Kitazawa remembered that when Naruto and the others were pulled into the Source of the Dragon Vein and appeared in Rōran, they were all dispersed, not gathered together.
To be safe, he immediately released Chakra and bound his three students.
"The situation inside is chaotic. Don't stray too far from me."
Kitazawa warned them, then led Naruto, Shino, and Hinata into the hall where the Dragon Veins Seal was located.
Seeing this, Kakashi did the same, using Chakra to connect Sasuke, Kimimaro, and Neji.
He still hadn't figured out Kitazawa's objective. If it was just to defeat Mukade, there was absolutely no need to take the students along and risk it.
It would be sufficient for the two of them, the squad leaders, to go in and lure Mukade out.
However, Kitazawa was his superior, so he could only trust him.
Kakashi and the others followed closely, entering the hall.
"Is this a Flying Thunder God Kunai?"
Kakashi noticed the Dragon Veins Seal in the center of the hall and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
As the Dragon Veins Seal disintegrated, what was revealed was a Kunai.
This Kunai looked similar in style to an ordinary Kunai, but it had a Seal formula carved on it, as well as four characters: Sword of Ninja Love.
Kakashi immediately recognized it as his teacher, Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai.
What exactly happened back then? How did he forget everything? He didn't even remember this Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Just then, the purple Chakra reached the Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Kakashi subconsciously reached out, wanting to retrieve the Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Suddenly, the Flying Thunder God Kunai trembled. Centered on it, space was torn apart, and everyone was swallowed by the purple Chakra.
Kitazawa glanced left and right, unable to see Naruto or the others, only purple Chakra. But his Chakra connection was still there; it hadn't broken.
Kitazawa immediately increased his Chakra output. After maintaining it for a few seconds, he felt his body shake violently, and then it suddenly stopped.
His feet landed on the ground. The dense purple Chakra completely vanished, replaced by a stretch of desert.
Kitazawa steadied himself, then felt his thigh being hugged. He looked down and saw it was Hinata.
Her face was pale, clearly startled. But it was normal when you thought about it.
During the recent travel through time, the destination was unknown, and she couldn't see anyone else.
At her age, she must have been extremely worried and anxious. Therefore, upon seeing him, she subconsciously ran over and hugged him.
The reason Kitazawa was so calm was that he had read the original story and knew there would be no danger during the time travel process.
"What's going on? How did we get here?" Naruto stood up, brushed the yellow sand off his body, and looked around.
He was very bold and didn't react like Hinata; he was mostly curious.
"We were just in that hall, but in the blink of an eye, we're in a desert." Shino adjusted his glasses and analyzed.
"We must have been sent here by that purple Chakra."
"Where is Sasuke? And Kakashi-sensei and the others?" Naruto suddenly realized something and quickly asked.
"With Kakashi there, they will be fine," Kitazawa said.
"So what should we do now? Go look for them?" Naruto felt relieved upon hearing this and asked again.
"Shino, scout the surrounding area," Kitazawa instructed.
Aburame Shino nodded, immediately raised his hands, and released a large number of Kikaichu.
"Hinata." Kitazawa patted her head and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm… I'm fine." Hinata snapped out of it and immediately let go of Kitazawa.
She took half a step back, her face slightly flushed, and lowered her head.
"That's good." Kitazawa chuckled softly and said.
"Kitazawa-sensei." Shino suddenly spoke. "I haven't found Kakashi-sensei and the others, but there is a massive Steel City ahead of us."
"Huh? This is a desert, how can there be a Steel City?" Naruto asked, looking puzzled.
"I don't know what's going on either." Shino shook his head and said.
"Let's go check out the situation. Perhaps Kakashi and the others are inside this Steel City." Kitazawa already guessed that this Steel City was Rōran in the past.
In other words, they had successfully traveled through time.
Led by Shino, the group walked for about ten minutes before reaching their destination.
"It's so magnificent!" Naruto immediately exclaimed in awe.
Shino and Hinata couldn't help but nod. Towering, metallic-gleaming buildings were everywhere, looking completely different from Konoha Village.
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded. A group of puppets, resembling clay figures, surrounded them.
Without a word, they raised their arms. Purple Chakra sprayed from their palms, transforming into a sky full of senbon.
