Sasuke said, "Idiot dead last—is this really the time to be worrying about that?"
In truth, the Third Hokage had been startled as well. That orange-haired man from Akatsuki sounded far too much like his sensei.
Tobirama Senju—the Second Hokage, famously ice-cold and hyper-rational—snapped, "You airhead! I just happen to sound like that man!
How could I possibly destroy the Konoha my brother worked so hard to build?! You're even dumber than my brother, you colossal idiot!!"
"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, completely baffled as to why he was getting yelled at.
"Uzumaki… Naruto…" Gaara stared at the Leaf ninja grinning like a fool. His mind replayed everything from the vision—his own words, the cheers, the recognition. And that person… battered and bleeding, still forcing his broken body forward toward him, looking at him with those blue eyes that seemed on the verge of tears, saying he understood what it was like to live in the hell of loneliness…
Naruto's gaze brushed past him at the same time. Their eyes met. For a brief moment, it felt like two people who had been swimming against the current alone for years had finally found a comrade on a thorn-filled road.
Just then, the moment was shattered by a girl's piercing scream.
"Ahhh—!""As expected of Lord Gaara!""Lord Gaara is so handsome!"
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Naruto snorted indignantly. "Hmph! What's so handsome about that guy?!"
"Then why were you—" Sasuke started, irritation creeping into his voice.
"Why was I what…?" Naruto suddenly realized Sasuke was talking about the intense eye contact from the vision. "Ahhh! Damn it, Sasuke, don't remind me of that!!!"
In the projection, Temari's voice rang out: "You grew up so well, Gaara."
Watching her future self, Temari felt a complicated swell of emotion. Would she and Kankuro really be able to treat Gaara like that someday—as a little brother, as their Kazekage—proud of him from the heart?
At the very least, it wouldn't be like now… where fear ruled, and all they could do was speak to him through desperate prayers.
Another voice echoed from the vision:"Now everyone's a comrade. It's troublesome, sure—but you'd better remember the scent of your comrades well.""I'll stake the Inuzuka clan's sense of smell on it!"
"That's me and my sister!" Kiba shouted.
Gaara took two steps forward in the image. "Those who acknowledge me—follow me!"
Grand, surging music rose over an unprecedented sight.
The screen faded to black.The strange projection vanished from in front of the Ninja Academy.
Naruto jumped up, shouting, "Hey! How come I wasn't there?! Where was I, huh?!"
"And I didn't see Sasuke-kun either," Sakura added.
"Aaah… all the spotlight went to that Gaara guy, dattebayo!" Naruto puffed out his cheeks and scrunched his nose, huffing in Gaara's direction.
Gaara, dark circles heavy beneath his eyes, looked back at Uzumaki Naruto.
[No interest.][Too weak.][Impossible.]
Remembering their earlier exchange, Gaara grew even more silent.
Before the race even started, his opinion of Naruto was already plummeting.
"Uzumaki… Naruto…"
"What is it, huh?" Naruto replied impatiently. This Gaara was seriously weird.
Besides, what was a jinchuriki anyway? He wanted to know that too.
After a long pause, Gaara finally spoke, glancing toward where the vision had played. "Was that… real?"
Naruto rubbed his bandage-wrapped blond hair. "I don't know what happens in the future, dattebayo. But if it's a friend, I'd definitely go all out to save them. As for crying and stuff—ahh, that kind of embarrassing thing, don't bring it up, okay?!"
"What we just saw should be events from the future," Tobirama Senju said thoughtfully. "Monkey, prepare for a Five Kage Summit. From here on out, Konoha—no, the entire shinobi world—won't be peaceful anymore."
"Tobirama-sensei," Homura Mitokado asked anxiously, "then will Akatsuki try to cause trouble at the summit ahead of time?!"
"They won't," Tobirama replied. "They're not ready yet. On the contrary, we now know a great deal about their plans. The major villages will surely be protecting their jinchuriki and gathering intelligence on Akatsuki—and on Konoha and the Uchiha as well. Even if we don't convene the summit, the others will. Better to act first. Monkey, make the preparations."
The Third Hokage nodded. "Understood." Thank goodness Tobirama-sama is here, he thought. When it came to politics, he still had much to learn from his teacher.
Thinking back on the years since the First Shinobi World War ended with Tobirama-sama's death—through the Second and Third Wars, when Konoha could never stay out of the conflict—Hiruzen let out a deep, weary breath.
There were still so many things he hadn't managed to do…
A hand landed on his shoulder. It was Tobirama.
After so many years as Tobirama's student and subordinate, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood immediately—this was silent comfort.
Tobirama-sensei really did notice everything.
"That boy called Gaara," the Second Hokage said, raising his voice. "I can tell you this: from the moment I returned to this world—no, from the moment that quiz began—the future has already changed. Whether the Fourth Great Ninja War will still happen, I don't know. But…" He paused. "There are nine tailed beasts. Which means there are nine jinchuriki."
Gaara fell silent. Eight others… just like me. Uzumaki Naruto was clearly one of them.
"No matter which village it is," Tobirama continued, "jinchuriki are treated more or less the same. Even my sister-in-law, Mito Uzumaki—after sacrificing herself to become the first Nine-Tails jinchuriki for the sake of the village—suffered greatly."
During her pregnancy, Hashirama himself had to personally maintain the seal. Even then, Tobirama, as Hokage's brother, evacuated all nearby residents and cast additional sealing techniques outside as insurance.
"You are special existences in this shinobi world," Tobirama declared firmly. "But not as weapons…"
"Second Hokage, you—" Naruto stared at him in shock, his head spinning with questions.
"You are heroes," Tobirama said. "Existences that will change the entire shinobi world."
While Naruto and Gaara were still reeling, Tobirama had already begun issuing orders. "It's been a long time, but now isn't the moment for reminiscing. Monkey, Homura, Koharu… Is that Danzo brat not here? Never mind. I have things to ask you. Let's go to the Senju clan estate."
The Third Hokage stiffened. "Sensei… the Senju clan has already…"
Tobirama fell silent. He didn't seem overly surprised, as if he'd expected it. "…Extinct, is it? The estate still stands?"
"Yes. The estate is still there."
"Then let's go."
"Ah, Hokage-sama!" A jonin in charge of the Chunin Exams suddenly called out. "What about the Chunin Exams? Should they continue?"
Tobirama glanced at Hiruzen. "You're the Hokage. Make the decision you believe is right."
The Third Hokage bowed respectfully, then turned to give instructions. "The Chunin Exams are a means for Konoha to build relations with other villages. They cannot be canceled lightly. If I recall correctly, the first exam hasn't actually concluded yet…"
"Whaaaat?! You're not going to void it, are you, dattebayo?!" Naruto yelled.