Rōran.
Dragon Vein development zone.
Naruto and Yamato looked around once again, only to find themselves even more confused.
The Dragon Vein was now regarded by Konoha as a strategic resource as important as an oil field. Across a vast area of Rōran, numerous "sealing towers" had been erected to extract its chakra.
The sealing towers were arranged throughout the area, slowly moving up and down as they glowed with light, steadily drawing this gift of nature from deep within the earth before storing it through a series of complex processes.
Dragon Vein chakra possessed high density, high energy, and excellent conductivity. Combined with the Box of Ultimate Bliss as a medium, it had become the foundation of Konoha's current push toward information technology.
"This has to be the future, right?"
"These ninja tools and facilities are so advanced!"
Naruto rubbed his chin and frowned, struggling to search through his rather limited knowledge.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like this back home or in any of the other villages..."
"Captain Yamato, you know a lot more than I do. Have you ever seen anything like this?"
"Never..." Yamato cautiously stepped closer and observed the structure for a while before slowly saying: "There are extremely sophisticated Fūinjutsu formations on this..."
"To accomplish something like this, you'd probably need someone on the level of the Uzumaki Clan experts recorded in the old texts. The village doesn't have anyone capable of this anymore..."
Naruto's eyes lit up, and he raised his hand.
"I'm an Uzumaki too!"
"Naruto, there's an old saying in the shinobi world: even the Sage of Six Paths could have a stupid son..."
Yamato cleared his throat.
"You get what I'm saying?"
Naruto's face darkened.
"Captain Yamato, if you've got something to say, just say it..."
"And for this to exist on such a massive scale... I can't even imagine how advanced Rōran's Fūinjutsu must be. What exactly happened to the shinobi world? Did Rōran conquer the whole thing...?"
Yamato's expression turned grave.
Both he and Naruto instinctively assumed that they had traveled far into the future.
Not into the past.
At this point, Naruto had only recently suffered the pain of Jiraiya's death and was preparing to travel to Mount Myōboku to train in Sage Mode. However, an abnormal disturbance in the Dragon Vein had led to him being temporarily dispatched on a mission.
It was worth noting that if nothing had changed, only Yamato and Naruto from the four-man team of Yamato, Naruto, Sai, and Sakura should have traveled through time.
Although parallel timelines were infinite, there was still such a thing as "compatibility" between them.
For example, the timeline from which this other Naruto came and the current timeline were "sibling timelines" that could connect relatively well with each other.
Due to the changes brought about by the more experienced Hiruzen, Konoha's development of the Dragon Vein had affected the Dragon Vein in the other timeline to a certain extent, causing it to become comparatively more active.
As a result, Konoha in the other timeline had taken the situation seriously. Not only had Yamato's team been dispatched, but Guy's team had been sent along with them, causing all eight of them to travel through time together...
They had simply been scattered during the crossing.
"Where are Sakura and Sai?"
Yamato from the other timeline suddenly jolted. He had been so absorbed in Rōran's transformation that he had momentarily forgotten about them.
"And Guy-senpai's team!"
"Oh no! Don't tell me all this technology in Rōran was created by Mukade?"
"Did he really use the Dragon Vein to conquer the entire shinobi world?"
Naruto from the other timeline clutched his head with both hands, speaking in disbelief.
"Remain where you are and do not touch the 'Dragon Vein extraction pumps'!"
"Visitors from another timeline are required to follow Konoha's rules. Failure to comply will be regarded as a provocation!"
A voice came from somewhere above Yamato and Naruto.
The two looked up and discovered a small, disc-shaped flying puppet hovering overhead, flashing a red warning light.
After absorbing the puppet technology of Rōran and Sunagakure, and with access to multiple energy sources such as the Box of Ultimate Bliss, the Zero-Tails, and the Dragon Vein, Orochimaru and Hiruko had quickly incorporated those technologies into Konoha's own technological system.
Now, many members of the Yamanaka and Kurama Clans, along with a small number of Uchiha, had learned a form of "unmanned puppetry" that remotely controlled puppets through genjutsu and Yin-natured chakra...
This development had made Sasori, far away in Sunagakure, extremely envious. Recently, he had repeatedly tried to visit Konoha and push for deeper cooperation between Sunagakure and Konoha.
Yamato and Naruto obediently raised their hands to show that they had no intention of resisting.
