"So… we were late?" Sasuke crossed his arms, his face emotionless.
Jiraiya nodded. "Yep. If you two had come back even an hour earlier, you would've caught the best part of the fight."
Sasuke was silent. He turned to look around. The ninjas, who had just come out of the slug's protection, had surrounded Sakura, their faces full of relief and excitement, looking at her as if she were some legendary hero.
Well, it made sense. Sakura had saved everyone, after all.
Still, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little bitter. "It's all Kurama's fault. If he hadn't wasted that last hour, we would've made it in time!"
In the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, Kurama had said they needed to wait an hour. Sasuke and Naruto had no choice but to wait with him. And because of that, they missed the final battle.
It was all Kurama's fault!
Jiraiya burst out laughing when he heard that. "If Kurama knew you were blaming him like this, he'd definitely be pissed."
Saying that, he pulled out the gourd of sake he always carried, uncorked it, and was about to take a sip—
Only for Tsunade to snatch it away.
Covered in dust, Tsunade took a long drink straight from the gourd. Then, she tossed the now-empty container back at Jiraiya, who stood there in shock. Wiping her mouth, she asked, "So, what exactly happened? According to Kakashi, you two were supposed to be back yesterday."
"We got caught in a weird Genjutsu," Sasuke said, ignoring Jiraiya's devastated look. "It was really powerful. Naruto and I were sent to another world and ended up stuck there for about a day, which is why we were late."
"Are you sure it was Genjutsu? That sounds more like space-time Ninjutsu," Tsunade frowned.
After all, sending someone to another world didn't seem like something a Genjutsu could do.
"I'm not sure," Sasuke shook his head. "That technique was strange. Even with my Tomoe Rinnegan, I was still affected. And in that other world, there was also a Konohagakure, another Naruto, another me… and another you all."
"A parallel world?" Jiraiya remembered Kurama mentioning something like that before.
"Yeah," Sasuke nodded. "That world was bizarre. It felt like everyone was the opposite of how they are here. Naruto was arrogant and full of himself, and I… well, anyway, the only real difference was that the Fourth Hokage was someone I didn't recognize, but he looked kind of familiar."
He didn't—
Want to admit that in that world, he was a total playboy.
"What's wrong?" Jiraiya suddenly looked interested.
"Yeah, what is it?" Tsunade was also curious.
Sasuke's eye twitched. He immediately changed the subject. "Naruto sensed the enemy's location. He probably doesn't need backup. Do you know who the enemy really is?"
Jiraiya fell silent.
Tsunade looked at him, then sighed and explained, "He was Jiraiya's former student. I'll explain the details later."
"I see." Sasuke didn't know what had happened, but judging by Pervy Sage's expression, he figured it was best not to ask too many questions. He'd ask Sakura about it later instead.
Speaking of which, where was the envoy from Ryuchi Cave that Ichikishimahime mentioned? Why hadn't he shown up yet?
Was I tricked?
...
Naruto looked at the Genjutsu that had just been lifted, his face showing a bit of confusion.
He could sense the lingering chakra in the area. It was clearly a Genjutsu, but why wasn't it being maintained anymore? Did they realize he was coming and just give up?
"Come on, have some shame," Kurama scoffed.
Naruto ignored him. He had learned to automatically tune out some of Kurama's sarcastic remarks—like using a mental filter that only let through what he wanted to hear.
Pushing aside the paper stuck to the vines, Naruto stepped into what looked like a giant tree tent.
The first person he saw inside was Konan, her light blue hair standing out in the dim space. She was holding Nagato, who had slumped from his chair, gently placing her hands on his head.
Noticing Naruto's presence, Konan spoke softly, "Nagato has already gone home. I will be leaving too."
Naruto wasn't sure what she meant, but he didn't sense any hostility. "Who are you? Why are you near Konohagakure?"
Konan lifted her head and looked at Naruto.
For a moment, in the darkness, she saw a familiar figure—so familiar that she felt dazed.
"Yahiko..."
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, not Yahiko," Naruto muttered, twitching slightly. "What's with you guys? If you don't even know someone's name, don't just blurt out random ones."
Konan snapped out of her thoughts and smiled faintly. "Sorry. Maybe I used too much energy in the last fight. For a moment, I thought you were my friend."
Maybe that was the reason.
Either way, Konan no longer wanted to fight against Konohagakure.
She picked up Nagato's body—
White paper gathered behind her, forming wings, but she didn't leave immediately. Instead, she looked at Naruto and asked, "Uzumaki Naruto, you're Jiraiya-sensei's student, right?"
Naruto froze for a second, then nodded. "You called Pervy Sage your teacher... so that means you were his student too?"
"I was... once." Konan smiled, but a trace of sadness appeared in her expression. "But now, I don't think I have the right to call myself his student anymore."
"Huh? Why?" Naruto didn't get it.
He hadn't been part of the fight earlier, so how would he know who the enemy was?
What? Sensory skills? Who keeps that turned on all the time?
Either way, Naruto was never going to admit he forgot. Absolutely not.
Konan shook her head and took a good look at Naruto. For some reason, in that brief moment, she saw Yahiko's shadow again.
Maybe because of that fleeting feeling, she stopped flapping her wings, hesitated for a second, then looked at Naruto and asked, "Naruto, what does your future look like?"
Naruto froze.
Instead of answering, he carefully asked Kurama in his mind, "Kurama, is this the kind of person you were talking about... someone with a 'chuunibyou' complex?"
Kurama sighed. "Are you an idiot?"
He shook his head and let out a deep breath. "It's obvious that Konan saw a bit of her… friend in you. And with her friend having just passed away, she's feeling lost. That's probably why she asked you that question. You can't just go around calling everyone an edgy kid."
"Besides, if we're talking about being edgy, no one beats you and Sasuke." Kurama's tone was firm.
Honestly, if those two lived on Earth, they'd be classic examples of edgy teenagers. And yet, here Naruto was, calling Konan one.
Naruto's eye twitched, but he didn't argue. Instead, he turned toward Konan.
Well, since she's feeling lost… might as well help her out a little.
With that thought, Naruto took a moment to think, then slowly spoke. "The future I want is one where everyone can be happy. No one has to worry about going hungry or losing hope. No one has to run from war. No one has to die because of some ridiculous reason."
"A future where everyone respects each other, understands each other, and lives in peace and happiness, simply growing old together. That's the future I hope for."
It wasn't some grand idea. In fact, it was pretty simple.
But in this world, even such a simple future felt like an impossible dream.
---
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