Curious, Itachi asked, "Where are we going, Father?"
"Time travel!"
"Time travel?" Itachi repeated in disbelief, "Father, do you mean traveling through time? Is that even possible?"
"Of course. And time travel doesn't necessarily mean going back to the past or forward to the future; it could also mean opening a new timeline and entering a parallel world. You don't need to understand all this yet—I only recently discovered it myself."
As they rode on the private railcar headed towards Yoichi's home, Yoichi explained, smiling at Itachi. The railcar's destination was only accessible to Yoichi's family.
Though his house was a bit far from Konoha's city center, the train's speed meant the twenty-kilometer journey took only about twenty minutes.
"If you'd like to go, you can come along," Yoichi continued. "I've noticed that school seems to be getting a bit dull for you lately. Once we return, you might as well go straight to your ninja internship."
"Really? Thank you, Father."
Itachi smiled, grateful. He had long wanted to graduate from the academy, but as the Hokage's son, he couldn't simply break the rules, so he had stayed in school, where he excelled beyond his peers in both knowledge and skills. What he lacked was experience.
"You're twelve now; it's about time," Yoichi said with a wave of his hand. He was curious to see how this Itachi would react if he encountered the Itachi of the massacre timeline—would he agree with that Itachi's beliefs?
When they returned home, Yoichi saw Kushina in the garden, and he approached her with a smile. Itachi, noticing this, went to his room.
Kushina had recently moved in, though it took considerable effort on Yoichi's part to calm his other wives and convince her. Despite her reluctance, she had agreed for the sake of their daughter, Ayane.
"Hmph!" Kushina huffed as Yoichi approached, turning away with Ayane in her arms.
Unfazed, Yoichi wrapped both Kushina and Ayane in an embrace, causing Kushina to murmur, "Let go of me…what if someone sees us…"
"There's no one around, and it's been half a year since you moved in. Still putting on that cold face? If Ayane grows up, she'll definitely ask questions."
In response, Kushina scoffed, "Then I'll tell her all about the terrible things her father did!"
"Including what happened at the Waterfall of Truth?"
Kushina's cheeks flushed as she thumped Yoichi, embarrassed. "You shouldn't say such things in front of our daughter!"
While Kushina no longer harbored anger, she kept up the act to maintain her pride. By the time Ayane was old enough to understand, she'd likely have reconciled fully with Yoichi.
At night, their relationship had already become quite harmonious, sometimes lasting all night.
Although she was his now, Yoichi couldn't help but feel a bit possessive, knowing Kushina had once belonged to someone else.
"Tonight, you and Mina together. I'll keep quiet."
"Don't even think about it!"
"Then I'll bring Mina here. She listens to me."
"You…" Kushina pouted angrily, realizing she couldn't argue with him. "One day, I'll set Mina straight."
"Oh? But you're always asking for mercy in bed. How do you plan to correct her?"
"You're such a… jerk!"
Their playful argument continued in the garden until Mikoto returned, signaling it was nearly time for dinner.
Tsunade entered with Yoko, her cheerful mood apparent to anyone who saw her. She had clearly encountered something pleasant.
But Yoko wriggled free from Tsunade's grip and hurried to Yoichi, clinging to his leg with a pout. "Daddy, Mommy took my money again. She lost hers and took my winnings!"
"That's nonsense!" Tsunade interjected, rushing forward to cover Yoko's mouth.
But Yoichi scooped Yoko into his arms and asked, "Tsunade, did you take her to the casino again?"
"…We just happened to pass by. It wasn't on purpose," Tsunade replied, feigning interest in the wall decorations, her guilty expression betraying her.
Unlike her notorious bad luck, Yoko's luck at the tables was almost divine; no matter where she bet, she won.
Even the casino's skilled cheats would stumble when facing Yoko, ultimately losing their bankroll to her.
Since discovering her daughter's uncanny luck, Tsunade had secretly taken Yoko to the casino multiple times.
"And you took her money too? Hand it over!"
Reluctantly, Tsunade handed over the winnings, unwilling to be embarrassed in front of Kimimaro, who had just returned.
Yoiko beamed as she carefully tucked her money away, ignoring Tsunade's threatening look.
Since Kushina moved in, the dining table had doubled in size. Their household now had twelve members, so they had two tables—one a round, rotating table and the other a long rectangular one.
During dinner, Yoichi announced his plan to take Itachi on a trip the following day, explaining they might return the same day or in a few days.
Mikoto simply urged Yoichi and Itachi to stay safe.
...
After an eventful night, Yoichi woke up between two heads of red hair the following morning.
After breakfast, Yoichi set out with Itachi.
Karin, Sasuke, and Naruto were reluctant to see them go, hoping to join. However, this being Yoichi's first time attempting this, he wanted to avoid taking too many people and managed to persuade them to stay behind.
"Where are we headed, Father?" Itachi asked as they set off.
