"Strange. This is far too strange."
Sasuke observed the situation on the battlefield, his expression growing increasingly grave and confused.
"Why are all these people gathered here?"
Judging from his father's appearance, Fugaku was even younger than Sasuke remembered from his childhood. Aside from Tsunade, the others were also much younger than he remembered.
However, this simply did not match the timeline in his memory.
Several people who should not have been there had appeared.
Madara, Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki, Sakumo.
Madara had been resurrected during the Fourth Shinobi World War, but this could not possibly be the Fourth Shinobi World War from Sasuke's memory.
Why had Madara already been resurrected?
And what was going on with Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki?
Why did he seem to be on Konoha's side?
Madara possessed a pair of Rinnegan, while Nagato also possessed a pair of Rinnegan.
Two pairs of Rinnegan.
Why were there two pairs of Rinnegan?
Sakumo was also a famous powerhouse in Sasuke's memory, but he had committed suicide in Konoha Year 45.
Could it be that this world had not even reached Konoha Year 45 yet?
No matter how he looked at it, everything was strange.
Even though Sasuke had experienced many things, he still felt deeply perplexed by what was happening.
Could someone explain the situation to him?
"Sasuke-san, what exactly is going on here?"
Boruto could not possibly know more than Sasuke, and he possessed almost no sensory abilities.
All he could see were the few people nearby.
He looked toward Madara curiously and recognised him.
"Madara? That is Madara, right? Could the Fourth Shinobi World War be happening here?"
The Fourth Shinobi World War was covered in textbooks, and Boruto had studied it at the Ninja Academy.
The moment he saw Madara, he recognised him.
Then he looked toward Seiryū.
"That person who looks about my age is actually speaking to Madara as an equal. He seems very strong."
"Could he and Madara have caused all this destruction?"
Hearing Boruto's words, Madara also turned his gaze toward Seiryū.
"Be careful. There are some problems with this place, and I am not sure what is happening either."
Sasuke was naturally paying close attention to Seiryū. After all, it was impossible to ignore such powerful Chakra fluctuations.
He even felt that he might not possess this much Chakra at his peak.
Someone who looked about the same age as Boruto possessed such terrifying Chakra?
It challenged everything Sasuke understood.
'Swish, swish, swish.'
The others who had stopped fighting rushed over one after another.
Urashiki's Kekkei Mōra-level Chakra made everyone wary.
Continuing to fight under these circumstances might lead to even more unexpected complications.
Of course, the key factor was Orochimaru.
He did not order Hashirama and Tobirama to resume their attacks. He seemed more interested in the people who had suddenly appeared.
It was also worth mentioning that Ryota had already been defeated by Tobirama during the previous battle.
In the end, a white snake swallowed him and burrowed into the ground before disappearing.
As for Black Zetsu, after Ryota was defeated, it detached itself from his body and watched everything from the shadows.
Black Zetsu was also panicking internally.
How could such an unexpected turn of events occur?
Ōtsutsuki.
Was that not Mother's family name?
Could this person have come from the same place as Mother?
If that were true, there would be serious trouble!
"An unfamiliar member of the Uchiha Clan."
Orochimaru, who was no longer fighting Jiraiya, flashed over with Hashirama and Tobirama beside him.
He stopped nearby, looked at Sasuke, and habitually licked his lips.
"I am rather curious about your origins. As far as I remember, the Uchiha Clan has no one like you."
Likely because Orochimaru was controlling them, Hashirama and Tobirama did not speak. They merely stared at Sasuke and Boruto.
'The presence of Senjutsu Chakra. Did Orochimaru actually learn Senjutsu?'
'And the Chakra fluctuations of the Edo Tensei First Hokage and Second Hokage are also stronger than I remember.'
After observing them from a closer distance, Sasuke discovered even more differences.
This Orochimaru had mastered Senjutsu.
Even the Edo Tensei First Hokage and Second Hokage were stronger than the versions in his memory.
This situation was completely different from what Sasuke remembered, leaving him increasingly grave and bewildered.
