Shanks stood up from his seat and said, "Very well, it seems that the topic of the meeting is now over, and the meeting can be considered to have come to a conclusion."
As soon as Kakashi heard this and saw Shanks standing up, he also rose from his seat. The other members of Team 7 followed immediately, chairs scraping faintly against the floor as they stood. Kakashi then said, "Yes, Lord Uzukage. Our mission was to invite Uzushiogakure to the Chunin Exam, and we have completed our mission."
Shanks nodded once he heard this. "Very well. Now that your mission is complete, how about you have dinner with us? After all, I would like to talk to my nephew, as I haven't talked to him ever since he was born."
His gaze briefly shifted toward Naruto.
"After all, I last saw him only when he was just a kid—just born, really. Now he has turned into this young boy."
As soon as Kakashi heard Shanks' words, he felt a wave of hesitation. The subtle shift in his posture and the slight tightening of his visible eye clearly showed that he wasn't particularly fond of the idea that Naruto would be joining—or more precisely, that they would be attending a dinner with the Uzumaki clan inside the Uzumaki Clan compound.
This could be… complicated.
Seeing that hesitation on Kakashi's face, Shanks quickly understood the reason behind it. A faint, knowing smile appeared on his lips as he said, "I know why you are hesitating. You fear that we might act against Naruto."
He paused for a moment, his tone calm but firm.
"But don't worry, okay? If we wanted to act against him… we would have done it long ago. Naruto is our nephew. We will never, ever do such a thing."
Shanks folded his arms loosely as he continued, his voice steady.
"And you might already know why Naruto is a Jinchuriki in the first place, so your worries are totally useless."
Kakashi nodded and Shanks didn't say it out loud, but the truth was obvious. Even though Kakashi had become quite powerful now, defeating him wouldn't be that big of a deal for Shanks.
If Kakashi was fast, then Shanks was faster. If Kakashi was strong, then Shanks was stronger. The gap between them wasn't small—it was an entirely different class. So if Shanks truly wanted to act against Naruto, stopping Kakashi or anyone else here would be quite easy.
But of course, Naruto was his nephew.
He had invited them purely for dinner—to catch up with Naruto after so many years. Technically, he could have simply called Naruto alone to speak with him. However, Team 7 was close to Naruto, and Naruto was the kind of person who valued friendship above almost everything else. He would definitely not attend the dinner alone—even if the person hosting it belonged to his own clan.
Kakashi gave a small nod and said, "Yes, we will be obliged to join the dinner party."
Shanks nodded once in response, then turned his gaze toward Naruto. His expression softened slightly.
"Come here, my nephew," he said. "I would like to see you up close."
Naruto instinctively looked toward Kakashi first. For a brief moment, the room fell quiet. Kakashi gave a small nod, giving him permission.
Only then did Naruto step forward and walk toward Shanks.
When Naruto stopped in front of him, Shanks gently placed his hand on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair slightly as he said in a kind voice, "How are you? And are your parents well?"
Naruto immediately replied, "Yes, everyone is perfectly fine. My father is Hokage, you know—dattebayo."
As soon as Shanks heard that familiar "dattebayo" at the end of Naruto's sentence, a smile slowly spread across his face.
For a moment, the years seemed to fade.
Then he said, "Follow me. Let's talk while walking."
Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, Shanks gently guided him forward, and the two of them began walking ahead together.
Naruto was not that weak, scrawny-looking boy. Now he looked healthy, energetic, and nearly as tall as Sasuke—perhaps even slightly taller. His body had developed well, nothing like the malnourished frame he had in the original story when he barely received proper nutritious food.
With his parents alive now, that difference was only natural.
Shanks took Naruto with him toward the Uzumaki clan compound. Along the way, he instructed Navi to inform all the Uzumaki siblings and everyone in the clan that tonight they would be having a clan gathering—a full clan dinner event where everyone needed to be present.
After all, their nephew, Naruto, was here.
Navi immediately went off to follow Shanks' orders.
Meanwhile, Shanks led Naruto further inside the compound, introducing him to Shamrock, Uta, and the other children of the clan who had already returned from the Ninja Academy. The children were gathered in the open courtyard, running around, laughing, and playing their usual energetic games.
Naruto quickly blended in with them.
Before long, he was running around the courtyard with the other kids, laughter echoing through the compound. Sakura didn't escape either—Uta enthusiastically dragged her into the games as well, much to Sakura's brief protest before she eventually joined in.
As for Sasuke, he remained off to the side.
With his arms loosely crossed and his usual calm, distant expression, he watched the others play from a distance. According to him, those were children's games—and he had no interest in participating.
Time slowly passed.
The sky darkened as evening faded into night, and the lanterns across the Uzumaki compound were lit one by one, casting a warm golden glow across the gathering grounds.
Soon, everyone in the clan had assembled.
The large dinner grounds buzzed with conversation and quiet curiosity as clan members gathered around the long arranged tables. At that moment, Shanks guided Naruto forward and helped him stand on a chair so that everyone could clearly see him.
The chatter gradually quieted.
Shanks then spoke loudly enough for the entire gathering to hear.
"This is Naruto."
Many eyes focused on the blond boy standing beside him.
"All of you must have already heard his name from one of us before. After all, he is our nephew—the son of Kushina and the Fourth Hokage."
Shanks placed a firm yet proud hand on Naruto's shoulder as he continued.
"He is that Naruto… Namikaze Naruto."
Yes, this time Naruto was not named Uzumaki.
After all, the Uzumaki clan was still alive.
In the original timeline, Naruto had been given the surname Uzumaki because the clan was almost extinct. Minato had wanted Naruto to carry Kushina's clan name—not only because of Kushina's deep affection for her clan, but also because the Uzumaki name would otherwise have vanished with her. It was his way of ensuring that the Uzumaki name would not disappear from the world.
But now things were different.
The Uzumaki clan was alive, well, and thriving within Uzushiogakure. The clan name no longer needed to be preserved through Naruto alone. Because of that, there was no reason for Naruto to carry Kushina's surname instead of his father's.
So this time, he was named Namikaze Naruto—not Uzumaki Naruto—carrying the name of his father rather than his mother.
After Shanks finished the introduction, several of the Uzumaki siblings stepped forward one by one. Some ruffled Naruto's hair, others greeted him warmly, speaking to him with curiosity and fondness as they welcomed their long-unseen nephew.
Naruto responded with his usual bright enthusiasm, talking freely as if he had known them for years.
As for the other members of Team 7, the Uzumaki siblings didn't pay them much attention. Still, they maintained basic politeness. A few brief greetings were exchanged—simple nods, short introductions, a few courteous words.
Nothing more than that.
(A/N: I checked the last two chapters and I haven't written Naruto as Uzumaki Naruto. However, if Uzumaki Naruto appears somewhere by mistake, then I apologize. Honestly, until I reached the part where Shanks was introducing Naruto, it suddenly clicked in my mind and I remembered why Naruto was given the Uzumaki surname instead of his father's Namikaze surname. So I decided to mention it here.)
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