"You're asking me?!" he roared at Black Zetsu. "Don't forget—you're my subordinate! Gathering intel is your job! Find out everything about those two Minato Namikaze!!"
Black Zetsu cursed silently, but outwardly he had to restrain himself to keep fooling this idiot into serving the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
"Fine. We'll retreat for now. I'll investigate the two Minato Namikaze later."
The Masked Man cast one last look at Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha.
Fugaku Uchiha understood instantly and moved to shield the two of them.
The other Uchiha followed their clan head, closing in protectively around the boys.
The Masked Man gave a cold sneer and vanished into a swirling vortex.
But in the very next moment, an identical vortex appeared right behind Naruto and Sasuke.
Every Uchiha's eyes widened.
They were too far away—no matter how wide their Sharingan flared in panic, it was useless. They could only watch as the Masked Man began pulling the terrified Naruto and Sasuke into the vortex...
Time seemed to slow to a crawl—yet only their minds could feel the drag. Their bodies couldn't move fast enough to save the boys.
And then—
"Flying Thunder God Technique!!"
Naruto and Sasuke were suddenly yanked out of the vortex by Minato from the Kannabi Bridge Timeline using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In that instant, their final sight was the flowing robes bearing the words "Fourth Hokage," fluttering in their vision.
"Rasengan!!"
For a heartbeat, even sound seemed frozen.
Then—
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion.
A sphere of blue chakra slammed into the Masked Man's back.
His black cloak tore apart under the force, fabric ripping violently—its sound drowned beneath the Rasengan's roar and the sickening crunch as it smashed into his spine.
He was driven into the ground, shattering roof tiles and stone beneath him.
Crack—crack—BOOM!!
The Rasengan's true terror lay in its spinning force, which continued grinding into the target even after impact. Though it struck from behind, the worst damage was dealt to the organs crushed between his back and chest.
Even with the Masked Man's remarkable regenerative ability, an injury like that wouldn't heal quickly.
The Fourth Hokage's expression hardened. He had no intention of letting him escape.
Dozens of specially crafted kunai flew toward the Masked Man and the surrounding area.
The Masked Man tried to evade with intangibility—but before the kunai even hit the ground, the Fourth Hokage had already appeared behind him. Gripping one of the marked kunai, he plunged it deep into the Masked Man's shoulder.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed.
Forced to react, the Masked Man clutched the wound and phased through the nearby buildings, reemerging on open ground.
Now he found himself surrounded—ringed in by a circle of Uchiha youth elites and the Hokage's ANBU.
He was panting heavily from Minato's twin attacks.
Everyone could see the pale, viscous substance dripping from his left arm onto the ground.
With such a grotesque composition, that body could hardly be called human anymore.
"Who exactly are you?" Minato from the Kannabi Bridge Timeline asked, shielding Naruto and Sasuke.
The Masked Man replied, "The one who will unify the Ninja World."
"That's downright arrogant!" an Uchiha youth shouted in fury. "Do you seriously think you're Madara Uchiha?! No—even Madara might not have been able to unify the Ninja World!!"
"Hmph. Think whatever you like."
"Just consider me his ghost, returned to take revenge on you traitors… and on Konoha," the Masked Man said, his voice cold and hard. "I have endless methods at my disposal. All the Tailed Beasts—and this entire Ninja World—will eventually belong to me. Until then, cling to life while you still can…"
A swirling vortex spiraled open in his right eye, pulling his entire body into the void.
"Fourth Hokage!!"
Several Uchiha youths cried out, unwilling to watch him escape.
Minato Namikaze said, "I placed a Flying Thunder God mark on him. The moment he emerges from that space, I'll sense it."
Rather than catch him now, it would be smarter to wait until he returns to his base.
"But Danzō and the advisers…"
Minato reassured the anxious Uchiha youth, "I am still the Hokage. I will protect the Uchiha's honor."
Fugaku Uchiha nodded silently. There was nothing more to say. They had no choice but to trust the Fourth Hokage—there simply was no alternative.
...
After all, the Masked Man possessed the Sharingan. With the Nine-Tails attacking Konoha, the Uchiha would inevitably face collective blame.
Some members of the clan finally noticed that two Fourth Hokage stood before them—and neither was a shadow clone.
"Um… am I the only one seeing two Fourth Hokages here??"
His companion immediately scoffed, "We all have Sharingan. How could you not notice a whole extra person standing there?!"
Naruto grabbed Minato from the Kannabi Bridge world in a panic. "My mom—she's okay, right?!"
That Minato ruffled his hair and gave him a reassuring smile.
Hearing Naruto call Kushina "Mom," the Fourth Hokage of this world understood instantly—the boy already knew the truth of his identity.
…
He stepped beside Naruto. "It's fortunate you arrived in this era. The Nine-Tails' power inside you bought us the time we needed. Only then could I—and the me from the other timeline—get the chance to reseal the Nine-Tails back into Kushina."
Though he said it lightly, the truth was far from simple. Even with two Minato Namikaze present, resealing the released Nine-Tails back into Kushina's body had been extremely difficult.
In the end, it was largely thanks to the Nine-Tails chakra Naruto had entrusted to Kushina. At the crucial moment, she unleashed her strongest technique, the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Combined with the sealing arts of both Minato, they managed to force the Nine-Tails back into her body.
Naruto let out a long breath of relief.
The Uchiha clan members were baffled. "So you're saying… one of the Fourth Hokage came from another era?"
Someone quickly connected the dots. They looked at Sasuke Uchiha with warm, excited eyes.
"Then you must be a child from the future too, right?"
"How is our clan doing in your time?"
"Did any Uchiha become Hokage?"
Sasuke lowered his voice, unsure how to answer such eager questions.
...