The middle-aged Sasuke's purgatory continued.
He remained frozen behind the trees, and that Six-Tomoe Rinnegan of his slowly closed as well.
On the training ground, the Uchiha Sasuke of this world had his arm slung over Naruto's shoulder, getting scolded by Karin as the three of them bickered noisily toward the edge of the training ground, about to receive their "doubled" training assignments.
Sunlight spilled over them. The aura of youth was so vivid it was blinding.
Well, that worked nicely. His eyes have gone completely unfocused.
It seems the Uchiha clan's mental health education really does need some improvement.
Akashi Sora hopped down lightly from the tree branch, brushing nonexistent dust from his Hokage robes.
He walked over to Sasuke's side, his face wearing just the right amount of concern.
"What's wrong, Traveler?"
"Seeing them, does it remind you of your own youth?"
Sasuke's body jolted violently, as if stabbed by a needle.
Youth?
His youth was the blood in the clan compound, the cold corpses of his parents, and his brother's Mangekyō that had plunged him into an endless Tsukuyomi.
"We..." Sasuke's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper grinding together. "We shouldn't be here. Too much contact with them might..."
"Might affect history?"
Sora laughed, cutting him off.
Those amber eyes curved into lovely crescent moons, but the words that came out were like an icy scalpel, precisely dissecting Sasuke's last fantasy.
"Don't give me that nonsense about 'too much interaction with acquaintances affecting history.'"
"We're not in the same spacetime. It won't affect anything."
Sora spread his hands, his tone as casual as if commenting on the nice weather.
"This place is just one of countless possibilities. A world that... became just a little bit more correct, because of me."
"Your world is still your world. Your tragedy is still your tragedy."
Boom!
Sasuke's mind went completely blank.
His last sliver of wishful thinking was utterly crushed.
This was not his past.
This was an illusion called "happiness" one he could never, ever reach.
"Mister? Are you okay?"
Boruto tugged at the hem of his cloak, his small face full of worry.
He saw that Sasuke's face had gone even paler than before, as if he might shatter at any moment.
"Let's go!"
Sora completely ignored Sasuke's breakdown, waving his hand with great enthusiasm.
"To welcome our guests from afar, my treat! I'll take you to my hot pot restaurant for a meal!"
The best method of psychological counseling is to redirect attention.
There's nothing a hot pot meal can't fix. If there is, then make it two.
Sora calculated with cheerful satisfaction.
"Perfect, I'll call a few more people so everyone can get acquainted."
"Itachi is now the chairman of the Development and Reform Commission, busy beyond belief. This will be a good excuse for him to relax."
"Oh, right, and Shisui. That guy's been in the Anbu lately with way too much free time. I'll call him too."
"And my secretary, Yamanaka Kaede. She can join as well consider it a working meal."
Sora counted off the guests' names on his fingers, as casually as arranging the most ordinary of dinner gatherings.
But the name "Shisui" struck Sasuke's skull like a thunderbolt from the ninth heaven.
His head snapped up, and in his eyes was pure, undisguisable horror.
Shisui?
Uchiha Shisui?
The one who, to stop the coup, entrusted his eyes to Itachi and threw himself into the river, the greatest genjutsu prodigy of the Uchiha clan?!
He's... alive too?!
"Who's Shisui?" Boruto asked curiously. "Sounds like someone really amazing."
No one answered him.
Sora looked at Sasuke's utterly lost face, the curve of his lips lifting ever higher.
He turned and walked beyond the training ground, the hem of his Hokage robes tracing an elegant arc through the air.
He didn't look back. He just lazily raised a hand and waved behind him.
"Don't refuse me now!"
His back swayed ahead, the hem of his robes gently swaying with his leisurely strides.
Akashi Sora simply walked ahead, humming a tuneless song, as if he had just completed the most ordinary post-dinner stroll.
But the middle-aged Sasuke's world crumbled to pieces behind him.
Shisui.
Uchiha Shisui.
