Chapter 93 – The Idiotic Question
As Minato, Akira, and Kakashi made their way through the ruins toward the location where Naruto was last sensed, two familiar figures appeared from the sandstorm ahead—Shibi and Chōza.
They landed beside Minato, their expressions tense.
"Captain," Shibi reported, "the Queen of Rōran was pushed from behind, but before she could fall, a man in his thirties appeared out of nowhere. He caught her mid-air and vanished instantly."
Chōza nodded.
"We didn't sense his chakra until the moment he appeared. Blond hair, orange clothes. He looked… strong."
Minato's eyes narrowed slightly, processing the information.
"Blond hair and orange clothes…"
Before he could finish, Akira spoke quietly but firmly.
"Brother Minato, that man is the same one we were on our way to see."
Minato turned his gaze to him.
"So we'll move and meet him directly—find out who he is and what his intentions are."
Kakashi blinked, still confused.
"Wait, how do you know the man they saw and the one we're heading to are the same?"
Akira turned his head slowly, blinking his golden eyes innocently at Kakashi.
"Because… I saw it happen."
There was a long, awkward pause.
Minato's lips twitched. Shibi adjusted his glasses and looked away. Chōza coughed to hide a laugh.
It was such a ridiculously obvious question that even the desert wind seemed to hold its breath.
After all—Kakashi had just asked the boy with the Byakugan how he knew something he literally could see.
Kakashi realized a moment too late what he'd said. His face went blank, then slightly red beneath his mask as he turned his head away, pretending to examine the dunes.
"...Right. Forget I asked."
Akira chuckled softly, and Minato's shoulders relaxed for a moment, the tension of battle briefly lifted by laughter.
Then Minato's expression hardened again as he gestured forward.
"Alright, everyone—let's move. The Queen and this mysterious man may hold the key to the Dragon Vein. We can't waste time."
With a single nod, the team leapt across the desert rooftops, heading straight toward Naruto's location—unaware that the flow of fate itself was beginning to twist once more.
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