Konoha: Gu Master

In the Kazekage's office, Gaara sat amidst towering piles of paperwork.

The chaos following the Chunin Exams, coupled with Fugi's recent schemes, had left the Sand Village in a state of disarray. 

Gaara, ever diligent, had not rested since his appointment as Kazekage. 

His past experience with Shukaku had made him accustomed to little sleep, but the endless flow of tasks seemed insurmountable.

However, unlike Tsunade, Gaara harbored no thoughts of abandoning his duties.

Just then, the door burst open.

"Gaara, something's happened!" Temari's voice was uncharacteristically panicked as she spoke in a hurried tone.

"What happened?" Gaara's heart skipped a beat. 

Temari's distress signaled serious trouble—yet again, it seemed Sand Village's streak of misfortunes were unending.

"Do you remember sensing a surge of powerful chakra yesterday?" Temari asked, takeing a deep breath to force herself to remain composed.

"I remember," Gaara replied, nodding. "I asked you to investigate."

"It was the legendary Dragon Vein," Temari continued, her voice heavy. "But that's not the worst part. Kakashi Hatake and his team have gone missing in its vicinity."

"What?!" Gaara shot to his feet, losing his usual calm demeanor.

"According to our investigation, the disturbance in the Dragon Vein was caused by them. But after the phenomenon subsided, they vanished without a trace," Temari explained, her voice grave. "I've dispatched all available Anbu to search, but so far, there's been no sign of them."

Gaara fell silent. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

If it were ordinary Konoha shinobi who had gone missing, the situation wouldn't be as dire. 

After all, this incident didn't directly involve the Sand Village. 

But those who'd disappeared were no ordinary Konoha shinobi—especially not Shinho Aburame, Tsunade's personal student. 

If the Sand Village were blamed for their loss, it could bring consequences far beyond their control.

"What should we do now?" Temari asked, instinctively turning to Gaara.

"We must inform Konoha immediately," Gaara replied gravely. "Only by promptly explaining the situation can we avoid any suspicion."

"I'll have Kankuro deliver the message at once," Temari said, realizing the urgency. Delaying or concealing the incident would only saw suspicion.

Kankuro was chosen due to his puppets, which would allow him to reach Leaf Village swiftly.

"Send out all our available ninjas and expand the search area, and try every means to find them," Gaara sighed, as he relied the orders, "There's only so much we can do in this situation."

Tamari nodded, and turning to leave.

But seeing Gaara's expression, she hesitated to speak. 

In the truest sense, Sand village behaving like this was a desgase to them as one of the Five Great Villages, however, once their position was made clear in their last confrontation, they could only bow their heads and suffer the indignation.

The trong prayed on the weak, that was simply the truth of the world.

Tamari turned and left the office. She found Kankuro and explained the situation.

After the initial shock, he rused out quickly, reaching konoha in half a day. Under normal circumstances, it would take 3 days to reach konoha from sanagakure for a shinobi, but kunkuro had achieved shortened that to half a day.

…

In the Leaf Village's Hokage office, Tsunade eyed the disheveled Kankuro with a raised eyebrow. 

He looked haggard—his face pale, lips cracked, and his whole body caked in dust. 

He seemed as if he'd just escaped from a bandit's den.

"Shizune," Tsunade called, "get him some water."

Shizune approached with a cup, only for Kankuro to snatch it up and gulp it down in one go.

"Hokage-sama," Kankuro said after a slight bow. "Please forgive my rudeness."

"Let's get to the point. Why are you here?" Tsunade asked, waving off the formalities.

"They... they've gone missing…" Kankuro stammered, mustering his courage.

"Who's missing?" Tsunade froze, immediately feeling a pang of dread in her heart.

"Th-The Seventh Squad," Kankuro managed, his voice faltering.

The next moment, he felt himself lifted off the ground, Tsunade gripping his collar with terrifying strength as she lifted him up.

Her face darkened, voice filled with barely contained fury. 

"How could they go missing?!"

The killing intent radiating from her was overwhelming. 

Kankuro could barely breathe, feeling as if he were facing a rampaging Shukaku. 

He trembled, certain that death was near—but he forced himself to stand firm, knowing the consequences for Sand Village were dire if he faltered.

"It was… the Dragon Vein…" he rasped, his face turning red from Tsunade's iron grip.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune grabbed her wrist, her voice trembling. "Please, let him explain first!"

