"Rasengan!"
Kyosuke didn't even think about fleeing. Instead, he charged straight at Mukade, intent on finishing him off before the rogue ninja could regain his senses.
Mukade suddenly snapped his eyes open. Seeing Kyosuke's attack, his body immediately merged with the massive Centipede Puppet.
"Die!"
Mukade had no memory of what had just happened. He manipulated the Centipede Puppet to launch a vicious counterattack. Countless poisonous needles shot toward Kyosuke from all directions.
Kyosuke leaped to dodge, hanging upside down inside the centipede's hollow chassis.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Over a dozen Shadow Clones materialized. Some deflected the endless barrage of needles, while several others converged with Rasengans in hand. They struck a single point on the puppet simultaneously, instantly blasting a massive hole through its armor.
Kyosuke darted out through the gap. The Centipede Puppet followed closely behind, relentlessly firing hidden weapons.
"Summoning Technique!"
Suddenly, a giant toad descended from the sky, landing squarely on the Centipede Puppet. Its immense weight and strength smashed the centipede into the ground, sending shattered rock flying in every direction.
At the exact same moment, Minato Namikaze appeared. He grabbed Kyosuke and used the Flying Thunder God technique to blink them to safety.
"Are you alright?"
Kyosuke looked up. Aburame Shibi and Akimichi Choza were standing there, alongside Yamato, Kakashi, and the freshly rescued Naruto.
Kyosuke pointed at Yamato. "I'm fine. Oh, Minato-sensei, Kakashi and I met a Konoha Ninja earlier. It's him."
How about that? Kyosuke thought smugly. I directly blurted out Kakashi's name and even called him Minato-sensei. Hehe, Naruto, you should finally realize it now.
Sure enough, hearing Kyosuke's words, Naruto looked absolutely shell-shocked.
By now, everyone except Kyosuke had removed their masks. Naruto stared at the young Kakashi, then turned his wide eyes to Minato Namikaze. He opened his mouth to speak but was gently cut off by Minato.
"The battle isn't over yet. We'll talk after it's finished."
Before Kyosuke's group had met up with Yamato, Minato's trio had already crossed paths with Naruto. Their masks had been off at the time, and through their brief conversation, Minato had more or less deduced Naruto's true identity.
They had been forced to split up to search for Sara. Later, upon learning Naruto had been captured, Minato had rushed over immediately.
Hearing Minato's firm tone, Naruto could only swallow the heavy words in his heart. He turned and joined the group in the fight against Mukade.
The battle was fierce, shifting back and forth. Kyosuke secretly suspected that his future self had buffed Mukade's strength just to ensure the villain wouldn't be instantly wiped out by the Minato father-son duo before the timeline's tasks were completed.
However, after a grueling fight, Mukade was finally defeated. The mission was a success.
With the enemy dealt with, Sara worked alongside Minato to seal the Ryūmyaku. Kyosuke widened his eyes behind his mask, observing every single detail and memorizing the Sealing Jutsu formula.
Once my Sealing Jutsu reaches mastery in the future, I'll come back here to unseal the Ryūmyaku and claim its power, Kyosuke planned.
As the Ryūmyaku was completely sealed, a warm, glowing light enveloped Naruto and Yamato's bodies.
Minato looked at Naruto, his tone complex. "It seems you're returning to the future."
Naruto stepped forward urgently. "I have some things I want to tell you..."
Minato simply pressed his hand to the ground. A glowing Sealing Jutsu formula instantly appeared beneath everyone's feet.
"To prevent disrupting history," Minato said softly, "everyone's memories of this event must be erased."
Hearing this, Naruto became even more agitated. "You said you had something to tell me! If you don't say it now, it'll be too late!"
Minato smiled gently. "One day, you will hear it."
Naruto's eyes were already glassy with unshed tears. He spoke with a choked sob, "Big brother, big brother... could you be..."
Minato looked at Naruto's face. His expression was filled with profound relief and unmistakable pride. "If I were to have a son, I would definitely raise him to be a ninja just like you... Naruto."
