Sometimes, fate plays strange and cruel jokes.
As an adult, Sasuke's eyes trembled, staring at the man before him—the one he once adored, then hated to the depths of his soul, and finally came to understand. The man who broke his heart—his brother, Uchiha Itachi.
His hand involuntarily began to rise, but in the next instant, he remembered why he was here: to protect Naruto in this era.
And just as Li had warned them—any interference with the past could cause someone in the future to disappear.
His hand fell again.
But across from him, Itachi was gently pulling his younger self along.
Sasuke quickly reached up and tugged the brim of his hat down to shield his face, trying to avoid unnecessary attention.
But the unexpected happened.
Little Sasuke and Itachi, who were walking side by side, came to a halt.
Itachi furrowed his brows slightly. This man… why did he feel so strangely familiar?
Little Sasuke stood beside Boruto, cautiously sizing up the stranger who looked eerily similar to someone he vaguely recognized. Then, he looked up at Boruto—the other stranger—who immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
"Hey. What's your name?"
Little Sasuke fixed his gaze on Boruto, his expression sharp and suspicious.
"Me? Uh, I'm Boruto…" Boruto stammered, flustered.
(Was Master really this scary when he was a kid? This doesn't feel like him at all!)
Little Sasuke squinted and shifted his gaze toward the man beside Boruto. He tried to get a good look under the hat but the man only lowered his head further, the brim concealing his face.
Annoyed, little Sasuke turned to Itachi.
"Brother, I don't think these two are normal. They're acting sketchy. We should take them to the Security Department for questioning."
Itachi nodded slightly. His younger brother's intuition wasn't wrong. Boruto's voice trembled a little when he answered. And the man beside him… the familiarity in his chakra, his posture, and the strange choice to wear a hat in this heat—it all felt off.
Plus, they were near the Uchiha District—right next to the headquarters of the Ninja Association.
A sudden thought flashed through Itachi's mind. An answer he didn't like.
Could they be assassins sent by the daimyos?
The Ninja Association, founded by Uchiha Hikaru, had shifted the power dynamics across the Five Great Nations. It severely weakened the daimyos' political hold over the ninja villages.
If these two strangers were spies sent by a feudal lord to gather intel on the Association or even attack Uchiha Hikaru...
Itachi's expression turned cold. He tensed, immediately drawing a kunai from his pouch and stepping forward. With his free hand, he protectively shoved little Sasuke behind him.
"You two," he said in a low, lethal voice. "State your identities. If your answers aren't convincing, I'll have to escort you to the Konoha Guard Department personally."
Little Sasuke's Sharingan flickered to life—2.5 Tomoe—and he reached behind him to draw two kunai, dual-wielding them in anticipation. His eyes gleamed with excitement.
This was a rare chance to fight side by side with his big brother!
Boruto panicked and turned toward Sasuke, silently asking what to do next.
But Sasuke… was frozen.
His heart ached.
This was everything he had dreamed of—standing beside Itachi as brothers, as allies, not enemies.
Sasuke tilted his head back to keep his tears from falling. He slowly raised both hands in surrender.
"I'll go with you," he said softly.
Boruto stared in disbelief. "(o_O)"
What?! Are you kidding me, Master? You're giving up just like that?!
Didn't we agree to secretly find my young dad and protect him from the shadows?
Now we're being arrested by your childhood self?!
What kind of paradox is this?! Arrested by your own mini-you?!
Just then, footsteps echoed behind them and stopped.
Uchiha Mikoto had arrived.
She stood behind Sasuke and Boruto, her eyes fixed on the scene before her—her two sons standing opposite two strangers. Something about the atmosphere unsettled her.
"Sasuke, what's going on?"
Little Sasuke immediately jumped in front of his mother, protective and alert.
"Mom, step back! These two are shady. My brother and I are taking them to the Guard Department!"
Mikoto gently patted little Sasuke's head, a proud smile tugging at her lips.
"Sasuke is such a good boy—already protecting his mom. Alright then, go ahead, but don't be too harsh on them. Maybe they're just lost tourists."
"And don't forget to call your father back for lunch later."
She turned to leave.
But Sasuke… Sasuke could no longer hold back the tears.
Mom…
In this world, his parents were alive.
His brother was alive.
Everything he lost was here.
Suddenly, Mikoto paused mid-step. Something in her chest twisted painfully, as though her heart were being pulled by an invisible thread. She turned back.
She stared at Sasuke's back.
There was something so painfully familiar about this man.
She walked closer.
Itachi moved to stop her. "Mother, it's dangerous!"
But Mikoto frowned and calmly brushed his arm aside.
"I'm a former Uchiha Jonin. I can handle myself."
Itachi froze. If she said any more, he'd end up with mustard-chili-garlic meatballs for dinner again.
Mikoto approached Sasuke and gently reached for the brim of his hat.
Sasuke instinctively caught her wrist and shook his head, his grip trembling.
But the heaviness in Mikoto's chest grew stronger with his resistance.
"Why won't you let anyone see your face? Are you disfigured or something?"
She reached up and lifted the hat from his head.
And then… she saw it.
The face beneath—tear-streaked, older, but unmistakably familiar.
Mikoto staggered back, the hat falling from her hand as her body trembled uncontrollably.
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