"Naruto, how are you? Are you alright?" Sakura asked, shaking the unconscious Naruto.
Hearing his teammate's call, Naruto groggily opened his eyes. What he saw was the worried faces of Sakura and Sai.
"Sakura, are you guys okay?" Seeing the two long-lost teammates, Naruto asked with concern.
"You're such an idiot. What could happen to us? It's you and Captain Yamato who got caught up in the Dragon Vein energy." Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes.
Sakura quickly checked Naruto and Yamato's conditions, and when she confirmed that both of them were perfectly fine, she finally relaxed.
Naruto scratched his head and chuckled, "Sakura, you guys must be getting impatient, right? Mukade's already been defeated, we can head back now."
Naruto felt a little embarrassed. While he had been eating and playing in Roran, Sakura and Sai had only been waiting in the ruins.
Sakura crossed her arms, looking displeased. "Do you think I have no patience? Can't even wait a few minutes?"
"A few minutes?" Naruto was stunned and then looked at Yamato. He remembered that he had been in Roran for a whole month.
Yamato was also puzzled and immediately asked Sakura to explain her perspective of the mission to capture Mukade.
"You and Mukade were both covered by the Dragon Vein energy. I almost got caught in it too, but fortunately, Sai came to the rescue. A few minutes later, when the energy faded, I only saw you two lying on the ground," Sakura explained.
Sai nodded in agreement, confirming that Sakura's account was accurate.
"Naruto, you say Mukade was defeated, but where is he? I didn't see anyone," Sakura asked, equally confused.
Naruto scratched his hair, unsure of how to explain, and was just as puzzled by what had happened.
Yamato thought for a moment but couldn't fully grasp the situation either. Instinctively, he reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a Kunai engraved with the character for "Master."
Then, Yamato tried entering the Water Breathing state, and there were no issues.
"Mutsuki-san's Flying Thunder God Kunai is still in my pouch, and I can still use Water Breathing. This isn't an illusion," Yamato confirmed to himself, certain that this strange journey was real.
"I've already teamed up with Naruto to defeat Mukade. The mission is complete. Let's head back to Konoha immediately!" Yamato said after a brief pause.
Traveling through time and space was beyond belief. Not only would it make him sound insane if he talked about it, but it could also lead to dangerous investigations into Dragon Vein energy. So, Yamato decided not to explain just yet and to head back to Konoha to assess the situation.
After speaking, Yamato immediately pulled Naruto aside and gave him a quick reminder.
Though Sakura was a bit puzzled, Yamato was the team captain, so she didn't press the matter further.
"I wonder if Kakashi-sensei and the others succeeded?" Naruto thought, feeling a little uneasy.
Before returning, Naruto had prepared himself for the possibility that he might disappear due to the changes in history. Now that he was still alive, he was very happy, but he couldn't help but worry that Kakashi, Obito, and the others might have failed.
Yamato was also curious about that, but his mind worked faster than Naruto's. He began to test Sakura and Sai.
While he and Naruto had traveled through time, Sakura and Sai hadn't. If history had been altered, then their memories should have changed accordingly.
"Sakura, do you know a ninja named Mutsuki Yumi?" Yamato asked casually on the way back.
Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. "I've never heard of that name. Is he a famous ninja?"
Yamato and Naruto both felt a sinking sensation in their hearts. Yamato took a deep breath and turned to Sai. "What about you, Sai?"
"Nothing," Sai shook his head as well.
"Is Tsunade still the Hokage?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.
If his father hadn't died, then logically, Minato should still be the Hokage.
"Idiot Naruto, what nonsense are you talking? Who else could be the Hokage if not Tsunade-sama?" Sakura remarked, feeling that Naruto was acting a little strange.
"What about that pervy Sage?" Naruto continued to ask.
"NARUTO, I know you're upset, but he's already..."
Upon hearing Sakura's words, Naruto's face instantly fell, and his eyes became filled with a sense of confusion.
He felt as though their time travel had been for nothing. Nothing had changed. Mutsuki-san and his father were still dead, Jiraiya still hadn't survived, and Obito and Rin's fates were still unknown.
