Hearing their own voices, Temari and her team turned to see another version of themselves walking toward the entrance that connected to the Sand Village.
"It's real… we really traveled through time!" Temari exclaimed, astonished by the sight. Without wasting any time, the three of them sprinted toward the entrance.
Moving quickly and from a different direction, they reached the entrance unseen by their past selves, and just as they did, the entrance faded from view.
In the past, Gaara stopped and turned, sensing something behind him, only to see nothing. A puzzled expression crossed his face as he resumed walking.
...
Back in the Sand Village…
"We made it out! We're back in our village!" Kankuro exclaimed, thrilled to see familiar surroundings after being stuck in IKEA for so long.
"It feels like a dream," Temari said, looking at the time belt on her waist, which grounded the surreal experience in reality.
Gaara thought back, realizing, "So that's why I turned around back then… I sensed our future selves."
"Hey, what happened to the village?! It's a wreck!" Kankuro's voice shook with shock.
The Sand Village was now in ruins, with fallen villagers and even some creatures that didn't look entirely human lying among the rubble.
"What happened while we were gone?!" Temari gasped in horror.
They estimated they'd only been gone for a short time. Could it be that time inside IKEA flowed differently?
"Look!" Gaara pointed to the sky.
In the distance, they saw Jiraiya flying overhead. He noticed them briefly but continued on his way.
"Hey! Where have you three been?!" Baki shouted, running toward them, his face etched with worry.
...
In the DC Universe, Bruce Wayne and Alfred successfully exited IKEA as well.
"We actually traveled through time… incredible technology," Alfred marveled, touching the time belt around his waist. He had thought time machines were just sci-fi, but here he was, experiencing it.
Bruce didn't respond, instead scanning the surroundings. He quickly spotted a familiar figure sneaking around—a known criminal associated with the Joker.
"Future-me was right. The Joker is indeed up to something."
Deciding to investigate, Bruce instructed Alfred, "Contact Lucius and prepare for combat. Also, start researching this time belt."
For a moment, Bruce considered using the belt to go back and save his parents, but he remembered Doraemon's caution:
"Changing the past has dangerous consequences. If you became Batman because of your parents' death, saving them might mean Batman never existed. Think of the criminals who might have gone free without you. Changing the past could have severe repercussions."
Torn by the thought of fixing his past but worried about what chaos it could unleash, Bruce struggled with the decision.
"Sir," Alfred's voice broke his thoughts.
"You're Batman now. You have a mission to complete."
Realizing the Joker's associate was getting away, Bruce nodded. "You're right. I have work to do."
With renewed focus, he left to pursue his target, while Alfred set about his own tasks.
...
In Doraemon's Universe…
"We're finally out!" Doraemon and his friends returned to their own universe through the 4D Pocket, and Jaian couldn't contain his excitement.
"But wait… we've been gone for a while. What will our parents say?" Suneo asked, suddenly anxious.
"Don't worry; it's only night here. To them, it's only been half a day," Doraemon reassured him.
"Doraemon! I was so worried you wouldn't make it back!" Nobita cried, hugging Doraemon tightly.
"Alright, let's head home. Tomorrow, we'll meet at Nobita's to discuss those anomalies we found in IKEA. We can't just ignore them," Jaian declared, showing rare determination.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Containment and elimination of anomalies in each universe have been completed. Calculating rewards," announced a voice across all universes.
...
In the Marvel Universe…
Tony Stark, just arriving at his destination, looked around in confusion, "What? It's over already? I just got here."
Nick Fury and Natasha, arriving as well, shared his frustration.
At that moment, a group of armed soldiers emerged from a lab building, led by none other than Steve Rogers.
"Are you the commanding officer? We've eliminated all the strange creatures and detained two of them," Steve reported to Fury, recognizing him from descriptions.
"So, can you explain what's going on? Where are we, and what were those monsters?"
As Steve spoke, the screen announced, "Reward for Captain America of the Marvel Universe: the transformation belt of Kamen Rider BLACK. All combat personnel involved will receive double their current physical abilities."
A new belt suddenly materialized around Steve's waist, unlike anything he'd seen before.
(End of Chapter)
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