Before anyone could dwell on it for long, the scene shifted again.
Uzumaki Naruto had finally formed his Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and charged straight at Kakuzu. He fought his way to point-blank range, ready to land the decisive blow.
Then, at the critical moment, his chakra ran dry.
The Rasenshuriken destabilized in his hand. It flickered, nearly collapsing entirely. For a split second, Naruto almost fell into Kakuzu's grasp, his heart within reach.
At the last possible moment, Hatake Kakashi and Yamato stepped in together and dragged him to safety.
Only when he saw Naruto rescued did Uchiha Sasuke quietly let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding.
"Naruto… running out of chakra?" Kakashi's lips twitched.
He would never forget the first time he sensed Naruto's chakra reserves. A hundred times his own. And that had been when Naruto was just a little kid.
Three years later, after growing into adolescence, that amount should have been even more terrifying.
"Or maybe the jutsu isn't complete yet," Kakashi muttered. "Too unstable."
"Or he burned through it in the earlier fight," Jiraiya said calmly.
That explained why Naruto and Yamato had arrived late. The battlefield clearly extended beyond what the video showed. Hidan and Kakuzu were not the only enemies that day.
Naruto must have already exhausted most of his chakra before coming here.
Meanwhile, Kakuzu entered another phase.
Strange threads and coarse black fibers spread over his body like writhing fur, reinforcing him.
Naruto formed shadow clones again and charged.
This time, he hurled the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Kakuzu, intent on killing Naruto's real body, never expected him to hide among his shadow clones as bait.
The Rasenshuriken struck clean.
In an instant, every pore, every cell in Kakuzu's body erupted in blood. The microscopic blades of wind tore through him from the inside out. Even with multiple hearts, even with multiple lives, one of them was obliterated on the spot.
One strike.
Fatal.
The video ended there.
Everyone watching let out a collective sigh.
Fighting the Immortal Duo had been exhausting, even from the sidelines.
"That kid… he's taken the shadow clone jutsu to another level," Tsunade admitted.
When the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, invented the shadow clone technique, many shinobi incorporated it into their tactics.
But no one had elevated it like this.
It was as if the technique had been tailor-made for Naruto.
Of course, that likely had something to do with him being the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. For most people, each shadow clone split their chakra in half. Creating clones only to have them explode as bait would be suicide.
But Naruto's chakra reserves were enormous. As the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, he could recover at incredible speed.
Only someone like him could fight that recklessly.
Still, Tsunade's expression darkened.
"That Wind Release: Rasenshuriken isn't finished."
She narrowed her eyes, relying on years of experience as a medical ninja.
The power was staggering, but he had used it at close range. If it could shred Kakuzu, how could it not damage Naruto himself?
She remembered a later clip from Kaede Kitahara's diary. In that future segment, Naruto had solved the flaw. He could separate the Rasenshuriken from his hand and throw it, keeping a safe distance.
Only then would he avoid being caught in the destructive radius of an S-rank jutsu.
Even the aftershock alone could cripple an ordinary shinobi.
"For him to reach this level… no wonder he becomes a savior."
Tsunade was already calculating her future forces.
To survive what lay ahead, she needed Jiraiya back in the village. Not just for his strength, but to help counterbalance the advisers.
Naruto, once fully trained, would at minimum be Kage Level. As the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, once he learned to properly wield that power, that much was certain.
Then there was her future student, Haruno Sakura.
If she trained her diligently over the next few years, Sakura would also reach Kage Level strength.
That would give them four Kage Level fighters.
She would no longer be standing alone.
The real complication was Uchiha Sasuke.
Deep down, Tsunade believed he was not a bad child. Just a boy consumed by revenge.
But the destruction of the Uchiha Clan had not been caused by Uchiha Itachi alone. Konoha's higher-ups had been involved.
When Sasuke learned the full truth, would he be able to let go?
How would that confrontation end?
According to Kaede Kitahara's diary, Sasuke returned to Konoha during the Fourth Great Ninja War and even competed for the Hokage position.
But what had led to that?
It was all too uncertain.
If she could bring Sasuke back as well, Konoha would have two future saviors.
That would change everything.
Just when everyone assumed the diary entry was over, the text refreshed.
[If there's anything more terrifying than traveling to the past, it's traveling to the past of a parallel world.
That damn Kakuzu broke the seal left behind by the Fourth Hokage and sent me straight into the ancient kingdom of Roran. On the surface I'm acting calm, but inside I'm freaking out. What if I can't get back?
In the end, it's all Danzo's fault. If he hadn't put a bounty on me, Kakuzu wouldn't have come after me, and none of this would've happened.
Still, rare opportunity. I got to spoil the future to the Fourth Hokage to my heart's content. I just love seeing father and son both shocked. Minato always plays the perfect rational ninja, but even he likes a good scoop.
Though I have to admit, he's terrifyingly calm. He guessed his own future death, yet for Naruto's sake, he was willing to seal everyone's memories so history could follow its original timeline.
That's probably what it means when people say parents who love their children plan far ahead.
I helped them realize their relationship years in advance. That's got to count as a huge merit, right?
If the Fourth Hokage didn't die, so many tragedies wouldn't happen. Naruto's miserable childhood. The destruction of the Uchiha Clan.
If none of that occurred, just how strong would Konoha be now?
Uchiha Kenji, prepare to die!]
The viewers continued reading.
Their expressions changed dramatically.
Kaede Kitahara had traveled to the past?
They all remembered the earlier video segment. Kakuzu had damaged the Fourth Hokage's seal and dragged Uzumaki Naruto back twenty years.
Now Kaede had ended up there as well, for almost the same reason.
Except this time, it was Kakuzu who broke the seal while chasing him.
"At least the kid's alive," Tsunade muttered, though her brows remained knit together. "But how does he get back?"
He was her most crucial source of information. Perhaps the only one.
If something happened to him, the future would go dark again.
"He really does have a twisted sense of humor," Kakashi said, rubbing his forehead.
Freely spoiling the future for Namikaze Minato because the timeline would reset anyway…
Still, one thought lingered.
"Parallel worlds… do they really exist?"
If so, did that mean there was another version of himself somewhere?
The idea was surreal.
"If the Fourth Hokage were still alive…" Uchiha Itachi murmured.
Even he felt a flicker of longing.
If Namikaze Minato had survived, perhaps the Uchiha Clan would never have reached that breaking point.
Perhaps he would not have been forced to choose between the village and his family.
Maybe by now he would be a Jonin leading his own squad. Returning home after missions to a warm household. Perhaps even married to Izumi, with children of his own.
Instead of waking from nightmares, reliving the sea of blood.
Blood he had spilled with his own hands.
The past could not be changed.
And yet…
Uchiha Kenji?
Itachi's eyes sharpened.
The name was unfamiliar, but it solved a lingering mystery.
Kaede had once mentioned the Uchiha Laughing Four.
Counting himself, Uchiha Madara, and Sasuke, there were only three.
Now the fourth had surfaced.
Uchiha Kenji.
He memorized the name.
"If the Fourth Hokage had lived…"
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes turned red.
"Father… Mother… maybe you wouldn't have had to die."
From Kaede's diary, he had learned enough. If Namikaze Minato had survived, perhaps the clan would never have been pushed toward a coup.
Everything might have been different.
As everyone wrestled with their thoughts, a new video appeared beneath the entry.
[Nine-Tails' Rampage!]