Time passed, and soon it was time for the Sky Screen to appear again.
[Akatsuki Hideout]
The screen had not yet appeared. And in the dim space, a few oil lamps flickered on the stone walls, casting shifting shadows across the black robes with red clouds.
The Akatsuki members had already gathered, most were seated in their usual spots.
Deidara sat in his chair, swinging his legs, his blond hair swaying as his eyes darted around.
Soon, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly shot up from his seat and strode over to Obito, who was wearing his orange-swirl mask, and said through gritted teeth:
"Tobi, you bastard—you finally dare to show your face?"
Obito's exposed right eye looked at Deidara, feeling a bit helpless. He knew that as soon as he showed up, this guy would definitely be the first to cause trouble.
But his body moved faster than his thoughts—he started gesticulating wildly, his voice turning playful: "Deidara-senpai, what are you talking about? I'm just a junior who likes you."
Hearing Obito tease him again, Deidara's entire face twitched. "You son of a bitch, you still dare to make fun of me! And why are you still wearing a mask? Haven't the screen already revealed your face?"
"Afraid that ugly mug of yours might scare people? Uchiha Obito!!"
As he spoke, Deidara even spat out a few pieces of white clay. His tongue deftly shaped the clay into a small spider—ready to act if things went south.
The atmosphere in the hideout instantly became tense.
Hidan, with his scythe on his shoulder, watched the farce with interest. Kakuzu emotionlessly cracked his knuckles, calculating some unknown accounts. Kisame held Samehada, his shark-like face unreadable. And Sasori's puppet eyes rotated slightly, making a click.
Only Itachi remained leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, as if asleep.
Obito's visible eye narrowed, his expression beneath the mask turning dark.
Just then, Pain's authoritative voice cut through the silence of the hideout, suppressing the noise: "That's enough! Infighting among organization members is forbidden."
His Rinnegan gleamed coldly in the darkness, sweeping over everyone present.
Hearing that, Deidara glared at Pain furiously—but eventually, under those emotionless violet eyes, he backed down.
He stuffed the clay spider back into his pouch and brushed the crumbs off his hands. "…Fine. I'll let you off for the leader's sake. But Uchiha Obito, you'd better hope I don't catch you. You don't have the Rinnegan yet."
Obito said nothing, he simply walked to his seat, pulled out the chair, and sat down quietly.
But Nagato, who heard Deidara's words, was very annoyed. He controlled Pain's body, sitting in the innermost part, appearing calm on the surface, but his mind was racing.
If it weren't for the fact that Obito's ability was nearly impossible to counter and that he was indispensable to the Eye of the Moon Plan, Nagato would have wanted to eliminate this threat right now.
He could bet that the eye beneath Obito's mask right now was definitely not a Rinnegan.
So in the future, the Rinnegan Obito had would surely be his own!
After all, the only known Rinnegan in the entire Shinobi World belonged to him. So if Obito wanted the Rinnegan, he would have to take it from him.
No wonder Obito became a Six Paths-level powerhouse—he must have taken his eyes.
It seemed that the key to reaching Six Paths-level lay in these eyes.
So no matter what, these eyes must never fall into Obito's hands.
Hopefully, the Sky Screen will let him know how Obito got his eyes, so he could plan ahead.
Nagato took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions. Pain returned to his indifferent demeanor, no emotional fluctuations visible in his purple eyes.
Meanwhile, under the expectant gazes of people across the various timelines of the Shinobi World, the Sky Screen lit up as scheduled.
[The Shinobi World holds too many regrets. If parallel timelines truly exist, then countless possibilities lie within them.]
[So if Naruto, now the Seventh Hokage of Konoha, traveled back in time and saved his parents—would he be able to fill some of the regrets in his heart?]
Hearing the screen's narration, countless hearts stirred.
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Kushina was visibly emotional, her voice trembling: "What does the screen mean by that?"
"Can Naruto travel through time in the future? Is he coming back to save us?"
"Does that mean we'll get to see Naruto soon?"
Though the Sky Screen had already revealed parts of Naruto's future—and even shown her grandchildren Boruto and Himawari—Kushina had only seen them through the screen, like watching a television show.
She couldn't interact with them, and meeting them in person would be a completely different matter.
So if she could truly meet Naruto, that would be wonderful!
Minato placed his hands on Kushina's shoulders, gently calming her. "Kushina, don't get too excited. What the screen is saying… is probably just a hypothetical, or something from a so-called parallel timeline—not something that will actually happen."
"The Nine-Tails incident we saw before… that's likely the more probable future in reality."
Hearing that, Kushina's eyes dimmed slightly, and she instantly fell silent. She knew that Minato's analysis was likely correct.
The Sky Screen was only talking about a 'what if'.
Minato gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said nothing more.
He knew Kushina wanted to see Naruto—he did too. But if time travel was possible and the past was changed… would the future Naruto still be the same Naruto the screen had shown earlier?
Would he still become a hero?
Would he still meet those friends?
Would he still marry Hinata and have Boruto and Himawari?
---
[Konoha, Year 83. Naruto's home]
The middle-aged Naruto sat on the sofa, holding a warm drink, looking somewhat wistful. "Can I really travel back to the past?"
But he quickly shook his head.
"Even if I did go back, it would probably change history and alter the timeline," Naruto's voice carried the caution of an adult, not the reckless impulsiveness of his youth.
Himawari, though, clenched her little fists, her expression serious. "Dad, if you really went back… you could teach those bad guys a lesson and save Grandpa and Grandma!"
Naruto paused for a moment, then smiled, ruffling Himawari's hair. "Maybe. But right now, I have Hinata, you two, and many friends. Even though I really want to save Mom and Dad… if the cost were you all, they probably wouldn't want that either."
Just then, Boruto poked his head out of his room. "Dad, if you go back, make sure to beat up that Obito guy! He made your life so miserable!"
Naruto gave his son a wry smile. "You sure know how to give orders."
Inside him, Kurama lay in the mental space, hearing Boruto's words and letting out a snort. If it weren't for Obito, Naruto wouldn't have ended up where he was today—but it was he who had been controlled and used as a weapon.
Sensing Kurama's mood, Naruto gently patted his stomach. "Don't worry, Kurama. The kids don't know the situation, they're just playing around."
Kurama snorted: "Hmph, I don't care."
*****
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