Konoha Year 68, the point in time when Naruto returned from his three years of training.
At this stage, the Akatsuki had already begun their operation to capture the tailed beasts, and had seized Gaara, the Kazekage of the Land of Wind.
After the efforts of Naruto and the others, they finally retrieved Gaara's body.
After that, they experienced the battle against Kakuzu and Hidan…
This time, the mission team sent to the Land of Wind was Team Naruto.
The captain was Yamato, with Naruto, Sakura, and Sai as teammates.
Naruto woke up from his coma, his head buzzing, unable to remember anything.
Sakura slammed a heavy punch onto Naruto's head and scolded him,
"Idiot, why did you rush in so recklessly?!"
Sai snarked from the side, "If he didn't rush in, he wouldn't be Naruto!"
Yamato also woke up from the sense of disorientation caused by time-space traversal. His consciousness was still a bit hazy.
At the time, in a place with magnificent architecture, a massive earthquake suddenly occurred, and he was buried in an underground passage.
Fortunately, he protected his body with Wood Release. After waking up, he couldn't remember anything either.
Yamato asked, "Naruto, what just happened to us?"
Naruto shook his head. "My head's a bit muddled. Let me think…"
Sakura shook her head helplessly.
"Since we can't find Mukade's body, then the mission is considered complete. Let's head back!"
Yamato nodded. "Alright!"
As an experienced driver, Sai summoned an ink hawk, and the group rode it, flying toward the direction of the Land of Fire.
Flying in the sky, the cool air brushed past them, the exhilaration in their hearts as vast as the heavens.
Sai's sharp eyes spotted a figure lying below.
"What's that?"
The group focused their gaze.
Below lay a young man wearing white cloth garments, with silver-white hair, unconscious.
"10%…"
"10.01%…"
The system's voice kept echoing in Kairen's mind. Drawing too much of his mental power had affected his recovery.
The group descended to take a look.
Sakura exclaimed, "He's a handsome guy!"
Sai sneered, "Heh… women!"
Sakura instantly turned ferocious. "What did you say?!"
Yamato carefully examined the clothing on Kairen's body, then lifted his eyelids, revealing a pair of Byakugan that had reverted to their original state.
"Byakugan?! Hyuga!"
"Let's go, take him back to the village!"
"Got it!"
...
"Generation progress 100%. Congratulations, host—Flying Thunder God of Space-Time generated successfully!"
Once the system stopped occupying Kairen's mental power, he slowly woke up.
This sleep felt as if it had lasted an entire year.
The moment he awoke, he heard about the Flying Thunder God of Space-Time. This ninjutsu was easy to understand—it allowed one to traverse time and space.
Its convenience lay in the fact that it wasn't a one-time use like the dragon veins, but rather like the Ōtsutsuki turtle—[Karasuki]—able to freely traverse time and space.
However, the energy required was enormous. Even if Kairen unleashed all his chakra and opened the Gate of Death, it still wouldn't be enough to supply that time-space traversal energy.
At the very least, he'd need to do it several more times.
Kairen shook his head and carefully observed where he had ended up transmigrating to.
While unconscious, he had a vague impression—he seemed to have been picked up as a "corpse" by Naruto and the others.
Kairen looked around.
This didn't look like a medical room, but rather a quiet, antique Japanese-style room.
Everything inside was Japanese-style, carrying the aura of ancient Japanese nobility.
The door was suddenly pushed open, and Kairen saw a girl with black hair tinged with light purple, wearing a black kimono, walk in.
A pair of Byakugan, a gentle and serene expression—it was Hyuga Hinata.
Just from Hinata's age, Kairen instantly confirmed the timeline.
It was D, meaning this was the Shippuden era. The ninja world war was about to begin.
Seeing Kairen already awake in bed, Hinata's eyes lit up with joy.
"You're awake. You've been asleep for three days."
"The doctor said you just overused your brain, so our Hyuga clan brought you back."
