The Forest of Death, on the outskirts of Konoha.
The quiet atmosphere was suddenly shattered.
Space twisted, and dazzling golden light seeped out, illuminating the surroundings.
The small animals nearby sensed danger and scattered.
Within that golden glow, a human figure appeared out of nowhere.
He landed on the ground, the light fading to reveal a young man in a black cloak.
Uchiha Sasuke instinctively raised a hand to his forehead.
Konoha had discovered a treasure called "Karasuki" on the ocean floor.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki had found Karasuki and said he would use it to travel back into the past to steal the Nine-Tails' chakra from a young Uzumaki Naruto.
Sasuke shook his head.
He remembered that he and Uzumaki Boruto had jumped into Karasuki's golden glow together to chase Urashiki.
Sasuke looked around and felt a wave of familiarity.
This was the Forest of Death outside Konoha.
The problem was: where were Ōtsutsuki Urashiki and Uzumaki Boruto? Had they been separated during the time jump?
Sasuke stepped onto a tree trunk and leapt into the air.
He immediately activated his Rinnegan, but still didn't see any trace of Urashiki or Boruto.
After thinking for a moment, Sasuke decided to look for Uzumaki Naruto first.
No matter where Urashiki ended up, his final goal was still the Nine-Tails' chakra inside Naruto.
With that in mind, Sasuke bypassed the gate guards and entered Konoha.
"So we really did come back to the past…"
Sasuke looked at the familiar yet distant village and couldn't help feeling emotional.
It had been many years since he'd seen Konoha like this. It really had been a long time.
Following his memories, Sasuke found Naruto's place.
He studied it for a moment. It didn't look any different from how he remembered it… he just didn't know how old Naruto was at this point in time.
Urashiki had only said he was going back to find a "young" Naruto, but never mentioned which specific year.
Sasuke walked up and found the door locked.
He knocked and waited a while, but no one answered.
Sasuke glanced at the sky and suddenly realized.
If it was Naruto's childhood, then he probably hadn't graduated yet and was most likely in class at the academy right now.
Thinking of the academy, Sasuke's expression softened with nostalgia.
If he hadn't met Naruto and Sakura there, he definitely would have become a completely cold-blooded avenger.
It was because he'd had them that he'd been able to crawl out of the shadow of the Uchiha massacre.
Sasuke's heart suddenly trembled.
At this point in time… had the Uchiha clan been wiped out yet?
He subconsciously clenched his fist.
If they hadn't, he'd be able to see Fugaku and Mikoto again.
Even after so many years, the memories of his parents had never faded.
Sasuke hesitated for two seconds, then decided to go to the Uchiha compound first and only then head to the academy.
He sped up, and before long he arrived at the Uchiha district on the village's outskirts.
"So it has already happened…"
Looking at the empty clan grounds, Sasuke couldn't help but sigh.
He walked inside and quickly reached his own house.
He pushed at the door on reflex—but it didn't move.
Why was it locked?
He was puzzled, but didn't overthink it. He simply shattered the lock and opened the door.
"Who did this?"
The moment the door opened, a surge of anger hit him.
The house was completely empty, as if it had been robbed clean. Even the sofa and other furniture were gone.
"Wait!"
Sasuke froze, suddenly realizing something didn't match his memories.
What was going on?
He didn't remember anyone in Konoha—or himself—selling off everything from his house after the massacre.
Was his memory wrong?
He checked several more homes in a row, and they were all the same, as if the original owners had moved out in an orderly way.
But that shouldn't be possible.
He had personally watched their bodies fall that night.
Utterly confused and unable to figure it out for now, Sasuke decided he had better head to the academy first.
What he forgot was that, right now in Konoha, he was basically an unknown stranger.
And because he was so absorbed in how the current situation didn't match his memories, he'd stopped bothering to hide his presence.
"Stop right there!"
A shout cut through the air.
