Indra POV – Sky Hammer Station, Transport Tube
The capsule hummed around us, a smooth, pressurized vessel cutting through the thin atmosphere on its way back to the orbital fortress. Boruto had fallen into an exhausted but content sleep in one of the plush seats, a faint smile on his face—dreams of Uzumaki puzzles and spicy Lightning Country cuisine, no doubt.
Adult Sasuke Uchiha stood by the viewport, his lone hand braced against the cool crystal, staring at the receding lights of Kumogakure. The city looked like a constellation fallen to earth, a geometric pattern of blue-white chakra lights and the occasional warmer glow of hearths. The weight on his shoulders seemed different now. Not gone, but… transformed. The leaden cloak of horror and denial had been replaced by the sober, heavy armor of grim acceptance. And beneath that, a flicker of something else—curiosity, perhaps. A weary scholar presented with a new, terrifyingly effective theorem.
Adult Sasuke: "Indra. About your offer. I have an answer."
I didn't turn from the console I was idly monitoring. "I'm listening."
He took a deep breath, the sound audible in the quiet cabin. "I will accept the prosthetic. The bio-synthetic prototype. Not the regeneration."
Now I turned. "Reasoning?"
Adult Sasuke: "Regrowing the arm… it would be my flesh. My weakness. A reminder of what I lost in a fight I'd rather forget. A… concession to the past." He finally looked at me, his Rinnegan and his dark eye both holding a hard, pragmatic light. "Your prototype is the future. An upgrade. A tool built for a purpose. If I am to fight an Ōtsutsuki in this timeline, with all the variables you've introduced, I need every advantage. Sentiment has no place in that calculus."
A faint smile touched my lips. "Practical. And correct. The prototype has capabilities your original arm never did. Integrated chakra shaping arrays for instantaneous weapon formation. Enhanced tensile strength. A neural feedback loop that will improve your taijutsu reaction time by an estimated eighteen percent. You are not replacing a limb. You are acquiring a new weapon system."
Adult Sasuke: "And the price?"
Indra: "The price remains. Your assistance in hunting and eliminating Urashiki Ōtsutsuki. Full biological and chakra data scans of your Rinnegan and Eternal Mangekyō integration. Supervised scans of Boruto's Karma seal at regular intervals. And, for the duration of your stay in this timeline, you will consider Kumo's strategic interests and not act unilaterally in a way that could destabilize the continent or draw undue attention to my projects."
He nodded slowly. "A transaction."
Indra: "The cleanest kind. No hidden loyalty oaths. No grand philosophies. Mutual benefit, clearly defined. I'll have the surgical suite prepared. The procedure will take six hours under chakra-induced stasis. You'll require forty-eight hours for neural calibration and basic mobility, and a week of intensive physical therapy to reach combat proficiency."
Adult Sasuke: "And Urashiki?"
Indra: "My Eagle Clan scouts and the Thunderhead sensor net are already scanning for anomalous chakra signatures, dimensional fluctuations, or any pattern matching the 'time-space turtle' residue you described. The moment he surfaces, we will know. Until then, you and Boruto will remain under my… hospitality. Boruto, I believe, could benefit from structured training. The Kumo Genin Corps' methods are different from what he's used to. It will broaden his perspective."
Sasuke looked at the sleeping boy, a rare, soft expression crossing his harsh features. "He's adaptable. And he needs to be stronger. Training here… it couldn't hurt." He paused. "There is another matter. The tailed beasts. In my timeline, their relationship with humanity was… fraught. You mentioned alliance. I saw no Jinchuriki restraints in your village."
Indra: "The old paradigm of imprisonment is inefficient and ethically unsound. It creates resentment, limits potential, and turns living weapons into ticking bombs. I proposed a new contract. You'll see it firsthand tomorrow. For now, rest. We dock in five minutes."
