Adult Sasuke and Boruto's bodies stiffened simultaneously. A massive wave of shock, like ice water being poured over their heads, caused them to instinctively and abruptly turn around, their gazes locking onto the blonde youth behind them.
Under the moonlight, the youth's figure was fully revealed.
Calling him a "youth" was accurate; his face still held traces of lingering childishness and his voice possessed the texture of adolescence. However, his height... was almost level with the Adult Sasuke. With broad shoulders and a steady posture, his physique was by no means that of an ordinary teenager.
He didn't deliberately radiate any oppressive Chakra, yet he possessed an aura as deep as an abyss and as steady as a mountain. Standing there quietly, he seemed to merge with the house beneath his feet and the night sky above his head.
Naruto didn't seem surprised by their shock. He tilted his head, his face still wearing that inquisitive expression—as if he were looking at an interesting puzzle—and continued in that steady tone:
"There's no need to deny it."
He pointed to the ground beneath him.
"The barrier I set up isn't just for alarms. It records the Chakra signature characteristics of all unauthorized entrants."
His gaze fell upon Adult Sasuke, and a complex, hard-to-decipher light flickered in the depths of his azure eyes.
"Your Chakra signature is almost identical to Sasuke's."
"That's why I only sensed the Chakra signature of one location—the blonde kid next to you."
His explanation was clear and direct, exposing one of Sasuke's greatest advantages.
Appearance can be disguised and presence can be suppressed, but Chakra—this 'imprint' originating from the essence of the Soul and life—has nowhere to hide.
Naruto looked at the master-disciple duo before him from the "future."
The adult, one-armed Sasuke, and another nervous-looking youth, Boruto, who had blonde hair and blue eyes similar to his own.
His brow furrowed imperceptibly. Beneath that relaxed demeanor, a trace of genuine confusion finally emerged.
How did these two... still come from the future?
That shouldn't be right!
Did my future self really fail to kill Momoshiki?
"Judging by your age, Sasuke."
Naruto looked at Adult Sasuke.
"And the way this kid looks..."
His gaze fell back onto Boruto's nervous face. Those eyes, the same color as his own, appeared even more uneasy under his scrutiny.
"This child should be my future son, right?"
He didn't use "possibly" or "perhaps."
His deduction was so direct, it almost seemed a matter of course.
"Truly impressive."
Sasuke lowered his eyes.
He wasn't saying Naruto's reasoning was impressive, but rather that Naruto's methods of setting up barriers were impressive.
Coupled with the fact that Sasuke's current state was poor—if his ocular power or Chakra had recovered even slightly more, an anti-perception barrier should not have been able to hide from him.
He wanted to clap, but one hand cannot clap alone.
"Yes."
Since they had been seen through, Sasuke admitted it frankly, his voice carrying clearly across the silent rooftop.
"We have not only come from the future, but from another world as well."
Naruto's expression remained unchanged. So that was it; they were from a parallel world.
But why on earth would they come from a parallel world?
Adult Naruto: 'Yeah, it took me twenty years to figure that out!'
"The things happening in this world..."
Sasuke continued, his gaze sweeping over the courtyard built of Wood Release, then seemingly piercing through the night to see the youth version of "himself" with bandaged eyes, as well as the bizarre events he had heard about.
"...are not the same as the things that happened in our world."
"I see. Have you guys eaten yet?"
Sasuke:???
Boruto:???
How did the conversation suddenly shift to eating?
——————————
A moment later, warm lamplight replaced the cold moonlight.
In the spacious and bright Washitsu dining room of the courtyard's main house, the atmosphere had become entirely different.
On the low rectangular table sat several plates of simple, steaming late-night snacks.
Golden, tempting pan-fried dumplings, fragrant stir-fried Shaved Noodles, and a plate of Three-Color Dango.
The aroma of food dispelled the night's chill and curiously eased the previous sword-drawn tension.
"Delicious!"
Boruto had completely forgotten his earlier restraint and shock. His eyes sparkled, and his cheeks were puffed out as he worked hard to stuff a large mouthful of Shaved Noodles into his mouth, letting out a muffled, satisfied exclamation.
Naruto sat opposite him with a smile, naturally pushing a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice toward Boruto.
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
His tone was relaxed and slightly teasing. "It just so happens you two caught me tonight; I was just about to make some snacks."
Adult Sasuke sat beside Boruto, his posture still maintaining his habitual caution and detachment, but he did not refuse the food and hot tea before him.
His gaze was mostly scanning the room and the "Naruto" opposite him, whose behavioral patterns were becoming increasingly unpredictable.
After silently eating a few bites of Three-Color Dango and tasting some dumplings, Sasuke put down his chopsticks and looked up at Naruto.
"I heard," he said in a steady, emotionless voice, "that Aunt Kushina has also been resurrected."
"Yeah. My mom is currently over at Grandma Mito's place learning Sealing Jutsu."
He glanced at the deep night outside the window and added, "Looking at the sky tonight, she probably got held back for extra lessons again. She'll likely be staying over there tonight."
"Grandma Mito?"
Hearing an unfamiliar name, Boruto briefly looked up from his meal and looked at his teacher with curiosity.
He had never heard this name mentioned by his father or mother.
Sasuke glanced at Boruto and explained for him, his voice low and clear: "That is the wife of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama—Uzumaki Mito."
His gaze swept over Naruto as if inadvertently. "In our world... she is a figure who passed away long ago."
"What you want to ask about is Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto, right?"
Naruto saw through Adult Sasuke's thoughts.
Hearing Naruto's words, Sasuke nodded. He indeed wanted to gather more intelligence while steering the conversation in that direction.
"They were resurrected by Orochimaru."
"Edo Tensei?"
"No, it was cloning technology, Edo Tensei, plus Living Corpse Reincarnation."
When Naruto mentioned "resurrected by Orochimaru," his tone was flat, showing no rejection or fear of such a forbidden operation.
What attitude did the Konoha of this world—or rather, the "Naruto" of this world—hold toward this?
Countless questions surged in Sasuke's heart like boiling bubbles.
"Why?"
After a long silence, he finally asked.
"Why would Orochimaru do such a thing? And how could Konoha... allow it?"
"Heh, who said Konoha's permission was needed? My permission is enough."