After leaving the Scientific Ninja Tools stall, Hoshiyomi found a random inn to stay in.
Though this version of the shinobi world was completely insane, at least the currency was still ryō, so he didn't have to face the embarrassment of having no money to spend.
Lying spread-eagled on the bed, Hoshiyomi appeared to be zoning out—but in reality, his mind was a complete mess as he tried to sort through his tangled thoughts.
Kimimaro as the savior of the shinobi world… no matter how you think about it, that's just absurd.
What kind of person was Kimimaro?
Utterly loyal to Orochimaru, whose dream was to become his vessel—and yet in this world, that same man had become the one who saved the world?
How was that even possible?
And then there was the question of how the major shinobi villages had developed in this timeline.
Judging from the current period, Tsunade should still be alive, right?
Maybe he should head to Konoha and check on her?
But then again, this world's Tsunade didn't know him.
Even if she had the same face, she wasn't his Tsunade—the one who used to call him her husband.
And besides, there were still those terrifying Boruto-era villains—Momoshiki, Kinshiki, Isshiki—all supposedly monstrously strong.
If any of those guys appeared now… could he even stand a chance against them with his current power?
He hadn't watched all of Boruto, but he'd seen enough clips and breakdowns online in his past life to know that those later bosses were all Rinnegan-tier monsters.
Just thinking about fighting one of them made his scalp tingle.
Then, his mind jumped back to the white-robed pursuer from the night before—that terrifying speed that nearly rivaled teleportation.
Could that guy be an Ōtsutsuki?
Had he really just arrived in this world only to be targeted immediately?
If so, his future here was going to be rough…
Damn, I should've watched a few more episodes of Boruto when I had the chance.
The more he thought about it, the more agitated and uneasy he felt.
Even though mentally he was nearly sixty years old, a wave of loneliness crept into his heart.
A strange world with no familiar faces—
no allies, no bonds—
would unsettle anyone.
At that thought, Hoshiyomi suddenly wanted someone to talk to.
His first thought was Lobo, his summoned beast.
Technically speaking, if he could travel between worlds, then maybe—just maybe—he could summon Lobo across dimensions too.
Determined, Hoshiyomi sat up straight, bit his finger, and began forming hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
A puff of smoke—then silence.
Hoshiyomi slumped to the ground, slamming a fist into the bed in frustration—
and accidentally shattered all four of its wooden legs.
He could feel the jutsu had activated successfully… yet there was some invisible barrier blocking the summoning midway.
It was as if there was a wall between worlds preventing the connection.
Staring blankly at the wrecked bed, he sighed.
Well, great. Now I can't even lie down properly.
Since resting was no longer an option, Hoshiyomi decided to leave the inn and explore the town a bit more—
maybe he could learn something useful about this bizarre world.
After wandering for a while, he finally stumbled upon a small bookstore on one of the side streets.
His eyes lit up as if he'd struck gold.
Sure enough, inside were several biographical and historical books about famous figures.
After some browsing, he finally found one about Kimimaro.
The moment he read the introduction, he couldn't help but mutter:
"Good grief…"
In this world, Kimimaro, as a child, had not been taken by Orochimaru after the Kaguya clan's rebellion was crushed.
Instead, while wandering the Land of Fire, he encountered Tsunade, who took him in as a disciple—or even as her adopted son.
From there, his path unfolded naturally: he joined Konoha, rose through its ranks, and ultimately shone brightly in the Fourth Great Ninja War,
becoming nothing less than a savior of the world.
Because this book had been compiled from rumors and interviews with Kimimaro himself, many of the descriptions were not particularly detailed.
Even so, after reading through Kimimaro's various exploits, Hoshiyomi could more or less determine one thing—this Kimimaro was just like him.
Hoshiyomi was ninety percent sure that the Kimimaro of this world was also a transmigrator—someone who, like himself, had crossed over from another world.
As Hoshiyomi read the records about Kimimaro and pondered whether he should find a chance to visit him in person, his expression suddenly changed.
He had once again sensed that same chakra from the night before—the one belonging to that suspected member of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
That person had clearly noticed Hoshiyomi's presence as well and was now moving steadily toward him, not in a hurry but with deliberate purpose.
At that realization, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but curse under his breath:
"Tch… damn shadow that won't stay dead."
He quickly closed the book, slipped out of the bookstore, and darted into a deserted alley.
Forming a sword seal with his fingers, he summoned his Grass Long Sword, Kusanagi Blade, which flashed from its sheath in an instant.
Ignoring whether anyone might see him, Hoshiyomi mounted his flying sword, ready to make his escape.
Several streets away, the white-robed man who had been pursuing him sensed Hoshiyomi's movements and smiled faintly.
"Such a short distance… no matter how fast you run, where could you possibly go this time?"
With that, the white-robed man abandoned all pretense of concealment.
He stepped off the street and onto the roof of a nearby house in a single bound, startling the townsfolk below, who cried out in confusion.
Once again, the familiar scene of "police chasing a thief" unfolded—one fleeing, one pursuing—as they both quickly left the small town behind.
Facing someone who might be from the Ōtsutsuki clan, Hoshiyomi dared not hold back.
He immediately entered Sage Mode, amplifying his sensory abilities to the maximum, focusing entirely on his opponent's every movement.
Sensing the other man closing the distance rapidly, Hoshiyomi noted that they had left the city far behind and returned to the desolate desert.
After gauging his pursuer's speed, Hoshiyomi hesitated only for a moment before leaving behind a sword afterimage as a decoy—
then suddenly reversed direction and charged straight toward the white-robed man.
The pursuer, realizing what Hoshiyomi had done, gave a small amused chuckle but didn't slow down.
Instead, his hands began to move.
As the two drew closer and closer, Hoshiyomi decided to strike first.
Who cared whether this man was an Ōtsutsuki or not—he'd test his strength first and ask questions later.
Drawing the Mikazuki Munechika from his waist, Hoshiyomi raised his hand and unleashed a green-blue arc of sword energy, slicing through the air toward his opponent.
The white-robed man's expression shifted slightly as he sensed the immense chakra infused in that slash.
Still, his response was swift and calm—he flicked his sleeve, revealing a short white blade from within his robe.
When Hoshiyomi saw that weapon, his brow lifted instinctively.
It carried a faint resemblance to White Light Chakra Saber, yet the material seemed… different.
Not the usual chakra metal, but something more akin to polished jade.
Just as Hoshiyomi expected, the man's counterattack came instantly.
The short blade moved in a single graceful sweep, shattering Hoshiyomi's sword energy—
a slash that could have easily pierced through a standard B-rank jutsu—as though it were nothing but mist.
"Now," the white-robed man said evenly,
"it's my turn."