Understanding Everything

How did you know?

Naruto, being so single-minded and lacking in cunning, immediately gave the answer.

"Because this is no longer the world you used to live in."

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in this world is Kushina Uzumaki; I saw her just a few days ago.

How could there be another Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and only half Nine-Tails at that!

"What?!" X2

Yamato and Naruto were genuinely surprised; the simple-minded Naruto couldn't even process what was happening.

"What year is it in Konoha where you are now? Who is the Hokage now?"

"Year 63 of Konoha, it was the Fifth Lady Tsunade!"

Taiichi deliberately wore a strange expression, like he was constipated, and muttered to himself, "My teacher actually became the Fifth Generation."

He then straightened his expression and said, "This world is only in Konoha Year 48, and the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi in power."

Yamato and Naruto exchanged glances, clearly doubting Taiichi's words.

"This is Rōran. If you have any questions, you can quietly go out and inquire. It shouldn't be too difficult."

"Rōran, this is actually Rōran? Wasn't Rōran supposed to be a ruin?"

Naruto looked around, clearly unable to reconcile the bustling city with the ruins he remembered.

Yamato saying a word, Yamato immediately created a Shadow Clone, apologized to Taiichi, and then vanished, clearly to find out if Taiichi's words were true or false.

Taiichi not only didn't stop him, but actually praised him highly, saying that this was the quality a qualified ninja should have, unlike Naruto—

He glanced at Naruto, who was still somewhat bewildered. This guy was really too trusting.

"I heard you just call Lady Tsunade 'teacher,' but as far as I know, Lady Tsunade doesn't have any male disciples."

Yamato wanted to know more, so he took the initiative to ask Taiichi about what he had said Taiichi.

"Oh, so you really haven't heard of me?"

Yamato and Naruto shook their heads simultaneously.

This was the second time Taiichi had said this, and Yamato, hearing Taiichi emphasize the issue again, realized that Taiichi must be a very important person in this world.

"So, you've not only traveled back to the past, but also arrived on different timelines. That's really interesting."

This discovery also surprised Taiichi, as the original work only stated that Naruto traveled through time and returned to the past.

Judging from the current situation, the Dragon Vein can not only travel back and forth on the horizontal axis of spacetime, but also jump between each other on its vertical axis.

This greatly expanded the worldview of Hokage, making Taiichi even more eager for the future.

About half an hour later, Yamato's expression changed, and a complex look appeared on his blank face.

Taiichi keenly sensed this and asked with a smile, "You have an answer about the Shadow Clone? I wasn't lying, was I!"

Yamato nodded in disbelief, his own mind filled with confusion.

He didn't believe in time travel, and even though the other person had just described it in great detail, he had only pretended to obey.

Unfortunately, the other party is too powerful. Without knowing their intentions, it's best to act in accordance with their wishes for now.

But now, his Shadow Clone had roamed the entire city, and the answers he received were exactly the same as what the other party had said, which forced him to believe it.

But this brings up even more problems.

What should they do? Should they continue the mission? Is it possible to return to their original timeline?

Yamato's confusion had no effect on Naruto, whose mind was still focused on the mission to capture the Mukade.

"Brother Taiichi, since we've traveled through time, did Mukade also travel through time? He was involved with that power before us."

Taiichi's eyebrows twitched. Looking at Naruto, who was slightly taller than him, he decided not to tell him that he was actually much younger than Naruto.

"Yes, that should be the case. If it's convenient, tell me about your mission. Maybe I can help you find your way back while you're working on it."

These words awakened Yamato, who was still in a daze. They had been brought here by the power of the Dragon Vein, and they would probably have to rely on the Dragon Vein to get back.

He reached out and stopped Naruto from speaking, indicating that he should speak instead.

"Our mission this time is to hunt down the Sunagakure Rogue Ninja from Mukade— "

Taiichi listened quietly without uttering a word until Yamato finished explaining the mission, at which point he remarked, "Konoha is actually helping Sunagakure hunt down Rogue Ninja. The future relationship between Konoha and Sunagakure is truly wonderful!"

Yamato just smiled awkwardly. He knew that Konoha and Sunagakure had probably just ended their war at this time, and the two sides must be looking at each other with mutual dislike.

