Chapter 207: Two Masahikos
Near the Dragon Vein room, Masahiko let out a long sigh of relief. As expected, the one who traveled through time and space was indeed Naruto.
Naruto looked just as familiar as ever: golden hair, orange clothes, and the signature six whiskers on his face. Even the Nine-Tails (Kurama) was present within his body.
"Wait? The Nine-Tails?" Masahiko was startled, but after sensing carefully, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"It's the Yang attribute, not the Yin attribute that was inside Mito. It seems the future me gave him a cheat." Masahiko had planned to do this for a long time.
"Since his appearance and clothes haven't changed, and he's still wearing a Konoha forehead protector, it proves that the general direction of the future plot hasn't changed." Masahiko nodded. "However, the minor details have changed quite a bit."
Masahiko nodded with slight understanding as he watched Naruto, who was unexpectedly able to call upon a portion of the Nine-Tails' power.
"Since the Nine-Tails was sealed by the future me, it must be much more well-behaved."
Just like in the original story, Naruto used his signature Shadow Clones and Rasengan, knocking away all the puppets besieging him.
Although the Naruto before him seemed stronger than his counterpart in the original story at the same time, there was no qualitative difference. Faced with sheer numbers, he gradually began to lose ground.
However, Masahiko wasn't anxious. Minato, Choza, and Shibi used the Body Flicker Technique to appear and rescued him from the spot.
Just as Masahiko was about to chase after them, an unprecedented sense of crisis appeared behind him. Repulsive force burst out immediately, but it was instantly erased.
"What is that!" Masahiko instantly created distance and turned around to look.
"Why is it you! No, wait, why is it me!" Standing in front of Masahiko was unexpectedly his own appearance as the Taobao Shop Owner.
Stunned for a moment, Masahiko spoke, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Hello, me from the future. Is life so boring that you have to grind a movie dungeon twice?"
The Masahiko from the future, however, had a very serious expression.
"I came to rewrite a tragedy."
Masahiko was startled. "What happened? Who got into trouble? Is it Obito?"
Future Masahiko shook his head. "It's... no one got into trouble."
"What?"
Masahiko was stunned for a good while. Looking at the familiar mischievous smile hidden within his future self's serious expression, it was his turn to become serious.
"So I was the one who got into trouble. What made me go crazy in the future?"
"What?" Future Masahiko paused.
"If I didn't go crazy, why would I be bored enough to troll myself?"
...
The two Masahikos teased each other for a bit, then looked at each other and smiled with tacit understanding, looking like two idiots.
The surrounding puppets also discovered them and swarmed over. Masahiko didn't make a move; he wanted to see what level of strength his future self possessed.
As a result, the other party simply waved his sleeve, and all the puppets vanished.
Masahiko was stunned at first, then spoke with instant delight, "How did I learn Space-Time Ninjutsu? Or is it a Kekkei Mora (Bloodline Encompassing)?"
The counterpart smiled mysteriously. "Take a guess?"
The scene fell silent for a moment. Masahiko reflected internally on whether his personality was a bit too terrible.
"No, the me opposite must have suffered some blow... to become crazy."
Meanwhile, in Naruto's direction.
Naruto, having been saved by Minato's trio, said his first words: "Long time no see, Dad."
The scene became awkward instantly. Finally, Choza and Shibi's gazes fell on Minato. That head of golden hair was too conspicuous.
Minato smiled bitterly. "I'm only 17."
Although he felt Naruto looked very much like him, he didn't think he could have such a big son.
"I..." Just as Naruto was about to speak again, he remembered what the Taobao Shop Owner had told him when he traveled through time: "If you meet familiar people in the past, especially your parents, never tell them what happens in the future, otherwise it might affect your birth."
"Ah, it's nothing, nothing. I might have mistaken you for someone else." Although he said this, his face had "something is up" written all over it, and Minato's trio didn't really believe him.
...
Back on Masahiko's side, the awkward atmosphere finally eased slowly, and his future self spoke again.
"Don't be anxious about Space-Time Ninjutsu. Who knows, maybe you'll suddenly learn it one day?"
Masahiko nodded, but felt like the other guy had said something useless...
"So what is your purpose for coming here? Surely not just to wander around or look at your past self? Is there something in the future you want to change?"
Future Masahiko shook his head. "There is nothing I want to change. Everything developed satisfactorily. The plot returned to the starting point in a bizarre way..."
Masahiko was startled. The phrase "bizarre way" immediately reminded him of the Akatsuki.
The counterpart also saw through his thoughts. "Not the Akatsuki. Probably... just a coincidence?"
He didn't seem too sure either. "As for that Akatsuki organization, you don't need to worry. The Great Toad Sage... is probably just senile."
"Is that so?" Masahiko breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, he had been somewhat worried.
"Wait, the time you came from should still be some time away from the Fourth Great Ninja War. How do you know his prophecy was wrong?"
The counterpart kept him in suspense again. "You'll know later."
Masahiko's face darkened, but he also understood slightly.
"It seems the future really developed quite satisfactorily. Are you that afraid of me changing it? When you were at this point in time, did your future self tell you the same thing?"
"No, my coming here counts as changing the past. back then, I didn't meet my future self."
Masahiko was shocked. "Then you..."
The figure opposite had already disappeared, leaving only an echoing voice in Masahiko's ear: "I'm going to watch Naruto's battle over there."
"What is the situation," Masahiko muttered. "I feel like the future me is acting weird. What exactly is going on..."
Masahiko sensed slightly and also disappeared from the spot. He sensed a fierce battle taking place in the distance.
"How exactly did I learn Space-Time Ninjutsu... It seems to be similar to Obito's type, having my own dimension." Masahiko muttered. His perception couldn't capture his future self at all.
Rushing to the scene, Masahiko looked blankly at the scorpion-like monster that was neither human nor beast.
"So Sasori wasn't the first person to transform himself into a puppet..." The opponent was clearly Anrokuzan, whom he had met earlier.
"No, wait, he came from the future and then arrived in the current era. Could he be trying to steal Sasori's title of 'Number One Puppeteer'?"
Minato's group of four, plus Naruto, were fighting fiercely against it. Masahiko, however, unhurriedly took out a... camera from the sealing scroll in his chest pocket.
Click... Click...
After taking two consecutive shots, Masahiko nodded with satisfaction. "I'll show this to Sasori later. This Anrokuzan stole his title and modified himself into a scorpion."
Watching for a while, Masahiko smiled again.
"Not only that, connected to the Dragon Vein, he even has high-speed regeneration..."
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you