"Seriously? Even the seal broke? Fourth Hokage, you've got to be kidding me!"
Kaede Kitahara could not stop cursing.
What was supposed to be a simple mission had turned into disaster after disaster.
First Tsunade.
Then assassination attempts.
Then being hunted by a veteran Kage Level monster like Kakuzu.
And now the Dragon Vein's seal had shattered.
Violent energy tore through his body, ripping at him from every direction.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a corridor.
A group of ninja faced him, eyes sharp with caution.
Every single one wore a Konoha forehead protector.
Kaede focused.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Namikaze Minato.
Aburame Shibi.
Akimichi Choza.
And farther off, sitting by a window with a withdrawn expression, the Queen of Loulan, Sara.
Kaede froze.
This was the plot of The Lost Tower.
Minato had just been explaining the ancient kingdom of Roran to Naruto, along with the fact that Naruto came from the future.
So he had traveled back in time?
That much he could accept. The Dragon Vein was directly tied to space-time power.
But why had he arrived when the story was already a quarter of the way through?
Then he thought of Mukade.
Mukade had arrived six years earlier than Naruto and Yamato.
So time displacement was not synchronized.
"Who are you?" Aburame Shibi stepped forward, a Kunai appearing in his hand.
"Well, obviously, I'm a Konoha ninja. Just like you." Kaede pointed at his green flak jacket and his forehead protector. "It's just that… our timelines might be different."
"What year are you from?" Minato asked, brows slightly furrowed.
Recently, people from the future had been appearing one after another.
Mukade from six years ahead.
Naruto from today.
And now another one.
Was this era some kind of inn?
Come and go as you please?
"Konoha Year Sixty-Three," Kaede answered.
There was no point hiding it. Minato already knew about time travelers.
"That's three years ago for me!" Naruto's eyes widened.
Kaede only knew from the movie that Naruto's timeline was a few years after the Chunin period, but not the exact date.
If Naruto was from Year Sixty-Six, that lined up.
There had been a large gap in the original story during that period.
So this must be after Naruto had trained and returned, likely after Jiraiya's death.
"You're a Konoha ninja too? How come I've never seen you before?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"You don't recognize me?" Kaede blinked.
Even if they had a falling out, it would not reach the point where Naruto forgot him completely.
"I'm the one who taught you Rasengan."
"No way! My Rasengan was taught by Pervy Sage."
Naruto shot back immediately.
"Pervy Sage… that would be Jiraiya-sensei?" Minato could not help but interject.
He could only think of Jiraiya.
After all, aside from himself, he had only ever taught Rasengan to his teacher.
Even if he did not know Naruto's nickname for Jiraiya, it was painfully obvious.
Jiraiya's perverted tendencies were well known, even to Minato.
If he were not one of the Legendary Sannin, he might have been beaten to death long ago.
"Yeah! You know Pervy Sage?" Naruto looked at Minato in shock.
Minato coughed awkwardly.
He did not particularly want to explain that he was Jiraiya's disciple.
It was an honor, yes.
But if the only context was "Pervy Sage," he would rather not claim it.
"This man is Jiraiya's student," Kaede stepped in smoothly.
Yet confusion only deepened in his own mind.
In his timeline, he had been hunted multiple times by Shimura Danzo's men simply for approaching Naruto.
Now Naruto did not recognize him at all.
And claimed he learned Rasengan from Jiraiya.
So all that suffering had been for nothing?
Kaede felt a headache coming on.
That kind of hardship should not go to waste.
Minato studied Kaede carefully.
From the moment he appeared, Kaede had been nothing like Naruto.
Naruto was confused and overwhelmed.
Kaede, on the other hand, looked as though he understood everything.
Even time travel did not faze him.
Minato was certain he had sensed the distortion of space-time when Kaede arrived.
Without talent in that field, one could not master Flying Thunder God.
And yet, compared to Naruto, Kaede was far more enigmatic.
Minato trusted Naruto instinctively.
This new arrival, however, was another matter.
Being a Konoha ninja did not automatically make someone trustworthy.
Who knew what he would become in the future?
"If you don't mind," Minato said calmly, "could I see your Rasengan?"
He decided to verify things that way.
"Sure!"
Naruto formed a shadow clone immediately.
With its assistance, he began shaping Rasengan.
Moments later, it stabilized in his palm.
Kaede did not hesitate either.
He raised one hand.
Rasengan formed instantly.
Compared to Naruto, who still needed a clone to assist, Kaede's control was clearly more refined.
It aligned perfectly with his claim that he had once guided Naruto in training.
"Wait… how can you use Rasengan too? I heard the Fourth Hokage invented it!" Naruto stared at him in disbelief.
The paradox hung in the air.
Kaede believed he had taught Naruto.
Naruto had no such memory.
One of them had to be wrong.
"Idiot," Kaede sighed. "Take a good look. The Fourth Hokage is standing right in front of you."
He pointed at Minato.
"Huh? Wait… you do look just like the Fourth Hokage on the Hokage Rock!"
Naruto finally reacted.
Kaede almost rolled his eyes.
The carving on Hokage Rock was crude at best.
It barely resembled anyone accurately.
Besides, when the design had first been drafted, Minato's appearance had not even been finalized. Early concepts made him taller and less handsome.
"Fourth Hokage? What nonsense are you talking about? The Third Hokage is still in office," Choza said, frowning.
"That's because we're from the future," Kaede explained. "I'm from Year Sixty-Three. He's from Year Sixty-Six. Of course we know what happens later. Namikaze Minato becomes the Fourth Hokage."
Choza and Shibi exchanged shocked looks.
At this point in time, Minato's reputation had not yet reached its peak.
The Third Hokage's retirement was being discussed, especially after criticism from Shimura Danzo regarding wartime decisions.
But the leading candidates were still Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.
The Legendary Sannin overshadowed everyone.
If one of them wanted the position, few could compete.
And yet the future Hokage would be Minato?
For Choza and Shibi, longtime comrades, that possibility was significant.
Minato, however, had gone quiet.
Based on Naruto's age, he would have been born around Year Fifty.
That was only a few years from now.
And yet Naruto did not recognize him at all.
Not even vaguely.
What did that imply?
A chilling possibility formed.
He was dead.
And not long after becoming Hokage.
Naruto bore the surname Uzumaki.
In Konoha, there was only one person with that name.
His girlfriend, Uzumaki Kushina.
Princess of the Uzumaki Clan.
The sole surviving heir.
The resemblance between Naruto and himself was undeniable.
If Naruto was his son, then under what circumstances would a son not recognize his father?
If the father died before the child formed memories.
No.
It might be worse.
Even if he died young in battle, Kushina would tell Naruto about him.
There would be photographs.
Stories.
He would not grow up unable to recognize his own father.
Unless…
Kushina had died too.
Unless Naruto had become an orphan.
Only then would he grow up without even knowing his father's face.
If that were true…
Then his child's life had been unimaginably harsh.
Minato's gaze softened as he looked at Naruto.
He could already picture it.
Growing up without the protection of parents.
Without love to shield him.
It was no wonder the boy was reckless and loud.
He was so much like Kushina.