Naruto returned to the village

Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha quietly discussed the threat posed by Xue Zhantian.

Both brothers had focused all their attention on this unnervingly powerful enemy.

Neither noticed the two figures lurking in a hidden rift in the Pure Land behind them.

Two pairs of deep eyes watched Madara and Izuna intently. They belonged to Uchiha Hikari and Uchiha An.

Uchiha Hikari suppressed her presence and lowered her voice to a tentative whisper. "Brother, that man up ahead is the Izuna Uchiha recorded on the Light Screen."

"Should we... go meet them?"

Uchiha An's gaze was cold and somber. He raised a hand to stop his sister, his tone leaving no room for argument. "No."

"The future is still unclear. We can't approach them rashly."

He turned toward her, his eyes heavy with concern. "Hikari, don't forget the terrible price we paid to enter this shinobi world's Pure Land."

"Now, each of us has only one purple nine-tomoe Rinnegan left."

"Until we understand every variable, we must keep hiding and watching. We need to find out how our future selves..."

"...will become involved with these people."

Uchiha Hikari's heart sank as another grave threat came to mind. She voiced her worry softly. "Brother... could the World God Knights be seeing this Light Screen too?"

Her words faded.

Uchiha An's heart abruptly clenched as a brutal, long-buried memory flooded his mind.

Back then...

Two World God Knights had suddenly descended upon their star region. To defend their people and homeland...

Uchiha An and Uchiha Hikari had rallied their entire clan in a bloody battle, sacrificing countless clansmen.

Only then had they managed to slay God Ten, ranked tenth among the knights, and God Nine, ranked ninth.

After the battle ended...

The two siblings had each taken one eye.

Uchiha Hikari had seized God Ten's purple nine-tomoe Rinnegan, while Uchiha An had taken the same divine eye from God Nine.

They had thought the crisis was finally over...

And peace had returned.

But ten years later...

A third powerful member of the World God Knights had descended. It was Lie Qi, ranked third.

Only then had the siblings learned, to their horror, that God Nine and God Ten, whom they had fought so desperately to kill...

...were merely bottom-tier members of the order. They had thought that possessing two nine-tomoe Rinnegan...

...would be enough to stand against any powerful foe, but before Lie Qi, neither could fight back. They were overwhelmed in every respect.

Cornered, they could only stake their lives on breaking free with their last remaining Space-Time Escape Technique.

To preserve their souls and escape alive, Uchiha An had permanently lost his left eye, and Uchiha Hikari her right.

Only at the terrible cost of shattered eyes, damaged souls, and their entire clan's destruction had the siblings torn through space-time and drifted into this shinobi world's Pure Land.

That bone-deep helplessness swept over him once more.

Uchiha An suppressed his surging hatred and said heavily, "It's hard to say."

"There are too many unknowns surrounding this Light Screen. They might be able to see it, or they might not."

"If Lie Qi picks up the Light Screen's trail..."

"...and discovers traces of us, Lie Qi will stop at nothing to track us here."

Uchiha Hikari stiffened slightly, remembering Lie Qi's overwhelming, inescapable power.

The horrific sight of all their clansmen dying in battle also rose in her mind, filling her eyes with grief and helplessness.

Seeing his sister's spirits sink...

Uchiha An softened his tone, his voice low but firm. "As long as we're alive, there's still hope."

"Now that the Light Screen has appeared and revealed the course of the future, this is our only chance to turn things around and take revenge."

"Stay hidden and be patient. Wait for the Light Screen to reveal more."

"When the time is right, we'll go to the Shadow Village."

"I want to see for myself just what kind of leader could make my future self willingly submit."

Uchiha Hikari raised her head, banishing the weakness in her heart. Her expression grew resolute. "Anyone you acknowledge is someone I'll acknowledge too, brother."

"From now on, I'll follow your lead in everything."

Uchiha An nodded slightly and said no more.