Naruto and the others had been vigilant since the puppets appeared. Seeing them attack now, they reacted quickly and immediately defended themselves.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!" Naruto clapped his hands together.
A gale was generated and blew towards the senbon.
Secret Technique: Insect Wall Technique!
Shino waved his hands, and Kikaichu surged out, forming an insect wall in front of him.
Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Hinata blocked Kitazawa, striking out continuously with both palms. All the incoming senbon were scattered by her strikes.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
After blowing away the senbon, Naruto shouted, and hundreds of Shadow Clones rushed toward the puppets.
The pressure on Shino and Hinata immediately lessened.
"Since they are puppets, someone must be controlling them." Shino looked around and said.
"They have Chakra strings on them, but… these Chakra strings point underground." Confusion appeared on Hinata's small face.
"The Ninja controlling the puppets is underground?" Shino subconsciously asked.
"There is no one underground," Hinata explained. "But their destination exceeds the range of my Byakugan's vision."
"This kind of Puppet Master is unheard of," Shino said with a solemn expression.
Normally, a Puppet Master controls only a few puppets. But the Puppet Master they were facing was completely different, remotely controlling dozens of puppets with Chakra strings.
This was completely un-Ninja-like, going against the common Ninja knowledge they were familiar with.
"Rasengan!" Naruto leaped up, and the Rasengan slammed into the puppet in front of him.
Boom! The spinning Chakra, like a sharp blade, pierced straight through the puppet's body.
The next second, the puppet split apart from the middle, scattering broken clay everywhere.
"There's another batch of puppets in the distance!" Hinata immediately warned them.
Bee Bomb Technique! Shino released a swarm of bees.
The bees rushed toward the incoming puppets, and the moment they collided, they detonated like explosive tags.
Suddenly, six Kunai landed around Kitazawa and the others, traveling from far away to near.
"Who?" Shino was startled. He hadn't even clearly seen where the six Kunai came from.
"Are you a Ninja from Konoha Village?" A blond, masked youth appeared out of thin air and asked.
However, his gaze remained fixed on Naruto because Naruto had used the Rasengan.
The Rasengan was something he had just created, and only he and his teacher, Jiraiya, knew how to use it.
Why did this child—who looked only eight or nine years old—know it?
Without a doubt, this was Namikaze Minato. He had been carrying out a mission in Rōran recently, and moments ago, he sensed intense fighting here and rushed over.
And then he saw Naruto using the Rasengan he had created.
"We are from Konoha Village." Shino noticed Minato's Konoha forehead protector and asked, "Are you also a Ninja from Konoha Village?"
"Yes." Minato nodded. "This place is not suitable for talking. I will take you to a safe location first."
Shino didn't answer. He simply looked at Kitazawa. Minato's sudden appearance was very strange.
Although he wore a Konoha forehead protector, Shino did not trust him immediately.
"The puppets here are endless. Fighting them will only waste time." Minato added right away.
He could naturally tell that Kitazawa was their squad leader. In fact, there were many things he didn't understand.
Aside from Naruto using the Rasengan, he had never met Kitazawa, Hinata, or the others.
He could explain not having met Kitazawa. After all, Konoha Village had many Ninja.
But it was strange that he hadn't met Naruto, Hinata, or Aburame Shino.
They were young and strong—logically, they should have been top-tier geniuses in Konoha Village.
"Then please lead us out." Kitazawa smiled and said.
Minato snapped back to attention and immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kitazawa felt his vision blur, and in the next instant, he appeared in a different place.
This seemed to be a building inside Rōran. Through the window, the Steel City was clearly visible outside.
"Wow! Mister, you're amazing!" Naruto widened his eyes and exclaimed, "How did you do that? We got here in an instant!"
"Do you know Space–Time Ninjutsu?" Minato asked with a smile. He felt an inexplicable sense of closeness toward Naruto.
"I know!" Naruto said excitedly. "Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"That's right. This is the Flying Thunder God Technique." Minato admitted.
Although Kitazawa's group was strange, no Ninja Village besides Konoha could possess the Rasengan, Kikaichu, and Byakugan at the same time.
"Huh?" Naruto didn't react immediately.
He remembered Sarutobi Hiruzen telling him that historically, only two Ninja in Konoha knew the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Besides his father, the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, there was only its creator, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Shino and Hinata also looked confused.