The Next Morning – Kumogakure, Training Ground Sigma
We descended not to the Raikage's tower, but to a massive, open-air training ground carved into a mountainside plateau. It was a marvel of engineering: tiered observation decks, adjustable terrain modules, and towering gravity-spire arrays humming with latent energy. The air crackled with ozone and the sound of focused violence.
This was where Kumo's elite genin and chunin trained. And today, it was a controlled chaos of three teams.
Team Rias (officially Team 9) was a close-combat specialist unit. Rias herself was drilling them in spear kata, her movements a blur of precision and overwhelming force. Her three genin—two boys and a girl, all around thirteen—moved with a synchronicity that spoke of harsh, effective training. They weren't just learning a weapon; they were learning to move as a single organism.
Team Samui (Team 7) was across the field, working on sensor-deprivation exercises. Samui, cool and analytical as ever, had her team—two girls and a boy—blindfolded and ears plugged, forcing them to rely on chakra sensing and tactile feedback to navigate an obstacle course of silently moving training posts.
Team Karui (Team 11) was in the center, engaged in what looked like pure, unadulterated brawling. Karui, her temper only slightly mellowed by adulthood and command, was shouting corrections mid-spar. Her team was a powerhouse—two hulking boys with obvious Akimichi or similar bulk-enhancement lineage traits, and a lean, fierce girl with lightning-charged fists. They traded blows that shook the ground, their laughter as loud as their impacts.
And overseeing it all, leaning against a gravity spire with his arms crossed and a wide grin, was Killer Bee.
Killer Bee: "Yo! The bossman returns! With two new faces in the place! Welcome to the grind, the find, don't mind the rind of the training kind!"
He pushed off the spire and swaggered over. He was, as always, a mountain of muscle and vibrant energy. But his eyes, sharp and intelligent beneath the ridiculous persona, scanned Sasuke and Boruto with the assessment of a veteran Kage-level fighter and Jinchuriki.
Indra: "Bee. These are our temporal guests. Sasuke Uchiha. And Boruto Uzumaki."
Bee's eyebrows shot up. "Uzumaki, huh? Got the whiskers to prove the mix-up! And Uchiha… the last leaf from a dead tree, in another time's spree. Interesting company, indeed-y!"
Boruto, looking slightly overwhelmed by Bee's sheer presence and rap, managed a bow. "Uh, nice to meet you, sir."
Adult Sasuke merely gave a curt nod, his gaze already analyzing the training methods, the chakra flows, the sheer, brutal efficiency of it all.
Then, two smaller figures detached themselves from Bee's shadow and sauntered into view.
One was a sleek, elegant feline form about the size of a large dog. Her fur was composed of constantly flickering, silent blue flames that gave off a gentle warmth rather than heat. Two tails swayed lazily behind her. Her eyes were intelligent, ancient, and deeply amused.
The other was a spherical, spiky mass of dark blue and black about a meter in diameter. Eight stubby tentacles wriggled beneath him, propelling him forward in a comical, bouncing gait. A single, large eye dominated his front, and his mouth was a beak-like structure currently smacking as if chewing.
Matatabi: (Her voice was a dual-toned whisper, like wind over coals) "The time-walkers. You smell of distant storms and fractured paths."
Gyūki: (His voice was a rumbling, jovial bass) "And you! The blond one! You smell like the knucklehead, but… with less ramen and more fancy lightning! Interesting!"
Boruto stumbled back, eyes wide as dinner plates. "T-Tailed beasts?! But… you're so… small! And you're talking! Out in the open!"
Adult Sasuke's Rinnegan was active, spinning slowly as he took in the two beings. The shock on his face was profound. In his world, the biju were forces of nature, calamities to be sealed away, weapons of mass destruction. Seeing them like this—as people, casually interacting, joking—was paradigm-shattering.
Gyūki: "Small? This is my 'out-and-about' body, brat! No need to be a mountain when you just wanna taste the fountain!" He bounced over to Bee, who casually reached down and scratched the spiky ball between what passed for its horns. Gyūki let out a sound like a contented geyser. "Ah, right there! The itch has been a glitch for a week!"