Those two syllables were a karmic fire hotter than Amaterasu, a nightmare deeper than Tsukuyomi.
He was the beloved friend his brother could never let go of in his entire life. The great martyr who gave his eyes and his life for the village and the clan, ultimately sinking into the icy waters of the Naka River.
His death had been the first domino to fall in the Uchiha clan's fate.
But here...
In this absurd, twisted world so happy it was sickening...
He's alive too?
"Mister! Sasuke-san!"
Boruto tugged desperately at his sleeve, his voice brimming with urgency.
"What's wrong with you? We can't keep up!"
Sasuke's body moved like a rusted puppet. Every step made his joints groan under an unbearable weight.
He followed behind that young Fifth Hokage, walking through the immaculate streets of the Uchiha compound.
The laughter of children playing, the chatter of housewives, mixed with the hawking calls of distant shopkeepers woven together into a tableau of "daily life" he had only ever seen in his dreams.
Every single image was a red-hot steel needle, brutally stabbing into his soul.
He was a demon that had broken into paradise. The blood debt he carried on his back had become a joke that no one here could understand.
"I say, Traveler, if you don't pick up the pace, all the meat is going to be gone."
Up ahead, Akashi Sora turned back. His amber eyes curved into crescent moons, his tone light and cheerful.
Sasuke didn't respond. He just numbly quickened his steps.
He had to follow.
He had to see it with his own eyes.
See how that man who should have died was, in this world... living with a smile.
---
Ichiraku Premium Hot Pot, Main Store.
As the Hokage's private enterprise and now Konoha's most popular culinary landmark, this place was always bustling with noise and activity.
The rich aroma of beef tallow broth mixed with the delicate fragrance of mushroom stock, forming a unique scent that immediately whetted the appetite.
"Hey, Lord Fifth!"
"Is the Hokage here for an inspection today?"
"My Lord, can we get a discount today?"
The moment Sora stepped inside, he was immediately surrounded by enthusiastic villagers and diners.
He waved familiarly, a radiant, energetic smile on his face, greeting every single person, perfectly playing the role of the approachable, cheerful "Little Sun" Hokage.
Sasuke and Boruto followed behind him, like two shadows utterly out of place amid the lively atmosphere.
Boruto was stunned by the spectacle. He had never seen a village leader so close to the common people.
And Sasuke, amidst the clamor of the crowd, felt an even deeper loneliness.
"Alright, alright! My treat today! Everyone eat your fill!"
Sora waved his hand generously. Amid the cheers of the crowd, he led the two through the main hall, toward a private room at the very back, marked with a sign reading "No Entry Without Invitation."
Pushing open the door, the interior decor was a stark contrast to the bustle outside.
No superfluous decorations. Just an enormous round table and a set of tableware that looked extremely expensive.
"Sit, don't be shy."
Sora plopped down unceremoniously first, gesturing toward the seats opposite.
"This is my private room. Top-notch soundproofing. Even if you flip the table in here, no one outside will hear a thing."
He smiled, his words carrying a pointed meaning.
Sasuke sat down in silence, pulling Boruto with him, his body still taut.
This didn't feel like a dinner party. It felt like a courtroom.
And he was the sinner awaiting judgment.
Sora paid no mind to his tension. Instead, he pulled a small toad from his sleeve.
"Hey, little Gamakichi, wake up. Time to work."
He poked the toad's belly.
The toad reluctantly opened its eyes and croaked.
"Contact Itachi. Tell him to drop that damn budget and get his ass over here for dinner."
"Yes, yes..." the toad replied weakly, closing its eyes to transmit the message.
Sasuke's breath hitched.
Itachi...
"Oh, right. One more thing."
As if just remembering something, Sora added,
"Also contact Shisui. Tell him if he doesn't show up, I'm donating all the secret savings he hid away during his last mission to the village treasury."
The toad's body trembled, seemingly frightened by this threat, and its message transmission efficiency noticeably increased.
