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[Sasuke's Perspective]
The time was half a day ago. Or perhaps… forty years later?
This was a world without Qianyu. After Sasuke and Naruto had sealed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the ninja world had enjoyed nearly two decades of peace.
Konoha had changed beyond recognition. Skyscrapers stood tall, massive display screens were everywhere, and electric trains raced through every district of the village.
He and Naruto had children of their own now: Sarada Uchiha and Boruto Uzumaki.
However, because Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had failed to deliver the God Tree's fruit within the allotted time, the Ōtsutsuki clan had dispatched three members—Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki—to the ninja world to harvest the chakra of all living beings on this planet (Boruto storyline).
Inside the dimly lit Konoha Archaeological Research Institute.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's figure flickered into existence. After some fumbling, he retrieved a dull yellow clay jar from a relic safe.
"I'm reluctant to part with all that chakra I worked so hard to gather… but at this rate, who knows how long it would take to collect enough."
Urashiki sighed inwardly, murmuring to the jar in his hand. "Guess I'll give you a try. If I can obtain the Nine-Tails' full chakra, it'll be a fair trade."
"Awaken, Karasuki!"
Urashiki poured all the chakra he'd plundered into the clay jar. A dazzling green light flared. The earthen color faded from the jar in his hand, transforming into a tortoise-shell-like object.
Immediately, an emotionless prompt emanated from the shell.
"Startup authenticated. I am the Treasure Tool 'Karasuki.' Please allow me to explain the precautions. The operational procedure you confirm now will affect usage."
The Ōtsutsuki clan's space-time traversal treasure tool—Karasuki!
With sufficient chakra, it could freely travel through time. Even… through space-time itself!
Whoosh!
After Urashiki set the destination time, the tortoise shell in his hand separated layer by layer like a pagoda, revealing a sphere of golden light.
"Urashiki! What are you planning with that stolen item?"
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded behind Urashiki. Boruto and Sasuke rushed in, their voices cold with accusation.
"'Stolen' is such an ugly word. It belonged to the Ōtsutsuki from the start. I'm merely returning it to its rightful owner."
Urashiki turned with a smirk, swinging his red glowing fishing rod. The long line whipped through the air like a lash toward the two. They leaped back to dodge.
"I'd love to settle the score for Kinshiki, but I don't have the time right now. I have a fox's chakra to harvest." Urashiki spread his hands.
"Urashiki, what are you trying to do?!"
"Heh heh. Too late. You can't do anything now."
With a nasty grin, Urashiki stepped backward. The sphere of golden light behind him had expanded enough to envelop his entire body. His figure was instantly swallowed by the radiance.
"Stop!"
The golden sphere began to shrink violently. Sasuke and Boruto didn't have time to think. Together, they lunged toward the light, plunging into it at the very last moment before it vanished completely.
"T-this place is…?"
Landing on a high-tech platform, Boruto surveyed the surroundings, eyes wide with awe.
It was as if they had reached the end of time itself. The entire space flowed with mysterious purple mist. Everything around them felt illusory. Colored gateways drifted within the clouds and fog, a bizarre, phantasmagoric sight.
"You followed me here? A man who won't let go is just annoying!"
A gateway materialized in the center of the platform. Just as Urashiki was about to step through, he sensed Sasuke and Boruto had also entered 'Karasuki.'
Urashiki's face darkened instantly. He turned, intent on dealing with the two first.
Thwack!
Urashiki's whip sent the useless Boruto flying. He closed with Sasuke. An Uchiha hip toss met an Ōtsutsuki elbow strike. The fight was fierce, neither gaining clear ground.
"Almighty Push!"
Unable to suppress Urashiki with taijutsu alone, purple light flashed in Sasuke's left eye. A repulsive force exploded from him as the epicenter, rapidly spreading outward.
"Fool! You can't use that here…!!"
Urashiki's expression changed drastically. Before he could finish, the platform beneath their feet shuddered violently. The entire space flickered like a faulty lightbulb, now solid, now illusory.
The gateway at the platform's center trembled as well, shrinking and expanding, its shape growing more distorted, as if it might dissolve into nothing at any moment.
"Warning! Warning! Space-time coordinates have deviated significantly from the target!"
The emotionless voice of 'Karasuki' echoed through the space. The urgent alert tone rang like a siren, making all three hearts lurch.
"Damn it! You idiots are going to get us all killed!"
Using the momentum from the Almighty Push, Urashiki twisted in mid-air like a sparrowhawk. His body shot toward the central gateway like a bolt of silk.
"You won't succeed! Amenotejikara!"
Though unsure where the gateway led, Sasuke made a swift decision. He scooped up the dazed Boruto beside him, turned, and leaped toward the platform's edge. At the moment of descent, he swapped places with Urashiki in his line of sight.
