While chasing after the puppet controlled by An Lushan in the ruins of Loulan, Uzumaki Naruto accidentally stepped into the heart of the Dragon Vein, a powerful chakra source hidden beneath the desert. The moment his body touched the central seal, an immense surge of temporal chakra distorted space-time and hurled Naruto into the past.
When he opened his eyes, Naruto found himself in a bustling city, filled with vibrant life and strange architecture—the ancient Kingdom of Loulan, before its fall. Confused but alert, Naruto wandered into the city, where he soon encountered Queen Sarah, a kind-hearted ruler caught in a web of deceit and chakra manipulation.
Their shared sense of justice and energy quickly brought them together. So when Sarah rushed toward the Dragon Vein, disturbed by an unknown presence, Naruto immediately followed.
As they arrived at the Dragon Vein's core, they saw a dark figure approaching—Byakuya, a powerful ninja manipulating the flow of the Dragon Vein for his own ends.
When Naruto saw him walking menacingly toward Sarah, he didn't hesitate. Forming a Rasengan, he charged forward.
"Get away from her!"
Byakuya narrowed his eyes as he turned to face the yellow-haired boy.
"...Uzumaki Naruto?" he muttered in disbelief.
This wasn't possible. In his world, there was no Naruto. His presence here meant only one thing—a time displacement.
"So… you're from the future."
Calmly, Byakuya sidestepped the Rasengan and countered with a swift taijutsu strike, sending Naruto flying backwards across the stone platform.
"Gah!"
Naruto tumbled violently, skidding across the ground, groaning.
"Naruto!"
Queen Sarah cried out, but Byakuya raised his hand to calm her.
"He won't die. Not with the Kyūbi sealed inside him..."
He looked back to Sarah, expression hardening.
"Now, tell me—how do you stabilize the flow of the Dragon Vein?"
Naruto, despite the pain, rose unsteadily to his feet.
"Tch... You're not laying a finger on Sarah while I'm here!"
Frustrated, Byakuya formed a hand seal:
"Doton – Gansetsukon (Earth Style – Earth Prison Technique)"
The earth beneath Naruto surged, forming thick columns and layers of compacted soil. In seconds, Naruto was wrapped up like a cocoon, immobilized and muffled.
"You're persistent and loud. Better to keep you quiet..."
Byakuya turned away dismissively, knowing full well how dangerous Naruto's words could be in swaying others.
Just as he approached Sarah again—
"Mokuton – Daijurin no Jutsu (Wood Release – Great Forest Technique)!"
Suddenly, sharp wooden branches burst from the ground, shattering the earthen dome that trapped Naruto.
From the shadows emerged a masked ninja in a flak jacket—Yamato.
"Naruto! Are you alright?"
"Captain Yamato! I'm fine—but watch out! That guy's dangerous!"
Naruto warned as he broke free.
Yamato narrowed his eyes at the figure near the Dragon Vein.
"Anyone threatening Queen Sarah and Naruto is an enemy."
Without hesitation, Yamato unleashed another volley of wooden branches toward Byakuya, aiming to subdue him.
But Byakuya simply smiled.
"You call that Wood Release?"
"Let me show you what real Mokuton looks like..."
He clapped his hands together.
"Mokuton – Daijurin no Jutsu!"
The ground trembled violently. A massive surge of wooden trees erupted beneath him, effortlessly overpowering Yamato's wood-style. Vines and trunks tore through Yamato's jutsu like paper, revealing the stark difference in their mastery.
Yamato's eyes widened.
"T-This chakra...! It's on par with the First Hokage's?!"
Byakuya advanced slowly, brushing aside the crumbling remains of Yamato's attack.
"You were never meant to inherit the Will of Wood. Let me show you its true form..."
However, there was a massive disparity in power between their Wood Release techniques.
If Byakuya's Wood Release could be likened to a towering forest, then Yamato's was no more than a cluster of saplings. The moment their jutsu collided, the result was overwhelming—Yamato's Wood Release was instantly overrun and crushed under the sheer magnitude of Byakuya's.
"What!? That's Wood Release!?"
"How is this possible… How can you use Wood Release!?"
Yamato was stunned. Even though he himself possessed the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, his abilities came from experimental grafting of Hashirama Senju's cells—never naturally awakened. Seeing someone not only using Wood Release naturally but dominating him with it was beyond comprehension.
But the shock didn't end there. Byakuya's trees surged forward relentlessly, quickly binding both Yamato and Naruto in mid-air, suspending them like captured prey.
"Damn it! What's happening!?"
"Who are you!? How can you use the First Hokage's bloodline limit!?"
Yamato thrashed in his bindings, bewildered. The Wood Release should have died with Hashirama Senju. Even his own powers were artificial—gained through harsh experiments under Orochimaru and later carried into service under the ANBU Root and Kakashi's supervision.
How could this unknown man not only possess Wood Release, but perform it so effortlessly, so perfectly, and with power that exceeded even Yamato's imagination?
"Tch… You're not even worth an explanation."
Byakuya shot a disdainful glance at Yamato, his Sharingan glowing slightly beneath narrowed lids, then continued his approach toward Queen Sara of Rōran.
His objective was simple: extract from her the method to control the Dragon Vein.
"Let go of Sarah!"
"I'll never forgive you—!"
Uzumaki Naruto struggled violently in the wooden bindings, his voice full of raw emotion. In that moment, his chakra flared chaotically—violently. The crimson chakra of the Nine-Tails began seeping from his body in waves.
"No! The Nine-Tails' chakra!?"
"Naruto, you have to stop!" Yamato called out, panic setting in.
But it was already too late.
Naruto roared, his features beginning to distort, his irises turning crimson and pupils slitting. The Kyuubi's power was starting to take control. His consciousness was slipping, replaced by raw, feral rage.
"Tch… annoying."
Byakuya didn't hesitate. With a flash of his eyes, he activated his Sharingan—casting a genjutsu straight at Naruto.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan."
Naruto, mid-roar, suddenly froze. The violent chakra simmered down instantly. His expression relaxed, and he fell unconscious, the Kyuubi's influence suppressed through sheer genjutsu prowess.
"…Sharingan!? That's the Sharingan!" Yamato's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Who is this man…?"
"Wood Release... and Sharingan? That's impossible… No one should have both!"
Yamato's mind raced. These two bloodlines came from entirely different clans—Hashirama Senju and the Uchiha. The only known convergence of both in history was in the twisted form of Uchiha Madara himself.
To see this power combination again, so many years later… What was Byakuya's true identity?
Yamato could only stare in growing dread.
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