201-205

Chapter 201: Queen Sara 

Shindai was totally thrown off by seeing that green-haired Naruto. 

"Hold on, was Minato Namikaze not a pure-love guy in the future? He didn't end up with Kushina Uzumaki?!" 

"No! Shindai just couldn't believe it! He loved Minato and Kushina together, and the characters he cared about would never go OOC!" (OOC refers to a character acting in a way that's totally unlike their established personality.) 

After being rescued, Naruto Uzumaki thanked Minato and then asked, "What's up with those puppets?" 

Minato replied, "They're probably powered up by the Ryūmyaku's chakra." 

Naruto, still a bit confused, asked, "Uh... who are you guys, anyway?" 

Minato glanced at the forehead protector on Naruto's head and said, "You're a Leaf ninja, right? We are too." He lifted his mask just enough for Naruto to see the Leaf village symbol underneath. 

Minato then noticed the wound on Naruto's leg. "That wound needs to be treated and bandaged right away." 

"Let me do it," Rin Nohara offered, quickly treating and bandaging Naruto's leg. 

Once she was done, Minato said, "Alright, let's pull back for now. It's not safe here." 

Naruto then noticed Shindai. Honestly, it was hard not to, since Shindai's face was practically in his, and if it weren't for the mask, Naruto felt like Shindai was about to kiss him! 

Naruto took a step back. "What are you doing?! I don't like guys!" 

Shindai's eye twitched. "Huh? You think a little too highly of yourself, don't you? Let me ask you something: did you have a genetic mutation or something?" 

Naruto, annoyed, retorted, "What's your deal?! You had a genetic mutation!" 

Minato cut them off. "We can talk about this later! Let's go!" 

Shindai and the others headed into a run-down, deserted alleyway, a stark contrast to the grand buildings outside. Naruto asked Minato, "So, big brother, who exactly are you guys?" 

Minato shook his head. "Sorry, I can't answer that question." 

Naruto was puzzled. "Huh? Well, can you at least tell me where this is?" 

"This is Loulan." 

"What?! No way!" Naruto's face was full of disbelief. 

"We don't have time for a full explanation right now. While we're on our mission, could you leave this place for a bit? Once we're done, we can talk." Minato pointed in a direction. "See? Turn left over there, and you can exit through the gate. Got it? We have a deal!" 

With that, Minato, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin all disappeared using the Body Flicker Jutsu. Shindai stared intently at Naruto. "Kid, I think we'll be seeing each other soon. When we do, you'd better tell me you had a genetic mutation!" After his words, Shindai also vanished with the Body Flicker Jutsu. 

Naruto blinked. "Seriously?! That guy's crazy! He's the kid!" 

Meanwhile, Shindai and his group were searching for Queen Sara of Loulan. Obito asked curiously, "Shindai, do you know that guy?" 

Shindai's mind was still fixated on Naruto's green hair. "No." 

Obito seemed confused. "No way, I thought you really disliked him. I figured you knew him, but if he's a Leaf ninja, how come I've never seen him in the village?" 

Shindai was clearly annoyed. "I do dislike him, but it's his hair color. Green. It's my least favorite color!" 

"Huh?" Obito, Kakashi, and Rin found Shindai's reason inexplicable. Why would someone hate a hair color for no reason? But then again, it was Shindai, so... maybe it was normal. 

Naruto looked around in a daze. "This is Loulan? How did it get like this? And where is everyone? What's going on, and where did everyone go?" Naruto was completely bewildered. 

He left the alley and returned to the town. Looking at the surrounding buildings, Naruto exclaimed, "Wow, this place is amazing! Is this really Loulan? Loulan should be all desert, I remember... Big Bro kicked me in here to deliver a message to someone, but to who? Whatever, finding everyone is the most important thing right now!" 

Just as Naruto was about to set off, an explosion suddenly rocked the distance. Naruto realized it was fireworks, and the street was packed with people, seemingly celebrating. The crowd kept chanting, "Queen Sara!" Naruto climbed onto a building and looked down at the crowd. 

"Queen Sara?" 

At that moment, Queen Sara was singing alone in her grand hall. A suspicious-looking man entered the room. "Your Majesty Sara, what are you doing? Your people are eagerly awaiting to praise your great achievements, to praise this beautiful country, Loulan, that you and your mother created! So please, stand before your people and show them your smile! Your Majesty Sara, you must guide your subjects in your mother's stead!" 

