After Natsuro entered the hospital room, he saw Inoichi sitting beside Mrs. Yamanaka's bed, accompanying her.
Mrs. Yamanaka looked extremely weak, but the people in this world were indeed tough. She was already sitting up against the bed, holding the baby in her arms and gazing at him fondly, as if she could never get enough.
"Natsuro, you're here. Come take a look at Ikawa," Mrs. Yamanaka called out, proudly showing off her child.
"His name is Ikawa Yamanaka?" Natsuro asked as he stepped closer to look at the sleeping baby.
Ikawa's thin, newborn hair was the same light blonde color as Ino's, and his facial features slightly resembled Inoichi's.
It was clear there was no need to doubt the bloodline here.
If this were the internet in my previous life, people might even question whether the baby's father was the real one…
Natsuro thought about how he had also seen Naruto as a newborn once, babies in this world were undeniably cute.
Unlike newborns in his past life who often looked underdeveloped, almost like little monkeys.
But that made sense. Otherwise, how could Itachi have been able to fight on the battlefield at just four years old? No matter how mature the mind was, the body had to be capable too. It showed just how vastly different human bodies were between this world and his previous one.
"Yes," Inoichi answered from the side, a broad smile never leaving his face. If Mrs. Yamanaka hadn't stopped him, he would've already taken the baby to show off to his old friends.
Having a child late in life was rare, and it was easy to become overly doting.
As for the name, it had been decided by Inoichi and his wife long ago.
Originally, they had wanted to name the child "Yamanaka Ikaro" (taking some inspiration from Natsuro's name). They hoped their child could be just as outstanding as Natsuro.
But in the end, they gave up on the idea, it would've been too obvious, and Natsuro was their son-in-law after all.
Although the baby had just been born, by family generation he was technically the same level as Natsuro, so they chose a different name.
The couple clearly had high hopes for this little one.
After chatting a bit more, Natsuro left. Mrs. Yamanaka was still weak and needed rest, it wasn't appropriate for him to stay too long. He had just come to visit.
When he left, Ino followed after him.
"You're not staying to take care of your mom?" Natsuro asked, seeing Ino catching up.
"My dad's there. And earlier when I tried to hold my little brother, they thought I was too clumsy and might drop him, so they wouldn't let me. Staying there wouldn't help," Ino said, sticking out her tongue in complaint.
Natsuro laughed, she had clearly been rejected. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Looks like your status in the family isn't so secure anymore."
"Hmph, no way! Just wait till my little brother grows up, I'll show him the majesty of a big sister!" Ino huffed and waved her fists but then couldn't help laughing herself.
It seemed Ino really didn't mind having a little brother pop into her life.
"Say… should we have one too?" Natsuro suddenly suggested.
"Huh?" Ino blinked, not reacting immediately. When she did, she wasn't shy. She rolled her eyes and said, "We're not even married yet."
"True," Natsuro nodded. They were both seventeen now, but according to their engagement, they still had to wait another year.
Marriage could wait, but as for other things… well, they'd still have to be careful to avoid any "accidents."
"Ino, do you want to join the Five Kage Summit?" Natsuro asked suddenly. Since Sasuke still hadn't returned, giving the spot to Ino seemed reasonable, a husband and wife working together made everything easier.
"The Five Kage Summit…" Ino was tempted. Such an event was rare, and missing this one might mean waiting years for another. But in the end, she shook her head.
"I'd better not. My dad has to return to work soon, and my mom just gave birth. Someone needs to stay and help, and I wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of them properly."
"Alright," Natsuro nodded.
"When are you leaving?" Ino asked. She couldn't go with him, but she could at least see him off.
"Probably today," Natsuro said after thinking for a moment. Originally, if he delayed any longer, he would have to teleport to the Land of Iron using Flying Thunder God. Now, it seemed he could just travel normally and still arrive on time, and enjoy the scenery along the way.
"Eh?" Ino was surprised, then quickly understood, he must have delayed his departure because of her family's situation.
He ruffled Ino's hair without saying anything.
"Natsuro…" Ino looked at him, her eyes growing misty.
"Hm?" Natsuro responded, only for Ino to suddenly throw herself into his arms.
Feeling the soft warmth of her lips, Natsuro's eyes flickered. He hugged her back, this wasn't their first time.
After a long while, Ino finally buried her flushed face in his chest, still unwilling to let go.
"Have a safe trip," Ino said softly.
"Of course. If no one else knows my strength, you should," Natsuro replied with a smile.