After all, on closer inspection, a dark mass of flying disc puppets could be seen in the distance. They seemed to have been activated by the group's arrival and were now searching all over the area for something...
A short while later, Sai and Sakura arrived as well.
Not long afterward, Team Guy also came rushing over from the distance under the guidance of the flying disc puppets, reuniting with Naruto and Yamato from the other timeline.
"Captain Yamato..."
"You heard that just now, right? That flying ninja tool said 'Konoha's rules...'"
Naruto finally realized the significance of what they had heard and exclaimed in shock: "So this isn't Rōran? This is Konoha?!"
"You seriously need to work on your intelligence-gathering skills. I don't know how Kakashi-senpai taught you..."
Despite saying that, the shock on Yamato's face was no less intense than Naruto's.
In his timeline, ever since Orochimaru launched the "Konoha Crush," the village had been left badly weakened.
Although some shinobi believed that Orochimaru had effectively subjected Konoha to a form of "shock therapy," the fact remained that the village had suffered severe losses...
In particular, Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, had died in the mysterious Amegakure only recently, dealing another heavy blow to Konoha in their timeline.
As the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade was just about capable enough in most respects, but she did not seem to be the kind of all-powerful Hokage who could single-handedly turn the entire situation around...
So the more prosperous Konoha in this timeline appeared, the more Yamato found himself filled with anticipation, and a thought instinctively emerged from deep within his mind.
'Could we learn something from their more advanced methods?'
"Guy-senpai, did you manage to locate Mukade?" Yamato suppressed the stray thoughts in his mind and asked solemnly.
After all, that was their mission...
Mukade, a rogue shinobi from Sunagakure, intended to seize the Dragon Vein's power and authority in order to overturn the shinobi world.
"He's already dead."
Neji from the other timeline spoke gravely.
"Mukade appeared not far from us. Even after those flying puppets warned him, he still tried to absorb the Dragon Vein chakra inside those tanks..."
"A bolt of lightning came from an incredible distance and pierced straight through his head! Even Guy-sensei didn't have time to react..."
"So we're all within the enemy's attack range right now. Whatever you do, don't act rashly. Once they lock onto us, with that kind of power, there's no way we could evade it on open ground like this..."
The sight had reminded Neji of a battle in which he had nearly died.
While pursuing Kidōmaru, one of the Sound Four, his opponent had entered the second stage of his Cursed Seal and, with his spider-like abilities, used a bow to snipe at him from long range...
It had forced Neji into a desperate battle. If he had not found an opportunity at the last possible moment to close the distance and use the Gentle Fist, the Hyūga Branch Family genius would have died there...
But the Storm Release crossbow bolt Neji had just witnessed was far more terrifying than anything Kidōmaru had been capable of!
Its speed, power, and range all vastly surpassed his.
That was because Hizashi's "bow" had nothing to do with some so-called spider bloodline.
It was the result of Storm Release shape transformation refined under Hiruzen's meticulous guidance, combined with an enhanced Cursed Seal and Hashirama cells.
It was worth noting that Hizashi was now also the first shinobi of the Hyūga Clan to have the Shikotsumyaku transplanted into him. He continued to serve as the "prototype," always willing to take risks and charge ahead, while also enjoying the full allocation of resources personally approved by Hiruzen.
There was no longer any need for words between Hizashi and Hiruzen.
"That must have been Storm Release... or some incredibly powerful form of Lightning Release..."
Neji's Byakugan was filled with caution.
"And they claim to be Konoha. Who exactly are they? This has to be the future. I've studied the village's history, and there wasn't any shinobi like that in the past several decades..."
Sakura slowly nodded beside him.
She and Neji were both excellent students, after all, and had read plenty of books...
"Konoha's future...?"
At that moment, even Guy from the other timeline looked somewhat dazed.
What would the future be like?
A short while later.
Danzō, dressed in casual black clothes and wearing a smile, came flying through the air alongside a cold-faced Hizashi, both using Wind Release Chakra Mode. They slowly descended in front of the group.
The moment these two Konoha shinobi appeared before them...
Everyone from the other timeline stared in stunned disbelief, with some even feeling a trace of fear.
Wait!
How could this possibly be the future?
Hizashi might not have been particularly well known among Naruto's generation. After all, when Neji was still very young, Hizashi had been used as the price for peace, his corpse handed over to Kumogakure...
But Danzō's infamous reputation was something even an idiot like Naruto knew all too well.
The problem was...
