Gaara's casual opening remark immediately put Rasa on edge. His body stiffened, and he couldn't shake a feeling of awkwardness. He even felt a pang of shyness when he looked at Shinki.
Shinki, meanwhile, stared at Rasa with curiosity. As another Magnet Release user, and noting the hair color he shared with his father, Shinki couldn't help but wonder, Could this person be... my grandfather? If so, that would make him... my grandfather?
A wave of emotion suddenly washed over Shinki as well, though he appeared much calmer compared to Rasa.
The others noticed Rasa's strange demeanor. Sasuke glanced at Naruto, realizing that only Naruto could handle the current situation. Sasuke's priority was to return these individuals to their own time once everything was resolved. Allowing them to remain in this era could potentially trigger devastating butterfly effects, so it was best to send them back immediately.
However, they had already promised Kakashi that Sakumo could stay for the day. And now, with the Fourth Kazekage present, sending him back immediately wasn't feasible. Naturally, they would have to wait until tomorrow to return him to his own era.
Sasuke sighed.
Naruto motioned for Gaara to take his father to the Hokage Building. Staying here any longer would only draw more attention. Even though they had left, the massive pyramid and the four sand pillars sealing the Tailed Beast were impossible to miss.
The sudden appearance of the Fourth Kazekage had sparked curiosity among countless shinobi.
"The Fourth Kazekage?"
"That means he's the Fifth Kazekage's father, right?"
"Amazing! He can control gold dust for attacks?"
"The Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai of the Kazekage's lineage is truly powerful."
"Although it might be no match for the Hokage's abilities, I wish I had that kind of power!"
The shinobi of Konoha had already begun discussing fervently. However, after the initial excitement, many started to feel uneasy.
First, the White Fang of Konoha appeared a man who should have died long ago, suddenly showing up on the battlefield. He didn't belong to this era, yet here he was. Previously, many Konoha shinobi didn't know much about the White Fang, but now they understood. A simple investigation revealed his identity.
A man who once instilled fear throughout the entire shinobi world. However, he was driven to his demise after choosing to abandon a mission to save his comrades. This dark history being brought to light left a bitter taste in the mouths of Konoha's shinobi.
Was Konoha really that dark back then?
And now, not only the White Fang but also the Fourth Kazekage from the past had appeared. Even the dullest shinobi could start to piece things together.
If people from the past keep appearing in this era, what kind of situation will that lead to? How should these people who suddenly appear in this era be handled?
Leaving them alone was clearly not an option. But if they were to be managed, how? Moreover, they didn't belong to this era, so keeping them here indefinitely wasn't appropriate either. For example, the Fourth Kazekage was the Kazekage in his time, but in this era, Gaara held that title. What did it mean for the Fourth Kazekage to suddenly appear? Should the shinobi of the Sand Village obey the Fourth Kazekage or the Fifth Kazekage?
Thinking about this, the shinobi began to worry, much like Naruto, who was already overwhelmed.
Upon learning that the current shinobi world no longer had the Five Great Nations but instead had the Allied Shinobi Villages, with the Hokage as the leader of the Five Kage, the Fourth Kazekage immediately harbored strong hostility toward Naruto. As a shinobi from the Fourth Kazekage's era, he naturally assumed this was Naruto's scheme to unify the shinobi world. After all, he hadn't experienced the Fourth Great Shinobi War and couldn't understand the bonds forged through fighting side by side.
Regardless, Naruto had already informed the Fourth Kazekage that he would be sent back the next day. That night, the Fourth Kazekage spent a long time wandering around Konoha with Shinki and Shikadai. Even Shikadai was surprised to learn that his grandfather was the Fourth Kazekage – something he had never even dreamed of. He also couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy – why hadn't he inherited the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai? How cool would that have been!
The next morning, in a spacious gymnasium within the Hokage Building, the Fourth Kazekage and Sakumo stood waiting for Sasuke to send them back. After exchanging a few final words with Gaara and Kakashi, they didn't linger. Indeed, they didn't belong to this era, and returning to their own time was for the best.
"Sasuke!" Naruto suddenly spoke up. Although he didn't want to say it, he had no choice.
"If they return with memories of this era, it could be problematic!"
Hearing this, the others' expressions shifted. If they took memories of this era back with them, there was no telling what they might do.
Sasuke smiled. "Don't worry. I'll use Tsukuyomi to erase their memories of this time."
"Tsukuyomi?" Kakashi turned his head, surprised. Sasuke could use that jutsu?
Itachi chuckled. "Is it the ocular jutsu you took from Shisui's eyes?"
Sasuke nodded. "That's right."
"Good. Shisui's abilities in your hands will undoubtedly be put to better use."
Sasuke smiled and prepared to activate Tsukuyomi. A flicker of resistance crossed the Fourth Kazekage's eyes. He had planned to return and reform the Sand Village, ensuring that the Hokage of Konoha would never achieve his schemes again. But now, that seemed impossible. Although Rasa wasn't entirely clear on what Tsukuyomi was, judging by everyone's reactions especially since it involved the Uchiha he knew it was an ocular jutsu. And Uchiha ocular jutsu were known to be particularly dangerous. If it could erase memories, then it certainly would. The Uchiha weren't known for exaggerating their abilities.
"I'm starting," Sasuke said as everyone stepped back.
Sasuke prepared to take out the divine tool, Karasuki, and then use Tsukuyomi to erase the two men's memories. But the moment he pulled out the Ōtsutsuki divine tool, Karasuki, he froze.
"What's going on?"
Yesterday, he had been preoccupied with researching the other world and the Ten-Tails, so he hadn't inspected Karasuki closely. But now, as he examined it, he noticed a faint layer of ice crystals no, more accurately, it looked like crystallization. It wasn't exactly ice, but rather as if Karasuki had been frozen by some kind of power. Not by cold, but by a force that completely isolated it.
Sasuke couldn't sense Karasuki at all.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
Sasuke frowned but didn't respond immediately. Instead, he exerted force, attempting to shatter the crystalline layer with brute strength. But no matter how much power he used, the object showed no reaction. It was as if...
Sasuke seemed to understand. The Ōtsutsuki divine tool, Karasuki, had been frozen in time...
Seeing Sasuke's expression grow increasingly grim, Naruto quickly asked, "Sasuke, what's wrong?"
Sasuke turned to Naruto. "This thing... it's frozen in time. I can't use it."
"Can't use it? What do you mean?"
Sasuke smiled wryly. "In other words... I can't send them back to their own time..."
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 30 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin