"Hiroki Hyuga!"
An impatient voice suddenly rang out.
Hiroki turned his head and saw an angry face right in front of him.
Sasuke stretched his arm out, blocking Naruto from confronting Hiroki directly. He whispered, "Naruto, stay calm."
"Naruto, what's going on?" Hiroki asked with a frown.
Naruto suppressed his anger and spoke steadily, "Lord Hyuga, you said you'd help me find Minato Namikaze. Where is he now?"
"He indeed arrived in this world," Hiroki replied flatly.
"But we can't find him at all. Even the Sage of Six Paths says he hasn't seen him..." Naruto grew anxious.
After organizing his thoughts, Hiroki continued, "Minato Namikaze did reach this world, but not this era..."
"What do you mean?" Naruto pressed.
Hiroki continued, "Based on our analysis, his space-time ninjutsu accidentally activated the Dragon Vein, bringing him here. Time travel isn't random—there's no corresponding coordinate point in this era to anchor him here. He has gone to another timeline. To be precise, he's in the future..."
"Corresponding coordinate point..." Sasuke muttered, as if grasping something in his mind.
"You might have to wait a bit longer before you see him," Hiroki said, shaking his head.
"How long?" Naruto was determined to get to the bottom of it.
"A few months at minimum, hundreds or even thousands of years at maximum." After finishing, Hiroki raised his head again, paying attention to the battle between the two Kaguya princesses in the sky.
"What? What exactly does that mean?"
Before Naruto could ask more, Sasuke stopped him.
Looking up where Hiroki was staring, Sasuke chimed in, "What the heck is going on up there? A meteor shower?"
"It's Kaguya fighting with herself," Hiroki responded indifferently without even giving them a glance.
"Hmph..." Sasuke casually responded while dragging Naruto away.
"Hey! What are you doing, Sasuke!" Naruto grumbled during their tug-of-war.
Eventually reaching an empty area, Sasuke finally let go and began sighing again.
He'd been sighing more than talking lately.
"Talk already!" Naruto demanded seriously.
"Naruto, if you want to see the Fourth Hokage again, you might need to start training from scratch," Sasuke looked straight at him with intensity.
"Why?"
"Hiroki didn't explain everything clearly. Chances are high that the Fourth is on a timeline a thousand years from now," Sasuke patiently explained.
"One moment..." Naruto interrupted, "Are you saying I should wait until another Minato Namikaze is born? But that's not who I'm looking for!"
"No!" Sasuke shook his head, "I'm referring to what Hiroki mentioned about the coordinate resonance."
Naruto took a breath and focused.
"Hiroki Hyuga and Kaguya Otsutsuki have crossed paths, so he traveled to the era where Kaguya existed. This is what we call resonance."
"Therefore, the Fourth Hokage most likely went to the time periods of those who had connections with him—during the Third Great Ninja War, or even further back..."
"Naruto, you must survive. You must wait for him," Sasuke said with a heavy voice.
"But!" Naruto suddenly thought of something else, his tone growing more serious. "The events in this world are completely different from the Ninja World (also known as Shinobi Realm). Will those people still be born?"
Hearing this, Sasuke could only remain silent.
After a while, Naruto's voice softly echoed, "Could it be... we have to push forward the Sage of Six Paths' destiny again, to seal Kaguya Otsutsuki once more?"
Sasuke stepped forward and gave him a hard punch on the head to prevent such thoughts from taking root. "Don't think about things like that. It's meaningless."
The two remained silent for a very long time. After brushing dust off their clothes, Sasuke walked ahead of Naruto, leading the way.
"Come on, let's go find the Sage and the others. Whatever happens, I'll be there for you… I'll wait with you."
Most of Naruto's chakra had been drained away. [Learning new jutsu] was no longer realistic.
It would be best to study Sage Art under Hayato and his brother Hamura.
Moreover, Sage Art could prolong one's lifespan. Perhaps they could endure until the day Minato Namikaze returned.
Naruto felt heavy-hearted. A thousand years... a thousand years... what kind of time span was that...
The two returned once again to where Hayato and Hamura were staying. With sincere words, they expressed their wish to learn Sage Art.
After listening, Hayato fell into deep thought. For a long time, he faced Naruto and Sasuke's expectant gazes before slowly speaking, "I cannot guarantee that I can teach you successfully. Besides, I won't stay here permanently either. You should already know—I have divine duties to fulfill."
Naruto's eyes gradually dimmed.
Sasuke turned his gaze toward Hamura. "Then what about you, Elder Brother Hamura?"
"To be honest, when it comes to Sage Art, I'm far inferior to my elder brother," Hamura waved his hand dismissively.
"I haven't finished yet..." Hayato spoke again, drawing back Naruto and Sasuke's attention. "If your only goal is to extend your lifespan, there's actually an even better method."
"What method?" Naruto couldn't help but ask eagerly.
"Become yokai."
Upon hearing Hayato's words, Hamura was greatly surprised. "Elder Brother, do you mean sending them to the Warring States Demon World?"
Hayato nodded. "That's a world where humans and demons coexist. There's no reproductive isolation between human and yokai races. In that world, it's quite normal for yokai to lose their demonic energy and become human, or for humans to cultivate into yokai... Actually, some cultivation methods used by certain yokai closely resemble Sage Art."
"What exactly are these yokai like? Are they similar to frogs, snakes, and slugs—in animal forms?"
Sasuke frowned tightly. He had considerable knowledge about the three legendary sages—especially the Frog Sage, who Naruto and Jiraiya often mentioned. He understood clearly that after cultivating Sage Art for a thousand years, the Frog Sage had merely grown larger while retaining his frog-like form.
When Jiraiya enters Sage Mode from Mount Myoboku, his face takes on a frog-like appearance.
The Yao Art just seems a step below the Sage Art.
And especially considering what Hayato implied earlier—there are countless spirit clans, each with its own unique traits—how could their techniques possibly compare to the Sage Arts of the Three Sacred Lands?
Sasuke was naturally worried.
If living longer meant turning more into an animal and less like a human, he'd definitely wonder if it was worth it.
He shot a sideways glance at Naruto's face.
For a moment, Naruto looked torn, but then his expression hardened—he'd clearly made his decision.
Hayato had no idea what they were thinking, but found their expressions amusing. Smiling slightly, he said,
"Each clan has its own unique traits. Well then, I'll still spend some time teaching you the Sage Art. When Mother is in a good mood someday, I'll ask her to take both of you to the Realm for a visit."
"All right." Naruto nodded reluctantly. There wasn't much else he could do.
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