"Get lost, and don't ever think about pretending to be related to the Kazekage again!"
The Hidden Sand Ninja escorted Temari to the gate of Hidden Sand Village and then directly chased her away; although it was proven that she hadn't sabotaged the Thunder Track, her constant attempts to cling to the Kazekage and Kankuro made them somewhat displeased with her.
"Leave the Hidden Sand Village, and leave the Land of Wind!"
Once Temari was expelled from the Hidden Sand Village, the Hidden Sand Ninja returned.
"Hmph, you guys, once I restore your memories, let's see how you apologize to me, and Gaara that brat..."
Thinking of this, Temari couldn't help but sigh. She knew that the situation wasn't Gaara and Kankuro's fault, but she still felt a bit sad; more than anything, she wanted to return to Konoha. Gaara and Kankuro had forgotten her, but surely Nara Shikamaru and Lu Dai hadn't, right?
This thought made Temari a bit anxious. She didn't bother to see if the Thunder Track was repaired and hurried quickly in the direction of Konoha.
At the same time,
Konoha also received a transmission from the Tenseigan Clone's guild and immediately dispatched a ninja to investigate.
When the Konoha Ninja arrived at the scene, they were shocked by what they saw — a White Whale, seventy to eighty meters long, appeared on land, which seemed quite incredible.
What shocked them even more was that this White Whale had been killed, and it looked as if it had been hollowed out. The horn that should have been on its head was gone, and several organs were missing from inside the body.
Upon inquiring with the Tenseigan Clone's guild, the guards and others knew nothing; they only heard some noises, and asking was pointless.
The Konoha Ninja, having no other choice, decided to take back the massive White Whale corpse for further study.
A sea creature appearing inland was already a bit absurd. Some Konoha Jonin even connected it to the mission from above, suspecting the White Whale might be related to the exotic beast they were tasked to observe. But without confirmation, all they could do was report the incident.
Once the Konoha Ninja took the White Whale's body away, the Tenseigan Clone's merchant group proceeded on their way, planning to purchase a factory to establish a mobile communications company.
During this time, the Kamui Clone made a trip to retrieve everything the Tenseigan Clone had collected and delivered it to Uchiha Yoichi's main body in Konoha.
Currently, the Tenseigan Clone is establishing influence within the Ninja World, responsible for gathering intelligence. The Kamui Clone stirs trouble in the shadows, acting as the antagonist, while Uchiha Yoichi's main body stays in Konoha, developing the greatest treasure within the Ninja World.
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"Finally, I'm back..."
Upon returning to Konoha, Temari used some methods to slip inside, knowing her identity in Konoha had expired. If presented recklessly, she'd be suspected as an imposter and investigated.
It was nearing dusk. Temari had hurried a long way and even ridden a Thunder Track to get back.
Once inside Konoha, she immediately headed to the Nara Family, continuously praying in her heart, hoping Shikamaru and Lu Dai hadn't forgotten her.
"Huff~ huff~...."
After running to the doorstep of the Nara Family, Temari, panting and leaning against the wall, tried to catch her breath. Ordinarily, this distance was nothing to her, but her previous injuries hadn't healed, and the long journey from the Land of Wind left her exhausted.
"Eh? Auntie, what are you doing at my doorstep?"
As Temari was about to enter, suddenly, a familiar voice from behind caused her to turn around.
Standing there was her son, Lu Dai. Temari felt a burst of excitement, but she couldn't ignore the way Lu Dai addressed her, quickly grabbing his shoulders and saying, "It's me, Lu Dai, it's Mom. You can't remember me, too?"
"Ow, that hurts, let go...."
Nara Lu Dai, feeling some pain from Temari's grip, immediately retreated two steps, escaping her grasp.
Then Nara Lu Dai asked cautiously, "Who are you? What do you want?"
Temari, under Lu Dai's wary gaze, didn't step forward but hurriedly said, "I'm your mother, Lu Dai, you can't remember me?"
"You... shouldn't joke about someone else's deceased family!"
Nara Lu Dai rebuked Temari angrily, giving her a cold stare before continuing, "Move aside; I need to go home. You'd better not linger near my house, or I'll call the Security Team..."
"Lu Dai!"
"Lu Dai... you brat!!"
Frustrated, Temari stomped her foot but gradually swallowed her anger, knowing Lu Dai wasn't to blame for this. Yet the fact that even her own son couldn't remember her made her truly sorrowful.
Seeing Lu Dai's attitude, Temari suddenly lost much hope that Nara Shikamaru might remember her, but she still wanted to explain things to him, as he was the smartest person she'd ever known.
If anyone could find a solution, it would definitely be Nara Shikamaru.
"I guess it's the ability of that White Whale, it's actually made everyone forget me..."