Seeing Naruto like this, Sakura reflected on her words and realized she hadn't said anything particularly harsh.
"Naruto, what's wrong with you? You seem really strange," Sakura asked.
Naruto remained silent and didn't answer her question.
Faced with this, Sakura felt a bit frustrated. Just as she was about to say something, Yamato stopped her.
"Focus on the journey. Let's get back to Konoha as soon as possible," Yamato said in a serious tone. He didn't blame Sakura, since she didn't know anything, but he couldn't let her unknowingly hurt Naruto with her ignorance.
Sakura nodded and, with a burst of Chakra, sped up to continue the journey.
Yamato walked up to Naruto and patted his shoulder, offering some comfort. "Let's get back to Konoha and take a look. Maybe there's some changes"
Naruto took out the photo that Obito had taken of him and Minato together, nodded solemnly, and pushed forward, determined to keep going.
In fact, to confirm the answer to this matter, they didn't need to return to Konoha. They could have just asked Sakura who the Fourth Hokage was. However, Yamato didn't say anything. He hoped that, during the journey back, time would help ease Naruto's sorrow a little.
The four of them were no ordinary ninjas, and with their full speed, they quickly returned to Konoha.
The Hokage Monument was located on a cliff at the back of Konoha, and no matter where you were in the village, you could always see the massive Hokage faces carved into the mountain.
Yamato had once liked this feature, as all it took was a glance upward to see the faces of the great ninjas who had fought for Konoha. But now, he felt that such a glaring monument might not be a good thing.
Looking at the massive Minato face on the mountain, Naruto's expression darkened. They really hadn't changed anything.
Naruto felt a sense of guilt in his heart. If he had known more, maybe Kakashi and the others would have been able to succeed.
Yamato opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he hesitated. He wasn't sure how to comfort Naruto.
In fact, Yamato's feelings were also complicated. At first, he hadn't wanted to change history. He had been worried that altering the course of events might lead to the fall of Konoha or cause major upheavals in the ninja world.
As Yamato spent more time with Mutsuki and the others, and saw the reunion between Minato and Naruto, he began to feel that changing the future might not be such a bad thing. If the new history of Konoha included Mutsuki and Minato, then Konoha would definitely be in a better position than it is now.
Yamato decided to disband the team for now and then went with Naruto to find Kakashi, hoping to gather some information from him.
"Looks like the mission went smoothly, you're back so soon," Kakashi said, briefly lifting his eyes from the book he was reading to glance at Naruto and Yamato.
The moment he looked at Naruto, Kakashi noticed that something was off with Naruto's mood. He closed the Icha Icha Paradise in his hands and turned his full attention to Naruto.
"Kakashi-senpai, do you know Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin?" Yamato asked.
At the mention of these two names, long-buried memories resurfaced. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed sharply as his pupil contracted.
With a sigh, Kakashi nodded. "They were friends of mine. They sacrificed themselves during the Third Great Ninja War. How do you know these two names?"
Even after more than a decade, Kakashi still found it hard to forget his two deceased old friends, often blaming himself in his heart.
Yamato looked shocked. He hadn't expected Obito and Rin to have died so early. Could it be that they sacrificed themselves to save Mutsuki?
"Then what about Mutsuki-san? Did he also die during the Third Great Ninja War?" Naruto asked, adjusting his emotions and staring at Kakashi.
It wasn't his style to keep grieving without purpose. If he failed once, he'd try again, but before he left, Naruto needed to understand how Mutsuki had died.
Yamato also looked at Kakashi, feeling that Mutsuki's death might be a crucial point, and very likely the reason why history hadn't changed.
"Mutsuki-san? Which Mutsuki? Who are you talking about?" Kakashi asked after thinking for a moment.
"Mutsuki Yumi! He's your sensei! Kakashi-sensei, have you forgotten?" Naruto furrowed his brow and asked loudly.
No joke, Naruto really wanted to punch Kakashi a couple of times. How could he forget such an important person?
Naruto's expression made Kakashi feel a little insecure, but after mentally reviewing everyone who had taught him since he was young, he couldn't recall any Ninja by the name of Yumi or Mutsuki.
