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The great battle concluded, and the Thousand Tower, which had been perfectly intact moments ago, was now a wasteland swept by a storm. If this place hadn't been right in the center of Roran, a single battle might have caused countless casualties.
Only the young man who had just trampled a god under his feet still stood atop this ruin. The wooden body beneath his feet seemed to age thousands of years in an instant, rapidly corroding and decaying, eventually turning into an unrecognizable mud. The massive Ryumakyu energy wrapped around his body, and the Chakra extending from this energy, also dissipated unknowingly, melting into the air.
He stood quietly at the highest point of the ruins, his wounds vaporizing and healing at an astonishing speed. His entire body seemed to be enveloped in a cloud of white smoke, yet he still held a small black bead in his hand, observing it carefully.
The entire battle seemed long, but at their level, it was actually only a dozen seconds.
Miss Sara, the Crown Princess of Roran, stared blankly, still dazed, as the Thousand Tower, which had been fine just now, turned into this state in the blink of an eye.
The moment she reacted, tears of grievance almost fell.
Only then did the people present finally come to their senses.
"He's strong, like a monster."
"Injuries of that magnitude healed completely in an instant, and apart from spatial attacks, no other abilities could even touch his body."
Sasuke still had his Sharingan activated. He was probably one of the people present who saw things most clearly.
However, after witnessing Sawara Kiri's furious assault just now, the arrogance he had previously harbored, that 'each generation is stronger than the last,' immediately vanished.
"Of course."
Kakashi, since he could remember, had been overshadowed by Sawara Kiri's monstrous aura. Despite showing supe talent, when compared to the target that was Sawara Kiri, it amounted to nothing. A beacon he could never catch up to, no matter how hard he tried, for decades, he had naturally developed a strong capacity for acceptance.
Now, seeing Sasuke also involuntarily express the same sentiment he once had, he couldn't help but smile, calmly saying:
"That is, after all, Lord Fifth."
"The strongest Hokage in history."
Originally, Naruto, Sasuke, and the others, upon hearing this legendary title, couldn't help but feel a little unconvinced. But now, after witnessing his fighting style firsthand, that competitive spirit in their hearts immediately calmed down.
However, they did not lose their fighting spirit because of it.
Namikaze Naruto looked at that back and suddenly revealed a sunny smile:
"I've decided!"
"I'll aim to surpass him."
"Otherwise, even if I become the Eighth Generation, I'll probably feel unworthy!"
Sasuke, who had just been staring blankly, immediately shot him a glance. Seeing his characteristic smile, he suddenly snorted for no reason, disdainfully saying:
"Idiot."
"I'm the future Eighth Hokage."
"Huh?!"
"Who are you calling an idiot!"
"Hey, hey, hey, you two, the seniors are still watching."
Sakura, who was trying to mediate, looked at these two fools who had been competing for first place since the Ninja Academy, and couldn't help but show a helpless expression.
Kakashi, on the other hand, watched cheerfully, completely unconcerned by this minor matter.
It's a good thing for young people to have fighting spirit.
If he hadn't worked so hard back then, he probably wouldn't have achieved even this much now, would he?
As a teacher, Kakashi felt some comfort in his heart.
On the other side.
Orochimaru and the others had already arrived beside Sawara Kiri. His golden snake eyes subconsciously swept towards the bead in his hand:
"Is this the power source of that clone?"
"Yes."
Sawara Kiri tossed the bead in his hand, then threw it to Orochimaru, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, this thing is most likely the core of the Shinju, or something like a shinju seed."
"Oh?!"
During their conversation with Kakashi's team earlier, they had already, based on future intelligence, revealed information related to the Ōtsutsuki Clan to Sawara Kiri and the others. Naturally, they were well aware of what level of treasure the so-called shinju seed was.
Now, upon seeing that this small bead was the shinju seed, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya's eyes seemed to light up unconsciously.
Sawara Kiri continued to remind them: "If you only look with the naked eye, you might not notice too many clues."
"I just observed it with my 'Six Eyes.' This bead should have been compressed by Ryumakyu energy, and there are still quite a few traces remaining on it. At the same time, the surface also has extremely fine sealing patterns. The overall structure is quite complex, and I can't quite understand it at the moment."
"If possible, I hope Orochimaru-sama can study it carefully later."
"Yes."
Ever since Orochimaru received the bead, he had been constantly sensing its internal structure with Chakra, just as Sawara Kiri had done. Even Sawara Kiri only listened with one ear, his gaze never leaving it from the start.
However, Sawara Kiri held great tolerance for this rare Ninja World scientist, completely unconcerned by this minor matter. He then looked up at the underground cavern from which Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had just emerged:
"Before that, let's go down and take a look first."
