Sasuke killed Naruto?!
This is a huge deal!!
Adult Kakashi and Young Kakashi immediately called in the others.
When the Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke saw the younger version of Naruto Uzumaki, his gaze clearly wavered for a moment.
Meanwhile, the teenage Sasuke Uchiha, who had just received the news, was completely stunned. Did his future self really kill Naruto?! How could that possibly be?!
Standing beside him, Naruto Uzumaki spoke up directly: "Wait a minute, does this mean I had already become the Seventh Hokage during the Fourth Shinobi World War?"
The Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, Seventh Hokage?"
"Before you, there were others from the future who came to our world. They said Kakashi-sensei would become the Sixth Hokage, and I'd become the Seventh! Dattebayo!" Naruto explained.
The Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke frowned. Could it be that Naruto hadn't actually died? Maybe he had simply been left behind in the previous world?
At that thought, Sasuke felt an unexpected sense of relief, as if his numb heart had suddenly started beating again. Kakashi and Sakura should arrive soon. He would be fine.
A clear male voice spoke up: "The future Naruto we met during the Second Chūnin Exams also mentioned that after the Fourth Shinobi World War, he would still need to fight Sasuke—to pull him back from his solitary world."
Minato Namikaze walked over and poured a cup of water for the Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke.
"You might think Naruto is always meddling and getting in your way, but I believe it's because he knows how painful it is to be alone. He doesn't want you to be alone either."
When faced with the Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke's claim that Naruto had caused his arm injury and that he had killed Naruto Uzumaki, Minato's tone remained gentle. From what he knew from previous intelligence, he guessed that the Sasuke in front of him must be misunderstanding things.
These words brought to mind the deep chakra exchange Sasuke had experienced with Naruto before his awakening. It also reminded him of Itachi Uchiha's memory, where he entrusted Sasuke to Naruto...
"I will never leave Sasuke alone!" That was Naruto's promise to Itachi.
"If abandoning friends is the smart choice, then I'll gladly be a fool for the rest of my life." Those were the words he had spoken to Jiraiya and the Fifth Hokage after their first battle at the Valley of the End, after he had left Konoha and severely wounded Naruto.
Why...
Why, even now, do you still refuse to give up on me?
The Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke gripped the water cup tightly. He wanted to ask the Naruto from his world, but now, the words would no longer come out.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
Unable to bear the heavy atmosphere, nor the sight of this future Sasuke-kun so despondent and tormented, Sakura quickly stood up to answer it.
"Sasuke's brother?!"
Sakura gasped in shock upon seeing the dark-haired man standing outside.
Though he resided in the neighboring Missing-nin guesthouse, Itachi Uchiha rarely ventured out. Unless absolutely necessary, he stayed confined to his room, hardly interacting with anyone—let alone engaging in conversation.
Hearing Sakura's gasp, the back of Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke's body visibly stiffened.
He turned to look at the doorway. Standing there, alive and well, was none other than his own brother, Itachi Uchiha?!
In that instant—
The image of Itachi shakily walking up to him, his finger tapping his forehead, flooded his mind.
…
"Forgive me, Sasuke. This is the last time."
And that farewell during the Edo Tensei Reincarnation, when Itachi had pressed his forehead to his own.
"This time, I won't avoid you anymore. No matter what choices you make in the future, I will always love you, Sasuke."
…
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke's emotions were overwhelming.
The earlier dread of not knowing if he had killed Naruto, now compounded by seeing his dead brother alive and standing before him.
The deep-seated confusion, fear, and disorientation finally shattered the last wall he had been clinging to, leaving him unable to hide his emotions any longer.
"Brother..."
His hoarse voice trembled, a hint of tears choking his words.
Hearing this, the younger Sasuke sitting across the table felt a sharp pang of sorrow. If he truly had killed Itachi and Naruto, then the only fate awaiting him would likely be eternal damnation.
Itachi had already heard about Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke. He nodded at him before turning his gaze to Minato Namikaze from the Kannabi Bridge timeline.
"Minato-sama, a new mission has appeared on my mission scroll."
Mission scrolls...
This was the term Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke had heard most frequently since arriving in this world.
Itachi had a mission scroll too?!
He stared in shock at Itachi Uchiha speaking with the 'Fourth Hokage,' watching as Itachi pulled out a strange scroll and conversed with it.
Perhaps he had guessed what his grown-up self in the other world was contemplating. Young Sasuke Uchiha explained, "This is the Minato-sama of the Kannabi Bridge timeline. The Fourth Hokage of this world is about to resume his position and has been relearning governance at the Hokage Tower recently."