Minato was the Fourth Hokage.
In Ninja Academy classes, Kitazawa had taught about his glorious deeds, and the Flying Thunder God Technique was especially famous.
So how did a Konoha Ninja who knew the Flying Thunder God Technique suddenly appear here?
Listening to their conversation, Kitazawa couldn't help but smile faintly. How should he put it? It was quite interesting.
"What is your name?" Minato couldn't help but ask.
He was most curious about Naruto. After all, he knew the Rasengan.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto replied immediately.
"…?" Minato froze on the spot.
Uzumaki—he was very familiar with that name. His girlfriend was Uzumaki Kushina.
Naruto—he was also familiar with that. It was the name of the protagonist from Jiraiya's Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja.
Minato had even planned to name his future son Naruto.
Blond hair.
Rasengan.
Could this be… my son?
But he and Uzumaki Kushina weren't even married yet. There was no way he could have a son this old.
"Mister, what about you?" Naruto asked curiously. "My dad also knows the Flying Thunder God Technique. Were you his teammate before?"
This was the only explanation Naruto could think of.
"Who is your father?" Minato paused, then asked carefully.
"Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato!" Naruto answered proudly.
"…?!" Minato was completely stunned.
I became the Fourth Hokage?
No—wait, that's not the point.
I actually have a son this old?
Minato subconsciously pressed a hand to his forehead. After pondering for a long time, he arrived at an absurd conclusion.
If Naruto wasn't lying, then these children must have come from the future.
Gradually, Minato regained his composure. If they were Ninja from the future, they shouldn't interact too deeply with Ninja of the past.
In the original story, Minato did exactly that. He never asked Naruto anything from beginning to end, nor did he acknowledge him.
At the end, he even sealed their memories and returned them to their respective timelines.
"How old are you now?" Minato reached out, patted Naruto's shoulder, and asked.
"Nine years old," Naruto replied.
He didn't notice that Minato's gaze and tone had subtly changed.
"To be able to learn Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan at your age…" Minato said with great satisfaction. "That talent is truly remarkable."
What more could he say when his future son was this outstanding?
"It's all because Kitazawa-sensei taught me well," Naruto said with a bright smile.
"Kitazawa?" Minato was startled, feeling that the name sounded familiar.
"You don't know Kitazawa-sensei?" Naruto looked confused.
In his opinion, Kitazawa was extremely famous. All the residents and Ninja of Konoha Village knew him.
More precisely, it wasn't limited to Konoha Village alone. Whenever Naruto went out on missions and mentioned Kitazawa's name, it always shocked the other party.
Of course, mentioning Sarutobi Hiruzen's name had the same effect.
Minato couldn't help but frown. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he remembered where he had seen Kitazawa before.
It was the day Ichiraku Ramen opened, right after he had accepted the Rōran mission.
Because Ichiraku Ramen was offering a half-price promotion, he went there, intending to eat a bowl of ramen before meeting Hiruzen Sarutobi.
There were many customers that day. In line, he saw Kakashi, Might Guy, Shizune, Asuma Sarutobi, and others.
Kakashi had proactively volunteered to accompany him on the mission. Considering Kakashi's strength and long-standing reputation as a genius, Minato agreed.
While queuing with Kakashi and Might Guy, there was also a young man named Kitazawa.
He was very handsome, but his talent seemed ordinary, and he wasn't famous. Minato had merely exchanged a casual greeting with him.
After finishing their ramen, he and Kakashi met Sarutobi Hiruzen, then brought Shibi Aburame and Akimichi Choza to Rōran.
Minato subconsciously looked at Kitazawa. He never expected that he had misjudged him so badly.
If Kitazawa could teach Naruto Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan, then his strength was undoubtedly considerable.
Was he a late-blooming genius? Or had he been deliberately hiding his true abilities back then?
"Hello, I'm Kitazawa." Kitazawa extended his hand with a smile. "Thank you for your help."
He had indeed seen Minato a few times before, but their total interaction hadn't exceeded three sentences.
There was nothing he could do about it. At that time, he was unremarkable and hadn't even activated the system yet.
"I should be thanking you." Minato shook his head and clasped his hand in return.
"Uncle, you still haven't told me your name?" Naruto suddenly remembered and asked.
