“Bastard!”

Anrokuzan still refused to give up.

Even as he cursed, he desperately drew upon the Power of the Dragon Vein, struggling violently in an attempt to break free from the Wood Dragon’s restraints.

After a brief moment of thought, Kitazawa formed hand seals once more.

Nearby branches surged forward, coiling tightly around Anrokuzan’s body. This time, they didn’t just restrain him—they locked around his throat, cutting off his voice entirely.

The furious struggle instantly fell silent.

“It’s quiet now,” Kitazawa said with a soft chuckle. “All that’s left is to wait for the Queen of Rouran to shut down the Power of the Dragon Vein.”

Minato looked at him, unable to hide his curiosity.

“Kitazawa… why didn’t you act earlier?”

“I’m a teacher at the Ninja Academy,” Kitazawa replied calmly.

Minato froze, instantly understanding the implication.

With the Dragon Vein amplifying him, Anrokuzan’s strength had clearly surpassed that of most jōnin. Even Minato’s Flying Thunder God combined with Rasengan had failed to injure him.

And yet—

Kitazawa had deliberately allowed such an opponent to serve as training for his students.

To Minato, it was borderline madness.

But only someone with absolute confidence—and absolute power—could afford to do that.

The moment Deep Forest Emergence and Wood Dragon Technique were unleashed, the enemy they had struggled against was effortlessly subdued.

Such strength was more than enough to guarantee the students’ safety while forcing them to grow under real pressure.

At last, Minato truly understood why Naruto and Sasuke had already far surpassed their peers.

This wasn’t luck.

It was the result of terrifying guidance.

“Once the Queen shuts down the Dragon Vein,” Minato asked after a moment, “how do you plan to return to the future?”

Kitazawa glanced at Anrokuzan.

“I believe the key lies with him.”

Minato frowned slightly.

In the original course of events, shutting down the Dragon Vein stripped Anrokuzan of his regeneration. That was when Minato and Naruto defeated him with the Taiji Rasengan.

Before dying, Anrokuzan forced the Dragon Vein into a rampage, prompting Minato to seal it using a Flying Thunder God kunai as the core.

Afterward, Minato and Naruto sealed each other’s memories—and Naruto returned to the future.

Kitazawa didn’t fully understand why sealing the Dragon Vein enabled time travel—but he intended to follow the same sequence.

“Do you have a plan?” Minato asked.

“Not yet,” Kitazawa replied. “Once the Dragon Vein is shut down, I’ll interrogate him. We may find our answer then.”

In truth, he already knew the method—but revealing it “through interrogation” would avoid suspicion.

Minato nodded, not dwelling on it.

Moments later, the flickering purple chakra surrounding Anrokuzan abruptly vanished.

Anrokuzan’s pupils shrank.

No—!

He had lost contact with the Dragon Vein.

There was no doubt about it—the Queen of Rouran had acted.

Though the Queens of Rouran were not ninja, their contract with the Dragon Vein granted them limited authority. That very authority had made them targets.

Mukade—no, Anrokuzan—had coveted it from the start.

“It looks like Kakashi and Naruto succeeded,” Minato said, finally exhaling in relief.

Kitazawa nodded and walked toward Anrokuzan.

With a casual motion, he summoned his fourth bow.

The Wood Dragon had absorbed a massive amount of Dragon Vein chakra. Dispersing it now would be a waste.

The optimal choice was simple—

Seal it.

As for the true Dragon Vein itself, Kitazawa would deal with it after returning to the future. Once ownerless, no one would object to him claiming it.

For now, it still belonged to Rouran.

Minato studied the bow in Kitazawa’s hand, then thought of the bows used by Hinata and Neji.

Same craftsmanship. Same structure.

Clearly part of a single series.

Combining the Byakugan with a bow… it was a brilliant concept.

The only drawback was rarity—there simply weren’t enough weapons of this caliber to popularize them within the Hyuga Clan.

Where had Kitazawa even found such things?

Minato’s thoughts drifted, his mind still reeling from the sheer shock of Kitazawa’s display.

Kitazawa put the bow away and dismissed Deep Forest Emergence and Wood Dragon Technique.

Anrokuzan was still tightly bound, utterly helpless.

Without the Power of the Dragon Vein, he couldn’t even dream of breaking free.

Stripped of that power, his human puppet body was laughably inferior—nowhere near Sasori’s level.

There was a reason he had always been unremarkable in Sunagakure.

In the end—

He simply wasn’t talented enough.

Yet in a twisted sense, he was fortunate.

By obtaining the Power of the Dragon Vein, Anrokuzan had experienced—if only briefly—the treatment reserved for the very pinnacle of the ninja world.

After all, being bound by a Wood Dragon was no small honor.

Before him, only figures such as Uchiha Madara and the Nine-Tails had suffered that fate.

“Kitazawa-sensei, we’re back!”

Naruto’s energetic voice echoed through the ruins.

