"Kakashi."
Shibi Aburame found him by relying on the insects left on Kakashi. He was calm and relaxed, showing no surprise at Yamato's sudden appearance beside Kakashi.
Of course, it's also possible that because the Aburame Clan is accustomed to not showing their faces, no one knew what expression he had at the moment.
Shibi Aburame merely mentioned in passing, "Is this also a Konoha Ninja?"
Kakashi replied, "Yes, I've confirmed it."
"That's good."
Shibi Aburame nodded slightly, not asking further. Since Kakashi said there was no problem, he naturally chose to trust his comrade's judgment.
Immediately after, he conveyed the latest orders to Kakashi.
"The situation has changed. We've spoken with the Queen, and Anrokuzan will be treated as a rebel. You must complete your preparations before sunset. Can you do it?"
Before sunset... Kakashi looked up at the sun, quickly estimated his progress mentally, and promised, "No problem."
"Alright, I'll signal you with my insects then."
With the orders delivered, Shibi Aburame turned his head to look at Yamato, his tone seemingly carrying a hint of warning: "Don't reveal too much information. We will send you back as soon as possible."
"But..." Yamato was about to explain when he noticed the 'you all' in the other person's words, and eagerly wanted to confirm: "Who else? Is it a blond-haired..."
"Don't ask too many questions either."
Before he finished speaking, Shibi Aburame vanished, leaving only the dust stirred up at his feet, drifting in the air.
Yamato was choked, stunned in his spot.
"As you can see, I still have a mission to complete. If you can't help, then hide well."
As Kakashi was about to leave, Yamato quickly followed, determined to act with him.
"I can help you. Two people can do it much faster than one."
Kakashi deliberated, and the trust in his fellow Konoha Ninja prevailed. He instructed, "Follow me, don't stray too far."
...Even in poor condition, Yamato was still a Jonin after all, deftly completing all the requirements, placing each exploding tag at the most suitable point.
After they finished, there was still a short time before sunset.
The sunlight generously bathed the city of Roran, outlining the final glory of its architecture.
Kakashi stood at the top of a tall tower, silently gazing at this city destined for destruction.
Yamato stood to his left and slightly behind him, two body-lengths away, his eyes wandering, sometimes confused, sometimes anxious, as if a long and intense debate was taking place deep within him.
In fact, ever since they started acting together, he had been repeatedly agonizing over whether to confess to Kakashi that he had traveled back from the future.
But each time the words reached his lips, remembering Shibi Aburame's warning, he swallowed them back down.
Even though he wasn't deeply involved in Space-Time Ninjutsu, after being reminded, he could realize that changing history would lead to catastrophic consequences.
Actually, what he had just said to Kakashi already had a high chance of creating a different future.
His gradually calming mind told him not to reveal too much.
Yet, this Kakashi, whose appearance almost perfectly matched his future self, made him feel like he had to do something.
Time didn't give him much chance to hesitate. The sky quickly darkened, and under Anrokuzan's control, countless puppets surged out of the entire city, searching everywhere for intruders.
The insects on Kakashi crawled into his palm, and a small swarm of insects flew from a distance, forming several characters on his hand.
"Plan begin, attract attention."
"Yamato, I'll start the demolition from the west. You go to the east. Try to engage and eliminate some of the puppets as much as possible. Once that's handled, we'll rendezvous in the center of Roran."
"Alright."
Seeing the battle intensify, Yamato no longer bothered with these trivial worries and immediately flashed into action.
Explosions erupted one after another, and Roran's proud skyscrapers collapsed one after another, crushing countless puppets along with them.
The once magnificent and prosperous desert oasis had now become a ruin.
When Kakashi arrived at the basement of the central high tower, Anrokuzan was controlling a giant fortress puppet, fighting with Minato and two others.
There was also a blond Ninja he had never seen before, wearing a Konoha headband, shielding what appeared to be Queen Sara behind him, with nearly a hundred civilians standing nearby.
After the blond Ninja took the Queen and the civilians to escape to the surface, Minato came to Kakashi's side, instructing him to destroy the Ryumyaku's transmission device at all costs.
Kakashi promptly followed orders and dealt with the energy-transmitting pipes. Not long after, Yamato also completed his mission and arrived.
The two descended together to the deepest part, just in time to see Anrokuzan's dying struggle, choosing to self-destruct, causing the blond Ninja and Queen Sara to fall off the bridge, and Minato was about to fall as well while trying to save them.
Yamato was terrified, completely disregarding everything else, and immediately used Wood Release to save the three. Taking advantage of Wood Release, he brought Kakashi with him to the Ryumyaku's core.
"Captain Yamato!" the blond Ninja shouted excitedly.
Yamato wiped the cold sweat that had just broken out from fear: "Luckily, we made it."
If he hadn't mistaken him, that was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. If, if he hadn't saved him, who knew what the future world would turn into.
After completely sealing the Ryumyaku, Yamato and the blond Ninja's bodies began to glow. Minato explained that this was because the Jutsu had failed, and they were supposed to return to their original time.
--So, they really are Ninjas from the future?
Kakashi recalled the words he would say in the future, and his head began to throb again, his entire body stiffening and breaking out in a cold sweat.
But he hid it well; others only took his furrowed brows as confusion.
--So did my future self really regret it? Regret protecting Naraku in that way... "No, no!"
Yamato's voice of protest interrupted his thoughts. Kakashi subtly shifted his gaze and saw the former with an anxious expression, speaking rapidly to Minato.
Minato looked at Kakashi with a pained expression, then finally closed his eyes and shook his head.
Yamato was speechless, his head lowered in unwillingness. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he quickly drew a Kunai, grabbed Kakashi's hand, and drew a cut on it.
Kakashi seemed to feel no pain, letting him cut his hand until it was covered in blood.
The moment the end of the Kunai's trace connected with its starting point, forming a teardrop-shaped wound, a dazzling white light filled the entire underground space.
When the light disappeared, Yamato and his companion were also gone.
From that moment on, Kakashi noticed that his impression of Yamato was blurring, and the help and reminders slowly became faint.
The feeling of confusion continued until a certain moment on the way back to the village, when Kakashi suddenly looked up, as if waking from a dream, feeling a sense of loss.
--Did I forget something?
He tapped his head, thinking for a long time, but those memories were like strange dreams at night; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall a single detail after waking.
Just as he was about to give up, a sharp pain shot through his mind, accompanied by words that had left an impression at some unknown time and place, echoing faintly yet clearly in his ears.
"If only I could have reconciled with him earlier."
"Kakashi, if there's anything you regret..."
"You must make amends early!"
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