Sasuke snapped back to himself and turned his head on reflex—his pupils immediately shrinking.
He saw two Uchiha ninja. One of them he actually recognized: Uchiha Tekka.
"You don't look like a Konoha ninja,"
Tekka stepped in front to block him. "Name and origin?"
"I…"
Sasuke started to answer, then abruptly stopped.
There was already a young Sasuke in this time. If he said his name was Uchiha Sasuke, of course that would be suspicious.
"I suggest you answer honestly,"
Tekka warned. "If you can't, you're coming with us to the Konoha Police Department for questioning."
"I'll go with you to the Konoha Police Department."
Sasuke's eyes actually lit up.
If the police force was still around, that meant the Uchiha clan hadn't been massacred.
But then why was the clan compound empty?
He didn't have time to think it through. First he needed to see Uchiha Fugaku.
"What did you say?"
Tekka blinked.
"Take me to the Konoha Police Department,"
Sasuke repeated.
"Well, since you're so eager, I'll grant your wish. Move," Tekka snorted.
The three of them soon arrived at the Konoha Police Department.
Sasuke glanced around and felt dazed.
The building was almost exactly the same as he remembered.
No—something was different. Why were there so many non-Uchiha ninja here?
"Tekka, what's his deal?"
Uchiha Inabi walked over and asked.
"No idea," Tekka shook his head. "He wouldn't say anything, just insisted on coming to the police department."
"I have important intel. I want to see the clan head," Sasuke said after thinking it over.
"You sure about that?"
Inabi immediately frowned. "If you're lying, the consequences will be serious."
"Of course I wouldn't joke about something like this," Sasuke replied calmly.
"Alright then, I'll take you to him," Inabi said, finding his composure somewhat convincing.
He turned and headed for the chief's office.
Sasuke followed behind him, looking all around as they walked. He saw a lot of familiar faces.
For a moment, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
When they reached the chief's office, he actually felt nervous for the first time in a long while.
"Come in."
After Inabi knocked, a familiar voice sounded from inside.
Sasuke felt like he'd been struck by lightning.
"What are you spacing out for?"
Inabi pushed the door open. "If you don't explain this intel properly today, you're not walking out of here."
"What intel?"
Fugaku looked at Inabi, then his gaze landed on Sasuke.
His eyes narrowed slightly. Why did this guy feel… faintly familiar?
"Who is he?"
Fugaku asked instinctively.
"No idea. He says he has important intel for you,"
Inabi explained quickly.
"Speak," Fugaku said, looking straight at Sasuke.
But Sasuke was still stunned, his vision even a little blurry.
"Hey, say something already!"
Inabi snapped, impatient.
"I… I do have important intel," Sasuke came back to himself, took a deep breath, and said, "Someone is targeting Naruto."
He had thought it over. This was something Konoha needed to know.
Urashiki was strong, but with Sasuke, plus Hiruzen and Fugaku and the others, they should be able to protect Naruto.
"What did you say?"
Fugaku shot to his feet. "Who? Enemies from the other four villages?"
"No," Sasuke shook his head. "His name is Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. He's here specifically for the Nine-Tails' chakra."
"You even know Naruto is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"
Fugaku immediately felt that the intel was real.
After all, only a handful of people knew about Naruto's status.
Inabi's eyes went wide.
Did he really just hear that?
"Inabi, you are not to repeat this to anyone,"
Fugaku warned. Then he turned back to Sasuke. "As for you, you're coming with me to see the Hokage."
Both the intel itself and the fact that this stranger knew about Naruto's identity meant they had to go to Tsunade.
"I think you should get Naruto under protection first," Sasuke suggested.
"There's no need to worry about Naruto,"
Fugaku shook his head. "The Third Hokage, Kitazawa, Kakashi and the others are all there. Nothing will happen."
He didn't believe some Urashiki could win against the teachers of the Advanced Class.
"Who's Kitazawa?"
Sasuke blurted out.