"Naruto, where did you hear that? I can tell you clearly, I never had a sensei named Mutsuki Yumi," Kakashi replied seriously.
Kakashi's expression was so serious, there was no hint of a joke.
Naruto and Yamato exchanged looks, both stunned and confused.
"How is this possible? Kakashi-sensei clearly respected Mutsuki-san so much," Naruto thought back to everything he experienced during the time travel, his eyes becoming increasingly lost.
Naruto really couldn't understand what was going on. Even if Mutsuki had died during the Third Great Ninja War, Kakashi shouldn't have forgotten him. He still remembered Obito and Rin.
Yamato felt like his brain wasn't working properly. The situation was completely different from what he had imagined. Not only had history not changed at all, but Kakashi's reaction was also full of confusion.
"What happened on your mission?" Kakashi asked, seeing the strange behavior of the two.
They had seen each other not long ago, and at that time, both Naruto and Yamato had seemed normal. So, the only explanation was that something had gone wrong during the mission.
"We were capturing the Sand rogue Ninja Mukade in Roran. Mukade devoured the Dragon Vein seal, which caused the Dragon Vein's power to go out of control. Then we traveled through time and ended up in the past, where we met the younger version of you, Kakashi-senpai, as well as your old teammates and sensei..." Yamato finally chose to explain the entire situation of the Roran mission to Kakashi, hoping this would help clear things up.
"Traveled through time to the past and met the younger version of myself?" Kakashi furrowed his brows after hearing this.
Yamato's words sounded like something out of a ninja novel—time travel, meeting one's past self, and encountering powerful figures from the past.
But Kakashi could tell that Naruto and Yamato weren't joking. They were talking about real experiences, or at least that's what Naruto and Yamato believed.
"Is it possible that the Dragon Vein energy has a hallucinatory effect? Maybe everything that happened was just a hallucination," Kakashi thought for a moment and said.
Compared to time travel, Kakashi thought this explanation sounded more plausible. After all, he didn't know Mutsuki Yumi, and as far as he remembered, he had never met Yamato or Naruto when he was younger.
"If that's the case, the month you spent there could actually only have been a few minutes, since everything was just an illusion."
Kakashi was somewhat experienced in this regard. He had once been trapped in Uchiha Itachi's Tsukuyomi, where he had been stabbed repeatedly by a Ninjato for seventy-two hours, but in reality, only a moment had passed.
"It's impossible for it to be a hallucination. If it were, how do you explain this?" Naruto took out the photo of him with the Fourth Hokage and handed it to Kakashi.
Looking at the smiling faces of Minato and Naruto in the photo, Kakashi's expression changed.
If it weren't for time travel, this photo theoretically shouldn't exist, because the Minato in the picture looks only about four or five years older than Naruto.
While it's possible to create such a photo using Transformation Jutsu, it was clear that this situation wasn't like that.
"Kakashi-senpai, that's definitely not a hallucination. This is the Flying Thunder God Kunai Mutsuki-san gave me before we fought Mukade. Can a hallucination create something out of nothing?"
Yamato took out the Kunai with the Flying Thunder God Seal from his ninja tools pouch.
"There's not only a photo of me and my father, but also one with you, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto then took out more photos—one with him and Obito, another of Mutsuki, Minato, and their three disciples, and a group photo of everyone together.
"Obito, Rin-chan…" Looking at the photo of his old friends, who matched his memories exactly, Kakashi fell into silence.
Especially the photo of Mutsuki, Minato, and their three disciples made Kakashi's memories surge uncontrollably, leaving him unable to calm down for a long time.
"Besides the Flying Thunder God Kunai, the Ninjutsu Mutsuki-san taught me, I can still use it" Yamato said as he demonstrated a flawless defense with Water Wall and a powerful cutting technique with Water Severing Wave.
"Kakashi-sensei, do you really not remember someone named Mutsuki-san?" Naruto asked again.
Kakashi shook his head. He knew that Naruto and Yamato's experiences weren't illusions, but he genuinely didn't recognize a Ninja named Mutsuki Yumi.
"If that Ninja named Mutsuki Yumi was as exceptional as you say, and so similar to Minato-sensei, how could I possibly forget his existence?" Kakashi replied.