The two siblings concealed themselves deep within the Pure Land's rift, suppressing every trace of their presence as they quietly waited for their opportunity.

Iwagakure.

The Tsuchikage's Office.

The room was dimly lit, its atmosphere heavy.

Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, gazed at the Light Screen floating in midair, his clouded old eyes filled with emotion.

On the Light Screen, Xue Zhantian's strength was terrifying. Even the future Five Kage together could barely withstand him.

Yet this fearsome enemy had been held firmly in check by a young girl from Konoha, Hinata Hyuga.

She had even slain over ten thousand Black Armored Soldiers on her own.

Ōnoki slowly exhaled and sighed softly. "To think that an enemy even the Five Kage together could barely match was stopped by that girl from Konoha."

"It seems the decision I made three years ago wasn't wrong."

His gaze softened as concern stirred in his heart. "Three years have gone by since I last saw them. I wonder whether Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi are doing well out there."

He had barely finished speaking...

The heavy wooden door was gently pushed open.

Akatsuchi strode into the room with a solemn expression and bowed to deliver his report. "Lord Tsuchikage, we just received word from Konoha."

"The Third has stepped down. Tsunade of the Sannin has taken the Hokage position and succeeded him as the Fifth Hokage."

Ōnoki tapped his fingertips lightly against the desk and closed his eyes in thought for a moment. Then his expression settled with certainty. "Now that the Five Great Hidden Villages have formed an alliance, with Konoha's new Hokage taking office, both courtesy and reason dictate..."

"...that we should go congratulate her in person. This will also be a good opportunity to see Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi."

Beside him, Akatsuchi's face immediately lit up with joy, his honest features brimming with anticipation. "Wonderful! It's been so long since I saw little Kurotsuchi too."

"I wonder whether Lord Kitsuchi has been taking good care of her."

Ōnoki nodded slightly and ordered in a low voice, "Akatsuchi, pass down my orders."

"Have everything packed and ready in the next few days. We'll set out for Konoha."

"Keep the village's defenses under strict watch. There must be no lapses."

Akatsuchi immediately straightened and answered respectfully, "Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!"

The border of the Land of Fire.

An endless expanse of green grass stretched to the horizon. A breeze swept across it, stirring wave after wave of green.

The scenery was clear and gentle. War rarely touched this stretch of the border, leaving it quiet and peaceful.

Three figures walked slowly through the middle of the grassland.

Two were tall and one was short. All three wore long, dark coats with their hoods pulled low.

Their faces were completely concealed.

They were Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and their young son, Naruto Uzumaki.

This was Naruto's first time leaving the Land of Whirlpools and setting foot in the outside world.

The little boy looked around constantly as they walked, his bright eyes taking in every new sight, his face alight with excitement.

Wind rippled through the grass, and clouds drifted across the sky. To him, everything was unfamiliar and beautiful.

Naruto tilted his little face upward and murmured in wonder, "So the outside world is this beautiful..."

Filled with joy, Naruto lifted his foot to cross the border into the Land of Fire.

At that very moment!

Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!

Several sharp whistles suddenly cut through the air.

Four ninja on border duty, all wearing Konoha forehead protectors, sprang out of the grass and the shadows of the trees.

The moment they landed, they assumed fighting stances.

Their bodies were taut and their gazes sharp as they stared at the three hooded figures, their vigilance at its peak.

The border guards maintained constant watch against ninja infiltrating from other lands, and their rules were strict. Minato and his family had deliberately concealed their faces.

With their movements unexplained, they looked to the Konoha ninja like intruders with unknown intentions.

The Konoha jonin leading the group wore an icy expression and barked in a low, intimidating voice, "Halt!"

"Who dares trespass across the Land of Fire's border? Identify yourselves! What is your purpose in entering the Land of Fire?"

The air abruptly grew tense. The grassland, so peaceful and gentle moments before, was instantly engulfed in the deadly tension of a confrontation.

Note: Writing through the night isn't easy~ If you're enjoying the story, please send a little support. Thank you so much!