Chapter 259: Tobirama's Other World Adventure (2)

Swish!

The attack failed. The "corpse," face still covered in gore, hurled a summoned Fūma Shuriken at an onrushing foe.

Crack!

An Iwa-nin, who had used Earth Clone to lure his adversaries, emerged from the ground, both hands seizing the "corpse's" legs and yanking downward.

Boom!

The Transformation Jutsu dispelled, revealing Uchiha Obito in the place of the "corpse."

At the same moment, the Fūma Shuriken spinning through the air reverted to Hatake Kakashi, whose kunai slid deftly up against the enemy's throat.

All the ninja under Sumashi's command were chūnin, their individual competence undeniable. Even having lost their companions, they remained composed. One was about to finish off an enemy he'd grabbed when a kunai flew in, the rush of air forcing him to hop back a step and miss his chance to kill.

Nohara Rin gripped a kunai, standing protectively in front of Obito, whose head alone protruded from the ground. She warily watched the enemies now hemmed in, front and rear.

No matter how inexperienced she was, she was still a chūnin – and a fairly rare medical-nin. Her chakra control was first-rate, akin to the future "Sakura" role in Team Seven.

The Iwa-nin were breaking out in a cold sweat. That masked Konoha brat was truly strong, their commander Sumashi still hadn't shown up, and they had no clue what befell their other comrades.

[Could this whole place be a trap?!]

He entertained the same thought as his leader Sumashi, tightening his grip on his kunai in desperation, ready for a final struggle.

Splurt!

Senju Tobirama's figure appeared like a phantom, stabbing the enemy dead, then leaping back onto a tree branch. With one foot on the unconscious Sumashi, he said, "You lot took your time."

Not bad, but only barely acceptable.

Trusting one another, coordinating to fight, dividing tasks properly, alert at all times – plus they still hadn't revealed that soon-to-be-famous jutsu, Chidori.

Hatake Kakashi… for someone so young, no wonder he became a jōnin.

Tobirama's face remained stoic as he silently approved in his mind. Then he turned his head upon sensing a sudden arrival. "By the look of you, must be Namikaze Minato."

Compared to Uchiha Obito, the future Fourth Hokage was far more recognizable. Plenty of data about him remained in Konoha's records, and his face on the Hokage Rock was carved in the most conspicuous spot.

Namikaze Minato, looking slightly perplexed but keeping calm, said, "Who are you?"

"Take me back to see Sarutobi – the Third Hokage." Tobirama rattled off a string of codes. These were ones he'd once agreed upon with his subordinates in his Hokage days. Sadly, he never got to use them again after his final stand.

Based on his knowledge of Sarutobi, even if the codes had long been discontinued, Sarutobi would still meet him once he heard them. Armed with what was in Tobirama's head, earning their trust wouldn't be hard.

There was only one problem—

Huh?!

All of a sudden, Tobirama stared intently toward the cave, picking up on a very familiar chakra. Incredibly familiar.

[Madara. No mistake – that's Madara's chakra!]

His mind raced. Even if it had flashed by only briefly, he wouldn't mistake it.

"Sorry," Minato apologized, dashing forward in a body flicker so swift he arrived almost ahead of his own voice, only to be astonished: the mysterious child, who had seemed momentarily dazed, vanished at nearly the same instant he did.

[So fast! Someone can match my speed?!]

Minato was astonished. He'd figured that so long as he tagged the other with his Flying Thunder God mark, there'd be no problem – whether the kid was a spy or genuine. Yet showing such speed and reflexes meant he couldn't handle this person so simply.

Swish!

Minato activated the Flying Thunder God technique – magnitudes faster than a normal Body Flicker – appearing on a treetop where he'd placed a special kunai beforehand.

Swish!

[What?!]

He missed again; the stranger appeared to be using something very much like Flying Thunder God as well.

Minato didn't attempt another attack. Frowning from the treetop, he asked seriously, "Who are you, exactly?"

He was starting to believe the person might really be a messenger from the Third Hokage. The so-called secret space-time ninjutsu derived from the Second Hokage… Even in Konoha, only a few had the right aptitude, and Minato was the only one truly using it in real combat. For this random child to appear, out of nowhere, seemed to validate the story he'd initially doubted.

[So fast!]

Hatake Kakashi was equally stunned. It was the first time he'd seen anyone match Minato-sensei's blinding speed. And the stranger was just a child.

"Take me to see the Third Hokage," Tobirama repeated gravely. Having received an affirmative nod, he joined Minato's four-man team in leaving the forest. Glancing from a distance at the cave with unknown developments, he felt a bit uneasy.

If Madara was already here at this point in time, with no Link or his older brother by his side, there was no way Konoha could stand against Madara.

His only hope was that the timing of his journey would allow Link and the others to come help soon.

Deep within that cave, in the silent darkness—

"Lord Madara, that is Senju Tobirama, who arrived in this world along with me."

The Black Zetsu from the future gradually melded into a White Zetsu body, speaking respectfully.

Old and frail, Uchiha Madara watched the now-child Tobirama depart, feeling something new stirring in his heart, and his eyes took on a different light.

Moments earlier, while he'd been resting in his underground base, another Black Zetsu – claiming to be from the future – appeared.

Being a product of the Yin–Yang Release, there were now two Black Zetsu exactly alike. Even Madara couldn't discern which was his original, which was the future one.

Initially skeptical, he saw and sensed Tobirama with his own eyes.

No mistake: that was the man who personally killed Izuna.

A grim expression tinged Madara's elderly face. If this new Black Zetsu really came from the future, that would mean that in the future, he truly lost—

Lost to Hashirama and some "Link," a brat from Konoha.

And the fate of Uchiha Obito – who was meant to be Madara's tool – had just now been altered.

But none of that mattered now.

Madara had a new plan. Originally, he intended for Nagato to spend years gathering intel and Tailed Beasts, using the Rinne Tensei to revive him so he could appear at the final stage.

But if the future had changed like that—and techniques to "travel through time" now existed—he no longer had to die and wait in the Pure Land to be brought back.

[A jutsu that communicates with the dead, a jutsu that reanimates and resurrects, a jutsu that crosses "time"… Link…]

He decided at once that he would retrieve his Rinnegan, capture Tobirama from the "future," and figure out how to seize "Link."

He'd take hold of his own future with his own two hands.

~~~

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