Return

The next day.

He led Hikari out of the cave where they had hidden for months and arrived at a place deep in the heart of the primeval forest.

"Hikari, step back a little."

Yue took a deep breath. The Mangekyo's power erupted from both his eyes.

"Amenominakanushi!"

A violent force of gravity surged from Yue's hand, slamming into the depths beneath the ground.

He controlled the force with pinpoint precision, the result of painstaking experimentation in Rōran.

The earth shook violently. The rock layers shattered like tofu under the force of absolute gravity, and a dazzling pillar of purple-black chakra burst from the ground like a furious dragon breaking free from its prison, roaring into the sky!

This was the wild Dragon Vein from the Warring States Period!

Feeling the immense Natural Energy, powerful enough to distort space and time, Yue's left eye spun wildly. Blood seeped from it, only to be quickly repaired by the ocular power stored in the Yin Seal on his forehead.

"Left eye: Yagokoro Omoikane!"

"Use this Dragon Vein energy to transport Hikari and me precisely back to the Rōran timeline I came from, and—"

"Raise the chance of a safe and successful return to an absolute 100%!"

"Crack—"

The invisible chains of causality twisted violently within the purple pillar, forcing open a space-time tunnel leading to the future. A bottomless purple vortex slowly took shape in midair, radiating a suction force that made the soul tremble.

"Hikari, take my hand!"

Yue shouted over the gale and held out his right hand to Hikari.

Hikari looked at the terrifying purple vortex. Without a moment's hesitation, she clasped Yue's broad, warm hand tightly.

"Wherever you go... I'll follow." The girl's voice was remarkably resolute amid the storm.

"Then let's go and welcome our new era!"

Yue laughed aloud, pulled Hikari tightly into his embrace to shield her, and leaped without hesitation into the rift of space-time turbulence.

"Boom—!"

As the two disappeared, the purple pillar of Dragon Vein energy collapsed in an instant. The canyon fell silent once more, as if nothing had ever happened.

There was no direction or gravity in the space-time turbulence, only an endless swirl of bizarre colors and shapes.

But this time, with the absolute causal protection of Yagokoro Omoikane and his replenished Mangekyo power serving as an anchor, Yue didn't suffer the soul-rending pain he had before.

After an unknown length of time,

"Thud!"

With a muffled crash, Yue and Hikari dropped from the air and slammed onto a hard, cold metal floor.

"Cough, cough... That landing was just as ugly as ever."

Yue rubbed his sore shoulder and slowly got to his feet.

Like a nimble little cat, Hikari rolled and landed in a crouch. Her Short Blade was instinctively held across her chest as she warily surveyed their surroundings.

The earthy smell of the primeval forest was gone, replaced by a faint scent of machine oil and dry desert air.

Before them stood a maze of thick metal pipes. Purple Dragon Vein chakra flowed steadily and quietly through them.

Hundreds of meters above, enormous purple-black towers rose like a forest. The low rumble of turning gears echoed rhythmically through the underground space.

The same familiar look, the same familiar feel.

"We're... back." Yue looked at the futuristic, cyberpunk metropolis before them, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from a nearby metal corridor.

"Who's there?! No one is allowed near the Dragon Vein—"

A fully armed squad rushed over. They wore wind-resistant clothing like that of Sunagakure in the future, but the Loran Royal Emblem was printed on their chests.

When the guard at the head of the squad recognized the black-robed young man standing beneath the purple glow, his voice caught in his throat. His weapon clattered to the ground.

"Lord Yue...?!"

The guard rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then dropped to one knee, trembling with excitement. "Lord Yue is back! Quick! Go notify Queen Sara!"

Clutching her Short Blade, Hikari stared blankly at the people bowing before Yue, then turned to look at the man beside her, his smile brimming with confidence.

"No need. I need to rest for a few days first. I'll come by again in a few days."

"Yes, Lord Yue."

About half a year had passed since Yue's first journey through time.

The time ratio was roughly one to two: half a year on the main timeline, and one year on the secondary timeline.

Over those six months, Rōran's technology had advanced steadily without any major problems or external threats.

Perhaps because the villages were still dealing with the aftermath of the Third Shinobi World War, none of them paid any attention to Rōran, tucked away in a corner of the world.

Morning.

There was no longer any cold wind carrying the mixed scents of earth and rusty blood from the Warring States Period. Instead, a faint smell of machine oil mingled with the warm, dry breeze from the air-conditioning system.

"Splish, splash—"

In the luxurious bathroom of the royal suite, Uchiha Hikari warily eyed the metal showerhead spraying hot water, her hair standing on end like a startled kitten's.

Back in the Warring States Period, bathing meant a quick rinse in a cold river or a scrub with water from a crude wooden tub.

Here, all she had to do was turn the shiny metal valve. Without making a single Hand Seal, a steady stream of hot water at a constant temperature poured out.

"Is this... some kind of unknown Kekkei Genkai?"

Hikari reached out with her wet little hand and tentatively poked the stream. The warmth made her close her eyes in comfort.

Although she had been in Rōran for three days, every detail of this steel city still gave the Warring States girl's worldview a small jolt.

"That's not a Kekkei Genkai. It's called a Water Heater. It runs on electricity and waste heat from the Dragon Vein."

There was a knock at the bathroom door, followed by Yue's teasing voice. "Hikari, you've been in there for over half an hour. If you don't come out soon, you'll get all wrinkled."

"Mm... Just a moment."

Hikari hurriedly turned off the valve, then fumbled for the impossibly soft bath towel and wrapped herself up tightly.

When she emerged from the bathroom, her hair a damp, tangled mess, Yue was sitting on the sofa by the window, looking through a stack of test reports on the Chakra Capacitor.

As soon as he saw Hikari, Yue set the documents down and beckoned to her. "Come here. I'll dry your hair."

Hikari obediently went over and sat on the little stool in front of Yue.

"Whirr—"

The Hair Dryer hummed to life.

At first, Hikari was tense, thinking it was some kind of Wind Release weapon. But when Yue's long fingers ran through her hair and the warm breeze gently brushed her scalp, her tense shoulders finally relaxed.

"Yue."

"Hmm?"

"Is this... really the future?" Hikari looked at her reflection in the mirror: her cheeks were rosy, and she was wearing silk pajamas. It felt like a dream she could wake from at any moment.

"This is the present, and it's our future, too."

Yue turned off the Hair Dryer and picked up a comb to smooth her long hair. His fingertips gently touched the pale purple diamond-shaped Yin Seal on her forehead.

"As long as I'm here, you'll never have to go back to that cold tent."

Hikari raised her hand and held Yue's where it rested on her head. A flicker of affection shone in her dark, clear eyes.

However, the warmth didn't last long.

"Knock, knock, knock."