Where exactly had things gone wrong?
Suppressing the confusion in his heart, Sasuke looked at Orochimaru and replied calmly, "No comment."
He still remembered Karasuki's warning.
This was an unknown space-time, one completely different from the shinobi world he remembered.
Before he knew whether their arrival would cause the unpredictable consequences Karasuki had mentioned, Sasuke did not intend to reveal his identity.
It was necessary to remain cautious.
In response to Sasuke's words, Orochimaru merely grinned and revealed his usual feminine smile.
"As expected of the Uchiha Clan. You are as arrogant as ever."
Orochimaru then turned his gaze toward Boruto. He glanced at the forehead protector on the boy's head, and his eyes flashed.
"A Konoha forehead protector. Interesting."
"Although I have already defected, I should not be completely unaware if another Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan had appeared in Konoha."
The blond youth was wearing a Konoha forehead protector, which meant the two of them were from Konoha.
However, Orochimaru had no memory of either of them.
Under Orochimaru's gaze, Boruto's expression tightened, and he stepped back with a pale face.
He had forgotten that he was still wearing his Konoha forehead protector.
Although he still could not understand the situation, he knew that revealing his identity before everything became clear could be extremely dangerous.
Sasuke also felt a headache coming on.
They were indeed from Konoha, but not the Konoha of this world.
How was he supposed to explain that to the people here?
Fugaku also arrived. His Mangekyō Sharingan remained fixed on Sasuke.
"Tell me where you came from. Who are you? Why do I have no memory of you?"
Sasuke fell silent.
He did not know how to respond.
Should he say that he was Fugaku's son?
That would sound far too absurd.
"Do not be impatient, Fugaku. They should not be enemies."
Minato, who had also flashed over, spoke to Fugaku.
He then looked at the two people before him and revealed a gentle smile.
"You must have come from another space-time with a different course of history, correct?"
"Or rather, you are shinobi from Konoha's future in another space-time?"
After recovering his memories, Minato had formed some conclusions about the origins of these two.
Perhaps, just like what had happened before, they had come from another space-time with a different course of history.
There was something else as well.
The Uchiha man's features resembled Fugaku's.
The blond youth also resembled the Naruto from Minato's memories.
Could one be Fugaku's son?
Could the other be his grandson from another space-time, or rather, Naruto's son?
The situation was urgent, so Minato could not afford to think too deeply about it. He first needed to determine whether they were enemies.
Afterward, he would see how the situation developed.
"Fourth Hokage."
Sasuke's pupils, which had already returned to black, contracted slightly.
Had Minato, Naruto's father and the Fourth Hokage, actually guessed their identities?
This man truly possessed extraordinary insight.
No, perhaps Minato already knew something about their circumstances.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to identify the situation in a single sentence.
A space-time with a different course of history?
People from Konoha's future in another space-time?
What did that mean?
"It seems my guess was correct."
Hearing Sasuke call him the Fourth Hokage, Minato completely confirmed his suspicions.
He spoke slowly.
"Let us set aside your identities for now. I only want to confirm one thing. You are not enemies, are you?"
Sasuke remained silent for a moment before replying, "We are both from Konoha."
"Senpai, did you release your own memory seal?"
At that moment, one of Seiryū's shadow clones approached and looked at Minato in surprise.
"Otherwise, you should not have been able to guess, right?"
Minato nodded.
"I kept feeling a sense of déjà vu. Then I suspected that my memories had been tampered with, so I tried to release the Memory-Sealing Jutsu. It actually worked."
He glanced at Seiryū.
"Do not tell me I was the only one who honestly sealed my memories."
Seiryū waved his hand.
"Only that troublesome woman was dishonest. As for me, it might have been because of my exceptional talent. At the time, I was heavily injured and could not mobilise my Chakra."
After thinking about it, Minato felt that this was reasonable, but the corner of his mouth still twitched.
They had clearly agreed to seal their memories together to avoid causing unpredictable consequences for the future.
