Right now, Naruto remained deeply confused. Why were Veigar and the others also claiming to be shinobi from Konoha? Something about all this just didn't sit right with him.
With a faint sense of agitation, Naruto looked at Veigar and spoke:
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."
"And you are?"
Turning toward Naruto, Veigar gave a small nod and replied:
"I know."
"I'm Veigar. Veigar Koshima."
At that moment, hearing the name and seeing Veigar's vaguely familiar face, Naruto was stunned, his heart jolting as if struck by lightning.
Meanwhile, Queen Sara, who had slowly begun to regain her composure, stared intently at Veigar and murmured:
"A shinobi… of the Leaf?"
Veigar looked at her again, replying calmly:
"That's right. I'm a shinobi from Konoha."
"Would you like to know why you fell from the grandstand?"
Sara's eyes widened. She looked directly at Veigar and asked:
"You know?"
When Veigar nodded, she stepped forward, visibly shaken but resolute:
"Please… tell me the truth."
Meeting her gaze, Veigar spoke softly:
"You were pushed off… by one of your own soldiers."
"No... that can't be… it can't…"
Sara had already harbored her suspicions. But now, hearing Veigar say it aloud shattered her last thread of denial. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground, trembling.
"It's the truth, and you already know it deep down, don't you?"
"Besides, the one who pushed you wasn't acting of their own will. It was merely a puppet, just another pawn, not the mastermind."
Veigar's tone was firm, but not unkind.
"Enough!" Sara suddenly screamed, her voice cracking with anguish.
Shff—shff—shff—shff!
Suddenly, four masked shinobi appeared at once: Minato Namikaze, Shibi Aburame, Chōza Akimichi, and Kakashi Hatake.
"It seems you didn't keep our agreement," Minato said, his voice calm but pointed as he addressed Naruto.
But Minato's words provoked an intense reaction in Naruto. Without hesitation, he pulled out a kunai and charged toward Minato.
"So it was you, you're the ones trying to assassinate the Queen!"
Naruto, driven by impulse and distrust, attempted to take Minato hostage, but the Yellow Flash easily disarmed and subdued him in a blink.
"You misunderstand us. We're protecting the Queen."
Naruto, now restrained, looked up in disbelief.
"Sensei, I've located the target," Veigar announced, his voice drawing everyone's attention.
He pointed toward the still-cheering crowd gathered at the central plaza.
"Those people… they're not alive. They're puppets, controlled."
"And the one pulling the strings is none other than Anrokuzan, the Queen's most trusted minister… and the target of our current mission: Mukade."
Veigar's revelation struck Sara like a thunderclap.
To call her cheering citizens puppets? To say her most trusted advisor was not only a traitor but also a murderer, and the criminal codenamed Mukade?
She couldn't accept it. She wouldn't.
"Lies! Shut your mouth!"
"Anrokuzan would never… He would never try to kill me! And Mukade? That's absurd!"
To Sara, Anrokuzan was more than just a minister. He was someone she had placed deep trust in, perhaps too deep.
"You don't believe me?" Veigar asked gently. "Then look over there."
He pointed again.
Sara followed his gaze, and froze.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with horror.
"How… How is this possible…"
There, standing atop the royal viewing platform, was her. Another Sara. Identical in every way.
"Do you believe me now?" Veigar pressed, pushing her one step closer to the truth.
"But don't worry," he continued. "That doppelgänger isn't alive either. She's a puppet, too, controlled by Anrokuzan."
Sara's body trembled. Her people, those she thought were celebrating her, were cheering for a puppet, treating it as their Queen. Her blood turned to ice.
Minato gave Veigar a nod of approval before silently vanishing.
Without a word, Veigar scooped the dazed Sara into a princess carry and followed.
They reappeared inside a corridor atop a distant high-rise, hidden from view but overlooking the entire central plaza. Veigar gently placed Sara down at a windowsill.
From here, the entire square was visible, but no one outside could see them. A perfect vantage point.
Naruto, still bewildered, turned to Minato again, pressing for answers.
Minato glanced at his teammates, Shibi, Chōza, and Kakashi, then slowly removed his mask.
"There's no other way now."
"I didn't want to say anything, but…"
The moment Minato's face was revealed, Naruto was struck dumb. Then, a single word escaped him:
"Dad… Father."
The tension in the room melted instantly.
A soft smile appeared on Minato's face.
"So I was right after all."
Naruto flung himself into Minato's arms, tears brimming.
"Dad… you—You're supposed to be—!"
But before Naruto could finish, Minato gently placed a hand on his golden hair and interrupted:
"Naruto… you mustn't say any more."
Naruto pulled back, confused.
Minato returned a smile and explained:
"This isn't the Land of Roran you know."
"If I'm not mistaken… you're from the future, aren't you?"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"The… future?"
Minato nodded.
"That's right. The future."
"I didn't want to explain too much because when someone from the future interferes with the past, it can drastically alter the flow of time."
"This place is about twenty years before your time."
"And six years ago… someone else came here. Another shinobi from the future, just like you. He arrived just as suddenly."
"His name… is Mukade."
Naruto's eyes went wide in shock.
"What?! Mukade?!"
"The rogue ninja we're hunting… has the same name!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
He clutched his head in frustration, shouting in confusion.
Meanwhile, Sara, still seated at the windowsill, watched the puppets in the plaza quickly retreat and finally began to collect herself, bracing to hear the rest of the truth.
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