Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

"Wow! Really?!"

Yahiko's attention was instantly diverted. He leaned closer, staring excitedly at Kushina's stomach as if some priceless treasure was hidden there. "Congratulations! Minato! Kushina!"

"Thanks."

Minato smiled gently.

"Is it a boy or a girl? When was it born? Have you decided on a name yet?"

Yahiko fired off a barrage of questions.

"Not that fast yet."

Kushina was amused by his enthusiasm. "However, I'm certain that our child will become Konoha's most outstanding ninja in the future, hehe!"

"that,"

Konan was genuinely happy for them. She stepped forward and asked shyly in a soft voice, "Kushina, I... can I touch it?"

"Of course!"

Kushina pulled her hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.

Through the clothes, Xiao Nan seemed to feel the faint pulse of the new life, and a gentle smile involuntarily appeared on her face.

A group of people stood on the street in the sunset, chatting about their future children and the village, and the air seemed to be filled with the scent of happiness.

Back home, Yahiko was still enthusiastically discussing what gifts to give to Minato's children, while Konan tied on an apron and began preparing dinner.

Nagato silently took the items out of the shopping bag one by one and put them into the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator.

After everything was tidied up, he carefully took out a small scroll from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Nan, who was chopping vegetables.

"This is for you, Xiao Nan."

"Hmm? What is it?" Xiao Nan curiously took the scroll, wiped her hands, and then slowly unfurled it.

On the scroll is a painting.

At the center of the painting is a sunflower, blooming brilliantly. Every petal and every detail is depicted with lifelike realism, brimming with vitality.

But what truly struck Xiao Nan was the aura she sensed from the painting.

It smelled like... sunshine.

Warm and gentle, it's as if sunlight has truly been captured within this painting.

She looked up at Nagato and found him quietly looking at her with those purple eyes, his gaze filled with a hint of expectation.

Nagato explained softly, "That way, even on cloudy days, Konan can see the sun."

Warmth flowed from my fingertips, slowly seeping into my heart.

Looking at the painting in her hand, at the sunflower bathed in real sunlight, Xiao Nan suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

She got it.

Nagato, nothing has changed.

Even with the Rinnegan, hailed as the eyes of God, and with terrifying power capable of moving mountains and filling seas, his heart remained that of a boy who would be happy because of his companions' smiles, who would silently remember that she liked sunflowers, and who would protect that warmth in his most clumsy yet purest way.

This power was not a weapon or authority to him, but a paintbrush, a magic that could hold onto the sunlight.

My eyes started to well up with tears without me even realizing it.

"Thank you, Nagato."

Xiao Nan looked up, her face beaming with a smile even brighter than the sunflowers in the painting. "This is a wonderful gift, I will cherish it!"

In the evening, after washing up, Nagato returned to her room.

He stood by the window, looking at his own purple eyes, which shimmered with mysterious ripples, reflected in the glass.

I raised my hand and gently touched the cold glass.

No matter how powerful these eyes are, no matter how much strife and pain they have brought.

For me, its existence has only one meaning.

That was to draw more sunflowers, to let Yahiko continue to shout with such energy, and to protect the smile on Minami's face that was warmer than the sun.

It exists solely for this purpose.

at the same time.

Deep within the Senju clan's mansion in Konoha.

Mito Uzumaki, with her magnificent red hair, sat by the window with her eyes closed, her immense perception spreading like mercury across the entire village.

She could feel the flow of chakra in the village, including Tsunade's vast and warm chakra, and countless tiny, twinkling points of light belonging to the villagers.

Suddenly, she "saw" Nagato.

That chakra was as vast as the unfathomable universe, yet it was incredibly calm and gentle, without a trace of violence or ferocity, simply quietly protecting the two equally warm lights beside it.

The old man, who had witnessed all of Konoha's history, slowly revealed a smile of extreme satisfaction.

She knew that those eyes had found a good home.