"Is there a problem?"
Sora's smile faded. His amber eyes reflected Sasuke's deathly pale face.
A problem? There were massive problems!
Sasuke's mind went blank. A constant ringing filled his ears.
The Uchiha clan… flourishing? Those words burned into his soul like a red-hot branding iron.
His entire life — pain, hatred, struggle — had all stemmed from that blood-soaked night. The clan massacre. His parents' brutal deaths. Revenge. Betrayal of the village. Turning against his friend. Walking alone in darkness.
And now this young man, speaking so casually, told him: everything he had carried on his back… didn't exist here?
"Uncle, are you okay? Your face is super pale."
Boruto tugged at Sasuke's sleeve. He didn't understand, but he could sense the aura of near-total breakdown radiating from Sasuke.
Sasuke's lips trembled. No sound came out. His Sharingan spun wildly — yet he saw only truth. The patrolling Uchiha were real. Their chakra was real. Their reverence was real. This was no genjutsu!
"Looks like a case of culture shock."
Sora concluded, stepping forward to pat Sasuke on the shoulder. "Come on. I'll take you somewhere nice to relax."
[Whoa, that expression — like someone walked into a horror movie only to find out the main character is their own dad. Priceless.]
[Next stop: luxury sightseeing tour of the Uchiha compound. Special guest stars: Uchiha Fugaku and his wife. Surprise? Shock?]
Without waiting for a reply, Sora led the way.
Sasuke followed like a puppet, movements stiff and mechanical. Boruto glanced between the shell-shocked Sasuke and the smiling Fifth Hokage, head full of question marks, before hurrying to keep up.
After crossing several streets, they arrived at a familiar area. The stone monument bearing the Uchiwa fan emblem came into view — and Sasuke's body locked up completely.
This was… the Uchiha compound!
In his memory, this place had been a dead zone — overgrown with weeds, haunted and desolate like a ghost town.
But the scene before him shattered every expectation.
Wide, clean streets. Neatly arranged houses. Several Uchiha children chasing each other and laughing, their voices carrying far. Nearby, women hung laundry and chatted idly, faces full of relaxed smiles.
Among them, one woman with long black hair turned slightly — her profile slowly overlapping with the warmest, most cherished image buried deep in Sasuke's memory.
Sasuke's breathing stopped.
His heart felt like it was being crushed. The pain was so sharp he nearly doubled over.
Mom…?
No — no. The Sharingan saw clearly: just a similar clansman.
But that unmistakable aura of "home" stabbed into him like steel needles, tearing open every old wound.
"How's that? The Uchiha compound's layout is pretty nice, right?"
Sora's voice sounded almost proud, like he was showing off a new house.
"Clan Head Fugaku has real talent. He personally designed the security force dorms and the commercial street layout."
"I told him to stop being so stone-faced all the time and smile more. Look — the whole clan's atmosphere is way livelier now."
Each of Sora's words landed like a sledgehammer on Sasuke's heart.
Clan Head Fugaku… that stern, unsmiling man who always praised Itachi in front of him… here, he wasn't just alive — he was an outstanding "urban planner"?
All of it felt absurd. Like a nightmare he couldn't wake from.
"That guy looks just like you, Uncle!"
Boruto's sudden shout yanked Sasuke back from the edge of collapse. Sasuke jerked his head up and followed Boruto's pointing finger.
At the street corner, a figure in Anbu uniform approached slowly. The build, the gait, the cool detachment —
It was Itachi!
Sasuke's pupils shrank to pinpoints!
No — wait! Itachi was currently Chairman of the Development and Reform Commission. Why would he be wearing Anbu gear?
Sora raised an eyebrow.
[Yamato? Why is he here?]
[Oh right — I told him to keep an eye on Fugaku and make sure he doesn't pull any funny business during the security force rebuild.]
[Tch. This guy's really gotten addicted to cosplaying Itachi. Sure, it helps him blend into Uchiha territory without raising red flags, but still…]
The Anbu wearing the fox mask was indeed Yamato. Spotting the Hokage escorting two strangers into Uchiha territory, he immediately stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
"Lord Fifth."
"Up." Sora waved casually. "How's patrol? Clan Head Fugaku behaving himself?"
"Report, sir: everything normal. Minister Fugaku is fair and respected by his subordinates."
"Got it. Carry on."
"Yes, sir."
Yamato rose, flickered through several Body Flicker Techniques, and vanished across the rooftops. From start to finish, he never once glanced at Sasuke or Boruto.
But Sasuke's body shook violently.
For a moment — just a moment — he had truly believed he was seeing his brother alive again.
The massive emotional swing shattered what little composure he had left.
"Don't get excited." Sora's voice carried a trace of amusement. "That's not your brother. Your brother's a busy man right now — arguing with Senior Shikaku over village GDP."
Looking at Sasuke's hollow, broken expression, Sora delivered the killing blow.
"So… what happened to the Uchiha in your world?"
"Were they massacred?"
