The incident at Hōzuki Castle was finally brought to an end. Afterward, Kakashi released the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Once Muku died, the box automatically sealed itself shut. Kakashi threw it into the sea, and it sank into the roaring waves and violent currents—never to be found again.
Except for Kakashi, no one could ever locate it. From that moment on, the Box of Ultimate Bliss vanished from the world completely.
As for Hōzuki Castle, Kusagakure sent someone new to take over. Mui, having been gravely injured, managed to live for a while longer but eventually succumbed to his wounds. The prisoners, now with their chakra restored, had to be kept under strict supervision. Kusagakure dispatched more guards, the Five Great Nations increased funding—after all, if these prisoners were allowed to escape again, the consequences would be disastrous.
But such matters weren't Kiyosuke's concern.
That kind of headache should be left to Tsunade and the others.
"Kiyosuke-sama, Tsunade-sama is looking for you!"
An ANBU appeared in Kiyosuke's courtyard.
"Got it."
Whoosh!
The ANBU disappeared, and Kiyosuke rose to his feet, heading for the Hokage's Office.
When he arrived, he saw Obito already there. On the desk sat a blood-red crystal orb marked with seven tomoe. Both of them were staring at it with grave expressions.
Seeing Kiyosuke enter, Obito greeted him briefly.
Kiyosuke asked, "What are you scheming this time?"
Obito replied, "This one's not my doing. It's something Black Zetsu made in secret—this is a Limited Tsukuyomi crystal orb."
"Limited Tsukuyomi?"
Kiyosuke remembered hearing of it—it was a technique that transported its targets into a mirrored world.
For example, in this world, Hinata was a well-behaved girl, but in the other world, she was a rebellious delinquent dressed provocatively. Kiba loved cats and couldn't stand Akamaru, while Shino was devoted to exterminating bugs, believing all insects were pests.
A truly bizarre world.
Obito explained the ability of the Limited Tsukuyomi.
"It's basically an experimental version of Infinite Tsukuyomi. Black Zetsu gave it to me, telling me to use it on Naruto."
The orb was crafted from the chakra of seven tailed beasts. That alone revealed something important—Pain had already captured the Six-Tails and sealed it within the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Now, only Killer Bee and Naruto remained as Jinchūriki.
Kiyosuke thought for a moment and said,
"Sounds interesting. Should we give it a try?"
"Don't be reckless, Kiyosuke," Tsunade cautioned. "Obito brought this back for a reason."
"It'll have to be used eventually," Kiyosuke said. "Black Zetsu gave it to him to test him, right?"
Obito nodded. "After everything that happened, Pain clearly doesn't trust me anymore—but he doesn't trust Zetsu either. On the surface, we're still cooperating, but in truth, he rarely shows himself. Zetsu's been keeping an eye on Pain, so he won't come after me for now. But... he's started to doubt me too."
Black Zetsu, that thousand-year-old schemer, was naturally suspicious of Obito's recent behavior.
That was why he made this seven-tomoe crystal orb—to test Obito.
If Obito hadn't betrayed him, fine. But if he had—then this would be the perfect way to eliminate a threat and keep his grand plan on track.
"Then let's come up with a countermeasure," Kiyosuke suggested.
Tsunade paused, then asked, "This thing isn't dangerous, right?"
Obito shook his head.
"Not really. It's just a genjutsu world where everything is reversed. No real harm beyond that."
"I see," Tsunade said. "Then let's use it."
It was a rare artifact, but since it couldn't be duplicated, it was better to put it to use stabilizing Obito's position among his enemies.
"Tonight, then. I'll bring Naruto, and you can use it on us."
"Fine by me."
They discussed the details, and after Tsunade helped finalize the plan, Obito departed.
...
That night, Kiyosuke took Naruto out for dinner, then for a walk through Konoha Park. The streets were quiet, and a blood-red moon hung high above, casting its eerie glow over the village.
Suddenly, space rippled, and Obito appeared via Kamui.
"Ah! The masked man!" Naruto exclaimed, recognizing the distinctive mask. He charged forward, but Kiyosuke grabbed him by the collar.
"Don't bother, Naruto—you can't beat him."
Kamui was a broken ability. You couldn't just punch your way through it.
Obito said, "You're troublesome as ever, but I'll have to ask the two of you to come with me."
He tossed the seven-tomoe crystal orb into the air. The blood-red sphere resonated with the crimson moon, and a blinding white light enveloped the three of them.
In an instant—they vanished.
From the shadows, a strange half-black, half-white figure emerged from a tree trunk.
The black side spoke slowly, "Looks like it worked. But Obito's still suspicious."
"True... and bringing Asakawa Kiyosuke into this complicates things."
"This will probably fail," Zetsu muttered as he sank back into the ground. "Next step—gather intel on the Eight-Tails."
...
When Kiyosuke and Naruto opened their eyes again, they were still standing in the same place.
Obito was gone.
"Where did that masked guy go?" Naruto asked.
"No idea," Kiyosuke replied. "But Naruto—this isn't our Konoha anymore."
"What do you mean?" Naruto looked around, confused. Everything seemed the same as before.
Kiyosuke pointed at the Hokage Rock. The faces of the First, Second, Third, and Fifth Hokage were all there—but the Fourth wasn't Minato Namikaze. Instead, it was a man with a bizarre hairstyle.
"Wait—where's my dad's face?! And why does that guy look so familiar?!"
After a moment, realization struck Naruto.
"That's Sakura's dad!"
"So it is," Kiyosuke murmured. He'd met Sakura's father before—just an ordinary man who loved to tell jokes, though none of them were funny.
So that was the twist in this world.
Here, the one who sealed the Nine-Tails at the cost of his life wasn't Minato—but Sakura's father. Which meant Naruto's parents were still alive.
"Great," Kiyosuke muttered. "Looks like things are about to get messy. Should've stayed home."
He scratched his ear lazily—then noticed three people and a dog walking toward them.
"Hey, old man! What are you doing out here so late with Naruto?"
A delinquent-looking Hinata shouted at him, making Kiyosuke freeze in disbelief.
"I'm only thirty! Not that old!" he retorted irritably.
"Hah? What's with you today? You're usually all stiff and serious like a log. What's gotten into you?"
Hinata looked him up and down, clearly confused—this wasn't the Kiyosuke-sensei she remembered.
"True," Kiba chimed in. "He's acting way more laid-back than usual—ahhh!!"
He screamed as Akamaru bit him square on the butt.
The two immediately started bickering.
In this world, Kiba was a cat lover who absolutely despised dogs, and Akamaru hated him just as much. Their relationship was pure chaos.
With someone like Kiba in the Inuzuka clan... it was a wonder they hadn't kicked him out already.