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The two Leaf ninja traveling with Minato Namikaze, Shibi Aburame and Chōza Akimichi, didn't have time to listen to whatever Naruto was saying. The mission came first. "We should keep moving," they urged Minato.
Minato nodded. He gave Naruto and Hanataki one last reminder. "You two should leave this area."
Before their figures vanished, Minato glanced back at Naruto.
Naruto froze. A strange, unnameable feeling pricked at his heart.
"What's wrong?" Hanataki stepped closer, studying the dazed look on Naruto's face.
Naruto snapped out of it, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "Ah, it's nothing."
Just a weird sense of familiarity, that's all.
"Where are you headed?" Hanataki asked.
Naruto's eyes darted. He was a Leaf ninja. This kid, Ryūka, was a citizen of Rōran. He'd definitely know the place better.
Naruto had no idea his thoughts were painted all over his face.
"Let's just… look around!" Naruto declared with enthusiasm, slinging a friendly arm over Hanataki's shoulders. "We're friends now, right?"
His grin was brilliant, his bright blue eyes shining with genuine warmth.
Hanataki's lips curved in an enigmatic smile. "Yeah. I suppose we are friends now."
Naruto's face lit up. The two of them wandered through the streets of Rōran.
Naruto pretended to gawk at the sights, subtly gathering intel all the while.
Hanataki turned a blind eye.
"Is there a festival going on?" Naruto asked, gesturing at the lively crowds.
Hanataki nodded. "Mhm."
Naruto really wanted to ask what festival, but seeing Ryūka's closed-off expression, he wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Who's that?"
They had reached the central square where the festival was in full swing. The place was packed, a sea of bodies pressing in from all sides.
Naruto's gaze was drawn to the girl standing on the high platform.
"That's Lady Sāra, the Queen of Rōran," Hanataki explained, relying on his fuzzy memory of this plot point.
The girl on the platform had long, fiery red hair and delicate features. She stood quietly, a faint, gentle smile gracing her lips as she faced the cheering crowds.
Then, the sudden shift.
CRACK.
A fissure spiderwebbed across the platform beneath Sāra's feet.
Her serene expression shattered into pure terror.
A scream tore through the air—then another, and another.
Sāra fell. A butterfly with a broken wing.
A blur shot past Hanataki's vision.
Naruto was no longer beside him.
Hanataki's attention wasn't on Naruto's heroic dive. His gaze lifted, tracing the path up to the platform's edge. There, a familiar face slammed into his view.
Mukade stood atop the platform, staff in hand, looking down upon his people like a king surveying his domain. As the queen plummeted, his face held no trace of shock or alarm. Only cold observation.
Hanataki looked away before Mukade could notice.
He walked towards the scene of the rescue.
He didn't need to get close to hear the loud, sharp SMACK.
Hanataki: "…"
Well then.
Remembering his current persona, Hanataki strode over, yanking Sāra from Naruto's stunned grasp. His expression was indignant. "He saved you. How can you hit him?"
Sāra's face flushed. "He was being a pervert!"
Naruto stood frozen, petrified by the desert wind.
He'd tried to do a good deed! How did that make him a pervert? He wasn't Sasuke, that playboy!
"You're being unreasonable," Hanataki huffed, releasing Sāra and helping a dazed Naruto to his feet. "You okay, Naruto?"
Naruto looked at him with starry, grateful eyes. A true friend! The only one who understood!
Sāra knew she'd overreacted in her panic, but she wasn't the unreasonable brat this boy implied. She bowed her head slightly towards Naruto. "I… apologize."
"It's fine!" Naruto blurted, remembering a line from Sister Heshu's secret guide: Never argue with a girl.
As Naruto and Sāra tentatively conversed, Hanataki felt it—three distinct chakra signatures moving rapidly towards their location.
Moments later, the three masked figures reappeared before them.
"You guys! Again?" Naruto's eyes bulged.
Why did he keep running into them? Nothing made sense. Leaf ninja should recognize him! Why was there zero reaction?
Minato exchanged a look with Shibi and Chōza. They needed to find a quiet place and explain. Especially since their mission target—Queen Sāra—was now among them.
They retreated to the same glass-domed palace from before. Colored light, fractured by the crystal panes, danced over their small group.
"…My mission is also related to the Rōran Dragon Vein," Naruto finished, scratching his head after listening to Minato's brief mission rundown.
Minato had only mentioned their protective escort mission for the queen, not revealing their identities, masks still firmly in place.
Remembering his companion, Naruto added, "This is Ryūka. He's from Rōran. My new friend!" A wide, proud grin spread across his face at the mention.
Minato's eyes shifted between Naruto and Hanataki. A flicker of understanding passed through his gaze. "I see."
"See what?" Naruto asked, confused.
Instead of answering, Minato reached up and removed his mask.