Matatabi padded over to me, weaving between my legs like a giant, flaming house cat. I reached down and scratched under her chin; her flames rippled in pleasure, emitting a soft, purring crackle.
Indra: "Boruto, Sasuke, meet Matatabi, the Two-Tails, and Gyūki, the Eight-Tails. In their full glory, they are indeed forces of nature. But full glory is… inconvenient for casual conversation and culinary exploration."
Boruto: "Culinary… exploration?"
Gyūki: "FOOD, kid! The stuff you eat! You have no idea! For centuries, all I got was the idea of food from Bee's memories! The greasy, spicy, delicious idea! Now…" He bounced over to a small, insulated cooler sitting by Bee's gear. A tentacle snapped the lid open, revealing an array of dumplings, skewered meats, and strange, glowing fruits. Another tentacle snatched a honey-glazed thunder-chicken skewer and shoved it into his beak. He made a sound of pure, rapturous bliss. "MMMMMPH! TASTE BUDS! He gave us TASTE BUDS! Actual, working, saliva-having taste buds! This is the greatest invention since… since the other greatest invention!"
Matatabi: (With dignified relish) "The subtle bitterness of Sunagakure dates dipped in Lightning Country cloud-berry cream. The umami of slow-braised deep-sea eel. The simple, perfect crunch of a fresh cucumber from the valley gardens. These are sensations worth experiencing." She delicately nibbled on a dumpling held in a paw of blue flame, her eyes closing in pleasure.
Adult Sasuke found his voice, though it was strained. "You… you gave them physical avatars. With senses. This isn't a summoning. This is… a permanent split."
Indra: "A controlled, sustained projection. The Jinchuriki seal remains the primary anchor for their core consciousness and the vast majority of their chakra, for their safety and the village's. But I engineered a secondary, low-bandwidth conduit. A 'leak,' if you will, but one they control. It allows them to project a sliver of their will and a minuscule fraction of their chakra into a self-designed, stable physical form. They can see, hear, feel, taste, and interact with the world directly. For a few hours a day, they are not prisoners or weapons. They are… citizens."
The implications hung in the air. Sasuke, the man who had fought tailed beasts, who had seen the hatred in Kurama's eyes, who knew the pain of the Jinchuriki, was visibly struggling to compute it. This was peace. Not the peace of a seal or a cage, but the peace of mutual satisfaction.
Killer Bee: "It's a partnership, ya see? They get to live a little. We get friends who aren't grumpy from being cooped up all the time. And when trouble comes, they fight harder for a home they actually enjoy, not just one they're stuck in. It's a win-win lyric, makes the whole thing symbiotic!"
Gyūki: (Swallowing the skewer whole) "Damn right! Before, if some punk attacked Kumo, I'd help Bee because, well, he's my buddy and I don't wanna get sealed in a statue. Now? Now some punk attacks Kumo, they're messing with MY dumpling supply! MY view from the hot springs! MY annoying little Uzumaki and Uchiha brats that bring me new snacks to try!" He fixed a beady eye on Boruto. "You! Blondie! You got any weird future-food on you?"
Boruto, still stunned, fumbled in his pockets and came up with a slightly squashed Konoha ration bar. He held it out tentatively.
Gyūki's tentacle snatched it, unwrapped it, and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully. "…Huh. Bland. Dense. Efficient. Tastes like… bureaucracy and sadness. Needs about a pound of butter and some blowtorching." He ate it anyway. "But free food is free food! You're alright, kid!"
Matatabi had finished her dumpling and was now watching the genin train with a critical eye. "The girl on Team Rias. Her footwork on the reverse thrust is sloppy by three centimeters. It leaves her liver exposed for 0.2 seconds."
