Itachi Uchiha slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan.
For Fugaku Uchiha—who had been so joyful at becoming a father for the first time when Itachi was born that he broke his usual stoic demeanor to shake hands with the entire clan—Sasuke's words felt like being plunged into an ice cellar.
Not long ago, he had asked Itachi about his thoughts for the future.
Itachi's answer had been the same as always.
"I hope to become a respected member of the clan, like Father, and serve as an outstanding member of the Uchiha Police Force."
He knew Sasuke wouldn't make up something like this. As his father, he had witnessed firsthand how attached the newborn Sasuke was to Itachi—and how deeply Itachi cherished his younger brother.
But he couldn't think any further...
Minato Namikaze from the Kannabi Bridge Timeline seized the last few seconds to ask:
"Fugaku-senpai! Have you obtained any intelligence regarding the masked man?!"
He hadn't forgotten: Obito's mission was to kill the masked man, while Naruto's was to save him.
Fugaku Uchiha had to take a deep breath, pulling himself out of Sasuke's earlier words.
"His combat experience is weak, nowhere near that of Madara Uchiha, forged in the Warring States era."
This was the first piece of intelligence, proving the masked man was likely not Madara Uchiha.
"He possesses the Uchiha ancestral treasure fan—the Gunbai Uchiwa—taken by Madara Uchiha back then."
This was the second piece of intelligence, confirming that even if he wasn't Madara, he was undoubtedly connected to him in countless ways.
"His goal is world domination, with collecting the Tailed Beasts as the prelude."
This was the third piece of intelligence. The masked man wouldn't just target the Nine-Tails; he would scheme against all the Tailed Beasts in every village. His ultimate objective might be to use them to rule the entire world.
"He may harbor a grudge against Konoha, but this hatred is strangely peculiar."
Fugaku Uchiha concluded.
He opened his Sharingan, staring directly at Minato Namikaze from the Kannabi Bridge.
"I'm transmitting the entire battle against him through my Sharingan. Perhaps you can uncover more intelligence from the details."
Minato Namikaze instantly received a flood of memories—the battle and dialogue between Fugaku Uchiha and the masked man.
At that same moment, they vanished from this timeline.
Everyone returned to how they were before departing for the parallel world.
If there was any change at all...
It seemed only the items they carried had returned with them?!
Meaning Naruto's pajamas, his sleep cap, and even Kakashi's ridiculous sandbag had all been left behind in the other world?!
Conversely, Naruto had brought back a set of the Fourth Hokage's childhood tracksuit—and his personal ninja pouch?!
Moreover, if he were to rummage through that ninja gear pouch, he would surely discover a slightly eerie photograph still inside.
But at this moment, Naruto had no energy left to inspect the contents of the pouch. The warmth of Kushina Uzumaki's body still lingered on him.
After a night of exhaustion, Naruto Uzumaki fell asleep on his bed, tears in his eyes.
That night, he finally had a complete dream.
In his dream, his parents were no longer faceless apparitions. They took on tangible forms—greeted him with warm orange light when he opened the door, welcomed him home, prepared dinner and a birthday cake for him, and whispered to him as he drifted off to sleep...
"Good night…. Mom and Dad….
Naruto murmured in his sleep, as if he hadn't yet returned from the previous world.
Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha stayed awake the entire night. Standing on the open balcony of his apartment, he gazed at the full moon and pondered the journey they had taken through time and space.
"Uchiha…. the clan, the village….
He began to question the relationship between the two—what their coexistence meant, and what contradictions lay at their core. And with the masked man's appearance, he wondered whether Itachi's future massacre of the clan was somehow connected.
All of this stirred new, unsettling thoughts regarding his path of revenge.
...
The next day.
The massive covering over the Hokage Rock was finally removed. No one knew exactly where the newly restored carvings had been repaired. Only a handful of early risers clutched their chests in shock. Thankfully, the ANBU had reacted quickly enough to prevent the village from humiliating itself on the eve of the Chūnin Exams.
Gaara watched Konoha's chaotic display with cold detachment, feeling no desire for alliance with a village so lacking in structure.
Naruto and Sasuke were still asleep at ten in the morning—one from a blissful dream, the other from a night of anxious thoughts. Sakura eventually ran to their lodgings just to wake them up.
Their usual meeting time was 7:30, but by the time they sprinted to the training grounds, it was nearly eleven.
And their jōnin instructor still wasn't there?!
"Kakashi-sensei is being a little ridiculous with the lateness this time," Sakura grumbled, swinging her legs over the railing. She was furious—she had been waiting there since 7:30!
After a while longer, Naruto grew bored and used a twig to poke at ants crawling on the ground.
Sasuke finally snapped. "Let's go find him."
Both Sakura and Naruto agreed immediately.
The three headed first to Kakashi's jōnin quarters. After knocking for ages without an answer, a young man living next door—chewing on a senbon like a toothpick and wearing his forehead protector as a bandanna—opened the door lazily.
"Kakashi left early this morning. If you're looking for him, go check the Memorial Stone."
As he closed the door, he muttered,
"Not sure if he's actually there though. He hasn't visited the Memorial Stone much lately. You'll have to take your chances."
The trio doubled back. Passing by Konoha's dango shop, they overheard three women talking. Since they mentioned Kakashi, the three stopped to listen.
The only familiar face among them was Kurenai Yūhi, Kiba's Team instructor. The others were a beautiful woman with long purple hair and a loud, carefree kunoichi who devoured her dango at alarming speed.
"Kakashi-senpai finally stopped visiting the Memorial Stone so often," said Yūgao.
Kurenai added, "But I heard he's been going to the old Hatake residence recently."
Anko's gossiping spirit awakened. "Maybe he's hiding a lover?! I heard someone saw him getting cozy with a blonde ANBU! Yūgao Uzuki, you know anything about that?"
Yūgao frowned thoughtfully. "I don't recall any blonde ANBU."
Kurenai tapped Anko's head. "Don't talk nonsense. I heard that blonde ANBU is a man."
"Huh?" Anko slumped in boredom. "A guy, huh..."
But a moment later, her interest reignited.
"It's been years since we've seen Kakashi like anyone. Could it be that he's... hehehe~"
"Stop it!!"
Both women instantly shut down Anko's wild speculation.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had also heard enough gossip.
They continued to the Memorial Stone—but still couldn't find Kakashi Hatake.
By noon, they had no choice but to head to the Hatake residence, where Minato's team and Zabuza's group were staying.
Approaching the Hatake compound, they spotted the Kirigakure ninja Haku and Zabuza.
They were genuinely living a peaceful farm life in Konoha.
Haku was tending to watermelons and tomatoes in the field opposite the old house, while Zabuza grumbled nonstop, following along despite his complaints.
Naruto, the poster boy for social energy, immediately yelled out to Haku from afar.
"Hey! Haku!! Is Kakashi-sensei here?"
Zabuza shot them a glare and snorted, "Brats!"
Haku smiled gently.
"He is, but..."
There was a hint of embarrassment in his smile.
"Kakashi-sensei and young Obito got into a huge fight. It was so loud that we had to step outside to avoid the awkwardness."
"HUH?!!"
They tried to imagine adult Kakashi fighting thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Obito.
How could those two possibly fight?
Kakashi always looked at Obito like he was staring at the Memorial Stone!
How could they possibly fight?!!
"What did they fight about, dattebayo?!"
Haku shook his head. He'd overheard bits and pieces, but it wasn't his place to say.
Zabuza stepped in to rescue him, snapping at Naruto,
"Go ask them yourselves! Damn brats!"