Sara enthusiastically responded, "Yes, Anrokuzan!" 

Sara ran out of the hall, and the minister, whom Sara called Anrokuzan, watched her departing back with a dark expression. 

Naruto was now hiding on a building, observing the celebration. Sara, dressed in magnificent attire, emerged with two puppets trailing behind her. Naruto was startled when he saw Sara. When he had inexplicably arrived here, he was in a building, and this very person had been sitting on a stone, singing. 

"She's the Queen?!" Naruto suddenly had an idea. He figured if he asked Sara, he might be able to figure out what was going on. 

However, just as Sara was waving to the crowd below, one of the puppets behind her suddenly pushed her. Sara stumbled a few steps forward, and the ground beneath her feet suddenly crumbled, sending her plummeting from the heights. 

"Ah!" Sara's scream echoed. 

Seeing this, Naruto immediately rushed forward, catching Sara in a princess carry. He then moved swiftly through the buildings, successfully landing on the ground. Naruto leaned against a pillar, letting out a long breath. 

Sara, still in Naruto's arms, stared blankly at him. Naruto flashed a gentle smile, just like Minato's. "It's alright now." 

His reward, however, was a series of slaps. "Ah! Let go of me!" 

Chapter 202: Yo, Green-Haired Turtle! 

Naruto Uzumaki saved Sara from falling from a great height, but he didn't get any thanks. Instead, he got a flurry of slaps! 

After the slaps, Sara smoothly followed up with an elbow strike, knocking Naruto to the ground. 

"You rude ruffian!" Sara exclaimed, looking startled as if she'd been harassed. 

Naruto clutched his face, complaining pitifully, "What are you doing?! I just saved you!" He stepped up to rescue her, only to get a barrage of slaps? What kind of ninja way was that?! 

Sara then realized, "Oh, right!" She had been falling, and if Naruto hadn't saved her, she probably would've been splattered on the ground like a smashed tomato. 

Sara apologized to Naruto, "Ah! My apologies, I should thank you first. Thank you." 

Naruto was utterly vexed, rubbing his face and glaring at Sara. What's with this woman? She's so rough! 

Naruto then asked, "Are you Her Majesty the Queen?" 

Sara replied, "That's right, I am Sara, the Queen of Land of Roukran!" 

Naruto introduced himself, "Oh, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village! But seriously, is this really Roukran too? The crumbling ruins I was just in were also called Roukran..." 

Sara snapped, "Please don't say such strange things! Roukran was inherited from my mother; it's more important than my own life!" 

Naruto's mind was totally jumbled. "I'm completely lost here! Anyway, why did you fall from the tower?" 

Sara recalled the moment. "It felt like someone pushed me from behind..." 

Naruto gasped, "What?! Did someone try to kill you?" 

Sara retorted, "No way! No one would want to kill me! You saw it yourself, didn't you? My people welcomed me with such warmth!" 

Naruto made a weird face. "You're really strange, you know. You just said yourself that someone pushed you from behind, right?" 

Sara lowered her head, stammering, "Uh... I must have been mistaken!" 

Suddenly, five figures appeared, standing between Naruto and Sara. 

Shindai looked at Naruto with a peculiar smirk, "Yo, green-haired turtle, we meet again!" 

Minato Namikaze sighed, "You didn't keep your promise." 

"Huh? I couldn't help it, this guy fell from the tower right in front of me! And don't call me green-haired turtle! You fox-faced man!" Naruto pulled out a kunai and leaned against the wall, wary of Shindai and the others. He was in a strange place, and even though Minato showed him a Leaf Village forehead protector, he couldn't just trust them. 

Shindai put his hands on his hips and loudly scoffed, "What?! Me, a fox-faced man? This is just the design of my mask, not a fox face!" 

Sara pushed Shindai aside, standing in front of Naruto. "Tell me, who are you people?!" 

Naruto frowned. "Are you here to take her life?" 

As soon as he finished speaking, Naruto immediately charged towards Shindai, aiming to attack the closest one. 