"Resuming governance?" Then the Fifth Hokage...
Naruto: "Grandpa Hokage is still alive. Neither Grandma Tsunade nor the Pervy Sage wants to be Hokage. Since my dad was revived by Pain's Rinnegan when he traveled back to the time when Pain attacked the village, they asked him to return and resume his role as the Fourth Hokage."
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke was inwardly shocked, though he showed no outward sign of it.
He wasn't particularly concerned with such matters. What he wanted to know was what that mission scroll was and why he had been summoned to this world by it.
Young Sasuke shared the same curiosity, but Itachi had shown the scroll to Minato Namikaze, to the Hokage, even to Kakashi—yet he refused to let his own younger brother see what missions were written on it.
Because of this, young Sasuke had been sulking at Itachi.
Meanwhile, Minato from the Kannabi Bridge timeline picked up the mission scroll from Itachi Uchiha, unfolded it, skimmed through it, and briefly cast an almost unnoticed glance at Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke furrowed his brow slightly. "What does my appearance have to do with it? This mission you speak of?"
Minato thought to himself: Since Itachi came here directly, he likely doesn't intend to hide this mission. Moreover, it seems that unless this mission is completed, the Sasuke in front of him won't be able to return to his own parallel world.
He spoke plainly, "Itachi's new A-rank mission involves you."
"!!!"
Young Sasuke stared in shock at his future self.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke froze as well.
He silently watched Minato Namikaze and Itachi. "What mission?"
Minato glanced at the empty left sleeve of Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke's hospital gown.
"The mission is for Itachi to persuade you to undergo prosthetic surgery."
Young Sasuke was fully able-bodied, so this mission must be for the future Sasuke—the one from the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke shrugged his left shoulder. The half-bare, stump-like elbow couldn't hold up the hospital gown's sleeve, so it hung limply before his eyes.
"If I accept the surgery, can I go back?" he asked.
Minato Namikaze responded, "The reward for an A-rank mission is time travel to another parallel world. So right now, it's unclear whether you'll return to your previous parallel world, travel to an even further future, or perhaps to a past era."
"Besides that, there's another slightly troublesome matter," Rin Nohara suddenly spoke up.
"Sakura and I have been training under Tsunade-sama lately. The current medical technology in Konoha probably doesn't have particularly advanced prosthetic surgery yet."
Sakura shared her concern. "A standard prosthetic might be easy to install, but it wouldn't be much different from having nothing at all. It could even get in the way."
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Compared to this Sakura before him, he recalled that during the Chūnin Exams in their world, Sakura hadn't been this composed.
"Then what should we do? How much longer will I have to stay here?"
"Is there something urgent that needs you back?" Adult Obito countered.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke looked at him. "You already know the future you need to know. My staying here serves little purpose."
While that was true, he also knew it was merely an excuse to return and confirm whether Naruto Uzumaki would truly become the Seventh Hokage in the future, as they claimed.
Or to put it more bluntly, he wanted to confirm whether Naruto Uzumaki was still alive.
Adult Obito said, "Hashirama's cells and White Zetsu components could give you an arm no less capable than your original one. If you need it, I can go back and search for research materials left behind by Madara Uchiha. Or perhaps Orochimaru from the future possesses this technology. Barring any surprises, Danzō Shimura's arm should be the result of his research."
"Danzō Shimura?!" The mere mention of that name never failed to unsettle Sasuke Uchiha, no matter where or when he heard it.
"He's still alive?"
"He's still alive for now," said Minato, stepping in from outside. "The First and Second Hokage severed his right arm and removed his right Mangekyō Sharingan. He's currently confined in Konoha's strictest detention cell, facing interrogation by the Interrogation Division and Intelligence Division."
The thought of having an arm identical to Danzō Shimura's attached to his own body...
Sasuke Uchiha's inner resistance and aversion were palpable.
"You don't want the prosthetic? Why?" Itachi, who hadn't spoken to this younger brother from the future, suddenly asked.
His words seemed to pierce through the Sasuke before him, revealing his desire for the prosthetic—and that it wasn't solely because of Danzō Shimura.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke lowered his gaze, recalling his deep psychological conversations with Naruto.
He wanted to remind himself this way: not to become consumed by the power granted by the Sharingan and Rinnegan. Not to grow arrogant from overwhelming strength, attempting to shoulder burdens he could never bear.