"Kakashi-sensei!"
A voice suddenly called out from nearby.
Kakashi turned his head and saw three figures approaching at a brisk pace.
Leading the way was Sasuke, hands tucked into his pockets. Close behind him was Sakura, and walking at the rear—with a gentle, ever-present smile—was Haku, dressed in a simple kimono.
"Oh, you're here already."
Kakashi lifted a hand and greeted them lazily.
The instant he heard the familiar title "Kakashi-sensei" and sensed the accompanying footsteps, the adult Sasuke—who had only just relaxed slightly—froze once more.
He didn't even need to look back.
Based solely on the fluctuations of chakra and the rhythm of those footsteps, he knew immediately—it was his past self.
And when his peripheral vision swept backward by instinct, the pupils hidden beneath his bangs shrank violently.
"That long-haired boy… Haku?!"
Shock surged through adult Sasuke like a tidal wave.
"Why is he still alive? And from the looks of it, he's actually following Kakashi… and my younger self? What in the world is going on? Has history already changed?"
Countless questions exploded in his mind, but reason told him one thing clearly—he could not stay here.
Even less could he allow any eye contact with his past self. That would almost certainly trigger an uncontrollable butterfly effect.
"Let's go."
Adult Sasuke grabbed Boruto by the arm, lowered his voice, and quickened his pace without looking back, merging swiftly into the crowded street.
"Huh? Uncle, why are we walking so fast—"
Boruto stumbled as he was dragged along, hurrying to keep up.
Even as he moved away, adult Sasuke quietly gathered chakra in his ears, listening intently to the conversation behind him.
"Kakashi-sensei, did you suddenly call us over for a mission?"
Sakura's voice carried a hint of confusion.
"And where did that idiot Naruto run off to this time?"
"Naruto?" Kakashi shrugged, his tone tinged with barely concealed amusement. "He seemed to be conducting some grand 'field research' just now. At the moment, he's being chased by half the village's middle-aged women. I doubt he'll be back anytime soon."
Then his eyes curved slightly as he smiled.
"As for why I called you here—naturally, it's to announce some good news."
Haku merely smiled, saying nothing, quietly observing from the side.
…
Adult Sasuke and Boruto gradually disappeared into the distance, their figures swallowed by the flow of people. The voices behind them grew fainter and fainter.
Once they turned into a secluded alley, adult Sasuke finally slowed down and released his grip on Boruto's wrist.
"Whew… that was suffocating."
Boruto rubbed his aching arm and leaned against the wall, panting. After catching his breath, he whispered with lingering fear:
"That silver-haired guy just now… that was Uncle Kakashi when he was young, right? His gaze was terrifying—it felt like being stared at by some ferocious beast. Sasuke-san, do you think he noticed something? For a second, I really thought we were going to be exposed."
Adult Sasuke leaned against the opposite wall, his brows tightly furrowed.
He didn't answer immediately. His thoughts were still stuck on the moment he saw Haku.
If Kakashi's terrifying intuition alone made things difficult, then Haku's presence filled him with an indescribable sense of unease about this time-space itself.
"He didn't say anything outright," Sasuke finally spoke, his voice low and heavy, "but he must already have suspicions about who we are."
He looked out toward the bustling street beyond the alley.
"More importantly… some things in this time period have already deviated from my memories."
"Deviated?"
Boruto froze, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
Sasuke shook his head, forcibly suppressing the doubts swirling in his mind.
The priority right now was clear—find Ōtsutsuki Urashiki and protect the Nine-Tails' chakra within Naruto.
As for the other changes, as long as they didn't interfere with that ultimate objective, he could only choose to ignore them.
"Listen carefully," Sasuke said sternly. "From now on, you are absolutely forbidden from calling out anyone's name. And do not interact unnecessarily with anyone."
"Our identities are simply traveling performers passing through. Understood?"
"I know, I know…"
Boruto nodded, but at that exact moment, his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
He clutched his abdomen awkwardly and looked up at Sasuke.
"Um… Sasuke-san, before we officially become traveling performers, could we deal with food first? I'm starving after all that running. Are there any burger shops around here?"
Sasuke stared at his utterly unhurried apprentice and sighed deeply.
"In this era, there's no such thing."
He pulled two coins from beneath his gray cloak, studying them in his palm with a frown.
"And we don't even know whether this currency can be used here. Now isn't the time to be picky. We'll make do with the ramen shop up ahead."
"A ramen shop? That works too!"
Boruto's eyes lit up immediately at the mention of food.
"But Sasuke-san… won't you stand out too much, dressed like that, eating ramen?"
"Shut up and follow me."
Sasuke shot him a glare and stepped out of the alley first.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the street—
Kakashi watched the backs of the two "traveling performers" vanish completely around the corner before slowly turning back toward his three students, each wearing a different expression.
"Kakashi-sensei, what were you looking at just now?"
Sakura followed his line of sight but saw nothing, her curiosity piqued.
"Nothing," Kakashi replied lightly, hands slipping back into his pockets. "Just a pair of lost strangers."
He smiled faintly.
"Alright, enough small talk. I really do have good news to announce today."
"Good news?"
Sasuke crossed his arms, snorting skeptically.
"You didn't pick up another D-rank mission like pulling weeds or finding lost pets, did you?"
"No, no, no."
Kakashi waved his hand dismissively, pausing with exaggerated mystery.
"How could work that low-level possibly be worthy of my outstanding Team Seven?"
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