"I…" Minato paused. He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Kitazawa. "Please step aside so we can talk." He raised his hand slightly.
"Okay." Kitazawa had already guessed what Minato was thinking.
"Naruto, you guys rest here for a bit first." After saying that, he followed Minato to a corner on the other side.
"What I'm about to tell you… don't be scared." Minato said in a deep voice.
Kitazawa was momentarily stunned. Why did that sentence sound so familiar?
"I am Namikaze Minato." Minato removed his mask.
"You… how could you be the Fourth Hokage?" Kitazawa asked, deliberately feigning shock.
"Although it sounds unbelievable, you truly traveled to the past—to our timeline." Minato put his mask back on and asked, "Can you explain the situation in detail?"
Kitazawa nodded and recounted their process of time travel. Naturally, he omitted the part where he deliberately set Mukade up.
"So it was because of the Source of the Dragon Vein?" Minato exclaimed after listening. "I never imagined it had such an ability."
"Perhaps it's also related to the Flying Thunder God Kunai you left behind." Kitazawa speculated.
"That's possible." Minato fell into thought.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was a space–time Ninjutsu. Yet until now, it had only demonstrated spatial movement.
With the assistance of the Source of the Dragon Vein, it had unexpectedly triggered time-traveling capabilities.
"Let's put that aside for now." Minato took a deep breath, then asked somewhat nervously, "Is Naruto… my son?"
"Yes." Kitazawa nodded. "He is the son of you and Kushina-senpai."
"As expected." After receiving confirmation, Minato felt a subtle emotional wave stir in his heart.
He wasn't even married yet, and he already had a son. Even with his exceptional mental fortitude, it was hard to accept all at once.
"We were pulled here because of the Source of the Dragon Vein and Mukade." Kitazawa continued.
"If we defeat Mukade and activate the Source of the Dragon Vein again, we should be able to return to our original timeline."
There was another version of himself in this timeline. Staying any longer would only risk collapsing the future.
Coupled with the fact that his life in his original timeline was already nearly complete, there was no reason for him to remain here.
In short, he came only to complete his system mission—and he absolutely had to return.
"That's good." Minato came back to his senses and nodded. He agreed with Kitazawa's reasoning, but soon showed a puzzled expression.
"Before we arrived, we investigated Rōran. There was no one named Mukade." Minato said, confused.
"What is your mission?" Although Kitazawa already knew, he had to pretend ignorance to avoid suspicion.
"To protect the Queen of Rōran and investigate Anrokuzan, the minister of Rōran," Minato explained.
"Anrokuzan is using the Source of the Dragon Vein to create a puppet army, intending to start a war that could affect the entire Ninja World."
"It seems Anrokuzan knows a great deal about the Source of the Dragon Vein." Kitazawa pondered and said, "Mukade also knows a lot about it. Could they be the same person?"
"The same person?" Minato was startled. "But Anrokuzan arrived in Rōran six years ago, while Mukade traveled together with you."
"Traveling together doesn't mean traveling to the same timeline." Kitazawa shook his head. "It's possible Mukade arrived six years earlier."
Minato couldn't help but fall silent. This Rōran mission had become increasingly bizarre.
Among all the missions he had ever undertaken, this one was undoubtedly the strangest, going so far as to involve time travel.
"If that's the case, then our missions are the same." Minato made a swift decision. "We can act together and deal with Anrokuzan jointly."
"I was thinking the same thing." Kitazawa smiled. "It's an honor to cooperate with Fourth Hokage-sama."
"I'm not the Hokage yet. You don't need to call me that." Minato replied instinctively—then froze.
Kitazawa had addressed him as Fourth Hokage-sama, not simply Hokage-sama.
That meant that in Kitazawa's timeline, the Hokage was no longer him. Otherwise, there would be no need for the prefix Fourth.
Had he retired early? Or… had he died?
Minato hesitated. He wanted to ask directly, but quickly forced his expression to calm.
After all, changing the future could only lead to two outcomes—better or worse. And if it turned out worse, the trouble would be far too great.
"Who are the other two children?" Minato changed the topic and asked.
"Hinata is the daughter of Hyuga Hiashi, the Hyuga Clan Head, and Aburame Shino is the son of Shibi-senpai," Kitazawa replied.
"So he's Shibi's son. No wonder he looks a little like him." Minato couldn't help but laugh. "I'll have to tell Shibi later and see his reaction."