"Come on, let me at 'em!" Shindai was thrilled! He sidestepped Naruto's kunai, formed hand signs, then grabbed Naruto's hands, restraining them with iron sand. After that, he punched Naruto right in the head! 

"Ow! That hurt!" A bump instantly appeared on Naruto's head, and tears welled up in his eyes. 

Minato stopped Shindai from delivering a second punch to Naruto's head. "Alright, don't attack him. He's not an enemy." 

Minato then told Naruto, "Please don't misunderstand. We're also here to protect Her Majesty the Queen. This isn't the place to talk. Let's move somewhere else, Your Majesty. Could you please take us to a private place? We need to have a proper discussion; this isn't working." 

Sara hesitated, then after a moment of silence, she agreed. "Alright." 

"Hey, what are you doing? Let's go." Kakashi turned to look at Shindai, who was still standing there, staring at a bit of green on his hand. Since they were on a secret mission, Kakashi didn't call Shindai by name. 

Snapping out of it, Shindai looked at Naruto in shock. "Your hair... did you dye it?" 

Naruto huffed, "Yeah, so what's with the shocked face? It's none of your business, is it?" Naruto was really annoyed with Shindai now; not only did he call him a mutant and a green-haired turtle, but he also punched him in the head! 

Shindai awkwardly chuckled, "Uh... why would you dye your hair green? Your original hair should be yellow, right?" 

Naruto looked surprised. "Huh? How did you know my hair was yellow? I dyed it green because my big brother told me it's the color of youth, and that if you want to get through life, you gotta have a little green on your head. So he dyed my hair green." 

Shindai felt a strange feeling in his heart. "If you want to get through life, you gotta have a little green on your head..." That phrase, no matter how he looked at it, sounded like something he would say. Could it be that his future self dyed Naruto's hair green? Is his future self that fashionable? No, not fashionable at all! He better not have dyed his own hair green too! He couldn't handle that! 

Obito urged, "Shindai, stop spacing out, let's go!" 

Kakashi reminded Obito, "Hey, we're on a secret mission!" 

Obito quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. 

Minato glanced at Naruto and Shindai. It really looked like Shindai knew this person. 

Shindai gave a dry laugh. "Haha, didn't we say we needed to move? Let's not talk here, let's go, let's go!" Shindai was secretly thrilled that he hadn't gone off-script. He could still enjoy the Minato and Kushina pairing! 

Now that Naruto knew Shindai's name, it was Naruto's turn to look strangely at Shindai. 

In a very spacious and luxurious corridor: 

"No one will come here. You can talk about whatever you want." Sara said, then casually sat on the edge of a floor-to-ceiling window. 

Minato seriously told Naruto, "It seems our missions might be clashing, so I hope you can tell us why you're here." 

Naruto replied, "I'm not really sure either. My teammates and I were on a mission when these puppets suddenly attacked. One minute it was the ruins of Roukran, and the next it turned into this amazing city. I'm completely clueless about what's going on. If you guys know anything, please tell me quickly." 

Minato pondered for a moment, then finally agreed. "Alright, I suppose there's no choice. I originally didn't want to say anything, but since you're so confused, I'll explain as much as I can." 

Minato then took off his mask. 

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw Minato's face. 

"Huh?! Dad?! You look so young!" 

It seems like Naruto has quite the surprising encounter! Are you curious about what happens next with Naruto and the Fourth Hokage? 

Chapter 203: Identity Revealed! 

When Minato Namikaze took off his mask, Naruto Uzumaki was completely stunned! 

And Shindai, seeing Naruto instantly recognize Minato, perked right up! If Naruto recognized Minato so fast, did that mean... the future Minato wasn't dead? That would be amazing! If Minato was alive, he'd always have someone looking out for him, securing that comfy life, wouldn't he?! 

Shindai, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara all took off their masks too. 

Naruto recognized all four of them immediately. 

"Big Bro Shindai, Kakashi-sensei, Big Bro Obito, Sis Rin... What in the world is going on?!" 

Minato looked at Naruto with a strange expression. Now, Minato was sure. This green-haired kid in front of him was his child from the future. 

Obito asked, puzzled, "What do you mean? Do we know you? And why are you calling Minato-sensei 'Dad'? Not only is Minato-sensei not even married yet, but even if he was, there's no way he'd have a son as old as you!" 

Kakashi frowned. "But, he called each of us by our names accurately." 

