The rooftops of Konoha had become a purgatory for the middle-aged Sasuke.
He followed behind the young Fifth Hokage, every step feeling like walking on red-hot iron plates.
He wanted to flee, but his body refused to obey. Or rather, an irresistible force from the depths of his soul drove him to witness the "truth" of this world with his own eyes.
Boruto walked beside him, looking at Sasuke, whose face was as pale as paper, then at the Hokage ahead, who was humming a tune, leisurely as if heading for a picnic, his heart full of frustration and bewilderment.
"Sasuke-san, why are we following him? This guy is definitely not a good person!" Boruto lowered his voice, indignant.
Sasuke didn't answer.
Good person? Bad person?
In this world where the Uchiha clan hadn't been wiped out and his father was alive and well, he had lost all standards of judgment.
"Don't say that, kid."
Akashi Sora, walking ahead as if he had eyes in the back of his head, laughed without turning around. "I'm the most beloved Hokage in the history of Konoha. If you don't believe me, ask the villagers."
*[Well, mainly thanks to those outrageous rumors Shikaku spread, and the super-high public safety satisfaction rate after Fugaku Uchiha rebuilt the Police Force.]*
*[And, of course, my innocent and harmless-looking face.]*
Sora was in an excellent mood.
There was nothing more pleasurable than personally shattering a strong person's psychological defenses.
Especially when that strong person was an Uchiha Sasuke from another, "mistaken" future.
Soon, they arrived at Training Ground Three.
The three familiar wooden posts stood silently in the center of the field, bearing witness to countless amounts of sweat and forged bonds.
"Here we are. Next, please enjoy the live broadcast, titled 'Youth,' brought to you by my proud Team 7."
Sora stopped, signaling the two to hide behind a nearby thicket of trees. He himself found a sturdy branch, lay down comfortably, pillowed his head on his hands, and crossed his legs.
Sasuke's breath stopped completely the moment he saw the three figures on the training ground.
On the training ground, dust flew.
"Rasengan!"
A blond boy, his face set with an indomitable stubbornness, held a high-speed rotating chakra sphere in one hand and slammed it fiercely into a fast-moving target!
Boom!
The target exploded on impact, wood chips flying everywhere.
But the boy was sent sprawling onto his backside by the recoil, grimacing in pain.
"Damn it! I still can't keep it stable while moving!"
That was Uzumaki Naruto.
Unlike the lonely, reckless dead-last in Sasuke's memory, the Naruto before him, though still noisy, had refined chakra, focused eyes, and radiated a confidence that had been carefully polished.
"Idiot, how many times have I told you? The chakra output has to be even! Do you think you're setting off fireworks?"
Another cool, clear voice sounded.
A black-haired, black-eyed boy stood with one hand in his pocket, the other hand flashing with dazzling lightning, emitting a sharp sound like a thousand birds chirping in unison.
"Chidori Stream!"
He stepped forward, electricity instantly covering his entire body, deflecting the countless kunai shot at him from all directions.
That was Uchiha Sasuke.
This world's Uchiha Sasuke.
He wore a clean training uniform, his face free of shadows, free of hatred. There was only the pride of a genius and an undisguised disdain for the blond idiot beside him.
"Who are you calling an idiot, bastard Sasuke!" Naruto leaped up from the ground, pointing at Sasuke's nose and shouting, "I dare you to go another round with me!"
"Hmph, defeated opponent." Sasuke retracted his lightning, a faint smirk curving the corner of his lips.
"What did you say?!"
"Alright, both of you, quiet down!"
Accompanied by a sharp yell, several golden chains burst from the ground, precisely wrapping around Naruto's and Sasuke's ankles, hoisting the arguing duo up into the air.
A red-haired girl with glasses stood with her hands on her hips, looking at them angrily.
"Big Brother Sora's Shadow Clone said if we don't finish today's training, it's nothing but plain rice for dinner!"
That was Uzumaki Karin.
She was no longer the timid girl who was treated as a "blood bag" to be gnawed on. Her face was brimming with confidence, and her use of the Adamantine Sealing Chains was already quite proficient.