Now, he truly didn't know what was going on.
"Tell me more about the boy Kakashi you met—the details about his age, his Ninja rank, the Ninjutsu he used. Everything," Kakashi said after carefully thinking it over.
The memories related to Obito and Rin had faded, but Kakashi was very clear about the abilities he had at each stage of his life.
"He was about ten years old. As for Ninja rank, he was a Chunin, but despite his rank, his strength was already greater than some Jonin. His Lightning Release Kenjutsu was incredibly sharp, and in a full combat situation, it could easily kill a regular Jonin. As for Ninjutsu, he mainly used Lightning Release and Earth Release. He had a powerful purple lightning Lightning Release that didn't require hand seals…"
Yamato recalled all the details about the young Kakashi and shared them.
Kakashi was stunned. A ten-year-old who could kill a Jonin? What kind of Lightning Release Kenjutsu was that? As Kakashi, he should have known about it.
At this point, Yamato voiced his own confusion. "Kakashi-senpai, your Lightning Release Kenjutsu was that strong. Why don't you use it now?"
Kakashi: ...
He didn't even know what Yamato was talking about. Was this really him?
"The Kakashi you met... is not me," Kakashi concluded.
"I'm not talking about age, I mean he's simply not me. Don't even mention ten years old, even if I became a Jonin at twelve, I don't have any jutsu that would guarantee I could kill a Jonin in one hit, and I certainly don't have any Lightning Release that's purple lightning."
Not only were his strength and Ninjutsu different, but Kakashi also remembered that at this time in his life, he was still very withdrawn. The Kakashi described by Yamato was somewhat like his current self, just overly serious.
Naruto looked at the photo again, then glanced at Kakashi. "You're saying this isn't you?"
"Although he's similar to the old me, he's definitely not me," Kakashi said firmly, in a tone that left no room for doubt. Naruto and Yamato couldn't possibly understand him better than he understood himself.
"You guys may not have traveled back in time, but instead entered a different world," Kakashi stated, offering his theory.
"Although this world is very similar to ours, with Hatake Kakashi and Minato, it's ultimately not the same world. That world has Mutsuki Yumi, and maybe there are people in our world who don't exist in theirs."
Kakashi leapt up and plucked two leaves from a tree, holding them up for Naruto and Yamato to see.
"These two leaves look the same, but if you look closely, there are subtle differences in size, thickness, and shape. Perhaps the relationship between our two worlds is like these leaves—similar, but not exactly the same."
This was the most reasonable explanation Kakashi could come up with, one that could perfectly solve all the current issues.
After hearing Kakashi's words, Yamato was suddenly enlightened. With this explanation, everything made sense. Despite sharing so many details about the future, history hadn't changed at all, which had seemed completely illogical.
Naruto wasn't sure how to express his feelings at that moment.
The good news was that Obito and the others may not have failed, and his father, Mutsuki, and Jiraiya could all survive into the future.
The bad news was that this future wasn't their future. His father, and his Jiraiya sensei, would never return to this world.
Naruto really envied the unborn Naruto in the other world, because he might be born with things that the Naruto in this world would never have.
"Little Kakashi-sensei, Obito, Rin-chan, you guys need to do your best!" Naruto silently cheered for the Kakashi trio in the other world.
Although he felt envious, Naruto still sincerely hoped that the other version of himself wouldn't end up like him.
If his father were alive, with an elder like Mutsuki and a fun older brother like Obito, he would definitely have a happy and interesting childhood.
"Naruto, that's one thing, but Yamato, you're just as reckless. It's a good thing you didn't actually go back in time in our world, otherwise your actions could have triggered consequences beyond our control," Kakashi said as he casually tossed the leaves to the ground.
Kakashi believed that altering history would bring terrifying consequences, and Yamato's choice had been very reckless.
"I couldn't help it. I just couldn't turn down the pleading look you gave me, Kakashi-senpai," Yamato joked, as though trying to shift the blame onto Kakashi.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Then I plead with you, Yamato, to treat me and Naruto to some ramen. No problem, right?"
He thought this should help ease some of Naruto's frustration.
