Once again, they traveled through time…
Fortunately, this time, Minato's team and Kakashi's team ended up together from the very beginning.
Coming along with them was also the "mission reward" from Kabuto Yakushi's previous C-rank mission—the young ninja from the future, Mitsuki.
They found themselves in a dim, gloomy forest.
However, their exact location, as well as the era they were currently in, was difficult to determine for the moment.
"Boom—!"
An explosion echoed from somewhere in the distance.
Minato's expression shifted.
"Explosive tags!"
As soon as he spoke, he took the lead and headed toward the source of the explosion.
Along the way, they ran into several ninjas from Sunagakure. Naruto's first instinct made him assume they were comrades from Gaara's village, and he jumped forward to greet them.
Considering Naruto's current strength, Minato, Kakashi, Sasuke, and the others didn't stop him.
"Hey, you guys—"
Before Naruto could finish his sentence, he was attacked without warning.
He hastily dodged, but his arm was still slashed open.
The very next second—
"Poof."
The injured Naruto turned into a puff of smoke.
A Shadow Clone.
The real Naruto Uzumaki stood more than ten meters away.
"Who are you?! Why did you attack us the moment you saw us?!"
The Sunagakure ninjas noticed Minato Namikaze, Kakashi Hatake, and the other members of both teams jumping to Naruto's side.
Their faces changed instantly.
"Damn it! How did Konoha's people get behind us?!"
"Did they see through the trap?!"
"It's fine, there are only two adults. The rest are just kids!"
"Yeah, let's end this quickly and wipe them out!"
Seven or eight Sunagakure ninjas immediately prioritized attacking Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Obito, Young Kakashi, Rin, and Mitsuki.
Their plan was simple—kill the children first, then take their time dealing with the two adults.
But reality proved they had underestimated their opponents far too much.
Leaving aside the fact that this group included Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, and Rin Nohara, the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails…
There was also Obito Uchiha, who possessed the rarest Space-Time Dōjutsu, and Sasuke Uchiha, an elite prodigy with an awakened Sharingan and excellence across every discipline.
And then there was the so-called "mission reward" sent here—Mitsuki, a completely overpowered boy who was born able to use Senjutsu.
Even the two who seemed the most ordinary were anything but. Sakura Haruno could shatter a wall with a single punch, and Young Kakashi had independently developed an A-rank ninjutsu at the age of twelve.
Could these Sunagakure jōnin really handle opponents like that?
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Shiden!"
"Wood Release!"
"Fire Release!"
Taijutsu, shuriken techniques, and ninjutsu flowed together in perfectly coordinated combinations. Seven genin from different eras of Konoha completely overwhelmed eight Sunagakure jōnin, leaving them no chance to fight back.
After seven enemies were taken down, Minato called for a halt, preparing to interrogate the remaining one for information about the current situation.
But just then—
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A voice that felt both familiar and unfamiliar rang out.
Countless snakes burst forth from the dark forest, instantly tearing off the Sunagakure ninja's head.
"!!!"
Mitsuki said softly,
"That technique is…"
The others realized it at the same time.
Orochimaru.
Minato Namikaze and Adult Kakashi immediately stepped in front of the genin, their eyes fixed warily on the dark forest ahead.
A long-haired, handsome young man emerged from the shadows, quickly entering Minato and the others' field of view. His expression carried tension and impatience, but the moment he saw Minato Namikaze and Adult Kakashi, he swiftly reined those emotions in.
Though it was difficult to tell at first glance, everyone recognized him…
The man before them, with straight black hair, skin far paler than most, and an appearance that looked only a little over twenty, was none other than the Orochimaru they knew.
As they stared at him, Orochimaru was also studying them.
When identifying strangers, a ninja's first instinct was always to check their forehead protectors. Seeing the Konoha headbands worn by Kakashi Hatake, Minato Namikaze, and the others, the young Orochimaru did not attack immediately, but his vigilance was unmistakable.
"Who are you?"
Minato Namikaze said calmly, "As you can see, we are ninjas of Konoha."
"I've never seen any of you before."
This time, Minato did not answer right away.
With a flick of his sleeve, a kunai appeared in Orochimaru's hand. His posture made it clear he was ready to fight.
However, from those subtle shifts in expression, Minato noticed something else. Orochimaru seemed impatient, restless. Something must have gone wrong.
