[Konoha, Year 83. Naruto's home]
The Sky Screen was still showing the scene of Kakuzu stepping on Asuma's back, but Naruto's family had lost interest in watching.
Hinata sat beside Naruto, her hands folded in her lap. She glanced at Naruto, then at the two children, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
Himawari clung tightly to Naruto's sleeve, her eyes slightly red. Although Boruto tried his best not to cry, he pressed his lips together, afraid that if he blinked, his father might disappear.
Naruto forced a brave smile and reached out to ruffle his children's hair, his fingers threading through their soft locks. He then grinned broadly. "Alright, what's with those faces? Maybe the next time the screen plays, it'll tell us the reason, and we can avoid it…"
His smile felt a bit forced in the quiet living room. Himawari buried her face in his chest, staying silent and sullen.
Naruto looked at Boruto, who was on the verge of tears, and his tone grew a little more serious. "Hey, believe in your dad. I'm the Hokage, you know."
Boruto sniffled and turned his head away. "Who's worried about you! I just… I just didn't want you gone because Hima would miss you."
Naruto laughed heartily and pulled Boruto into a hug. "You little brat."
There was laughter in his voice, but his eyes were a little red too.
Himawari looked up, tears still in her eyes. "Dad, you really won't disappear, will you?"
Naruto paused, then gently cupped Himawari's face. "I promise you—no matter what happens, I will always come back to you."
Hinata stood to the side and nodded gently toward Naruto.
Naruto looked at her, warmth flooding his heart. This family was what he would protect with everything he had.
No matter the enemy, nothing could destroy this!
---
[Same timeline, somewhere in a forest]
Sasuke leaned against a large tree, looking at the screen, his brow furrowed.
Kaguya had already been sealed. The Sky Screen had previously called Ōtsutsuki Urashiki the shame of the Ōtsutsuki… and Toneri had long been defeated by Naruto, his Tenseigan gone.
And the Tenseigan was only on par with the Rinnegan, still within the Six Paths level. There was no way they could beat him and Naruto.
That left only one possibility… there were other Ōtsutsuki in the world!
A cold light flickered through Sasuke's eyes.
It seemed that both he and Naruto would have to be careful. The enemy was in the dark while they were out in the open—easy to ambush.
And this time, it looked like they wouldn't have the Sage of Six Paths to help.
Sasuke began planning how to deal with this unknown threat. It seemed he would have to travel more, scout the Shinobi World thoroughly—perhaps he could find some clues about the Ōtsutsuki.
---
[A more distant future timeline]
A boy with a yellow pineapple-like hairstyle, wearing a black cloak and a sword at his waist, walked alone across a desolate plain. What was most startling was that he had only one eye—his right eye was tightly shut, with a vertical scar running through it.
Though he wore a Konoha forehead protector, it bore a prominent scratch mark—marking him as a rogue-nin.
The boy silently vowed: 'Dad, Mom—I will definitely save you!'
Then without looking up at the screen again, he continued straight ahead. And the direction he was heading seemed to be toward Konoha.
The wind lifted his cloak, revealing the hilt of his sword at his waist. The boy's silhouette was lonely but resolute—as if he was heading to a promise with no return.
[Although Shikamaru's intelligence was indeed impressive, the Shinobi World was still a world of supernatural powers. In the end, even the greatest intellect had to bow to overwhelming power.]
[A single Kakuzu was enough to show him how pale and powerless schemes were when faced with absolute strength.]
[And if Hidan didn't have his intel leaked, his immortality plus the cursed technique could barely pass for Kage-level. But once the intel was out, he was nothing—his taijutsu was at best Elite Jōnin level.]
[So if Kakuzu hadn't been there, Hidan would have been done for right then and there.]
On the screen, after Shikamaru trapped Hidan with the Shadow Strangle Jutsu, Asuma, having gained a moment to breathe, once again infused Wind Release Chakra into his blade and limped toward Hidan.
"Kakuzu! Lend me a hand!"
Hidan instantly panicked. "Hey! Hurry up!"
His body was immobilized, and all he could do was watch Asuma close in step by step.
But Kakuzu remained still. It wasn't until Asuma cut off Hidan's head with a single strike that he finally spoke:
"That's why I told you not to let your guard down."
However, Kakuzu still didn't make any move, allowing Hidan's head to remain separated from his body.
"If you wanted help, you should have said so sooner."
"That's because you were too slow, Kakuzu! You bastard—you did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
To the shock of the four Konoha shinobis, Hidan was actually not dead; his head, lying on the ground, actually began to speak.
And not just them; the people from various timelines in the Shinobi World watching the screen were equally shocked.
"How are you supposed to fight that?"
"Exactly! Forget them—anyone would feel hopeless."
Meanwhile, on the screen, Kakuzu finally entered the fray and kicked Asuma's leg, breaking it and sending him to the ground. And before Shikamaru, Izumo, and Kotetsu could react, Kakuzu leaped high into the air and landed heavily on Asuma's back.
"Pff—!"
Under the pained gazes of Hiruzen and the others watching the screen, a mouthful of blood sprayed from Asuma's mouth.
And his expression made it clear that he was badly injured.
Though what made it even more despairing was that Hidan's head and body were being sewn back together by Kakuzu.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Team 10's location]
Ino covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "Asuma-sensei…"
Asuma himself remained calm. With a cigarette in his mouth, he looked at his future self being stepped on by Kakuzu and stayed silent for a moment, then said, "So Kakuzu… really is the stronger one."
Just then, Shikamaru suddenly spoke: "Asuma-sensei, you won't die."
Asuma glanced back at him. "The screen hasn't finished showing everything yet."
"I know." Shikamaru's voice was calm. "But the future can be changed from even this."
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Hidan looked at his own beheading on the screen and touched his neck. "Tch. That Konoha guy is pretty ruthless."
Kakuzu, though, was expressionless. "That's why I told you not to let your guard down."
Hearing that, Hidan turned to glare at him. "You did that on purpose!"
Kakuzu chose to ignore him.
Deidara, on the other hand, let out a whistle. "Hidan, you can still talk after your head's cut off? Impressive!"
"Of course! Lord Jashin protects me!" Hidan raised his chin proudly.
Meanwhile, Itachi sat expressionlessly in the corner.
Immortality?
No such thing exists. Every ability had a weakness, and apart from blood, Hidan's weakness was the ritual circle too. Without access to it, his ability couldn't be activated.
The single eye behind Obito's mask narrowed slightly as his mind raced: 'Now that Hidan's intel has been leaked, he's become too weak. But he was just a pawn to begin with.'
'So even if he dies, it doesn't matter.'
*****
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