"You lost the mission scroll?!!"
Sasuke was completely stunned. He grabbed the dead last's ninja pouch and started searching it himself.
But with such a huge tear, there was nothing inside except a few shuriken and kunai still hanging there, along with a single photograph.
Nothing else.
"Another photo?"
Naruto picked it up and examined it carefully.
"Is this Gaara's mom and Yashamaru?"
"Look at the photo later!" Sasuke snapped. "Find the mission scroll first!"
Sakura had been walking at the back of the group, worried about Kakashi-sensei, who clearly wasn't in a good state. Hearing Sasuke's agitated voice, she hurried forward to see what was going on.
When she saw Naruto's greenish face and the completely empty ninja pouch—
She was honestly speechless.
"Where did the pouch tear? Let's go back and look for it!"
Minato Namikaze picked up Naruto's ninja pouch and examined it.
"The cut is very clean. Only a chakra blade could leave a tear like this," he said calmly. "Going back now won't help. The damage was clearly done on purpose."
"!!!"
Sasuke noticed it too and immediately questioned Naruto.
"After we split up, who did you meet?"
"Ninja from Takigakure… and Kabuto-senpai."
Naruto briefly explained what happened after the three of them split up, including his encounter with Yakushi Kabuto and how he obtained the Earth Scroll.
"Kabuto?!"
The others recalled the senior who had proactively offered them help. For a moment, they couldn't decide whether he was friend or foe.
"Kabuto-senpai also got both the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll," Naruto said. "We'll find him once we get to the tower."
"Mm," Minato Namikaze replied. "But if he really took the mission scroll, then he'll most likely forfeit the exam and leave the test site early."
The group headed straight for the tower at the center of the Forest of Death.
...
The result turned out exactly as Minato Namikaze had predicted.
When they arrived at the central tower of the Forest of Death to submit their progress, the proctor informed them:
"Kabuto Yakushi's team? They lost both scrolls while fighting a team from Sunagakure and have already applied to withdraw from the exam."
After hearing from Temari that the Suna ninja team who obtained the scrolls wasn't strong enough to easily defeat experienced candidates who had taken the exam multiple times before, Minato Namikaze and the members of Kakashi's team were basically certain—
The one who cut open Naruto's ninja pouch and stole the mission scroll was Kabuto Yakushi.
Naruto scratched his head anxiously.
Sasuke, who was on the same team, was so angry that his face went cold and he refused to speak. Sakura scolded Naruto for not being more careful, while Naruto looked miserable and obediently admitted his mistake.
But that was just how he was.
When no one expected anything from him, when everyone thought he was unreliable, he would claw his way out of despair and lead everyone to a miraculous comeback. But when everyone was sure things would be fine, he somehow managed to trip up at the most unlikely moment.
It made Minato Namikaze press a hand to his forehead and let out a helpless sigh.
The adult Kakashi looked as if he had dissolved into the air itself. He didn't join the discussion and showed no reaction at all, as though he had already been cut off from the world around him.
Minato worried about his future student, yet for the moment, he had no solution to the problem of the lost mission scroll.
He comforted his son and his classmates.
"At least now we know this," he said gently. "Even if the mission scroll isn't on Naruto anymore, as long as Naruto has fulfilled the mission requirements, the mission reward will still be delivered to him automatically."
Sasuke suddenly remembered something.
"No wonder that Nine-Tails Chakra Mode usage card you got kept falling out of your pouch," he said sharply. "Your pouch was cut open ages ago, and you didn't even notice, you idiot!"
"Alright, alright," Minato Namikaze said, stepping in front of his son and calming Sasuke down. "Don't worry. I'll find a way to get the mission scroll back for you."
"Once we get it back," Sasuke added, "mark both Naruto's and Obito's mission scrolls with the Flying Thunder God seal."
He honestly had no idea what kind of new disaster these two identical dead lasts might come up with next.
Minato Namikaze nodded in agreement.
