"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Thirty-Two Fold..."
Gently exhaling, the air shimmered with tiny lightning sparks. Before the last word was even finished, Uchiha Nagi transformed into a golden bolt of lightning and shot forward.
At that moment, Naruto Uzumaki found himself in danger. When the puppets attacked Yukihime and Kimimaro, Yukihime was an ordinary person, and Kimimaro, having no experience fighting puppets, didn't realize these puppets couldn't be killed, and thus fell into a bitter struggle.
Naruto Uzumaki immediately stopped running and turned back to help fight the puppets. However, the puppets wouldn't show him any martial ethics. The puppets behind him directly fired a barrage of poisoned needles and Kunai, covering him completely.
"Damn it, I can't dodge. If I dodge, they'll be hit."
Naruto Uzumaki didn't know Kimimaro possessed Shikotsumyaku and was immune to physical attacks. He only felt that he had accidentally led the enemies to them and had an obligation to protect them. So, he stood in front of them, planning to use Shadow Clones as meat shields to block a wave of shuriken. Just then, a three-pronged Kunai embedded itself in front of him, and then Naruto Uzumaki witnessed an incredible sight.
A golden flash of light streaked past, and then with a series of clangs, all the Kunai and shuriken were knocked away.
On the other side, Uchiha Nagi, transformed into golden lightning, moved like a golden flash, severing all the Chakra threads of the puppets.
Without the control of Chakra threads, the hundreds of dense puppet army fell like dumplings into a pot.
"Kimimaro, are you two alright?" Uchiha Nagi asked, arriving in front of Kimimaro.
"Teacher, we're fine," Kimimaro replied, nodding with his bone sword. He had become increasingly proficient with Water Breathing swordsmanship during this time, using it with ease.
Water Breathing was highly compatible with his water attribute. Of course, this was also due to the Kaguya Clan living in the Land of Water for generations, resulting in a higher water affinity.
"Uh, Kimimaro, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before? Ah, a Sharingan, are you from the Uchiha Clan?!" Naruto Uzumaki had only seen Kimimaro once, and it was the adult version of Kimimaro. Not to mention, Kimimaro hadn't even introduced himself at the time.
But he could easily recognize the Sharingan; it was the same eye as his good friend.
"Sorry everyone, I just thought you were the ones controlling the puppets, I thought it was a misunderstanding, so I ran over here..." Naruto Uzumaki admitted his mistake, a good kid indeed. "But who are you, old man? I don't remember Sasuke saying he had any other clan members..."
At this moment, a gentle male voice came, from another masked, blond man... "If I'm not mistaken, you should be people from the future, so there's no need to be too surprised. This is not the era you are from..."
"Huh, a Konoha headband, are you a Konoha Ninja too? Hello, my name is Naruto Uzumaki..." Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head. Seeing someone from his village, he immediately let down his guard and introduced himself.
"Indeed, when we arrived, the Rouran Country was already destroyed, buried in ruins, so this must be a past era..." Uchiha Nagi said calmly.
At the same time, his eyes never left Minato Namikaze, this man faster than the Second Hokage, a man who could slit his throat with a moment's carelessness. Facing him, he couldn't be careless for even a moment... Hidden in the shadows with him were three other people, and Uchiha Nagi was very familiar with the Chakra of one small person; it was Hatake Kakashi.
Minato Namikaze was puzzled by this Uchiha Clan member who remained constantly wary of him.
"Ah!! Past, future? How is that possible? So what am I now...?" Naruto Uzumaki kept pulling at his hair; it was too complicated for a single-celled organism to think about time travel.
"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. Uh, sirs, have you seen Captain Yamato? He fell in here with me, and then we got separated. I don't know where he is..." Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head, giving up on thinking.
"Sorry, I haven't seen him. I still have a mission to complete, so let's part ways here..." Minato Namikaze smiled slightly and vanished in a flash.
Uchiha Nagi narrowed his eyes, Flying Thunder God... As he flashed away, Uchiha Nagi had an idea and copied it with his Mangekyo, which was hidden by his bangs.
However, it couldn't be used just yet, because Flying Thunder God required coordinates, and Uchiha Nagi hadn't yet engraved his own Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Uchiha Nagi didn't want to use the same technique Kunai as Minato Namikaze, otherwise, one day, a Minato Namikaze or Senju Tobirama might suddenly appear from his Kunai... But how should he modify this technique? What a headache... "Huh, why did he run off? Isn't he a Konoha Ninja like me? Wouldn't it be better if we all looked out for each other?" Naruto Uzumaki scratched his head, puzzled.
At this time, Minato Namikaze had not yet removed his mask, so Naruto Uzumaki didn't know he was the one carved into the Hokage Rock. And Minato Namikaze also didn't know that this blond young man in front of him was his future son; the Fourth Hokage hadn't even gotten married yet.
