A short while later, the not-so-spacious living room of Tazuna's house was filled with people.
The air was thick with the salty, savory smell of stewed sea fish and the fragrant aroma of rice.
Around the long, low dining table sat Kakashi, Naruto, Jiraiya, Adult Sasuke, Boruto, and the homeowners Tazuna, his daughter Tsunami, and his young grandson Inari, all gathered together to prepare for breakfast.
Though the family was poor, Tsunami had still managed to prepare a relatively hearty meal, mainly consisting of fish prepared in various ways, seasoned seaweed, pickled vegetables, and a small bowl of steaming white rice for each person.
For the common people of the Land of Waves, who had been squeezed dry by the Matsuo Group for years and lived in poverty, this was the highest standard of hospitality.
Everyone began eating in silence, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.
Naruto picked at his rice, looking distracted, his gaze frequently drifting towards the stairwell on the second floor.
"Yo, I've never seen fish fried this way before..." Jiraiya, however, ate with great relish, occasionally commenting on the fish preparation.
Kakashi, as always, held his small copy of Icha Icha Paradise, reading while he ate.
Adult Sasuke and Boruto ate quickly, seemingly each preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Tazuna stared at the rice in his bowl, his brow furrowed, clearly worried about the bridge construction.
Only young Inari, who didn't seem to fully understand the adults' worries, ate his fish in small bites, curiously observing these foreign Ninja.
Halfway through breakfast, the sound of light footsteps came from the stairs.
Everyone looked up to see Hinata slowly descending.
She was still wearing her pale purple tracksuit, but unlike her usual fully covered attire, Hinata's jacket was now open, revealing the ample bosom wrapped in black fishnet beneath, though her expression still carried some worry.
"Hinata-san, you're awake." Tsunami quickly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and spoke with a gentle smile: "I've prepared some easy-to-digest nutritious porridge and eggs for Menma to take up. Since you're here, come with me to the kitchen?"
Hinata nodded, her voice soft: "Thank you for your trouble, Tsunami-san."
Her gaze quickly swept across the dining room, nodding to everyone in greeting, then she followed Tsunami towards the kitchen.
Boruto cautiously observed Hinata from the corner of his eye. When he saw her unusually calm, beautiful profile, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly lowered his head, pretending to focus on his meal.
He could be certain that the Hinata before him now was absolutely not his gentle, shy mother!
'This kind of aura... was simply scarier than an angry Sarada!'
Tsunami came out of the kitchen carrying a wooden tray. On it was a bowl of well-cooked, fragrant white porridge, a cup of warm milk, and a peeled, smooth, tender boiled egg.
She carefully handed it to Hinata: "Be careful, it's hot."
"Thank you." Hinata took the tray, moved gently, and steadily walked upstairs, step by step.
As breakfast neared its end, Tazuna put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with his rough hand, and looked at Kakashi, his tone carrying hope and a hint of unease: "Kakashi-san, I've already sounded out the old buddies in the village who are still willing to work. Even though that bastard Matsuo is a huge threat, quite a few people are still willing to risk it and follow me to complete the final joining of the bridge."
"For the next few days... the safety of us old bones going to and from work really depends on all of you!"
Kakashi closed his copy of Icha Icha Paradise, tucked it into his ninja tool pouch, and nodded: "Don't worry. Since we've accepted the mission, we'll see it through to the end."
His gaze inadvertently swept over Hinata's back as she went upstairs with the tray, then settled on Naruto, who was sitting beside Jiraiya, eating but clearly distracted.
Jiraiya had already privately informed him that he would be taking Naruto for special training.
'It seemed the main burden of protecting Tazuna and the bridge workers would fall on my shoulders.'
He sighed inwardly. His leisurely days of slacking off and reading novels were now completely ruined.
Just then, Adult Sasuke, who had been eating in silence, put down his chopsticks and deliberately lowered his voice: "Since we're staying here temporarily, we shouldn't freeload. Protecting Tazuna-san's family and Menma's safety can be left to us."
In Adult Sasuke's view, the historical trajectory of this Space-Time had long been completely altered by the appearance of Shura, so the variables introduced by them, the travelers from the future, were irrelevant.
