The black-haired man carrying the pot was not to be outdone. Under his control, dense parasitic insects crawled over the remaining puppets, directly devouring their chakra. Even the puppets' bodies were eaten away, leaving behind only scattered remnants.
At that moment, Naruto, having escaped from the trap, stared at the destroyed puppet below and couldn't help but grumble.
"What the hell were those things?"
The blond man answered through his mask.
"It looks like they were enhanced using the dragon's chakra."
Naruto frowned, looking the man in front of him up and down, then glanced at the two others below before turning his gaze back to the yellow-haired man.
"Who are you guys, anyway?"
Minato Namikaze, still wearing a mask, looked at the forehead protector on Naruto's head.
"You're a Konoha ninja, right?"
Then he removed his mask, revealing the Konoha forehead protector on his own forehead.
"We're also shinobi of Konoha. We'll talk more later."
"For now, let's deal with that wound of yours."
With that, Minato took Naruto, Aburame Shibi, and Akimichi Chōza away from the site of the puppet battle, moving to the edge of Rōran.
Minato began bandaging Naruto's wound patiently, but out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed one of Shibi's parasitic insects. It moved secretively in his field of vision, its body slowly forming a message:
[There's a powerful ninja observing us from the shadows. My insect is trembling in fear.]
Minato remained calm on the surface. The moment he finished wrapping Naruto's bandage, he suddenly jumped back and hurled a Flying Thunder God kunai toward a nearby ruined wall.
The kunai pierced straight through it—only for Minato to instantly reappear beside it, hand outstretched, grabbing the weapon and swinging it toward a shadowed figure.
But as he did, he caught a glimpse of the Konoha forehead protector worn by the figure.
"Shit…!"
Minato realized he might've made a terrible mistake. The black-haired man in front of him could be that missing teammate Naruto mentioned earlier.
But it was already too late to stop.
As the kunai neared, the man—Uchiha Hikaru—calmly moved his fingers. Three fine steel wires yanked the kunai right out of Minato's hand.
Minato squinted, now noticing the ring of the kunai had been looped by a steel thread. He hadn't even sensed it.
Everything halted.
Hikaru leapt to Naruto's side and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Naruto! Damn, it's good to see you in one piece. Who are these guys? Friends of yours?"
He pointed at the three men in front of him.
Naruto shook his head.
"I dunno. I just know they're Konoha shinobi."
"And also—Brother Hikaru, how does this look like I'm okay to you?!"
He pointed dramatically at his freshly bandaged left leg.
"Look, I'm injured!"
Hikaru waved him off.
"Kid, don't be dramatic."
"You're the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. This kind of wound will heal in minutes. That's not an injury, it's a scratch."
(꒪⌓꒪)⁼³₃
His offhand comment instantly shocked everyone around them.
"He's… the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?!"
"You're the host of the Nine-Tails?!"
"Brother Hikaru—how the hell do you know that?!"
"Nani?!"
Hikaru shrugged with practiced nonchalance.
"How wouldn't I know?"
"Naruto, remember? Danzo broke the seal on your stomach, you went into Seven-Tails form and rampaged, and I was the one who subdued you."
"Then I fixed your damaged chakra network myself, and got Tsunade to help patch you up."
"Don't grow up to be an ungrateful brat."
Before Naruto could respond, Hikaru appeared behind him and clamped both hands around his head, shaking it wildly.
"You little menace! Time for your punishment!"
"GYAHHHHHHHHH!" (×_×)
"Brother Hikaru! What are you saying?! I don't remember that at all!"
"And stop shaking my head—it's gonna fall off!"
Minato suddenly grabbed Hikaru's wrist, his voice trembling slightly.
"Your name is Hikaru, right? Please… could you say again what you know about the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki?"
Minato, usually so calm and composed, was visibly shaken upon hearing about Naruto's identity.
Hikaru looked pleased by Minato's reaction.
After all, everything he had done up to now—teasing Naruto, exposing information—had a hidden motive.
In the Naruto Shippuden: The Lost Tower movie, Minato realized Naruto was his son, but he never truly acknowledged it. To him, Naruto was just a traveler from the future, someone who would return to his timeline. So, the bond between father and son remained unspoken.
But Hikaru refused to let that bond be wasted. Without a proper connection, how could he confirm the theory gnawing at his mind?
Hikaru sat cross-legged on the ground and turned to Minato and the others behind him, expression suddenly serious.
Then, his brow furrowed.
"...Wait a second—why are you two here?!"
"Shibi, Chōza?!"
"Eh?!"
"!!!"
Chōza and Shibi froze, stunned. How did he recognize them even with their masks on?!
Hikaru scoffed.
"Why the hell are you still wearing those things? You two are in my office half the time as assistants to the Hokage."
"And now what? You're playing dead just 'cause we're on a mission? Pretending you don't know me, Uchiha Hikaru?"
Chōza and Shibi exchanged baffled looks, caught completely off guard.
At that moment, Naruto's ears perked up at the familiar names and he jumped up.
"NANI?!"
"It's Uncle Chōza and Uncle Shibi!"
"I didn't see Chōji or Shino, but you guys are here?! What the heck, uncles!"
Hearing Naruto call their names stirred something in both men—something that felt oddly warm… and yet distant.
Minato sat down cross-legged, motioning to the two men behind him.
Looking at Hikaru and Naruto, he slowly removed his mask.
"I think I understand now."
"You two came from a different time… from the future, didn't you?"
—
(๑•̀ㅁ•́๑)✧
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