Rin tilted her head, looking at Naruto. "You're right, that is weird! Who exactly are you?" 

Shindai, not quite tall enough, slung an arm around a bewildered Naruto's waist, grinning. "He's got an honest face, I'm sure he's not a bad guy. He probably just kept a low profile back in the Leaf, which is why we don't know him, but he's seen us before. We're a bit famous, right?" 

Obito looked confused. "But why did he call Minato-sensei 'Dad'? And... he looks older than us, doesn't he? Calling us 'Big Bro' and 'Sis' feels off." 

Shindai choked. He couldn't explain that one! He elbowed Naruto, urging him to come up with something, fast! 

Naruto was starting to realize it now: a younger Minato, and younger Shindai, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. It looked like he had somehow traveled back in time! 

Snapping back to reality, Naruto scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Haha, my big brother told me that whenever I meet someone, I should call them 'Big Bro' or 'Sis,' and if they're really strong, I should call them 'Mom' or 'Dad,' no matter their age. That way, people will like me and think I'm polite and well-mannered." 

Minato's eyebrow twitched. His future kid... he seemed a little... off. And he could vaguely see Shindai's influence in Naruto. 

Kakashi pointed at Shindai. "Then why did you call him 'Big Bro,' and me 'Sensei'?" 

"That's... that's because..." Naruto was sweating bullets now. He couldn't make anything else up! 

Shindai stepped in to help Naruto out. "Of course, it's because he thinks I'm handsome, right?" 

Naruto's expression twisted slightly, his eyes involuntarily darting upwards as he stammered, "Uh... yes, that's right. Because he's so handsome, I just instinctively called him 'Big Bro.'" 

Obito grumbled, "You sound so hesitant and forced, that's clearly a lie! Am I not handsome?!" 

Not just Obito, even Shindai was annoyed. "Hey, what kind of face is that when you're saying I'm handsome?!" 

Minato cut off their bickering. "Alright, let's stop with the jokes. We're on a top-secret mission from the Leaf, and indeed, this isn't the Roukran you know. I think... you must be someone from the future who came here." 

"The future?!" Obito, Kakashi, and Rin all stared at Naruto in shock. "You mean this guy is really Minato-sensei's kid?" 

Obito excitedly asked, "Hey, what's your name?" 

Naruto's brain was a complete mess. "Na... Naruto Uzumaki..." 

Rin asked, full of curiosity, "Oh, so you have the same last name as Lady Kushina! Why not Minato-sensei's?" 

Naruto explained, "Be-because there are very few Uzumaki clan members left, so Dad wanted me, as Mom's child, to continue the Uzumaki clan. That's why I have my mom's last name." 

Obito eagerly questioned, "What's the future like?! Did I end up with the person I like? Did I become Hokage? Did I step all over Shindai and Kakashi?!" 

Minato placed a hand on Obito's shoulder. "Alright, that's enough, Obito. If people from the future interfere with this era, the flow of time could change drastically. Things that are supposed to happen in the future might not happen. This time period is likely many years before Naruto's era. And six years ago, another ninja from the future came here, just like you, Naruto. His name was Mukade." 

Naruto quickly said, "Mukade is the one we're chasing!" 

Minato asked, "What exactly happened to you? Can you tell me? Maybe we can find some clues." 

Naruto recalled, "We were chasing Mukade, pushing him all the way to the Ryu Myaku, but he swallowed the sealing jutsu into himself. Then Big Bro Shindai kicked me into an energy pillar, and I ended up here." 

Minato, Obito, and Kakashi all looked at Shindai. Naruto also gave Shindai a resentful stare. 

Shindai took a step back under their gaze, trying to defend himself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, first off, we don't even know if the 'Big Bro Shindai' he's talking about is me! And even if it was, that was my future self doing it, it has nothing to do with me right now! Don't look at me like that!" 

Obito scoffed, "Shindai, you're still the same in the future, it seems." 

Shindai retorted, annoyed, "What's wrong with me being like this? I think I'm great!" 

Minato continued, "So, you and Mukade both used a space-time ninjutsu to travel from the future back to the present." 

Naruto suddenly looked terrified. "Then... does that mean I can't go back?!" 

