Minato led the two behind him as they faced Naruto's questions and Sarah's gaze. He exchanged a look with them, sighed, and finally reached up to slowly remove the mask from his face.
Naruto once again saw the face that haunted his thoughts day and night.
But he swallowed all the confusion in his heart and clenched his fists inwardly.
After this mission... I'll get the answers from him myself!
Uchiha Hikaru glanced at Naruto, who looked tense, then at Minato, who appeared calm on the surface.
Father and son, separated by time and space, each burdened by their own thoughts—countless questions hung unspoken between them.
Naruto wanted to know why the Nine-Tails was sealed inside him. At this moment, he still didn't know that Minato was his father.
Minato, though aware that Naruto was his future son, was more focused on his wife, Kushina. To him, no matter what happened, his son would eventually grow strong—Naruto standing before him was proof of that. But his wife's safety came first.
Still, this ignorance only caused Naruto more anguish. After all, Minato hadn't yet lived through the Night of the Nine-Tails, so he couldn't answer Naruto's questions...
Did Naruto consider this? He probably did...
Uchiha Hikaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Finally, Minato looked at Shikaku and Choza, nodded to confirm something silently with them, and began to speak.
"I didn't want to say anything if I didn't have to."
"But now... I'll tell you what I can."
"We came from Konoha on a classified mission."
Minato turned his gaze toward Naruto with conflicted eyes, then at Uchiha Hikaru—who was casually resting his hands behind his head—and Sarah, who sat slumped against the wall, staring at him.
"I've already said it once—you're from the future."
Upon hearing this, Sarah looked up at the one she called savior, disbelief in her eyes.
"Future? Naruto... you're from the future!?"
Minato and Naruto both nodded in unison, revealing a silent understanding between them.
"Yes. Naruto is a ninja from the future," Minato confirmed.
"The reason I didn't speak of it earlier is because when people from different times interact too closely, they risk altering the timeline. That could change the future entirely."
"This place—this era—is about twenty years before your time."
"And six years ago... another ninja arrived here from the future. Like you, he appeared suddenly. His name... was Mukade."
"Nani!?"
Naruto's eyes widened as he gasped, stumbling back a few steps in shock. Then, hurriedly stepping forward, he waved his arms in front of Minato.
"The guy we've been chasing during this mission... is Mukade!"
"WHAT!!!"
Naruto felt like his brain had short-circuited. He couldn't think. Why did the man he was chasing just hours ago arrive here six years before him?
Time travel? How? What the hell is going on!?
"Ahhh! My brain can't take this!" he shouted, clutching his head in both hands. He began jumping up and down in frustration, panic taking over.
Minato watched Naruto's antics, and the image overlapped in his mind with someone he loved deeply.
They were so alike—down to the exact same expression Kushina made when she was overwhelmed...
But he didn't let himself get distracted from the mission.
"Tell us what happened during the chase. Maybe we'll find a clue."
Naruto paused, then nodded as he began to calm down.
He knew he wasn't the brightest, but the man in front of him was the future Fourth Hokage, and Uchiha Hikaru was sharp as hell. Even if he missed something, they'd pick up on it.
"We chased Mukade all the way to the Dragon Vein."
"But he swallowed the sealing technique into his own body... and then I ended up here."
Minato nodded slowly.
"So, you and Mukade both used space-time ninjutsu to travel from the future to this era, right?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, worry written all over his face.
"Even if that's true… I still don't understand."
"But... doesn't that mean I can't go back?"
Minato took a moment, then nodded again.
"Right…"
"But if what you said is true, and he absorbed the jutsu into his body…"
"Then defeating Mukade might stabilize the timeline—and allow you to return to your era."
"Really!?"
Naruto lit up. He didn't understand the technicalities, but he got the most important part:
Defeat Mukade, and everything goes back to normal!
"In that case, we have to stop him. No matter what."
"As long as he lives, his existence will continue distorting time."
Minato walked to the edge of the large glass window, looking out at the majestic city of Rōran. His expression grew grim.
"The power of the Dragon Vein slumbers beneath Rōran."
"Mukade is tapping into that power to build puppet weapons."
Uchiha Hikaru sighed silently upon hearing this.
What a fool. With all that power, and he still obsesses over puppets?
Well... typical of a Wind Country shinobi. Puppet obsession ran in their blood.
Naruto, meanwhile, recalled Mukade's last words before the Dragon Vein was sealed:
"Soon, my puppetry will be empowered by the Dragon Vein! Not just the Five Great Nations—soon the entire ninja world will kneel before me!"
"So… he really did say something like that…"
At that moment, Sarah suddenly stood up and began yelling at them with a righteous fire in her eyes.
"Can you stop lying already!?"
"The person who arrived here six years ago wasn't some ninja named Mukade!"
"His name is Mukade, and he's a man of great talent!"
She stepped forward, her gaze steady and filled with conviction.
"As Rōran's minister, Mukade inherited my mother's legacy!"
"He has worked hard for Rōran!"
"That peace-loving man would never create weapons of war!"
Sarah waved her arm angrily, completely rejecting Naruto's and Minato's claims.
Uchiha Hikaru gave her a sidelong glance and shook his head with a sigh.
Tch... just a puppet, a figurehead under Mukade's control. What a waste of a beautiful face.
Though... if he remembered correctly, in his original timeline she'd have a daughter in the future—18, maybe 19 years old. Far more stunning than Sarah.
She could be useful in Wind Country someday. Right age, right lineage. And conveniently... she'll be right where I need her. (¬‿¬)
(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
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