"You don't know Kitazawa?"
Fugaku stared at him.
"Kitazawa-sama is the Hokage's student—an insanely strong Wood Release user! And he's a top-level medical ninja too!"
Inabi said in open admiration. "At this point, there's not a soul in the ninja world who hasn't heard of him."
"…"
Sasuke went completely blank.
Did my memory… regress or something?
How did he have no memory of someone like Kitazawa?
If such a powerhouse existed, why hadn't he appeared in the Fourth Great Ninja War?
"Who's the Hokage right now?"
Sasuke suddenly thought of another point.
"Tsunade-sama, of course,"
Inabi replied.
Tsunade became Hokage before Hiruzen even died?
An absurd thought surfaced in Sasuke's mind.
He'd probably come to the wrong timeline.
Parallel worlds were actually real?
"I want to see Naruto first,"
Sasuke said after a moment's thought.
"You're pushing your luck, you know that?"
Inabi snapped.
"I'll take you," Fugaku said instead, looking at Sasuke. For some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to refuse him.
"Thank you,"
Sasuke said, feeling conflicted.
Even though he was almost sure this was a parallel world, seeing Fugaku still stirred up buried feelings.
"Where are you from?"
Fugaku asked as they walked.
"A very distant place,"
Sasuke answered vaguely.
"You really do look like you've been through a lot," Fugaku said, glancing at his missing arm.
"…"
A sour feeling welled up in Sasuke's chest.
Ever since the night of the massacre, he'd almost never opened up to anyone.
But just that single line from Fugaku nearly broke his defenses.
"Kitazawa created a medical jutsu that can regrow lost limbs," Fugaku continued. "I can take you to the hospital."
"N-no need,"
Sasuke shook his head.
He kept the missing arm as a reminder to himself.
"At this time of day, the Advanced Class should be in the middle of a lesson," Fugaku changed the subject. "Let's wait on the academy training field for a while."
"Advanced Class?"
Sasuke couldn't help looking confused.
"You're really strange. How do you not know anything?"
Fugaku shook his head and started explaining how the Advanced Class had been founded.
"So it's already been running for two years?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. "Then Naruto's already nine years old?"
"That's right."
Fugaku nodded. "Naruto and Sasuke are both nine now."
So the massacre never happened? Why?
Sasuke drifted off again.
"We're here. It's almost noon. Class should end any minute now," Fugaku said, finding Sasuke stranger and stranger.
Yet, for some reason, he still had a lot of patience with him.
Sasuke lifted his head and looked at the training field.
The Advanced Class students were practicing. It didn't take him long to spot Naruto.
Question marks popped up all over his face.
What was with that green skintight jumpsuit?
Why was he dressed like Rock Lee?
Then Sasuke saw… himself.
He froze.
Three-tomoe Sharingan? Kakashi's sword style?
What the hell? The nine-year-old him already had a three-tomoe Sharingan and was learning Kakashi's sword techniques?
Yep. Definitely a parallel world.
Once he was sure of that, he felt even more confused.
How did this version of him awaken three tomoe at age eight or nine? That just didn't make sense.
"Pretty shocking, huh?"
Fugaku noticed his expression and said proudly, "Sasuke's talent is even greater than his brother's."
"Even with insane talent, three tomoe at nine is way too much. Did something happen?"
Sasuke couldn't help asking.
"Not nine—eight. He awakened three tomoe at eight," Fugaku corrected cheerfully.
"What?"
Sasuke stared, completely unable to believe it.
Was the parallel Sasuke that much of a monster?
"As for 'what happened,' nothing special,"
Fugaku added. "He just has a very good teacher."
He then told Sasuke about Kitazawa's background.
Once he finished, Sasuke realized something.
This parallel world had diverged so drastically from his own timeline all because of this one person—Kitazawa.
The night of the massacre never happened. Tsunade became Hokage early. Orochimaru returned to the village. Sasuke never defected…
The bell for the end of class rang.