"Y-You… You're…!" Naruto's eyes went as wide as dinner plates.
Hanataki knew why.
Naruto's pupils trembled. No sound escaped his throat. He could only stare.
Minato wasn't surprised by the reaction. A warm, gentle smile touched his handsome features. "You're a ninja from the Leaf Village… from about twenty years in the future, aren't you?"
Naruto's throat felt sealed shut. He managed a jerky, dumbfounded nod.
"You arrived in Rōran just now. But Mukade arrived here much earlier…" Minato's voice began to fade into the background of Naruto's mind.
Naruto just stared, dumbstruck. One thought echoed, drowning out everything else.
So this… is what Dad looked like when he was young.
"…Mukade has taken the name Anrokuzan. He's a high-ranking minister now, using the Dragon Vein's power to manufacture puppet soldiers. If we defeat him, there's a chance you could return to your own time."
Minato finished his analysis, only to find Naruto still staring at him in a daze.
Minato's eyes softened.
Given Minato's sharp intellect, Hanataki had no doubt he'd already pieced together Naruto's true identity.
How surreal. Meeting your son from the future.
Hanataki felt a gaze settle on him. He raised a brow, meeting it head-on.
Shibi Aburame didn't look away. His eyes held clear, unambiguous suspicion.
Shibi hadn't paid this "ordinary civilian" any mind—until his insects detected an anomaly. The bugs he used for scouting and intel gathering instinctively avoided Hanataki, skirting a wide path around him. It was a fear-driven reflex. It proved this "civilian" was anything but.
Shibi narrowed his eyes slightly behind his glasses. He didn't alert Minato yet, choosing to monitor the situation himself. Even if this person was dangerous, Shibi had absolute faith in Minato Namikaze's capabilities. With the Yellow Flash here, it wasn't a problem.
Don't ask. The answer is always: Yellow Flash, undefeated.
Hanataki didn't mind the scrutiny.
Nearby, Sāra listened to everything, her face pale with disbelief. In her mind, Minister Anrokuzan was loyal, trustworthy. The prosperity of Rōran was his doing. Her heart clenched. Seizing a moment when the others were distracted, she turned and fled.
Compared to these strangers, the minister she'd known for years was far more credible.
"Naruto, you protect Lady Sāra," Minato said. Their alliance for the mission was settled.
Minato took out one of his special Flying Thunder God kunai and handed it to Naruto.
Naruto's expression shifted, a wave of emotion passing through him as he accepted the blade. He opened his mouth, then closed it, choosing instead to dash after the fleeing queen.
Hanataki moved to follow, but Shibi stepped into his path.
"What's the meaning of this?" Hanataki lifted his chin, a cold glint in his eyes.
Minato and Chōza also looked at Shibi, puzzled by his sudden move.
Shibi wasn't sure if Naruto alone could handle this "Ryūka" if things went south. Better to keep the unknown variable near Minato. "You're just a civilian. You'll be safer staying with us," Shibi stated calmly, not revealing his true motive.
Naruto, who had doubled back to fetch Hanataki, heard this and found it perfectly reasonable.
He gave Hanataki a quick wave. "Stay with them, Ryūka! It's safer!" And then he was gone.
"…" Hanataki looked at Shibi. "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"
Minato offered a gentle smile. "Not at all."
Hanataki: "…"
Even after all these years, he still couldn't bring himself to refuse that smile.
Truly, a weapon of mass destruction, that sunny demeanor.
"We need to investigate Anrokuzan's operations," Minato said, outlining the next step to his teammates.
"Understood," Shibi and Chōza replied.
Even on an investigation mission, they brought Hanataki along.
Hanataki muttered, "Such… dedication isn't strictly necessary."
"Hm? Sorry, I didn't catch that," Minato said from ahead, turning back with patient curiosity.
Hanataki: "…I said, you Leaf ninja are truly good people."
Minato blinked, then smiled that gentle smile again.
Anrokuzan's residence was surrounded. Layer upon layer of puppets. Not even a fly could get through. The man was clearly terrified of death. These puppets, without chakra blades to slice their threads, were a nightmare to deal with. Even Minato and his team expended considerable effort. And they had the added "burden" of Hanataki—who couldn't fight, couldn't carry anything, a true liability.
By the time night fell, they'd finally managed to slip inside the compound.
Watching Minato's back as he led the way, a sudden curiosity struck Hanataki. He reached out and tapped Minato's shoulder.
Minato turned, a question in his eyes.
"Do you know a ninja named Heshu?"
Tsukimi Heshu's existence was an anomaly. So, in this timeline twenty years in the past… would there be a "Tsukimi Heshu"?
"Heshu…?" Minato searched his memory. He didn't know any ninja by that name.
Seeing his expression, Hanataki already had his answer.
He tucked the question away, burying the fresh wave of doubt it raised deep inside.
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