minato's leg.

The Fourth Hokage picked up the child, placed him on the bed, and pulled the blanket over him.

After doing all this, Minato took off his white divine robe.

The words "Fourth Hokage" were clearly visible on the robe.

He bent down and draped his outer robe over Naruto's blanket.

After doing all this, Minato straightened up, walked to the window, and looked at the rooftops in the distance.

Jiraiya squatted there.

The master and disciple's gazes met briefly in the silence. Without saying much, the white-haired toad sage nodded to his disciple and disappeared above the rooftop.

Instead of disturbing the tranquility inside the window, he ran towards the direction of Konoha Hospital.

The hospital corridors were filled with the distinctive smell of disinfectant.

When Jiraiya arrived, the indicator light on the emergency room door was already off. On a bench in the corridor, Yamanaka Reino was holding her daughter Ino's hand. The mother and daughter sat quietly, waiting for news from inside.

Ino's golden ponytail was a little loose as she stared at her toes, which were pressed together.

It's understandable to be worried, since Dad is inside.

But she was the daughter of a ninja, and knew from a young age that injury was inevitable.

Tsunade walked out of the emergency room.

"The wound has been treated, and the internal organ damage has been stabilized using regenerative techniques. There is no danger to his life; he will need to rest for a while."

The Fifth Hokage expressed his gratitude to the two.

"Inoichi performed exceptionally well on this mission. He salvaged vital resources for the village."

Reino's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and she thanked him in a low voice. Ino also looked up, the tense expression on her small face easing a bit, but worry still lingered in her eyes. After explaining the situation, Tsunade returned to the emergency room.

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza appeared at the end of the corridor, followed by Shikamaru and Choji, who had clearly been called in at the last minute. Shikaku glanced around the scene; Jiraiya stood to the side, and Reino and her daughter waited quietly. The lights in the emergency room were already off.

He quickly grasped the general situation, first nodding to Jiraiya, and then walking up to Reino.

"How is the situation?"

"Lady Tsunade said the condition has stabilized and she needs to rest," Reino replied.

Shikaku hummed in agreement, then turned to the two children behind him: "Shikamaru, Choji, you two go back to school with Ino. Leave things here to us adults."

Reino patted his daughter's hand: "Daddy is out of danger now. Go back to class, Ino."

Ino pursed her lips, glanced at the emergency room door again, and finally nodded.

"I understand, Mom."

Having just arrived at the hospital and not even having sat down, Shikamaru and Choji were instructed to escort their classmate back to school. They obediently followed behind Ino as they walked out of the hospital building together.

The morning sunlight shone down, dispelling the slight chill I had brought from the hospital.

Ino, who was walking ahead, was walking a little slower than usual. Her gaze was fixed ahead, but it seemed as if she wasn't looking at anything in particular.

After walking for a while, she realized there were two more people behind her.

"...Thank you for coming, Shikamaru, Choji."

"It's nothing, we'll have to walk these roads anyway," Shikamaru replied.

Choji said earnestly, "If you're injured, eating nutritious food will help you recover quickly. Like barbecue..."

Upon hearing this, Ino finally smiled and said, "You're not my father, Choji."

"Eh? That's so pitiful..." Choji pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. "Not even candy?"

In just a few simple words, the heavy feeling that had been pressing on my chest seemed to dissipate somewhat.

Ino took the candy, thanked her, unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth. The sweet taste made her feel more relaxed.

As she crossed the second intersection, Ino suddenly stopped.

"I need to go home first..." She turned around and looked at the two of them apologetically, "I forgot my backpack."

"You guys go to school first, don't wait for me."

Shikamaru yawned: "Anyway, it's on the way."

Choji nodded as well.

Ino did not refuse again.

The flower shop was not far ahead. Ino pushed open the shop door, quickly walked through the front of the shop, and ran up to the second floor.

When she came down, she already had a schoolbag slung over her shoulder. She pushed open the shop door while tidying her slightly messy blonde hair.

Then they froze at the doorway.

Across the street, Sakura Haruno was standing there.

The pink-haired girl was clearly on her way to school, carrying her schoolbag. When she saw Ino, she paused for a moment, then stopped in her tracks. All the words and emotions from yesterday's classroom flooded back.

Ino's mind went blank at that moment, and she only managed to softly call out: "...Sakura."

Then he lowered his head, quickly walked away from the store entrance, and headed towards the school.

There were no arguments, no confrontations, not even a few extra glances.

Shikamaru and Choji exchanged a glance and silently followed.

Across the street, Sakura stood still. She watched Ino's hurried departure, watched Shikamaru and Choji following behind her, and watched her usually vibrant golden ponytail now appear somewhat dejected.

Something's not right.

Sakura bit her lip, and finally started walking, following behind at a distance that wasn't too close.

It's because of what happened yesterday...

Sakura felt a pang of inexplicable annoyance and worry. Several times she wanted to pick up her foot and chase after him, to ask him what was going on, or to say something, even if it was just to continue the argument they hadn't finished yesterday.

But in her hesitation, the three had already gone quite a distance, so she could only take a step forward and follow behind at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

The closer we got to the school, the more people there were.

The extra crowd obscured the three figures, and a cacophony of sounds filled the air.

One of them, however, carried a lightness that was completely different from the usual one.

"Gaara, Fu, Temari, Kankuro."

Naruto appeared, hopping and running, carrying a brand new bento box in his hand.

