"Well done."
Lin Ze looked around.
The battlefield was a wreck. The Mine Pit had half collapsed, the Rock Forest had been razed, and several distant peaks had been sheared flat.
And Ryōta...
Lin Ze walked to the edge of the Mine Pit, where only a small pile of ashes remained. Under the All-Killing Ash Bones, not even a corpse had been left behind.
Lin Ze fell silent for a moment.
In the sixteen years since he had crossed into the Hokage World, Ryōta had been one of the few friends he truly acknowledged, unlike the White Snake Sage, Tagitsuhime, and Itachi, who were more like subordinates. Although the two had initially had their differences, their friendship had quietly taken root through fighting side by side many times.
He had never expected that today...
"But it's not completely hopeless."
A thoughtful look flickered in Lin Ze's eyes.
Naruto could travel into the past through the Ryūmyaku, and Boruto could also travel through time to save Sasuke. This meant that time travel was indeed possible in the Hokage World.
As long as he could find a way, saving Ryōta might not be impossible.
Once things here are settled, I'll have to visit the Rōran Ruins again...
Lin Ze looked at Genbu's abdomen and thought to himself.
The Ryūmyaku's power over space and time might offer a breakthrough.
"Master, what do we do now?"
The White Snake Sage asked.
Lin Ze gathered his thoughts and looked south.
"We wait for word from Itachi."
"The Akatsuki split into two groups this time. Killing Ryōta was their main objective, so the group dealing with Itachi should only be there to keep him occupied. However..."
The corners of Lin Ze's mouth lifted slightly. "With Itachi's strength, plus the three Snake Princesses I arranged in advance