Temari thought angrily, but she didn't waste any time and headed straight for the Hokage Building.
However, when Temari arrived at the Hokage Building, she couldn't get in because she didn't have her previous identity and Konoha had recently increased security, so she had to ask other Konoha Ninjas to pass a message to Nara Shikamaru.
Even so, Temari waited for more than half an hour before she saw Nara Shikamaru come out from inside.
Nara Shikamaru came up to Temari, not understanding why this woman was looking for him, but politely started to ask, "You're the one looking for me, right? I am Nara Shikamaru, what do you need from me?"
"Listen, I know you might not believe what I'm about to say, but it's all true... I am your wife, Temari, and our child is Nara Shikataro. Eight years ago, when you proposed to me, you said..."
Temari explained the situation calmly this time, without immediately asserting their relationship. She knew Nara Shikamaru was a very rational person, so she directly laid out the situation and emphasized the encounter with the Misty White Whale.
But just as Temari finished speaking, Yamanaka Ino happened to come out of the Hokage Building. Seeing Shikamaru, she greeted him, "Shikamaru, haven't gone back yet? Who is this..."
"I am Temari..."
"Just someone I don't know, I'm about to go back."
Nara Shikamaru interrupted Temari and said to Yamanaka Ino, then turned his head, his expression serious, "Hey, you better not joke about being Shikataro's mother, or I won't forgive you so easily."
"Shikamaru, I'm telling the truth, that White Whale in the mist truly erased everyone's memory of me. You were the one who told me about this... Also, wasn't it the Yin Yang Master in Konoha Ninja Village who informed you about the disaster?"
Seeing that Shikamaru didn't believe her either, Temari felt a sense of despair but did not give up. She quickly shared everything she knew.
"Yin Yang Master... How do you even know about this?"
Nara Shikamaru frowned as he asked. Only Konoha's top officials and the other four Kage knew about Uchiha Yoichi's identity. Outside of these people, many Konoha Jonin weren't aware, but this woman...
Suppressing her anger and sadness, Temari told Nara Shikamaru, "You told me. I was still your wife the day before, you and I talked about it back then, but after I encountered that White Whale in the mist, everything changed, even Gaara and Kankuro don't remember me anymore..."
"And I also know some things about you, like from before..."
Hearing this, Nara Shikamaru immediately frowned.
He didn't really believe such things, but there was indeed something odd about this woman. She not only knew about the Yin Yang Master but also knew some past experiences of his... but memory doesn't deceive, and Nara Shikamaru was sure he wasn't under any Illusion Technique, as he had been with Naruto the whole time.
"Come with me."
Nara Shikamaru decided to go ask Naruto. He might have been under an Illusion Technique, but in the entire Konoha Village, Naruto would be the least likely to fall under one.
Upon arriving at the Hokage Office, Nara Shikamaru knocked and entered, and heard Naruto asking, "Shikamaru, why are you back? Is there something else you need?"
Nara Shikamaru straightforwardly stepped aside, pointing to Temari and asked, "Naruto, do you recognize her?"
Uzumaki Naruto looked at her and asked, "...Who is she? Your friend?"
"Please step outside first."
Nara Shikamaru said to Temari, and after she left the Hokage Office, he started telling Naruto what Temari had just said.
After hearing all this, Uzumaki Naruto was a bit puzzled too, rubbing his chin, he said, "It's very suspicious... I remember your wife has already passed away, isn't that something many people know? So how did this woman suddenly appear..."
"She knows about the Yin Yang Master and a lot of things from my past, which I would only share with someone close... also, I have a familiar feeling about her."
"So you're inclined to believe her?"
"I'm not sure, but the White Whale she talked about in the mist, could it be the White Whale's corpse the Konoha ninjas brought back from Qingchuan County today? This Exotic Beast's ability might have put us all under an Illusion Technique..."
Uzumaki Naruto felt it seemed unlikely and said, "If that's the case, then that kind of ability is truly terrifying. I'll go ask Sasuke. Back then, I also told him about your situation. If it's really an Illusion Technique or memory alteration, Sasuke's Rinnegan should be able to detect it... Shikamaru, you take that woman to ask Mr. Yoichi, perhaps the abilities of a Yin Yang Master could reveal something."
Nara Shikamaru nodded, "Alright then, I'll leave it to you, Naruto."
"No problem, it's just a small matter. I'll also have the Anbu ask our peers. No matter how strong the Exotic Beast is, it couldn't have altered everyone's memory, and that too without us detecting it."
After Uzumaki Naruto finished speaking, he called a Konoha Ninja to assign this task.
Nara Shikamaru also left the Hokage Office. After coming out, he told Temari to follow him and led her to Uchiha Yoichi's drugstore.