Following a ripple in space, Sasuke and Boruto returned to their own time.
Looking at the clock nearby, which had advanced by only a few minutes, the older Sasuke pondered for several seconds. Then he looked at the Otsutsuki treasure, the Karasuki, in Boruto's hand and fell into deep thought.
This journey through time had felt like a dream to him.
Not only had they successfully defeated Otsutsuki Urashiki, but they had also witnessed Naruto and Konoha from a different timeline. The Naruto of that era was strong and rational, and both his mother and Itachi were still alive. He truly wanted to see them again.
Unfortunately, that timeline did not belong to him. Forcing himself to stay there would be no different from immersing himself in the dream world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
As a shinobi walking in the darkness as part of the village's security force, he also had a responsibility to protect the village and his family.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside the storage room, and Naruto appeared at the doorway with several Anbu.
Seeing that Sasuke and Boruto were safe and sound, he revealed a gentle smile and said, "As long as you're alright. What about Urashiki? Did he escape again?"
The older Sasuke shook his head.
"Fortunately, no. This time, Otsutsuki Urashiki was successfully dealt with."
Just as Naruto was about to continue asking questions, Boruto impatiently jumped in.
"Urashiki was defeated by Dad! In front of my dad, Urashiki didn't even have room to resist."
But I'm not your dad...
Naruto looked slightly embarrassed and had no idea how to respond.
His parents had died when he was born, and dealing with parent-child relationships was one of his weak points. He had never really understood why Boruto was so rebellious and always seemed determined to oppose him.
At that moment, Naruto noticed the look in Sasuke's eyes and immediately understood something.
After raising a hand and signaling the Anbu to withdraw, Naruto stepped forward and asked, "Sasuke, I sensed a special chakra fluctuation earlier. What exactly happened to you and Boruto?"
"And why is Boruto saying that I defeated Urashiki? I've never even fought him."
The older Sasuke snorted and calmly explained:
"Urashiki wanted to travel into the past and take the Nine-Tails from you. To protect your past, Boruto and I traveled through time as well. But what none of us expected was that both we and Urashiki ended up in another parallel world."
"A parallel world?" Naruto frowned.
"That's right. A parallel world."
The older Sasuke continued lightly,
"However, the Naruto in that world was much better than you. Even though he had only just taken the Chunin Exams, he had already mastered the Nine-Tails Sage Mode."
"After discovering Boruto and me and learning what was happening, he invited me to join him in hunting Otsutsuki Urashiki."
"Thanks to him, we captured Urashiki alive and obtained a lot of useful information."
Hearing this, Naruto finally understood who Boruto had been referring to as his father. Compared to the Naruto of that world, he seemed much weaker. Perhaps it was because he had slacked off on training after becoming Hokage.
Glancing at Boruto, who was standing proudly with his hands on his hips, Naruto sighed softly before asking,
"Sasuke, do you have any more detailed information about that timeline? Did you tell him about Kaguya and Black Zetsu?"
The older Sasuke nodded slightly.
"He already knows part of the future. But with his strength, Nagato is no match for him, and the probability of the Fourth Great Ninja War happening is extremely low."
"Still, I'm more curious about what he experienced. The difference between his personality and yours is enormous."
Naruto fell into thought.
He remembered the lonely version of himself from his days at the Ninja Academy, the day he heard about Jiraiya's death, and his true self on Turtle Island. Perhaps that had been the real Naruto all along.
The truth was that he had always hidden a devil inside his heart.
It was only because he believed tomorrow would be better that he kept that devil locked in a cage and continued facing the future with optimism and enthusiasm.
As though he had guessed Naruto's thoughts, Sasuke changed the subject.
"By the way, in Naruto's timeline, your teacher Jiraiya became the Fifth Hokage. So he probably never died fighting Pain."
Naruto's eyes lit up instantly. The gloom from earlier vanished, and he smiled.
"Let's stop talking about the past all the time. Tell me about the information you obtained from Urashiki."
The older Sasuke nodded and glanced at Boruto in the distance.
"First of all, Momoshiki planted a Kāma on Boruto before his death. Its function is similar to the Curse Mark of Heaven that Orochimaru once placed on me. As time passes, Boruto will gain Otsutsuki abilities, and eventually Momoshiki will be reborn through him."
The news caused Naruto's expression to darken instantly, and killing intent flashed across his face.
"In addition to Boruto receiving a Kāma, Naruto also told us something else. Besides the three Otsutsuki who have already appeared in the ninja world, there is another Otsutsuki named Isshiki."
"Isshiki is far stronger than Momoshiki, Urashiki, and the others, and he understands the ninja world much better."
"According to the information we obtained, Otsutsuki Isshiki was Kaguya's partner and arrived in the ninja world thousands of years ago."
"Otsutsuki Isshiki?"
Naruto immediately began analyzing the information.
"But if there really is an Otsutsuki like that hiding in the ninja world, why haven't they joined forces to deal with us? Why do they keep showing up one at a time?"
"Could it be that they're competing against each other?"
The older Sasuke was pleased with Naruto's analytical ability and continued,
"According to the information provided by that Naruto, the reason they don't care about their companions is because they intend to feed one another to the Ten-Tails so that the Divine Tree can take root."
"That's also why Otsutsuki Kaguya betrayed Isshiki in the first place. Kaguya didn't want to become a sacrifice for the Ten-Tails."
"I see..."
Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully before looking toward Boruto.
"In that case, the reason Urashiki kept holding back around Boruto becomes clear. They want to feed Boruto to the Ten-Tails."
"That's not the important part."
The older Sasuke stared directly at Naruto.
"The important part is that Isshiki probably possesses another Ten-Tails. If Isshiki becomes the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, we may not be able to defeat him."
"Our best chance right now is to locate that Ten-Tails hidden within another dimension first..."
Naruto gradually understood what Sasuke was implying.
"Sasuke, are you suggesting that one of us should become the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki and use its power to defeat the Otsutsuki? That doesn't sound like a good idea."
"At present, it's the only option."
The older Sasuke's expression remained serious.
"But you just said that activating the Ten-Tails requires sacrificing an Otsutsuki first. Right now, Boruto is the only person who could even be considered an Otsutsuki. Even if we find the other Ten-Tails, we still won't be able to activate it."
Naruto's words caused the older Sasuke to fall silent in thought.
Then, after a moment, Naruto quietly said to Sasuke:
"Sasuke, I support your decision. If the village ever truly faces disaster and the power of the Ten-Tails becomes necessary, I'll be the first sacrifice."
"Don't fight me for that position."
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