"Whether you believe it or not," Minato said, "we truly are Konoha ninjas. Due to certain circumstances, we came from the distant future. We shouldn't be staying here for long."
"The future?" Orochimaru's golden, serpentine eyes locked onto Minato. "Ridiculous."
"It's true!" Naruto suddenly stepped out from behind Minato and blurted out, "In our time, you turn into this weird old guy! You even dress up as a woman to scare people sometimes! And you're always trying to use other people's bodies as containers for your Living Corpse Reincarnation!"
Orochimaru: "......"
Naruto's explanation wasn't just hard for Orochimaru to accept. No normal person would be able to process that easily.
Just as Orochimaru was about to lash out, Mitsuki extended his arm toward a nearby tree.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
The exact same technique caused Orochimaru to freeze for a moment.
"Who are you?!"
"It's an honor to meet you at this point in time," Mitsuki said with a gentle smile. "I am your future child, Orochimaru-sama."
"Ah…?"
Orochimaru stared at Mitsuki, mouth slightly open, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief.
"My… child?"
Minato Namikaze studied this twenty-something Orochimaru, quickly calculating the timeline in his head.
"This is the Second Shinobi World War, isn't it?"
Orochimaru frowned faintly. Anyone living in the ninja world would know that this was a time of war. The Second Shinobi World War had just begun.
He looked back at Mitsuki. The idea that he would have a child in the future was unthinkable, but that Hidden Shadow Snake Hands technique was undeniably one he had created himself.
Still, there were more urgent matters at hand.
Unable to decide whether the people before him could be trusted, Orochimaru fell into a brief stalemate.
Meanwhile, Minato was thinking.
Their arrival here was tied to Naruto's A-rank mission. That meant they were here to help resolve some kind of lingering regret, and only by doing so would they be able to return.
"If you don't mind," Minato said politely, "could you tell us what happened?"
Orochimaru stared at them for a while longer before finally speaking.
"You… do any of you have a medical ninja?"
Perhaps realizing how rare medical ninja were, and that they were unlikely to be sent directly onto the battlefield, he amended his words.
"Someone who can use medical ninjutsu will do."
That subtle change in phrasing carried an unexpected sense of concession, even a faint hint of asking for help.
"Yes," Rin stepped forward. "I'm a medical ninja."
"And me," Sakura said, stepping up beside her, her voice firm. "I've only just started learning, but I can use Senjutsu!"
Orochimaru studied the two of them for a moment, then forcibly suppressed his doubts.
"Follow me."
He turned and sprinted back in the direction he had come from.
Taking his suspicious nature into account, Minato, Kakashi, and the others followed at a cautious distance. With neither side fully trusting the other, they kept their space.
After running for over half an hour…
Orochimaru stopped, and Minato's group halted as well.
"Can you really be trusted?"
Obito was about to snap back, but Young Kakashi raised a hand to stop him.
Minato Namikaze looked at Orochimaru.
Based on what he knew of him, if Orochimaru truly didn't trust someone, he would have rejected them outright from the start. Yet here he was, clearly distrustful, but repeatedly asking whether they could be trusted, and whether they had medical personnel.
There was only one explanation.
A Konoha ninja important to him had been gravely injured and urgently needed treatment.
And the direction Orochimaru had been rushing toward earlier was likely the location of a temporary battlefield outpost established by Konoha's forces.
Orochimaru's objective was to reach that outpost and seek help from a medical ninja.
"......"
Seeing that Minato Namikaze did not respond, Orochimaru made an even more unreasonable demand.
"I don't trust you. I want to poison all of you. After this is over, I'll personally remove the poison."
No one would ever accept such a condition.
Minato said calmly, "If an important comrade has been gravely injured, I can understand your state of mind. But I cannot accept that demand. Since we're already here, I think it would be best if you let us see the injured person."
Another silent confrontation followed, pressure clashing with pressure.
The night wind stirred, and shadows of trees swayed under the moonlight.
In the end, Orochimaru gave in. He turned around and led them forward, deliberately guiding them past several traps he had set earlier.
"Orochimaru-sensei!"
"Sensei, did you find a medical ninja?"
Hidden beneath the trees and shrubs were two young ninjas, about the same age as Naruto. The moment they saw Orochimaru, they rushed to him anxiously.
One of them muttered, "You came back so fast… could it be that…?"