Minato reassured him, "There's still a chance. If what you say is true and he swallowed the jutsu, then as long as we defeat Mukade, time should return to normal, and you'll be able to go back to the future." 

"Really?!" Hearing Minato say that, Naruto's spirits lifted. As long as he could go back, it was fine! 

Minato nodded. "Yes. Also, Naruto, don't talk about the future anymore. Knowing too many things could change history. In any case, we must defeat Mukade quickly, or this era will become even more twisted. The power of the Ryu Myaku is dormant in Roukran, and Mukade is using that power to develop puppet weapons." 

Naruto remembered. "That's right, Mukade did say something like that! Injecting the power of the Ryu Myaku into puppet jutsu, and he even said the whole world would be under his control..." 

"Shut up! You people stop lying!" 

Sara, who had been silent until now, suddenly interrupted Minato and Naruto with an outburst. 

It seems like things are getting even more complicated for Naruto and the gang! What do you think Sara's outburst means for their mission? 

Chapter 204: Working Together 

Sara suddenly cut off Minato and Naruto's information exchange, loudly claiming they were lying. 

She passionately defended Anrokuzan, "The ninja who came to this country six years ago wasn't some guy named Mukade; it was an extraordinary man named Anrokuzan! Now, as a minister, Anrokuzan has carried on Mother's legacy and is diligently working for this town! A man who loves peace would never develop the kind of weapons you're talking about!" 

Minato, however, gleaned crucial information from Sara's outburst. If Anrokuzan arrived six years ago, it was almost certain that Anrokuzan was Mukade. Minato seriously told Sara, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid that man has deceived you." 

Sara retorted angrily, "I can't believe that! You're far more suspicious!" With that, Sara turned and walked away. 

Naruto called out, "Hey, where are you going?!" 

Without looking back, Sara quickened her pace. "I'm going to confirm it myself!" 

Naruto shouted after her, "Didn't you just get ambushed and almost lose your life?! Maybe this is all Anrokuzan... no, Mukade's doing behind the scenes!" But Sara wasn't listening; she just kept walking. 

Minato suggested, "Let's split up. I hope you can protect Her Majesty." 

Naruto watched Sara's receding back and said, "Protecting Sara is a given, but I also have to catch Mukade. It's because we let that guy escape that things got so complicated." 

Minato responded sternly, "It would be more efficient for us, who are more familiar with this place, to search for Mukade. Besides, I can't just have you join midway through our mission, Naruto. You're a Leaf ninja, you should understand, right? Protecting Sara's life is also extremely important." 

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, if it's your order, Dad... I guess there's no helping it. I get it, I can't just leave Sara either." 

Shindai's eyes darted around, and he volunteered, "I'll go with him. This guy looks like he'll rush in without thinking, so I can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't mess things up. And if Mukade tries to harm that dumb queen, it's good to have two people watching each other's backs, right?" 

Kakashi sneered, "Shindai, don't think we don't know what you're up to!" 

Obito chimed in, "Yeah, it's way too obvious!" Rin didn't say anything, but her disdainful look seemed to say it all. 

Shindai stiffened his neck and said, "What?! What kind of person do you take me for?! I'm making a reasonable suggestion for this mission, and you're questioning your accomplice? Is that how you treat your comrades?" 

Naruto quietly corrected him, "It's comrade, not accomplice. 'Accomplice' sounds like we're going to do something bad." 

Shindai glared at Naruto. "Shut up!" Naruto instantly shut his mouth and stood ramrod straight. 

Minato, Obito, and Rin all looked at Naruto and Shindai in bewilderment. Naruto was much taller than Shindai, yet when Shindai glared at him, Naruto acted like a child who had made a mistake, which looked incredibly out of place. 

Minato thought for a moment, then said, "It's fine, but... Shindai, you're not allowed to ask Naruto about the future, and Naruto, you're not allowed to tell Shindai anything about the future. If you agree, then you can go together!" 

Shindai immediately said, "I agree!" Then he looked at Naruto with burning intensity. 

Naruto nodded and agreed, "I agree too." 

Minato took out a Flying Raijin kunai and handed it to Naruto. "This kunai is specially made. As long as you hold it, I can instantly come to you no matter where you are. Shindai, you already have one, so I won't give you another. Alright, go now. Time is short. I'm counting on you with Sara." 