Not only could this Danzō fly, but what was with that smile on his face?
The Darkness of the Shinobi could actually smile!
And it was the kind of smile that instinctively made him seem cheerful and approachable...
That was terrifying!
Meanwhile, Neji from the other timeline had his Byakugan fixed firmly on Hizashi...
That was his father!
His Byakugan could also see the enormous amount of chakra inside Hizashi's body, and he even detected a faint trace of Storm Release that had yet to completely dissipate...
Neji was stunned.
There was nothing particularly surprising about his father still being alive in the past.
But that Storm Release crossbow bolt, which had been countless times more powerful than Kidōmaru's attacks, had actually been fired by his father?
Wait, what happened to the Hyūga Clan's ancestral teachings?
Weren't they supposed to spend their entire lives fighting with the Gentle Fist?!
What shocked Neji even more was that Hizashi worked for Root and was currently the ANBU Deputy Chief, so he did not normally wear a forehead protector.
When Neji looked at Hizashi's forehead, there was no sign of that bizarre green Caged Bird juinjutsu...
His forehead was completely smooth.
There was only a small, circular green mark between his eyebrows, and it actually looked rather elegant!
Hizashi noticed Neji's gaze.
Their Byakugan met, and Hizashi showed a hint of surprise.
Although Neji was already a teenager, Hizashi could still tell at a glance that this was his son...
Danzō noticed as well and laughed.
"You're Neji, aren't you? Look how big you've gotten! I even held you when you were little..."
Neji from the other timeline normally cultivated the image of a cold, aloof young man.
But after one shock after another, his expression now looked remarkably similar to Naruto's usual one. His mind had effectively stopped working.
His father didn't have the Caged Bird, could use incredibly powerful Storm Release, and possessed tremendous chakra...
And in this timeline, the Darkness of the Shinobi had even held him when he was a baby?
"Did the other me join Root?" Neji blurted out instinctively.
"So you... you really don't have the Caged Bird Seal?"
A man's reputation followed him like a shadow.
Any talented young shinobi who caught Danzō's attention was basically destined for Root.
Neji misunderstood.
He assumed Hizashi had sacrificed his own son and, in exchange, received Danzō's protection, freeing himself from the Caged Bird while gaining such tremendous power...
It wasn't that Neji had a particularly dark mind. That was simply the environment in which he had grown up.
The pressure had been too great.
The existence of the Caged Bird and the immutability of the Gentle Fist had practically become unshakable convictions in Neji's mind.
But Hizashi and Danzō were both far too perceptive. They immediately understood what Neji was thinking.
The two exchanged glances, both somewhat dumbfounded.
He was obviously the son of another Hizashi, and although they had long known there would probably be differences between timelines, how could the boy have thoughts so lacking in the Will of Fire?
Over the past six months, while the semi-retired Danzō had been studying the "Secret Technique: Natural Energy — Heaven and Earth's Final Embrace," he had gradually spent more time interacting with Hizashi, and their relationship had become something between teacher and friend.
As the second Darkness of the Shinobi and the man who had personally established Konoha's intelligence network, Danzō also needed someone to inherit his legacy.
Seisui didn't count.
Danzō felt there was nothing he could teach him. If anything, Seisui was the one teaching him lessons every day...
So when Hiruzen promoted Orochimaru to advisor and established his position as the "heir apparent," Danzō chose Hizashi as his own successor, passing down everything he knew about intelligence work without reservation.
Passing down one's legacy had become the prevailing theme in Konoha.
Hizashi met Neji's Byakugan with his own, his expression growing somewhat more serious.
That kind of thinking showed far too little respect for the Will of Fire!
Still, although Konoha in this timeline shared certain ties with Konoha in other timelines, they were ultimately separate villages. There was no need to make a major issue out of it.
"Are you curious about my Caged Bird Seal?"
"Under Hokage-sama's guidance, the Caged Bird that plagued the Hyūga Clan for a thousand years no longer exists. It was improved into the 'Byakugan Protection Seal'..."
Hizashi pointed to the circular green mark between his eyebrows and explained: "The Hyūga Clan no longer distinguishes between Main Family and Branch Family. Everyone receives this protective seal."
"And the seal has only one function: preventing others from stealing the Byakugan. It has no effect on vision, nor can anyone else activate it."
"Once someone grows old and retires from active shinobi service, if they wish to leave their eyes to their descendants, they can apply to the current Clan Head to have the seal removed."