"How is Nawaki?" Orochimaru asked them.
The moment the name "Nawaki" was spoken, both Team Minato and Team Kakashi froze.
"Nawaki?!" Naruto shouted in shock. "You mean Granny Tsunade's little brother?!"
His loud voice immediately drew the attention of the two boys who had been calling Orochimaru "sensei."
"Who are you?!" During wartime, everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit. With a critically injured comrade, no one dared relax, even for a moment. Despite being only twelve, both boys looked utterly exhausted, body and mind alike.
Rin opened her ninja pouch and showed them what was inside.
Bandages, medicine, surgical knives, and other tools came into view.
The two boys' faces lit up instantly.
"A medical ninja!"
"That's right! Look at her forehead protector, she's a medical ninja from our village!"
"That's great!" one of them exclaimed excitedly. "Orochimaru-sama, how did you manage to find a medical ninja so quickly?!"
"Don't talk about that now," Orochimaru said. "Take us to Nawaki."
"Yes."
At the mention of Nawaki and the thought of his condition, the two boys' expressions turned weary and sorrowful. They moved ahead, pushing aside the bushes to lead everyone inside.
The two boys went in first, followed by Orochimaru.
After that came Rin Nohara and Sakura, then Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, Naruto, and the others.
Just as they were about to see what lay inside, Orochimaru suddenly turned back.
Young Obito immediately stepped in front of Rin, staring at Orochimaru with intense focus, afraid he might suddenly attack her.
His pitch-black eyes looked as though the Sharingan might emerge at any moment.
"What are you trying to do?!"
Orochimaru ignored him and looked instead at Rin.
"The person inside was injured by explosive tag traps. The injuries have already been left untreated for nearly three hours."
After saying that, he turned around and continued walking inside.
Rin suddenly realized what that meant.
Orochimaru was warning her. The wounded person inside was in critical condition and in extremely poor shape. He was telling her to prepare herself mentally.
That wasn't what she had expected at all.
Just a few days ago, the Orochimaru they encountered had been ruthless and unscrupulous. Yet this young Orochimaru, who looked about the same age as Minato-sensei, was far more careful than she had imagined, genuinely concerned about his comrades and students.
"I understand," Rin replied.
After hearing that the injured person was Nawaki, Minato and the others felt a complicated mix of emotions.
When Orochimaru stepped aside, they finally saw Nawaki's condition clearly.
Naruto: "!!!"
Sasuke: "!"
Sakura clamped a hand over her mouth, forcing herself not to scream.
They had grown up in an era of peace and had never seen what a ninja looked like after being grievously injured by multiple explosive tags. The fact that Nawaki hadn't died on the spot was already a miracle.
Obito and Young Kakashi were slightly more composed, but even they couldn't reconcile this horrific sight with the Nawaki they knew from the Edo Tensei, who looked almost no different from a living person.
His entire body was covered in severe blast wounds. The worst injuries were on his legs, where the bone of his left calf was fully exposed.
One of his arms looked as though the skin had been peeled away.
The extreme heat from the explosion had burned his flesh, fusing clothing, blood, and skin together into an indistinguishable mess.
His face was riddled with burns, skin split and torn open.
His eyes were tightly shut, making it impossible to tell whether they had been damaged.
Rin steadied herself, then walked decisively toward Nawaki.
Just as she reached him and was about to crouch down to examine his injuries, Orochimaru suddenly raised a kunai.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura immediately drew their own weapons.
"Don't try anything," Orochimaru warned.
"You're the one trying something, bastard!" Naruto roared.
Minato Namikaze's expression darkened at once.
"Nawaki is your student. Rin is mine. I understand how you feel right now, but as fellow teachers, you should know I won't let you act recklessly."
Obito's face twisted into something almost feral. His eyes had already begun to form the Mangekyō, the pinwheel pattern threatening to spin into existence.
Orochimaru hadn't expected that among them would be such a young Uchiha who possessed power at the level of the Mangekyō Sharingan. His snake-like eyes narrowed slightly.
In contrast, Rin Nohara, the one being threatened by Orochimaru, showed no fear at all. She calmly avoided the kunai and slowly crouched down.
"I am a medical ninja of Konoha."
Those words alone made her intention unmistakably clear.
Right now, she had only one purpose—
To save her Konoha comrade with everything she had.