"What is Gaara doing?"
On the Chūnin Exams battlefield, Gaara's bloodlust surged as he bled from his fight with Sasuke Uchiha. His older siblings, Kankurō and Temari, leaped into the arena to stop him.
"Enough, Gaara. The match is over."
"Don't forget our mission, Gaara."
Wounded by Chidori, Gaara staggered a few steps forward.
"I'm going to kill him. Kill Sasuke Uchiha!" His eyes were bloodshot. His abnormal state, coupled with his murderous intent, made his brother and sister hesitate to get too close.
Baki: "What are you doing?! The battle has already started!"
He urged Gaara to quickly use Shukaku's power—this was the key step in their alliance with Otogakure, one that would determine the battle's outcome!
Temari stood beside Gaara and reported to their jōnin sensei, Baki:
"Gaara's injuries are worse than we thought, and his chakra is severely drained."
"Making him use 'that' now would put all of us at great risk. It's too dangerous," Kankurō said.
'That' referred to Shukaku's tailed beast power.
Baki cursed under his breath, angrily accusing the siblings:
"It's his fault! He didn't wait for the signal and recklessly tried to transform into his full form, ruining the plan!"
On the battlefield, Sasuke Uchiha and referee Genma Shiranui were confused, not understanding what was going on.
"What's happening?!" Sasuke Uchiha was bewildered. "Weren't we in the middle of the Chūnin Exams?"
Genma Shiranui: "The Sound and Sand ninja have teamed up to attack Konoha. The Chūnin Exams are suspended."
"What?!!" Sasuke Uchiha turned toward the purple, translucent barrier stretching across the arena. "Is that a barrier?"
He then looked over at Gaara, Kankurō, Temari, and Baki.
They were no longer opponents in the Chūnin Exams—they were enemies of Konohagakure!
He and Genma Shiranui overheard Baki's words—
"Gaara is Sunagakure's trump card, our strongest weapon. He's the most important part of this plan. Protect him at all costs until he completes his mission! Got it? Both of you!"
Temari: "But…"
Baki: "Leave this to me. You two go. Find a safe place for Gaara to recover. He needs to replenish his chakra quickly to complete the mission!"
Genma Shiranui: "You think I'll just let you leave like that?"
"If you can defeat me." Baki drew his kunai.
The standoff grew tense. The battle between the ninja villages was about to explode!
…
Taking in the entire situation at a glance, Minato Namikaze swiftly issued orders:
"Kakashi, you'll support Sasuke Uchiha. Prevent the Sunagakure ninja from continuing to be deceived by Orochimaru and causing disaster for Konoha."
"Understood!"
The masked youth Kakashi immediately acknowledged the command.
"Rin, you'll assist Konohagakure's ninja in dispelling the Genjutsu affecting the unconscious spectators."
"Understood."
"Obito, your abilities are unique. Come with me to rescue the Third Hokage."
"Yes!"
"Disperse!"
The four immediately turned and plunged into the battlefield!
...
Sasuke Uchiha and Genma Shiranui saw a flash before their eyes. A youth, roughly Sasuke's age, leaped in front of them.
"Who…?"
Sasuke Uchiha eyed the silver-haired youth warily.
Genma Shiranui could scarcely believe his eyes, convinced that he too had fallen victim to an illusion.
They watched as the silver-haired youth reached behind his back, slowly drawing a silver short sword from its sheath, then spoke:
"I am your future sensei."
Sasuke Uchiha froze, not grasping the meaning.
Genma Shiranui spoke up then:
"You're Kakashi?!"
"Kakashi?!!" Sasuke Uchiha looked at Genma Shiranui beside him in shock. How could he not know Kakashi possessed a ninja technique to reverse aging?
"Forget your strange ideas and focus on the enemy!" young Kakashi said firmly. "That Gaara is the One-Tailed Jinchūriki from Sunagakure in the Land of the Wind. We can't let him release the seal on the One-Tailed Beast here, or else..."
"Jinchūriki?!"
Sasuke Uchiha, present here, didn't understand what Jinchūriki meant.
But Genma Shiranui was stunned. "You mean that kid is the One-Tailed Jinchūriki?! No wonder he's so powerful!" His voice trembled with fury as he glared at Baki. "Bringing a Jinchūriki to Konoha?! Do you really want to start a war pitting tailed beasts against each other?!"
His outburst immediately alerted numerous Konoha reinforcements, including Adult Kakashi and Might Guy.
Hearing the term "Jinchūriki," the adult Jōnin Kakashi Hatake of this world—momentarily forgetting the sight of his childhood self appearing nearby—instantly summoned his ninken, Pakkun. He ordered Sakura to help lift the genjutsu from Naruto, while he and Might Guy leapt directly into the training grounds beside Sasuke Uchiha.
"Kakashi?" Might Guy called out to the young Kakashi beside him. Even with his poor memory for faces, he could never forget the silhouette of his lifelong rival as a child—the figure with his back to them could only be young Kakashi!
Seeing his opponents multiply, Baki signaled for reinforcements, summoning Sand and Sound ninja to rush to his aid.