The Hyuga clan? My Tenseigan reverted to its original state, so they mistook me for a Hyuga clansman… Kairen guessed inwardly.
But immediately after, he was drawn in by the feast before his eyes—no… the girl.
Hinata was holding a basin of water with a cloth inside, seemingly intending to clean Kairen's face.
The people of Konoha really went all out—bringing him into Hinata's home. Wasn't this letting the wolf into the house?
Right now, that blockhead Naruto was still chasing after Sakura. Then he, Moku Kairen, wouldn't hold back.
Kairen cleared his throat and put on an ignorant expression.
"Where is this? Why am I here?"
Hinata set the basin down and explained, "This is Konoha Village of the Land of Fire. My name is Hyuga Hinata. I'm from the Hyuga clan. Naruto and the others found you in the desert."
"You have Byakugan. Are you from the Hyuga clan? But I've never seen you before."
Leaning against the wall, Kairen shook his head.
"I've lost my memory. I don't know anything now."
Pretending to be amnesiac and weak at times like this often earned a girl's sympathy.
Sure enough, the sympathy on Hinata's face was like a mirror, clearly seen by Kairen.
"How pitiful… you don't even know your own name anymore?"
Then she continued to herself,
"What's even more pitiful is that Father and the elders are just waiting for you to wake up so they can place the Caged Bird Seal on you."
Kairen feigned confusion. "The Caged Bird Seal? What's that?"
Hinata didn't speak. She turned her face away, hiding the sadness on her expression.
From the resentment on Hyuga Neji's face, Hinata knew that the Caged Bird Seal was not a good thing.
Between her and Hanabi, one of them had to inherit the Caged Bird Seal—this was clan law.
Originally, it should have been Hanabi, but her talent was too poor, and she was abandoned by the main family.
The Caged Bird Seal should have been inherited by Hinata.
But Hyuga Hiashi had been stalling with the elders, so Hinata had yet to be branded with it.
Seeing Hinata sink into sorrow, Kairen stood up and noticed he was wearing a kimono similar to that of the Hyuga clan.
He asked, "Did you change my clothes for me?"
What he really wanted to ask was—how big did you see my bird?
Hinata shook her head. "No, Natsuka-san changed you."
"Natsuka!"
Hearing that name, Kairen recalled the little girl of the Hyuga clan whose Caged Bird Seal he had removed—who even said she wanted to marry him when she grew up.
"Right!"
Kairen suddenly realized something, just like last time in the Land of Demons.
"Where's my pet?"
"Mm~"
"It's here!"
At that moment, a little girl in a kimono, with jet-black hair and a cute face, walked in hugging a black-and-white panda.
It was Hanabi.
Reluctantly, Hanabi handed Fenchu over from her arms to Kairen.
Holding Fenchu, Kairen asked again, "And the other one?"
Hinata and Hanabi looked puzzled.
"Naruto and the others only found this one!"
Kairen stroked Fenchu's fur.
Closing his eyes, he sensed Wolon's position—it was still in the Land of Wind. Looks like they got separated during time-space traversal.
There were more important matters now. No rush to retrieve Wolon—once it entered Golden Mode, it had strength at the Special Jōnin level. No panic!
Now he needed to think about how to win Hinata, and raise Hanabi?
"Mm~"
Fenchu called out, reminding Kairen to hurry and find its little brother.
Kairen rubbed its head while thinking through his strategy.
Hanabi watched enviously from the side, then suddenly asked,
"You have another panda. Can you give it to me?"
Hanabi's cute little face was full of pleading. How could Kairen possibly resist?
He immediately handed Fenchu over from his arms.
"I'll give you both! I'll give you both!"
Hanabi took it, her little face blooming with a smile.
"Thank you!"
"Mm~ (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)"
Kairen felt delighted.
Too bad it would still take a long time to raise her—enduring it would be tough!