Kyosuke stood quietly to the side, watching the emotional exchange between the father and son with great interest. He felt like he was witnessing history.
Moreover, Kyosuke guessed there had to be a deep, lingering sadness in Minato's heart.
Minato had realized Naruto was his son, yet Naruto hadn't recognized him immediately. This meant Naruto had lost his father at a very young age and had absolutely no memory of him.
Death wasn't scary to a man like Minato Namikaze. But the realization that he would be unable to watch his son grow up—leaving him without a father's love—filled Minato's heart with agonizing guilt.
Kyosuke really wanted to tell Minato that he had only guessed half the tragedy. Naruto didn't just lack a father's love; he lacked a mother's, too.
Fortunately, I'm here, Kyosuke thought. Maybe Minato won't die so early. But even if the plot resists change and Naruto still ends up orphaned, I'll take good care of him. I'll make his childhood better to repay the Minato couple for their care.
Just then, Yamato bumped Kyosuke's shoulder.
"Hey, you haven't taken off your mask this whole time. We're about to leave—let me see what you look like."
"Sure!"
Kyosuke was actually quite curious about what expression Yamato would make upon seeing his face. As he slowly pulled the mask away, he kept his eyes locked on the older ninja.
Yamato's expression shifted wildly. First came confusion, then sudden realization, and finally, utter shock. He pointed a trembling finger at Kyosuke, stuttering, "You... you... you're..."
Just as Kyosuke was about to hear the rest of the sentence, Yamato vanished into light.
The remaining ninjas looked around blankly, clearly having just lost their memories of the entire event.
However, Kyosuke's memory remained perfectly intact. It wasn't sealed—likely a perk of that mysterious gift from his future self.
Having completed the mission, the team returned to Konoha. That night, Kyosuke recounted the entire adventure in the shared dreamscape.
The others were amazed, encouraging Kyosuke to keep up the momentum and master Sage Jutsu as quickly as possible.
"How interesting," Kiichiro mused. "I wonder how far our future selves will actually go. But since they could send a gift back, it means at least we didn't all die out. That's fantastic news."
While Kiichiro expressed his relief, Chisuke turned his attention to Ooka Shin.
"In two days, I'll be undergoing the Jinchuriki sealing," Chisuke said. "Hurry up and borrow the Rinnegan. Once it's successful, we'll all have the strength of a Jinchuriki."
Ooka Shin waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, everything is under control."
After chatting for a while, the group dispersed. The next morning, Ooka Shin woke up and opened his door, only to see Uzumaki Masao swinging a long sword, training diligently in the yard.
On a nearby mat, little Kanae was happily throwing building blocks around.
After giving Masao a few pointers, Ooka Shin sought out Nagato and got straight to the point.
"Nagato, I'm practicing a Secret Technique and need to borrow your Rinnegan for a bit."
If anyone else had made such an outrageous request, they likely would have been cut down where they stood. But Nagato simply nodded, agreeing without a second of hesitation. He even looked worried for Ooka Shin.
"Shin, the Rinnegan has been with me for so long, yet I still feel a deep barrier between us," Nagato warned softly. "I feel more and more that my Chakra isn't enough to unleash its full power. If you transplant it, you must use it with extreme caution."
Ooka Shin laughed. "You misunderstand. I don't want to possess the Rinnegan permanently. I'm just using it to verify a specific Ninjutsu. I only need to borrow it for one day."
Hearing this explanation, Nagato breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with the eye, but he figured that if Shin only transplanted it for a single day, the physical toll wouldn't be fatal.
"When do you need it?" Nagato asked.
"The day after tomorrow."
Nagato thought for a moment. "Then you should transplant it today to get used to its abilities. I can guide you."
Ooka Shin thought that was a brilliant idea. "We should also call Yahiko and Sister Konan. Just in case I end up in danger, you guys have to work hard to save me."
Nagato was left somewhat speechless by Ooka Shin's blatant fear of death. He wanted to use the legendary eyes, yet he was terrified of the consequences, expressing his cowardice without an ounce of pretense.
That is truly Shin, Nagato thought with a faint smile.