The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind did not share a direct border.
Like all of the Five Great Nations, they were separated by a network of smaller, independent territories that served as geopolitical buffer zones.
In theory, these buffer states reduced direct friction between the superpowers.
In reality, they were a death trap.
During peacetime, the citizens of these small nations eked out a meager existence.
But the moment a Shinobi World War ignited, these buffer zones were the first to drown in blood.
To prevent the apocalyptic scale of ninja warfare from destroying their own infrastructure, the Great Nations deliberately fought their battles on foreign soil.
The small countries unwittingly became the meat grinders of the shinobi world, suffering catastrophic civilian casualties.
In the future timeline, Nagato—the future leader of the Akatsuki—had watched Konoha shinobi murder his parents in his own home because the Hidden Rain Village was caught in the crossfire of the Second Shinobi World War.
That single, tragic mistake had birthed the monster that eventually leveled Konoha.
Although the current geopolitical climate was shifting toward a ceasefire, the citizens of the buffer states were entirely unaware.
The Third Shinobi World War was technically still active.
The small nations lived in a state of absolute terror, waiting for the sky to fall.
Traveling at maximum speed, Minato and Tsunade reached the western border of the Land of Fire by late morning.
They crossed into the buffer zone—the Land of Rivers.
The roads were completely deserted.
Merchant caravans had ceased operations entirely.
When the occasional civilian spotted Minato’s flak jacket or Tsunade’s shinobi sandals, their faces twisted with a mix of visceral disgust and paralyzing fear.
They immediately fled inside, slamming their doors shut and throwing the deadbolts.
“War is incredibly cruel,” Minato murmured, his eyes tracking a mother dragging her child into an alleyway.
“This is a conflict between the Great Villages, yet we turn their homes into our battlefields.”
“The Five Great Nations have waged three global wars in the name of protecting our own,” Tsunade said grimly, not breaking her stride.
“But all we have actually accomplished is breeding monsters out of unvented resentment and grief.
The shinobi system has been fundamentally broken for decades.”
Tsunade glanced at Minato.
“We were both cogs in that broken machine.
But we aren’t anymore.
We are going to dismantle it.
The hatred these civilians feel toward us is entirely justified, but it will fade once we establish a true, lasting peace.
Isn’t that exactly why Naruto gave us this second chance?”
“It is,” Minato agreed, a relieved smile touching his lips.
He accelerated his pace.
“Let’s keep moving.”
After crossing the Land of Rivers, the lush forests gave way to brutal, sweeping deserts.
They traveled through the night, pushing their physical limits, and finally arrived at the perimeter of the Hidden Sand Village the following afternoon.
Because the war was technically ongoing, Sunagakure’s sensory barriers and patrol routes were on high alert.
Infiltrating the village undetected would have been a logistical nightmare for Minato and Tsunade.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to infiltrate.
They were expected.
A kilometer outside the village gates, they were intercepted by Baki.
In the future timeline, Baki served as the commander of Sunagakure’s combat forces and a high-ranking council member.
As Gaara’s sensei, Baki intimately understood the absolute, unbreakable bond between the Kazekage and Naruto Uzumaki.
The moment Baki had received the future memories, he knew Konoha would deploy an extraction team to save Karura.
He had been secretly patrolling the perimeter for days, waiting for them.
Baki wasn’t surprised to see Tsunade; he had anticipated the deployment of the world’s greatest medical-nin.
He was, however, slightly shocked that the Yellow Flash had personally escorted her.
“You are late,” Baki noted dryly, turning to lead them through a blind spot in the sensory barrier.
“Follow me.”
Baki navigated them through the sandstone streets with practiced ease.
Because he currently managed the duty rosters, he had deliberately assigned veterans who possessed the future memories to the perimeter guard, ensuring the Konoha VIPs encountered zero resistance.
Baki led them directly to Rasa’s estate.
Because Rasa was currently in Konoha attending the summit Minato had orchestrated, the estate was heavily guarded by Sunagakure Anbu.
However, thanks to the combined political maneuvering of Baki and the village elder Ebizo, every single Anbu operative stationed at the compound was a future veteran.
They recognized Minato and Tsunade, gave a subtle nod, and cleared the path.
Baki knocked twice on the heavy wooden door.
It swung open, revealing a four-year-old Temari.
When her large teal eyes landed on Baki, Tsunade, and Minato, a wave of profound, desperate relief washed over her young face.
Both Temari and her little brother, Kankuro, had received the future memories.
Despite their physical age, they possessed the minds of seasoned war veterans.
They knew their mother, Karura, was scheduled to die in childbirth within a matter of days.
For the past week, the siblings had been paralyzed by anxiety, waiting for the legendary Fifth Hokage to arrive.
If Tsunade hadn’t shown up today, Temari had been fully prepared to storm Ebizo’s office and demand a search party.
Temari stepped aside, ushering the adults into the living room.
Karura reclined on a low sofa, her hands resting heavily on her swollen stomach.
Her younger brother, Yashamaru, was quietly sweeping the floor nearby.
In the future timeline, Yashamaru’s fate was a tragedy.
Ordered by Rasa to test Gaara’s psychological limits, Yashamaru had attempted to assassinate the boy, ultimately detonating paper bombs in a suicide attack.
His betrayal completely shattered Gaara’s mind, turning the child into a bloodthirsty, self-centered demon until he violently collided with Naruto Uzumaki.
But in this timeline, Yashamaru was simply a devoted younger brother.
When the door clicked shut, Yashamaru looked up.
His eyes locked onto the two strangers standing behind Baki.
The broom clattered to the floor.
Yashamaru instantly lunged backward, placing himself directly between the intruders and his pregnant sister.
His right hand blurred, drawing a kunai from his pouch, while his left hand shot out to grab the toddler Kankuro—who was currently grinning like an idiot—and dragged the boy behind him.
Yashamaru dropped into a lethal combat stance.
Minato and Tsunade froze, raising their hands in a placating gesture.
It was a perfectly logical reaction.
Neither Karura nor Yashamaru possessed the future memories.
It was the middle of the Third Shinobi World War, and two of Konoha’s most terrifying strategic weapons—the legendary slug princess and the Yellow Flash—were standing in their living room.
“Yashamaru, stand down,” Karura ordered gently.
She struggled to sit up, waving a hand to dismiss her brother’s weapon.
She looked at the two Konoha legends with absolute, unshakeable calm.
“You have traveled a very long way.
May I ask what brings you to our home?”
Karura was a fiercely intelligent kunoichi.
She knew that if Minato Namikaze wanted them dead, her brother’s kunai was entirely useless; they would have been decapitated before they even registered the threat.
Furthermore, she trusted Baki implicitly.
Baki would never betray the Sand.
She knew her husband was currently in Konoha negotiating a peace treaty.
Minato and Tsunade were high-ranking Konoha officials; they obviously knew Rasa wasn’t here.
Therefore, the only logical conclusion was that the Yellow Flash and the Sannin had crossed two thousand miles of hostile desert specifically to see her.
Minato and Tsunade exchanged an awkward look.
They couldn’t exactly tell a pregnant woman they were time-traveling veterans sent by a hyper-empathetic demigod to save her from dying in childbirth.
Temari and Kankuro were technically children; their testimony wouldn’t be credible.
Baki sighed, stepping past the Konoha shinobi.
As the only adult Sand ninja in the room who possessed the memories, the burden of the temporal briefing fell squarely on his shoulders.
“Lower the kunai, Yashamaru,” Baki commanded.
“I will explain everything.”