Ryosuke roughly went over the cause and effect of the whole matter.
Sara was already completely stunned.
'What? The Land of Roran is destroyed?'
She got a terminal illness?
There are time-travelers messing with the timeline?
There was so much information that her head was buzzing.
Namikaze Minato was an expert in time-space ninjutsu, so he accepted this kind of thing much more easily. Seeing Ryosuke about to describe the details, he quickly put his hands together, "I believe you, really, you should stop talking."
"History is very fragile. If you keep going, the impact you cause might end up being even bigger than the 'Itachi' you mentioned."
Ryosuke nodded.
The exchange of intel ended there. Ryosuke and Minato were open-minded by nature, and after a few sentences they could tell the other wasn't lying. The last bit of hostility in their hearts faded.
They turned their heads toward Sara at the same time.
"Why are you two looking at me?"
Sara still couldn't believe this nonsense about time travel.
Ryosuke asked, "Roran… what exactly happened?"
Sara looked left and right. A person under another's roof has no choice but to lower their head, so she had to speak up, "I don't know about any time travelers, but if you're talking about people suddenly showing up…
Three years ago, 'Mr. Crow' came to the Land of Roran.
The moment he arrived, he earned Mother's trust and decisively made large-scale adjustments to the national administration and the utilization of the Dragon Vein."
Ryosuke slightly frowned.
A lonely mother and daughter, then an outsider gradually taking control.
Isn't this the classic routine of devouring a widow's household?
"Then did your mother die suddenly for no reason, and the national power fell into Mr. Crow's hands?" Ryosuke asked.
Sara gave him a shocked look, "What are you talking about!"
"My mother is alive and well. It was Mr. Crow who married my mother. He's basically my stepfather now, and what you said afterward is correct, currently the Land of Roran is indeed managed by Mr. Crow."
Now it was Ryosuke's turn to be stunned.
'Alright, alright, alright.'
He originally thought Uchiha Itachi arrived in this timeline and became "Crow," but it turned out to be "Duck".
Eating everything, taking everything, soft rice, eaten hard.
However, White Zetsu cells, the crow summoning technique… he could confirm that this Mr. Crow who suddenly appeared three years ago was definitely Uchiha Itachi.
Namikaze Minato asked, "Do you plan to make a move on Mr. Crow?"
Ryosuke thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly, "Now that history has entered chaos, considering that the future Roran gets destroyed…"
"I need to take a look."
"I want to see what that crow from the future is trying to do in this era before deciding where to act."
Shukaku and Susanoo could level a city in minutes. Replace Shukaku with Ryosuke, add a peak-period Dragon Vein on top, one careless move could blow the entire Land of Roran into the sky.
Minato nodded.
He agreed with Ryosuke's thinking.
Besides, from the perspective of Minato's team, both Ryosuke and Mr. Crow were time travelers from the future.
If the two could go out alone for a one-on-one, and the winner quietly returned to their original world afterward while Minato's team cleaned up, erased the Moon's Power, that would be the best outcome.
They were all people of action. Once they thought it through, they decided to move together.
Ryosuke could sense the flow of the Dragon Vein.
Minato's team had already scouted ahead, and another "special agent" had infiltrated deep inside long ago.
Plus, the Land of Roran was small, with a population of under a hundred thousand.
After exiting the sealed forbidden zone, the group soon found a passage leading underground.
Before entering, Ryosuke turned back to glance at the towering gothic-style buildings and then at the distant streets.
Despite it being late at night, the streets were filled with Roran citizens wearing black robes, their skin pale as paper, walking without making a sound.
For a moment, Ryosuke couldn't tell who the real Ghost Country was supposed to be.
After being improved by the White Snake Sage, the White Zetsu cells now carried the advantages of Hashirama cells and the fusion traits of Orochimaru's cells.
You could say that once implanted, the body gained the ability to absorb energy and convert it into life force.
But the price was equally obvious.
The loss of humanity, and the gradual change of thought patterns over the years.
Of course, technology has no inherent good or evil.