Rias, who had somehow heard this from thirty meters away while simultaneously disarming one of her genin, shouted without looking. "HEARD THAT, NATSUMI! PULL YOUR ELBOW IN! MATATABI-SAMA SEES ALL!"
The genin in question, a girl with short-cropped hair, yelped and corrected her form instantly.
Boruto was grinning now, the shock giving way to fascination. "This is… so cool. They're like… really powerful, really weird uncles."
Indra: "They are sovereign entities. Treat them with the respect they deserve. But yes, 'weird uncles' is an acceptable approximation."
I then turned to Boruto. "Speaking of training. You've seen our methods. Karui!" I called out.
Karui paused her shouting, turned, and jogged over. She was sweating, her hair tied back practically, her eyes sharp. "Yeah, boss?"
Indra: "This is Boruto Uzumaki. A… distant cousin, visiting from a remote branch family. He's a genin of comparable age. He'll be training with your team and the others for the next week. Integrate him."
Karui looked Boruto up and down, her gaze appraising and utterly lacking in ceremony. "Uzumaki, huh? Skinny. But the eyes have fire. Alright, blondie. You see my team smashing each other? That's the warm-up. You're with me. We're doing lightning-infusion drills until your hair stands on end. Move."
Boruto blinked, looking from me to Sasuke to the terrifyingly enthusiastic Karui. "Uh… right now?"
Karui: "The enemy doesn't wait for you to finish your nap, do they? MOVE!"
With a yelp, Boruto was dragged into the fray. Within minutes, he was sweating, laughing, and frantically trying to channel lightning chakra to his fists under Karui's blistering critique. He was utterly out of his depth—Kumo's training was less about individual jutsu mastery and more about conditioning, group synergy, and overwhelming physicality. But he was adapting, his innate talent and stubbornness shining through.
Adult Sasuke watched, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "She hasn't changed. In my timeline, she… settled down. Married an Akimichi. Had a daughter."
Indra: "Karui? Married?" I couldn't hide my surprise. "I have a hard time picturing it. She seems married to her sword and her temper."
Sasuke: "People change. Or, they find someone who can handle the storm." He was silent for a moment, watching Boruto get knocked on his backside by one of the hulking genin, only to spring up with a determined grin. "This training… It's good for him. In Konoha, at his age, it was more about individualism. Unlocking your power. Here… It's about becoming a cog in a machine of war. A very sharp, very resilient cog."
Indra: "A single sharp blade can be parried. A machine of interlocking, sharpened gears will grind anything to dust. It's a philosophical difference rooted in geography and resource scarcity. Konoha had fertile land, so it could afford the luxury of cultivating unique, powerful individuals—the Will of Fire as a thousand different flames. Kumo is mountains and storms. Survival here has always been about collective strength, about the village as a single, unbreakable fist. My inventions and reforms didn't change that core philosophy; I just gave the fist armored knuckles and a targeting system."
Bee had wandered over, Gyūki perched on his shoulder like a spiky, grumpy parrot, munching on another snack.
Killer Bee: "The kid's got spirit! He'll be sore for a week, but he'll learn the rhythm! Nothing bonds people faster than shared pain and shared gain, in the training domain!"
We observed for an hour. Boruto moved from Karui's team to Samui's, where he struggled hilariously with the sensor-deprivation course, bumping into posts and yelping. Then to Rias's, where he was given a training spear and promptly had it knocked from his hands a dozen times, each time with a precise, patient correction from Rias herself.
Throughout it all, the female shinobi of Kumo were a constant, striking presence. They weren't just there; they were leading, drilling, fighting with a ferocity and skill that matched or surpassed the men. Rias's graceful deadliness, Samui's icy precision, Karui's explosive power. The genin girls, too, were fierce—no hesitation, no holding back.
Boruto, during a water break, gasped out to me, "The girls here… they're all so… strong. And scary. In a cool way!"