Shizune maintained her composure, though her own heart was racing. 

The one small comfort was that Kankuro had reported them as "missing" rather than dead—otherwise, she couldn't even bigin to predict Tsunade's reaction.

Tsunade released her grip, recognizing her lapse in control.

Kankuro, upon hitting the ground, wasted no time in recounting the events in detail, word for word. 

Tsunade's intense gaze never left him, making him feel as if the Sand Village itself were under siege. 

He couldn't help but wonder—was Tsunade's bond with her student truly that deep?

"That brat!" Tsunade ground out through clenched teeth.

She understood immediately—Shinho must have taken matters into his own hands. 

The mission's objective had clearly been to capture Mukade and strengthen Minato Namikaze's seal on the Dragon Vein.

"Tsunade-sama, I remember that the Fourth Hokage also conducted a mission involving the Dragon Vein!" Shizune interjected, her memory jogged.

"Go get me that mission report from Minato's Dragon Vein mission," Tsunade ordered, massaging her temples to ease her mounting frustration.

"Right away!" Shizune hurried out, returning shortly with a scroll.

Tsunade unrolled the scroll, scanning its contents before falling silent. 

Minato's mission appeared eerily similar to Shino's current situation, though there was no mention of what had transpired within Roran.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune prompted cautiously.

With a sigh, Tsunade handed the scroll to Shizune.

"Does this mean Shinho is safe?" Shizune asked, her face lighting up with a bit of relief.

"…" Tsunade couldn't be certain. The situations weren't exactly identical.

"Even though the Fourth Hokage's team was strong, so is the Seventh Squad. They should be able to handle themselves," Shizune said, trying to reassure her.

Kankuro, meanwhile, slumped to the ground in exhausted relief.

He had genuinely thought Tsunade might kill him just moments ago.

"Prepare to leave for the Sand Village immediately!" Tsunade suddenly declared, slamming her hand onto the desk with a resounding thud.

Both Shizune and Kankuro jumped at the sudden noise.

"Get ready!" Tsunade ordered, unable to contain her impatience.

She had thought she could wait it out calmly, but the more she sat still, the worse her anxiety grew. 

Even with Minato's prior experience as a reference, she couldn't stop herself from imagining the worst possible outcome.

A troubling thought nagged at Tsunade—she'd even wagered a bet with Shinho about this mission's success. With that memory, a vivid image of blood kept flashing through her mind.

Her fists clenched, her body trembling slightly.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune's heart skipped a beat. Tsunade's demeanor hinted at a resurgence of her hemophobia.

"I'm fine," Tsunade replied, steadying herself. 

Frustration broke through as she muttered, "Just wait until I get my hands on that brat—he's in for it!"

Kankuro took two cautious steps back, realizing with dread that while four members of Team Seven had gone missing, the only one Tsunade and Shizune seemed worried about was Shinho Aburame. 

He shuddered at the thought of the Sand Village's fate if something had indeed happened to him.

Shizune stepped out of the Hokage's office, found Shikaku Nara to explain the situation, and soon after set out with Tsunade for the Sand Village.

Kankuro had it the worst. 

Exhausted as he was, he immediately set out on yet another journey. 

Fortunately, he was accompanied by two top-tier medical ninja, which at least reduced the risk of an early demise.

…

At the Dragon Vein's location in the Roran ruins, Gaara held out a kunai.

"This is a Flying Thunder God kunai," Tsunade noted, turning it over in her hands thoughtfully. She had already inspected the Dragon Vein's seal and had been startled by its current state. 

According to legend, the Dragon Vein was supposed to contain vast, endless chakra. But now, the chakra it held barely matched the power of a weakened One-Tailed Shukaku.

What could have drained so much of its power?

And with the Flying Thunder God kunai in play, she wondered if Shinho and the others had somehow entered a mysterious space akin to the Three Great Sacred Lands. 

Years ago, Minato Namikaze and his team had also disappeared from Roran for a time before reappearing under equally strange circumstances.

"I have a general sense of what may have happened," Tsunade said, returning from her thoughts. "This isn't the Sand Village's doing."

Gaara finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're dismissed," Tsunade added, waving him off. "I'll wait here."

Gaara and Temari exchanged glances, then helped the nearly unconscious Kankuro to his feet and left the Roran site.

