"The news of the Kazekage's death has spread throughout the Land of Wind. We don't know the Daimyo's reaction yet, but bandits and rogue ninjas are already crawling out of the woodwork. Our village forces are stretched thin dealing with them... mostly for free."
Walking through the scorching desert of the Land of Wind, Temari explained the dire situation of Sunagakure to Makoto.
The Land of Wind was vast and sparsely populated, mostly endless dunes with people concentrated in a few oases.
Apart from the settlements directly near Sunagakure, villagers in remote areas had no way to reach the Hidden Sand to post missions—and even if they could, they didn't have the money to pay for protection.
"So, it's 'adding frost to snow for an already poor family,' huh?"
"En."
Hearing Makoto's summary, Temari didn't even try to argue.
"Have you forgotten something? Is your brain only filled with swimsuit photos now? Remember the 'Council for Mutual Economic Assistance'?"
"..."
Reminded by Makoto, Temari finally recalled his earlier proposal: If you want to develop, come find me.
"When you have time, compile a list of the Land of Wind's specialty products. The purpose of the Council is to exchange what we have for what we need. It's mutual benefit."
Makoto explained the core principle of the alliance.
He vaguely remembered a few specialties of the Land of Wind: rare desert flowers, resilient medicinal herbs, and tropical fruits.
And although their seafood variety wasn't as extensive as the Land of Water's, when it came to tuna, the Land of Wind actually had the best catch.
That's right—the desert nation had seafood!
It might be a poor country, but it was massive. In terms of sheer landmass, it was the largest of the Five Great Nations.
It had southern and southeastern coastlines, and a deep bay that cut inland.
"Mutual benefit?" Temari muttered to herself, her mind already racing through lists of potential trade goods.
But as she thought, something clicked.
'It felt wrong.'
How could Sunagakure have the authority to make those kinds of trade deals? Even if Gaara became Kazekage, his power only extended to the village and its immediate surroundings.
International trade was the Daimyo's domain.
Temari immediately thought of the Land of Water and the Land of Earth—nations that recently found themselves without Daimyos.
"You... you're not thinking of having us assassinate the Daimyo, are you?"
Temari looked at Makoto in shock.
"Let me tell you a story," Makoto said, dodging the question entirely.
"A story?"
"En."
"There was once a devout believer of the Goddess of Fate. She believed no one was more pious than her, and she was certain she would receive the goddess's favor.
One day, her mother fell gravely ill. A traveling physician passing through her village offered to treat her, but she refused.
She said, 'I worship the Goddess of Fate; she will naturally save my mother.'
So, her mother died, and she was overwhelmed with grief.
Another day, a merchant passed by and discovered that the village's unique wild flowers could be used for medicine. He offered to buy them, which would make the villagers wealthy.
But she believed the Goddess of Fate would lead her to prosperity in a divine way, so she refused to accept what she called the 'dirty merchant's charity.'
Thus, while her neighbors prospered, she alone remained in poverty.
Later, a massive storm hit. Continuous heavy rain threatened to flood the village. A runner from a neighboring town came to warn everyone to evacuate before the mudslide hit.
She refused again, convinced the Goddess of Fate would protect her from the elements.
This time, she died.
After death, she met the Goddess of Fate and demanded to know why, despite her devout faith, the goddess had never once helped her.
Can you guess how the goddess replied?"
Temari remained silent for a moment, absorbing the allegory.
"The physician the first time, the merchant the second time, and the runner the third time—all were sent by the Goddess to change her destiny. She was the one who refused them."
....
Konoha.
After experiencing a second, even more terrifying "awakening," Naruto no longer trusted Boruto.
He was keeping his distance now.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen learned of this, he personally visited Naruto to counsel him. He explained that Boruto had his reasons, that it was a misunderstanding, and that Boruto wasn't the pervert Naruto thought he was.
"Anyone in the world might harm you, Naruto... but that boy never would."
Naruto still held great respect for the Third Hokage. After Hiruzen's earnest persuasion, he finally agreed to reconcile with Boruto.
To cement the peace, Hiruzen brought his grandson Konohamaru and joined Naruto and Boruto in the woods outside the village.
The plan was to guide all three in their training.
After some basic instruction, Konohamaru and Naruto got bored and sneaked off to the river to catch fish, leaving only Boruto and Hiruzen in the clearing.
Hiruzen sensed the opportune moment for a heart-to-heart talk.
He was about to speak when he noticed Boruto clutching his head, his face twisting in pain.
"Child, what's wrong?" Hiruzen stepped forward, his voice full of concern.
"Uh..." Boruto couldn't respond.
He was locked in a telepathic struggle with the voice in his head.
Momoshiki.
Boruto heard Momoshiki's angry tone and recalled the warning the time-travel turtle had given them: Do not alter history.
Listening to Momoshiki's curses, Boruto realized that Urashiki's plan to travel back in time to capture the Nine-Tails was already destabilizing the timeline.
Could the current disruptions be caused by Urashiki?
Then, the realization hit him.
Momoshiki wasn't yelling because he cared about the timeline—he was panicking because if history changed too much, he might cease to exist inside Boruto.
"If you disappear, that's a good thing! Let's both vanish in this era and not go back to cause trouble for Dad and the others!"
Boruto found his resolve as he was ready to sacrifice himself.
"...What exactly is happening?"
But Momoshiki wasn't done.
His voice echoed in Boruto's mind, colder and more manipulative this time. He showed images of Himawari. Of Hinata. Of Sarada and Mitsuki.
'If the timeline breaks here, they don't just 'not exist.'
'The whole timeline will be erased!'
"Then... what should I do?" Boruto conceded, his resolve crumbling under the threat to his family.
"I'm asking you! What can I do to set time back on its proper course?"
Momoshiki gave Boruto a simple, brutal solution. An example of what needed to be corrected.
"No!" Boruto screamed internally.
"..."
"..."
"Boruto? Boruto? Are you alright?"
Seeing Boruto's expression twisted in agony, Sarutobi Hiruzen grew anxious.
This doesnt look like a normal headache. He prepared to contact Tsunade for medical assistance.
"Hold on, child. I'll get help."
As Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around to perform the Telescope Technique on his crystal ball, the boy behind him went silent.
Boruto's pained expression vanished completely.
He stood up, his face void of any human emotion.
An eerie, blue chakra flared around his body. His right eye transformed into the Byakugan, and a curved horn sprouted from his forehead.
"Let me think... what was that crude little move called?"
The possessed boy raised his hand, in it, chakra swirled violently.
"Ah. The Rasengan."
Swoosh.
Hearing the sudden accumulation of chakra behind him, Hiruzen began to turn his head.
But what he saw was a blur of blue.
A hand wielding a compressed Rasengan pierced straight through his chest.
Splorch.
There was no time to react, his heart instantly shredded by the spiraling chakra and Hiruzen's vision going dark as his knees hit the grass.
As consciousness faded, he heard only one cold, disdainful phrase whispered in his ear.
"Filthy monkey."
---------
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