Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

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"Then, for that 'me' who is still in the past, struggling in the darkness and waiting for redemption, isn't that... going too far?"

"That means I personally deprived her of her only chance to be reborn."

Sarada opened her mouth, wanting to say "That's different" or "You can replace her."

But when she saw the unwavering clarity and almost sacrificial resolve in Guang's eyes, all her words of dissuasion stuck in her throat.

She understood that Guang's decision was not out of rejection of this era, but out of compassion and responsibility for "himself" in another time and space.

This is a choice that transcends personal happiness; it is a grander and more difficult one.

"But……"

Sarada could only utter those two pale and powerless words in the end, her heart filled with complex regret and admiration.

Hikaru gave Sarada another incredibly gentle smile, one that was filled with gratitude and farewell, and said softly, "It's alright. Really, thank you so much for your kindness, Sarada."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on the two girls. One had a determined look in her eyes, yet couldn't hide her disappointment; the other had a gentle smile, but her mind was made up.

The tides of the times intertwine with individual destinies, and making choices often requires more courage than facing a powerful enemy.

And the light's decision is already clear.

Chapter 421 Dimon

With the official return of the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki.

Uchiha Sasuke's escape and "regaining" of the Rinnegan.

This greatly stabilized morale and significantly improved the village's defense capabilities.

As an adult, Naruto barely had time to enjoy the warmth of family reunions before immediately throwing himself into his demanding work.

The primary task is to thoroughly reinforce the village's defenses in order to prepare for any potential attacks by Shi Luo and his Tree People.

He personally spearheaded the effort, uniting Amado and his research team, who had already integrated into Konoha.

Together with Konoha's local scientific ninja tool expert, Hosuke, they deeply integrated the technologies of both sides.

Inside the Hokage's office, Fang Zhu was explaining something to a huge holographic projection of a barrier structure.

He adjusted his glasses, his round face radiating confidence: "Seventh Generation Lord, after our continuous optimization and upgrades..."

"Furthermore, combined with the energy conduction efficiency and stability solutions provided by Mr. Amado, the new 'Octagonal Mirror Guardian Barrier' has been deployed!"

He pointed to several key energy nodes in the projection, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "Based on our extreme load tests..."

"The current strength of the barrier is enough to withstand several direct hits from Tailed Beast Balls for a short period of time!"

"Its energy dispersion and absorption mechanisms have been enhanced like never before!"

"Unless the attack intensity exceeds a threshold that is currently unimaginable, or the attack is breached from the inside, it is extremely difficult to break through from the outside!"

Shikamaru stared at the complex and magnificent energy flow diagram on the projection.

He rubbed his still throbbing temples and sighed, "Although it sounds reliable, the thought of dealing with monsters that can manipulate space and distort cognition still makes me uneasy..."

"However, this is the best we can do right now. Thank you for your hard work, Assistant Fang."

The adult Naruto placed his hands on the table, carefully examining the barrier data, his azure eyes flashing with a sharp light: "Ah, well done."

"With this, we can at least buy ourselves valuable reaction time and protect the safety of the villagers to the greatest extent possible."

While the adult Naruto and Shikamaru were working tirelessly on the village's overall defense, the young Naruto was not idle either.

He knew how terrifying Shi Luo was, after all, even with his parents inside him, he hadn't made Shi Luo take him seriously.

Moreover, this is Naruto, an adult who lost the Nine-Tails three years ago and has just found it.

The gap in strength must be bridged in other ways.

Thus, on a vacant area on the edge of the village, which had been designated as a temporary training ground, two golden-headed figures confronted each other.

"Listen, the core of the Flying Thunder God Technique lies in the instantaneous perception and locking of spatial coordinates!"

Young Naruto unusually adopted a serious and earnest teacher's demeanor.

Although the other side represents his "future": "You need to attach your own chakra to a specific 'technique' as carefully as casting a net."

"Then your consciousness must be able to clearly 'see' the spatial location of those coordinates, and with a thought, chakra bursts forth to achieve instantaneous teleportation!"

As he spoke, he vanished from his spot with a "whoosh," and reappeared a few dozen meters away next to a large tree.

With a light touch of his finger, he left a clear Flying Thunder God technique inscription.

Then, with another quick movement, he returned to his original spot.

"Like this! Sense coordinates, lock on, move! Simple, right?"

The adult Naruto focused his mind and tried hard to recall the key points that his father Minato had taught him, as well as the demonstration that the young Naruto had just given him.

He mobilized his chakra, trying to sense the coordinates of the technique Naruto had left on that tree.

He could vaguely sense a chakra mark there.

But that clear sense of spatial positioning, that precise feeling as if you could touch another point, remains elusive.

He tried teleporting several times, but the most successful attempt only moved him less than five meters.

Moreover, it veered off course quite a bit and almost crashed into the rocks next to it.

Looking at the adult Naruto's slightly clumsy and confused appearance, the young Naruto couldn't help but rub his forehead.