Kitazawa turned and saw the Queen of Rouran, Sara, Choza, Kakashi Hatake, and the others approaching.

The moment Choza and the younger Kakashi noticed the thick branches tightly restraining Anrokuzan, their expressions shifted.

Because their priority had been escorting the Queen to safety, they had not witnessed Kitazawa’s Wood Release firsthand.

“It was Kitazawa’s Wood Release,” Minato Namikaze explained, noticing their shock.

“Sensei’s Wood Release is ridiculously strong!” Naruto added immediately.

Hinata, Neji, and the others nodded in agreement.

“It truly is,” Minato said with a faint sigh. “Anrokuzan had already been captured before you shut down the Dragon Vein.”

Choza and the younger Kakashi were stunned.

They knew Minato well—he never exaggerated.

Which meant Kitazawa’s strength had genuinely impressed even him.

“Ahem.”

Kitazawa cleared his throat, steering the conversation back on course.

“Anrokuzan has been subdued. Now we need to handle the aftermath.”

“Thank you, all of you.”

The Queen of Rouran spoke solemnly. “I will shut down Anrokuzan’s puppet factory and permanently cease the use of the Power of the Dragon Vein.”

She had never been ambitious.

And after seeing Anrokuzan fail even with the Dragon Vein’s power, she clearly understood that it was no miracle solution.

Rouran was a small nation. If it could not control such power, then abandoning it was the wisest choice.

“Your Majesty is truly wise,” Minato said sincerely.

“Leave Anrokuzan to me for interrogation,” Kitazawa said after a brief glance at Naruto. “I’ll need three days.”

Minato raised an eyebrow in surprise.

With Kitazawa’s strength, three days seemed excessive.

“That’s great!” Naruto exclaimed happily. “We get to stay in Roran for three more days!”

Minato immediately understood.

So that’s it…

Kitazawa really was a good teacher.

Compared to him, Jiraiya suddenly seemed… questionable.

“The royal palace still requires repairs,” the Queen said apologetically. “You will have to stay in the Side Hall for the next three days. I promise you will receive the best treatment.”

“You’re too considerate,” Minato replied. “Please focus on Rouran’s recovery. We’ll manage.”

Their mission was effectively complete.

All that remained was seeing Naruto and the others safely back to the future.

The Queen nodded and ordered servants to escort them to the Side Hall.

She herself still had countless matters to address—Anrokuzan had left chaos in his wake.

“Who… are you?”

As soon as they arrived, the younger Kakashi stared at Kakashi Hatake, unable to restrain himself.

Choza hadn’t explained anything earlier, intending to leave it to Kakashi himself.

As it turned out, Kakashi hadn’t said a word either.

Now that the battle was over, the question finally spilled out.

Kakashi hesitated, then explained the situation briefly.

He didn’t go into details—only that he was Kakashi Hatake from the future.

Even so, the younger Kakashi froze in disbelief.

“You two talk,” Kitazawa said with a smile, turning away. “I have things to do.”

He took Anrokuzan with him and returned to his room.

The door closed.

The instant it did, Kitazawa activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Caught completely off guard, Anrokuzan was instantly subdued.

Kitazawa interrogated him thoroughly about the Dragon Vein.

Although he already knew the outcome from the original story, confirmation never hurt.

By the end, the mechanism of time travel was clear.

In simple terms, an immense surge of Dragon Vein chakra distorted space-time, forcibly opening a Space-Time Tunnel.

They had been pulled through because Mukade actively triggered the Dragon Vein.

To return, the same thing had to happen again.

And Anrokuzan knew exactly how to make the Dragon Vein go berserk.

The remaining chakra inside Anrokuzan’s body originated from the Dragon Vein itself.

By re-establishing a connection, that chakra could force the Dragon Vein into a runaway state.

The chakra sealed inside Kitazawa’s fourth bow was more than sufficient to serve as the trigger.

Anrokuzan, therefore, was no longer needed.

Dismantled was the correct word.

As a human puppet, only his core still mattered—the rest was no longer flesh.

The next three days passed quietly.

Kitazawa stayed deliberately.

For Naruto’s sake.

When the time came, they gathered at the Ryuugan, the core of the Dragon Vein.

It was here that the Queen of Rouran had shut down its power.

Without Anrokuzan’s defeat, this place would never have been opened to outsiders.

“Before you return to the future,” Minato said softly, “we must seal each other’s memories.”

“Does it really have to be sealed?”

Naruto asked quietly, staring at the ground.

In the past week, he had experienced something he had never known—warmth, family, parents.

Even if it was fleeting…

He didn’t want to lose it.

“Minato-senpai.”

Kitazawa spoke at just the right moment. “We come from the future. The past is already fixed, so there’s no need to seal our memories.”

Minato Namikaze froze.

From a logical standpoint, it made sense—but logic did little to ease his unease. Time was a fragile thing, after all.