Indra: "Why wouldn't they be? Chakra doesn't discriminate by gender. Physical strength can be augmented with technique and training. In a village that prizes strength above all, to artificially limit half your population is strategic idiocy. Kumo has always produced formidable kunoichi. My reforms simply ensured they had access to the same advanced training tools and theoretical education as the men."
I watched as Rias demonstrated a devastating spear-lock technique on one of her genin, her form perfect, her expression focused and fierce. A warm, profound sense of pride and affection bloomed in my chest.
Indra: "Look at her. Rias. She is brilliant, powerful, stubborn, and has a temper that could curdle milk." My voice softened, a rare, unguarded moment. "And I wouldn't have her any other way. That fire, that indomitable will, that refusal to be anything less than my equal… It's what makes her who she is. It's what I love about her. Her strength doesn't diminish her beauty; it defines it. Her 'attitude,' as you call it, is the spark that makes her shine all the brighter."
I wasn't just talking to Boruto. Sasuke was listening, his gaze distant.
Indra: "It's a pattern, if you study history. The truly powerful shinobi, the ones who shape eras, are rarely alone. And their partners are never weak. Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, married Mito Uzumaki, a queen of seals and a chakra powerhouse. Their union was a fusion of the world's greatest life force and its greatest sealing artistry. It wasn't a political match of convenience; it was a meeting of titans."
I gestured around the training ground. "Look at the clans with the strongest hereditary traits—the Uzumaki, the Senju, the Uchiha, the Hyūga. They have a… tendency. An evolutionary pull. They are instinctively drawn to partners who possess not just strength, but a specific kind of unyielding spirit. A 'Fierce Heart.' They seek their equal, their counterbalance. Because anything less would be… boring. And ultimately, unstable. A tree cannot grow tall if its roots are in shallow soil."
Adult Sasuke was very still. I saw his visible eye flicker, his thoughts turning inward. He was thinking of Sakura. Of her own formidable strength, her medical genius, her temper, her unwavering, stubborn heart that had loved him through his darkest years. He was thinking of how, in his obsession with power and revenge, he had often dismissed that strength, or seen it as a nuisance. He was thinking of Sarada, their daughter, who had inherited that same fierce heart.
A faint, uncharacteristic blush tinged his pale cheeks. He looked away, suddenly finding the mountainside riveting.
Boruto, oblivious to Sasuke's introspection, was nodding along. "Yeah… I guess that makes sense. Mom… she's super strong too. And she never lets Dad get away with anything." He then grinned, a mischievous, future-teenager grin. "So, Lord Indra, you're saying you like that Rias-san can probably kick your butt?"
Indra: (A dry smirk) "She can certainly try. And she has, on several memorable occasions in the sparring ring. Those are some of our best dates."
Bee roared with laughter. Gyūki cackled. Matatabi's flame-tail twitched in amusement.
The rest of the day was a blur of activity for Boruto. He was put through paces that would have broken a lesser genin. Lightning-infusion drills that left his fingers numb. Grueling strength and endurance circuits under the gravity spires. Tactical problem-solving with Samui's team, where his clever, unorthodox thinking actually earned a nod of approval from the unflappable Jonin. And finally, more sparring, where he ended the day flat on his back, staring at the twilight sky, heaving for breath, but with a wide, exhausted, genuine smile on his face.
Boruto: (Wheezing) "I'm… gonna feel that… everywhere… tomorrow. That was… awesome."
Karui stood over him, offering a hand. "Not bad, blondie. For a Konoha leaf, you're not completely useless. You've got grit. And your lightning is snappy. Show up tomorrow, same time. We're working on combined elemental assaults."
Boruto took her hand, and she hauled him to his feet with ease. "Yes, ma'am!"
As we walked back through the winding streets towards the Uzumaki district for dinner, Boruto was buzzing with energy despite his fatigue.
