Kakashi nearly dropped the teacup in his hand.
Luckily, Obito was already prepared. With sharp eyes and quick reflexes, he caught the cup mid-fall and handed it back to him.
The silver-haired Copy Ninja looked at him and said calmly, "Must be getting old. My hearing's not so great anymore. I didn't catch that. Say it again."
"I said there's an A-rank mission on the mission scroll. It requires the entire Akatsuki organization to move into the Missing-nin guesthouse at your place!"
Obito Uchiha genuinely thought Kakashi hadn't heard him. He leaned in close and slowly repeated the mission content, word by word, right next to Kakashi's ear.
"Let me see that mission scroll."
Kakashi reached out, clearly unconvinced.
Feeling like either his integrity or intelligence had just been questioned, Obito Uchiha scowled and slapped the mission scroll into Kakashi's hand.
[Mission Rank: A-rank] [Mission Content: Arrange for all members of the Akatsuki organization to stay at the Missing-nin guesthouse.]
"Obito…"
Kakashi set his teacup down. Otherwise, he might not have been able to stop himself from smashing it straight into the other man's face.
"Why is it that whether it's your missions or your social disasters, I'm always the one getting dragged into it? Didn't you say we're like oil and water, completely incompatible?"
"That's not my fault! Blame the mission scroll!"
"That's exactly the point! This is your mission scroll! Akatsuki was your former organization, so why is the mission telling them to stay at my place?!"
"They're not staying at your place! They're just staying at the guesthouse next door! And if you really don't like it, I'll just use Wood Release and build you a new one!"
The way the two of them argued was no different from when they were kids. Obito was late and clearly in the wrong, yet still stubborn enough to argue back a few more times. Kakashi, for his part, never let go when he had the moral high ground, but he was all bark and no bite. After venting his frustration, he'd still end up worrying about that idiot and run off to help him anyway.
"Sigh…"
Adult Kakashi felt like he really should be retiring soon.
Letting out a long breath, he said, "You're responsible for keeping them under control. Don't let anything happen. Especially Nagato's Rinnegan. You know it only takes one super Shinra Tensei for Konoha to be wiped off the map."
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
A grown Obito, yet he somehow looked more restrained than his counterpart..
He didn't just know that Pain could destroy Konoha with a single Shinra Tensei. He also knew that in another world, Pain had driven a silver-haired Copy Ninja to his death.
That was a scene he absolutely did not want to see play out in his own parallel world.
And if someone ended up activating the Rinnegan because of this… how humiliating would that be?!
Obito Uchiha returned to the Kamui space and notified the others inside: Ōtsutsuki Obito, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Kimimaro, as well as Akatsuki's Nagato and Konan.
The remaining members existed like nested dolls within Ōtsutsuki Obito's Kamui space.
"Why did you take so long?!"
The moment he stepped inside, before anyone else could speak, Ōtsutsuki Obito launched straight into a tirade.
"Didn't you just go say hello to Minato-sensei? Did it really take three whole hours just to greet him?!"
Obito could tolerate being criticized by anyone else, but his counterpart from another parallel world was absolutely not one of them.
"You've got the nerve to say that?! Didn't you say you'd be back in at most half an hour? And what happened? You showed up three hours later too!"
"Tch."
Two Obito Uchiha, one with spiky white hair and one with spiky black hair. Neither of them had any right to criticize the other. Being three hours late was practically their standard operating procedure.
At last, they arrived in front of Kakashi's house, the Missing-nin guesthouse, and went to Captain Yamato to handle the check-in procedures.
The moment Yamato heard that the entire Akatsuki organization would be staying there, his heart nearly stopped.
"We're not saying we won't pay, so hurry up and arrange the rooms. Pain and Nagato in one room, Konan gets her own since she's a woman, Deidara and Sasori share one, and Hidan and Kakuzu share one. No special requirements. Just follow the standard setup."
"I really…"
Yamato wanted to swear, but his sense of professionalism wouldn't allow it.
"I seriously feel like kneeling down and begging you!!"
Obito froze for a moment. "That won't be necessary. Just treat them like ordinary guests."
Kannabi Bridge Minato wanted to stop Obito from saying any more. If this kept going, Yamato might actually start coughing up blood.
Looking at the two groups of Missing-nin sitting off to the side, quietly waiting to check in, Captain Yamato felt tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Nagato was, of course, still using Pain's body. Obito had placed Nagato in another nearby room, planning to wait until the other Missing-nin returned to their rooms before bringing Nagato out to meet the First Hokage and have his leg injury treated.
However, the sudden appearance of several unusual chakra signatures drew attention. Both Hokage came over, along with ancient figures like Indra and Ashura, ancestors who had crossed a thousand years to arrive here.
The moment he saw the First and Second Hokage, Kakuzu, the one who had lived the longest, froze on the spot.
"The God of Shinobi… Hashirama Senju…"
"Who are you?" Hashirama tilted his head, fixing Kakuzu with a small but skeptical look.
Kakuzu let out a strange laugh. "Just an insignificant nobody standing before the God of Shinobi."
Hidan, Sasori, and Deidara had already been stunned the moment Kakuzu addressed the man opposite them as the God of Shinobi.
