A week later, Kaito said his goodbyes to the two girls Quietly, he pulled Kushina aside and whispered, "Remember, if you ever run into me again in the future, don't approach or talk to me. Let the timeline stay intact. If I return to the future, I'll come looking for you myself."

Kushina nodded solemnly, her eyes glassy with emotion. "I understand. I'll be living with Tsunade-san after this, so if you come back, find us there," she said, tears beginning to well up.

"Also… the Hundred Healings Mark," Kaito added, "go to Tsunade and learn it. That technique will keep you young for a long time."

"Mm!" Kushina nodded again, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

Turning to Tsunade, Kaito gave a small smile. "Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it! You talk too much," Tsunade scoffed, waving her hand as if brushing away his concern.

Kaito chuckled softly, then turned back to Kushina one last time. "I left a trace of my mental energy in your mind—it'll protect you from genjutsu, even the Nine Tails' influence."

After a few more parting words, Kaito vanished in a flash of light.

Not long after he left, news of the battle between Kaito and Uchiha Madara near the border of the Fire and Earth countries spread like wildfire throughout the shinobi world.

The higher-ups in Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure were first stunned and skeptical, much like Hiruzen Sarutobi. But as more rumors poured in, their disbelief gave way to awe and caution.

Orders were quickly sent to Namikaze Minato. Any missions involving Kaito or related individuals were to be immediately abandoned. No one was to interfere.

Golden sand swept through the air. In the vast desert, a small town came into view ahead—Roran, the ancient kingdom.

Though called a "kingdom," Roran was more like a forgotten outpost of history. Its towers stood tall against the scorching wind, casting jagged shadows across the streets.

Kaito stepped onto one of those streets. After a quick scan, he sensed the position of the dragon vein below and disappeared instantly.

Through a winding, dimly lit passageway, illuminated by flickering candlelight, he made his way to the underground altar chamber.

"Who goes there?!" two armored guards barked, pointing spears at him.

Kaito had expected them. After all, Roran hadn't been destroyed yet. The dragon vein was their most sacred treasure—it made sense that it was guarded.

Before the guards could react, Kaito's figure blurred and vanished. A second later, the two collapsed unconscious, unable to even see what hit them.

Pushing open a heavy stone door, Kaito stepped inside the altar chamber.

In the center of the structure was a dome-like device that looked like an eye—just like in the original timeline. He approached, pulled out a specially marked kunai—a recent gift from Namikaze Minato—and drove it into the base of the structure.

His hands formed seals quickly, and he whispered, "Seal."

Whoosh!

A green glow spread out, forming protective runes. Suddenly, the energy of the dragon vein surged violently into a blinding dark purple wave.

Kaito's brow furrowed. "This… isn't like before."

As the wave of energy engulfed him, the dragon vein calmed again. Kaito's body began to emit a brilliant white light and slowly disintegrated into fragments of starlight.

When he reappeared, he was still within the dragon vein, but the space around him was saturated with dense, nearly tangible purple energy.

Looking around and feeling the changes in his body, he muttered to himself, "Finally… I'm back."

Kaito sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, allowing the chakra-rich environment to wash over him.

Hum…

The dragon vein responded, rushing energy toward his body like a dam had been broken.

His chakra network accepted the torrent without resistance. Kaito's chakra core—the spiritual center of his reserves—began to swell, until it filled his entire chakra storage.

The energy was overwhelming, still pouring in.

"Damn," Kaito cursed under his breath. He flickered out of the dragon vein chamber in a flash and reappeared outside the altar, drenched in sweat.

"That… was close."

He hadn't expected the chakra inside the dragon vein to be so vast. His body had nearly been overloaded. His reserves had evolved twice and dwarfed even a tailed beast's, but this… this was something else.

Peering inward, he noticed a faint purple hue lingering in his chakra. "Must've absorbed too quickly. Not completely refined."

He sat down again and began compressing and purifying the newly absorbed chakra. After a day outside and another ten in his accelerated training space, his reserves had been condensed, potent, and more stable.

Without wasting time, Kaito dove back into the dragon vein, though he noticed the energy now wasn't as rich. The flow had thinned.

Even so, he absorbed what he could. This time, the reaction wasn't as violent, and he stopped once his body had reached its limit again.

The once-boiling chakra of the dragon vein had now dwindled to a fraction. Kaito estimated only about one-fifth remained.

He frowned. That was still a lot of power—and he didn't want to leave it behind.

That's when an idea struck him.

"What if I use my spiritual projection…?"

If his physical reserves were full, maybe his mind could store the rest.

He entered his mental space, his spiritual self taking form within the void.

"Let's try."

Hum…

Like a dam breaking, the residual energy stirred again and surged toward his spiritual body. A risk, yes—but worth it.

___

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