Behind Naruto, the adult Kakashi visibly stiffened when he heard the name "Obito."
In truth, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura hadn't missed what the Naruto from the parallel world had said earlier.
'Obito Uchiha is still alive.'
'You must shatter his mask.'
It was practically spelling it out. The true identity of the masked man was Obito Uchiha.
But the three of them were simple-minded in this regard. Having spent time recently with the Obito of their own age, they all believed there had to be some kind of misunderstanding.
How could that idiot Obito, who constantly argued with Kakashi-sensei even back in childhood, possibly be the masked man?
After Minato Namikaze and the adult Kakashi left, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura opened the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll at the same time.
"Poof—"
Iruka Umino appeared from within the scroll.
Seeing the state of their torn and battered clothes, Iruka glanced down at his pocket watch.
"You've still got plenty of time left. That's pretty impressive, you two!"
"Huh?! Iruka-sensei!!"
"Congratulations. You've passed the second stage of the Chūnin Exams." He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You've worked hard."
The hardship he meant went far beyond just the second stage of the exam.
It was more about everything he had witnessed through repeated space-time traversals. Watching Naruto and Gaara grow, seeing the pain of being born the child of a Kage yet forced to live as a Jinchūriki.
Sasuke then asked what would happen if someone opened the scroll during the exam.
Iruka said, "Under normal circumstances, ninja must follow the rules. If a candidate opens an important scroll without authorization, they'll immediately be defeated by the examiner summoned from within it. That counts as failing the exam."
Naruto blinked. "Then what if the candidate beats the proctor that gets summoned?"
"..."
Iruka fell silent. That question was a bit beyond the syllabus.
He really wanted to answer that a genin could never defeat an experienced chūnin.
But looking at the three former students standing in front of him, he found himself unable to say it out loud.
The proctors had installed numerous surveillance devices throughout the Forest of Death. They had naturally seen Sakura's monstrous strength and her Slug Summoning Technique, Sasuke's summoned Manda and his Sharingan, and Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. None of those were things an ordinary chūnin could handle easily.
"Iruka-sensei, what's written on the wall behind you?" Sakura asked. "It looks like it's missing a character."
"That's a set of principles for chūnin. 'Without Heaven, rely on wisdom. Be prepared for opportunity.'"
Seeing the confusion written all over Naruto's face, Iruka continued, "You operate as a three-man cell, a single unit on missions. If Naruto's problem is impulsiveness and acting without thinking, then Sasuke and Sakura are responsible for helping him think things through and stopping him at critical moments."
"Sakura's weakness is stamina…"
He had almost said her weakness was the same as most girls', that her raw strength lagged slightly behind male ninja.
But remembering that terrifying strength of hers, Iruka corrected himself. "Sakura's physical power is exceptional, but her chakra reserves and long-term stamina are limited. In that area, Naruto and Sasuke have the advantage."
"I'll find a way to make up for it," Sakura said, sticking out her tongue. Her eyes quickly lit up as she recalled how Tsunade, after releasing her chakra, could summon Katsuyu, a being nearly as massive as a sealed, miniaturized Tailed Beast. Back then, both she and Rin had been filled with envy.
Naruto crossed his arms. "Then what about that idiot Sasuke? What's his weakness, Iruka-sensei?!"
"Heaven represents 'wisdom', the mind. Earth represents 'strength', the body. If someone possesses both…"
Iruka deliberately dragged out his words, making Naruto glare indignantly at Sasuke beside him.
"Hmph!"
Iruka continued, "The final character. The one missing at the top. It's 'Human'."
Sasuke froze. "Human?"
"Having both 'Heaven' and 'Earth' is enough to complete missions flawlessly. But 'Human' represents the heart of a ninja. It's the mindset and will that determine whether a ninja can hold on to their original purpose without wavering."
Naruto and Sakura listened, half understanding, half lost.
Sasuke lowered his head, silently mulling over Iruka's words.
