Is This the Past?

"Hahaha! So that's how it is!"

Hashirama Senju didn't suspect a thing. He slapped his thigh with a carefree laugh. "You suffered such a severe penetrating wound that your soul nearly became unstable. It's only natural to feel a little dazed after waking up! Don't worry about it!"

"Big brother, you can't be too careful around others."

Tobirama Senju wasn't so easily fooled.

He crossed his arms, his icy blue eyes sweeping back and forth between Minato, Kushina, and Yue Uchiha like cold blades.

"You're a nobody, yet you have such tenacious vitality. And this Uzumaki with the pure red hair... Yue Uchiha, how is it that whenever you step in, you manage to save two such unusual people?"

"You flatter me, Lord Tobirama."

Yue remained composed and replied in an even tone, "In times of chaos, who doesn't have a few tricks up their sleeve?"

Feeling his wife trembling beside him, Minato immediately clasped Kushina's hand tightly beneath the blanket.

Kushina was in turmoil, her thoughts consumed by the newborn Naruto. But when she felt the strength of her husband's grip and understood his silent signal, she forced herself, as a skilled shinobi, to swallow the questions rising to her lips.

"My child... my poor child..."

Kushina took the opportunity to bury her face against Minato's chest and burst into tears.

It wasn't entirely an act. As a mother who had just been separated forever from her newborn child, her grief was real and deeply affecting.

"Oh dear..."

Hashirama couldn't bear to see such a tragic parting. He was at a loss, his eyes filling with sympathy.

Mito Uzumaki stepped forward and sat gently on the edge of the bed, softly patting Kushina's back.

As a fellow member of the Uzumaki Clan, Mito felt a natural kinship with her and couldn't help but feel sorry for the red-haired girl, whose life had been full of hardship.

"Good girl, don't cry. The wars have taken so much from us, but as long as we're alive, there's still hope," Mito comforted her softly. "This is the Senju Clan's compound. No one will hurt you again. Just focus on getting better."

"Th... thank you, Lady Mito," Kushina replied through her sobs.

"All right. Now that they're awake, let's let them rest."

Hashirama sighed, his usual carefree manner giving way to a more serious expression. He turned to Yue and Minato.

"Make yourselves at home here. Yue, I'm very interested in the proposal you mentioned earlier—ending the era of chaos and establishing a shinobi village. Once your two friends are feeling a little better, let's sit down, share a drink, and discuss it properly!"

"It would be my pleasure, Clan Head Hashirama." Yue dipped his head slightly. "Also, I'd like to speak with my friends in private. Would Lord Tobirama allow that?"

"Hmph." Tobirama snorted and said nothing more. He turned and followed Hashirama and Mito out of the Intensive Care Tent.

As the tent flap dropped heavily into place, the footsteps outside gradually faded.

The air inside the tent froze solid in an instant.

Once outside, and certain that Tobirama had gone far enough and left behind no means of eavesdropping, Hikari silently went to the tent entrance, drew her Short Blade, and deftly set up a small warning Barrier and soundproofing screen, completely blocking out any awareness from the outside.

Why hadn't Tobirama left behind any means of eavesdropping?

Hashirama had been right there, so Tobirama had probably behaved himself and refrained from any little tricks.

That was for the best. It saved Yue the trouble of coming up with an explanation for Tobirama later.

Once they were sure it was safe, the weakness and confusion vanished from Minato Namikaze's face.

He slowly sat upright, the intelligence of the Fourth Hokage shining in his bright blue eyes.

He stared at Yue, who stood not far away, and lowered his voice, speaking each word deliberately:

"Yue Uchiha, don't you think it's time you gave me a reasonable explanation?"

Minato glanced around at the ancient furnishings and gritted his teeth. "Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki... and what you said earlier. If I'm not mistaken, we've arrived in an era before Konoha was founded?"

Kushina wiped away her tears. Though she was still weak, she forced herself to sit up, her eyes full of wariness and panic. "What about Naruto?! You brought us here, but what's going to happen to our Naruto?!"

Facing the Hokage couple, who were on the verge of losing control, Yue casually pulled over a wooden chair and sat down at his leisure.

"Minato, do you remember our first encounter in Rōran?"

Fortunately, Yue had planted the seed back then, so Minato hadn't lost his memories. Otherwise, Yue would have had no idea how long he'd have to spend explaining everything.

"The Dragon Vein... So Mukade traveled from the future to the past back then, and now you've used the Dragon Vein's power to bring us to an even more distant past—the Warring States Period."

As the Yellow Flash, Minato's ability to reason was astonishing. With just one clue, he instantly pieced together the truth.

"As expected of the Fourth Hokage. Talking to someone clever really does save time."

"That's right. This is one or two years before Konoha was founded. Hashirama Senju is still alive, and the era of chaos hasn't ended. For you, this is a genuine 'historical' era."

"Why?"

Kushina gripped the blanket so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Why did you save us? And why bring us to this awful place? My Naruto... he's so little. He needs his mother!"

"Save you? No. I'm just conducting an experiment."

Yue chuckled softly and leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with reason.

"In the original Fate, you and your husband had to die on the Night of the Nine-Tails to seal the Nine-Tails and make Naruto the Jinchūriki of this generation. That was the ending written for you."

"And I wanted to see if you could survive in another time and space."

"In this world, the dead aren't allowed to come back to life, unless... you disappear from that world's 'household register.'"

"And judging by the results, the experiment succeeded."

Minato understood.

He fell silent for a long while. As Hokage, he had encountered many secrets beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

He had personally experienced the Dragon Vein's ability to correct the flow of time and space in Rōran.

"So..." Minato's voice was hoarse. "In the timeline of Konoha Year 51, we're already 'dead'?"

"Dead and buried."

"The future probably goes something like this: the Third Hokage has returned to take charge, Naruto has become the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and although he's an orphan and, erm... has a pretty rough life, at least he's alive. As for your names, they've been carved into the Memorial Stone, and you're remembered as heroes who protected the village."

He'd been somewhat tactful about Naruto's life.

If he'd told them the whole truth, he didn't know how the Fourth Hokage and his wife, who had only just become parents, would react.

People who had only just recovered from being near death couldn't handle such a shock.

"An orphan..."

Kushina covered her face, tears seeping between her fingers. The heart-wrenching pain nearly made her faint.

"Don't despair."

Yue stood and walked to the couple's beds, looking down at them.

"In this era, you're 'unregistered.' You're spirits who should have died, and the will of that world can't reach you here. So I can use Yin Release to bind your souls in place, while Hashirama Senju uses Yang Release to mend your bodies."

Yue raised a finger and pointed at Minato.

"I can make you a promise."

"Use your strength to help me test a few things..."

"When the time is right..."

Yue's eyes gleamed with temptation.

"I'll open the Gate of Time and Space again and take you back..."