#he return

He’s not sure what to expect when he knocks at the door, three hesitant taps that echo dimly through the wood. It’s surreal, an action he’s done many times before at this very place but under very different circumstances. Now he’s dead, or should’ve been, but he finds himself at Kushina’s door with a hesitant smile, knowing that it twists his scars in a decidedly unpleasant way.

He doesn’t expect outright denial, but on second thought, it was probably the most logical reaction. His smile melts to worry, and he reaches out a tentative hand, wincing as he realizes it’s his synthetic arm, bone white and obviously unnatural. He fights the urge to snatch it back, hide it from sight, and lets it rest on the redhead’s shoulder, light and careful.

“Sorry I couldn’t keep my promise,” he murmurs, brow furrowed, “But this is real, I swear. I’m here. You can check for Genjutsu if you want, or bring me to T&I, but... I’m just really glad to see you. Are Rin and Kakashi okay? And Minato-sensei? Kakashi better have kept his promise,” he rambles, tension getting the better of him, and he promptly forces his mouth shut.

“Are- are you okay?” When all was said and done, he hadn’t thought he’d be missed much. He hadn’t been close to that many people. He knew his team and Kushina would be sad, but he’d been confident they would find a way to move on. He was just any other no-name shinobi with big dreams and no power to back it up. He’d been satisfied in the end, even if he’d wished to have more time with them all.