Yamato could only reluctantly agree, thinking that the Kakashi-senpai from the other world was much better—at least he wouldn't make him pay.
"Let's go, let's get some ramen. Naruto, eat as much as you want, have as many bowls as you like. Yamato's saved up quite a bit of money, so don't worry about him not being able to pay," Kakashi said with a relaxed, cheerful smile as he patted Naruto on the shoulder.
Yamato was shocked. Kakashi even knew about his savings.
Naruto hadn't had Ichiraku Ramen in a long time and was missing it, so he immediately agreed.
But after a few bites of the ramen, Naruto realized that the hot ramen didn't seem to taste as delicious as he remembered. It was far inferior to the ramen that Mutsuki made, and emotionally, it didn't compare to his father's ramen either.
"Naruto, what's wrong? Is the ramen not to your taste today?" Teuchi noticed that Naruto seemed different while eating and asked with concern.
Teuchi's words reminded Naruto of the encouragement and support Teuchi had given him. During those days when the whole village rejected Naruto, Teuchi was one of the few people who never looked at him with strange eyes.
Naruto increased his eating speed, quickly finishing his ramen and then smiling as he said, "No, it's still as delicious as before!"
He would miss Mutsuki and Minato, and might even try to find a way back, but he would also cherish the things in front of him.
...
"Looks like it still doesn't work." After Naruto and Yamato left, Mutsuki found that he couldn't sense his Flying Thunder God Kunai anymore.
He tried to see if he could use Flying Thunder God to travel between the two worlds. If it worked, he would have a lot more options for the fifth disciple, essentially gaining resources from another world.
The result, however, was clear—it didn't work. The distance was far beyond his sensing range.
Mutsuki wasn't too disappointed; he had considered this possibility, after all, traveling between worlds couldn't be that simple.
"I hope everything goes smoothly for them," Minato sincerely wished, thinking about Naruto's life after returning.
"It will," Mutsuki said with a smile.
With Yang Breathing, Naruto would only grow stronger than in the original timeline.
"To prevent history from being altered, I think we should seal away the memories of the Roran mission," Minato said, his gaze shifting to the matter at hand.
It was one thing for future Ninjas to know about the past, but if past Ninjas learned about the future, that would be a problem.
Upon hearing Minato's words, the three of them—Kakashi, Obito, and Rin—became immediately tense. Although they had recorded some details of the future, if their memories were sealed, it would be uncertain whether that information would still be useful. The chances of altering the future successfully would drop drastically.
Obito exchanged frantic glances with Kakashi and Rin.
Obito: 'What should we do? If the memories are sealed, it's over.'
Kakashi: 'Don't panic. Don't mention anything about changing history. Let's see what Mutsuki-sensei thinks.'
Kakashi forced himself to calm down and signaled to Obito to stay quiet. He had suspected that Minato didn't want to alter history, but he hadn't expected Minato to be so drastic as to choose to seal away the memories.
If the memories were sealed, it meant that Minato and Naruto's entire recollection of events would disappear.
"I don't think it's necessary to go that far. If the future is unchangeable, are we just puppets with predetermined scripts? Since the future isn't set in stone, why seal away these precious memories?" Mutsuki shook his head and spoke.
Sealing the memories of Roran wouldn't affect Mutsuki, as his identity as a time traveler meant he already knew the entire plot.
If he didn't want the memories sealed, with his current Sealing Jutsu abilities, he could easily deceive Minato. However, Mutsuki still opposed the idea.
He felt that this memory was something worth cherishing for Minato and the others. There was no need to seal it away for such a meaningless reason. With him around, this world couldn't possibly follow the original future.
Obito's eyes lit up, and he silently cheered for Mutsuki, hoping that Mutsuki could convince Minato.
"I don't think we are puppets following a script. I just believe that we must be responsible for the future," Minato stated his viewpoint. He wasn't someone who could be easily swayed, and he wouldn't change his mind just because of Mutsuki's words.
Even if that future didn't include him, Minato still wanted to protect it, because in that future, Konoha and his children would continue to exist. However, if the future changed, that wouldn't be guaranteed.