"Actually, I really don't know," Ino said after thinking for a moment. His strength had already surpassed her understanding, and he rarely fought openly. She honestly didn't know how strong he had become.
Natsuro froze, she had a point. He had been getting stronger every day, but because Konoha was generally peaceful, the Hokage didn't often need to personally act. As a result, most people had no idea just how powerful he had become.
The last time he fought, against Urashiki Ōtsutsuki, there hadn't been any witnesses besides young Sasuke and Boruto, and their identities made it tricky to reveal too much.
Besides Naruto and Sasuke, most of Konoha didn't really know the extent of his abilities…
Seeing Natsuro like that, Ino giggled and said, "Alright, alright. I know my husband is the strongest. Just be careful, okay? Don't get careless."
"Got it," Natsuro smiled warmly, burying his face in her hair, feeling her temperature.
Soon, they finally separated. Ino straightened his clothes for him, and he nodded at her before disappearing in front of her eyes.
Ino stared at the spot where he vanished, sighed, and a flash of sadness crossed her gaze. The gap in strength between them was still too wide. She could barely help him, all she could do was try not to be a burden.
But still, she wanted to find a way to support him, somehow.
Ino then turned and walked back toward the hospital.
At that moment, Natsuro had returned to the Hokage's office, waiting for Naruto and Kakashi.
Shikaku had already gone to notify them.
Natsuro leaned back in his chair, still savoring the warmth from earlier, a gentle feeling in his heart. Honestly, he kind of wanted to "punish" Ino right there.
Unfortunately, he was still operating through a Spirit Clone.
Of course, because of the Spirit Clone's special properties, everything both thoughts and senses, was fully shared with his real body. There was no such thing as a clone "betraying" him.
Still, he felt that the first time should be with his real body. Plus…
More importantly, his real body was still training. Even though he could multitask, this wasn't the right moment for that kind of "task."
Just then, he sensed a powerful chakra approaching the Hokage's office.
"...This is…" Natsuro's eyes lit up. It wasn't Naruto's chakra, it was someone else's. Most importantly, it felt different from before.
Soon, a figure jumped in through the Hokage office's window.
"You made it back just in time," Natsuro said to the figure.
At the same time, he studied the newcomer, horns sprouting from the head, purple eye shadow, snake-like pupils, but overall looking quite clean without any snake scales.
Standing before him was Sasuke, who had completely mastered Ryuuchi Cave's Sage Mode.
"Natsuro, the White Snake Sage said you had something for me?" Sasuke asked. He had just completed Sage Mode and, before even fully adjusting to his new strength, heard that Natsuro needed him.
So Sasuke had rushed back, still maintaining his Sage Mode form.
"That's not urgent. First, how are your eyes and Sage Mode coming along?" Natsuro asked, curious about Sasuke's current strength.
Sasuke didn't hide anything. After thinking for a moment, he answered honestly.
"My eyes finished healing a few days ago. My ocular power has improved greatly. Although I'm still a bit short of the Complete Susanoo, I'm almost there," Sasuke said, recalling the image of his future adult self's Susanoo.
"So that's how it is, you've made quite a lot of progress," Natsuro said, a little surprised. It was a significant improvement.
"Yeah, I think so too. But this progress isn't just from Itachi's ocular power. The cells from the First Hokage also helped, they seem to be very compatible with my body," Sasuke said as he felt the newfound strength within him, still a bit amazed himself.
"Mm." Natsuro nodded. After all, it all came from the power of the Sage of Six Paths, originally one and then split into two paths. It made sense that they would be compatible.
"As for Sage Mode, this is my current state. Since you needed me, I didn't have time to fully get used to it before coming back. But it's definitely very strong," Sasuke said.
As he spoke, he clenched his fists, feeling the strength of his Sage Mode. Even the incomplete Sage Mode he had before had surprised him.
Now, with a complete Sage Mode, there was an entirely new qualitative change. Sasuke also felt that his Susanoo would definitely become stronger because of it.
Natsuro didn't doubt Sasuke's strength. As a representation of the power of one of the Three Great Sacred Places, Ryūchi Cave, their Sage Mode was indeed stronger than the other two.
Sasuke didn't realize it, but Natsuro knew: in the original story, Sasuke had a Cursed Seal version of Susanoo, which depended on Jugo's power. Without Jugo, he couldn't use it.
But now, Sasuke could enter Sage Mode on his own. Although having Jugo would make the transformation faster, being independent was a huge advantage.
