“That’s why we’re the Uchiha Clan,” Uchiha Tenxiu said with a faint, unreadable smile, continuing, “But we’re not the Uchiha Clan that was destroyed in your world, you know. Does that explanation make sense to you?”
Uzumaki Naruto endured the severe pain in his body, straightened up, and responded with a firm yet slightly pained voice, “Though I’m very reluctant to admit it, from what you’ve said, it seems I truly have left my original world.” His azure eyes were fixed on Uchiha Tenxiu, a look of unyielding will in his gaze, as if telling the other party that no matter how difficult the situation, he would never give up easily.
“Since you can so easily know about Hyakuzu and my origins, does that mean you also have a way to return us to our original world?” Naruto gritted his teeth, asking word by word, “After all, we come from different worlds, and we’re not necessarily enemies. And since you are a Ninja family of Konoha, you must have some understanding of the future. If you could know what will happen in advance, you could surely find a way to avoid such a tragedy, right? That way, Sasuke and Itachi, as brothers, wouldn’t have to kill each other. Isn’t that a better outcome?”
“Tsk tsk tsk!” Uchiha Tenxiu shook his head with a look of regret, continuing, “In this world, nine out of ten things don’t go as planned! Various difficulties stand in the way, making them hard to overcome. You can only blame your own bad luck! As for not necessarily being enemies? How could that be! Think about it, you are the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, and the Nine-Tailed inside you is a rare treasure! Since we’ve met it, who would let you go!”
As he spoke, he secretly sneered, thinking these were just lies to deceive the other party.
As for the talk that the other party couldn’t go back, that was purely because he himself was unwilling.
If he was willing to unlock the time-line lock and allow the power of the Dragon Vein to teleport them, he could, of course, send Hyakuzu and Uzumaki Naruto back immediately.
But why?
He wasn’t his father.
There was no reason to help him.
Long ago, in his previous life.
His so-called goodwill had already been completely worn away.
The reason he was still chatting with the other party here was simply to buy time.
After all, just now, in Uchiha Tenxiu’s perception, several uninvited guests had suddenly intruded here.
With Uchiha Tenxiu’s strength, he was fully capable of dealing with these uninvited guests in an instant.
However, things were not that simple.
Because among these people, there was one person who was being targeted by certain Holy Lands, which complicated the situation.
Uchiha Tenxiu knew that if he engaged these people, it would likely trigger an intense battle, and might even attract the attention of some Holy Lands.
Although he was full of confidence in his own strength.
But in battle, any small mistake could lead to unexpected consequences.
Especially now, Xiao Longnv Ao Ling was absorbing the power of the Dragon Vein. If she was disturbed at this critical moment, the power of the Dragon Vein could very likely go berserk. Once the Dragon Vein went out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable, and the situation would probably become irreparable.
Therefore, Uchiha Tenxiu decided to adopt a more cautious approach.
He skillfully stalled for time while chatting with these uninvited guests, attempting to distract them and also buy himself more time to consider countermeasures.
Beside him, Uchiha Chiri, who was in sync with Uchiha Tenxiu, naturally understood this and made no unnecessary movements.
Outside.
A few minutes ago.
“Who are you?!” Minato Namikaze gripped his kunai tightly, looking suspiciously at the several people wearing Konoha Ninja Village headbands in front of him, secretly pondering their identities. He had never seen these people in the Village, which surprised him greatly.
Konoha vests, Konoha headbands!
Minato Namikaze’s gaze swept back and forth over the several people, trying to find some clues from their clothing and demeanor. However, these people were all extraordinary in strength, making them difficult to fathom. They were clearly at least Jonin level. If they were Konoha Ninja, they wouldn’t be so obscure!
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in the Village! What is your mission this time…?” Minato Namikaze spoke again, a hint of alertness in his tone. He couldn’t help but recall some strange things that had been happening in the Village recently, and his doubts deepened.
Shibi Aburame, standing beside him, was equally curious about these people. As a Ninja from the intelligence division, he had detailed records of all Konoha members.
However, when he carefully examined the faces of the other people, he found that he had no impression of them at all.
“I’ve never seen them among the Ninja in the intelligence department before!” Shibi Aburame shook his head, stating definitively.
This result made Minato Namikaze’s brow furrow even deeper, and he began to doubt the true identities of these people.
Could they be secret Ninja from certain clans?
Minato Namikaze pondered secretly.
This possibility was not non-existent.
After all, many clans in Konoha Village possessed their own Ninja forces, and the actions of some clans were often quite covert.
“I haven’t seen them either!” Akimichi Choza murmured.
Minato Namikaze decided to continue observing every move of these people, to see if he could find any clues. At the same time, he secretly prayed that this was just a coincidence and not some particularly dangerous situation.
