Kaguya Ōtsutsuki took the Flying Thunder God Technique kunai from Tobirama Senju.
She infused the S-rank mission reward from the mission scroll with her chakra and her memories of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki.
The man possessed power even greater than her own.
His skin was just as pale as porcelain.
Larger, more distinctive horns grew from his bald head.
He also possessed two unusual Dōjutsu.
[Sukunahikona] and [Daikoku].
At first glance, outsiders might consider Isshiki Ōtsutsuki quite gentlemanly. Kaguya, however, knew better than anyone how cold, arrogant, and unscrupulous he truly was.
"You had better make sure you can defeat him."
"And kill him."
As Kaguya poured her chakra and consciousness into the Flying Thunder God Technique kunai, she looked up and calmly warned Madara Uchiha and Indra.
Even she had only managed to strike Isshiki by taking advantage of his arrogance and confidence, catching him off guard with a surprise attack.
As far as Kaguya could see, the only people present who might stand a chance against Isshiki Ōtsutsuki were Madara Uchiha and Indra, who also possessed the Rinnegan.
"Hmph."
Madara flexed the fingers of his black-gloved hand and snorted.
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan. Isshiki Ōtsutsuki."
"I'd like to test my strength against him," Indra said.
If he could defeat Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, that would prove his eyes were no longer inferior to his father's.
After hearing their answers, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki nodded.
She poured the last of her chakra into the Flying Thunder God Technique kunai.
As blinding white light engulfed their surroundings, Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze simultaneously realized something.
If this merely transported them from one location to another, would it really require so much chakra?
Had Kaguya not poured in far too much?
Their unease proved justified. The white light swallowed every color around them before gradually fading away.
When they finally saw their surroundings, they were completely dumbfounded.
Naruto stared at the Hokage Rock in the distance and pointed at one of the faces with a trembling finger.
"Is that statue supposed to be Kakashi-sensei, dattebayo?!"
Sasuke and Sakura looked at the seven faces carved into the Hokage Rock and involuntarily swallowed.
Even when carved into the mountain, that man was still wearing a mask. No matter how they looked at it, he could not possibly be anyone other than Kakashi!
Adult Obito and Young Obito stared at the Sixth Hokage's face with their mouths hanging open wide enough to fit an egg inside.
Adult Kakashi and Young Kakashi were equally stunned.
They already knew that Kakashi would eventually become the Sixth Hokage in the main world, but seeing his face carved into the Hokage Rock, a symbol of protection and authority, still came as a tremendous shock.
Of course, the statue of the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, was not what surprised them most.
It was the face carved behind Kakashi's.
Why did that mature-looking man have the same six whisker marks as Naruto?!
"I remember..."
Young Obito's voice trembled.
"I remember the Fifth Kazekage who came from the future and that guy named Kawaki saying Naruto would become the Seventh Hokage, right?"
Naruto's deep blue eyes remained fixed on the Hokage Rock, the vast blue sky reflected in his pupils.
"This place..."
"Is the future where I become..."
"The Seventh Hokage?!"
Kannabi Bridge Minato's heart pounded wildly. Even seeing his own face carved into the Hokage Rock had not made him this excited.
So this was what Naruto looked like as an adult!
Minato was only twenty-one, yet he had already met Naruto at twelve and seventeen years old. Now he might even have the chance to meet Naruto after he had fulfilled his dream and become the Hokage of Konoha!
The thought of meeting a Naruto who was taller and more handsome than he was made Minato incredibly nervous.
"That's... Naruto?!"
Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the Hokage Rock. He could hardly imagine the future dead last growing up to look so...
Well, so rugged and handsome.
He and Sakura turned to look at the Naruto beside them at the same time.
Right now, Naruto could only be considered cute at best. How had he grown into someone who looked so calm and dependable?
Could this world be fake?
Compared to their astonishment, Madara Uchiha and Izuna Uchiha did not care much about who became Hokage in the future.
Like Hashirama Senju, they quietly felt happy for Naruto before becoming absorbed in the sight of Konohagakure before them.
"Is this really the same Konoha?" Madara Uchiha asked, his eyes widening as Izuna Uchiha looked around.
An endless stream of pedestrians passed through the streets. Even their styles of clothing bore little resemblance to the Konoha they remembered.
People looked at them as though they were cosplayers dressed as tokusatsu masked heroes. Some even came over to compliment their costumes.
Whether it was the flow of people, the size of the population, or the prosperous buildings stretching as far as the eye could see, this was a sight the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, could never have imagined.
"This place is unbelievably prosperous!" Izuna exclaimed, already trying to estimate the annual economic output of such a thriving village.
After only a brief moment of surprise, Tobirama Senju regained his composure and said, "Let's set that aside for now. Shouldn't our immediate priority be determining why we appeared in this so-called future when we were supposed to be searching for Isshiki Ōtsutsuki?"
"But... but Tobirama..."
Hashirama Senju clutched his younger brother's sleeve. Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at him pitifully.
