"It's Itachi-senpai, Lee, Neji! Finally, everyone's here. But is Uncle Minato reluctant to let me go, so he came to see me one last time?"
Naruto smiles in greeting.
"Indeed, a bit reluctant. But the main reason for coming here this time is to escort you all to Roran." Imperial Minato laughs.
"Naruto-kun, you can now call me Otter, Lee as Tang, and Neji as Nin. These are our codenames in your world." Imperial Itachi says.
"Exactly! I'm Rock Tang now! Hahaha!" Imperial Lee laughs heartily.
"Just call me Nin." Imperial Neji says with a nod.
"Alright, Otter! Tang! Nin!" Naruto chuckles.
Afterward, the group gathers beside Imperial Minato.
The next second, they all vanish, reappearing in a massive steel chamber radiating a chilling light.
This steel world, upon closer inspection, is strikingly similar to the Ryuumiaku (Dragon Vein) they passed through two months ago, except all stone structures have been replaced with steel.
On either side, several guards stand watch.
Naruto from the ninja world even sees Imperial Kankurou, who gives them a slight nod.
"Come on, I'll now activate the Ryuumiaku to send Itachi, Lee, Neji, and you, little Naruto, over there. After that, no matter what you see, don't panic—stay in place. And I'll leave immediately. Understood?"
Imperial Minato leads them to the Ryuumiaku's core, speaking with a serious expression.
Everyone nods.
"Then let's begin!"
Imperial Minato says his final words and rapidly forms hand seals.
The entire Ryuumiaku's energy surges, emitting a breathtakingly beautiful light, about to engulf everyone.
Minato smiles and nods one last time at the group, his figure flickering as he disappears.
Naruto silently waves gently toward where Minato vanished:
"Goodbye, Uncle Minato, but we'll meet again soon. By then, all of Konoha and the Empire will be one family!"
The light is about to swallow everyone.
And then…
The space trembles for a moment.
A young man in Uchiha Clan attire, with an unkempt beard, disheveled hair, and a weary appearance, suddenly appears among them.
"Uchiha Obito!"
Seeing the figure, Imperial Neji's eyes narrow, and he instinctively shouts.
"You Uchiha bastard! What do you want?! Get out of there! This isn't a place for you to cause trouble!" Imperial Kankurou, on guard duty, sees the extra person and roars in shock and anger.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I have reasons that force me to go to the other world! Forgive my selfishness." the weary young man who appeared says.
*BUZZ!*
The Ryuumiaku's light draws closer.
Imperial Itachi's face shows a trace of anxiety.
He recalls the words of Ryuji and Orochimaru.
Crossing space and time requires precise control of energy and stability; otherwise, unknown situations can easily arise, leading to failure!
Failure wasting space-time particles is a minor issue. Everyone could even face a life-threatening crisis in a space-time storm.
"Uchiha Obito, this guy…"
Sighing softly, Itachi stomps his foot, and with a rumbling sound, his figure shoots out like lightning.
The Ryuumiaku's energy pillar finally engulfs the four from the ninja world, Imperial Lee, Imperial Neji, and the weary young man called Obito.
*BUZZ!*
The Ryuumiaku trembles, and the soaring light explodes.
Amid the desert ruins, seven human figures appear out of thin air.
"Uchiha Obito! What the hell were you doing?! Barging into the Ryuumiaku at the last moment! Defying His Majesty the Emperor's will?! Do you realize this could've endangered everyone's lives?!"
Among the seven who just appeared, Imperial Neji, furious, rushes to the weary young man in Uchiha attire, grabbing his collar with both hands and shouting.
Light blue chakra surges through his body, glowing white energy emerges, and veins bulge around his eyes!
"Obito-senpai… if you wanted to join us, you could've reported to His Majesty and sought his approval. Why do something like this? This is totally not 'youthful'!" Imperial Lee sighs, looking helpless.
"Sorry… Neji, Lee… I…" Imperial Obito, weary, stammers, unsure of what to say.
"Uchiha Obito, I know you love Nohara Rin-senpai. This time-travel journey—don't tell me it's for the Rin in this world too?" Imperial Neji frowns, eyeing him suspiciously.
Imperial Obito's face flushes, looking slightly embarrassed:
"I… I want to see if Rin in this world is happy."
"How pathetic. The proud and mighty Uchiha Clan produced someone like you. Can't compete with Kakashi-senpai, so you want to compete with the Kakashi in this world? For something like this, you disrupted His Majesty's plans, disregarding everyone's lives. You truly disgust me."
"A bastard like you is utterly unworthy of being His Majesty's subordinate. As a citizen of the Empire, you've betrayed us!"
Imperial Neji, enraged, grips his opponent's collar, veins bulging on his hands.
His chakra and energy surge even more violently.
Imperial Obito, face red, stays silent, not daring to argue.
"Obito-senpai… I don't understand love, but I heard Guy-sensei say love should be mutual, with shared passions and youthful spirit! Your one-sided love for Rin-senpai is pointless."
"She and Kakashi-senpai live happily, and it should be the same in this world… Why waste your youth and even defy His Majesty's will?" Imperial Lee sighs, using lessons learned from Imperial Guy to lecture Obito.
"I'm sorry, Lee, Neji. I know what I did was wrong, and I've let everyone down. But… I can't control myself… I want to see Rin, even if it costs my life." Obito says, head lowered, continuously apologizing.
The four from the ninja world stare at the newcomer with shocked expressions.
Obito? Uchiha Obito?
Kakashi's teacher? A rivalry? Nohara Rin? Why does this feel like earth-shattering news?!
"Hmph! First, let's test if the space-time communication device His Majesty gave us works. As for your reckless actions, His Majesty will decide your punishment." Imperial Neji says coldly.
His right hand touches a ring on his left hand.
Smoke spreads, and a strange device appears in his hand.
Seeing this, Naruto is slightly shocked.
"Hey, hey, hey! Nin, how'd you pull that weird thing out? Where's your sealing scroll?"
"Sealing scroll? We don't need such things. Those are products of the village ninja era, long abandoned. The Empire now uses storage items called space rings, with dozens of times the capacity of scrolls and much easier to carry." Imperial Neji says, managing a faint smile as he raises his right hand.
The four from the ninja world notice a ring on his index finger.