"The God of Shinobi?" Deidara said. "Isn't that someone from my grandfather's grandfather's generation? Hmm. Even if he's still alive, that's definitely monster-level existence, hmm."
Being called a monster by a junior who could practically be Tsunade's grandchild instantly crushed Hashirama Senju's spirits.
"It's not like I wanted to be revived. I just happened to be resurrected in another parallel world by that young man."
That so-called "young man"… wasn't that referring to their own leader, Pain?
The Missing-nin glanced at the unexpectedly lively Hashirama Senju, then looked back at their own boss.
"Are you serious?" Hidan said. "Time travel to the future is actually real?! Then why would the boss revive people from Konoha?!"
"This is unbelievable, hmm." As the youngest member present, Deidara tugged on Sasori's sleeve. "Danna, tell me honestly. Did I fall asleep during the boss's briefing, and I still haven't woken up, hmm?"
Sasori himself didn't understand what was going on, so how was he supposed to explain it to Deidara?
At this moment, as usual, Tobirama Senju thoughtfully stepped in to explain things to the younger generation.
"How future Pain came to revive Konoha's ninja is a long story and not something we need to discuss right now. As for why my brother, myself, and the Fourth Hokage who is currently at the Hokage Tower were revived, that is indeed because not long ago, during the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru used the Edo Tensei technique that I developed to summon the three of us. We were then sent to the future of another parallel world, where we were revived by someone known as Pain, or rather Nagato of the Uzumaki bloodline, using the Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth."
"…"
As always, following Tobirama Senju's explanation, most people still didn't understand a thing.
Then there were naturally simple and innocent youths like Naruto Uzumaki and Deidara, who promptly added a few more blows.
"I don't really get what you're saying, hmm," Deidara said. "But you're actually just the leader using the Transformation Technique to mess with us, right? Hmm. You even forgot to change your voice. That's a failing grade for Transformation Technique, hmm."
As the founder of the Ninja Academy, later imitated by all the major ninja villages, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, instantly flew into a rage.
"My voice has always sounded like this! What do you mean my voice sounds like that young man's? It's obviously that young man whose voice sounds like mine!"
Watching his younger brother bicker childishly with a junior, Hashirama let out an awkward laugh and tried to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, Tobirama…"
"Big brother, be quiet! Can't you see I'm lecturing this junior right now?!"
"But if you talk to them like that, they…"
"Shut up!"
"Uh—"
Bang!!
The God of Shinobi was instantly struck down by depression on the spot.
Kakuzu's eye twitched. "Now I'm completely certain. These are the real First Hokage and Second Hokage."
Tobirama Senju continued unloading on Deidara. "I am the Second Hokage! The Ninja Academy, the entire education system, the examination system, and the teacher–student structure were all personally drafted by me! Do you honestly think I'd fail at the Transformation Technique?!"
Deidara was stunned into silence by the scolding.
His sarcastic remark had hit solid steel. He could only stare wide-eyed and blink, not knowing how to respond.
"Judging by your forehead protector, you're a kid from Iwagakure, right? Is Iwagakure currently being run by that little brat Ōnoki?"
"A… little brat?!"
Poor Deidara was so shaken that he even forgot to add his habitual "hmm."
Was there really someone in this world who dared to call that stubborn, obstinate old man—hard as a latrine stone, smelly and unyielding, with zero appreciation for his art—a brat?!
In just an instant.
With just that single sentence.
The image of the Second Hokage rose to godlike heights in the eyes of the fifteen-year-old Deidara.
But…
"Calling that old man a child?!" That was his master, at the very least!
No one expected Deidara to be the first to make a move.
The moment he pulled clay from his palm, Yamato immediately prepared Wood Release.
Sasori's Hiruko tail pointed straight at Yamato. He might complain about the kid being noisy, but they were partners. He wasn't about to just watch Deidara get pinned down by Konoha.
Both Obito had already prepared their Mangekyō Sharingan, ready to shift any explosion into the Kamui space.
But before Deidara's clay could even take shape, the Second Hokage moved faster. With Flying Thunder God, he instantly relocated both Deidara and the clay to a deserted area deep within the Land of Fire.
Standing at the edge of a canyon, the Second Hokage casually tossed Deidara, who was still clutching half-shaped clay, straight down.
Seething with anger, Deidara had originally planned to mold a few exploding spiders as a prank. Now, with no time to spare, he hurriedly pulled out more clay midair and formed his Exploding Clay: Giant Bird.
At the critical moment, just before hitting the ground, the clay bird swept him up and shot skyward.
Sitting atop the clay bird, Deidara shook his fists and cursed nonstop.
He was just short of yelling that the other side was bullying a kid.
Tobirama Senju stood with his arms crossed. Deidara was about the same age as the subordinates and students Tobirama had trained back then, and the urge to discipline him properly rose almost instinctively.
"When I developed the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, your grandfather might not even have been alive yet."
On a whim, the Second Hokage altered the formula of the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, limiting what was originally an infinitely compounding technique to just three iterations.
At the same time, when he grabbed Deidara earlier, he had placed a Flying Thunder God mark on him.
And so…
Several light, fluttering explosive tags drifted toward Deidara…