"Being responsible for the future has nothing to do with sealing memories. What we should do is work hard to create the best possible future," Mutsuki rebutted.
"I never asked Naruto and the others about the future, because I believe that our future is something we must create ourselves. The future is never set in stone!"
Minato was somewhat shaken. Mutsuki's words made a lot of sense.
"Mutsuki-sensei never asked about the future, and he even told us not to ask, saying that future Ninjas have their own struggles," Kakashi immediately spoke up upon seeing Minato's hesitation.
"Minato-sensei, I think Mutsuki-sensei is right, and I don't want to forget the time spent with brother Naruto," Obito followed up.
"Minato-sensei, we definitely won't spread the details of this mission. Sealing the memories is truly unnecessary," Rin also stood on Mutsuki's side.
Mutsuki walked up to Minato, speaking earnestly, "Minato, trust us, and trust yourself. Naruto has no reason to be an orphan."
Minato gave a helpless smile, "I can't argue with you."
Because of Mutsuki's consistent behavior and character, Minato was persuaded. If given the choice, he certainly didn't want his own future child to become an orphan and suffer so much hardship.
Moreover, Mutsuki had also said that they didn't ask about the future, and Minato felt that this should be within a controllable range.
Seeing that Minato had given up on the idea of sealing the memories, Kakashi and the others let out a sigh of relief.
"Still, Mutsuki-sensei is the best," Obito thought to himself, giving Mutsuki a thumbs up, feeling fortunate that they came with Mutsuki.
After sending Naruto and the others back to another world, Mutsuki and the others' mission was considered officially complete. The next day, they left Roran.
On the road, Mutsuki and Minato discussed the task report.
In the end, they agreed that the matter about the future Ninjas should not be reported, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
When they reached a location near the Land of Grass, Minato and Mutsuki temporarily separated from the group to go to the Land of Grass battlefield to find Jiraiya.
Jiraiya also knew about the future Ninjas. Although Minato trusted his sensei's character, he still felt it was important to consult and discuss things.
"Take the day off today, we'll resume training tomorrow," Mutsuki said, as usual, giving Kakashi and the others a day of rest once they returned to Konoha.
Although Mutsuki gave them a day off, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin didn't go back to rest. Instead, they headed to the southern forest for training.
They were eager to improve their strength. With their current abilities, thinking they could change the future was a bit arrogant.
Obito was contemplating whether he should tell Shisui, who was also from the Uchiha clan, about the future downfall of the Uchiha.
Mutsuki sent out a Shadow Clone to watch over his disciples, while he himself returned home to organize the results of this mission.
[Disciples Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito worked hard and completed the commission. They rewarded Chakra+800, with an additional reward of Chakra+400 for leading the mission.]
[Disciple Uchiha Obito's strength increased, his prestige rose, and his qualifications for becoming Hokage slightly increased. He received progress rewards: Chakra+1400, Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll · S (Mastery level), Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction (Mastery level).]
The Chakra rewards for completing the task were more than Mutsuki had initially expected because this mission had hardly any real threats. Getting this amount of Chakra was already quite an achievement.
Mutsuki focused his attention on Obito's second-life mission settlement; this was the primary reason Mutsuki went out on missions.
Compared to the 10% settlement, the 20% progress settlement granted more Chakra, though the rest of the rewards were harder for Mutsuki to compare.
In Mutsuki's view, the Mastery-level Great Fire Destruction and Dragon Flame Release Song Jutsu were about on par with each other, neither being particularly outstanding.
As for the Bloodline Enhancement Scroll and the S-level Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll, those were harder to compare. It all depended on what Ninjutsu would be extracted from the Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll.
This was Mutsuki's first time obtaining an S-level Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll. Previously, he had only received an S-level Taijutsu Extraction Scroll, which gave him the Golden Skyline.
The power of Golden Skyline was unquestionable. It was one of Mutsuki's strongest offensive techniques, so he had high hopes for this S-level Ninjutsu Extraction Scroll.
However, Mutsuki wasn't interested in an offensive Ninjutsu this time. He didn't lack offensive capabilities; he already had an abundance of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. What he hoped for was a powerful and functional Ninjutsu.
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