"You didn't come this morning because of this?" Kankuro examined the item in Naruto's hand. "Nothing special, is it?" "Sorry, sorry," Naruto apologized cheerfully, his voice brimming with undisguised joy. "I forgot to tell you guys."

Temari calmly replied, "It's alright. Mr. Shuji specifically instructed that we don't need to prepare anything for you today."

Fu's eyes darted around: "Naruto's new bento? Naruto made it? I want to see it, I want to see it!"

"Wait, wait, wait! We can't open it now!" Naruto hurriedly clutched the lunchbox to his chest.

As they played around, Naruto's gaze swept across the surroundings and he spotted Sakura standing not far away.

Then, his gaze moved on and landed on Ino, who was walking towards the school gate with her head down a little further ahead, and Shikamaru and Choji behind her. The events of yesterday evening suddenly flashed back into his mind.

His bright smile faded slightly, and Fu's hands were already pressing down on the edge of the lunchbox he was protecting.

"Let me see it! Just one glance!"

"It really won't work, Fu!"

As the two were struggling, a voice broke in.

"You're blocking my way, you idiot."

"This is not a place for fooling around."

Sasuke's voice rang out.

Naruto turned around to face Sasuke, the lighthearted expression on his face completely gone: "Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned. "Are we going to talk about that again?"

He thought Naruto was going to dwell on yesterday's argument between Sakura and Ino.

Naruto met his gaze and shook his head: "That matter was not your fault, Sasuke."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly surprised by Naruto's words. He gave a soft snort: "So you finally understand something, Naruto?" However, Naruto's next sentence followed immediately:

"But, Sasuke, what you did was wrong."

These words, though spoken softly, seemed to silence all the surrounding sounds.

The slight softening on Sasuke's face froze instantly, his gaze suddenly sharpening as he stared intently at Naruto.

"What did you say?"

"I said, what you did was wrong," Naruto repeated. "Inviting Sakura to the secret service wasn't wrong, but... but your attitude afterwards was wrong." Sasuke's voice was flat. "I gave them a choice, they decided for themselves." "Am I supposed to be responsible for everyone's choice? Do you think this is child's play, Naruto?"

"This isn't about being irresponsible!" Naruto's voice rose slightly, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists. "This is... this is how you treat your comrades!"

"If you really want to invite someone, you should clearly state your intentions and consider their circumstances, instead of just casually saying it and thinking it doesn't matter what!"

Sasuke remained silent for a few seconds. His expression didn't change, but his eyes deepened.

"So, are you lecturing me now?" he asked in a low voice.

"no……"

"Well then," Sasuke interrupted him, stepping forward and walking straight past Naruto, "my affairs are none of your business." His back was straight, and he didn't turn around.

Naruto stood there, watching Sasuke walk away. Fu, somewhat bewildered, loosened her grip on the lunchbox.

The lid of the bento box had been loosened by the pulling. A faint aroma wafted out.

On the rooftop of a building not far from the Ninja Academy, two figures stood.

Minato Namikaze no longer wore his conspicuous divine robes, but instead wore a plain green Jonin vest.

Shuji stood to the side, also not dressed in white, but in ordinary dark attire. His gaze was also fixed on the school gate, watching the confrontation between the group of children from its beginning to its end, watching Sasuke leave alone, and watching Naruto lower his head to check the lid of his lunchbox.

"The changes in the village are truly beyond imagination. In just a few years, it's completely different." Minato Namikaze's gaze remained fixed on the Ninja Academy. "This is wonderful."

"Is the Fourth Hokage really not going back to the Hokage's office?" Shuji asked.

Minato shook his head: "Yes, Lady Tsunade has done very well."

"Kakashi seems quite disappointed, since he probably still hoped the Fourth Hokage could hold on for a few more years," Shuji said. "Hahaha, it's really surprising that Kakashi has become like this. He's always been quite motivated," Minato laughed, his laughter refreshing. "However, it's not appropriate for someone who's dead to hold a high-ranking position anymore."

He turned his head to look at Xiu Si, the smile in his eyes unchanged, but with a hint of deeper meaning.

"Especially in publicly known positions, we should not be present. The time for the dead has ended, and only the living can decide their future path. The reason why the Impure World Reincarnation is listed as a forbidden technique has never been just because awakening the dead and disrupting peace is against ethics, nor is it just because it requires sacrifices. If the deceased, for various reasons, even reasonable ones, occupy the positions of the living, it will cause chaos."

And those who want to see the deceased, those who want the dead to be with them, are not just one or two people.

"You can use the Transformation Technique, Fourth Generation," Shuji said.

Shuimen looked even happier, his eyes crinkling into crescents.

"The one who truly feels regret is probably not Kakashi, but Shuji, right?"

"You clearly want to rest, but you're pushing the responsibility onto Kakashi. That won't do, Shuji."

Xiu Si did not deny it, but merely raised his eyebrows slightly.

"At least, until the war is over," Minato's voice softened, his gaze returning to the distant Ninja Academy, landing on the blond boy who was talking to his friends, "please allow me to spend some time with Naruto first."

"I promised Kushina that I would fulfill my responsibilities as a father during this time."

"I got a good scolding because of Jiraiya-sensei."

Shuji nodded.

"Your identity information will be temporarily changed. As for the transformation technique, please do a simple disguise."

"Appear as the adoptive parent, Fourth Generation."

Have you decided on your new name yet?

Minato hummed in agreement, his gaze still fixed on the direction of the Ninja Academy. "Uzumaki Minato, that's the name."