Watching the growing tide of enemies, Sasuke Uchiha hadn't yet recovered from the shock of seeing two Kakashis—one large, one small. The sudden influx of Suna ninja jōnin had already thrown him into confusion, and now this? A Jinchūriki? A younger version of Kakashi?!
Kakashi Hatake confronted the silver-haired youth blocking their path from the Suna ninja:
"Who exactly are you?"
With no choice, the young Kakashi turned his head halfway, revealing his masked face.
Especially his eyes—black pupils, no scar on the left, and no red Sharingan. This appearance startled every Konoha ninja.
It was undeniably the face of the young Kakashi Hatake!
Sasuke noticed too: "No Sharingan?!"
Young Kakashi replied, "Ah, due to certain circumstances, I've traveled here from the past. But now isn't the time to discuss that. If the opportunity arises, I'll have Minato-sensei explain it to you. By the way, where is Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Time travel?!"
Sasuke Uchiha didn't understand why he mentioned Naruto Uzumaki, but the name Minato felt strangely familiar.
"Minato-sensei?!!" Kakashi Hatake's pupils dilated in shock. "You mean Minato-sensei is here too?!!"
Just as Sasuke Uchiha was about to ask who 'Minato-sensei' referred to, Genma Shiranui exclaimed in astonishment:
"You mean that person is here too?!!"
That person?!
Sasuke Uchiha was completely overwhelmed by the barrage of information. "What the hell is going on?!" He turned to ask Kakashi Hatake beside him.
Kakashi Hatake murmured, "Time travel…"
Indeed, only this possibility could explain everything!
The former Minato-sensei and his younger self had traveled through time to this era!
Baki could hear their conversation too, but he was even more confused than they were.
Young Kakashi told Baki, "You've all been deceived by Orochimaru. The Kazekage has already been killed by him."
"You think we'll believe you just because you say so?"
As expected, Baki didn't believe a word the youth said.
"I'm here! You two must take Gaara and continue the mission!"
The area had turned into a chaotic battlefield with jōnin from three nations—Konoha, Otogakure, and Sunagakure—fighting side by side.
Temari glanced back at her teacher, then left with Kankurō, taking Gaara with them.
Genma Shiranui snorted, "Sasuke Uchiha, you've already reached the combat strength of a Chūnin. As a ninja of Konohagakure, you should be contributing to the village at a time like this."
Sasuke Uchiha froze. "So, basically, we just need to take down that Gaara? That's no different from this exam."
After receiving confirmation, he immediately stood up and leaped out of the Konoha Chūnin Exams arena, heading in the direction Gaara and the others had gone.
Glancing at the direction Sasuke had left, the young Kakashi addressed the remaining ninjas:
"If you see Naruto Uzumaki, tell him to come find us immediately! You jōnin should know that only Naruto Uzumaki can defeat Gaara."
With that, he didn't hesitate and immediately gave chase.
Minato-sensei's mission for him was to stop the Suna ninja from continuing to be deceived by Orochimaru.
Once he left, the remaining Konoha ninjas were even more bewildered.
--You jōnin should know this: only Naruto Uzumaki can defeat Gaara.
Something's off here?!
Why would Kakashi from the past know about Naruto Uzumaki? Could he even know that he's a Jinchūriki?
The Konoha jōnin were utterly perplexed, but the situation here was unfavorable for Konoha. Aside from Baki standing before them, the combined attacks of the Sound and Suna ninja were overwhelming the Konoha ninja beside them. They were being held back by the current circumstances.
Kakashi Hatake gripped his kunai tightly. "All we can do now is trust Sasuke and end this battle as quickly as possible!"
"Could it be that Orochimaru has already placed a cursed seal on you?" The young Kakashi, who had caught up, asked from behind Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke Uchiha didn't answer him. He still couldn't believe the person before him was Kakashi from another time.
Seeing no response, the young Kakashi dropped the subject and asked again, "Where is Naruto Uzumaki?"
"How the hell should I know where that super idiot is!"
"Tsk, this is a bit troublesome."
"What the hell is going on?! If you really are young Kakashi, how could you possibly know Naruto?"
"Well, this isn't something I can explain in a few words," replied the youth Kakashi, who appeared to be the same age as Sasuke Uchiha. "Try to chase Gaara deep into the forest far from Konoha before engaging him. If that guy uses his Tailed Beast power, his body will become super huge."
"How do you know?!"
"I told you, it's hard to explain in a few words."
"You don't look anything like Kakashi!"
"Of course not. My sensei and comrades are still here," said young Kakashi. "But the Kakashi you know has lost everything except you guys. You should know that the Kakashi of the Sharingan lost his most important comrade to gain those eyes."
As they darted through the Konoha forest, young Kakashi pointed to his left eye. "But my left eye remains. That Sharingan still exists perfectly within Obito's eye."
Obito... Obito Uchiha?!
Back in the Land of Waves, after using his Sharingan for the first time, Kakashi had told him privately that the eye was a precious gift from his fallen comrade, Obito Uchiha.
"He traveled in time too?!"
"Yeah, with Minato-sensei. They should be dealing with Orochimaru right now."
…
Naruto Uzumaki = The one from the Chūnin Exams in the original story.
Naruto = The one with the mission scroll, constantly time traveling.
And so on.