Upon hearing this, Tazuna's face immediately showed overwhelming gratitude. He stood up and bowed repeatedly: "Oh my! Thank you so much! With all you Ninja-sama protecting us, we can build the bridge with peace of mind!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly, somewhat surprised by this gesture, but didn't comment further. He just nodded: "Then we'll leave it to you."
For the next two days, Tazuna, along with a group of villagers equally unwilling to endure oppression, left before dawn with their tools, escorted by Kakashi, working from early morning until late at night under the pressure of potential attacks, striving to build the sea-crossing bridge that held the Land of Waves' hopes.
News spread like wildfire. Other villagers on the island of the Land of Waves, who had also been oppressed by the Matsuo Group and still had some backbone, came voluntarily with dry food and simple tools to help.
At the construction site, the sounds of hammering and work chants rang out.
Naruto, meanwhile, began his special training with Jiraiya.
Every day before dawn, Jiraiya would drag him out of bed and take him to a rocky area by the sea or deep within the forest, far from the village.
Jiraiya's teaching methods were simple and rough, yet extremely effective, targeting Naruto's weaknesses: poor Chakra Control and rough Ninjutsu application.
Jiraiya was even surprised to find that, despite the interference of the Nine-Tails and the sealing formula, Naruto could already walk on water as if on solid ground, his Chakra Control far surpassing that of ordinary Ninja.
Jiraiya began to teach Naruto, little by little, how to utilize the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
By the end of each day, Naruto was always exhausted like a dead dog, covered in mud and sweat, collapsing into sleep as soon as he got back at night.
But even so, the fire of his desire to become stronger never went out. Instead, it burned ever brighter.
By the third day, Menma had regained consciousness and could, with Hinata's support, barely walk around.
Although his face was still pale and he needed a makeshift wooden crutch, each step careful, as if he might fall at any moment, he had at least regained consciousness.
Now, on the grassy area in front of Tazuna's house facing the sea, in the faint light of dawn,
Menma, with Hinata's careful support, leaning on his crutch, walked slowly, step by step, moving his stiff body.
The sea breeze ruffled his slightly messy black hair. His breathing was a bit rapid, fine beads of sweat oozing from his brow.
And the usually hot-tempered, fierce-eyed Big Sis Hinata now displayed astonishing patience and gentleness.
She firmly supported Menma's arm, using her own body as support, matching his pace with every step, occasionally asking in a low voice: "Menma, how are you feeling? Want to rest for a bit?"
Menma glanced at the third-floor window of Tazuna's house and said quietly to Hinata, "I'm really fine, I'm just shaking them off a bit. Don't worry, Hinata."
Even though Menma was pretending, whether Big Sis Hinata or Little Sister Hinata, they still worriedly accompanied Menma.
Behind the third-floor corridor window, Boruto and Adult Sasuke stood side by side, silently watching the two on the grass below.
Boruto, hands behind his head, watched Hinata's attentive care and couldn't help but mutter quietly: "Master, do you think... in this Space-Time, if Mom... um, I mean this Hinata, if she didn't marry Naruto, but married this Menma... then... would there still be me and Himawari?"
This question had been bothering him for days.
This Space-Time's Hinata clearly had her heart set on Menma. The way she looked at Menma was almost exactly the same as the way his mom looked at his dad in his memory!
It was a gaze full of love, dependence, and unreserved trust.
Adult Sasuke's gaze remained locked on Menma, especially his slightly faltering yet unusually steady gait. He felt something was off, but couldn't quite figure out what.
Hearing Boruto's question, he slowly shook his head, his voice low: "I don't know. This is my first experience with time travel too."
He paused, then added with unprecedented gravity: "But this Menma... the power hidden inside him, and the form he displayed, are definitely connected to the Land of Stars's Shura. And the Kama on your body might also be the same type..."
Boruto leaned closer to the window, hands on the sill, carefully observing Menma below, frowning: "So we just wait around? Wait for Urashiki to show up again?"
