"Hey! You blonde-haired brat over there! Where are your eyes wandering?!"
A displeased and forceful shout broke the brief calm at the street corner.
Big Sis Hinata let go of Menma's shoulder, put her hands in the pockets of her shorts, and walked over to Boruto, who had been secretly observing her, with a few steps that carried a sense of pressure.
She tilted her head slightly, her pure white eyes carrying a hint of displeasure and scrutiny as she looked down at this unfamiliar blonde-haired kid with full force.
Boruto was startled by this sudden questioning, especially since this 'Hinata' was a stark contrast to the gentle, shy mother in his memory. Her open coat with the fishnet inner shirt, her long, straight legs in shorts, and the rebellious aura between her brows all made his brain short-circuit for a moment.
In his nervousness and shock, he almost instinctively blurted out:
"Mo... mom..."
The moment the words left his mouth, Boruto realized he had messed up!
He quickly clamped both hands over his mouth, his sky-blue eyes filled with panic.
'Oh no! I let it slip!'
"Hmm—?" Big Sis Hinata's brows shot up even higher, and an extremely strange expression appeared on her face.
She stepped forward, almost right up to Boruto, bent down, and carefully examined his face, her tone carrying disbelief and strong interest: "Ha? Kid, who were you just calling 'Mom'? Do I look that old? Or..."
She deliberately drew out her tone, her gaze growing even more dangerous. "Are you deliberately messing with me?"
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Boruto was so scared he waved his hands and backed away repeatedly, trying to explain in a flustered and incoherent manner.
"I-I didn't mean that! It's, it's because... you look a lot like my mom! Really! It's just... your personality seems... a little different..."
His voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was almost a mosquito's buzz, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
"Oh? I look like your mom?" Big Sis Hinata's anger instantly vanished, replaced by a smile mixed with surprise and the satisfaction of pulling off a prank.
She straightened up, turned her head, and said to Menma, who was watching the scene with a smile, in an exaggerated tone, "Hey! Menma! Did you hear that? This kid says I look like his mom! Hahahahaha! What's this? Getting a preview of what it's like to be a mom? That's hilarious!"
Menma, amused by her, walked over and naturally put his arm around Hinata's shoulder, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, in a voice not too loud but loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, teasingly, "What? Are you already starting to think about what to name our future kids? Hmm?"
His tone was frivolous, with obvious doting.
"You wanna die?!" Hinata's face turned bright red in an instant. Embarrassed and annoyed, she elbowed Menma hard in the side.
"W-Who's thinking about that kind of stuff?! Stop talking nonsense!"
"Oof!" Caught off guard, Menma grunted from the elbow strike, bent over, and pretended to clutch his stomach in pain.
Naruto, watching Menma fall victim to her 'brutality', instinctively shrank his neck and muttered softly, "S-So scary... Big Sis is still this violent when she's angry..."
He had always held a reverent fear of Hinata's second personality, which had explosive combat power and a fiery disposition.
As for Boruto, watching this Space-Time's 'Mother' flirt so intimately with a strange young man, while the young 'Father' stood by trembling, a complex mix of indescribable absurdity, embarrassment, and a subtle feeling of being 'NTR-ed' welled up in his heart, twisting his expression and making his mood complicated to the extreme.
Just then, Kakashi, who had seemed to be watching the show, closed his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and walked over with lazy steps.
Although he still looked like he hadn't woken up, his exposed right eye was sizing up the one-armed young man standing in front of Boruto, whose face was hidden by a wide-brimmed hat.
Kakashi's gaze lingered especially on the other's empty left sleeve and his deliberately lowered hat brim.
"You two..." Kakashi began in his slightly lazy, drawling tone, as if just asking casually. "Judging by your clothes, are you travelers passing through the village?"
As the Ninja Village of the Land of Fire, Konoha's public security was many times better than that of other cities, and it was located in the center of the Land of Fire. Countless merchants and travelers passed through every day.
As a Jonin, Kakashi had the responsibility to conduct necessary interrogation of strangers who suddenly appeared and acted suspiciously.
Boruto's heart tightened, and he instinctively looked at his teacher beside him, throwing him a pleading look.
Adult Sasuke remained expressionless and answered calmly in an altered, slightly hoarse and deep voice: "Yes, my name is Samoyan. I'm a wandering performer, making a living with a few juggling tricks and illusions. This is my student, Boruto."