"Yugao, set up the tent here," Tsunade instructed.

Yugao Uzuki and the other Anbu immediately prepared a campsite, setting up a tent in no time.

"Give me that bottle of honey wine the brat left with you," Tsunade said, looking pointedly at Shizune.

Shizune hesitated. Shinho had anticipated that dealing with the Dragon Vein might take time, so he had entrusted her with a stash of honey wine, instructing her to give Tsunade one bottle per day. 

Tsunade had already had her daily allowance.

"Now," Tsunade said, her gaze sharp.

Shizune sighed and handed her a bottle.

Tsunade wordlessly took a swig, then another, draining the bottle in no time. Her cheeks flushed pink from the alcohol, yet her irritation remained.

Still unsettled, she stumbled into the tent and lay down.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune called, concerned. 

She had never seen Tsunade in such a state, and a bold, treasonous thought crossed her mind—this almost looked like heartbreak.

"Leave," Tsunade said, her voice thick with fatigue and alcohol.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Shizune hesitated, but finally turned and left the tent.

"Ugh, that idiot!" Tsunade groaned, raking her hands through her hair, leaving it tousled and messy. 

She stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling of the tent and realized, for the first time, just how shaken she felt.

….

Elsewhere in Roran, Sasuke Uchiha found himself utterly bewildered as he faced an all-too-familiar face.

Where was he? What had happened?

Sasuke had never met Minato Namikaze in person, but he had seen the Fourth Hokage's face countless times on the Hokage Rock. 

Now, standing before him was a younger, unmistakable version of the Fourth Hokage.

He glanced at the two young men beside Minato, who had just removed their masks. 

It couldn't be—were they really Choza Akimichi and Shibi Aburame? Especially the latter—Sasuke had met Shino's father many times.

Yet that left the question: how were they so young?

"I think I understand the situation now," Minato said after listening to Sasuke's story.

"What's going on?" Choza asked, curious.

"He's a ninja from the Leaf Village…twenty years in the future," Minato said, his words leaving everyone stunned.

"What?!" Both Choza and Shibi stared in disbelief.

As for Sasuke, he simply gave up trying to comprehend it all.

"You're from the future," Minato said gravely. "You shouldn't remain in the past—doing so could lead to catastrophic changes. Based on what you've described, the key player here is Mukade, also known as the Roran minister Anrokuzan."

"But isn't Roran supposed to have two ministers?" Choza asked, puzzled.

"Two ministers?" Sasuke murmured, startled. "Could one of them be Shinho Aburame?"

He recalled that when the Dragon Vein had exploded, Shinho had been standing with Mukade.

"Shinho Aburame?" Young Shibi's curiosity piqued. "Does that mean he's from my clan?"

"He's your son," Sasuke answered.

"What?" Shibi's face took on a peculiar expression. He hadn't even found a girlfriend, and he already had a son?

"Congratulations!" Choza teased, laughing.

"No, it's not Shinho," Minato interjected. "This minister's name is…Shi Siming."

"Shi Siming?" Sasuke repeated, perplexed. "What an odd name."

"Never mind that," Minato said, turning to Shibi. "Shibi, find Kakashi and the others."

"Understood," Shibi replied, casting a pointed glance at Choza. "Besides, I wouldn't mind seeing what a twenty-years-older Kakashi looks like."

"Aren't you even a bit curious about your son?" Choza teased.

"…" Shibi shot him a look before sending out his insect swarms to search.

Minutes later, he raised a hand, pointing northward.

"Let's go," Minato said, pulling out a Flying Thunder God kunai.

Sasuke experienced the legendary Flying Thunder God technique for the first time—and it was fast.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke looked over to see his stunned sensei standing there, speechless.

"Looks exactly like Kakashi," Minato mused. He opened his mouth as if to ask something, then hesitated. 

He wanted to ask about Kakashi's eye, but he knew that the less they revealed, the less chance they had of affecting the future.

"I'll explain what's going on," Minato said, containing his curiosity as he shared his theory.

"Is that…really the case?" Kakashi murmured, turning away slightly. 

His body trembled, and his eyes suddenly glistened with unshed tears.

Minato faltered, sharing a glance with Choza and Shibi—they understood immediately.

"Kakashi, the future must have brought you a lot of hardship," Minato said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

join my patreon for 115+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL