Chapter 7 — Love, Echoes, and a Hidden Spark

The sun hung low in the sky by the time Naruto and Ino reached her home. The Yamanaka estate stood tall and refined at the edge of the village, with its elegant archways and flowering gardens. A breeze carried the scent of fresh herbs from the greenhouse behind the house, and Naruto caught himself marveling at just how peaceful it all felt.

Ino led him inside with practiced ease, kicking her sandals off at the doorway.

"Mom, we're back!" she called into the house.

Ayaka Yamanaka appeared in the hallway a moment later, wiping her hands on a towel. Her golden hair was tied in a high, no-nonsense bun, and a soft smile spread across her face when she saw them. "Welcome home, you two. How was class today?"

Ino grinned. "Eventful. Naruto made up a whole new taijutsu style and somehow helped me in math class by turning ninja formulas into whatever logic he uses. It was actually easier his way."

Ayaka blinked. "A new taijutsu style, huh?" Her eyes drifted to Naruto, full of curiosity. "Well then, Naruto-kun, why don't you show your aunty this mysterious style of yours?"

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

Ayaka chuckled. "I may have retired after Ino's birth, but I was a kunoichi once too, you know. Wife of the Yamanaka clan head doesn't get to just be a housewife." She winked, setting her towel aside. "Come on, let's spar. I'm curious."

Naruto blinked at her, unsure if she was serious—but one look into her firm yet kind gaze told him this wasn't a joke.

"Uh... sure," he said.

She led them out back into the estate's private dojo. It was large, clean, and padded—obviously still maintained despite Ayaka's retirement. Ino sat by the edge of the mat, eager but quiet.

Naruto stepped into the center and bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, slipping into his boxing stance—guard up, elbows in, footwork ready.

Ayaka raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... interesting. Ready?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded.

She moved first—nothing fast or brutal, just a probing jab, enough to test his reflexes. Naruto dodged with a slight tilt of his head, replying with a short jab of his own. The two circled.

Then came the moment Ayaka truly observed him. His body moved with instinct, not thought. Every dodge was efficient, every strike sharp. She noticed how he shifted weight through his legs, keeping his torso protected but flexible. His footwork was tight, his center solid.

In that moment, she saw Kushina in his fire, and Minato in his grace.

He didn't look like Minato—he had Kushina's features—but the composure, the instinctual calculation, the stillness before the strike… that was pure Yellow Flash.

"This boy…" Ayaka thought, dodging another punch. "It's like both of them are inside him."

She pushed back with a sweep—nothing too forceful, but enough to test his response. Naruto jumped back, adjusted, then came in again with a body shot. Ayaka blocked, but the power behind it surprised her.

"Precise. No wasted movement. You fight like you've done this for years."

Naruto didn't answer immediately. His eyes were distant for a split second, focused but elsewhere.

After another exchange, Ayaka called, "That's enough."

Naruto paused, standing upright and wiping sweat from his brow.

"You're good," she said with an approving nod. "I got the gist of your style. But tell me—any kicks in it?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not really."

Ayaka chuckled. "Then you'll want to fix that. A smart enemy will notice. But don't change the style. It suits you. Just… expand it."

He nodded, attentive.

"And another thing," she added. "You've got an insane amount of chakra for your age. Try adding just a bit into your punches. Don't coat the whole thing. Just a burst on impact, or a thin layer. Could amplify the sting or delay the hit's effect. Think of it as… chakra seasoning."

Naruto blinked. "That's… genius."

She smiled. "Want me to help with your chakra control?"

He looked startled by the offer. Then he bowed his head, voice quiet. "No, Ayaka-aunty… that'd be asking too much. You already gave me a job, food, a place to feel safe. You… Ino… even uncle Inoichi—you treat me like family. And I… I can't give anything back. So I don't want to ask for more."

He paused, then added, softer, "I'm already asking too much."

His voice wavered, just enough for Ayaka to catch the emotion behind it.

To Ino, who sat nearby, his words struck something deep. She saw him clench his fists, his shoulders trembling—not with fear, but the fragile hold of someone who didn't know how to accept love.

Naruto had always seemed cheerful on the outside. Loud. Annoying sometimes. But underneath that was someone who wasn't used to being wanted.

Someone who had been alone far too long.

Ayaka crossed the mat and hugged him without a word.

Naruto stood frozen for a heartbeat—then relaxed into her arms. Just a boy, finally understanding what it meant to be held like a son.

And it hit him then—how much he had missed this feeling.

From his past life, he remembered the warmth of parents who loved him fiercely. He hadn't realized how deeply he needed it—until he lost them. Until the day he buried them, alone, and the quiet never went away.

And now, in this world, he felt those same memories echo in a new form.

He'd taken over Naruto's body, sure—but when their memories merged, he saw the truth of this boy's loneliness. Saw the birthdays spent in silence, the eyes that avoided him, the empty fridge and the broken swing set. Naruto didn't know what love was—but he craved it with every fiber of his being.

And now he knew… Ayaka and Inoichi's kindness wasn't just charity.

It was family.

"I hope… I hope he felt it too," he thought silently. "That version of me. That kid who endured so much before I got here. I hope he knows what love feels like now."

When Ayaka pulled back, her eyes were damp, but smiling. "You don't have to earn your place, Naruto. Family doesn't ask that."

Ino looked away, trying not to show how teary-eyed she had become.

But deep inside her, something twisted painfully.

He thinks of us as family, she realized. Me… as family.

She'd told herself it was fine. That Naruto was like a brother. That they were close—so close, in fact, that it felt easy to laugh and bicker like siblings.

But it wasn't fine anymore.

She didn't want him to see her as a sister.

Because every time he smiled, something fluttered in her chest. Every time he stood up for her or called her name in that stupid way—"Ino-pig"—it wasn't annoying anymore. It made her heart race.

And when he bowed, when he said he was already asking too much… she wanted to scream that he wasn't.

That he could ask for everything.

But she didn't say it.

Not yet.

So instead, she smiled, forced and quiet.

"I'll set the table," she said softly, and walked out of the dojo.

Naruto watched her go, still oblivious to the storm inside her.