"If I'm not mistaken, the formation below is the key factor capable of gathering Ryumakyu energy."
As he spoke, he turned his head and greeted Kakashi's team: "Kakashi, you all come over and help too. When it comes to future technology, you should be more proficient."
"Also, do you have any relatively practical scientific research Ninja tools on you?"
"Leaving a few for us as backup shouldn't be a big problem, right?"
"Yes!"
Hearing the call, Kakashi also quickly stepped forward.
However, for a combat-oriented team like theirs, asking them to carry a few scientific research Ninja tools with them was quite a challenge.
Kakashi thought for a moment, took out a few capsules from his Ninja tool pouch, and brought them to Sawara Kiri, saying somewhat apologetically: "Sawara-sama, if we're talking about scientific research, I only have these few reconnaissance Ninja tools... I don't know if they can meet your requirements."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru immediately looked up, staring intently at the capsules in his hand, and smiled:
"Then we will gladly accept them."
He was truly not polite at all in this regard.
Kakashi didn't mind this small matter either.
Even in their era, Orochimaru-sama was still the evergreen tree of the Ninja research world. Kakashi knew his personality all too well.
After dealing with these trivial matters, noticing Princess Sara's eager gaze, Sawara Kiri then led the group to leap underground, directly into the Ryumakyu barrier deep within the earth's core.
Noticing the figure lying on the ground, Sara's heart immediately felt a tug. She rushed over, cradling her body:
"Mom!"
Orochimaru first walked to the side of the great formation, carefully observing the surrounding sealing patterns. He found that most of them were parts he could decipher, which put his mind at ease. He then stepped beside Queen Luya, bypassed Sara, placed one hand on her forehead, and sensed for a moment. Only then did he say in a hoarse voice, like coaxing a child:
"Don't worry, she's just mentally exhausted. Her life is not in danger."
"She should recover after sleeping for a day or two."
Upon hearing this, Sara's unuttered cries immediately stopped, whether from fright or stiffness, and she stared blankly in Orochimaru's direction.
Orochimaru, appearing accustomed to such scenes, smiled gently:
"Don't worry."
"Also, are you interested in being my assistant?"
"..."
Sara looked at him timidly, then at her mother in her arms, and whispered, "Excuse me, may I give you an answer after my mother wakes up?"
After witnessing the world-destroying scenes just now, Sara dared not show the slightest disobedience to these Ninjas, only hoping that Roran would not suffer such a disaster again.
However, while feeling uneasy, she also inexplicably felt a sense of longing.
If I were strong enough, Mother wouldn't have been abducted by Anrokuzan like before, and the country wouldn't have suffered such destruction, right?
The young Sawara thought silently to herself.
Sawara Kiri only glanced at him before looking away.
Lord Orochimaru, the professional child abductor, was coaxing a child again.
He clearly had his eyes on her Kekkei Genkai, which allowed her to control the Ryūmyaku energy, didn't he?
Of course, Sawara Kiri wouldn't criticize such a thing; at least, what Orochimaru was doing now was beneficial to most people.
As he thought, he stepped onto the Ryūmyaku energy barrier located in the center of the underground.
Sawara Kiri gradually activated his Six Eyes to its limit, carefully sensing the delicate energy slowly seeping out from underground.
Even just standing there, he could clearly feel the countless Ryūmyaku converging here, ultimately condensing into a power as violent and hidden as a volcano.
He seemed to think of something and suddenly took out the shinju seed he had just retrieved, connecting it to the great war with his Chakra.
"Om—"
The next moment, the shinju seed actively absorbed the Ryūmyaku energy, floating in front of him out of thin air.
Everyone present instinctively showed vigilance at first.
However, after seeing Sawara Kiri standing there, they couldn't help but relax a little.
Even though the current Sawara Kiri was still young to Kakashi and the others, he seemed to have an innate power that could put people at ease.
As long as he remained standing there, it was enough.
Almost at the same moment this formation began to operate passively.
In the distant ruins, a corresponding pillar of light also rose.
Everyone present felt a jolt in their hearts, then suddenly realized that it should be the direction from which Kakashi and the others had appeared.
Although the spatial ripples were still very subtle, Kakashi's team and the others all brightened up.
Sure enough, since they could appear at this point in time, there was a chance to go back!
"Lord Fifth."
Although Kakashi was pleasantly surprised, he still turned his head and looked in Sawara Kiri's direction, clearly asking for instructions.
Sawara Kiri thought for a moment and gave them a smile:
"You also have your own era; you shouldn't stay here. It's already enough that you've left us so much information from the future."
"Thank you very much this time, Kakashi."
"You're welcome, Lord Fifth Generation."
