Chapter 107 — The Fading Light of Roran
The air around them shimmered faintly as the last traces of chakra from the battle faded into silence. The orange glow of the setting sun spread across the broken ruins, bathing everything in a soft golden hue.
Akira looked up at the glowing sky and said quietly,
"There's a long road ahead of us. As time passes, the mysteries of the universe will one day reveal themselves… as long as we continue to live."
He turned to Sasuke and Naruto. "Sasuke, I'll bring back Brother Minato and the others. Stay here and wait."
Before either of them could respond, Akira's form blurred and vanished in a ripple of golden-blue light.
Sasuke's Rinnegan flickered as he sensed the shift in space-time. "He's fast," he muttered under his breath.
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Akira reappeared several kilometers away — the air vibrating softly as he landed beside his shadow clone and Minato's team. Minato, Kakashi, Choza, Shibi, and the people of Roran stood there, confused but unharmed.
Without wasting a moment, Akira activated his Byakugan. Golden veins glowed around complex symbols appeared across the ground.
"Let's take you all home," he murmured.
A vast chakra seal expanded beneath his feet — and in a flash of light, everyone around him was enveloped in a radiant glow. When the light faded, they stood back in the restored city of Roran.
The air was calm again. The dragon vein pulsed weakly beneath the surface — sealed, but still alive.
Akira looked around once to make sure everyone was safe, then vanished again, returning to Naruto and Sasuke.
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Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Akira reappeared beside them. "That was fast," he said.
Akira smirked faintly. "I didn't want to waste time."
Sasuke nodded and turned his gaze toward the sky. His Rinnegan spun slowly, releasing a wave of violet chakra that spread across Roran. The light was gentle — not destructive, but rewriting.
All around, memories began to shift.
Minato's team, Sara, and the people of Roran would now remember a different story — one where they fought Mukade together, broke the dragon vein's control, and restored peace. There was no mention of Naruto or Sasuke coming from the future, or of any Otsutsuki.
When the chakra faded, the rewritten memories settled into place. Only two minds remained untouched — Akira and Kakashi.
Kakashi blinked and turned toward Akira. "Why didn't my memory get rewritten?"
Akira tilted his head with a small smile. "Because I said so. Besides," he added teasingly, "you're not the kind of person who goes around telling people you met two shinobi from the future, are you?"
Kakashi gave a small sigh. "Yeah, you're right." He looked at Akira with an amused glance. "But you know… your image is spreading faster than your chakra, kid."
Akira laughed softly. "Maybe it's supposed to."
---
Then he turned to Sasuke and Naruto, his tone growing serious again.
"Sasuke, Naruto — you both know how to use the Dragon Vein now, right?"
Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I've got it down!"
Akira smiled slightly. "No, Naruto. Sasuke should be the one to do it."
Naruto blinked. "Huh? Why?"
Akira explained calmly, "You know how to use it — but you don't know how to stabilize it. The Dragon Vein is a time-space conduit; one wrong pulse and it could throw you into a parallel timeline. Sasuke's Rinnegan gives him a connection to fixed points in space-time. That's why he has to be the one."
Sasuke gave a small nod. "Makes sense," he said. "If we miscalculate even slightly, we could end up in a similar world — one with small but dangerous differences."
Akira looked between the two, his golden eyes glowing faintly. "Exactly. This world… this timeline… it's already been touched by too much distortion. You need to go back to where you belong — before the flow of time shifts again."
Naruto's face turned serious. "You're right."
Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Ready?"
Naruto grinned. "Let's go home."
Akira looked at them one last time, the faintest smile touching his lips. "See you both again… someday."
Sasuke's Rinnegan flared — space rippled around them, and in an instant, both of them vanished into a swirl of light.
---
The ruins of Roran fell silent once more.
Kakashi turned to Akira, his expression calm but thoughtful. "You handled all that like someone twice your age."
Akira didn't answer. He looked up at the sky — at the moon that hung — and whispered quietly,
"Maybe that's because I've already seen too much of time."
The wind stirred his hair, carrying the faint echo of his words into the distance.
End of Chapter 107.
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