Opposite.
Yamato was also completely bewildered, looking warily at the Konoha-style Ninja attire of the people opposite him, thinking to himself, "It seems they are indeed from the Akimichi Clan and Aburame Clan, but Lady Tsunade only assigned our squad to this mission, so who are they..."
"Yamato-sensei, they're so strong, and they look like Konoha Ninja too! Do you know them?" Sakura Haruno asked, her gaze fixed on the three people opposite.
"I haven't seen them either, and their attire isn't like Danzo's subordinates!" Sai thought to himself.
Sakura Haruno and Sai guarded on either side, left and right, fearing a sudden attack from the other party. Looking at the power radiating from them, Sakura Haruno was even more annoyed in her heart: "Damn Naruto, using some Great Ball Rasengan, he hit the core of the Dragon Vein and sent us to who knows where!"
Clearly, at this moment, she still didn't know that they had traveled through time and space and arrived in a parallel world.
At this moment, Minato Namikaze, the Konoha team leader sent to seal the Roran Dragon Vein, was solemnly greeting his three teammates, while also warily facing the three unfamiliar Konoha Ninja, preparing to introduce themselves.
Due to the special nature of this mission, everyone dared not be careless, as it involved major affairs between two countries, and even a slight mistake could prematurely trigger a war.
For this reason, the Village only dispatched one squad to carry out this mission, and this squad was composed of Konoha's most loyal people, so that even if the Dragon Vein of Roran, an ally of the Land of Wind, was sealed, it would not be exposed.
However, to their surprise, another unfamiliar team appeared for some unknown reason.
Although their hearts were full of doubts, seeing the Konoha headbands worn by the other party, both sides decided to try to communicate with each other before making their secret plans.
And in the simple negotiation, both sides reported their names.
Of course, Minato Namikaze and the others used fake names.
For this Roran mission, they had specifically come to seal the Dragon Vein and make this granary of the Land of Wind disappear.
How could they expose their real names?
Even other Konoha Ninja were not qualified to know this information.
"Haruno, this seems to be a Konoha clan! As for Sai and Yamato, I haven't heard of them!" Minato Namikaze thought to himself, planning to extract more information.
However, just as they were about to learn more about the situation, a fierce battle sound suddenly came from not far away. This sudden sound immediately drew their attention, and everyone rushed towards the direction of the battle without hesitation.
However, before they could even reach the battlefield.
The battle inside seemed to have already ended.
From the situation inside, one side of the battle was Uzumaki Naruto, whom they were looking for, and the battle ended unusually quickly, clearly the other party had achieved victory in a short time.
Reflected in the mirror, the result of Uzumaki Naruto being impaled and captured by a Chidori Blade appeared in their eyes.
"This person, for some reason, looks so familiar, and it makes me worried!" Minato Namikaze frowned, holding the mirror, and for some reason, his heart tightened.
To prevent any potential harm to Naruto from the people inside, at the plea of the opposing team, Minato Namikaze and the others decided to temporarily hide and observe the development of the situation.
After all, no matter how suspicious Minato Namikaze was, in the face of a fellow countryman's life, he still put aside his caution and went with them to the entrance of the Dragon Vein core, listening to the words inside, preparing to gather some information before making a decision.
At the same time, Minato Namikaze took off his mask and verbally arranged the subsequent action plan for the other side.
And on the other side.
"That... that face, it's actually Fourth Hokage-sama! This... how is this possible? Isn't Fourth Hokage-sama already dead? But now, I actually saw him with my own eyes!" Captain Yamato's face was filled with astonishment, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg, his eyes as wide as copper bells, staring fixedly at the person in front of him, as if he had seen a ghost.
His heart was churning with turbulent waves, and various thoughts flashed through his mind. Could it be that the Dragon Vein they were pursuing contained immense space-time power, which actually allowed them to travel through time? This was simply too incredible!
Captain Yamato's body trembled slightly as he tried to calm himself down, carefully observing every move of the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth Hokage's face was clearly displayed before his eyes; that familiar outline, that iconic golden hairstyle, the sun-like smile, all told him that the person in front of him was the legendary Fourth Hokage.
Yamato took a deep breath, trying to calm the ripples in his heart. He turned to look at Sakura Haruno and Sai beside him, and saw that they too were shocked and incredulous.
Yamato quickly gestured for them not to act rashly, to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Yamato lowered his voice and said to Sakura Haruno and Sai, "Don't move yet, let's observe the situation first."
His gaze was fixed on the Fourth Hokage, and at the same time, he pricked up his ears, listening to the conversation inside, trying to gather some useful information from it.
