Chapter 103: Explaination

The unconscious members of the team began to stir one by one. First Shikamaru, pushing himself up on one elbow with a low groan, then Choji, then the others. Sasuke was the first to fully stand, eyes already scanning the four unfamiliar women and the open desert that had replaced the strange forest. Sakura moved to check pulses out of habit. Ino rubbed her temples. Temari and Kankurō exchanged a look that said they were already calculating how much trouble this would cause back home.

Shikamaru’s gaze settled on Kael.

"Okay," he said, voice still rough from whatever had put him under. "Someone want to explain who they are before I decide this is too much of a drag to deal with?"

Kael kept his tone level. "All I can say right now is they’re not our enemies. The reason most of you dropped your guard is because of her." He nodded toward Eida. "Some kind of charm ability. It’s wearing off, but it kept things from turning into a full fight."

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed on Sarada. Sakura’s did the same a second later. Neither spoke, but the quiet recognition in their faces was clear—something about the black-haired girl’s features tugged at memory without giving a name.

Kael continued before questions could pile up. "We’re going back to Konoha. I’ll explain everything to the Hokage. Temari, Kankurō—you two should return to the Sand. Tell Gaara the mission is finished. Whatever caused the black clouds and the memory loss is gone. No further danger is coming to your village from this."

Temari studied him for a long moment, then gave a short nod. "Understood. I’ll make the report. Don’t make me regret trusting that assessment."

Kankurō adjusted the puppet case on his back. "Try not to bring any more weird forests with you next time."

The Sand siblings turned and started across the dunes at a steady pace. The Leaf group watched them go, then faced the long road home.

They set out immediately. Eida still lacked the stamina for sustained high-speed travel, so Kael carried her on his back without comment. The others fell into their usual formation—Sasuke scouting ahead, Shikamaru and Choji in the middle, Sakura and Ino close enough to react if anyone faltered.

After the first hour Sasuke dropped back until he ran level with Kael.

"You’re going to tell us something," he said. It was not a request.

Kael kept his eyes on the trail. "They say a great danger is coming for this world in a few years. Right now we don’t have a clear way to stop it."

"What kind of danger?" Sakura asked from the other side.

Sarada’s voice came quieter than usual. She was speaking to the man who was her mother in another life, and the weight of that knowledge made the words careful. "A powerful being from a different world."

Kael filled the silence that followed. "All we can do is get ready for it."

Sakura frowned. "And you believe them? Just like that?"

"Yes."

Shikamaru exhaled through his nose. "A threat strong enough to wipe out entire villages, arriving in a couple of years, and our only source of information is four people who appeared out of nowhere with mind-affecting techniques. This is already giving me a headache."

They ran through the rest of the day and into the night, stopping only for short rests and water. Conversation rose and fell in fragments—questions about the charm ability, cautious speculation about the timeline of the coming threat, quiet arguments over how much to tell Tsunade at once. Sarada answered when she had to, always measuring her words. Himawari stayed close to her, offering small clarifications when Sarada’s explanations grew too clipped. Sumire watched everyone with quiet attention. Eida rested against Kael’s back in silence, conserving what strength she had left.

Kael’s own thoughts stayed private. In the original stories the man whose body he wore had faced Kaguya and won. He was not that man. He did not have the same years of growth, the same bonds, the same near-death transformations. Two years felt both long and dangerously short. His gaze drifted once toward Himawari. He knew exactly whose daughter she was. That knowledge sat heavy and unspoken. He also knew names that belonged further down the same bloodline—Boruto, Kawaki—but asking about them would open doors he was not ready to walk through.

They reached the gates of Konoha in a day and a half.

The two chūnin on duty straightened the moment the group came into view. Their eyes locked on the four unfamiliar women and the way Kael still carried one of them.

Kael set Eida on her feet and spoke quietly. "Only the guards. Make it light."

Eida gathered what remained of her power and let a thin wave of charm wash over the two men. Their suspicious expressions softened into easy acceptance.

"Welcome back," one of them said. "Hokage’s been expecting a report whenever you’re ready."

The group passed through without further delay.

Kael led them straight through the village streets toward the Hokage tower. Afternoon light slanted across the rooftops. Shinobi and civilians moved around them in the ordinary rhythm of a peaceful day—training, shopping, talking—none of them aware that two entire timelines now hung on decisions that would be made inside the office ahead.

He stopped at the familiar door, knocked once, and pushed it open without waiting for an answer.

Tsunade looked up from a stack of reports. Shizune stood slightly behind her chair.

Kael stepped inside, the four women from another future at his back, and met the Hokage’s eyes.

"We need to talk."

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