But seriously—
Leaving in such a sorry, rushed manner felt absolutely awful.
Tap—
Link landed on solid ground, accompanied only by a single shadow carrying his luggage. The rest of his shadows immediately scattered beneath him. Right before departing, he had painstakingly gathered every last one to ensure that, just in case, Kaguya couldn't track him through them.
Between the main world and the Second Parallel World, he'd essentially taken everything that belonged to him. He even retracted his portion of the Cast Net Jutsu. In other words, now nobody could contact or locate him.
[This place is…?]
Link glanced at a bizarre building off to the side that looked a bit like a highway rest stop – it even smelled faintly of toilets. While wondering where in the world he was, waiting for his shadow to pass on some intel, an all-too-familiar figure in a black cloak with red clouds stepped out of the restroom.
[Damn it, I intended to teleport to a time after the Fourth War ended, yet here we have Hidan still alive?]
[So this means we're still in Shippuden's earlier arcs—at least a year or so before the war starts.]
"Oi, brat! What's with that look? You're pissing me off!" snorted this "Fourth Parallel World" Hidan, hefting his scythe with a malicious grin. "Hanging around a place that stinks of crap, only to run into—"
Thud!
An Eight Gates–empowered shadow slugged him mid-sentence, cutting him off.
"Ugh—!"
One tiny fist pounded him in the gut, so hard that his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Spittle sprayed from his mouth as he sank to his knees in agony.
[No matter the world, Mr. "D" always has a foul mouth.]
Link stood there calmly, ignoring the four shadow clones with Eight Gates flaring, who formed a tight blockade around this world's Hidan. Instead, his gaze went upward, to the top of the structure.
Whoosh! ×4
Asuma, Kamizuki Izumo, Kotetsu Hagane, and a somewhat older Nara Shikamaru appeared, surrounding the kneeling Akatsuki member and this mysterious kid.
"Hey, hey, Shikamaru, that Shadow Jutsu—some kind of relative of yours?"
Asuma held his special chakra trench knives at the ready, eyeing the boy with caution.
They'd already been here, planning to ambush these Akatsuki members. According to their plan, Asuma would draw attention, Izumo and Kotetsu would attack, and Shikamaru would coordinate with Shadow Possession. But they witnessed a cute-looking kid arrive via space–time ninjutsu, dispatch a bunch of shadows to scout around, and then, in a flash, the terrifying shadows subdued an Akatsuki member, forcing him to his knees.
Realizing these shadow creatures were everywhere, and that the boy had obviously noticed their presence, Asuma decided to make himself known. He wanted to ensure an open space where they could watch each other's backs – not risk a lethal ambush from those ridiculously strong shadows.
[Those shadows are faster than I am…], he thought, still maintaining a carefree front. But inside, he was drenched in cold sweat.
Thud!
Meanwhile, Hidan quietly tried to feign how injured he was, inching for his scythe—but another shadow rose from the ground and kicked him mercilessly. He flew across the space, pulling the chain taut as the scythe lodged in the dirt. Another shadow stepped on the chain. He crashed to the ground.
Smack! The third shadow dealt another blow.
Asuma's eyelid twitches. The kid only exchanged a few words with him, then started punting Hidan around like a soccer ball. A bit too petty, perhaps.
"We've got no real grudge. Your story doesn't concern me," Link said, pulling out yet another Funa-tsū scroll. His plan had been to jump to a timeline post-Fourth Shinobi War and keep hopping, recruiting multiple versions of Six Paths–powered Naruto and Sasuke.
As for Six Paths Obito or Madara—canon made it clear the Divine Tree and Ten-Tails belong to Kaguya. If Madara became its jinchūriki, Kaguya's influence might turn him insane. Who knows what would happen if he met the fully revived Kaguya? Possibly she'd just absorb his chakra, given their shared lineage.
Hence, Six Paths–mode Naruto and Sasuke were the most reliable. With the actual Sage of Six Paths–granted powers, plus double-Mangekyō Kakashi, they could replicate that final fight, maybe persuade Six Paths Obito to join them, etc. Then, a team of good guys could crush Kaguya.
But apparently, Link had ended up in the timeline of Asuma's death scene—since Hidan was still alive.
[Wait, is this a tad too coincidental? The Second Parallel World was the Kakashi Chronicles, the third was Deidara and Sasori capturing Gaara, and this 'fourth' world is Asuma's death arc?]
He pondered while everyone stared at him. Hidan, of course, had no time to ponder, busy serving as a "soccer ball." Sensing someone underground, Link shelved his thoughts and said, in a calm voice:
"We have no grudge—there's no need to fight."
Kaguya's threat in the main world was still unresolved; Link had no interest in meddling with some strange, familiar-yet-foreign dimension. If not for Hidan's foul mouth, there would've been no conflict. Er, well, if he spotted "old Baki," maybe he'd meddle a bit, but that wasn't relevant now. The point: Hidan would inevitably say something vile, leading to soccer-ball duty.
Boom!
The ground burst open, revealing the "fourth" Kakuzu, eyes glinting green with murderous greed, slamming a fist downward.
Thud!
But the next instant, Kakuzu was booted aside—his body hardened like diamond, sure, but that only made him a "sturdy soccer ball." The "ball" itself evidently disagreed. His clothes tore, exposing four masked monsters joined by black threads. One mask opened its mouth without hesitation.
Crack!
In a burst of speed, one Eight Gates–empowered shadow—channeling the velocity of a Six Gates Might Guy—punched through the monster's mouth just as it was about to spew flames hot enough to heat the air. One after another, those masked creatures were destroyed.
Even though Link hadn't done any real fighting lately, he'd been developing his shadows quietly. With them all combined, he was on the cusp of super-Kage level. Facing ordinary Kage-level shinobi? A guaranteed one-hit KO.
His fighting style was all-or-nothing. If an opponent was even slightly weaker, they'd be wiped out in seconds. You needed speed on par with Sixth Gate Guy, large-scale ninjutsu, maxed-out defense and escape techniques… otherwise, you had no chance. Getting insta-killed was typical.
"I said we have no grudge, right?" Link glanced offhand at the "undying duo," thrashing in vain and collapsing. He saw Asuma drenched in cold sweat and remarked, "Take these two as a gift."
"With that, see you around."
He activated the Funa-tsū technique again, focusing on landing in the war's aftermath this time. The jutsu began to form. His shadows reconverged, and his body vanished into the twisting vortex, disappearing from this world.
Left behind were four shattered masks, a limbless Kakuzu, and a dismembered—yet still somehow alive—Hidan.
~~~
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