How can we travel through time and space into the future?
It's a difficult question.
Naruto had arrived in this timeline over ten years ago. Yet for him, it had only been a little over ten days. He'd spent that time following Uchiha Mikoto and Nara Yoshino, repeatedly making choices that altered the flow of events.
His body had fully recovered days earlier.
The first thing Naruto did after his recovery was to activate the Tensō Jutsu—the technique that originally brought him here—hoping to find a way back through time and space.
But the problem was far more complex than expected.
No matter how hard Naruto racked his brain, he couldn't figure out how to return to his original timeline.
"What if I re-enter the space and escape in the opposite direction?"
Don't be ridiculous.
Who could even tell which direction was forward and which was back? What if there was no such thing? What if he ended up going even further back—say, into the Second Ninja World War?
Or worse… what if he was thrown into the founding era of Konoha, standing beside Madara and Hashirama?
Naruto didn't want any of that.
More than anything, he wanted to return to the timeline over ten years ahead. There were too many people and too many things there that he couldn't abandon.
'I wonder how they're doing without me…'
"Ah~"
ε=(ο｀*))
In the night sky, a bright crescent moon cast a cool, silver glow.
The breeze was gentle, and light footsteps approached from behind.
Yoshino sat down behind Naruto and gently stroked his smooth, golden hair. He had let it grow long over the past days.
Mikoto stood not far away and asked teasingly, "Menma-kun, has anyone ever told you that you act like a girl?"
"You're the first," Naruto replied flatly.
"Why? You kind of look like me."
Naruto paused a moment, then smirked. "Because I kill like a maniac."
"Pfft!"
Yoshino leaned on his shoulder, laughing like she'd just heard the most absurd joke.
"What's so funny?" Naruto asked.
"I'm laughing at you, shrimp." Yoshino poked his cheek.
"I'm serious," Naruto said with a faint smile.
Yoshino shook her head, pretending not to believe him.
Then Mikoto suddenly said, "I believe Menma-kun."
Yoshino raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Mikoto?"
Mikoto smiled. "We saw him kill someone the day we met him. He was pretty damn good at it."
Looking back, it was… kind of hot.
Naruto felt the trust in her tone. He nodded and smiled. "See? Sister Mikoto knows."
"Alright, alright, stop showing off," Yoshino said as she knelt behind him, braiding his long hair into pigtails.
At the same time, she gave Mikoto a subtle glare. When Mikoto looked back, Yoshino pouted and turned away, focusing on Naruto's hair.
Naruto noticed her little stunt, but he didn't bother saying anything. As long as it didn't cross a certain line, he was usually easygoing with the women around him.
Still, he didn't understand why Yoshino had become so jealous of Mikoto lately.
Because of Sasuke, Naruto had no plans to pursue Mikoto, and she herself had always been family-oriented.
Aside from the day she was rescued, they hadn't had much interaction at all.
Maybe it was because Naruto had warned Yoshino in the past that he would take many women. That probably gave her a lingering sense of unease.
"During the last 'cow vs. field' battle, Yoshino lost miserably."
Now, every time she saw a beautiful woman, she got anxious.
And when women get anxious, they act.
Before long, Naruto's hair had been tied into a single long braid.
He looked in the water and realized it looked 80% like Yumuren's hairstyle.
"Little beauty, give me a smile." Yoshino lifted his chin.
Naruto smiled. The moonlight hit his face, highlighting his long eyelashes and delicate features. He looked like a moonlit fairy.
"Hmmm~" Yoshino blushed and felt her heart skip a beat. Unable to resist, she cupped his face and kissed him deeply.
Naruto had long since grown used to Yoshino's boldness and let her kiss him with the casual intimacy of a long-time couple.
Mikoto crossed her arms, trying not to look. But she didn't realize she was already part of the scene.
She was still conservatively dressed today, but no longer wore her usual long sleeves and trousers. Instead, she wore a flowing white skirt with a V-neck sweater. Her bare calves peeked out beneath the hem, and her straight black hair danced in the wind.
Naruto had always been a fan of stockings, short skirts, and tight clothing. Anything that accentuated a woman's figure.
But today, he realized something else:
He was also a fan of elegant long skirts.
As long as the woman had a beautiful temperament and aura, anything could be charming.
'No wonder Sasuke's often called the most handsome man in the ninja world online.'
'With parents like this, how could he not be attractive?'
Feeling Naruto's lingering gaze, Mikoto curled her lips into a faint smile and shifted her posture slightly, hoping to hold his attention a bit longer.
But in the next moment, Yoshino grabbed his chin and forced him to look back at her.
"Does it look good?" she asked coldly.
Mikoto subtly pricked up her ears to listen.
Naruto answered truthfully, "Yeah. Looks good."
Mikoto smiled, satisfied. Yoshino, on the other hand, wanted to strangle him.
"You idiot. Mikoto-san is a married woman with a four-year-old kid."
…Aren't you a wife too?
And what's wrong with having kids? That's a bonus, not a flaw.
Men should be more respectful—and appreciative—of mature women, especially mothers!
Naruto snapped, "What are you on about? I was looking at the fox in the tree."
Yoshino squinted at him. "Liar. Foxes don't climb trees. Do you really think I'm stupid?"
You kind of are.
Naruto randomly pointed in a direction. Both Mikoto and Yoshino looked—and sure enough, a fiery-red little fox was jumping between branches before vanishing into the dark.
"There really was a fox!"
Both women gasped in sync and then looked awkwardly at each other.
Yoshino felt guilty—she'd falsely accused Naruto again.
Mikoto felt "frustrated" and "disappointed"—Menma hadn't actually been looking at her.
Only three people knew the truth: Naruto himself, and two others—Uzumaki Chiana and Uchiha Izumi—who had been secretly watching from nearby.
On the other side of the river, Uchiha Izumi sat hidden behind a large boulder.
A moment later, the fiery-red fox landed beside her and transformed into a human girl.
"Damn it, Naruto, you never think of me when you're playing around with those girls. But the moment you need a distraction, you summon me."
Thud!
Uzumaki Chiana sat down heavily beside Izumi, her sudden motion jiggling her impressive curves.
Izumi smiled. "Chiana, don't badmouth Master, or I'll have to report you to him."
"???" Chiana pouted. "What happened to our anti-oppression alliance? You traitor!"
Izumi laughed gently. "I'm not resisting anymore. Naruto-kun isn't the enemy—he's our lover and our master."
…Master?! Are you possessed or something?
Chiana almost burst out laughing.
But the truth was, Naruto did want to own her. And Chiana had no idea how to get him to change his mind.
Being the Nine-Tails incarnate was exhausting.
Later that night.
Once Mikoto and Yoshino had fallen asleep, Naruto quietly crossed the river and found Izumi and Chiana still resting.
"You're here, Naruto-kun," Izumi greeted him softly.
She could control her sleep patterns. In spatial realms, she slept deeply. Outside, she woke the moment someone approached.
Chiana, on the other hand, was made of chakra and didn't need sleep. She only pretended to nap to stay alert—especially around Naruto.
She knew he never attacked people in their sleep.
"What's with the golden giant you summoned the other day?" Naruto asked her.
Izumi perked up as well. She wanted to know too. That thing had nearly wiped her out.
Chiana still pretended to sleep.
Izumi reached over and forced her awake.
"Chiana, Naruto-kun's asking you something. Tell us about your golden giant."
Ugh, fine!
Chiana yawned dramatically and scratched her head. "I… don't know how to explain it."
"Then don't explain. Just teach me."
Naruto had always dreamed of piloting something like a Gundam—not a fox, but something sleek and humanoid like Susanoo.
And now that he couldn't replicate the Tensō Jutsu, this was his new goal.
"The first requirement is chakra," Chiana began reluctantly. She was actually kind of happy to teach Naruto something.
Naruto nodded. That made sense. Chiana was a chakra entity, not a summoner. So the giant had to be a chakra construct—like his Nine-Tails form.
But how had she shaped it into a golden, armored Gundam?
Chiana continued, "Second, you need a lot of chakra."
Naruto frowned. "That's obvious."
"And finally, the most crucial part…" Chiana paused dramatically. Both Naruto and Izumi sat upright, ready to listen.
"…imagine something that looks really cool. And then—BOOM!—make it appear with a big clang and crash!"
"???"
Even the normally composed Izumi was speechless. "What the hell kind of instruction is that?"
Chiana puffed out her cheeks. "Didn't I say—clang! Crash! Just imagine it!"
…
Silence fell.
Looking at her completely serious face, Naruto finally realized—he had definitely overestimated her IQ.
"Do you still not get it?" she asked, arms wide. "Gather chakra. Picture something awesome. Then—clang! Bang! It appears!"
Izumi sighed and facepalmed. Naruto stood up and waved her off.
"Okay, that's enough. Go play."
"Huh? Did you learn it?"
"Nope. No more lessons."
Honestly, only someone like Konohamaru would come up with a tutorial like that.
Speaking of him… I wonder how Hazuki's doing as a teenager now?
Naruto looked out into the distance. A faint smile curved his lips.
He decided to return to Yoshino. If he was gone too long, she'd get suspicious.
Suddenly—
The sound of snapping branches came from the east—someone was approaching.
Chiana closed her eyes and focused. "More than two hundred people."
Naruto was stunned. "Quick, hide."
He leapt across the river and immediately scooped up a confused Yoshino, then shook Mikoto awake.
"What's happening?" Mikoto asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Someone's coming," Naruto said simply, grabbing her wrist and taking off running.
To her credit, Mikoto adapted quickly. She opened her Sharingan mid-sprint, scanned the surroundings, and guided Naruto into a hidden corner.
Still groggy, Yoshino asked, "What's going on?"
"Shh." Mikoto gestured for silence and pointed eastward.
Through the trees, they saw a troop of ninja emerging from the darkness.
Yoshino squinted. "Why are Mist ninja here in the Land of Fire?"
"What else? Taking advantage of the chaos between nations," Mikoto answered quickly. "They're probably declaring war on Konoha."
Naruto nodded. "And their first move will be to wipe out Konoha's frontline troops."
There was no other reason for Kirigakure to appear this deep into Fire Country's northwest border.
Yoshino panicked. "We have to warn the front line!"
"Are you dumb?" Mikoto snapped. "They'll see us before we even get there."
Yoshino scratched her head in frustration. "But what if the ambush works?"
Naruto remained calm. He had been here for over ten days and hadn't done anything major. The Mist's surprise attack felt… inevitable.
And Konoha would still win. After all, how else could Minato become the Fourth Hokage?
"Relax. The front line's got this. There's the Yellow Flash, the Uchiha, the Hyuga, and the Ino-Shika-Chō."
"Don't mention Ino-Shika-Chō," Yoshino growled.
She hated when Naruto brought up her not-quite-ex-husband.
Mikoto smiled and tied up her hair, slipping on her forehead protector. "Besides, there's us too. We'll monitor things from the rear."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Yeah."
He was lying.
He didn't want to interfere with the timeline. Even a butterfly's wings could cause a tsunami.
Shikamaru's absence was already one such ripple—an unexpected outcome of his earlier conversation with Yoshino.
Who knows what the next one might bring?
WHOOOOOSH!
A gust of wind carried the Mist warriors right past them. They had no idea five people were hiding directly beneath them.
Naruto kept smiling. Mikoto blushed a little, and Yoshino's face darkened.
She covered his face with her hands. "Stop smiling like a creep."
"…Are you crazy again?"
"You're only allowed to smile at me."
"When did I become creepy?!"
Just as they started bickering again—
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed from up ahead—in the direction the Mist troops had been heading.
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