While Hoshiyomi was stealthily advancing toward Konoha under the cover of night, the white-robed figure who had been pursuing him finally came to a stop.
Gazing at the spot where Hoshiyomi had vanished, the man's pale-blue eyes flickered with confusion as he murmured to himself:
"That doesn't make sense. No disguise could possibly escape these eyes… unless it was space–time ninjutsu? But I didn't sense any trace of a space–time coordinate at all.
And just now, I felt a hint of Sage Mode Chakra coming from him too. So the guy who came out of the Ryūmyaku isn't ordinary after all."
If Hoshiyomi had been there to hear that voice, he would've been stunned—because it sounded far too young, belonging to someone barely past puberty.
"He just came out of the Ryūmyaku. He probably won't wander too far. I'll keep searching near the expedition camp for a few more days," the youth decided quietly.
...
After traveling all night, Hoshiyomi finally reached a small town around midmorning the next day.
Still cloaked by his Transparent Release, he surveyed the area carefully. Once he confirmed that the people's clothing looked normal and unremarkable, he slipped into a secluded alley and released the technique.
He had only planned to find a bite to eat before moving on—but what he saw in that town left him completely dumbfounded.
Though it looked like a typical small settlement, the buildings and goods being sold along the streets were utterly unlike any village he remembered from the shinobi world.
"Come take a look! The latest model of Scientific Ninja Tools—even an ordinary person can perform powerful jutsu with these!"
"Brand-new Ninja Dragon Quest game now on sale! Only two thousand ryō—don't miss out!"
Listening to the merchants shouting all around, Hoshiyomi nearly dropped his jaw. The entire town radiated an odd sense of dissonance.
How to describe it… It felt modern—there were glass storefronts, bright signage, even large display screens scattered around the streets.
And yet, the culture of shinobi was still everywhere. A few Suna and Konoha shinobi walked past him, dressed no differently from the ones he remembered in his own era.
If he had to sum it up, Hoshiyomi thought this town looked like a fusion between the Shinobi World and a small modern city from about ten years ago in his previous life.
He stopped for a moment in front of a shop labeled Scientific Ninja Tools, his gaze settling on the watch-like gadget in the owner's hand. A strange sense of déjà vu struck him.
Wait… wasn't this just like the thing Boruto Uzumaki—that guy everyone called "Grandpa Boruto" in the memes—used during the Chūnin Exams in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations?
The version here clearly wasn't as advanced, though. Scanning the display, Hoshiyomi noticed the highest-grade tool available—a miniature jutsu scroll that could release a mere C-rank Wind Blade Technique—and it was ridiculously overpriced, obviously meant to scam tourists.
"Hey there, young man! Judging by your outfit, you must be a samurai from the Land of Iron, right? Want to take a look at my ninja tools? With one of these, you'll be stronger than most shinobi!"
Hoshiyomi ignored the overenthusiastic shopkeeper's sales pitch, though his mind was far from calm.
Don't tell me… when I got pulled through time, I jumped straight from Year 47 of the Hidden Leaf calendar all the way to Year 80?
Looking around again at the screens, the gadgets, the casual blending of technology and chakra—everything screamed Boruto-era Konoha.
But that doesn't make sense either, Hoshiyomi thought grimly. A temporal jump like that should've caused massive ripples in the timeline. There's no way I could've landed in the Boruto timeline without changing anything…
Thinking for a moment, Hoshiyomi finally decided to speak up to the shopkeeper.
"Uh, hey, brother—can I ask you something? Have you ever heard of someone named Gekko Hoshiyomi?"
The middle-aged shopkeeper, who had been passionately advertising his Scientific Ninja Tools, paused and thought for a bit before shaking his head.
"Gekko Hoshiyomi? Who's that? Never heard of him."
"???"
Hoshiyomi's face instantly turned into a giant question mark.
Unwilling to give up, he pressed further:
"You really haven't heard of me? I mean—of him! The one who single-handedly changed the course of the Second and Third Ninja Wars, defeated the Five-Tails and Six-Tails, and forced Ōnoki to surrender in the Third War! The one they called Konoha's Silver Moon—Gekko Hoshiyomi!"
The shopkeeper stared at him with a look that basically said, Are you out of your damn mind?
"Young man, what are you even talking about? I might not have gone to the Ninja Academy, but I at least know basic shinobi world history.
It was Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and later the Fifth Hokage Lady Tsunade—the Legendary Sannin—who turned the tide in the Second Ninja War.
And in the Third Ninja War, it was the Fourth Hokage, the 'Yellow Flash' Minato Namikaze, who forced Iwagakure to surrender.
Who the heck is this 'Konoha's Silver Moon' you're talking about?"
Hoshiyomi froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.
The man wasn't just unaware of his existence—he was reciting the original shinobi world history, the one exactly as it appeared in the Naruto story he knew!
Even the Hokage succession was the same—Tsunade was the Fifth, not the Fourth as it had been in Hoshiyomi's altered timeline.
Could it be… that he hadn't just traveled through time—but crossed into a completely different, parallel world?
A world that followed Boruto's timeline, with no connection to the Naruto world he came from?
If that were true, things were going to be seriously troublesome.
Not only had Hoshiyomi never watched Boruto, but he also remembered that the Boruto villains were all monsters.
And more importantly—if this was a parallel world, how was he ever supposed to get back home?
Still clinging to hope, Hoshiyomi asked one last question:
"Brother… could you tell me about the Fourth Ninja War? Wasn't it Naruto and Sasuke who ended it?"
At this point, the shopkeeper was no longer looking at him like a prankster—but like someone humoring a lunatic.
"Young man, where did you even hear that? Sure, Lord Seventh Hokage and Sasuke played an important role in the Fourth Ninja War—but everyone knows the real shining hero of that war was Lord Kimimaro!"
"Ki… Kimimaro?!"
What the actual—!?
Kimimaro, the guy who, in the original story, fought Gaara and then died of illness?
How in the world did that guy become the war's savior—outshining both Naruto and Sasuke!?
Hoshiyomi couldn't hold it in anymore. His voice shot up several octaves, drawing stares from everyone around him.
The shopkeeper, startled by the outburst and wary of the sword at Hoshiyomi's waist, swallowed nervously and said:
"Uh… Young man, if there's nothing else, could you… maybe leave? I've got other customers waiting…"
Hoshiyomi nodded blankly and stumbled away from the stall, completely dazed.
At that moment, only one thought echoed in his mind:
This world is insane! Mice are acting as bridesmaids for cats!