"Oh, so in your future, your enemy time-traveled here to seize the power of the Nine-Tails inside Naruto."
Sora tilted his head, a flash of realization passing through his amber eyes.
"You came to stop him. Looks like we're on the same side!"
Middle-aged Sasuke froze.
He stared at the young Hokage in front of him. The smile on that face now was completely different from the cold, machine-like indifference of moments ago.
*Who… is this guy exactly?*
"Then come on. As the Fifth Hokage, let me play the gracious host! I'll show you around the village."
With those words, Sora snapped his fingers.
The vines wrapped around Boruto instantly loosened and retracted into the ground.
Boruto dropped from midair and landed hard on his butt.
"Ow!"
He rubbed his backside and climbed to his feet, glaring warily at Akashi Sora.
"You… what exactly do you want?"
"To take you sightseeing, obviously." Sora said as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Wait here a second. I'm going to change."
Before the words even finished, his figure vanished from the spot.
Boruto's eyes widened. He instinctively looked toward Sasuke.
"Uncle Sasuke, this guy…"
"Shut up." Sasuke cut him off in a low voice.
His expression was grave, eyes locked on the direction where Sora had disappeared.
Flying Thunder God Technique.
The exact same space-time ninjutsu as the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
*Who… is this person?*
Less than a minute later.
Sora reappeared, now dressed in comfortable casual clothes.
His ashen-brown short hair caught the sunlight with a faint golden sheen. His amber eyes curved into a cheerful smile. He looked every bit the friendly older brother from next door.
"Let's go! I'll give you the tour."
The sunlight in the abandoned training ground suddenly felt blindingly bright.
Hands in his pockets, amber eyes smiling, his entire aura had flipped in an instant — from the cold, mechanical Hokage back to the approachable big-brother type.
Middle-aged Sasuke watched the boy, eyes full of wariness.
He could sense it: the other party hadn't truly let his guard down.
That oppressive pressure had simply been retracted — ready to erupt again at any moment.
"No need." Sasuke's voice was hoarse and low. "We don't want to cause too much disturbance. We only want to ensure Naruto's safety."
"Oh?" Sora raised an eyebrow, his smile turning playful. "Are you worried your actions might affect the future?"
Sasuke was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"No need to worry at all." Sora waved a hand, tone as casual as chatting about the weather. "You already said everything that happened in your world is completely different from what's happening here now. That means we're not on the same timeline at all. No need to overthink it."
He tilted his head, smile growing even brighter.
"Just treat it like a vacation in another country!"
Boruto got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and glared at Sora with full suspicion.
"Hey, you—"
"Boruto." Sasuke interrupted him quietly. "Be quiet."
Boruto pouted but obediently shut his mouth.
Sora watched the scene and grinned even wider.
"Come on, let's walk." He turned and headed toward the village, speaking without looking back. "You can tell me what happened in your world along the way."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then followed.
Boruto trailed behind him, eyes full of reluctance.
The three of them — one in front, two behind — walked along the streets of Konoha.
Sunlight spilled across the bluestone paths. Vendors' calls and laughter drifted from the shops on both sides.
Everything looked almost identical to the Konoha in Sasuke's memory.
And yet — everything was different.
"Your Naruto over there is the Seventh Hokage now, right?" Sora suddenly asked, curiosity perfectly measured in his tone.
"Yes." Sasuke answered shortly.
Hands in his pockets, Sora walked ahead like a dutiful tour guide.
"So who were your Fifth and Sixth Hokage?" Sora asked casually, tone full of just-the-right-amount of interest. "They must have been incredible shinobi too, huh?"
Middle-aged Sasuke's footsteps faltered for a split second.
Boruto, lacking any filter, blurted out: "The Fifth was Granny Tsunade, and the Sixth was Sensei Kakashi! You seriously didn't know that?"
"Ohhh—" Sora drew out the sound, putting on an exaggerated look of sudden understanding. "So it was Lady Tsunade and Senior Kakashi. Yeah, they're both amazing."
Middle-aged Sasuke said nothing. He only grew more vigilant, scanning the surroundings.
The Konoha of this world had cleaner, more prosperous streets than he remembered. The smiles on people's faces carried a deeper sense of security.
At that moment, a squad of shinobi in brand-new uniforms turned the corner.
They wore deep-blue combat outfits with lightweight yet sturdy armor. A brand-new emblem — a fusion of flame and uchiwa fan — was printed uniformly on their backs.
The squad leader had black hair, black eyes, and a handsome face — clearly a member of the Uchiha clan.
The moment they spotted Akashi Sora walking ahead, the patrol team immediately halted, snapped to attention in perfect unison.
"Lord Fifth!" The Uchiha leader saluted Sora with deep respect, eyes filled with genuine reverence.
Sora lazily raised a hand and gave a casual wave.
"Good work on patrol."
"To protect Konoha — we would die a thousand deaths without regret!" The team replied in unison, voices loud and full of energy.
Sora nodded, then continued walking past them with the two guests in tow.
[Hm. The corporate culture Fugaku set up is pretty decent.]
[Slogans are loud, morale is high. Might give them a bonus later.]
But behind him, middle-aged Sasuke froze as though struck by lightning.
His body trembled slightly. His single eye was filled with earth-shattering shock and disbelief!
Uchiha…
Those shinobi were Uchiha clansmen!
They wore the official uniform of Konoha, patrolling the village streets with proud expressions and upright postures.
They… were still alive?
Not only alive — thriving!
The way they looked at the young Fifth Hokage wasn't fear, wasn't hatred — it was heartfelt respect and loyalty!
How could this be possible?!
Wasn't the Uchiha clan supposed to have been completely wiped out on that bloody night…?
"Hey, old man, what's wrong with you?" Boruto also noticed Sasuke's strange behavior and asked in confusion.
Sora stopped walking and turned around. Looking at the deathly pale middle-aged Sasuke, he put on an expression of "concern."
"What's the matter? You look awful. Motion sickness from the time travel?"
Sasuke ignored him. He simply stared at Sora with bloodshot eyes, voice hoarse and forced out from deep in his throat.
"The Uchiha clan… why…"
"Why what about the Uchiha?" Sora tilted his head, face the picture of innocence. "They're right there patrolling, aren't they? Very dedicated workers."
He seemed completely oblivious to the other man's shock and continued explaining cheerfully.
"Oh — you mean their uniforms? That's the newly formed 'Konoha Security and Rapid Response Force.' I personally appointed Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku to reorganize it. They handle internal security and emergency response — one of the village's core combat units."
"After I became the Fifth, the Uchiha clan has been flourishing. Is there a problem?"
Sora looked at Sasuke's ghost-like expression and finally dropped the mask, asking the single most heart-stabbing question of all.