Not far away, a Shadow Clone looking exactly like Akashi Sora leaned against a tree trunk, holding a small booklet, lazily recording something.
"Naruto, Rasengan's form change completion rate: 78%. Timing for adding nature transformation is wrong. Punishment: an extra 500 push-ups tonight."
"Sasuke, the coverage range of Chidori Stream is unstable, chakra consumption too high. Punishment: 20 laps around the village, no chakra allowed."
"Karin, the ambush timing for the Adamantine Sealing Chains was good, but the chains lack toughness. Punishment: tonight, recopy 'The Theory of Chakra Transmission' ten times."
The Shadow Clone's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly deflated the three suspended in mid-air.
"No way—!"
"Got it..."
"Copying books again..."
Behind the thicket of trees.
Boruto watched, dumbfounded.
"Whoa! Is that really what Dad was like as a kid? He's so lame! He can't even use the Rasengan properly!"
"And you, Sasuke-san! You were so cocky as a kid! But so cool!"
"Who's that red-haired girl? She's awesome! Caught both of them at once!"
Boruto's excited commentary stabbed into the middle-aged Sasuke's heart like tiny, poisoned knives.
Sasuke couldn't hear anything anymore.
His world narrowed down to that piercing scene on the training ground.
Naruto, Sasuke, Karin...
Three people, bickering, competing, complaining about each other, and... accompanying each other.
It was a kind of happiness, the thing called "daily life," that he had never possessed.
He saw that world's version of himself, the unconscious curve of his lips when arguing with Naruto.
That wasn't a mask, nor a calculation.
It was a genuine, living emotion belonging to a thirteen-year-old boy.
What about himself?
What was he doing when he was thirteen?
He was being consumed by the flames of hatred, seeking power by any means necessary, personally severing all bonds with everyone, plunging into Orochimaru's darkness.
Why...
Why was it like this?
What gave this world's Uchiha Sasuke... the right to have all this?
What gave him the right to stand in the sunlight, training with his comrades, arguing with them, worrying about ridiculous reasons like "can we get an extra chicken drumstick for dinner?"
What gave him the right not to bear a deep blood feud, not to walk alone in the darkness?
Why...
"How do you feel?"
A voice, like a ghost, sounded in his ear.
Akashi Sora had, at some point, gotten down from the tree and stood beside him, a gentle smile on his face, warm like the spring sun.
"This world's Uchiha Sasuke is doing pretty well, isn't he?"
"Look, those two kids are at it again." Sora raised his chin with keen interest.
On the training ground, Naruto and Sasuke, having been released, were confronting each other once more.
"Bastard Sasuke! I'll show you the results of my training these past few days!" Naruto formed hand seals, a Shadow Clone appearing beside him. Together, they began rapidly forming a Rasengan far larger than normal!
"Big Ball Rasengan!"
"Hmph, parlor tricks." Sasuke's hands swiftly formed seals, the lightning in his palm blazing intensely, its form more condensed and dangerous than before!
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
"Stop!"
Just as the two were about to charge at each other, Sora's Shadow Clone moved.
His figure left an afterimage in place. In the next second, he had appeared phantom-like between the two, one hand pressing down on Naruto's head, the other grabbing Sasuke's wrist.
The Big Ball Rasengan and the sharp Chidori were forcibly suppressed by an invisible force less than half a meter from his body, then slowly dissipated.
"You have so much energy; it seems my training intensity is too light."
The Shadow Clone released them, wearing a mischievous smile identical to the original's.
"Starting tomorrow, training intensity is doubled."
Naruto's and Sasuke's faces instantly fell.
Watching this scene, the middle-aged Sasuke's Rinnegan eye, its purple patterns, fluctuated violently.
He saw it...
He saw that Shadow Clone, while suppressing the Chidori and Rasengan, inadvertently let a trace of... Wood Release chakra slip from his fingertips.
This world's teacher, this Fifth Hokage...
He not only knew the Flying Thunder God and senjutsu, but even... Wood Release.
With absolute power, he firmly controlled these two future top-tier powerhouses, guiding them down a... completely different path.
A path, brilliant and full of light.