As Naruto was ecstatic, Ibiki glared at him, "Make another noise, and I'll deduct ten points from your written score!"
Naruto shrank his neck in fear and muttered, "What written score could there possibly be in this kind of exam?"
Ibiki twitched his lips—he'd just said the first thing that came to mind. "Ahem! I meant screen score!"
Naruto immediately dared not say anything else, though deep down, he was still feeling delighted.
Since he'd already passed the toughest first round, he was basically already a Jonin!
As for the total score not being enough, or failing the first round?
That's just too bad—Sasuke and Neji simply weren't capable enough to help him pass. Anyway, he only needed to pass!
At the same time, middle-aged Sasuke, who was hiding in the shadows and observing everything, felt a complex mix of emotions.
While others might have seen resistance and sacrifice in the final exam question, what he saw was the fate of the Uchiha.
Perhaps Itachi had once faced a similar inner struggle, but ultimately chose to sacrifice his own kin.
If he, someone capable of making a choice, had been the one back then, would the fate of the Uchiha have turned out any differently?
As Sasuke's thoughts wandered, Boruto beside him mocked coldly, "Tch! So this is what Dad was like back then? Passing an exam actually makes him this happy!"
Upon hearing Boruto's words, middle-aged Sasuke felt somewhat helpless. Originally, he had planned to show Boruto how miserable Naruto's childhood had been, so Boruto could understand the spirit of perseverance.
But now, having crossed into this past of a parallel world, his entire plan was completely disrupted!
Middle-aged Sasuke slightly shook his head, pushing away these troubling thoughts. He said sternly, "It's because Naruto wanted to pass so badly, yet still worked for it himself, that makes his persistence so valuable! Now you should understand why Naruto was so angry about you cheating in the Chunin Exam?"
Boruto pouted, "Alright, alright! I was wrong, okay!"
Immediately after, Boruto quickly changed the topic, "By the way, Uncle, what exactly is this 'parallel world' you mentioned earlier?"
Middle-aged Sasuke's eyes grew distant, "You must've studied about the Fourth Great Ninja War back in your textbooks, right?"
Boruto nodded firmly, adding with a touch of resentment, "The story where you and Dad saved the world together, but in the end only one became the hero while the other became the criminal!"
Middle-aged Sasuke felt something off upon hearing that, "You're…taking issue with how things turned out for me?"
Boruto spat angrily, "I heard someone say that Dad's true love was Aunt Sakura, and that he pushed you aside out of bitterness because you were the one who ended up marrying Aunt Sakura!"
Hearing such an outrageous remark, middle-aged Sasuke was momentarily speechless, "How deeply must you misunderstand Naruto to even think… Forget it. Just know that I chose to atone willingly!"
"Let's return to the topic of the Fourth War," he continued. "In fact, the core figure of that war back then wasn't me or Naruto, nor was it any of the Five Kage at that time, or even anyone you currently know!"
Boruto was intrigued, quickly asking, "Then who exactly was it?"
Middle-aged Sasuke recalled with a distant voice, "A time-space wanderer who left no trace behind!"
"A space-time wanderer?"
"Boruto pondered his words, then his eyes lit up. 'Uncle, are you saying he's from this parallel world?'"
Middle-aged Sasuke nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, their so-called Great Leader is none other than Lord Seiki from my memories!"
Boruto's grandfather gasped. "I thought they were just a bunch of suck-ups, but now it seems he truly is great!"
"With Lord Seiki's humble and fame-averse nature," middle-aged Sasuke remarked, "'great' might actually be a toned-down version after stripping away countless layers of glory!"
Boruto's grandfather listened with growing curiosity. "I'd love to learn about the history of this world!"
"There'll be time," middle-aged Sasuke said solemnly. "The key issue now is Otsutsuki Urashiki!"
Boruto's grandfather grew nervous. "That guy followed us here too?"
Middle-aged Sasuke replied, "Though we're not sure whether he's in the exact same world we're in, it would be even more problematic if he's displaced. Once he obtains the Nine-Tails from Naruto in another place, we'll never be able to stop him!"
Boruto's grandfather nodded with concern. "If he arrived at the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, when the battle was most intense, and you and the others had trained for over a decade less back then, it would definitely be dangerous!"
Middle-aged Sasuke looked strangely amused. "'Dropped back' to the level from the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War? Sounds like a nice bonus!"
Boruto's grandfather blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
Middle-aged Sasuke shook his head. "Anyway, no matter which world he's in, all we can do now is protect this world's Naruto!"
"Hehe, it feels great to legitimately spy on my dad as a kid," Boruto's grandfather thought gleefully. "Once I gather some dirt on him, let's see if he dares to bully me again!" He asked, "By the way, Uncle, should we contact the Five Kage in this world?"
Middle-aged Sasuke hesitated momentarily, then slowly shook his head. "Lord Seiki deliberately concealed his achievements to avoid interfering with our world's development. We shouldn't disturb them. Let's handle everything after we find Otsutsuki Urashiki and return to our own world!"
Boruto's grandfather nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. Aside from my father and Uncle Gaara, the Five Kage in this world aren't that strong — truth is, I could easily take them all on."
As the two observed Naruto secretly, a gaze from the void settled on their backs.
Lord Seiki narrowed his eyes slightly. "Otsutsuki Urashiki? Could he be one of the three Otsutsuki members from my past memories? But from their conversation, this Otsutsuki seems rather weak, not even capable of defeating a weakened Sasuke. He couldn't even capture the Naruto from the future timeline and had to travel through time to target the younger version of him!"
Thinking about this, Lord Seiki felt somewhat intrigued.
What a shame not to study such a weak and pure-blooded Otsutsuki!
However, he eventually calmed down. "Even when hunting a rabbit, a lion uses its full strength! Let's wait for my Aizen doppelgänger to return, then combine both our forces to capture him with absolute power!"
Otsutsuki Urashiki, who had crossed over into the final days of the Fourth Great Ninja War in a parallel world, stared with a darkened expression at the divine battle unfolding before him.
He was actually sensing danger from their fight—if he joined the battle recklessly, he might actually die!
For someone who regarded himself as a 'Heavenly Being,' this was undoubtedly a tremendous humiliation!
Damn those brats! Why are these inferior humans so powerful? And furthermore, why were those two individuals from over a decade ago so much stronger than those from over a decade later? Did they indulge in pleasures after the war ended, causing their strength to drop drastically?
Although humiliated, this only strengthened his resolve to obtain the Bijuu Chakra!
The reason their strength could threaten me is mainly because of the power of the Ten-Tails. As long as I can fully harness the complete Ten-Tails, defeating these bastards will be effortless!
Wait and see—I'll go to an earlier timeline and find you there!
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