The morning rays filtered gently through the wooden blinds, painting the room in golden light.
The scent of tea hung in the air, mingling with polished wood and the warmth of freshly dried laundry.
Everything seemed peaceful.
And yet, there was a faint tension.
Almost imperceptible.
Like a harp string pulled too tight, waiting for a touch no one dared give.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes.
The world was blurry, still shrouded in the haze of sleep.
And yet, he was already aware of every detail.
His mother's heartbeat in the next room.
His father's calm yet worried presence out on the terrace.
The monotone chirping of a bird perched on the rooftop.
Everything.
Kushina entered the room, barefoot, her hair down, still damp from the shower.
She wore a loose, wrinkled shirt.
Her dark circles had faded slightly since giving birth, but her eyes still held a fragile vulnerability.
She walked over to the crib and looked at him for a long while.
— "Good morning, my little angel…"
She knelt beside him. Naruto, as always, stared back at her calmly.
He didn't wave his arms, didn't cry.
He watched.
Silent.
Present.
— "You're really not like other babies, are you?" she whispered.
She gently ran a finger across his cheek.
— "You barely cry… You only wake up when I'm near. And… sometimes I feel like you want to tell me something. Like you know."
She swallowed, then leaned in closer, her forehead brushing against her son's.
— "And you know what? I feel things too.
Your chakra… it speaks to me."
Naruto closed his eyes for a moment.
He felt that gentle wave — that nameless emotion flowing from his mother's heart.
A warmth that needed no words.
And for the first time, he tried something.
He released a tiny pulse of chakra.
Not a technique.
Just… a reply.
A soft, emotional vibration.
Warm. Enveloping.
Kushina flinched.
She froze. Eyes wide.
Then she smiled.
— "It's you… isn't it? You answered me?"
Naruto didn't move.
But his gaze grew softer.
Kushina wept quietly.
Thin tears. Slow.
Not from pain.
But from recognition.
Later, in the living room, Minato took his turn.
He sat in the armchair, Naruto in his arms, wrapped in a light blue blanket.
The child still didn't cry.
He simply looked at him.
And in that moment, Minato forgot everything else.
The threats.
The village.
The war.
Orochimaru.
Obito.
Kyūbi.
There was only that tiny weight in his arms.
That warmth.
That gaze.
— "You know, little guy… I was scared too."
He gave a faint smile.
— "When I found out your mom was pregnant… I was overjoyed. And terrified.
And now that you're here, I wonder every day if I'll be good enough."
Naruto slowly lowered his eyelids.
He listened.
He absorbed.
Minato continued:
— "I'm a shinobi. A Hokage. I've watched people die.
I've killed… to protect.
But you…
You're the first thing I want to preserve,
without ever having to draw a blade."
He ran a hand gently through the baby's hair.
— "I know you're special.
I feel it.
I see it.
But… even if you were ordinary, Naruto…
I'd love you just the same."
Naruto felt his heart beat stronger.
Not Minato's.
His own.
That evening, they shared a simple moment.
Kushina on the couch, Naruto in her arms.
Minato beside her, legs tucked under him, a bowl of soup in hand.
They didn't speak.
They simply watched the fire crackle in the stove.
Silence had never been so soft.
And in Naruto's mind, a certainty rose like a silent vow:
"I will never let anyone destroy this.
Not Kyūbi.
Not Obito.
Not even the Gods themselves."