BOOM!
Black lightning tore through Sasuke's fragile facade.
"You… who the hell are you?! What do you want?!"
Sasuke snapped his head up. His single Rinnegan eye flared with purple patterns, pupil power surging wildly! He stared at Sora, voice hoarse and trembling with each word.
[Recorded: Six-Tomoe Rinnegan]
Facing the overwhelming pressure of the Rinnegan, Sora stood unmoved — not even his clothes fluttered.
The smile on his face slowly faded. His amber eyes turned cold and indifferent once more.
"I didn't do anything."
"I simply… showed you a future that should have existed. The correct one."
At that moment —
A steady, authoritative voice rang out.
"Lord Fifth, what brings you here today?"
Sasuke's body froze solid.
That voice…
He turned slowly — inch by inch.
A tall, cold-featured middle-aged man approached, wearing the crisp new uniform of the Security Force Minister. His expression held respect — and scrutiny.
Uchiha Fugaku.
His father.
Alive. Standing right in front of him.
Fugaku's gaze shifted from the Fifth Hokage to the one-armed black-haired man. His brows furrowed.
This man… why does he look so much like… my youngest son?
"Who is this…?" Fugaku asked, eyes narrowing in question as they settled on Sasuke.
Sasuke's throat felt filled with burning gravel. Not a single word could escape.
He stood rigid. Every drop of blood in his body seemed to flow backward, scouring his already shattered nerves.
Father.
Uchiha Fugaku.
The man who, in his memories, was forever a back turned away, forever stern, forever proud of Itachi.
The last time he saw him was that blood-soaked night — lying amid his parents' corpses, screaming in despair.
And now… he stood here alive.
Wearing the brand-new uniform of the Security Force Minister, posture straight and proud, brows carrying that familiar yet alien authority.
Only — the way he looked at Sasuke was full of wariness and scrutiny, as though sizing up a dangerous stranger.
"You are…?"
Fugaku's voice rang out again — calm, commanding, brooking no evasion.
That single question stabbed straight through Sasuke's heart. Pain radiated from his chest to every limb.
Who am I?
I'm your son…
I'm the son who always craved your approval, who died never hearing a single word of praise from you — your youngest son, Sasuke!
Those words roared inside his soul, yet they could not break through the chains of reality.
Just as he teetered on the edge of total collapse, Sasuke did something no one expected.
He spun around violently, scooped up the still-dazed Boruto, and left an afterimage in his wake. In an instant, he appeared dozens of meters away — on a rooftop.
[He ran?]
[That weak mental fortitude? He's supposed to be one of the future's top fighters — he even has the Rinnegan — and this is it?]
Sora watched Sasuke's panicked retreat and mentally rolled his eyes.
"Lord Fifth!"
Fugaku was alarmed and instinctively moved to pursue.
"It's fine, it's fine." Sora raised a hand to stop him, expression still calm and unruffled. "Just a guest with a bit of a temper. I'll go check on him."
He gave Fugaku a reassuring smile, then turned into a streak of blurred light and silently followed.
Leaving Fugaku standing alone, full of doubts.
…
On the rooftops of Konoha, two figures raced one after the other.
Sasuke clutched Boruto tightly, pushing his speed to the absolute limit. Right now, he only wanted to get away — away from this place, away from this world that had shattered his entire understanding, away from that living, breathing father.
"What's wrong?"
A lazy, faintly mocking voice sounded clearly right beside his ear.
Sasuke's body jerked rigid.
Sora's figure had somehow appeared at his side, keeping perfect pace — as though he were merely out for a leisurely stroll.
"Don't you want to see your living parents… and your brother?"
BOOM!
Those words struck like the most vicious curse, smashing directly into Sasuke's most vulnerable wound.
His footing faltered. He nearly tumbled off the rooftop.
Parents…
Brother…
He skidded to a stop and turned around. His purple Rinnegan locked onto Sora, swirling with torrents of rage and pain.
"Fifth Hokage."
He forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"Our appearance here was an accident. My only goal is to ensure Uzumaki Naruto's safety. Please — do not interfere unnecessarily."
[Oh? Ensuring Naruto's safety?]
[So even in your future, Naruto's life is full of disasters, huh.]
[Still — that intel is useful. The enemy is after the Nine-Tails.]
Sora mentally filed the information away while his smile grew even friendlier.
"Okay, okay — don't be so tense."
He spread his hands in mock helplessness.
"By the way… before I became Hokage, I was actually the jōnin leader of Team 7."
Sasuke's body jolted again.
Team 7?
In this world… he was Team 7's sensei?
"Come on."
Sora turned as though he hadn't noticed the other man's shock and headed in a new direction.
"Let me take you to see this world's Team 7."
"They should be at the training ground right now — sweating it out under my shadow clone's guidance."
He paused, glanced back over his shoulder. A glint in his amber eyes sent a chill through Sasuke.
"And let you see just how good this world's Uchiha Sasuke has it."