As the power of the Six Paths resonated with the Dragon Vein, Minato glanced at the people around him—Konoha's group, Roran's group, and Naruto's group from the future. He suddenly chuckled, drove his special kunai into the ground, and formed hand seals to seal the Dragon Vein.
Shikaku, though finding it troublesome, still turned to Kushina and spoke softly, "Kushina, I'm counting on you."
Kushina, standing beside Minato, was momentarily stunned. After a brief hesitation, she nodded lightly. "I understand."
They weren't supposed to know too much about the future, and Roran didn't need these memories either. This was a conclusion reached by both Shikaku and Minato, and no one objected.
Taking a deep breath, Kushina stepped forward, stopping just outside the Dragon Vein's glow. Forming hand seals, she looked gently at Naruto and Sasuke. "Naruto, Sasuke, take care of yourselves."
The two of them clearly knew what she was about to do, but neither resisted.
Naruto smiled without saying a word and gave Kushina a thumbs-up. Sasuke, silent, looked at his father. Fugaku did not disappoint him—though his face remained calm, he gave Sasuke a small nod.
Sasuke understood. A smile appeared on his face. "I'll leave it to you, Aunt Kushina."
Inside Naruto's mind, Kurama lay there, watching Kushina's hand seals. After a moment of thought, the fox got up, visibly annoyed. Following the chakra trail of Naruto's past self, he appeared in Kushina's inner world. The power of the Six Paths slowly flowed out, merging with Kushina's chakra.
Feeling this immense energy, Kushina was briefly surprised but quickly smiled and nodded. "Thanks… Kurama."
"This is the first time you've actually called me by name," Kurama muttered, glancing at her.
"Well, even enemies can have a day when they make peace, right?" Kushina playfully winked. After all, she was still just a teenage girl.
"Pfft, don't think you can win me over that easily." Kurama grumbled and lay back down. Though he sounded unwilling, he didn't hesitate at all in lending her his chakra.
Seconds later, Kushina finished forming her seals. She released the immense chakra, which spread across the ground in faint red markings, forming strange symbols that encased everyone within.
Minato watched, his smile warm. "Anyone have any last words?"
"Not like we'd remember them anyway," Shikaku muttered, completely ruining the moment. But his voice was soft, and not many people heard him.
Everyone shook their heads. At this point, there was nothing left to say.
As the glow of the Dragon Vein and the sealing jutsu intertwined, it felt as if something was slipping away from their minds.
Naruto stared at the fading figures before him. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and spoke slowly. "Even if our memories are sealed and our recollections fade, the feelings we have right now will never be forgotten."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto and suddenly let out a small laugh. "Yeah."
Taking a deep breath, Naruto shouted toward the people beyond the Dragon Vein, "Everyone! Mom! Dad! I'll be waiting in the future to see you all again!"
Even if the memories disappeared and the past was forgotten, the feelings would always remain in their hearts.
See you in the future!
"Flying Raijin: Dragon Vein Seal…" Minato's voice was soft.
The light slowly faded. Naruto and Sasuke were gone from the Dragon Vein.
Everyone stood there in silence, staring at the now empty space. It felt like something had just vanished from their minds.
But no matter how hard they tried to remember, nothing remained—only an unexplainable warmth in their hearts.
Minato and Kushina exchanged looks. Minato seemed dazed, while Kushina smiled gently.
"Minato, let's go home."
Although he couldn't remember what had happened, Minato knew that Kushina had sealed their memories. He nodded lightly. "Yeah, let's go home."
At the same time, deep inside Kushina's mind, a small trace of unspent Six Paths power remained. It didn't affect her in any way, but maybe in the future, when Kurama is transferred, this power will pass on to the next Jinchuriki.
And when that time comes, the next Jinchuriki will be watched by the Sage of Six Paths.
This… must be what they call "time."
Meanwhile, at the border where the Land of Wind meets the Land of Fire, an old man leaned on a cane, his cloudy eyes faintly glowing red as he gazed toward Roran with a thoughtful look.
Behind him, a boy and a girl stood nervously, staring at him in disbelief, as if they never expected to see this man here.
These three people were Uchiha Madara, Boruto, and Sarada.
Boruto leaned close to Sarada and whispered, "Hey, Sarada, why is this guy here?"
Sarada frowned slightly. "How should I know? And you're being kind of disrespectful to our Uchiha ancestor."
"Why would I respect this guy?!" Boruto stepped back in shock. "Did you forget what we learned in ninja school? You know what he did, right? He almost destroyed the whole world!"
"Yeah, almost."
Sarada pouted. "But in the end, he understood everything, didn't he? Even Uncle Kurama said that while Madara had a twisted personality, everything he did was for the world. He just… lost his way a little."
"You don't have to forgive him, but you can at least understand him."
She suddenly smiled. "Thinking about it that way, don't you think Madara is kind of cool?"
Boruto went quiet, instinctively glancing at Madara's back. His mind flashed to the pictures he had seen in textbooks. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah… I guess I kind of see it."
Up ahead, Madara acted as if he hadn't heard their conversation. His eyes remained fixed in thought.
"The Sage of Six Paths… Otsutsuki Kaguya… and those two, Urashiki and Isshiki…"
"I see now. Looks like I…"
"Was deceived."
A hint of clarity returned to his cloudy eyes as the Three Tomoe Sharingan slowly spun within them.
…
"Sasuke!!! Naruto!!!"
Sakura's desperate scream echoed through the ruins of the Dragon Vein.
That overwhelming chakra had already swallowed Naruto and Sasuke whole. She wanted to rush in and save them, but Kakashi and Shikamaru grabbed her from both sides, pulling her back without hesitation.
Sakura seemed to forget all about her monstrous strength, letting them drag her away as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Then…
The light of the Dragon Vein began to shrink, its violent energy calming down until it finally disappeared completely.
Naruto and Sasuke stood at the center of the Dragon Vein. Naruto scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Huh? I swear I just heard Sakura calling me."
"How would Sakura know when we'd be back? You must've imagined it." Sasuke walked out of the Dragon Vein calmly. But the moment he finished speaking, he saw three dumbfounded faces in the distance—along with Sakura, crying her eyes out.
Naruto lit up with excitement. "Pervy Sage?! Kakashi-sensei?! And Sakura-chan and Shikamaru?! Were you guys waiting for us?"
Sasuke also paused in surprise at the sight of them. Without thinking, he muttered, "Doesn't seem like it. There's also Temari from the Sand Village over there. If they were really waiting for us, she wouldn't be here… unless she and Shikamaru got married without inviting us."
"Hah! Like they'd ever get married without inviting us. Are we that annoying?" Naruto laughed it off without a care.
Sakura: "..."
Shikamaru: "..."
Temari: "..."
Kakashi: "..."
Jiraiya: "..."
What kind of ridiculous truth—wait a second! Haven't you guys said this exact same thing before?
Kurama shrugged helplessly. "I swear I've seen this episode before."
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