"To see the little village we founded together grow into such a prosperous city... I... your big brother really..."
"I'm so moved!"
"Uh..."
Tobirama, whose sleeve he was clutching, and Madara and Izuna, who stood beside them, were all so embarrassed that they wanted to pretend they did not know him.
The surrounding stares and friendly smiles only made it worse. As long as Hashirama himself felt no shame, everyone around him had to suffer the embarrassment instead.
"Hey! You there!"
Several boys approached them. Judging by their forehead protectors, they were young Konoha ninja.
"Genin?"
The group looked at the rude, dark-skinned boy in front, the timid boy in blue beside him, the green-clad boy with a watermelon-shaped haircut, the pretty but unfriendly-looking boy with pale blond braids, and the boy with spiky black hair.
They all seemed remarkably cute, and the adults naturally spoke to them with the fondness reserved for juniors.
Unfortunately, these boys did not seem particularly friendly.
Worse still, the target of their hostility was Naruto Uzumaki.
"Hey! You!"
Naruto pointed at his own nose. "Me?"
"Iwabee." The spiky-haired boy placed a hand on the shoulder of the tall, dark-skinned boy in front. "Don't start trouble."
"No!"
Iwabee Yuino shouted and continued pointing at Naruto.
"This guy's cosplay of the Seventh Hokage-sama as a child looks nothing like the real Seventh Hokage-sama! As a loyal fan of the Seventh Hokage-sama, I have every right to suspect that he's a hater deliberately trying to tarnish the Seventh Hokage-sama's image!"
Naruto Uzumaki fell silent.
Minato Namikaze fell silent.
Sasuke Uchiha fell silent.
Sakura Haruno fell silent.
Kakashi Hatake fell silent.
The warmhearted Young Obito quickly realized what was happening and tried to ease the awkward atmosphere.
He looked at Naruto, then at the Konoha genin opposite them.
"The Seventh Hokage-sama you're talking about... is Naruto Uzumaki, right?"
He would have been better off keeping quiet. The moment he asked, it was as though he had lit a firecracker among the boys.
"You're all haters of the Seventh Hokage-sama, aren't you?!" Iwabee Yuino shouted. "You don't even know who the Seventh Hokage-sama is?!"
"Even so, isn't it a little disrespectful to call the Hokage-sama by his name?" Shikadai Nara sighed. "What a hassle. It's a good thing Boruto isn't here."
If Boruto were present, he would probably have exploded with rage.
He might constantly complain about his father, but the moment someone else spoke badly of the Seventh Hokage-sama, Boruto would always be the first to lose his temper.
"What remote backwater did you people crawl out of?" Inojin Yamanaka asked. "Is this your first time in Konoha? You look completely destitute."
"Even if you don't know anything, please do proper research before cosplaying as the Seventh Hokage-sama! I beg you!" Metal Lee bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, appearing extraordinarily sincere.
Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Obito, Kakashi, Rin, and all the adults behind them stared wide-eyed at the future Konoha genin, unsure how to respond.
Countless objections filled their minds, yet none of them knew where to begin.
Seeing their bewildered expressions, the genin became even more convinced that these strangers knew nothing.
The small, bespectacled boy among them, who looked somewhat frail, pushed up his glasses and volunteered.
"Don't worry! I, Denki Kaminarimon, a loyal supporter of the Seventh Hokage-sama, will explain the Seventh Hokage-sama's magnificent achievements to all of you!"
Denki Kaminarimon was the same timid boy from before. Yet the moment he began speaking about the Seventh Hokage, his sheer intensity frightened Naruto into taking half a step back.
"The Seventh Hokage-sama is an unprecedented genius ninja, the likes of whom the entire Ninja World has never seen before and will never see again! He excelled academically from childhood and ranked first in every subject! He was a genius young ninja!"
The Konoha genin behind him nodded vigorously in agreement.
They could not have looked more convinced by Denki Kaminarimon's words.
Naruto's group, meanwhile, could only stare blankly.
"First place in the overall rankings for every subject...?" Sakura asked uncertainly.
"A genius young ninja?" Kakashi repeated.
"Are you sure you're talking about that dead... Naruto?"
Sasuke glanced speechlessly at the dead last beside him, whose entire body had gone rigid, then asked them again for confirmation.
"What's with that doubtful look?!" Iwabee demanded. "Other than the Seventh Hokage-sama, who else could earn perfect marks in every subject and rank first overall in the entire Ninja Academy?"
Sasuke fell silent.
He could accept someone claiming Naruto had ranked first overall in the Ninja Academy.
But perfect marks in every subject?
Honestly, even Sasuke Uchiha would not dare claim that.
Although he ranked first overall, his written exam scores were still a few points lower than Sakura's.
As for Naruto Uzumaki, there was no need to say anything.
He was practically trying to shrink into the ground.
What kind of parallel world was this?!
What was any of this supposed to mean?!
Good grief! This was unbearable!
***
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