Naruto looked toward Sasuke. He knew these questions would put Sasuke in an impossibly difficult position, yet there was nothing he could do. And Sasuke would never want him to step in anyway.
In the end, it was this world's Fugaku Uchiha who stepped in to rescue Sasuke from the situation.
"Enough. We shouldn't speak too much about the future. Knowing things ahead of time isn't always a blessing."
Sasuke turned to face the father who had already been dead for five years in his own world. His eyes were filled with grief and suppressed hurt. Words rose to his lips only to dissolve into mutters, his brows drawn low as he looked away, appearing both wounded and helpless. He chose to avoid every question about the Uchiha Clan's future.
Fugaku let out a quiet sigh. He already suspected that the clan's future was likely even harsher than he had imagined.
He didn't press Sasuke further.
As for Sasuke—
He had thought that the moment he saw his father again, he would immediately reveal all of Itachi Uchiha's future atrocities. He had imagined urging his father and the clan to eliminate Itachi early, stopping the night of the Uchiha massacre before it began.
But just earlier, seeing the memory—young Itachi holding his newborn baby brother...
Just that single image of Itachi soothing a crying infant dissolved Sasuke's hatred into confusion and aching sorrow.
Where had that brother gone?
How had the gentle brother he once knew become the clanslayer, his mortal enemy?
A large hand suddenly rested on his head.
Sasuke jolted from his thoughts.
It was Fugaku's hand.
"No matter what you've been through… you've done well."
Of course Fugaku hadn't forgotten that in the battle against the masked man, it was Sasuke and the blond boy beside him who had saved him at a critical moment.
Fugaku awkwardly ruffled Sasuke's hair. "You've grown tremendously. As expected of my son."
Those few words nearly made the boy—who had shed all his tears since the night of the massacre—break down again on the spot.
A tightness in his throat left him speechless.
"By the way, there's important information." Fugaku turned to the Fourth Hokage. "The masked man admitted personally that before acting, he colluded with Danzō Shimura to delay the Uchiha's movements."
Both Minato Namikaze immediately understood the weight of this.
The very first conclusion they reached was simple and devastating—no matter Danzō's reasoning, his actions amounted to…
—Treason.
Furthermore, without the help of the other-world Minato, as well as Naruto, Kakashi, and the others, Kushina might have died shortly after the Nine-Tails was extracted.
And as Hokage, he bore the responsibility to find a way to reseal the Nine-Tails.
Which meant he had only one remaining option—the Reaper Death Seal.
Kannabi Bridge's Minato Namikaze interjected, "Naruto is Konoha's third Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"..."
The blond youth lowered his head, falling into a rare silence. Standing beside Sasuke—two boys carrying equally heavy burdens—they made for a heartbreaking sight.
Minato from the Kannabi Bridge Timeline and this world's Fourth Hokage understood perfectly: if they died in this battle, whether by their own will or through Konoha's decisions afterward, Naruto, bearing Kushina's bloodline, would undoubtedly become the next Jinchūriki.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha Clan, because of Danzō's orders, would face the condemnation of Konoha's civilians. As the village's police force, their work would become increasingly difficult. They might even be pushed to the outskirts, shunned and excluded, and the duties of the Uchiha Police Force would become nearly impossible to carry out.
These two boys from the future… their lives must have been painfully difficult.
Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze both felt a heavy bitterness rising within them, coupled with a deep resentment toward Danzō Shimura and the councillors who stood behind him.
One was the Uchiha Clan Head.
One was the Fourth Hokage.
The oppressive aura radiating from the two angry men was enough to make those around them momentarily forget to breathe.
"Danzō…"
"And the Council."
Both men arrived at the same conclusion: they would use the Nine-Tails attack as an opportunity to accelerate their plan to bring down Danzō, Root, and the Konoha councillors.
"It's time for them to retire."
Minato phrased it politely, but the sharp killing intent in his eyes made the truth unmistakable.
Naruto instinctively stepped back.
'Dad looks terrifying… Kiba and Shikamaru clearly said that Moms are the scariest creatures alive! They totally lied to me!!!'
Then Naruto noticed the Fourth Hokage's startled expression.
Sasuke, too, received a surprised look from Fugaku Uchiha.
Kannabi Bridge's Minato looked down at his hands, watching them gradually become transparent.
"I'm afraid we have to go."
Only then did everyone remember—Naruto had used his mission scroll to bring them here.
An A-rank mission: graffiti on the Hokage Rock and keep it intact for 24 hours.
"The mission rewards won't allow us to stay longer," Kannabi Bridge's Minato said gently, trying to comfort the two boys.
Naruto turned toward the golden-haired man in ceremonial Hokage robes.
"I…"
Hours earlier, Minato had cried tears of joy upon discovering he would one day become a father. Now, seeing Naruto's form slowly fade, his heart nearly broke all over again.
He asked softly, "Do you have anything you want to say to Kushina? This was your first time meeting her, wasn't it?"
Naruto instantly lost control.
He repeated every piece of advice Kannabi Bridge's Minato had ever given him.
"Tell her—!"
"Even when I'm alone, I'll eat properly! Iruka-sensei even treats me to Ichiraku Ramen sometimes!"
"I take baths almost every day! And sometimes I go to the bathhouse with Shikamaru and Kiba—they say I bathe like a dragonfly skimming water…"
"And friends… just like Mom wanted!"
He suddenly threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulders.
"I've got lots of friends! This guy right here is just the most stubborn one!"
"Let go, idiot!" Sasuke muttered, embarrassed.
The whole time, Naruto kept his head lowered. Even when he looked up, he hid the sadness in his eyes behind a squinting smile…
"Even though my grades aren't great, like Dad says, everyone has things they're not good at! You just gotta play to your strengths!"
"Dad says he's really good at naming things, but I don't know if I inherited that talent from him."
"Anyway, I won't give up! Because during that last mission, I decided to speak my mind and stick to my word—that's my ninja way from now on!"
"I respect Kakashi-sensei and the others too!"
"Ah! Graffiti on the Hokage Rock? Absolutely not!"
"What else... oh right! Mission pay!"
"I save every bit of mission pay! Everyone knows my little pouch is always stuffed to the brim!"
"Women, alcohol, gambling... I'm only twelve now, but I won't touch any of that stuff until I'm twenty!"
"And... and..."
As he spoke, tears dripped from his lowered eyes. Suddenly, Naruto was pulled tightly into an embrace.
That soft touch couldn't possibly belong to the Fourth Hokage—a man.
"I heard everything, Naruto."
Kushina pressed Naruto's golden head firmly against her chest. "I heard everything..."
It turned out that while Naruto kept his head bowed to hide his sadness, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had used Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Kushina to him. Naruto never realized it because he never once lifted his head.
...
Their forms began to fade within the pale white glow.
Fugaku Uchiha looked toward Sasuke, who also seemed to have something he wanted to say, and patted him on the shoulder.
Inheriting the Uchiha clan's trademark awkwardness, Fugaku had no idea what one was supposed to say to a son from the future.
So, in the end, he simply mimicked Minato's earlier words: "Is there anything you want to say to Mikoto?"
Sasuke's still-forming Adam's apple bobbed sharply in his throat.
When he finally spoke, he was far calmer than he had imagined he'd be.
But the single sentence he uttered made Fugaku Uchiha's pupils shrink violently.
"...."
—"Itachi, my brother…"
—"Annihilated the Uchiha Clan."
...
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