"Mr. Sasuke, even if they spotted us, do we really need to run like thieves?" Boruto protested as they fled. "We were just watching from the sidelines—we didn't do anything wrong!"
"Besides, if we run now, doesn't that make us look guilty?"
Boruto still didn't grasp the danger of this unfamiliar world. He kept clinging to the kindness people showed him back home, assuming it would apply here too.
Sasuke, however, understood their situation perfectly. He remained on high alert. "Boruto, this isn't our world anymore. These aren't people you know."
Just as Sasuke spoke, a sharp whoosh tore through the air behind them.
Sasuke immediately veered off course, yanking Boruto aside as he dodged.
The next instant, an arrow engulfed in jet-black flames slammed into the spot where they'd just been standing.
"An Amaterasu arrow—Kagutsuchi!" Sasuke recognized it instantly. He dragged Boruto away again, keeping a safe distance. The black flames erupted from the arrow's tip, spreading outward and consuming the ground within a radius of several dozen meters.
Sasuke couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. "How does this version of me already possess both Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi? In my world, I didn't awaken those eyes until after I killed Itachi... and that was when I was sixteen or seventeen."
He remembered fusing with Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan after his brother's death. But this world's Sasuke was barely fourteen or fifteen—yet he'd already achieved it.
Add to that the premature appearance of Madara and Hashirama, Menma's imposing presence, and the completely obliterated state of Konoha...
This world's history had diverged so drastically that it made his skin crawl.
Before Sasuke could sort his thoughts, a familiar voice rang out from above.
"Who are you?"
Accompanying the voice was a massive purple fist—Susanoo's fist—crashing down.
Sasuke's reflexes were razor-sharp. He pulled Boruto aside again just in time. The spot where they'd stood was instantly turned into a massive crater.
Standing there was a young Sasuke, his body enveloped in Susanoo.
Boruto stared in disbelief. "Susanoo! And he's so young... but so powerful!"
He'd never imagined this Sasuke—only a year or two older than him—would have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan already.
It was monstrously talented. In comparison, Boruto felt utterly insignificant.
The young Sasuke ignored Boruto, his gaze locked intently on the one-armed Sasuke before him.
"Who exactly are you? Why do you have the same chakra as me? And why do you look so much like me?"
The one-armed Sasuke shook his head. "I can't tell you."
"But I'm not your enemy. The guy you really need to watch out for is Urashiki Otsutsuki. Or rather, he's after the Nine-Tails' chakra inside Naruto. He's the real threat."
Without waiting for the young Sasuke to believe him, the one-armed Sasuke grabbed Boruto and bolted.
"If you're like that Menma or whatever, and you're not talking, then don't bother at all!"
Seeing the one-armed Sasuke evade the question, the young Sasuke sneered and gave chase. At the same time, his half-body Susanoo rapidly expanded until it reached tens of meters tall.
The fleeing Sasuke kept a close watch over his shoulder. When he saw the full-body purple Susanoo, he was genuinely shocked.
He'd underestimated his younger self. He never expected his younger self's eye power and chakra reserves to be enough to activate a full-body Susanoo—one step away from Perfect Susanoo.
That strength was on par with his own during the Fourth Shinobi World War in his original timeline!
Still processing the shock, the young Sasuke—having fully materialized his Susanoo—leaped in front of the one-armed Sasuke.
The Amaterasu Blade he conjured mercilessly cut off Sasuke's retreat routes from both sides, slashing down with lethal intent.
"Die!"
Facing the killing blow, the one-armed Sasuke sighed helplessly. "No more hiding, then. My chakra's only recovered about half..."
As he spoke, the Rinnegan hidden beneath his bangs pulsed slightly.
Shinra Tensei.
Whoosh!
A colossal repulsive force erupted, freezing the black fire blade mid-air. It couldn't advance another inch. The purple Susanoo's feet, planted on the ground, were slowly being plowed into a furrow as it was pushed backward.
"This kind of repulsive jutsu... You have the Rinnegan?!"
The young Sasuke's initial theory—that this man was his own suppressed dark personality—was instantly shattered.
Simultaneously, he leaned forward and shouted at the three figures watching from behind the one-armed Sasuke, "What are you all just standing there for?! Stop him! That guy has the Rinnegan too!"
At the young Sasuke's shout, Hashirama and the other two quickly closed in.
The one-armed Sasuke was taken aback, a strange expression crossing his face. "This me... actually asked others for help?"
Seeing his stunned look, Boruto—still being carried—hurriedly urged him, "Mr. Sasuke, stop staring! All those legendary ninjas from the history books are surrounding us!"
As Boruto finished speaking, Madara crashed down from the sky.
"Legendary ninjas from history books?" Madara's eyes widened, and in an instant, he neutralized the one-armed Sasuke's Shinra Tensei.
He crossed his arms, blocking the path, his Susanoo glowing a brilliant blue. "Since you recognize me and Hashirama, I'll give you a chance to surrender."
Before the one-armed Sasuke could respond, Hashirama arrived, his face full of curiosity. "You have the Rinnegan too?"
Nagato arrived last, sealing off the one-armed Sasuke's escape route.
"This is troublesome..."
The one-armed Sasuke scanned the four figures, then whispered to Boruto, "Get out of here and find a place to hide. If I don't make it, use the turtle-shaped plow to go back."
Boruto was stunned, about to speak, when the one-armed Sasuke flung him into the air.
At the same time, he vanished and reappeared directly in front of the unsuspecting younger Sasuke.
"Sorry, I need to borrow some chakra."
He reached out, and a massive amount of blue chakra surged from the younger Sasuke's body into his own.
Then, he stretched his hand toward the still-frozen Madara and Hashirama. "Chibaku Tensei!"
Finally, Amenotejikara activated, swapping positions with Nagato—who had been chasing after Boruto—and he bolted.
However, Sasuke hadn't even taken two steps when a terrifying surge of chakra erupted, sweeping across his back in waves of energy.
At the same time, two voices rang out.
"Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique."
"Susanoo."
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