He remembered what the Second Hokage had once said. After awakening the Sharingan, members of the Uchiha Clan were prone to becoming impatient and volatile. Losing someone or something precious could push them into isolation, even twisting their personalities and driving them toward extreme thinking.
The image of Obito Uchiha surfaced in his mind, standing beside a masked man.
The two figures gradually overlapped…
Compared to Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke trusted conclusions drawn from known facts more strongly. He was convinced that the masked man was this world's Obito Uchiha.
After parting ways with Iruka, the three of them went back to change into clean clothes. Once they regrouped, they headed together toward Kakashi-sensei's old house.
"Hey…" Sakura was the first to speak. "Do you guys think Obito really is the Masked Man?"
"No way!" Naruto said. "That guy had the same dream as me. He wanted to become Hokage, dattebayo."
"Think it through, dead last." Sasuke frowned in thought. "Don't forget, the Obito we know is from another parallel world, not the one from our world."
"Huh? What difference does that make?" Naruto tilted his head.
"Obito is one or two years older than Kakashi-sensei, right?" Sakura said. "So if Obito from our world is still alive, he should be… twenty-seven? Or twenty-eight?"
"About that," Sasuke replied. "That Naruto wouldn't lie."
He was talking about Naruto Uzumaki who came from after the Fourth Shinobi World War."
"He said the Fourth Hokage and his wife shattered Obito's mask. He said Obito was still alive. He also said he'd already beaten Obito, and that Obito later surpassed him."
Sasuke fell silent for a moment before continuing. "Putting all that together, it points to one conclusion. Obito Uchiha is alive. He put on a mask and walked a path completely opposite to his original dream. Then, around the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, something must have happened. He realized his mistakes and turned back, even saving Naruto's life from a stronger enemy."
"As expected of Sasuke-kun," Sakura said in admiration. "You figured all that out right away."
"Tch, show-off." Naruto still looked unconvinced. "But couldn't it also be some other parallel world? One where people exist who are totally opposite from how we are now?"
That idea immediately caught Sakura and Sasuke's attention.
"Go on."
They were already close to the old Hatake residence.
Naruto ran a hand through his freshly washed, clean blond hair. "We've been to so many parallel worlds already. Just like Dad said, even the smallest change we make can seriously alter that world's future…"
"So isn't it possible there's a world where Obito didn't die, but ended up going bad?"
He kept going, getting more animated. "Or maybe there's a world where Sasuke is the dead last who does nothing but go on dates with girls, and I'm the elite of the elite, and you like me, Sakura—"
"Impossible!" Sakura cut him off without hesitation. "Give it up already! Stop dreaming, you idiot Naruto!"
Naruto instantly sank into the same kind of gloom Hashirama Senju was famous for.
...
While they were talking, they entered Kakashi-sensei's old home.
Unlike their relatively relaxed mood, only young Kakashi and Rin were inside, and the atmosphere was heavy and stifling.
Not long after they arrived, Zabuza, Haku, and Itachi Uchiha also entered the main house.
Itachi spoke the moment he arrived. "It's been confirmed. The Masked Man is Obito Uchiha from this world."
"What?!"
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura had been mentally prepared, but hearing it confirmed so quickly still stunned them. Did that mean Obito Uchiha from this world had already appeared?
"What's the evidence?" Sasuke demanded. "It can't just be based on what Naruto from the other world said, right?"
"Yeah!" Sakura followed up immediately. "If that's all, there are still plenty of other possibilities."
Naruto stared at Sasuke's brother. Compared to Sasuke and Sakura, he was unexpectedly calmer.
"It's already…"
"There's solid proof, isn't there?"
Rin and young Kakashi both lowered their heads, staying silent.
Itachi continued, taking on the role of the one who revealed the truth.
"Obito Uchiha has awakened his eyes…"
"His Mangekyō Sharingan ability is the same as the Masked Man's."
"What?!!!"