"That is more or less the reason I hurriedly had the Anbu disturb your family gathering… I apologize, Fugaku. It was clearly such an important day for reuniting with your family, yet this sudden incident has left you with regrets."
Inside the Hokage's office, after listening to Minato Namikaze briefly explain the cause of the incident, the solemn-faced Fugaku Uchiha turned to look at Sasuke Uchiha, who stood behind him with a bewildered expression, and Itachi Uchiha, who had revealed a thoughtful look.
After taking several deep breaths, Fugaku slowly opened his mouth and asked, "In other words… this incident happened because Naruto accidentally rescued an Uchiha clansman no one recognizes from an alley in Konoha, and because he heard his own name from that person's mouth, so the matter received special attention, correct?"
"More or less."
Minato Namikaze nodded.
Then he took out the turtle-shaped treasure Naruto had picked up from his desk and pointed at it.
"Although we have basically ruled out the possibility that the other party is a member of Konoha's Uchiha clan, I would still like to confirm it with you, Fugaku… Is this strange treasure something that belongs to your Uchiha clan?"
"No, it is not."
Fugaku Uchiha decisively denied that possibility.
"The Uchiha clan has no small number of secret treasures, but among them, there should be no treasure with this appearance. I can give you that answer with absolute certainty."
"Then that Uchiha of unknown origin becomes very suspicious."
Minato Namikaze sighed.
Then he turned his head toward Itachi Uchiha, who seemed to want to say something.
"Itachi, have you thought of something?"
"When I was studying in Kirigakure, I once saw a blueprint from Lord Mizukage that was… similar to this treasure."
Itachi Uchiha cleared his throat and pointed at Karasuki, which sat quietly on the desk.
"I was quite curious at the time, so I asked Lord Mizukage what the item depicted on that blueprint was, and why he had deliberately hung it in a prominent location in the library with a bounty attached…
"Then he told me that this was a secret treasure of the Otsutsuki clan that had somehow been lost in the shinobi world. It possessed the power to allow those who had Otsutsuki bloodline and chakra to cross space-time and return to the past. The reason he was able to learn certain things related to the future was because he had once encountered someone from the future, carrying this treasure and traveling backward against the flow of time…"
"A future person going against the flow of time, possessing the bloodline of the Otsutsuki clan…?"
Minato Namikaze and Fugaku Uchiha exchanged glances, and both saw the same troublesome look in the other's eyes.
A future person who had gone against the flow of time.
That alone was enough to drag the man rescued by Naruto into an enormous vortex.
And if the element of the Otsutsuki clan's bloodline was also added to him, then the difficulty of the matter would increase several times over.
Just as everyone in the Hokage's office was digesting this shocking fact, a newly installed dedicated communication device inside the office suddenly produced a noise that could not be ignored.
"Hm? Kakashi? Why would he…"
Looking at the communication device built specifically to contact Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's liaison ambassador stationed with Akatsuki, Minato Namikaze frowned deeply and connected the communication with a somewhat uneasy heart.
"Moshi moshi, is Minato-sensei there?"
Once the communication connected, Kakashi Hatake's somewhat listless face quickly appeared on the screen.
He greeted Minato Namikaze out of habit.
Then, without waiting for Minato Namikaze to ask why he had contacted them, Kakashi Hatake sped up his speech and said, "Kirigakure sent a message to Shisui Uchiha, who is serving as ambassador in Akatsuki, saying that there is something very important they need to communicate with Konoha about. Do you have time to contact Kirigakure now, Minato-sensei?"
"Is that so? Then the timing is perfect. We also have an important matter to communicate to Kirigakure. Since these two matters have coincidentally collided, let us handle them together."
Minato Namikaze maintained a calm expression and nodded to Kakashi Hatake on the other end.
After receiving Minato Namikaze's response, Kakashi Hatake turned his head with an expression that was half surprised and half relieved, speaking to another person beside him.
"You heard that too, right, Shisui?"
"Mm, I heard it… What a coincidence, isn't it, Kakashi-senpai?"
Shisui Uchiha's light, bright voice came from beyond the screen.
"I do not think this kind of coincidence is anything pleasant… Arrange the call between the two sides as soon as possible. Somehow, I have the feeling this will be another major event affecting the situation and development of the entire shinobi world after the moonfall incident."
Thus, under the premise that both Konoha and Kirigakure had matters they needed to communicate, the line between the two sides was quickly established.
After a burst of flickering static, Rei Kaguya's figure appeared on the small screen.
He was dressed in white, and the horns on his head had become even more distinct. In a tone like that of someone greeting a neighbor he was on good terms with, he addressed everyone on Konoha's side.
"Yo, good evening, everyone… I did not expect that on such an ordinary day, one that seemed to have nothing rare or unusual about it, both of our sides would encounter situations requiring active communication."
"Ah. It is indeed an unforeseen situation."
Minato Namikaze nodded.
Then he picked up Karasuki, whose function had just been exposed by Itachi Uchiha, and brought it into Rei Kaguya's view. In a low voice, he asked, "Lord Mizukage should not be unfamiliar with this item, correct?"
"Hm? That thing is with you?"
Rei Kaguya first revealed a somewhat surprised expression.
But immediately afterward, as if he had thought of something, he quickly nodded gently again and spoke in a calm, still voice.
"Then again, that makes sense. Since the person we picked up on our side did not have Karasuki, the tool used to cross space-time, it is only natural that it would appear on your side… After all, on that worldline, you Konoha are the protagonists of the shinobi world."
"As expected, Kirigakure also picked up an Otsutsuki blood descendant who crossed space-time?"
Minato Namikaze glanced at Itachi Uchiha, whose expression was gradually becoming serious and grave, then turned back to Rei Kaguya and asked.
"Uh, I feel that, considering your identity, calling the Uzumaki clan's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki we unexpectedly picked up an Otsutsuki blood descendant might hurt his feelings a little… How about considering a different way to refer to him, Lord Hokage?"
Rei Kaguya glanced at someone beside him and spoke in a somewhat sympathetic tone.