Neji from the other world couldn't help but stare wide-eyed.
Was he dreaming?
No. Even his dreams usually weren't this bold...
"Hiruzen has always had a gift for things like this..."
Danzō sighed with emotion.
"Even Mito-sama couldn't completely solve that juinjutsu, yet he managed to improve it. That guy really is worthy of being my lifelong brother and rival..."
The corner of Hizashi's mouth twitched, but he refrained from exposing Danzō in front of outsiders.
Ever since stepping down as advisor, Danzō's personality had changed dramatically. He no longer kept the same stern expression on his face all the time. Instead, he had become much more prone to smiling.
He also frequently joked about Hiruzen, acting like an ordinary nostalgic old man reminiscing about the things he and the Hokage had done when they were young.
In a way, he was subtly boosting his own standing by association.
But more than that, it almost felt like he was watching his life flash before his eyes ahead of schedule...
Still, Hiruzen couldn't take all the credit for this achievement.
Over the past six months, Kaguya was still dreaming of "her alternate-timeline self slaughtering everyone in the Infinite Tsukuyomi," wondering whether the arrival of actual visitors from another timeline might give her more leverage...
But after spending so much time with Hiruzen, the two had at least reached the point where they could chat regularly without worrying too much about nonsense like "whoever speaks first loses the initiative."
They could now be considered ordinary friends.
During one casual conversation, Hiruzen had asked her about the Caged Bird. Kaguya didn't actually understand the seal, but thanks to the sheer level of her existence, she was still able to clear up several points that had been puzzling the Hokage...
And so, the Caged Bird was successfully improved.
'Is this really not a dream?' Neji murmured inwardly.
At that moment, he desperately wanted to pinch his own cheek and see whether it hurt...
Off to the side, Sai of Root was also staring fixedly at Danzō in his casual clothes, with his faintly sunny and approachable air, his gaze remarkably similar to Neji's.
The Darkness of the Shinobi had a form like this too?
And the fact that Danzō kept smiling only made Sai, who had personally experienced the terror of the Darkness of the Shinobi, even more frightened.
"As for what you said about joining Root..."
Danzō said with a smile: "Even if Neji is Hizashi's son, the requirements for joining Root keep getting higher. I don't know whether Neji will be capable of making the cut in the future."
"There can be no dead weight in the Root. Getting in through connections is strictly forbidden."
Danzō turned toward Sai, who had been staring at him the entire time, and gave him a warm smile.
"Young man, you actually resemble Ida, one of my former subordinates. You've hidden your presence quite well..."
"But not well enough to conceal it completely. You were once a member of Root, weren't you?"
Sai froze, then respectfully lowered his head.
"You're correct. I'm a member of Root. Ida is my father..."
Danzō blinked.
"Then that explains it. But Ida doesn't seem to have any children. What a shame. I suppose I'll have to push him to go on a few matchmaking dates when I get the chance."
Sai felt increasingly numb.
Where in the world had this friendly version of the Darkness of the Shinobi come from?
Terrifying...
And yet somehow strangely approachable...
"You've probably come here from another timeline, haven't you?"
"There's no need to be so shocked. It's perfectly normal for there to be some differences between our timelines. The same seed will bear different fruit when grown in different environments."
Danzō spoke with a genial smile, but his eyes continued to examine Naruto's group from the other timeline as he rapidly evaluated them in his mind.
"What brings you here? Is there anything we can help you with...?"
"We hope you won't be in too much of a hurry to return. Some of your ninjutsu and information may prove useful to us, while we can also provide support to you. Both sides stand to benefit from an exchange."
"After all, we're all Konoha shinobi. Even if we belong to different timelines, we all grew beneath the light of the Will of Fire. You could say we're still on the same side..."
Danzō delivered the proper diplomatic pleasantries, his gaze passing one by one over the Konoha forehead protectors worn by Naruto's group as he waited for their response.
In reality, however, the Darkness of the Shinobi had already entered a combat-ready state.
At the slightest sign that something was wrong, he and Hizashi would immediately attack and subdue them by force...
Sai's characteristic Root poker face finally cracked under Danzō's speech.
Wait, Danzō-sama, why are you so well versed in the Will of Fire?
You're actually talking about things like "mutual benefit," "the Will of Fire," and "unity"?
What is any of this?!
Aren't you supposed to be saying, "I'm the only one in the shinobi world who can change anything."?
You've changed!
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