His words were concise, his tone flat, betraying no emotion.
"Yes, yes! We're just passing through, came in to have a look, and buy something to eat!" Boruto quickly nodded in agreement.
"Oh? A performer? Illusions?" Kakashi's single eye narrowed slightly, as if a bit interested, his tone carrying a hint of probing. "Sounds interesting. Since we have some time now, how about... giving us a little demonstration?"
"Ah? A demonstration?" Boruto was dumbfounded. What kind of acrobatics or tricks did he know!
He looked pleadingly at Adult Sasuke again, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Adult Sasuke sighed inwardly, knowing he had to show something to get past Kakashi.
His expression unchanged, he gently placed his half-drunk milk tea on the edge of a nearby flower bed.
Then, unflustered, he took an ordinary coin from his pocket and showed it in his open palm to everyone.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, his only intact right thumb flicked lightly, and the coin flipped in the air.
Just as the coin reached its highest point and was about to fall, Sasuke's wrist flicked almost imperceptibly, and he caught the coin!
The next moment, when he opened his palm again, the coin had vanished, replaced by a fist-sized, brightly colored soft leather ball!
"Wow!" Naruto's eyes went wide, and he couldn't help but exclaim softly.
But this wasn't all.
Sasuke tossed the leather ball lightly into the air. It arced through the air.
Just as the ball was about to fall back into his palm, his fingers seemed to casually brush through the air!
Poof!
With a soft sound, the ball instantly turned into a small cloud of white smoke.
The smoke quickly dissipated, and five black crows flapped their wings, scrambling out of the smoke, cawing and flying off into the evening sky, soon disappearing into the shadows of the buildings.
This was a trick Sasuke had learned during his ten-plus years of traveling through the Ninja World's various countries, and also one of his commonly used disguises.
The entire trick was as smooth as flowing water, without a trace of Chakra Fluctuation.
"Oh? That's a bit interesting." Kakashi crossed his arms, watching the direction the crows had flown with keen interest, his tone seeming to relax a little. "Pure sleight of hand? No Chakra assistance? Looks like you've been practicing this trick for quite some years."
Adult Sasuke nodded slightly, his tone modest: "Just a small trick to make a living, nothing elegant, and certainly not comparable to the Ninjutsu of a Ninja-sama."
Menma, who had been quietly watching, spoke up at this point, his voice gentle: "Konoha indeed rarely sees professional acrobats. If you two plan to stay in the village for a few more days, I suggest you go to the administrative hall on the first floor of the Hokage Building to do a simple registration. That would make things easier."
His suggestion sounded like a well-intentioned reminder, but it made Adult Sasuke a bit wary.
"Thanks for the reminder." Adult Sasuke glanced at Menma.
Then, without another word, he nodded slightly to Kakashi and the others, turned, pulled the still-dazed Boruto, and walked towards the Hokage Building.
Boruto quickly picked up his unfinished hamburger and milk tea and trotted to keep up.
After walking some distance and confirming that Kakashi and the others hadn't followed, Boruto leaned closer to Sasuke and lowered his voice, still shaken: "Sensei, that was so scary just now! That guy named Menma... are you sure you've never seen him before? He didn't seem malicious, but I felt... something was off."
Adult Sasuke's gaze swept over the familiar scenery on both sides of the street, his voice low: "I'm certain. In my memory, there has never been a person named 'Menma'."
Boruto put his hands behind his head, analyzing as he walked: "Could he be related to the Otsutsuki Clan? After all, Karasuki also said this Space-Time is an 'unrecorded anomaly'. Maybe Urashiki traveled to an even earlier timeline and sent him to monitor things?"
Then, remembering the tough, spicy girl Hinata from earlier, he couldn't help but shiver and asked curiously: "Oh, right, Sensei, was my mother... really like this when she was little? This is way too different!"
The mother in his memory was always so gentle, shy, and soft-spoken. She was a world apart from the hot-tempered big sister who had almost punched Menma's lunch out of him!
Adult Sasuke recalled the Hyuga main family's eldest daughter from his own youth… always hiding in corners, blushing when she spoke, secretly watching Naruto. Then he compared her to the strong-willed, fiery-tempered girl just now. A flicker of complexity and confusion also flashed in his eyes.
He shook his head, his tone affirmative: "No, your mother when she was little... was a very quiet, very shy girl, definitely not like that just now. The Hinata of this Space-Time is like... a different person."