"Leave it to us, Minato-sensei! We're off!" Shindai and Naruto left to find Sara. 

Kakashi asked curiously, "Sensei, you know Shindai won't be that obedient. He's definitely going to ask about the future. Why did you still let him go?" 

Minato smiled. "It's fine. In the end, I'll cast a memory-erasing jutsu on them both, so even if Shindai knows a lot, it won't matter." 

Sara was rapidly ascending in an elevator. She muttered in the elevator, "They know nothing about Anrokuzan. Both Naruto and those ninjas, they just talk to themselves!" 

Shindai and Naruto were searching for Sara. Naruto grumbled, "Where did that guy go? Big Bro Shindai, can't you use your third eye to find her?" 

Shindai looked in a certain direction. "I don't need a third eye to see her. The Hidden Sand Village is so poor, they can't even power the whole village, yet this Loulan is so technologically advanced, they even have elevators! Amazing, right? Look, she's over there." 

Naruto followed Shindai's gaze. "I see her too! Let's go quickly then!" 

Shindai eagerly asked, "Not so fast. Tell me about the future first. How am I doing in the future? Is my career going well? Am I married? Do I have kids?" 

Naruto made a strange face. "But didn't Dad just say I couldn't tell you?" 

Shindai urged him, "Aw, just whisper it to me! Come on, come on!" 

Naruto muffled his voice with his hand. "No way, I won't say! What if the future changes?! This time, no matter how much you bully me, Big Bro Shindai, I won't give in!" 

Shindai narrowed his eyes and asked again, "Really not gonna tell?" 

Naruto firmly replied, "Nope!" 

Naruto was being so stubborn that Shindai genuinely had no idea what to do. "Why are you being so tight-lipped? The future's gonna happen anyway!" 

Naruto, afraid Shindai would hold a grudge, tried to appease him. "Since it's going to happen in the future, then Big Bro Shindai, you'll know when the time comes, right? So don't ask! It's Dad's orders, I can't help it." 

Shindai asked, "You said future-me kicked you in here earlier?" 

Naruto grumbled, "Yeah, he said to deliver a letter to someone, but I don't know who." 

Shindai extended his hand to Naruto. "Let me see the letter. If he sent you to deliver a letter, it should be for me." 

"Huh? Oh, maybe!" Naruto rummaged in his ninja tool pouch and pulled out a scroll for Shindai. Shindai unrolled the scroll and began to read. He recognized the handwriting immediately; it was definitely his own. 

[To the incredibly handsome me, 

Shindai's lips curved into a smile. His future self was quite polite, wasn't he? 

But the very next sentence made a vein pop on Shindai's forehead. 

You big idiot, are you even capable?!] 

Chapter 205: Treasure at Kannabi Bridge 

Shindai was reading the letter from his future self. When he first saw "To the incredibly handsome me," Shindai thought his future self was quite polite. But then, Shindai realized he'd overestimated himself; the letter immediately lost all manners. 

[To the incredibly handsome me, 

You big idiot, are you even capable? Because of you, I can't even hold my head high in front of them two! What happened to that "manly swagger" you used to brag about? Where did it go? 

When we're just bullshitting, can we at least try to make those boasts a reality? Do you even know what kind of life I'm living right now? It's practically hell, understand?! 

I'm begging you, from this moment on, unleash that manly swagger! Show them who's boss at home! 

I can't tell you about the future, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter, because you'll lose your memory after this trip to Loulan. Just write it down on a piece of paper. 

Go unseal the Kannabi Bridge as soon as possible. Just pretend there's treasure inside. 

And then there's the manly swagger! This is super important! I don't want to be the one who's always pushed around anymore! I want to stand tall and be the one in charge! 

Write it down, stop mumbling curses to yourself. I'm you, so cursing me is cursing yourself! 

That's it. Seriously, what are you even doing all day? My ability to hold my head high in the future depends on you! 

Shindai's face was already dark. He mumbled curses, "What the heck? If me cursing you is cursing myself, then why are you calling me a big idiot?! Write down what? I've got this scroll, what do I need to write down?" 

As Shindai rolled up the scroll, intending to shove it into his ninja tool pouch, it suddenly disintegrated into a pile of iron sand. Shindai's already dark face turned greenish-black. 