He looked up at Sawara Kiri on the platform and sincerely said, "We also sincerely hope that you can change this directionless era."
"Please, you must survive the dangers of the future."
Kakashi looked at him quietly.
Sawara Kiri, however, just waved his hand, as if he didn't care about life and death at all, yet his tone seemed to carry unparalleled confidence:
"Of course."
"I'm the strongest!"
Upon hearing this, Kakashi looked at him quietly, then suddenly showed a relaxed smile.
"Yes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the group, carrying Mukade's corpse, walked towards the direction where the pillar of light rose—no one knew how long this passage would last.
But before leaving, Namikaze Naruto still turned his head and looked at the man in the crowd who was watching him, showing a sunny smile and mouthing something.
Namikaze Minato looked at him, as if he understood, and nodded gently.
Live on.
Love is the most distorted curse, yet also the most sincere blessing.
Namikaze Minato, bearing the love from his wife and future son, would never betray this emotion.
Sakumo, however, merely met Kakashi's gaze; the father and son tacitly said nothing, their eyes alone sufficient to convey their mutual trust.
After all, his son had grown into a Ninja that everyone could rely on, hadn't he?
Everyone looked at Kakashi's team.
The moment they entered the pillar of light, everyone present felt a strong spatiotemporal ripple.
The next moment, they all vanished.
All that remained before them were the few capsules in their hands.
However, after their figures disappeared, the originally clean and new surface of the capsules also seemed to have suddenly undergone countless years of erosion, abruptly covered with tiny specks of rust.
As if they had experienced countless changes over a long period of time.
Orochimaru precisely detected this.
However, his research in the field of space-time could not be said to have just begun, or rather, he had not even entered the threshold. Even if he had discovered the corresponding phenomena, he could not explain them for the time being.
The only thing to be thankful for was that the more unknown something was, the more it could stimulate his research desire.
Indeed.
In this world, only curiosity is the driving force for human progress.
"It seems we need to designate this place as a protected area."
After the future team had all disappeared and everyone was in a strange state of melancholy, Jiraiya suddenly spoke, changing the subject, his gaze fixed on the formation on the ground, his expression grave:
"If we are to maintain observation of space-time, as young Sawara said, it would be unsafe to keep it within the Roran."
"No one can guarantee that there is only one Mukade in this world."
The moment they heard this, everyone present involuntarily shivered, as if they had just realized this point.
"Indeed."
Sawara Kiri's voice was equally grave, as he stared directly at the shinju seed floating in mid-air: "The importance of the shinju seed alone means we cannot ignore it."
"Besides, although we don't know why other Ōtsutsuki Clan members didn't directly set their time point to this current stage, we still need to prepare in advance."
He turned to look at everyone, unusually serious: "Please, esteemed lords, do not underestimate the power of the Ōtsutsuki Clan because of that woman's strength just now."
"According to what Kakashi and the others said earlier, other Ōtsutsuki Clan members who appeared in the future could be tens or even hundreds of times stronger than her, to the point that my future self, who prepared for many years with the entire village's strength, still had to die at their hands."
"I hope you all understand the danger in this."
Although he was still young, his words showed that this young man already had some resemblance to the future Fifth Generation Hokage.
Orochimaru calmly nodded: "The idea Kiri-kun proposed earlier is very good."
"If we can establish an organization that can transcend space-time and observe all world lines as a whole, it will be very beneficial to us."
"With carriers like the shinju seed, which are beyond the influence of space-time, it should be possible to achieve this."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the seed floating in mid-air.
Although this place was still a ruin, everyone could imagine what kind of scene it would be in the future.
"That would be great." Sawara Kiri seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, smiling at Orochimaru.
Sawara quietly listened to their words beside them.
Although they were mostly talking about building something here, it was most likely to protect them, right?
As a princess, she naturally had a possessive desire for her country's treasures—this was not selfishness, but a pure stance.
However, seeing her mother, who had fainted from exhaustion due to Anrokuzan, and the buildings around them that were constantly being destroyed, she now deeply realized the fragility of ordinary people compared to Ninja.
If she could also become a Ninja...
The young girl couldn't help but purse her lips, subconsciously thinking this to herself.
A few days later.
After Queen Sēramu awoke from her coma, learned about the series of events that had occurred during this time, and regained power, the group took the shinju seed, made rubbings of the underground barrier seal, and returned to Konoha.
But besides that, there were other troubles.
Although no one present said anything, Sawara Kiri was still very clear that the Kekkei Genkai Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had awakened in him, and the bone layer almost identical to Shikotsumyaku, certainly couldn't be hidden from the eyes of those at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.
The problem now was how to fully disclose these 'small matters' to the Sannin.
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