All these abnormalities made the unease in Sasuke's heart grow even stronger.
This Konoha had drastically deviated from the past he knew.
'The Uchiha Clan's 'migration', the drastic personality change of Hinata, the mysterious appearance of Menma, those abruptly styled shops, and a country called the Land of Stars...'
'What exactly had happened in this Space-Time?'
'Where was the 'Sasuke' of this Space-Time?'
Just as the two, each with their own concerns, walked towards the Hokage Building, planning to go through the motions of 'registration' so they could stay briefly in Konoha.
Swish! Swish!
Two figures wearing the standard combat uniforms of Konoha's Anbu landed on the tops of two utility poles not far ahead of them.
When Adult Sasuke and Boruto looked up and saw those two Anbu, their pupils simultaneously contracted sharply.
One of the Anbu was unmistakably the young Uchiha Sasuke!
And standing next to Young Sasuke was another Anbu, slightly slender, carrying a scroll tube on his back. He is Sai, who should have belonged to the Root division!
Adult Sasuke's heart shook violently!
'Not only had the 'Sasuke' of this Space-Time joined the Anbu, but he also looked like he was already an elite member at a young age?'
'Even more astonishing, he was teaming up with Sai, who should have been in Root?'
'In this Space-Time, after the Uchiha Clan 'migrated', what had the young 'Sasuke' experienced? He hadn't left with the clan?'
'How had he ended up in the Anbu and crossed paths with Sai?'
As for Boruto, he was completely dumbfounded. He pointed at Young Sasuke on the utility pole, then whipped his head around to look at the mature, steady, one-armed, weathered teacher beside him, his mouth agape, unable to speak for a long time.
Young Sasuke looked down, his cold gaze locking onto Adult Sasuke and Boruto below, his voice carrying the indifferent tone of official business: "You two, please come with us immediately for investigation."
Adult Sasuke's heart sank.
'So we had indeed attracted Konoha's attention.'
'Their appearance indicated that we had likely been under surveillance for a while.'
'Was it to protect Naruto, the Jinchuriki?'
'Or was the alert level of this Space-Time's Konoha simply this high?'
He didn't want to get entangled with the Anbu, especially those who might be connected to Danzo's Root.
In this Space-Time full of mysteries, premature exposure or involvement in conflict was extremely dangerous.
He decided to retreat for now.
"Sorry, we're just ordinary travelers. We mean no harm and don't want to cause you any trouble. We'll leave Konoha now." Adult Sasuke answered in his hoarse voice, simultaneously pulling Boruto's arm as if to leave.
"Leave?" Young Sasuke snorted coldly, his gaze sharp as a knife. "The village gate guards' records don't show either of you entering. Sneaking into Konoha without registration, acting suspiciously, and now trying to just walk away?"
Young Sasuke exchanged a glance with Sai beside him, and the two nodded in unison.
For suspicious individuals like this, the Anbu had the authority to detain and interrogate them first.
"Leaving won't be that easy!"
Young Sasuke shouted, his figure instantly vanishing from the utility pole!
The next moment, he appeared in front of Adult Sasuke like a leopard, his right hand moving as fast as lightning to grasp the hilt of the Ninja Sword on his back!
His movements were clean and decisive, carrying the decisive killing edge honed by the Anbu.
He figured that after the Anbu's rigorous training, his strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Chunin. Dealing with a disabled wandering performer would certainly be a piece of cake.
Even if the other party was a Ninja, losing an arm effectively rendered him mostly useless!
However, Adult Sasuke was faster!
Just as Young Sasuke's hand was about to touch the sword hilt, Adult Sasuke stepped forward. His right hand, though moving later, arrived first, precisely clamping down on Young Sasuke's wrist as he went to draw his sword!
Then, with a flick of his wrist, a skilled force was transmitted, instantly shaking Young Sasuke's hand away. At the same time, he smoothly swept his hand under the sword, effortlessly taking possession of the Ninja Sword that was about to leave its sheath!
The entire motion was as smooth as flowing water, happening in the blink of an eye, filled with composure and expertise.
"What?!" Young Sasuke only felt his wrist go numb, his vision blur, and his Ninja Sword was already in other party's hands!
He was horrified, 'How was this possible?!'
'The other's speed and technique had been so fast that even I hadn't seen them clearly!'
