Meanwhile, within the Hyūga Clan...
Neji from the other timeline sat obediently on a cushion.
Hyūga Tenzō was removing the Caged Bird juinjutsu from him and replacing it with a simple "Protection Seal" that only safeguarded the Byakugan.
Hizashi watched from the side, his brows shifting slightly.
Even after all these years, every time he saw the Caged Bird that had once been carved into the foreheads of Branch Family members, he felt as though he'd been transported back to another lifetime...
Back to that day ten years ago, when an emergency training exercise had brought him into close contact with the Hokage.
That was when the gears of fate had begun to turn...
Neji from the other timeline looked dazed.
Because of the mark on his forehead, he'd once harbored thoughts of self-destruction. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined it would simply be removed just like that...
It was as easy and casual as going home for dinner. If anything, the whole thing almost lacked a sense of ceremony.
"Your physical foundation is decent enough."
"When you go back, don't reveal that your Caged Bird is gone. That place isn't home."
Hizashi's choice of words was far more blunt and forceful.
As a shinobi who worked with both ANBU and Root, he recognized that Neji from the other timeline had a connection to him, but more importantly, Neji was a visitor from another timeline...
The two facts weren't mutually exclusive.
Hizashi intended to exploit the Branch Family mentality he knew so well and completely turn Neji from the other timeline into a shinobi Konoha could make use of, planting an asset in the other world ahead of time.
That would give them a reliable source of intelligence.
It was also a small reflection of one of the most important lessons Danzō had taught Hizashi over these past few days...
"Neji, you understand what removing the Caged Bird means to someone from the Branch Family."
Hizashi patted Neji on the shoulder.
"You and I have both had it rough. As for our Konoha and our Will of Fire, you have the Byakugan. Spend these next few days looking around for yourself. I don't need to tell you which is better, ours or yours..."
"Over the next few days, I'll arrange for you to receive Hashirama-sama's cells and a Storm Release Kekkei Genkai. I'll teach you some basic ways to use them so you'll at least have the ability to protect yourself."
"There's a chance you could die. Are you willing to try?"
Neji from the other timeline took a deep breath. His expression looked remarkably similar to Hizashi's own when he'd been the first to climb onto the operating table all those years ago.
He nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, sir!"
Hizashi smiled in satisfaction.
Just as Tenzō had immediately recognized Nakamaro as the same kind of person as Hizashi when Nakamaro first arrived in Konoha...
Hizashi had now picked up some of his father Tenzō's diplomatic ability, though mixed with a trace of Danzō's style.
Direct, but not relying solely on threats of force—there was also a knack for playing on people's emotions.
Tenzō sighed quietly. "None of us have had it easy, Neji... Given the connection between us, I still recommend that you look around carefully before making your decision."
"We'll probably be going to your side eventually."
"If we have someone like you there as an advance contact, a lot of things will be safer and proceed more smoothly. But that also means you'll face some new challenges."
"Think it through..."
Yet the more Tenzō said that, the more excited Neji from the other timeline became.
'We're both Konoha...'
'So why is there such a huge difference?!'
"Tenzō-sama, you don't need to say any more. I've already made my choice!"
Neji from the other timeline spoke with absolute seriousness.
The corners of Hizashi's mouth rose. This didn't surprise him in the slightest.
A Hokage who spent his days neglecting government affairs and drinking, paired with an unchecked Danzō who coveted the Hokage's seat—anyone could tell that a village like that wouldn't have much cohesion.
Add in the irresistible prospect of removing the Caged Bird for a Branch Family member, especially a genius like Neji...
Turning him was inevitable.
Tenzō and Hizashi, father and son, silently worked together with practiced coordination.
As for the older Neji's future...
Wouldn't living in Konoha be perfectly nice? The Hyūga Clan was short on people anyway...
So what if they were poaching someone from Konoha in another timeline?
The Hokage had already said that place had nothing to do with them. It was merely a parallel world!
A similar situation was unfolding between Sai and his father, Ida.
Ida took Sai around Konoha and showed him the benefits enjoyed by Root, along with the history behind them.
Then he repeated Hiruzen Sarutobi's original words: Root shinobi didn't need to abandon their names—they deserved to be remembered.
Sai was already on the verge of breaking down...
Ida had lost count of how many times he'd replayed in his mind Hiruzen's speech to the Root shinobi at the Senju ancestral residence, along with the handshakes he'd given them.
So when Ida recounted it, the words came naturally, carrying the weathered emotion of someone looking back on his own past.
Under the Root system Hiruzen had built, the stark contrast before Sai's eyes, combined with Konoha's current prosperity, was a weapon sharp enough to cut through any argument...
The other timeline's Danzō had simply used far too shallow a form of indoctrination.
Actions spoke louder than words.
And Ida, as a veteran of Root himself, understood better than most how Root shinobi thought...
He was exactly the right man for the job.
"Kid, you've had it rough."
"You're a lot like me. I know you're smart..."
"The future of your Konoha looks bleak. Neither Tsunade nor Danzō is the kind of person who can set a village that's already weathering a storm back on the right path..."
"Especially in your timeline. I don't think Tsunade would necessarily be able to beat Danzō. If he becomes Hokage, what happens to the village is easy enough to predict."