"No——!!"
Urashiki roared, plummeting off the platform and into the mysterious purple mist. Sasuke and Boruto shot through the gateway, once again greeted by the light of the sun.
Click.
The gateway vanished completely. 'Karasuki' reverted to a small turtle shell, dropping into Boruto's hand.
They initially thought they'd merely been teleported elsewhere in their own time. But when they tried to return to Konoha, they froze in shock. The number of faces on the Hokage Monument was wrong. The original seven had become four.
And the rock face belonging to Minato Namikaze was gone. In its place, the fourth face was someone they had never seen before.
"Karasuki, so… is this the Konoha of the past? Did you bring us back in time?"
Boruto shook the turtle shell vigorously, hoping for useful information.
"Unknown! Unknown! Space-time coordinates have deviated significantly. This location and era do not match the target time and location set by Lord Ōtsutsuki Urashiki."
Karasuki poked its small head out of the shell, responding mechanically.
"You mean we deviated from the target coordinates? Then what about Urashiki? Where did he go?"
Sasuke's brow furrowed slightly as he pressed for more.
"Lord Urashiki set the temporal coordinates for Naruto Uzumaki's childhood. However, due to positional interference during spatial transit, we have arrived at an… unknown… era… unknown… location. Lord Urashiki, who separated from us, will arrive here half a day from now."
After hearing Karasuki's reply, Sasuke rested a hand on his chin, a contemplative look on his face.
"Urashiki's target is indeed the Nine-Tails' chakra. At least we arrived ahead of him. But what is this place? Everything looks like the Konoha of the past, so why is there a Hokage we've never heard of?"
…
Whoosh!
Time returns to the present. Sasuke suddenly felt something, his head snapping around to look behind him, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Uncle Sasuke?"
Boruto was startled by Sasuke's intense gaze. He followed Sasuke's line of sight but saw nothing.
"Nothing. Probably just my imagination."
Sasuke shook his head, slowly turning back. "Ōtsutsuki Urashiki's target is the Nine-Tails. If everything else here remains the same as our world… then the current Nine-Tails Jinchūriki should be Kushina Uzumaki. Your… grandmother."
"You mean… I can meet my grandmother?!"
Boruto's eyes lit up. All of Sasuke's earlier warnings were instantly forgotten. "Then what are we waiting for, Uncle Sasuke? Let's go! Grandma needs our protection right now!"
'So that's what happened. A treasure tool capable of traversing space-time…'
Qianyu had been following the two for quite a while. From their fragmented conversation, he had pieced together the gist of the situation.
He suddenly remembered a novel he'd read once. It was about Sasuke, or maybe Naruto, using this Ōtsutsuki treasure tool to send their consciousness back to the past, gradually gaining Ōtsutsuki power.
'So this thing doesn't just travel through time, it can cross between spaces? Then again, traveling to the past inherently creates a new parallel world, doesn't it?'
Whoosh!
While Qianyu was lost in thought, Sasuke and Boruto ahead suddenly broke into a sprint. They turned several corners in quick succession, their figures disappearing completely behind walls and buildings.
"Chose to trust your instincts, huh? Sasuke… you're so cautious. How did you ever get your Rinnegan stabbed out?"
Qianyu shook his head inwardly. He didn't watch Boruto, but when he'd learned online that Naruto lost the Nine-Tails and Sasuke lost his Rinnegan, he'd nearly died of rage!
Mulling it over, Qianyu continued forward at an unhurried pace. In his eyes, the chakra of the two ahead shone as clearly as lanterns.
…
"Aunt Mayumi is alive… and Uncle Aki…"
Kushina and Minato's house was in a bustling part of the village. Sasuke and Boruto had to walk through lively streets. Along the way, Sasuke saw many familiar faces, and a complex emotion stirred within him.
'If everyone were still alive… If Nīsan…'
A moment later, Sasuke suppressed the tangled thoughts in his mind. His eyes regained their steely resolve. He knew he didn't belong here.
"They don't even have the Thunder Train here. Or burger shops. But there are so many stores I've never seen before… Huh? Uncle Sasuke, look! Ichiraku Ramen used to be this tiny!"
Boruto, however, found everything novel. He touched this, peered at that, fascinated by it all.
"Sasuke. Let's talk."
Qianyu figured the timing was right. He casually cast a Transformation Jutsu that could only be seen through by the Sharingan and stepped out from around a corner, blocking the pair's path.
"Huh? Someone Uncle Sasuke knows… Wait. How can you recognize Uncle Sasuke?!"
Boruto didn't see anything wrong at first. Then it hit him. This was Konoha, forty years in the past. The color visibly drained from his face.
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