If it were used in famine-stricken, impoverished areas, this technology could save countless people who should've died of hunger or thirst.
However…
Ryosuke did not believe Uchiha Itachi was spreading White Zetsu cells for such altruistic reasons.
They walked deeper into the passage.
After a while, Akimichi Choza cheerfully came up and offered him a snack, "Little brother, want some?"
"Thanks."
"Um…"
Choza lowered his voice, "You said you're from the future, then do you know… what happens to the Akimichi clan in the future?"
Ryosuke thought for a moment, "Same as now, broad and chubby, plenty of food and drink, and the next generation has a big chubby baby."
"Good! A big chubby baby is great!"
Choza, completely satisfied, shoved all his snacks into Ryosuke's arms.
Seeing Choza got his answer, Aburame Shibi hesitated for a second before coming over, "Our family's situation..."
"Sorry."
Ryosuke said, "I'm not familiar with the Aburame clan."
Aburame Shibi, "..."
He wanted to complain, but also felt it was fair.
The Aburame clan, from top to bottom, was silent and withdrawn. Or looked at another way, no news was the best news,
Especially when a future fallen-nation princess was standing right beside them.
Everyone basically knew something about the future, except Namikaze Minato, who still hadn't asked. Ryosuke looked at him, waiting for his question.
At that moment, Minato also looked over.
Minato opened his mouth, a few complicated emotions flashing in his eyes, but in the end he shook his head, "There are many things I want to know, but… I think I'll let it go."
"If I don't know, that's that. Once I do know, I'll definitely want to change things, to make the future better, but…"
Minato looked at Ryosuke and seriously asked, "How is the future you come from?"
Ryosuke thought of the changes in the ninja world, considered for a moment, and answered, "Pretty good. If nothing else happens, it should only get better."
Minato smiled, "Then that's enough. To reach that future outcome, I'll continue being myself, even in the face of the unknown."
"Even if the price is your life?"
Ryosuke was very direct. Hearing this, Choza and Shibi both grew solemn.
Anyone could hear what that meant, the Namikaze Minato they saw as practically unbeatable would die at some point in the future.
Minato's answer was, "Yes."
"With my ability, very few people could kill me. If I die…"
Minato smiled like the morning sun, "It will most likely be to protect someone precious to me… Did I succeed in the end?"
Ryosuke nodded.
"Then I have nothing to worry about."
Sara, walking behind them, kept her head down, feelings complicated as she listened.
She couldn't tell whether these four were telling the truth.
If it was true, then time travel felt far too unbelievable.
But if it was false and they were acting…
Sara was young and inexperienced, but not stupid.
Ryosuke and Minato were straightforward and said what they meant, Sara could feel their sincerity.
She really couldn't tell.
But there was one thing she could tell.
She didn't have much affection for Mr. Crow as a stepfather, but in terms of results, he did share much of her mother's burdens, and with the spread of the Moon's Power, Roran was prospering.
Mr. Crow and Mother were her own people.
Ryosuke and Minato were outsiders.
Sara would never help outsiders deal with her own people because of a few sentences from Ryosuke.
As a princess, she understood the principle of helping family, not reason, in politics, there's no absolute right or wrong. It depends on one's position.
Walking the passage, Sara had lost the Moon's Power, lost her chakra and strong physique, but she still knew Roran's layout well.
Just as they turned a corner, she suddenly darted off in another direction, lifted a manhole cover, and jumped down.
'Success!'
Below was a flowing sewer. Smelly, yes, but it could definitely help her escape these people.
Once she got out, she'd immediately inform Mr. Crow and dispatch the guards.
Roran didn't cause trouble, but it wasn't afraid of it either.
Sara looked at the sewage below. Her small face tensed, eyes firm.
She had made up her mind.
'Here goes!'
The next second, the scene blurred, and Sara found herself back in the passage again.
"What?!"
Her heart plummeted.
Immediately afterward, she felt a tall shadow envelop her. Ryosuke's soft sigh came from behind, "Comparing the two, the future you is still cuter."