Ida smiled.
"I know you're wondering what we're planning to do about the Konoha in your timeline..."
"About that, I'll leave you a few documents to read over the next few days. You can also use your Super Beast Imitating Drawing to travel to Kirigakure and Amegakure and have a look around. You could even visit Sunagakure."
"You may come from another timeline, but you still understand the Will of Fire, at least to some extent."
Sai's expression grew conflicted. He didn't know what he should do.
Thinking for himself was still far too difficult for a veteran Root shinobi...
"Actually, you don't have a choice. This is fate."
A thought suddenly occurred to Ida. He finally knew how to get through to Sai.
"Now that your Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal has been removed, the Danzō from your timeline will never trust you again. Even if you seal yourself again, it won't change that."
"I don't need to explain how suspicious he is."
Ida smiled. "Besides, we don't need you to do anything right now. When we eventually travel to your timeline, all you'll have to do is help the true Will of Fire..."
"After all, given what the Danzō in your timeline is like, without someone there to mediate, he might even dare attack our shinobi..."
"And if that happened, things could get ugly."
"That Danzō has also seriously gotten on our Danzō-sama's nerves. He doesn't want his counterpart becoming the Sixth Hokage. And I'm serious when I say this—he might even deliberately start a war between the two timelines..."
Sai's heart trembled.
In the original timeline, Naruto had once managed to sway him into betraying Danzō...
But now he was being subjected to the combined influence of the Will of Fire and the true Root. The sheer intensity was on an entirely different level from Naruto's Talk no Jutsu in his own timeline...
Danzō's reputation was doing plenty of work as well.
Even though this timeline's Danzō was the sunnier version, Sai still firmly believed in everything that name implied...
The man obviously looked like the kind of smiling schemer who would set things up so the other side attacked first, then mobilize everyone against them...
Go to war with this Konoha?
Just imagining the scene filled Sai with profound despair.
"Please... let me think about it," Sai pleaded quietly.
"I'll wait."
Ida smiled. "But opportunities to change your fate don't come often. Think carefully..."
As far as Ida was concerned, the outcome had already been decided.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Konoha...
The conversation between Guy from the other timeline, the younger Guy, and Might Duy was far more straightforward.
They only talked about their insights into the Eight Gates...
"So that's how it is? That's a very useful insight..."
Might Duy listened carefully as the other Guy described what he'd learned from training in the Eight Gates over the years, then nodded seriously. "I'll report your insights to the Hokage."
"I'll also try submitting a request to teach you the 'Physical Activation Technique'..."
"This technique can reduce the damage your body suffers after opening the Eight Gates."
Might Duy didn't mention transplanting Hashirama's cells into the other Guy.
That privilege was being strictly controlled after careful study by Danzō and Orochimaru.
Those eligible for transplants had all been screened to ensure that they wouldn't upset the larger balance, had vulnerabilities that could be leveraged, and could ultimately be won over.
Only shinobi from the other timeline who met those conditions could receive such resources in the first group.
Someone like Might Guy, who might already be capable of opening the Gate of Death, was different. His thinking was also relatively straightforward, and specialized Hashirama cells would enhance him far too much. He therefore required further observation and efforts to win him over first...
After all, the possibility couldn't be entirely ruled out that Konoha's shinobi might someday come into conflict with the other timeline.
Even if that possibility was only one in ten thousand.
Once Konoha's shinobi, bearing the Will of Fire, descended upon that world, however, such a possibility would cease to exist. There would still be plenty of time to strengthen Might Guy afterward.
"Hokage-sama also has the flames of youth burning within him?"
Guy from the other timeline looked astonished. "The Hokage actually trains in the Eight Gates..."
"Of course."
Might Duy nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"The Eight Gates is a technique for protecting others."
"And the Hokage is Konoha's strongest protector. Naturally, he would train in this technique..."
"His youth burns as fiercely as a raging flame!"
As for Yamato from the other timeline...
The person he was dealing with was Senju Hashirama.
Whether this Hashirama belonged to his own timeline or not, he was still Konoha's First Hokage. The influence and credibility carried by his every word and action were simply beyond anything the Tsunade or Danzō of Yamato's timeline could match.
Especially after Yamato saw another version of himself and the members of the Iburi Clan living happily in Konoha...
One week later.
The Konoha shinobi from the other timeline reluctantly returned home.
Each of them carried their own assignments.
Officially, they were supposed to send a delegation over to study and learn...
But in reality, the Konoha shinobi on Hiruzen's side weren't particularly looking forward to that.
They were all waiting for the village, with a little help from the Sage of Six Paths and Orochimaru's research, to gain greater control over the passage through the Dragon Vein.
First came stability. Then they needed to establish a flexible way of opening and closing it whenever necessary.
After that, they could head over there and thoroughly erase their embarrassing histories!
Except for Orochimaru.
He was waiting for the version of himself in that other world to take the bait on his own and come seeking these new changes...
As the Hokage's aide, unless something unexpected happened, he wouldn't be traveling to the other timeline.
The heir apparent ought to act like one...
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office...
Kaguya stared at Hiruzen, who sat there with his eyes closed in thought, until she finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Hokage..."
"Pay attention to me..."
"I'm here to negotiate with you!"
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---