Yet in the end, he had been the only one who honestly followed through.
No, that was not quite right.
The Queen of Rōran should have sealed her memories as well.
"Since you are also from Konoha and are not enemies, join forces with us in a moment."
Seiryū looked at Sasuke.
"You do not seem weak. See whether you can beat Madara to a pulp. There is also the man who claims to be from the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Orochimaru counts as well. Threats must always be eliminated."
Sasuke fell silent.
He had not even figured out the situation, yet Seiryū was already asking him to fight?
Moreover, should Minato, the Fourth Hokage, not be the one giving orders?
Why was someone who looked about the same age as Boruto commanding him?
With his sharp senses, Orochimaru naturally understood their conversation. His eyes flickered as he looked at Seiryū.
"You seem to know quite a lot. Could you tell me a little about it, Seiryū-kun?"
Another space-time?
Did it mean what Orochimaru thought it meant?
Seiryū did not answer. He merely grinned.
"Knowing too much can get you killed. You do not think I am helpless just because this is a shadow clone, do you?"
Orochimaru did not care about Seiryū's threat and simply smiled.
"Of course not. It is merely that killing me will not be so easy."
Before Hashirama and Tobirama were dealt with, Orochimaru would not be killed so easily.
'Rumble.'
Just as Seiryū was about to say something, a battle erupted nearby.
Urashiki wanted to capture the seven Tailed Beasts and had no interest in wasting time talking, so he attacked directly.
Madara naturally would not stand by and watch, so he moved to block Urashiki's attack.
Then, amid a series of loud impacts, Madara released his control over the seven Tailed Beasts and cancelled the Summoning Jutsu.
This enraged Urashiki, and his attacks became even more ferocious.
However, after absorbing the Tailed Beasts' Chakra, Madara had also become a powerhouse approaching the Six Paths level and was able to respond to Urashiki's attacks.
The two immediately began an extraordinary battle, and the resulting commotion was extremely intense.
Seiryū's main body was over there. His shadow clone merely glanced in that direction and paid no further attention.
Instead, he looked at Orochimaru and the two Hokage with a smile.
"Although Great-grandfather and the Second Hokage are very strong, there are no weaklings here. Take this Uchiha, for example. He may not be weaker than Madara."
"If you refuse to cooperate, you will suffer."
Although Naruto and Sasuke in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations had been greatly weakened and often acted like exhausted middle-aged men who constantly complained about running out of Chakra, that was done to serve the plot.
As long as Sasuke had enough Chakra, he could still display the peak strength he had possessed during the final battle at the Valley of the End.
He would not be weaker than Madara!
Hearing this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and involuntarily looked toward Sasuke.
He licked his lips.
"Not weaker than Madara? That is truly interesting. Even I am becoming curious."
"Could his Sharingan have also evolved into the Rinnegan?"
The reason Orochimaru had captured Ryota was because he wanted to take over his body.
Of course, if possible, he would prefer Madara's body even more.
Or rather, he wanted the Rinnegan.
Now that Ryota had been captured, as long as Orochimaru obtained the Rinnegan, he would be confident in transforming himself into a Sage.
A Sage with eternal life.
Seiryū claimed that this Uchiha possessed strength no weaker than Madara.
Could his Sharingan have evolved into the Rinnegan as well?
Seiryū merely curled his lips.
"If you want to know, attack him and find out. In any case, according to my perception, he is very strong. A shadow clone like me cannot deal with him."
Hearing this, Sasuke frowned.
Had this boy discovered something?
When Sasuke had activated Susanoo to withstand the impact of his landing, he had naturally revealed both his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and his tomoe-patterned Rinnegan.
Had Seiryū seen them?
Was that why he had reached this conclusion?
However, Seiryū had deliberately drawn Orochimaru's attention toward him. This attempt to shift the danger onto Sasuke left him somewhat displeased.
Was Seiryū trying to use him as a weapon?
More importantly, Sasuke did not have much Chakra remaining.
It was uncertain whether he could sustain another battle.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)