"Dad!"
The young Sasuke had already spotted Fugaku.
As soon as training ended, he sprinted over.
"Good work out there, Sasuke,"
Fugaku said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.
The older Sasuke watched, dazed.
How… enviable.
Both this happy Sasuke, and this Fugaku who openly showed his love.
"It wasn't that hard."
The younger Sasuke didn't seem to care. "It won't be long before I learn Kakashi's sword style. Then I'll definitely beat Naruto."
"You can't beat Naruto?"
The older Sasuke blurted.
Three tomoe at eight and you can't beat Naruto? Seriously?
"It's not like I can't, I just get unlucky sometimes and lose," young Sasuke said stubbornly.
"Naruto's learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, plus Rasengan, taijutsu and Wind Release," Fugaku explained. "He's not any weaker than Sasuke."
"???"
The older Sasuke was full of question marks.
This was absurd.
If he and Naruto had this kind of power at eight or nine in his original world, would they have needed the Sage of Six Paths when Kaguya showed up?
"Hmph, I'll win next time for sure,"
young Sasuke declared.
"I believe you," Fugaku smiled. "You are my son, after all."
The older Sasuke opened his mouth.
He remembered that as a kid, the words he'd wanted to hear most were exactly those—but the night of the massacre came before he ever heard them.
"Dad, who's this?"
Only then did young Sasuke notice his older self.
"He came to deliver intel."
Fugaku thought for a moment, then gave a simple explanation.
"I see."
Young Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Dad, are you eating lunch with us?"
Not far off, Naruto, Hinata, Ino and the others had already spread out a picnic cloth and were setting up lunch.
"Where's Kitazawa-sensei? I need to talk to him,"
Fugaku asked, glancing over.
"Kitazawa-sensei should be here any minute,"
Sasuke said—and right then called out, "Kitazawa-sensei!"
Kitazawa looked over on reflex.
When he saw the older Sasuke, he couldn't help but feel a jolt.
He searched through his memories and quickly put the pieces together.
The Boruto series had mentioned this time-travel story.
So Urashiki had come?
Kitazawa felt the headache brewing.
Still, if Urashiki could be taken down by Sasuke and Naruto in that story, there was no reason they couldn't deal with him here.
But the urgent thing now was confirming whether he'd actually arrived.
And why was the older Sasuke missing an arm?
So he wasn't from this world, then.
"Fugaku-sama. Sasuke."
Kitazawa came back to himself and walked over.
"Kitazawa," Fugaku said, then quickly relayed the older Sasuke's intel.
"I see," Kitazawa said, forming hand seals and creating twenty shadow clones that scattered through Konoha.
They'd use the Byakugan to search.
With preparation on their side, as long as Urashiki wasn't actively hiding from them, they'd find him.
"What's done is done. Let's eat first," Kitazawa said once he'd finished. "My clones will track him down."
"Alright," Fugaku agreed without argument.
"Since you're here, join us too," Kitazawa said to the older Sasuke.
Sasuke froze for a moment, then nodded.
"Sasuke, come on!"
Naruto stuck up his thumb. "Let's have a youth-filled showdown—see who finishes lunch first!"
"I refuse," young Sasuke said flatly.
"Sasuke, how can you reject youth?"
Naruto pressed.
"Eat," Kitazawa said, knocking Naruto lightly on the head.
Naruto yelped and grabbed his head with both hands.
"I knew Kitazawa-sensei was gonna smack him,"
Sakura said, then immediately turned to call, "Sasuke-kun, sit over here!"
Sasuke ignored her—he wanted to sit next to Fugaku.
"Sit wherever you like," Kitazawa said to the older Sasuke.
"…Alright."
Sasuke sat cross-legged.
Watching the younger Sasuke's crooked smile, Naruto's big grin, Sakura openly swooning… for a moment it felt like a dream.
It was just—
This was a dream he wished he could have too.
~~~
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