Amidst the sound of explosions, even in the Tailed Beast Transformation state, Naruto's face showed a look of pain.
A visible bloody hole appeared on his chest.
Ruri and Ayane appeared beside Hakushi.
Ayane's fingers were stained with the blood flowing from Naruto's body. The Chakra wrapped around her fingers was evaporated by the Tailed Beast Chakra, causing the blood to stain her fingers directly, making Ayane frown with displeasure.
"I've told you, your senses have dulled a lot. You're paying for it now, aren't you?"
Ruri scolded Hakushi unceremoniously.
"It's nothing. This kind of injury is nothing to me."
Hakushi stood up nonchalantly and answered. The injury had already healed under the effect of his Medical Ninjutsu.
"Well then, next..."
Hakushi re-entered the quiet chamber sealing the Dragon Vein, his gaze sweeping towards Naruto and the others.
Ruri and Ayane also followed him in, focusing their gaze on Naruto.
"What's going on here? Why are Konoha Ninja here? Did that boy just use the Nine-tailed Chakra?"
Ruri asked unceremoniously.
That night, she had directly manipulated the Nine-tails to battle with the Konoha Ninja, and she was exceptionally sensitive to the power of the Nine-tails, so it's impossible she felt wrong.
Hakushi fell silent, thinking deeply.
The Dragon Vein caused a distortion in time and space...
Teacher Kakashi...
The second Nine-tailed Jinchuriki...
Konoha Ninja...
After the brief encounter just now, piecing together these key pieces of information, although reluctant to believe it, Hakushi knew that only one hypothesis could explain the current situation.
There was a new development on the other side; a Konoha Ninja named Yamato used Wood Style Ninjutsu to restrain the Tailed Beast transformed Naruto, and Sai immediately drew a large number of ink creatures on a scroll, turning them into tigers charging over.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
These tigers did not charge towards Hakushi and the others but rammed into the ceiling above, immediately raising dust and causing debris to fall in the quiet chamber.
When the dust cleared, the four Konoha people there had vanished, having fled.
"Aren't you going to chase them? Those four Konoha Ninja are very suspicious."
Ayane asked.
"I have some guesses about those people's origin, but..."
Hakushi did not care about the four fleeing Konoha people, he returned to the sealing device of the Dragon Vein, stopped, crouched down to touch and sense it.
"If those people indeed came from that place, they must have triggered some medium to reach here... Dragon Vein's power, maybe?"
Hakushi shook his head, denying it.
The power of the Dragon Vein had stabilized, and the medium could be said to have 'disappeared'. In that case, those four Konoha Ninja should return to where they're supposed to go.
However, those four Konoha Ninja did not immediately disappear from this world, which means that they came here through another medium, causing this to happen.
Footsteps sounded from outside, someone was quickly approaching here.
Hakushi gave Ruri and Ayane a glance, and the three disappeared from the spot, leaving behind a scene of chaos after battle.
◎
Standing atop a towering white spire, Hakushi looked down at the entire city's nightscape from there.
The people of Roran sang and danced in the streets, as if holding some kind of celebration.
Surrounded by desert, the city from this angle had a unique charm.
"It's really a peaceful place."
Ruri and Ayane, who had walked up beside Hakushi, also saw this scene and were amazed at the night market view before them.
"Indeed, it's an unexpected place. About the Dragon Vein, I need to investigate a bit, there's something I must confirm."
Hakushi said to the two.
"What do we need to do?"
"Keep an eye on those Konoha Ninja, don't let them leave Roran. It's currently a critical period during the Ninja Realm war. If they go outside, they could interfere with this world's original order, causing this world's time-space to collapse. Spatial aspects aside, time, something on that level, is best left untouched if possible."
Hakushi thought for a while, if those four Konoha Ninja indeed traveled back from the distant future using Space-Time Jutsu, they must be managed.
Space-Time Ninjutsu is among the most difficult to grasp within the Chakra System, and the uncertainty of failure often brings severe consequences.
Therefore, whether for the order of another world or for the safety of the world he resides in, it is necessary to confine these people within Roran until he resolves the issue.
◎
Not long after dawn.
Yamato led Naruto, Sakura, and Sai to hide in a ruined area of Roran.
Sakura used Medical Ninjutsu to heal Naruto's chest wound, then applied medicinal powder and bandaged it.
"Seriously, Naruto, can't you be a bit less reckless next time?"
Sakura scolded Naruto angrily.
"Sorry, but thinking about Teacher Kakashi, I..."
Naruto clutched his wound and gave a wry smile.
Sakura's expression fell silent too.
The atmosphere unknowingly became oppressive.
Finally, Sakura raised her head, looked at Yamato, and asked, "Captain Yamato, what on earth is going on? How is it that Chiba Hakushi is so young?"
Recalling the Hakushi they just met, she realized he was quite different from the terrifying man in her impression, especially the age didn't match at all.
"Even if you ask me, I don't know what's going on either."
Yamato scratched his head, also not understanding the situation before him.