The Warmth of Home

"Turns out, the person standing at the door at this moment was none other than Naruto returning from the Academyl!

Possibly due to not meeting for so long, upon seeing Zhang Miao inside the house, Naruto, who just opened the door, was completely stunned. It wasn't until he heard Zhang Miao's voice that he reacted.

"Big Brother!"

Once he gathered his senses, Naruto immediately shouted and rushed towards Zhang Miao, embracing him tightly.

"Big Brother, where did you go? Mom said you had something really important to do and that it would take a long time for you to come back, but... but I really missed you!"

Because of Kushina, Zhang Miao hadn't left a Shadow Clone when he departed last time.

When he left, Zhang Miao believed he would return in at most half a year. He had hoped to attend Naruto's new student induction ceremony and subtly assert his presence.

But what he hadn't anticipated was that due to Black Zetsu, it took him over a year to return to Konoha. For Naruto, who had relied on him since childhood, this undoubtedly felt like an extremely long time.

Seeing Naruto's excited expression, a trace of complexity flashed across Zhang Miao's face. However, at this moment, he didn't know what to say and could only smile, reaching out to pat Naruto's head.

Zhang Miao didn't offer any comforting words to Naruto because he knew it wasn't necessary.

As expected, Naruto soon released his hold on Zhang Miao's hand and enthusiastically started talking.

"Big Brother, after starting school, I made a lot of good friends. There's Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and... and Sakura! She even shared her bento with me today!"

When Naruto mentioned Sakura, his face turned completely red, displaying a mix of excitement, joy, and a hint of shyness.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Miao's lips curled into a smile.

"It seems that revealing the news about his identity of being the Fourth Hokage's son has indeed made Naruto's childhood much better. That's good!"

Thinking this, Zhang Miao patted Naruto's shoulder and smiled faintly at him once more.

"Naruto, after dinner, I'll take you for a visit. 'Visiting' means going to play at someone else's house. How about it, want to go?"

"A 'visit'?" Upon hearing Zhang Miao's words, Naruto became excited again, nodding vigorously, looking like an enthusiastic chick. "Yeah yeah... I want to go! I want to go visit with Big Brother!"

After saying this, Naruto turned and ran into the kitchen, calling out as he ran.

"Mom, I'll bring the dishes, finish dinner quickly, I want to go for a visit with Big Brother!"

As Naruto's words faded, Kushina's voice resonated from the kitchen.

"Oh my... how many times have I told you, after coming back, wash your hands and brush your teeth first. Why don't you listen? Are your ears not working?"

"Ouch, it hurts... Mom, let go, I'll bring the dishes!"

"I said go wash your hands!"

"Umm..."

Listening to the argument coming from the kitchen, Zhang Miao's smile grew even brighter.

"This is the feeling of home. It's been so long since I've experienced this. Maybe I should just stay at home from now on. After all, I'm already strong enough."

As this thought crossed Zhang Miao's mind, it startled him. He vigorously shook his head, seemingly attempting to shake off the thought.

"No, no. Born in adversity, die in comfort. The issues that need to be resolved haven't been resolved yet. It's not the time to relax!"

Thinking this, Zhang Miao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then reopened them.

"First, deal with the Uchiha clan's matters. The rest can wait for later!"

As Zhang Miao thought this, the 'mother-son dispute' in the kitchen ceased. Kushina emerged with a smiling face, carrying the dishes, while Naruto, looking aggrieved, followed behind, covering his ears.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Miao's lips curved up again.

"Oh, what happened to Naruto? Did his ears get hurt? Looks like I'll have to visit alone later!"

"Huh?" Upon hearing Zhang Miao's words, Naruto was suddenly shocked, quickly removing his hands from his ears and vigorously shaking his head.

"No problem, no problem... My ears are fine. When you go visit later, make sure to take me along, big brother!"

Seeing him so eager, Zhang Miao and Kushina exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter together.

After Kushina brought all the prepared dishes, a golden light flashed in the room, and the system's prompt immediately sounded in Zhang Miao's mind.

"Ding! Congratulations to His Holiness for obtaining 8-Star Super Kage-Level, Namikaze Minato Ninja Fragment x20!"

Upon hearing this notification, Zhang Miao quickly turned around and saw Minato, dressed in a white robe, suddenly appearing in the room.

Witnessing this scene, Zhang Miao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Minato, you used the Hiraishin no Jutsu to come home?"

Hearing Zhang Miao's words, the newly arrived Minato burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... Using the Hiraishin is sometimes unavoidable. Given our and Kushina's identities, we shouldn't attract too much attention!"

"Yeah!" As Minato finished speaking, Kushina nodded with a smile.

"Moreover, with Sarutobi-sensei as the Hokage now, we shouldn't cause him any trouble. Well then, since Minato is back too, let's start eating!"

Hearing Kushina's words, Zhang Miao smiled faintly and put his hands together.

"Let's dig in!"

...

Kushina was indeed a skilled cook, and with everyone in high spirits for the family reunion, Zhang Miao naturally had a hearty appetite. Soon, the entire table of food was swept clean.

After finishing dinner, as per their agreement, Zhang Miao took Naruto out, buying some fruits and starting their house-visiting spree.

In the past, Zhang Miao would have taken Naruto to the Uchiha or Hyuga clan's settlement. But now things were different.

With the recent death of Uchiha Shisui, the Uchiha clan was in a precarious state and wasn't suitable for a visit.

While the Hyuga clan hadn't encountered any major issues recently, due to the incident involving Hyuga Hizashi before, Zhang Miao's relationship with the Hyuga clan had significantly deteriorated. Visiting them now would undoubtedly be awkward.

Since the Uchiha and Hyuga clans were out of bounds, Zhang Miao took Naruto to visit the 'Ino-Shika-Cho' trio instead. They spent their time there until it was completely dark, then returned home.

It seemed it was Naruto's first time visiting other families, so he appeared extremely excited. When they got back home, he kept chattering until late at night when Kushina scolded him, after which he obediently closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Zhang Miao and Naruto slept in the same room. When Naruto fell into a deep sleep, his voice becoming even and rhythmic, Zhang Miao, who had initially been lying with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, quietly got out of bed, and stealthily left the room.

Once outside, Zhang Miao gently closed the door and then used the Body Flicker Jutsu to vanish into the night.