In the end, Naruto let Kakuzu and Hidan go.
Before releasing them, however, he questioned them for information. From their answers, Naruto learned which era his group had traveled to.
They were now in the timeline shortly after the start of Naruto Shippuden.
In other words, it was just after the original Naruto returned from two years of training.
What remained uncertain was... whether this world had any transmigrators or people who were the true protagonists...
Naruto carefully counted the scrolls he had taken from Kakuzu. They contained over twenty million ryo in total, enough to cover their expenses for now.
After putting the money away, Naruto looked at Sasori beside him and grinned. "Well? Doesn't this make you think our Hidan is a little more lovable?"
"They're the same. Equally noisy!"
With that, Sasori headed back the way they had come.
The two returned to the black market, where Naruto distributed the money he had stolen from Kakuzu.
"We don't really need to gather general information anymore. I already got plenty out of Kakuzu. You can use this money to ask about anything that interests you!"
"Aside from the time period, this world is basically no different from ours."
Naruto hadn't told them everything he knew about the timeline's plot. After all... there was simply too much. He had distributed the money so they could gather information themselves. They were all ninja, after all.
Jiraiya paired up with Nagato, Sasori with Itachi, and Naruto with Minato Namikaze.
The three pairs entered the black market to look for information that interested them.
"Naruto, tell me the details!"
Once the three pairs had separated, Minato Namikaze spoke directly.
"We're at the very beginning of Shippuden! That makes this year sixty-seven of Konoha."
Naruto plainly stated where