After they disappeared, Namikaze Kirito also left.
With the spectacle over, the high-ranking officials of the Gensokyo Kingdom returned to their own duties.
As for the vanished Tsunade and Terumi Mei, the two of them had been brought straight to the Senju compound—to the room Kirito and Tsunade usually used.
The moment they appeared, both women turned and glared at each other, their faces icy cold.
It looked less like a reunion and more like two sworn enemies meeting on a battlefield.
But when Namikaze Kirito appeared before them, their attention shifted to him instead.
"What exactly are you trying to do, brat?"
Even after all this time, Tsunade still called him that every now and then. Maybe, deep down, the days they had spent together in the Land of Tea were still the happiest time in her life.
And Kirito understood that.
That was why he had never once objected to the name.
Terumi Mei, on the other hand, looked at Kirito with a flicker in her beautiful eyes, and her whole expression softened into something far more alluring.
"Kirito, I still haven't settled things with her yet," Mei said sweetly, though the provocation in her voice was obvious. "And this violent woman is still talking to you like that. Come on, let's step outside. I'll teach her a proper lesson for your sake."
The moment Tsunade heard that, she instantly understood what Mei was trying to do.
"Terumi Mei, you sly woman!" Tsunade snapped. "Drop the act and get outside already. Let's see if I don't punch that smug look right off your face!"
Mei gave a light, mocking laugh.
"Oh? Is this really all one of the legendary Sannin amounts to? Getting worked up over a few words?" Her eyes narrowed. "Still, I do agree with one thing. Let's go outside. I'd love to see if my Lava Style can melt that annoying face of yours."
"Fine! Let's do it! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!"
Seeing the two of them about to explode again, Namikaze Kirito's expression hardened.
"That's enough."
His voice was not loud.
But the moment it fell, the room went completely still.
Kirito usually carried himself with a calm, gentle air, so when he suddenly showed this side of himself, even Tsunade and Mei were caught off guard.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Once he saw that the situation had calmed down, Kirito let out a small breath and softened his tone.
"You both know the truth already," he said quietly. "And you both know how important you are to me. If this keeps going and one of you really gets hurt... what exactly am I supposed to do then?"
At his words, both women fell silent.
Of course they had already known the other existed in Kirito's heart.
But knowing it and hearing him drag the truth fully into the open were two very different things.
"..."
Now that everything had been laid bare, the way they looked at each other only grew colder.
This was no longer just about pride.
Now it had become a matter of who stood where in Kirito's heart.
But as a man, Namikaze Kirito had no intention of giving either of them the chance to keep fighting over it like this.
With a flick of his hands, the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit activated.
In an instant, both women felt the chakra in their bodies lock up completely.
Their expressions changed at once, and before they could react, they were both pulled helplessly into Kirito's arms.
"You two want to prove who's better than the other, right?" Kirito said, a faint smirk appearing on his face. "Then I happen to have a method."
The moment they saw that look on his face, both Tsunade and Mei felt a bad premonition rise in their hearts.
And sure enough—
Kirito really meant exactly what they feared.
Soon, the entire Senju compound was wrapped in darkness. No one from outside could enter.
Of course, the senior officials of the Gensokyo Kingdom all recognized this as their leader's ability, so naturally, no one was foolish enough to interfere.
It was a long, sleepless night.
Early the next morning, Namikaze Kirito arrived at his office.
Orochimaru had already been waiting for him there.
"You mean the ancient country of Roran?" Kirito asked.
"Hehe... that's right," Orochimaru replied with a hoarse chuckle. "We've completely secured the area, and we found the energy source you mentioned, Leader. What should we do next?"
Hearing Orochimaru's report, Kirito narrowed his eyes slightly.
In the original timeline, the power hidden within Roran was capable of sending people through time and space.
That was exactly why he had ordered Orochimaru to keep watch over it long ago.
And now that it had finally been confirmed, there was no way he could ignore it.
If Roran truly possessed the power to move through time, then one question had to be answered first.
Was it merely connecting to a parallel timeline?
Or could it truly send someone back into the past?
If it was the former, then it wasn't all that dangerous. A parallel world was still separate from reality.
But if it was the latter...
Then that was a completely different matter.
As far as Kirito understood it, the timeline itself should not be something that could be casually changed. If someone altered the past, the result should be the birth of another branch—a separate parallel world.
In other words, no matter how powerful someone became, going back to rewrite history should not truly change the present. It should only create a different world altogether.
That was something Kirito knew for certain.
If this world truly contained a power capable of changing history itself, then there would be no need to fight that "Thing" at all.
What would be the point of battling someone in the present if they could simply go back and kill you as a child?
That kind of ability would be far too absurd.
Time travel like Urashiki's was different. That sort of thing was part of the natural flow of events on the timeline itself.
Just like in the original story, Kirito had never existed, yet the crisis of that era had still been resolved by Jiraiya, young Sasuke, Naruto, and Boruto.
But now Kirito existed, and his presence had already changed the course of history.
So if Roran's power really could send someone into the past, then which past would it lead to?
The world that originally existed?
Or the history that had already been altered by Namikaze Kirito's appearance?
That alone made it worth investigating.
After thinking it over, Kirito spoke calmly.
"I'm going to Roran. Send word to my father that the Gensokyo Kingdom will be left in their hands for now. Call all the Gensokyo cadres back as well, in case the Akatsuki make a move while I'm gone."
Then he looked at Orochimaru.
"You're coming with me."
"Yes, Leader."
Orochimaru immediately nodded.
Even though Kirito had not explained everything, Orochimaru was already more than interested.
Roran's power alone was enough to stir the curiosity of any scientist.
Since Kirito had personally invited him along, there was no way Orochimaru wouldn't be excited.
He immediately made arrangements to inform Namikaze Minato, then followed Kirito and began preparing for their departure to Roran.
...
Meanwhile, inside the meeting room, everyone was looking at Tsunade and Terumi Mei with strange expressions.
The two women who had been ready to tear each other apart yesterday were now acting as though they couldn't even bear to look at one another.
At that moment, both Tsunade and Mei looked completely uncomfortable in their seats.
Neither of them dared to meet the other's eyes.
What had happened last night was still far too vivid in their minds.
That bastard Namikaze Kirito...
He actually made the two of us—
Just the thought of it was enough to make them want to disappear on the spot.
Their minds were a tangled mess of shame and anger, and at least for now, neither of them had the energy to feel jealous of the other.
Seeing each other's face alone was already too much.
Just then, a ninja entered the room and leaned down to whisper something into Namikaze Minato's ear.
A moment later, a trace of helplessness appeared in Minato's eyes.
Then he looked at everyone present and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Our King has matters to attend to, so we'll begin today's meeting without him."
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