Somewhere in the Land of Fire, beside a campfire, Hayashi sat on the ground telling a story while Kakashi and Kushina listened nearby.
"Beyond the sea lies a country called Aolai. Near its shores stands Flower Fruit Mountain. At the summit grows a sacred tree, towering high into the sky, its branches stretching across the heavens…"
"Wait," Kushina interrupted suddenly. "Didn't you once say Flower Fruit Mountain had a magical stone that gave birth to the Calabash Brothers?"
"How did it suddenly become a sacred tree?"
"Uh…"
Hayashi frowned awkwardly.
When it came to memorizing mission reports or ninja regulations, Kushina forgot half of them within a day. Yet somehow, she remembered every ridiculous story he had told her years ago.
"Details like that don't matter," Hayashi said while waving his hand dismissively. "Flower Fruit Mountain is enormous. One area had the stone that created the Calabash Brothers, another had the sacred tree. Perfectly normal."
He paused briefly before adding with complete confidence, "Honestly, it wouldn't even be strange if there were pirates living there."
"Oh…" Kushina nodded slowly, though she still looked suspicious.
Hayashi coughed lightly and continued.
"This sacred tree was extraordinary. It absorbed natural energy from the world itself and gathered the essence of the sun and moon. The fruit it produced possessed incredible power. Anyone who consumed it would gain strength beyond ordinary humans."
"Hold on again," Kushina interrupted once more.
"Kurama says you're making things up."
Hayashi's eyelid twitched.
"Kurama says the tree didn't take that long to produce fruit, and the fruit only works if someone actually eats it."
Hayashi pressed a hand against his forehead.
"If the Nine Tails knows so much, then let it tell the story instead."
"Uh… Kurama says no."
"It refuses to speak, then complains when I do. What a troublesome fox."
"Kuraama is insulting you right now," Kushina said helpfully.
"…."
"I can beat it up for you if you want."
"Good."
Kushina closed her eyes. A few moments later, she opened them again with a satisfied smile on her face.
Clearly, Kurama had just suffered another beating inside the seal.
Hayashi nodded approvingly.
Tailed Beasts could be stubborn, but most of the time they simply needed proper discipline.
"Ahem, anyway," Hayashi continued, "a woman named Kaguya eventually consumed the fruit and gained immense power. She ended the wars across the world and became the first person to wield chakra."
"Later, she gave birth to two sons. Together, they sealed the sacred tree away."
"Kaguya herself was imprisoned afterward."
"The place where the sacred tree once stood retained traces of its power. Over many years, that power became what people now call the Dragon Vein. The Kingdom of Rouran has protected it for generations."
After Hayashi finished speaking, Kakashi raised a hand.
"Who exactly is Anrokuzan?"
"His origins are unknown," Hayashi answered. "He suddenly appeared in Rouran four years ago. Within less than a year, he earned the queen's complete trust through his abilities."
"Four years ago…" Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
"Right after the Third Great Ninja War began," Hayashi explained. "Because of the war, neither Konoha nor Sunagakure had time to properly investigate him until recently."
"Then the Queen of Rouran suddenly died."
The Dragon Vein was something both the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind closely monitored.
If someone fully harnessed its power, Rouran could become a military force rivaling the Five Great Nations.
After the queen's death, the Third Kazekage had secretly sent several shinobi to investigate, but none returned alive. With the war intensifying, he eventually handed the mission over to Konoha.
To put it simply, the Third Kazekage sensed danger but did not want Sunagakure taking the risk alone.
At the same time, since Rouran was located within the Land of Wind, he feared Anrokuzan might be connected to Iwagakure and wanted Konoha involved before matters spiraled out of control.
Hayashi understood the situation clearly.
"Anrokuzan has already gained control over the new queen," he said. "He plans to use the Dragon Vein's power to threaten the Five Great Nations."
Kakashi sighed quietly.
"Why does every dangerous lunatic eventually decide to target the entire world?"
Hayashi shrugged.
"Our mission is simple. Find the queen's daughter before Anrokuzan fully controls her. She's the only one capable of manipulating the Dragon Vein. Whatever his plans are, he needs her power to accomplish them."
"And after that?" Kakashi asked.
"We eliminate Anrokuzan," Hayashi replied. "Then we seal the Dragon Vein."
And meet the visitor from the future, he silently added in his mind.
He genuinely wanted to know what the future looked like.
"Get some rest," Hayashi said while standing up. "We'll arrive in Rouran tomorrow."
Kushina stood as well.
"Hayashi, Kurama wants me to ask something."
"What now?"
"How do you know so much about Kaguya and the sacred tree?"
Most of Hayashi's story had been true, which was precisely why Kurama found it suspicious.
Too much time had passed since the era of the Sage of Six Paths. The truth had faded into myth, and even the Sage himself had become little more than legend.
Almost nobody remembered Kaguya anymore.
"There's an old stone tablet beneath the Naka Shrine," Hayashi explained smoothly. "It records some of that history."
Naturally, he pushed all responsibility onto the tablet.
"Really?" Kushina's eyes lit up. "Can I see it someday?"
"Of course," Hayashi replied with a smile. "I'll take you there after we return to Konoha."
Then he added casually, "And when you have time, try getting more information out of Kurama. That fox definitely knows more than it admits."
Inside Kushina's seal, Kurama snorted coldly.
The next morning, the group entered the desert surrounding Rouran.
Sunagakure and Iwagakure were currently locked in fierce combat, and Sunagakure had tightened security throughout the Land of Wind to protect its supply routes.
To avoid unnecessary conflict, Hayashi's team deliberately bypassed Sunagakure patrol zones before approaching Rouran.
Dawn had barely arrived.
The sun still hid beneath the horizon, yet pale golden light already illuminated the desert through the morning haze.
Soon, an enormous shadow emerged in the distance.
Towering hexagonal structures stretched endlessly across the desert landscape, ancient yet strangely advanced at the same time.
The architecture looked nothing like the style found within the Five Great Nations.
It possessed an unusual mechanical atmosphere, almost futuristic despite its age.
"How is it?" Hayashi asked.
Kushina activated her sensory abilities and closed her eyes briefly.
"That's strange," she murmured. "For such a large kingdom, there are barely any people."
Hayashi nodded slightly.
As expected, most of Rouran had already fallen under Anrokuzan's control. The remaining civilians were either imprisoned, forced into labor, or barely surviving.
Truthfully, Hayashi was hoping Kushina would locate the visitor from the future.
If Naruto truly existed here somewhere, Kushina would immediately sense his chakra.
A few seconds later, Kushina suddenly opened her eyes.
"I found someone."
"Where?"
"Southeast, around five kilometers away." Her expression shifted. "The chakra is enormous… and it feels familiar."
"Familiar?"
"It's from the Uzumaki Clan."
Kushina immediately became alert.
"And they noticed us too. They're coming this way."
Soon, both sides rapidly approached one another across the desert.
As the figure became clearer, Hayashi frowned slightly.
It was indeed a Konoha shinobi.
The person had long red hair, and Kushina's sensing abilities had not been mistaken.
This was unquestionably someone from the Uzumaki Clan.
But there was one problem.
It was a girl.
Hayashi's expression became strange.
Did Naruto somehow become a girl after traveling through time?
That would be ridiculous even by his standards.
The two groups finally stopped around ten meters apart.
The red haired girl stared at Hayashi and Kushina for several seconds before speaking.
Her voice was soft and clear.
"Father, Mother…"
"What are you doing here?"
Silence fell instantly.
Kakashi's visible eye widened.
Kushina froze completely.