"Has Shibi-senpai also arrived?" Kitazawa asked at the appropriate moment.
"Yes," Minato explained. "And Choza and Kakashi as well."
"What a coincidence. I also came with Kakashi." Kitazawa chuckled.
"Kakashi is here? Where?" Minato asked curiously. He wanted to see the grown-up Kakashi.
"We came as two teams on a joint mission." Kitazawa briefly introduced Kakashi's team, including Sasuke and the others.
"Then our priority today is to find them first." Minato pondered for a moment and said.
"Are you planning to acknowledge Naruto?" Kitazawa nodded and asked again.
"No need," Minato replied calmly.
"We're not from the same timeline. Getting too entangled would only be harmful."
"We can seal each other's memories after completing the mission, so there won't be any consequences," Kitazawa suggested.
In his view, only Minato and the others' memories needed to be sealed. Those from the past could still change the future, but those from the future could not change the past.
One had not yet happened, while the other had already occurred.
"That's a good idea." Minato agreed.
"Since we'll be sealing memories anyway, there's no harm in letting Naruto know." Kitazawa continued.
Minato froze slightly. Although the logic was sound, it still felt awkward to suddenly acknowledge a son.
"Then I'll explain the current situation to them first." Kitazawa smiled and asked, "Are you planning to keep wearing masks and act together with us?"
Minato had intended to, but after a brief silence, he nodded because he noticed how proactive Kitazawa was about him acknowledging Naruto.
Minato was intelligent. He quickly understood the reason.
Kitazawa was Naruto's teacher—he would never harm him. The only explanation was that Naruto lacked paternal love.
And why he lacked it was obvious.
"I'll go retrieve Choza and Shibi first." Minato suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart. "Kakashi is protecting the Queen of Rōran and can't leave for now."
After saying that, he vanished from the spot.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique really is convenient." Kitazawa couldn't help feeling envious.
Fortunately, he would soon possess the talent for space-time Ninjutsu himself.
"Kitazawa-sensei, why did that uncle disappear again?" Naruto asked when he saw Kitazawa return.
"Do you think he's strange?" Kitazawa asked in return.
"He is strange." Naruto nodded. "He feels very mysterious."
"He can use the Flying Thunder God Technique." Shino immediately pointed out the key issue.
"Kitazawa-sensei, you taught us in class that only the Second Hokage and the Fourth Hokage could use the Flying Thunder God Technique," Hinata remembered his lessons very clearly.
"Oh, right!" Naruto reacted. "Grandpa Third said the same thing!"
"Then why did he say he could use the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Aburame Shino asked, puzzled.
"I get it!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed. "He's a spy from another Ninja Village! He said that to get close to us!"
"He's not a spy." Kitazawa smiled faintly and asked, "Do you remember that purple Chakra?"
All three nodded.
"That was the Source of the Dragon Vein—the earth's lifeblood, containing special Chakra," Kitazawa explained.
"Mukade opened the Source of the Dragon Vein, which caused us to travel through time."
"Time travel?" The three were instantly confused.
"Simply put, we've come to more than ten years ago." Kitazawa gave an approximate explanation.
"Ah?" They were even more bewildered.
"Kitazawa-sensei, are you saying that Uncle is actually Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato?" Shino was the first to react.
"That's right." Kitazawa nodded.
Shino and Hinata subconsciously looked toward Naruto.
Naruto stood frozen. He never imagined he would meet Minato—someone long deceased—in Rōran.
"The Fourth Hokage went to find his two teammates and will be back soon." Kitazawa paused. "You also know them—Akimichi Choza and Aburame Shibi."
"What?!" Shino instantly panicked. His father was here, too?
"Naruto." Kitazawa walked over and patted his shoulder.
"Ki… Kitazawa-sensei, is he really my dad?" Naruto asked softly, his voice trembling.
"Theoretically, yes," Kitazawa explained. "But you haven't been born yet in this timeline."
"I…" Naruto felt completely confused.
"I've already told him everything. When he comes back, you can talk more." Kitazawa said gently.
"Mm," Naruto responded unconsciously.
He had many things he wanted to say to Minato. He never had the chance before—but now he did, even if it wasn't perfect.
