Transcending Realities: A Journey to Reclaim Home

As the barrier finally disappeared, I took in the sight around us. Though there was some destruction, I knew it would only take about a week to reconstruct everything. Rasa and Hiruzen walked beside us, looking defeated, while the reanimated Hokage stood quietly, observing.

I turned to the First, Second, and, of course, my dad. "Hey, First, Second Hokage… and Dad," I greeted, trying to keep it casual. "Want to take a look around? The village is coming back to its senses after all that chaos."

My dad's eyes softened as he looked at me, a small smile spreading on his face. "Naruto... how are you doing?" Without hesitating, he stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. Even though it had been thirteen years, he knew me instantly. I hugged him back, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief and pride.

"I'm doing well, Dad. And… Mom's doing well, too," I told him. The warmth of that moment wrapped around me, easing the weight of the battles we had been through.

Hashirama, who was watching us, chuckled. "You've got a strong group of young shinobi here in the village, I can tell." Then he looked me over, raising an eyebrow at my hair. "Say, kid, are you an Uzumaki? That crimson hair gives it away."

I nodded. "Yeah, I am."

My dad looked at me curiously, as if trying to piece together something. "But Naruto… your hair was yellow. What made it turn this shade of crimson?"

I gave a small shrug. "I don't really know. After you passed, it just… slowly started changing color."

My dad gave a thoughtful nod. "Hmm. Must be something to do with your Uzumaki heritage, then. It suits you."

"Your name is Naruto, right? How is the village doing?" Hashirama asked, a keen interest lighting up his eyes.

I offered a wry smile. "You could say there are many inner conflicts, but other than that, the village is doing fine."

"What inner conflicts?" Hashirama and my father looked at me, confused. Both of them were too idealistic to imagine the depths of what had occurred, though Tobirama's expression hinted he had his suspicions.

"It's nothing," I replied, my gaze shifting pointedly toward Hiruzen. "Except that the Senju clan has been reduced to a single member, the Uzumaki have fewer than five left, and the Uchiha were nearly annihilated... all because of a certain someone."

"Wait... what did you say?" Hashirama's face paled as the weight of my words settled. "All of the founding clans have been destroyed?"

Turning to Hiruzen, his voice trembled with disbelief and anger. "How did this happen, Monkey?"

Hiruzen hesitated, but there was no escaping the weight of Hashirama's question. "There were… choices made that we believed would protect the village," he started, but even he seemed to struggle with the words.

"Choices that led to destroying the very clans that helped found this village?" Tobirama questioned sharply, his gaze piercing.

I stepped forward, not wanting the truth to slip away. "Those 'choices' went against everything the village was supposed to stand for. When people reached out for help, they were abandoned. When they fought to protect what mattered to them, they were seen as threats. And for what? To hold onto power and control?"

Hashirama closed his eyes, pained. "This village was meant to be a place of peace and unity. I can't believe… the Senju, the Uzumaki, the Uchiha… all of them sacrificed because of fear and ambition."

Tobirama's voice was somber. "It seems that some things were left unchecked." He shot a hard look at Hiruzen. "The cost of inaction is as high as any battle, Hiruzen."

Hiruzen lowered his head, finally understanding the weight of their words.

Hashirama looked at me, his eyes wide with shock, then softened with gratitude. "You… you saved the Uchiha clan?"

I nodded, keeping my gaze steady on him. "Yes. They were pushed to the edge, abandoned by the very village they helped build. But they survived, and they're back because they deserve justice, not exile or execution."

"What? The Uchiha are the ones left from the founding clans?" Tobirama asked, his usual disdain for them clear in his voice.

"Yes," I replied, my gaze sharp as I pointed at him. "It's because of you and your deep-rooted hatred that they ended up like this."

My words struck with an unfiltered truth. "Your prejudice against the Uchiha led to a chain of events that nearly destroyed all the prestigious clans. That hatred, passed down and manipulated, turned what could've been a strong village into one divided from within."

Tobirama's expression tightened, his eyes narrowing as he processed my words. "I acted for the village's safety. The Uchiha's powers are unique—dangerous. I did what I believed was necessary."

"Necessary?" I replied, my tone cutting. "Your actions fueled a cycle of mistrust, pushing them into a corner until they felt they had no place in the village. Your 'necessary' decisions set the stage for betrayal and bloodshed, not peace."

Hashirama placed a hand on Tobirama's shoulder, his face troubled. "Brother, perhaps… perhaps Naruto is right. We dreamed of a village where every clan would feel at home, yet these divisions grew deeper because of our choices."

Tobirama gritted his teeth but didn't argue. I continued, "Your legacy was supposed to protect Konoha, but instead, it left wounds that still haven't healed. The Uchiha, the Uzumaki, the Senju—all those sacrifices—were not for this."

"Anyway, let's not dwell on the past—it's already happened," I said with a sigh, attempting to push the bitterness aside.

The others looked on, brows furrowed, each of them trying to piece together where everything had gone wrong. There was a tense silence as they took in what I'd said, the weight of the village's history pressing on them.

"Naruto… what did you endure to become like this?" my father wondered to himself, his expression reflecting a mixture of worry and sorrow. He could see the toll it had taken on me, but he didn't yet know the full extent of what I had faced to reach this point.