"This is insane! He's even playing the 'self-destructing message' trick! So why tell me all that if I'm supposed to write it down anyway?! Just force me to memorize it, huh?!" 

Even though he was grumbling, Shindai still pulled out a blank scroll and a pen and started writing. "Darn it, I got too mad. What was he telling me to write down? Oh, right, to unseal some treasure at Kannabi Bridge. And what else? Eh, not important." Shindai wrote "Treasure at Kannabi Bridge" on the scroll. 

After putting away the scroll, Shindai fell into thought. "Them two?" Does that mean his future dream came true, and he married two wives? But somehow, he felt like his future self's life was a bit... hard to describe. 

Naruto looked at Shindai with a subtle expression. He felt like this version of Shindai was pretty wild too. 

"Oh, that's right!" Naruto pulled out a card and asked, "Big Bro Shindai, could you sign this for me?" 

Shindai took the card Naruto offered him. Looking at the card, Shindai's expression became incredibly strange. On the card was a hand-drawn image of Shindai, with the word "Excellence" in the top right corner. It had to be said, it was quite handsome. 

Shindai flipped the card over and looked at the back. 

[An extraordinary Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai ninja, embodying handsomeness, wisdom, and strength! 

Effect: Nullifies all abilities of the opponent's cards and forces all their hand cards to be banished. If the opponent has no hand cards, you win immediately. 

Below that was a pentagonal stat graph, with almost all stats maxed out. 

Shindai curiously asked, "What is this thing?" 

Naruto explained, "It's a card game that's really popular throughout the ninja world in our era." 

Shindai's eyes lit up. "Oh? Really? That sounds pretty cool. Looking at the effect of my card, this card must be super rare and unbeatable, right?" 

Naruto nodded. "It's definitely very rare, and it is unbeatable. That's why it's immediately banned. As a forbidden card, it can only be collected as a collector's item." 

Shindai scoffed. "Why ban it? This card is great! By the way, who created this card game? Who's such a genius? It couldn't be me, could it? Because it seems like only I could do something like this." 

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Uh, I can't say, since it involves the future." 

"Alright, alright, I've signed it. Here." Shindai signed his card and returned it to Naruto. 

Naruto looked at Shindai's very distinctive signature on the card, a happy smile on his face, then carefully put the card back into his ninja tool pouch. 

Shindai looked towards the elevator. "Alright, we need to go find that dumb queen now." 

Naruto slapped his forehead. "Ah! I forgot about Sara! Big Bro Shindai, let's hurry!" Naruto rushed off to chase Sara, while Shindai slowly followed him. 

Sara was walking down a corridor, still determined to prove Anrokuzan's innocence. As she passed a room, someone suddenly darted out, pulled Sara inside, and immediately shut the door. 

Inside the room were about a dozen fully armed people, only their eyes showing, holding farming tools as weapons. Sara looked at the ten-odd people before her, feeling a little scared. It seemed someone really was trying to take her life. 

A woman shoved her face close to Sara's, scrutinizing her. "Are you the real Queen Sara?" 

Sara said with a tough expression, "I am Queen Sara! If you want to take my life, you should come at me honorably!" 

The ten or so people simultaneously raised their farming tools, startling Sara, who took a step back, all her previous bravado gone. 

The woman from before told Sara, "Give it back to us!" 

Sara was a bit confused. "Huh? Give what back to you?" 

The woman threatened Sara, "Otherwise, we don't know what we might do!" 

The people behind the woman shouted in unison, "Give it back to us! Give it back to us!" 

The woman spoke again, "Everyone is serious! Give it back quickly!" 

At that moment, Naruto arrived, bursting into the room and shielding Sara. "Sara! You guys back off!" The chakra blade in Naruto's hand, capable of cutting puppet strings, scared one of the younger guys, who covered his head in terror. "Help me! Please don't kill me!" 

Shindai also appeared at the doorway. After glancing at the situation inside, he told Naruto, "Naruto, put your blade down. These guys don't even have proper ninja tools. They look like civilians." Shindai then looked at Sara and asked, "Did you perhaps oppress your own citizens and force them to revolt?" 

Sara retorted, "No way! How could I possibly oppress my own people?!" 

Naruto's mind was a mess right now; he couldn't quite figure out what was going on.