"Try not to mention certain things." Kitazawa reminded him. "Like death."
Naruto fell silent once more.
He was already nine years old, and in the precocious Ninja World, he understood far more than children his age elsewhere.
At that moment, three figures appeared out of thin air. It was the younger versions of Minato, Aburame Shibi, and Akimichi Choza.
Aburame Shibi instinctively looked at Aburame Shino. Minato had already explained everything to him—that he suddenly had a son from the future.
The two stared at each other, creating an awkward atmosphere.
Shino, however, felt differently from Naruto. He saw his father every day and had no regrets, so meeting the younger Aburame Shibi only sparked curiosity.
"This is truly eye-opening." Akimichi Choza sighed emotionally.
The moment he saw Naruto and Aburame Shino, he believed Minato completely. After all, father and son looked remarkably alike.
Minato walked up to Naruto.
Naruto hesitated, wanting to speak—but no words came out.
In the end, he couldn't hold back. He stepped forward and hugged Minato tightly, bursting into tears.
Seeing this, Kitazawa signaled the others with his eyes.
Everyone understood and quietly left the room.
[Current Mission: Travel through time and facilitate the reunion of Naruto and his father.]
[Mission Reward: Space-Time Ninjutsu Talent.]
[Host has completed the mission. Reward issued.]
Kitazawa looked at the three lines of text that appeared and let out a slow breath.
Although his body hadn't changed, he now possessed the qualifications to practice the Flying Thunder God Technique.
He couldn't help but think that he should have brought the Flying Thunder God Ninjutsu scroll before leaving.
However, cultivating the Flying Thunder God Technique was never something that could be done overnight.
Whether sooner or later, it didn't make much difference.
Akimichi Choza looked left and right.
Aburame Shibi had already started chatting with Aburame Shino. However, Choza didn't know Hinata and had no idea how to strike up a conversation with her.
"What should I call you?" Akimichi Choza looked at Kitazawa and asked.
"Senior Choza, you can just call me Kitazawa." Kitazawa smiled lightly. "Asuma and I are classmates."
"How is my future child?" Akimichi Choza couldn't help but ask.
"His talent is excellent," Kitazawa replied.
"At nine years old, he has already mastered the Multi-Size Technique and Super Open Hand Slap."
Since their memories would eventually be sealed anyway, Kitazawa didn't mind revealing a bit more.
"That amazing?" Akimichi Choza's eyes widened instantly. He hadn't learned a single Secret Technique when he was nine.
"Kitazawa-sensei taught him." Hinata couldn't help but say.
Kitazawa smiled and gently patted her head.
"You're also my child's teacher?" Akimichi Choza was stunned for a moment before asking.
He had thought that Kitazawa was only the teacher of Hinata, Naruto, and Aburame Shino. Minato had thought the same.
"I'm a teacher at the Ninja Academy," Kitazawa explained. "They haven't graduated yet. I'm just taking them out for training."
"…?" Akimichi Choza was completely dumbfounded.
Are future students really this outrageous? If it were in their era, with this level of strength, they would already be Jonins.
Even if not Jonin, at the very least, they would be Chunin—there was no way they would still be in the Ninja Academy.
"That's basically how it is." Kitazawa briefly explained the concept of the Genius Class.
"The teacher of this Genius Class is even Hokage-sama?" Akimichi Choza couldn't help but gasp.
Because Hiruzen Sarutobi was the current Hokage, he didn't add the word "Third."
Hinata opened her mouth. She wanted to defend Kitazawa, to say that, in terms of teaching ability, Sarutobi Hiruzen was far inferior to him.
But since it involved Sarutobi Hiruzen, it wasn't appropriate to say such things, and she hesitated.
Kitazawa didn't mind.
Akimichi Choza's reaction was only natural. After all, in Choza's impression, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still the strongest Hokage.
The two continued chatting as they waited. After quite some time, Minato reappeared in front of them.
But he was alone.
"Naruto is tired. I told him to rest." Minato explained.
Naruto was still young, and after such intense emotional fluctuations, he had fallen asleep while talking.
"Hinata, Shino, you two should go rest as well." Kitazawa thought for a moment before saying.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Hinata and Aburame Shino turned and entered the house.
"Let's discuss the mission," Minato said in a deep voice. "You are people from the future. To avoid causing too much impact, you should return as soon as possible."