And since there was a Cursed Seal version of Susanoo, it was only natural that there should be an even further upgraded Sage Mode version of Susanoo.
Right now, Sasuke seemed to be the only one with both perfect Sage Mode and the ability to use Susanoo.
As for Madara Uchiha, even though he used Sage techniques in the original story, he was only absorbing Sage chakra from Hashirama. He himself didn't know Sage Mode.
And as for the Sage of Six Paths, he certainly knew it, but he probably disdained using such a "low-level" power.
"Can you change your appearance back?" Natsuro looked at the horns on Sasuke's head. Honestly, he kind of wanted to touch them, but Sasuke was older now and probably wouldn't let him.
Still, he thought the horns and purple eye shadow didn't affect Sasuke's looks, they actually made him seem even more mysterious.
"I should be able to," Sasuke said as he closed his eyes. Soon, he exited Sage Mode, and both the eye shadow and horns disappeared, restoring his original appearance.
Natsuro nodded. Compared to Kabuto, Sasuke clearly had a deeper mastery of Sage Mode, but that was only natural. Sasuke had already experienced the power of Sage Mode before, while Kabuto probably hadn't had the chance.
"Not bad at all," Natsuro praised.
Sasuke didn't reply but smiled, clearly satisfied with his progress, which had exceeded even his own expectations.
"With this strength… maybe I can catch up to Naruto," Sasuke thought to himself.
At this point, Natsuro informed Sasuke about the Five Kage Summit.
"You've been waiting here for me instead of heading to the Five Kage Summit?" Sasuke asked, realizing that the Summit was supposed to start within the next couple of days.
Given the distance, Natsuro should have left a long time ago. The fact that he hadn't showed it was obvious he had been waiting for Sasuke.
And Sasuke could sense it, the significance of bringing both him and Naruto to the Summit.
Does he have higher hopes for me becoming Hokage compared to Naruto?
At this moment, Sasuke felt both touched and excited.
"Well, sort of…" Natsuro answered vaguely. He realized Sasuke had misunderstood.
The real reason he stayed wasn't to wait for Sasuke, it was because of Ino. But… since it was a good misunderstanding, he might as well let it be. No one would reveal the truth anyway.
After all, only Natsuro, Shikaku, and that one Anbu member knew the real reason. Although Sasuke was the captain of the Anbu, that Anbu wouldn't gossip about such a trivial matter.
And Shikaku definitely wouldn't say anything either.
At that moment, Shikaku arrived with Kakashi and Naruto at the Hokage's office.
As Shikaku pushed open the door, he immediately said, "Lord Hokage, Kakashi and Naruto have arrived."
As he spoke, he also noticed Sasuke standing there, and was momentarily stunned.
Kakashi followed in and quickly noticed too. He smiled and said, "Looks like you don't need me after all."
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, then at Naruto, and sighed. These two were worlds apart when it came to doing missions.
While Naruto had nearly invincible power, he constantly caused trouble during missions, giving Kakashi endless headaches.
Back before Sasuke joined the Anbu, he used to do missions with Kakashi, and when Kakashi unconsciously compared the two, the result was pretty brutal. Even Sasuke back then was much more efficient than Naruto was now.
"Sasuke, you're back!" Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw him.
"Yeah." Sasuke looked at Naruto's bright, sincere smile, there was no sign of rivalry or resentment even though they were both candidates for Hokage.
Slowly, Sasuke smiled too. He thought that no matter who became Hokage in the end, they wouldn't lose each other as friends and that was enough.
"Since everyone's here, let's not waste any more time. Let's head out now. Naruto, Sasuke you'll be my bodyguards for the Five Kage Summit," Natsuro said directly.
"Yes!" Naruto and Sasuke responded in unison.
Hearing this, Shikaku couldn't help but mentally roll his eyes.
So you do know the phrase "no time like the present," huh? After all the delays...
But he only thought that privately. On the surface, he still wore a cheerful smile.
Kakashi, meanwhile, started thinking about what he should do now that he wasn't attending the Summit.
Reflecting on the past mission experiences, Kakashi sighed, he really should make some kind of move. He couldn't just keep letting Shizune chase after him.
Even though marriage was still far off, he should make a final decision soon.
"Shikaku, while I'm gone, I'm leaving all Hokage duties to you. You can also call over Shikamaru to help if needed," Natsuro continued arranging things.
"Got it," Shikaku nodded, he was used to it by now, so it wasn't a big deal.
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Currently on Chapter 382 - The Sage of Six Paths and Natsuro