"They probably have a more important mission. Hmph, the Sandaime is up to no good..." Uchiha Nagi sneered.
Hearing this, Naruto Uzumaki immediately became displeased. How could anyone slander the Sandaime?
"Hey, hey, you with the red eyes, don't go too far. The Sandaime is still the Hokage, and you're also from Konoha Village. How can you talk about him like that...?" Naruto Uzumaki said indignantly. Although he used to call the Sandaime "old man," he had always respected him after his death.
"First, this is the territory of the Land of Wind. Although the Rouran Country is an independent small country, it is located within the Land of Wind's borders. Second, this land is fertile and has always been the Land of Wind's largest food import area. Although Konoha and Sunagakure are still in peacetime, the Sandaime sending an elite squad here is clearly not for good reasons..."
Uchiha Nagi finished speaking, then held up one finger again, "Second, I am not a Konoha Ninja..."
"Ah, you..." Naruto Uzumaki fumbled for his Kunai, at which point he remembered that the Uchiha Clan had been annihilated.
And Itachi, who was alive, was a rogue Ninja, Sasuke was also a rogue Ninja, so this one in front of him was also... Uchiha Nagi smiled, then turned to Yukihime and Kimimaro and said, "Let's go..."
He then left under Naruto Uzumaki's wary gaze. He had no enmity with Naruto Uzumaki, so there was no need to kill him. Moreover, Naruto Uzumaki had the Nine-Tailed inside him, and killing him might lead to unforeseen consequences.
Most importantly, in his perception, someone had been secretly watching him the entire time—Minato Namikaze. He hadn't gone far... Uchiha Nagi always viewed things with the most malicious intent, especially concerning the Sandaime.
Why did Rouran, located in the desert, seek aid from Konoha instead of Sunagakure? Was it simply because it was peacetime?
No, the truth was probably that to resolve Sunagakure's war potential, the cunning Sandaime sent Minato Namikaze to seal or destroy the Rouran Country's Dragon Veins.
Once the Dragon Veins were destroyed or sealed, this pearl in the desert would no longer be able to provide logistical food for the Land of Wind, and Sunagakure's war potential would be greatly diminished.
Otherwise, why did Minato Namikaze not seek out Queen Sara of the Rouran Country throughout the entire process, not even looking for the client who issued the mission? Was that normal?
Furthermore, the queen here had already been secretly murdered by Mukade and turned into a puppet. So, who issued the mission to Konoha?
In short, despite Minato Namikaze's righteous appearance, he was fundamentally a Ninja who prioritized Konoha's interests... Therefore, even if Detective Uchiha Nagi's deduction wasn't entirely accurate, it was very close to the truth.
Seal... Uchiha Nagi frowned, thinking for a moment. When the seal was first set, it should have been very sturdy, powered by the Dragon Veins, making it impossible for anyone to break. However, after more than ten years, the seal Minato Namikaze had placed had aged, and the technique Kunai had rusted, which was why Yukihime was able to easily pick it up.
But then Naruto Uzumaki arrived again. Three people from different timelines gathered together, which could indicate a parallel world.
Because there are many parallel worlds, and later on, things like Boruto: Naruto Next Generations appeared, where power levels completely collapsed. Sometimes the Rinnegan was weaker than a two-tomoe Sharingan, and other times it was terrifyingly powerful.
Boruto also had all sorts of flashy eyes. If he came here, he would probably be severely taught a lesson... Uchiha Nagi cast aside all these thoughts, then walked over to the vicinity of the puppet army and sealed those puppets into a scroll.
Without a puppeteer nearby, and with their Chakra threads severed and not reconnected, they were just lumps of iron.
Their individual combat strength wasn't strong, but their advantage lay in their sheer numbers. After observing them a few times, Uchiha Nagi also knew how to use puppet techniques... "Teacher, where are we going now?" Kimimaro looked around, asking somewhat bewildered.
"If I'm not mistaken, previously, the power of the Dragon Veins was sealed for too long. After Yukihime pulled out the sealed Kunai, the energy surged out, causing us to travel through time.
We have a time limit in this dimension. Once the time is up, the power of the Dragon Veins will slowly push us out, and we will naturally return to our own world," Uchiha Nagi explained.
"Even if we do nothing and let the Dragon Veins' power that brought us here slowly dissipate, we will return to our own world. However, one thing is certain: if we die, we are truly dead. At that time, our bodies will automatically follow us back to our own world, so you must be careful here and prioritize your own safety."
The power of time has a repulsive nature; it will slowly expel foreign invaders.
Yukihime suddenly asked with interest, "Oh, does that mean there's also a father and mother of mine in the current Land of Wind?"
Uchiha Nagi nodded, "Yes, not only that, there is also a me..."
Kakashi doesn't have the Sharingan yet... which means the war hasn't started, Obito hasn't been corrupted, and Rin hasn't died yet...