Still, when he saw the quiet plea in Naruto’s eyes, his resolve finally wavered.

“…Then I’ll trouble you to seal our memories instead,” Minato corrected himself.

“I’ll trigger the Dragon Vein immediately,” Kitazawa explained calmly. “When its power erupts, we’ll be sent back to the future. At that point, Minato-senpai, you only need to seal the Dragon Vein.”

“So that’s how it is…”

Minato suddenly felt the pieces fall into place.

The flying thunder god kunai.

The Ryūmyaku Seal.

All the things he had never fully understood—now they made sense.

“Be careful.”

Kitazawa nodded and took out his fourth bow.

It still didn’t have a name.

Forming a one-handed seal, he released the Dragon Vein chakra sealed within. The energy resonated instantly with the Ryūmyaku beneath them.

The earth trembled violently.

Pillars of purple chakra burst skyward, recreating the exact scene from when they had first been dragged through time.

“Naruto… Kakashi… until we meet again.”

Minato smiled—warm, bright, and unmistakably his.

Naruto and Kakashi felt their eyes burn.

They both knew.

There likely wouldn’t be a next time.

Taking advantage of the moment, Kitazawa swiftly sealed the memories of Minato and the others.

As the seal completed, the eight figures vanished from the spot in an instant.

“…What just happened?”

Choza looked around in confusion. “Why did the Dragon Vein suddenly go berserk?”

Minato shook his head.

All he remembered was investigating Anrokuzan, Rouran’s minister.

But there was no time to dwell on it—now that the Dragon Vein was rampaging, it had to be sealed immediately.

[Current Mission: Defeat Mukade and correct history.]

[Mission Reward: Taiji Rasengan.]

[Host has completed the mission. Reward issued.]

The purple chakra dispersed.

Kitazawa found himself standing alone in the desert once more.

He didn’t move at first, quietly absorbing the flood of information that had appeared in his mind.

So… they were back.

The Taiji Rasengan—an S-rank technique—was undeniably powerful. In the original story, it had been hailed as the strongest Rasengan ever created.

Still, to Kitazawa, it wasn’t the greatest gain.

Compared to high-level Wood Release or the talent for Space–Time Ninjutsu, it was merely another powerful tool.

The true prize of this journey… was time itself.

“How is everyone?”

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Kakashi, Naruto, and the others.

“We’re fine,” Kakashi replied with a shake of his head.

Naruto remained silent.

The farewell had come too suddenly.

Unless a miracle occurred, he would never see Minato again.

Neji, having seen his father without speaking to him, had already regained his composure.

Sasuke, Hinata, and the others were similarly calm—though all of them felt as though they had just witnessed a legend step out of history.

After all, they had met the Fourth Hokage with their own eyes.

“Kakashi, take them to the nearby oasis,” Kitazawa said, half-truthfully.

“I need to deal with the Dragon Vein so no one else can tamper with space-time again.”

Kakashi nodded and led the group away.

Once they were gone, Kitazawa took out his fourth bow.

He placed it precisely where Minato had once left his flying thunder god kunai.

With a single hand seal, he reactivated the Dragon Vein—and in the very next instant, unleashed the Four Symbols Seal.

Minato’s Ryūmyaku Seal had been a compound technique built upon it.

Endless Dragon Vein chakra surged into the bow.

The dull surface brightened instantly, faint purple patterns rippling across it.

When Kitazawa lifted it again, the weight had multiplied several times over.

In terms of sheer chakra, the Dragon Vein surpassed even Satori, the Zero-Tails, and Mōryō.

Calling this bow comparable to a Jinchūriki was no exaggeration.

After a moment’s thought, Kitazawa named it:

Mini Dragon.

The Demon Slayer Bow would one day belong to Hyuga Hanabi.

This bow, however, would serve as his external chakra reservoir.

Then he paused.

…It still required an extra step compared to a true Jinchūriki.

His thoughts drifted to the Yin Seal.

Could he transfer a portion of the Ryūmyaku chakra from the Mini Dragon into it?

If so, he wouldn’t need to draw the bow during combat—he could simply release the Yin Seal.

And once depleted, it could be replenished again from the bow.

Kitazawa nodded.

It was entirely feasible.

Putting the Mini Dragon away, he activated his Byakugan and scanned the land.

The Dragon Vein’s power had vanished completely.

Yet deep beneath the earth, faint traces of new Ryūmyaku were beginning to form.

At this rate, it would take at least a thousand years.

Satisfied, Kitazawa turned toward the oasis.

Kakashi and the others were already waiting.

After resting for another hour, they began their return to Konoha.

Three days later, the gates of Konoha Village came into view.

Kakashi stared at the distant Hokage Rock, an indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

Who could have imagined that in just two weeks…

He would cross time itself—meet a younger Minato Namikaze—and even come face to face with his own past?

It felt as though he had lived through another era.

——————

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