Kitazawa nodded.
"What did your earlier investigation turn up?" Minato looked toward Aburame Shibi and Akimichi Choza.
"I found many missing Rōran residents." Akimichi Choza replied. "Without exception, they all opposed Anrokuzan."
"Through my Kikaichu, I discovered Anrokuzan's puppet factory underground in Rōran." Aburame Shibi added.
"It seems the evidence is sufficient." Minato pondered briefly. "Tomorrow, we'll go meet the Queen of Rōran."
"Your movements may have already been noticed by Anrokuzan." Kitazawa reminded him. "I think the top priority is to reinforce the Queen of Rōran's protection."
In the original story, the Queen of Rōran was killed by Anrokuzan, leaving behind only a daughter named Sara.
Sara was the heroine of The Lost Tower and even had some ambiguous interactions with Naruto, including words that were practically a confession.
One could say this was Naruto's usual pattern in the movies.
Later, after Sara became the Queen of Rōran, she would see Naruto and the others return after completing their mission.
But by then, she had already passed away. Viewed this way, there was a sense of tragic inevitability.
"Although Kakashi is strong, he's still young and alone." Kitazawa continued. Of course, he was referring to the younger Kakashi.
"You're right." Minato nodded. "Then I'll go there myself."
"Let me go." Akimichi Choza volunteered, thinking of Naruto.
"Choza-senpai, you protect the Queen of Rōran," Kitazawa said calmly. "Minato-senpai, you stay here and guard Naruto and the others. Senior Shibi and I will go look for people."
"I think that's a good plan." Aburame Shibi agreed. "I also want to see the grown-up Kakashi."
"Alright." Minato nodded.
He immediately understood Akimichi Choza's and Kitazawa's intentions. Besides, this would give him more time to talk with Naruto once he woke up.
"You must be careful of Anrokuzan's puppets," Minato warned. "If you encounter them, don't engage in prolonged combat. Evade instead—otherwise, the puppets will only multiply."
Kitazawa and Aburame Shibi nodded and turned to leave. After exiting the house, the two split up, one heading left, the other right.
Kitazawa waited until Aburame Shibi was far away before activating his Byakugan.
The entirety of Rōran came into his field of vision. He saw the young Kakashi, the Queen of Rōran, Sara, and Anrokuzan(Mukade).
With 80% Byakugan purity plus 10% Ōtsutsuki bloodline, his Byakugan was far stronger than Hinata's.
Kitazawa quickly located Kakashi, Sasuke, Hyuga Neji, and Kimimaro. They had also entered Rōran.
Although they hadn't encountered Minato's group, they had already made contact with Rōran residents.
Kitazawa immediately rushed toward their location. When he arrived, he climbed directly through a window.
"Who's there?" Kakashi stood up instantly, alert.
"It's me," Kitazawa whispered. "Keep your voice down. Don't attract the nearby puppets."
"Where are Naruto and the others?" Kakashi relaxed slightly and asked.
"They're fine." Kitazawa walked over. "I came specifically to find you."
"We're fine as well, but we met a group of Rōran residents whose relatives were captured," Kakashi explained. "They recognized us as Ninja, hosted us, and asked for help."
"Was it Anrokuzan who captured them?"
Kitazawa asked.
He had just heard Akimichi Choza mention this. This plot point also existed in the original story.
It was because of these residents that Sara uncovered Anrokuzan's true identity—and the truth behind her mother's death.
"According to them, it was Rōran's minister, Anrokuzan." Kakashi nodded.
"According to my investigation, Anrokuzan is Mukade," Kitazawa stated bluntly.
"How is that possible?" Kakashi was shocked. "Didn't Anrokuzan arrive six years ago?"
"That's exactly it," Kitazawa explained the Dragon Vein time travel, as well as their encounter with the youthful Minato and the others.
"…?" Kakashi froze.
Minato—his most respected teacher—was still alive in this timeline? Just the thought of meeting him made Kakashi's emotions churn.
Even if it was the younger Minato, he was still Minato. And beyond that, there was also his younger self.
Sasuke and Kimimaro didn't react much, but Neji unconsciously clenched his fists. In this timeline, his father—Hyuga Hizashi—was still alive.
But was there any need to meet him? After all, his father wouldn't even recognize him.