"Even able to fight Kakashi? That's incredible." Tsunade sighs in awe.
"Hey, hey, hey, why does everyone with new power always pick a fight with me? I've been getting beat up lately." Kakashi grumbles.
Naruto returned after nearly three years of training, and Kakashi was his sparring partner.
Two months later, he's back, and Kakashi's his sparring partner again…
Does he look that easy to push around?
"Because Kakashi-sensei is Konoha's elite Jonin, the Copy Ninja. Fighting you best shows off our strength." Naruto grins, giving Kakashi a thumbs-up.
"Well, thanks a lot." Kakashi says, rolling his eyes.
"Tsunade-sama, do you now believe what we said earlier?" Yamato asks.
"Even though you've shown this so-called proof… I still find it a bit hard to believe something so absurd." Tsunade says, frowning, hesitating, then shaking her head.
"Damn it! Why doesn't Granny Tsunade believe us? Captain Yamato, how about we just bring Tang, Nin, and Obito here to meet Granny Tsunade? If she sees them, she might believe us." Naruto says, a bit angrily.
"Tang, Nin, Obito?" Tsunade looks confused.
"Tsunade-sama, those three came with us to Konoha. They're Rock Lee, Hyuga Neji, and Uchiha Obito from the Shinobi Empire." Yamato explains.
At those words, Kakashi's body trembles. He instantly appears before Yamato, grabbing his shoulders.
"What did you say? Obito? Uchiha Obito?"
"Kakashi-sensei, here's the story…" Seeing Kakashi's excitement, Naruto quickly explains.
After hearing it all, Kakashi's expression shifts.
"Another world? The Shinobi Empire? A million mes? Another Obito? Is there really such a world?"
"That's right. It sounds totally crazy, but it's real. Kakashi-sensei in that world doesn't even wear a mask—super handsome. Plus, that Kakashi-sensei married a woman named Nohara Rin and has a kid named Hatake Haruki."
"Iruka-sensei said the Shinobi Emperor once judged that Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi could reach elite Jonin level before age 12." Naruto explains eagerly.
"Is that so… In that world, I married Rin and have a child?" Kakashi's lips curl slightly under his mask, his eyes showing a trace of longing. That version of him seems truly happy.
"Uchiha Shisui? A name both unfamiliar and familiar… Elite Jonin at 12? Naruto, you're too naive, believing everything people say." Tsunade says, frowning.
"Elite Jonin at 12 is strong enough, but top-tier elite Jonin? Impossible." Shikaku says, shaking his head.
"Granny Tsunade, Uncle Shikaku, you just haven't seen the empire's people. If you saw their strength, you'd believe me. Especially me and that arrogant Sasuke in that world—they're insanely strong." Naruto says, a bit frustrated.
"Tsunade-sama, we should meet Lee, Neji, and Obito from the Shinobi Empire soon." Yamato suggests.
He can see that no matter how the four of them explain, no amount of words will convince the Hokage.
The matter itself is too absurd. If the roles were reversed, he wouldn't believe it either.
"Lee, Neji, Obito from another world… Do you know their purpose for coming to Konoha?" Tsunade asks.
"…"
Here it comes! The question finally arrives.
Yamato takes a deep breath, saying seriously:
"They want Konoha to join the empire…"
"Letting Konoha join the empire? In other words, they want us to surrender to them, right?" Shikaku says.
"You could say that." Yamato nods.
Tsunade's gaze sweeps over Naruto, Sakura, and Sai. Their expressions shift slightly, but there's no trace of anger, showing they're aware of the others' intentions.
"So… you knew they wanted us to surrender, yet you still brought them back to Konoha?" Tsunade asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Granny Tsunade… joining the empire isn't a bad thing. Their technology is super advanced. Even ordinary people there have smart assistants—puppets that think for themselves, helping with anything: cooking rice, washing clothes, cooking, boiling water, cleaning dishes, you name it."
"The food there comes in thousands of varieties, so delicious. When you leave the house, there are planes, high-speed trains, subways. Even commoners can easily travel thousands, even tens of thousands of kilometers, visiting other continents… touring great nations… people wear nice clothes, have enough food."
"And they treat everyone so kindly, like family…" Naruto explains earnestly.
But before he finishes, Tsunade cuts him off, waving her hand.
"Whether the Shinobi Empire is real or not, I'm still unsure. But… there's no need to discuss it further. Naruto, your heart is no longer with Konoha. You've changed."
"I… I'll always be a Konoha ninja. It's just… the empire is really great. There… Uncle Minato, Aunt Kushina, they're still alive… there's no war, everyone's so happy…" Naruto says, his eyes filled with nostalgia and admiration.
"…"
That one sentence leaves Tsunade momentarily speechless.
Konoha owes Naruto too much.
"Tsunade-sama… whether you accept it or not, what we're saying is the truth. And another reality is, once the empire enters our world, unification is unstoppable."
"It's not just because they have a million elites like Kakashi-senpai… but also because… they have Namikaze Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke…"
"Without exaggeration, either Namikaze Naruto or Uchiha Sasuke alone could overwhelm the entire ninja world combined. That's godlike power. Invincible strength unimaginable until you see it." Yamato says, his face slowly showing shock, as if recalling the terrifying sight of Empire Sasuke cleaving the earth with one sword, Empire Naruto shattering the sky with one punch.
"Yamato, you're underestimating the Kage. Besides, what you said about Naruto and Sasuke's power in that other world is impossible. I think you were hit by a genjutsu back then." Shikaku says, frowning.
"It's just that no one's seen the empire's power or felt it firsthand. We're absolutely certain we weren't under any genjutsu." Yamato says, shaking his head, his expression deadly serious.
"Captain Yamato's right. Granny Tsunade, Uncle Shikaku, why won't you believe us?" Naruto grumbles.