Minato Namikaze explained calmly,
"Before Mito-sama passed away, she entrusted the task of guarding the Nine-Tails to Kushina Uzumaki, my wife."
Tobirama Senju and Hashirama Senju raised their eyebrows slightly and continued listening.
"First, let me clarify something. Obito Uchiha and I come from another parallel world. Before the Kannabi Bridge mission was ever carried out, we were transported into the future."
Minato turned toward the Third Hokage.
"That's why you're able to see both Obito and me alive."
"I see. That explains the space-time chakra fluctuations on you," Tobirama Senju said.
He had far too many questions. Why could a future Uchiha use Wood Release? What exactly had happened during the Nine-Tails' Rampage?
Like him, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Konoha ninja present were struggling to contain their emotions upon seeing Minato Namikaze standing there alive.
Seeing that neither he nor Obito had disappeared yet, Minato understood that this world's regret was not limited to saving the Third Hokage alone.
"There's still time," he said. "Our top priority right now is resolving Konoha's crisis."
The First and Second Hokage looked eager to move.
"You're right!" Hashirama Senju said. "Saru, how is the village holding up? What arrangements have been made to deal with the situation?"
"We're still following the emergency response plan you and Tobirama-sama established back then," Hiruzen replied.
"When Konohagakure is attacked by enemies, the first stage is to determine whether the threat can be immediately eliminated or contained. If that's not possible, we immediately move on to the second stage…"
"Evacuate non-combatants, mainly women and children, to secure shelters."
As he looked toward the distant village, Hiruzen felt reassured. As long as the strategies left behind by his two teachers were still in effect, even if the Hokage was absent, Konoha would not face total destruction.
"It seems the second stage has already been completed."
Which meant the third stage would begin immediately.
Counterattack.
Mobilize the entire ninja village and wipe out the enemy.
By the time Team 7 from this world and Team 7 from the mission scroll world returned to Konoha, the third stage was already underway.
The three giant snakes that had been summoned earlier had already been defeated by Kakashi's team from the mission scroll world. Minato had also arranged for the Young Kakashi from his team to find a way to inform the Sand ninja that they had been deceived.
At present, the damage inflicted on Konoha was not yet too severe.
A squad of Sound ninja moved through the village searching for targets, but aside from a few Konoha ninja, they couldn't find a single woman or child.
Just as the Naruto Uzumaki from both worlds was about to rush out to wipe out Orochimaru's subordinates, shuriken and kunai flew in from another direction and brought the Sound ninja down first.
Adult Kakashi looked up toward a nearby rooftop.
Five Konoha ANBU were standing there. It was obvious they were the ones who had taken out the Sound ninja.
"It's Konoha's ANBU!" Sasuke Uchiha said.
Fueled by rage over the sacrifice of Hayate Gekkō, Yūgao Uzuki shouted angrily,
"This ends here! You're not taking another step forward!!"
The remaining Sound ninja tried to leap forward to fight the ANBU, but Naruto Uzumaki and one of his Shadow Clones darted out from behind Yūgao and finished him off.
Seeing that it was Kakashi, the ANBU relaxed their guard slightly.
"Kakashi-senpai," Yūgao greeted him.
Kakashi from the mission scroll world nodded. Recognizing Yūgao, he asked,
"Hayate and the others are at the venue, right? Has the situation on the Third Hokage's side been resolved?"
The instant the words left his mouth, Yūgao drew the ANBU blade from her back without hesitation and slashed straight at him.
Fortunately, Kakashi reacted in time and blocked her strike with a kunai.
Seeing Yūgao's reaction, the other ANBU immediately surrounded Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno, along with Naruto Uzumaki who was half-supported by Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, and the Sand ninja siblings.
"Calm down, Yūgao."
Kakashi had no idea what he had done to provoke her.
"Drop your disguise!" came the furious voice from beneath the mask.
"It's our own people! Lower your weapons!"
The one who rushed over was the Young Kakashi whom Minato Namikaze had sent to warn the Sand ninja that they had been deceived.
This world's Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno had only just met this younger version of their teacher. Seeing the masked, silver-haired boy who looked about their age left them genuinely stunned.
Yūgao and the others had already encountered this Young Kakashi earlier and were aware of the Sand ninja deception.
The other ANBU lowered their weapons. Yūgao, however, still looked tense, her expression sharp and unyielding, as if she would not hesitate even if she had struck the wrong person.
As a former senpai, Kakashi immediately realized that something serious must have happened.
"Something happened to Hayate?" he explained. "Sorry. I'm from another parallel world. You've already seen my younger self, so you should understand."
After that, Kakashi jumped back and returned to Naruto, Sasuke, and the others.
"In Kakashi-senpai's world, Hayate he—"
"Other than still being sickly, there's nothing wrong with him," Kakashi said calmly.
That single sentence nearly broke Yūgao Uzuki's composure.
Just a few days earlier, because of his unique Transparent Escape Technique, Hayate Gekkō had been assigned to monitor the Sand ninja. He had died during that mission.
Knowing how much grief must be hidden beneath the mask, one of Yūgao's comrades reached out and patted her shoulder.
"Continue the mission."
At that moment, the summoned Konoha ninja moved out as well. The heads and elders of the major clans were mobilizing in force.
Naruto and the others rushed toward the Chūnin Exams arena, leaping across the rooftops of Konoha. Along the way, they helped deal with any Sound ninja who had slipped through the net.
"M-my body…"
"I can't move!"
Several Sound ninja were frozen in strange, twisted postures.
The man wearing deerskin armor nearby looked vaguely familiar to Naruto and the others.
Shikamaru Nara bounded over in a few steps.
"Dad!"
Shikaku Nara nodded to his son, then looked at the Sound ninja.
"First time seeing Konoha's Shadow Imitation Technique? Then you might as well take a look at this too. Secret Technique: Shadow–Neck Binding."
Pitch-black shadows rose and formed hands that clamped tightly around the Sound ninja's necks.
Screams rang out immediately.
This was the first time Naruto and Naruto Uzumaki had ever seen the father of a Ninja Academy classmate fight.
"So cool! That's way too cool!!" Naruto Uzumaki shouted excitedly.
Not far away, another voice rang out.
"Expansion Technique!"
With that shout, an enormous figure appeared, nearly one-fifth the size of a Tailed Beast, striding through Konoha's streets while swinging weapons to cut down the remaining stubborn Sound ninja.
"That's Chōji's dad?!!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Yeah," Shikamaru replied. "That's Uncle Chōza."
"Mind-Body Switch Technique!"
A man's voice echoed out.
Sakura frowned slightly in recognition. "That's Ino's father?! But this feels different from Ino's Mind-Body Switch Technique."
They watched as the Sound ninja controlled by Inoichi Yamanaka turned around and attacked their own allies. Only then did they truly grasp how terrifying the technique was.
Naruto Uzumaki, Naruto, and the other genin watched with shining eyes.
Sasuke Uchiha and the other Sasuke were thinking more about their brother's strength. They had hardly ever seen their father fight. Back then, their father's attention had always been on their brother. The Great Fireball Technique had only been taught to Sasuke after his brother could no longer be relied upon.
Sakura Haruno's parents were ordinary civilians. So ordinary, in fact, that Sakura had sometimes envied Ino for having a clan-head father who possessed secret techniques.
Naruto Uzumaki knew he was about to meet his dad soon, and his heart started pounding wildly with excitement.
"I wonder if my dad is that strong too," he muttered softly.
Sasuke Uchiha, who was supporting him, heard it.
"If he could be Kakashi's sensei, he must be really strong."
Knowing Sasuke was trying to help him relax, Naruto Uzumaki nodded.
"Yeah."
Naruto grinned.
"Don't freak out later. My dad is super, super, super strong!"
The little heart Naruto Uzumaki had just managed to calm down started pounding all over again. Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, and Shino Aburame exchanged glances. If Naruto's father really was that person, then Naruto had better brace himself mentally.
Chōza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara regrouped together.
"It really brings back memories of the old days."
"Mm."
"The Ino–Shika–Cho squad, reunited."
The three of them turned their gazes toward Kakashi and the group of genin he was leading.
"We already know about your time travel," Nara Shikaku said. "It's unbelievable. But thanks to you, the friction with Sunagakure has eased quite a bit."
They had been allies during the Third Shinobi World War. If tensions flared up now, no one could say when the Fourth Shinobi World War might break out.
Yamanaka Inoichi nodded at Sakura and the others. "My daughter has been in your care."
Sakura and Sakura Haruno hadn't expected Ino's father to remember them. Feeling a little flustered, they quickly bowed and greeted the elder.
Chōza Akimichi said, "You kids go on ahead. Once we finish cleaning up these Sound ninja, we'll also go pay our respects to the Fourth Hokage-sama."
"The Fourth?" Naruto Uzumaki froze in shock. "The Fourth Hokage-sama you're talking about is…"
He turned his head toward the Hokage Rock.
"The Fourth Hokage?!!"
Chōza Akimichi blinked. "Oh? You didn't know the Fourth Hokage-sama showed up at the Chūnin Exams arena? He's a great hero of the village. It's such a shame kids of your generation never got to see him in person. Hurry up and go meet him."
The moment Naruto Uzumaki heard that, besides his own dad, he could also meet the Fourth Hokage, he shot straight into a state of extreme excitement.
Shikamaru Nara exchanged a look with his father, thinking to himself that things really were just as he had suspected.
...
On the way to the Chūnin Exams arena, Naruto's group also ran into Kiba Inuzuka's mom and older sister.
"Compared to Akamaru, Kiba's mom's and sister's dogs are way cooler!"
Pakkun cleared his throat. "Please address us as ninken. And among us ninken, there are cute types too. For example, yours truly."
"..."
There were so many things to complain about that no one even knew where to start.
Shibi Aburame, Shino Aburame's father, commanded even more numerous and more terrifying insects than his son. The dense, black swarms made Sakura and Sakura Haruno feel their scalps go numb just looking at them.
As they drew close to the third stage of the Chūnin Exams, they also saw Hinata's father.
"That uncle's eyes look just like Hinata's," Naruto said.
Naruto Uzumaki continued, "He's Hinata's father and Neji's uncle. He looks like a really scary guy. I'm terrible at dealing with people like that."
He poked the version of himself from another era beside him.
"Our dads… they're not that type, right?"
Naruto thought it over. Whether it was his young dad from the Kannabi Bridge era or the dad brought back through Edo Tensei, neither of them really fit that image.
But then he remembered when everyone had traveled back to the Third Shinobi World War together, fighting against those Iwa ninja…
"He's not usually like that, but when he's facing enemies, maybe a little? Or even more intense. The kind of scary that gives you goosebumps."
Naruto imagined a blond, blue-eyed man who looked almost exactly like Hiashi Hyūga. His poor heart nearly couldn't take it.
But when he finally stepped onto the arena for the third round of the Chūnin Exams, he realized that both the Fourth Hokage and his own dad were…
Not quite like what he had imagined.