Boruto: "Did you see that combo move Team Karui did? It was like a human avalanche! And Samui-sensei's sensor tricks! And Rias-san's spear is so cool! And Matatabi and Gyūki! They're like… legendary creatures, but they're just hanging out! This place is amazing!"
Adult Sasuke walked beside him, quieter, but his posture was less rigid. The prosthetic agreement hung between us, a settled matter. The sights and sounds of this living, breathing, powerful Kumo were working on him, challenging a lifetime of assumptions.
Indra: "It's a system, Boruto. Every part is designed to reinforce the whole. The training produces strong shinobi. The shinobi protect the village and the technology. The technology improves life and enables better training. The biju, as allies, provide an insurmountable deterrent. And at the center, a philosophy: strength through unity, progress through intellect, and peace through unassailable defense."
We arrived at the Uzumaki compound to another cacophony of warmth and food. Boruto was immediately absorbed by the children, who demanded to hear about his training. He recounted his day with dramatic flair, earning laughs and impressed gasps.
That night, after dinner, as Sasuke prepared to retire to the guest room, he stopped me.
Adult Sasuke: "Your theory. About strong shinobi and their partners."
Indra: "Yes?"
He hesitated, choosing his words with uncharacteristic care. "It has… merit. In my timeline… the strongest kunoichi I know… she has that 'fierce heart.' She always did. It was… a constant. I… didn't always appreciate what it meant." He shook his head, a flicker of old regret in his eye. "This place… your approach… it forces one to reevaluate… many things."
Indra: "The past is a country you can visit, Sasuke, but you cannot live there. You have your own path in your own time. But while you are here, observe. Learn. Perhaps you'll find tools, or perspectives, to build something stronger when you return."
He gave a slow, shallow nod—the most profound agreement I was likely to get from him—and retired.
I found Rias on our private balcony, looking out over the sleeping village. I slipped my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder.
Rias: "Your time-traveling project seems to be progressing. The boy is fitting in. The man… is thawing, slightly. From absolute zero to maybe a brisk winter morning."
Indra: "He agreed to the prosthetic. The surgery is tomorrow. And he's beginning to see the blueprint, not just the walls."
She leaned back into me. "Good. The stronger our allies, the safer our home." She turned her head, a playful glint in her eye. "I heard you gave a lecture on 'fierce hearts' and powerful women today. Very philosophical of you."
Indra: "Merely stating observable facts. The most beautiful storm is the one that shakes the mountains. And I have always been drawn to storms."
She laughed softly and turned in my arms to kiss me. It was a promise,and a confirmation.
In the quiet of the night, high above in Skyhammer, the surgical suite was being prepared. On the training grounds, the echoes of tomorrow's drills seemed to whisper on the wind. And in a compound full of reborn clans, two visitors from a broken future slept, one dreaming of lightning and laughter, the other of a fierce, pink-haired smile he had long taken for granted.
The accord was struck. The avatars walked among men. And the machine of Kumo continued to turn, its gears sharpened, its purpose clear, ready to face whatever—or whoever—time itself decided to throw at it next.
[System Notification: Template Update: Victor Von Doom – 41% Completed. Reason: Formalized strategic alliance with a major temporal asset. Successful demonstration of sua perior socio-military paradigm. 'Fierce Heart' theory integration reinforces sovereign ideology.]
[System Notification: Project: Chrono-Anchored Prosthesis – Initiated. Surgical protocols loaded. Biometric sync with subject 'Sasuke (Temporal Echo)' at 97% compatibility. Procedure estimated duration: 6 hours, 14 minutes.]
[System Notification: Thunderhead Alert: Low-probability, high-altitude chakra fluctuation detected in the stratosphere above the Land of Frost. Signature: Unknown, non-elemental, decaying rapidly. Flagged for Eagle Clan high-altitude patrol review. Possible correlation: Urashiki Ōtsutsuki activity? Investigation prioritized.]
The game was advancing on all boards. And I was the only player with pieces in every dimension.
End of Chapter – 45.