After Kakashi, Menma, and Hashirama reached a consensus, they were ready to take action. They left a clone at the original site to guard the Dragon Vein before disguising themselves and heading toward the River Country.
Kakashi was cautious. Before confirming the basic situation of this world, it was best to avoid conflict with a major nation like the Land of Wind. Fortunately, the location they found themselves in was right on the border between the Land of Wind and the River Country.
With their speed, it didn't take long for them to enter the River Country's territory. The endless yellow sand of the desert gradually gave way to patches of greenery.
"I remember the geography books said the River Country used to have a good environment, right?" Menma remarked, his sharp eyes sweeping across the landscape as they moved. "But the development here looks ridiculously poor. Even the most barren regions of the Empire are a hundred times better than this."
"The development of this world does seem to be pretty slow," Kakashi said, eyes narrowed as he made observations. "No railways, no trains, terrible roads, and no airships or planes in the sky. We passed farmlands still being worked by simple physical labor, and the villagers' clothes were tattered. They're clearly not well-off."
The River Country's environment wasn't bad compared to other places in the ninja world. But here, it was shockingly underdeveloped.
"Could we have traveled to another era?" Menma suddenly suggested, eyes wide with a sudden idea. "Like, the Warring States period of a parallel ninja world?"
"Uh… I don't think so." Hashirama looked embarrassed. "Sure, the development here is way worse than the Empire, but it's definitely better than the Warring States period. Back then, clans were constantly fighting each other. The whole world was basically one big battlefield."
He glanced around at the River Country, noting that despite its poverty, it seemed to be in a relatively peaceful state.
Ahead, the flow of people gradually increased. A sizable town emerged in the distance.
"This place has the highest population density within a radius of several dozen kilometers," Menma noted after sensing the surrounding area.
"Agreed." Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "Let's head there and see if we can find a bookstore."
"A bookstore?" Menma was briefly confused, but quickly understood. "Oh! Right! His Majesty once said that the quickest way to understand a civilization is to study its history."
Their goal was clear—find a history book that could shed light on this world's timeline.
The three of them soon arrived at a modest bookstore. Kakashi casually cast a genjutsu, sending the ordinary people in the store away without raising suspicion.
"I just confirmed the date from the store owner. It's the 60th year of the Konoha calendar," Kakashi informed them. "Same era as ours."
Menma grabbed a book titled A Brief History of the Ninja World, published by the River Country, and began flipping through it at high speed. His frown deepened as he read.
"This book only covers the basics. It's the kind of thing you'd give to children," Menma grumbled, annoyed by the lack of detail. Still, it was the best they could find, so he kept reading.
"Up until the Second Shinobi World War, the history here is more or less the same as ours," Kakashi noted, skimming through the book. "Looks like His Majesty really doesn't exist in this world."
According to the book, the Second Shinobi World War had played out as they expected. Konoha, the Sand Village, and the Stone Village clashed on the lands of the Rain Country. The three disciples of the Third Hokage earned the title of "Sannin" from Hanzō of the Salamander.
But then Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw a familiar name.
"Konoha's White Fang…" Kakashi whispered, eyes gleaming with pride. "His reputation here is even greater than the Sannin's."
It seemed that no matter which world it was, his father's brilliance couldn't be hidden. But then Kakashi's face darkened.
"Wait… what?" His voice grew cold as he reread the passage. "Konoha's White Fang… dead? Suspected to have died around the 42nd year of the Konoha calendar?"
"What do you mean by 'suspected'?!" Kakashi growled, his fingers gripping the book so tightly it almost tore. "How could his death be uncertain?"
Menma, noticing Kakashi's distress, flipped through the remaining pages. "There's nothing more about him. It's probably classified information from Konoha."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed, his mood growing even gloomier. This world truly was strange and unpleasant.
"Without His Majesty, Konoha really had it rough during the wars," Hashirama noted, his expression turning grim. "According to our history, His Majesty ended the Second Shinobi World War early by killing the Third Kazekage, known as the strongest Kazekage. But here, other villages used the power of the Tailed Beasts on the battlefield. Konoha suffered huge casualties."
"The war lasted longer than in our world, but Konoha still won in the end," Menma confirmed. "Konoha's foundation is strong, even without His Majesty's presence."
Kakashi's gaze turned cold as he continued reading. The book covered the Third Shinobi World War, which ended with Konoha paying a heavy price. The rise of the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, marked the turning point.
Minato succeeded the title of Fourth Hokage, but only a year later, disaster struck.
"The Nine Tails Rebellion… The Fourth Hokage died while sealing the Nine Tails."
Hashirama's mouth fell open, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Wait, what?! The Hokage… died from sealing the Nine Tails?!"
He felt something break inside him. As the man who once subdued the Nine Tails with his bare hands, the idea that a Hokage could die from sealing it was laughable.
"What kind of terrible world is this?!" Hashirama exclaimed. "If someone like the Fourth Hokage couldn't even handle the Nine Tails…"
Kakashi's hands trembled slightly, his emotions swirling between anger and sorrow. The world without His Majesty was indeed far more tragic than he could have imagined.
"What's worse," Menma added, his voice low, "is that the losses Konoha suffered during these wars were far greater than anything we've ever seen."
A dark shadow seemed to settle over them all. This world's history was filled with tragedy and bloodshed. But more importantly, it lacked something vital.
Or rather... someone.