"To the Dragon Vein. Only in a place like that can we access other timelines. Otherwise, we'd be limited to visiting the past or future of this current time. Do you have any regrets, Itachi?"
Reflecting, Itachi shook his head. His only regret was staying at the academy for several years instead of becoming a ninja sooner.
"Even if you do have regrets, changing the past is risky and could alter the present," Yoichi reminded him as he placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder.
In the next instant, they appeared within the Dragon Vein's barrier.
After relocating the residents of Rōran, Yoichi had redeveloped the area into Konoha's training grounds, with dozens of training rooms near the Dragon Vein for genetic energy cultivation. The area was guarded by five squads of puppets and a few Konoha shinobi.
Itachi had been here before, but he had left after half a month, missing his siblings.
"Let's go."
Yoichi led Itachi to the heart of the training ground, an area protected by layers of barriers strong enough to withstand a tailed beast's attack.
After unlocking two layers, Yoichi revealed the vast energy of the Dragon Vein. Taking out Karasuki, he activated it.
"Wake up and start your function."
The plow-like artifact, resembling a turtle, began to glow, scanning the Dragon Vein's energy before confirming, "Initialization complete. To confirm, do you wish to use this energy for time-space traversal? Note that it may generate a new timeline and enter it."
This was ideal for Yoichi. A new timeline meant no risk of affecting the present, along with the freedom to gather resources.
He answered, "Confirmed. Begin."
"Time-space traversal, activated!"
With a flash, Yoichi and Itachi were engulfed in light.
Moments later, they found themselves within a peculiar passageway, its walls flashing with various scenes, some too fleeting to discern, others incomprehensible even when clear.
With his Rinnegan's enhanced perception, Yoichi recognized some events from recent history. Spotting a familiar scene, he commanded, "Open that portal!"
"Portal opening!"
Karasuki emitted a blinding light.
After an indeterminate time, Yoichi felt himself shift, and when he blinked, he was greeted by clear blue skies.
Patting Itachi, he said, "Looks like we made it, Itachi."
"Traversal successful. Remaining energy: 61%. Only enough for one more traversal. Please replenish energy soon."
Karasuki then reverted to its turtle form.
Yoichi tucked it away. "We'll worry about the energy once we return. For now, there's no rush."
"Father, what time is this?" Itachi asked, observing their surroundings. They were on a small path, with a shelter nearby and a utility pole along the road.
The area looked desolate, likely outside the Land of Fire.
"This should be Konoha Year 57, within the Land of Fire," Yoichi replied, reading a notice that warned of mountain bandits in the area.
Itachi's eyes widened. "Year 57? That's a year in the future! And here I thought the Land of Fire didn't have such remote areas."
"Don't forget what I said earlier, Itachi. This may not be our exact future. When the Dragon Vein energy interacts with Karasuki's power, well… you're here as a 'time-space traveler.'"
Seeing Itachi's bewildered expression, Yoichi simplified his explanation.
They transformed their appearances with the Transformation Jutsu, with Itachi further using his Hell Raven ability to ensure no one could see through it.
"I'm ready, Father."
"So am I. Let's see what Konoha is like here!"
Konoha Year 57 marked six or seven years after the Nine-Tails Incident. Though tensions had flared with Kumogakure, they had ultimately been resolved diplomatically, with both villages making concessions to avoid a full-scale war.
In the years since, the shinobi world had enjoyed a temporary peace as the villages recuperated and trained their new generation.
However, within Konoha, resentment simmered due to the Sharingan seen in the Nine-Tails' eyes, sowing seeds of future conflict.
"Move along, and don't wander around inside," the gate guards said after checking Yoichi's and Itachi's identification.
"Father, is this Konoha?" Itachi looked around, surprised. It felt older and more worn down than the Konoha he knew. Was this really Konoha a year into the future?
"Look at the Hokage Rock, Itachi. That should confirm it."
Following Yoichi's gaze, Itachi saw the four Hokage faces. He gasped. "Only four faces… Father, does that mean we're at a time when there's only been four Hokages?"
"Yes. Though we're technically in the future, this isn't our future. You could think of it as an alternate future…"
Yoichi guided Itachi, adding, "I wonder if there's another Uchiha here…"
"Hey, you two! Hold up!"
They had barely taken a few steps when two patrol officers stopped them. "You look unfamiliar. What's your business in Konoha?"
"We're merchants. Here's our identification." Yoichi handed over their credentials, documents properly issued by the daimyo's office.
"Akai...who's that? Never heard of him. Are you two spies?"
"Hey, I think I remember that name," the other Uchiha guard said. "Akai Iwata is the Land of Fire's finance minister."
Hearing this, the first guard backed off, though with a sneer. "Fine, but watch your words. Don't speak about things you shouldn't. The Uchiha isn't to be gossiped about!"
"Understood. Thank you."
Yoichi sensed the guards were just giving them trouble after overhearing their mention of the Uchiha.
Taking their documents back, Yoichi and Itachi left the checkpoint.
End of Chapter
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