He was internally screaming: 'Seriously, officer?! This spatial awareness is ridiculously bad!'

The mark was right there, and the chakra fluctuations were so obvious, so how come he couldn't sense the exact location?

Is it because of old age that his talent has declined?

That's not right! We're essentially the same person, so there's no reason why I can do it but he can't!

Just as young Naruto was completely baffled, Minato took control of his body.

He explained gently, "Naruto, learning the Flying Thunder God Technique does indeed require a very high level of spatial awareness from beginners."

"Generally speaking, the younger the age, the more active the mind, and the stronger the ability to perceive abstract spatial dimensions."

"After adulthood, thinking patterns become fixed, and the intuitive perception and imagination of three-dimensional space may be relatively weakened."

“If you don’t start learning and building a foundation like you did when you were a child, the difficulty will indeed increase exponentially when you try to learn it as an adult.”

Minato's voice carried a hint of regret and understanding: "This is why, throughout the history of the ninja world, there are very few people who can truly master the Flying Thunder God Technique."

"Besides me and the Second Hokage, perhaps only you, with the foundation you laid since childhood and... well, some kind of unique intuition, could master it."

The adult Naruto took a breath and wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead.

A helpless, bitter smile appeared on his face: "So that's how it is... No wonder I've practiced so many times in private over the years, but I've never been able to get the hang of it."

However, upon learning the reason, the adult Naruto showed no sign of discouragement; instead, his fighting spirit ignited even stronger.

Now, he must seize every opportunity to become stronger, no matter how difficult the process may be!

"It's okay! If it doesn't work the first time, try ten times; if it doesn't work the first time, try a hundred times!"

The adult Naruto straightened up again, looking at the young Naruto with a determined gaze: "Come on! Keep practicing! Before the Ten Rakshasas attack, I must master the Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Looking at his future self with that indomitable spirit, young Naruto seemed to see his childhood self, who was knocked down time and time again but got back up again and again.

He grinned and gave a thumbs up: "Oh! That's more like it! Let's continue!"

"You're not allowed to eat dinner until you can accurately move next to that tree today! I heard that Ichiraku Ramen launched a new product!"

Just as the two Narutos were sweating it out on the training field, Hikaru felt a little lost.

The village is preparing for battle with great urgency. Boruto has also joined the high-level meeting. Young Naruto is instructing adult Naruto in his training, while Uncle Sasuke needs to rest and recover...

She wanted to help, but found that there was only so much she could do.

She was not afraid of battle, but large-scale battle command and defensive deployment were not her forte.

She knew absolutely nothing about technology or barriers.

Her only strengths are probably taking care of daily needs and cooking.

However, these things do not seem to offer any direct help to Naruto or Boruto in their current situation.

This feeling of powerlessness made her somewhat depressed.

The understanding Sarada and Sumire Kakei, who is now a Chunin and in charge of some of the village's management, noticed Hikaru's low spirits.

He then invited her to go for a walk in the street together to clear her mind.

Konoha's commercial street remains bustling and vibrant, seemingly unaffected by the gloomy weather outside.

People wore smiles, children chased and played, and the shops emitted fragrant aromas.

This peaceful scene contrasted sharply with the Warring States period in Guang's memory, making her feel both warm and a little alienated.

Sarada enthusiastically introduced Konoha's local snacks and shops to Hikaru, while Sumire Kakei smiled and added her own comments.

Hikaru tried his best to blend into the relaxed atmosphere, savoring the sweet tricolor dumplings and listening to Sarada tell him about the fun things that happened at school and in Class 7.

However, this brief peace was soon shattered by uninvited guests.

On a relatively quiet street corner, a small, thin boy wearing a hood and whose face was obscured suddenly blocked the way of the three.

He had his hands in his pockets, his posture exuding an arrogance and ferocity beyond his years.

His gaze swept past Sarada and Sumire, locking onto Hikaru, his voice laced with obvious hostility: "Hey, you're that... friend of the guy who dared to threaten my sister back then?"

Sarada immediately stepped forward, shielding Hikari and Sumire behind her.

He pushed up his glasses, his eyes sharpening, and said in a deep voice, "Dimmon? It's you! What do you want?"

The little boy named Dimon scoffed, a disdainful smile curving his lips beneath his hood: "Young lady of the Uchiha clan, and class president, this is none of your business."

"I'm in a bad mood today. I just want to vent my anger for my sister, and by the way... grab a hostage to take back. That should make my sister happier."

His words were understated, yet they carried a chilling malice.

Clearly, he was not an ordinary child, but someone closely connected to the Tree Spirits, or rather, to the Ten Luos.

The air instantly became heavy, the peaceful atmosphere at the street corner vanished, and a conflict seemed inevitable.

As she looked at the little boy in front of her, who exuded a dangerous aura, her gaze gradually became serious, and her hand silently clenched the kunai behind her waist.