"Mm." Adult Sasuke nodded, his gaze sharp. "Urashiki doesn't have another Space-Time ninja tool like Karasuki. He can't leave this Space-Time."
"His target is either the Nine-Tails' Chakra inside Naruto, or the Karasuki in our hands. Either way, he'll definitely appear again. We just need to wait patiently, rest and wait for the exhausted enemy."
As long as Urashiki appeared nearby, his Rinnegan would detect it immediately.
Just then, Boruto caught a glimpse of a villager in coarse clothes at the edge of the distant forest, furtively peering towards Tazuna's house, his behavior very suspicious.
He lowered his voice: "Master, look over there... these past few days, there have been more and more of these guys lurking around."
Adult Sasuke had already noticed. He coldly glanced in that direction: "They're spies from the Matsuo Group. Ignore them for now."
The population of the Land of Waves was complex. There were resisters like Tazuna who would rather die than yield, cowards who served as henchmen, and the majority who silently watched in fear.
The existence of these spies precisely indicated that the Matsuo Group had noticed the anomaly here. An attack was probably not far off.
Towards evening, the setting sun dyed the sea a magnificent orange-red.
Tsunami had bought some relatively fresh food from the market and was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, the aroma of food wafting out.
She first invited Menma, Hinata, Adult Sasuke, and Boruto to eat, then skillfully packed some of the food into several large lunch boxes.
To meet the deadline, Tazuna and the workers often worked very late. Dinner was usually sent to the construction site by each family. Villagers who lived farther either shared food or made do with the dry food and cold water they carried.
Menma sat at the table, his complexion somewhat better. He looked at Tsunami, who was serving rice, then at an empty seat, and asked with some confusion: "Tsunami-san, where's Inari? Why isn't he eating?"
Usually at this time, the little guy, despite his stubborn mouth, would be home for dinner on time.
Tsunami paused in her movement, a hint of worry appearing on her face: "Yeah, it's strange. He should have been back by now. He said he was going fishing by the rocky shore and digging for oysters... he shouldn't have gone far..."
Although Inari was young and had become somewhat withdrawn after Kaiza's incident, he was very familiar with the surroundings and usually wouldn't stay out this late.
Just then,
"Let me go! You bastards! Let go!"
A childish scream, mixed with tears and anger, suddenly came from outside the house, shattering the evening's tranquility!
"Inari!" Tsunami's face changed drastically. The rice ladle clattered to the floor. She didn't even bother to pick it up, turning and rushing towards the door in panic!
Everyone else in the living room instantly stood up!
Menma and Hinata frowned deeply. Adult Sasuke and Boruto exchanged a vigilant glance.
Bang!!
With a loud crash, the not-so-sturdy wooden door of Tazuna's house was viciously kicked open from the outside!
Wood chips flew!
At the doorway stood a young man with a somewhat sinister look on his face, wearing a black cloak with red clouds, his medium-length green hair slightly disheveled, looking impatient.
One of his hands, like holding a chick, gripped the back collar of a struggling, kicking little black-haired boy… Inari!
Behind the green-haired youth stood two burly, bare-chested wandering samurai with fierce tattoos, samurai swords at their hips, faces full of menace, and a cowering villager from the Land of Waves, clearly the guide and spy.
Aoi's gaze arrogantly swept the room, passing over the panicked Tsunami, the ready Boruto, the pale-faced Menma and Hinata at the table, and Adult Sasuke. The corner of his mouth curled into a grin: "Tch, quite a gathering."
"Perfect, saves me the trouble of looking for you one by one. Since everyone's here, I'll send you all off together. At least you'll have company on the Pure Land!"
"Inari!" Seeing her son being so roughly handled, Tsunami screamed and tried to rush forward, but was scared by the overwhelming killing intent. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, tears immediately flowing.
The moment Menma and Adult Sasuke saw the Akatsuki's uniform, their pupils contracted slightly!
'Akatsuki?!'
The two quickly searched their minds for information on Akatsuki's members.
'But this green-haired kid... who was he?'
They had no recollection of anyone like him!
However, as Adult Sasuke's gaze fell on Aoi's fingers holding Inari, his Rinnegan noticed.
