Under heavy guard, Seramu made her way swiftly toward the underground Dragon Vein.
Iwa could only watch helplessly as the queen disappeared from sight. With her injuries weighing her down, she could barely protect herself, let alone anyone else.
As she wracked her brain for a solution, she suddenly sensed a group of shinobi approaching the palace quarters.
Iwa immediately grew alert. She grabbed the longsword from behind her, suppressed the pain in her body, and leapt up to the rafters.
Concealing her presence in the shadows, she peered through the skylight to observe the intruders.
A team of eight had evaded the patrols near the palace and arrived silently at the entrance.
With keen observation, Iwa was shocked to recognize their attire, they were shinobi from the Konohagakure-Kumogakure Alliance.
Two young Jonin led the group, each commanding a squad of genin. The male Jonin had striking blond hair, a handsome face, and a contagious smile.
The female Jonin, with her vivid crimson hair and attire bearing the Uzumaki clan crest, was undoubtedly an Uzumaki herself.
Among the six genin, a white-haired boy carrying a short blade stood out, stoic and silent, his presence reminded Iwa of the sword-obsessed Sakumo Hatake.
Another boy bore the Uchiha clan's fan crest, though he carried himself with a brash and easygoing demeanor.
But it was the last boy that made Iwa pause. Handsome, white-haired, clad in the battle gear of the Senju clan, with every movement, he exuded calm control.
Iwa was struck by his features: within his eyes and brow, she could faintly see the likeness of the Third Hokage.
His chakra signature was so well hidden, even Iwa couldn't accurately gauge his strength.
The three girls in the squads also drew her attention. The first was a petite girl with light brown hair tied into long braids and wearing a Kumogakure forehead protector.
Another had short chestnut hair and distinctive purple markings on her cheeks.
Then there was the last girl, clad in Senju garb, with golden hair, a finely sculpted face, and a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead. The resemblance to Tsunade was impossible to ignore.
All of this left Iwa utterly confused. She prided herself on knowing all the genin squads in the village, yet she had never seen or heard of these two.
Though they appeared to be allies, the situation was too unclear to make a move. She chose to observe a little longer, hoping to gather more information.
Suddenly, the Uchiha boy blurted out, "Minato Sensei, where the heck are we? That whirlpool from the Dragon Vein dumped us who knows where! And how are we supposed to find Shinno now?"
The blond Jonin turned toward the Senju boy and asked, "Arata, didn't you say you sensed Iwa-senpai's chakra nearby?"
The boy nodded, crouched down, and pressed a hand to the ground, activating chakra-sensing jutsu once more.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he looked up, straight at the skylight above them.
The rest of the group followed his gaze, immediately realizing that their target had been found.
Seeing this, Iwa knew her position had been compromised. She had no choice but to leap down from the rafters.
In her heart, a wild, unbelievable thought was forming, so outlandish, it left her shaken.
But the long crouch on the narrow beam, combined with her injuries, had taken its toll. The moment she landed, her legs gave out and she stumbled.
Before she could react, someone caught her.
Her instincts screamed caution. This man, Minato, had moved faster than she could perceive. Even in her weakened state, it wasn't easy for just anyone to get that close without her noticing.
Just as she was about to strike, she heard a gentle voice say, "Iwa-senpai, please forgive my rudeness."
Then he turned and called out, "Rei, help your teacher!"
The Kumogakure genin quickly stepped forward, letting Iwa lean on his shoulder, supporting her with surprising care. Feeling their sincere goodwill, Iwa let down her guard a little.
Minato then looked toward the golden-haired girl and said, "Yuna, come tend to her wounds. She's lost a lot of blood. Remember, Lady Tsunade gave you a medical kit before we left."
The girl named Yuna skipped over cheerfully, rummaging through her pack and handing Iwa a medicinal pill.
Iwa hesitated but swallowed it. She knew full well, if these people meant her harm, they could have already overpowered her with ease.
Then Yuna bit her thumb and attempted to perform the Summoning Jutsu.
With a puff of smoke, nothing happened.
Yuna blinked in surprise and turned to the young Senju beside her. "Nii-chan, why didn't the slug appear?"
The boy lightly tapped her forehead with his index finger. "Yuna, haven't you noticed what's strange yet? Look at Aunt Iwa, she looks like she's only seventeen or eighteen.
Clearly, we've traveled into the past. I don't think Father and Mother are even married yet. If I'm right, the Great War hasn't started either."
The girl's eyes lit up with excitement, and she suddenly leapt in place.
She was eager to meet her parents when they were young.
Now, with this rare opportunity, Yuna intended to have some fun.
Senju Arata, too, felt a stir of anticipation. His father had been a legend in his youth, and Arata had always pushed himself, hoping one day to surpass him.
This strange trip through time might just be the perfect chance to test how far he had come.
As Iwa listened to their conversation, the wild idea she had been grappling with solidified into near certainty.
After a brief silence, she turned to the blond Jonin beside her. "Minato… What year is it where you're from?"
Minato was about to answer, but the red-haired kunoichi behind him beat him to it.
"Iwa-senpai, it's Year 49.The Third Hokage is still… "
Before she could finish, Iwa quickly covered her mouth and said sternly.
"If you don't want to return to a future where Konoha no longer exists, then stop talking about the future. Once the Third Hokage arrives, we'll let him decide how to handle this."
Yuna's eyes lit up at the mention of her father. She rushed to Iwa, clenched her fists, and said with firm sincerity.
"Aunt Iwa, I believe in you. Be brave, fight for love. Defeat my mother and put her in her place. Father spoils her way too much, at home, she's like a tyrant."
Before she could say more, her brother Arata dragged her away. He didn't want her stirring up more chaos and possibly altering the timeline.
Iwa could more or less guess what Yuna was trying to say. She just smiled faintly.
After all, who could truly predict what the future holds?
---------------
Guys do leave some power stones and reviews.
🤞pa treon . com / plotplanner🤞
Remove all the spaces in between and then search.
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.