Naruto looked completely bewildered, not understanding what these two guys meant.

"Alright, let's go to the palace first and find my companions. I've already figured out your mission, which might be related to ours as well."

"Great, great! It will be very interesting to see my old Konoha comrades again."

Taiichi didn't explain further, but simply made a "please" gesture and turned to walk towards Rōran City.

His senses had already detected that, in the direction of the palace, Anrokuzan's aura had merged with the location of the Dragon Vein.

He needs to bring Naruto and Yamato back to consolidate the information.

At the same time, he was also looking forward to seeing what an interesting scene it would be like when Naruto saw Kakashi-sensei as a child.

When Taiichi returned to the Rōran Royal Palace with Yamato and a bewildered Naruto, and walked straight into the side hall where the Queen was, the scene inside froze instantly.

Kakashi and Rin stood beside the Queen, silently protecting her safety.

Hearing footsteps, the three of them looked up at the same time.

"Captain Taiichi, go back—"

Kakashi's voice abruptly stopped. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, instantly locked onto the two people behind Taiichi, especially the boy with striking blond hair and deep blue eyes.

Although he didn't recognize this guy, he gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Naruto, upon seeing Kakashi's face, was completely petrified, as if struck by lightning!

He pointed at Kakashi, his fingers trembling, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg. After a long pause, he finally let out a thunderous exclamation. "This—this is Ka— Kakashi-sensei? Whoaaaaah!! How did you become so small! No, no! Is this what you looked like when you were little?"

He was rambling incoherently, excitedly clutching his blond hair, feeling like his brain couldn't process anything.

The silver-haired boy in front of me, wearing a mask but with his eyes showing, looked exactly like Kakashi-sensei, whom I had just met a few days ago.

No, they were originally the same person, just a teenager and a middle-aged man.

Yamato was completely dumbfounded. He thought Taiichi might introduce them to someone they knew in Konoha, but he never expected it to be Kakashi.

This is something we're very familiar with.

However, he soon noticed the difference; Kakashi at this time should already have a Sharingan.

He carefully examined Kakashi's left eye, and there was no doubt that Kakashi in this timeline had not changed his eyes.

Queen Seraam looked at the chaotic scene that was completely beyond her comprehension, especially when the blond boy pointed at the little ninja next to her and called him "teacher," which made her feel dizzy.

Taiichi looked at the chaotic and dramatic scene before him, especially Naruto's horrified expression, and a barely perceptible smile crept onto his lips.

He cleared his throat, breaking the eerie silence. "Alright, calm down. Your Majesty, these two are from—well, you could say they're from the 'future' of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki and Yamato."

After introducing them once, he turned to the other side, "Kakashi, Rin, this is Naruto and Yamato. They are time travelers who were pulled from another dimension by the Dragon Vein."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Kakashi, who looked both shocked and inquisitive, and Naruto, who was still questioning his existence, before adding, "As for the Kakashi that Naruto knows, it should be you from that timeline. Kakashi, I know what you want to ask—"

"

He looked at Kakashi, whose gaze instantly sharpened as he stared intently at Naruto, his eyes blazing with a flame of hope.

Kakashi's voice was urgent and trembling. He took a step forward, almost grabbing Naruto: "Naruto! Obito — Obito Uchiha! How was he in your time? Is he still alive?"

This was his deepest obsession and pain; seeing Naruto from the future now felt like grasping at a straw.

Naruto was taken aback by Kakashi's sudden excitement and question. He blinked, looking bewildered. "Obito?"

Who is that? I've never heard of him.

He scratched his head, trying hard to remember, but he really had no recollection of the name.

Yamato's expression changed instantly; he clearly knew the heavy meaning behind the name.

He stepped forward, pressed down on Kakashi's shoulder, who was becoming somewhat out of control Senior Kakashi. "

Despite the somewhat awkward form of address, Yamato continued, "According to Konoha's records, Obito Uchiha heroically sacrificed himself during the Kannabi Bridge mission in the Third Shinobi World War —while protecting you."

"Sacrificed!" Kakashi was struck as if by a heavy blow, his body swaying violently, but he quickly recovered.

No, Obito isn't dead yet. It's their Obito from their timeline who died, or rather, their Obito from their timeline didn't die, but just faked his death.

Rin didn't react as quickly as Kakashi; she had already covered her mouth, tears silently streaming down her face.

Naruto was completely at a loss, looking at "Little Kakashi-sensei" whose expression changed drastically in an instant and Rin who was crying. He couldn't understand why a name would cause the two of them to react so strongly.

"Sigh, who exactly is Obito? Is he some important person? Hey, Kakashi — Kakashi-sensei? Are you alright?"

Taiichi looked at Kakashi and Rin, then at Naruto looked bewildered and at Yamato had a somber expression, and sighed softly.

He walked over to Rin, patted her stiff shoulder, and comforted her, "Kakashi, Rin, calm down. As I just said, Naruto and Captain Yamato come from a different timeline than us."

Like tributaries of a river, although they may share the same source, their course and the scenery along the way can be drastically different.

In their river, Obito might have perished at the Kannabi Bridge. But in our river—"

Taiichi's gaze deepened, his tone unwavering. "Obito is definitely still alive. So, don't be bound by the history of another timeline. Their past may not be our future. Understand?"

He looked at Naruto and Yamato, his tone carrying a warning. "Similarly, Naruto Yamato Captain, you don't need to inquire too much about the affairs of this world."

The intersection of time and space carries unknown dangers. Knowing too many details about the future or the past could bring unpredictable disasters to you, to us, and even to the stability of the entire spacetime.

We only need to focus on the task at hand, or rather, on becoming the Rōran minister Anrokuzan, your goal, the Rogue Ninja Mukade!

Taiichi's words were both a reminder and a warning. This kind of issue, which involves two different timelines, is something that no one can really explain.

However, adhering to the principle of "doing nothing is better than doing something good," it's best to minimize interference as much as possible.

Rin stopped crying. Taiichi was right; at least Obito in this timeline wasn't dead.

Naruto listened with a vague understanding to the profound terms "different timelines," "different fates," and "spacetime stability," feeling his head spinning even more.

But he understood the name "Mukade," and Ren Ke jumped up. "Mukade! That bastard is really here! Brother Taiichi, do you know him? Quick, take Zi there! Zi is going to beat him to a pulp!"

Yamato Jonin and nodded to Taiichi: "Taiichi is right. Our primary goal is to Mukade. He stole the village's secret forbidden techniques and is attempting to exploit the Dragon Vein; we must stop him!"

Taiichi nodded as he looked at the group that had refocused, then turned to Queen Seraam, who was in a state of information overload, and told her about the results of his Scout and his conjecture that Anrokuzan was Mukade.

"Your Majesty, if you do not believe me, you can summon Anrokuzan here so we can confront him face to face. However, I suspect that Your Majesty may not be able to find him by now."

Queen Seraam took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her mind. A visitor from another time, different timelines—all of this was beyond her comprehension.

But she still found it hard to believe that Anrokuzan was the culprit.

However, as Taiichi said, the verification was very simple. She immediately summoned her servant and asked him to invite Anrokuzan to come.

A silence fell over the hall as everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

However, 10 minutes passed, then another half hour, and the servant who went out still did not respond at all.

It wasn't until almost an hour later that the servants rushed over.

"Your Majesty, we've searched everywhere, but haven't found any trace of the minister. We've questioned the guards, and they all say that he hasn't been seen since he returned from Your Majesty's residence this morning."

"You—get out."

After the waiter left the hall, the Queen slumped helplessly into her chair. The minister she had once trusted so much was now the biggest villain. How was she, the Queen, supposed to face this?

However, the Queen is the Queen after all; she regained her composure in just a few minutes.

She stood up, still weak, but with unwavering determination in her eyes. "I understand! If the waiter can't find him, then he'll have to go alone. My entourage, please follow me."

She walked with heavy steps toward a hidden corner deep within the palace.

Taiichi looked at everyone, his eyes sharp as knives. "Kakashi, Rin, Naruto, Yamato, let's go. We'll know the result soon enough."

The crowd responded in unison, "Yes!"