At the same time, Sai, standing on the utility pole, also moved.
He quickly unrolled his scroll, his brush flying!
"Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
A ferocious-looking black and white Kirin, outlined in ink, roared as it charged, opening its massive jaws and pouncing on Adult Sasuke, who seemed defenseless after taking the sword!
Young Sasuke, though startled, remained calm. As he leaped back using the momentum, he raised his head!
A pair of crimson eyes suddenly lit up!
In each eye, two black tomoes slowly rotated!
He would use Genjutsu to subdue this strange opponent!
However, the moment Young Sasuke's Sharingan met the deep eyes beneath Adult Sasuke's hat brim!
Young Sasuke felt his brain 'buzz', and the scene before him twisted and warped violently!
A familiar home... blood-stained tatami mats... his parents' cold bodies... and the figure slowly turning around, a dripping Ninja Sword in hand, like a demon!
"My foolish little brother..." Itachi's voice was cold. "You're still so weak."
"No... don't! Itachi!!!" Young Sasuke let out a piercing, anguished, despairing scream. He stood frozen in place as if drained of all strength, his body trembling violently, the tomoes in his Sharingan becoming unstable from the emotional turmoil!
He had fallen into the deepest, most terrifying nightmare illusion of his own heart!
In the real world, Sai's Kirin charged at Adult Sasuke but was easily blocked by the Ninja Sword he raised with one hand.
"Sasuke!" Sai was shocked. He hadn't seen how the other party had cast the Genjutsu at all, and Sasuke was instantly caught, clearly in a state of mental breakdown.
He immediately manipulated the ink Kirin to change direction, no longer attacking the dangerous one-armed man, but instead using its claws to scoop up the paralyzed, illusion-trapped young Sasuke, quickly retreating backwards, putting a dozen meters of distance between them, and watching with extreme vigilance.
Boruto stood nervously by, his hand already reaching for his ninja tool pouch.
He knew his teacher was strong, but facing Konoha's Anbu, if a real fight broke out, they would likely have a hard time getting away.
But he hadn't expected his teacher to handle his younger self so easily…
It was like an adult beating a child!
Adult Sasuke held the captured Ninja Sword, but his heart was filled with slight emotion.
The 'Sasuke' of this Space-Time, though he had awakened a Two-Tomoe Sharingan at a young age and was stronger than his own younger self at the same age, still possessed that arrogance born of power and talent.
In that instant of exchange and Genjutsu counterattack, he hadn't used the power of his Rinnegan at all. He had relied solely on his vastly superior combat experience, deep understanding of Sharingan's Genjutsu, and stronger spiritual power to easily see through and reflect the Genjutsu, striking directly at the weakest point of the other party's heart.
Just then, a somewhat lazy voice sounded abruptly at the edge of the battlefield:
"Heh... Quite lively, isn't it?"
The four facing off looked up simultaneously.
There, on another utility pole, a person was standing, though no one knew when he had arrived.
The newcomer wore a loose black robe, the hem hanging to his ankles, gently swaying in the breeze. On his face was a white, three-eyed fox mask.
He looked down at the tense, drawn-out scene below and even lightly applauded, as if enjoying a good show.
Clap, clap, clap.
The applause was not loud, but it was especially clear on the quiet street.
Seeing this figure, Sai's pupils contracted sharply.
He recognized this person... no, the entire Konoha's Anbu and Root knew this mask.
"Shura..." Sai uttered the name in a low voice, his tone carrying undisguised apprehension.
As for Boruto, upon hearing this name, before he could react, he felt an indescribable pressure emanating from the masked figure.
Not killing intent, not deterrence.
But a terrifying oppressive feeling deeper than that of Momoshiki or Urashiki!
Boruto's legs began to tremble uncontrollably, cold sweat instantly covering his forehead, his breathing becoming difficult.
Adult Sasuke stepped forward without hesitation, firmly shielding Boruto behind him.
His one arm gripped the newly captured Ninja Sword tightly, every muscle in his body tensed, entering the highest state of alert.
Just the aura and pressure the other casually emitted made Adult Sasuke feel an unprecedented pressure.
'This is a person... more dangerous than any Otsutsuki I had ever seen...'
Under Adult Sasuke's hat brim, his right eye had already activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, and the Rinnegan under his slanted bangs also glowed purple, locking onto the mysterious figure wearing the white, three-eyed fox mask on the utility pole.