On his finger was a ring of a familiar style, clearly inscribed with the character for 'Void'!
'The Void ring?!' Adult Sasuke's doubts grew.
This ring originally belonged to Orochimaru, who had defected from Akatsuki. According to the timeline he had experienced, after Orochimaru's defection, this ring should have remained vacant.
'How did it come to be worn on this nobody's hand?'
'Had Akatsuki recruited new members?'
'Or... had the Akatsuki of this Space-Time also undergone unknown changes?'
Then, a name slowly surfaced in Adult Sasuke's memory.
'Could this person be... Rokusho Aoi?'
Adult Sasuke finally remembered a mission he had once undertaken with Naruto and Sakura, encountering a Konoha's Missing-Nin wielding the Sword of the Thunder God.
'But this guy's strength should be far below the standard for joining Akatsuki, right?'
'What is going on?'
Just as Adult Sasuke was pondering, a female voice, cold enough to freeze the air, sounded from behind Menma:
"I'll handle it."
Everyone turned. Hinata had raised her head at some point.
Around those pure white eyes, veins bulged. Her gaze was filled with overflowing anger and killing intent!
The air around her seemed to faintly warp from her rage!
Boruto instinctively shrank his neck, his legs beginning to tremble, screaming inwardly: 'S-so... so scary...'
Aoi was also momentarily stunned by Hinata's sudden killing intent. Seeing the legendary Byakugan, the contempt on his face diminished slightly, but he still maintained a tough attitude: "Oh? The Hyuga Clan of Konoha? The Byakugan... quite a rare commodity, too bad..."
He didn't get to finish his sentence…
Hinata moved!
Her figure was extremely fast, even leaving an afterimage!
Her right hand formed a sword with two fingers, thrusting forward like lightning!
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
A highly compressed, condensed as solid Chakra Shockwave, like an invisible heavy cannon, tore through the air with a dull roar, moving at a speed difficult for the naked eye to follow, directly aimed at Aoi's chest!
Aoi completely didn't expect the other party to be so decisive and her attack so swift and fierce!
"Pff—!"
Blood sprayed from Aoi's mouth!
He felt as if his sternum was about to shatter, his internal organs displaced. His body uncontrollably flew backwards, crashing heavily against the courtyard wall outside, producing a dull thud!
Inari, whom he had been holding, also fell to the ground.
"Inari!" Tsunami scrambled over, clutching her terrified son tightly in her arms.
The two wandering samurai outside saw this, their faces changing drastically. Roaring "You bastard!", they simultaneously drew their samurai swords, the gleaming blades cold, slashing at Hinata from left and right!
But Hinata's figure blurred again, like a butterfly cutting between the two. Her fair hands moved like lightning, precisely seizing the wrists of the two men holding their swords!
Crack!
Crack!
The tooth-aching sound of bones breaking!
"Ah!!" The two samurai screamed miserably, their wrists twisted at grotesque angles, their samurai swords falling from their hands!
Hinata caught the falling swords with both hands, then flipped her wrists. The blades flashed!
Squelch! Squelch!
The two sharp samurai swords, like cutting tofu, instantly pierced through the feet of the two samurai, pinning them firmly to the ground!
Blood immediately stained the ground!
The entire process happened in the space of a spark!
By the time everyone reacted, Aoi had been sent flying, and the two fierce-looking samurai were pinned to the ground, screaming and wailing!
Aoi struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from his mouth, and looked at Hinata, who stood at the door like a god of death, her Byakugan coldly fixed on him. Fear and rage finally appeared in his eyes!
He suddenly pulled a strangely shaped ninja tool from his waist.
The hilt was ancient, but the blade was not solid... it was composed of highly concentrated, dazzling golden Chakra!
Faint, tiny electric arcs jumped and crackled around the blade!
"Damn Hyuga brat!" Aoi's face twisted in fury. He poured Chakra into the hilt, and the golden blade instantly solidified and lengthened, radiating a heart-stopping sharpness and Lightning Release fluctuation!
"I'll make you taste the power of the Second Hokage's personal sword, the Sword of the Thunder God!!"