"Finally, call Yamanaka Kaede over. Have her bring the Police Force's budget request for next quarter. I'll sign it while I'm here."
Sora finished his arrangements in a few concise words, then leaned back in his chair, fully satisfied.
"Done."
He clapped his hands.
"Now, we just wait for the delicious broth and fresh ingredients... and my guests."
A deathly silence descended upon the private room.
Only the massive copper pot at the center of the table waited silently for the flame.
Sasuke hung his head, black strands of hair hiding his expression. Only his tightly clenched fist betrayed the storm raging within him.
Shisui...
He was talking about Uchiha Shisui with such familiarity, such casualness.
As if that man were not a legendary hero, but just an ordinary friend who hid his private savings and could be called over for a meal at any time.
"Um... Lord Hokage."
Boruto finally couldn't hold back. He looked carefully at Sora, then at the seemingly petrified Sasuke beside him.
"This Shisui you mentioned... who is he? Is he really strong?"
"Strong?"
Sora looked like he'd just heard something hilarious and let out a *pfft* of laughter.
"He's an incurably idealistic idiot, and also an incurably hopeless brother-con."
He paused, a trace of nostalgia flickering through his amber eyes.
"But his Body Flicker Jutsu... is indeed incredible."
"Even faster than the Fourth Hokage."
Boruto gasped.
Faster than the Fourth Hokage, hailed as the "Yellow Flash"? What kind of concept was that?
However, those words struck Sasuke's ears and stirred up an entirely different tidal wave.
Brother-con?
Shisui... did he have a younger brother?
No, he didn't.
Then who was this "brother-con" Sora spoke of... fixated on?
A terrifying, yet terrifyingly logical guess began to breed madly in Sasuke's mind.
Shisui and Itachi were close friends of similar age.
In Itachi's heart, Shisui was an older brother, a mentor, one of the most important people in his life.
Then, in Shisui's heart...
Could he have also seen that Uchiha Itachi who always followed behind him, admired him, and struggled to catch up to him as... his own little brother?
This thought seized Sasuke's heart like an invisible giant hand, squeezing it until the pain became suffocating.
Just then.
The door to the private room was gently pulled open.
A man walked in, dressed in a crisp black suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a refined and scholarly air.
His face carried a trace of fatigue from overworking on official matters, but he still offered a slight bow upon seeing Sora.
"Lord Fifth, you summoned me so urgently. Is there a problem with the budget proposal?"
It was Uchiha Itachi.
The Uchiha Itachi of this world, serving as the chairman of the "Development and Reform Commission."
He looked mature, steady, without a trace of gloom between his brows. Just an excellent politician racking his brains for the village's development.
His gaze, in the next second, fell upon Sasuke.
Sasuke's face was etched with the pain of one who had endured countless hardships.
Itachi's pupils instantly contracted.
He saw the one-armed man.
Saw that face identical to his own little brother's, yet covered in the marks of vicissitude, pain, and exhaustion.
"You..."
Itachi's voice wavered for the first time.
Sora watched this scene with keen interest, as if enjoying a brilliant drama.
He didn't speak. He just picked up his chopsticks and tapped them lightly against his empty bowl, producing a crisp sound.
"Don't just stand there, Itachi."
"Sit."
"Everyone will be here soon."
Itachi didn't move.
His entire being was captivated by this unfamiliar "Sasuke."
What... was that?
An enemy in disguise?
No. That familiar chakra, that connection originating from the depths of their bloodline, it couldn't be faked.
It was Sasuke.
But... why?
Why had he become like this?
His arm... that aura of despair almost spilling out of him...
The air itself was nearly solidifying under this dimension-crossing, brotherly stare.
At that very moment.
The door to the private room was violently yanked open once more.
An overly cheerful voice barged in, loud and unrestrained.
"Oi! Sora! I heard from the toad you're here? We'll settle the secret savings thing later! Where's the meat? Bring me the meat first!"
Along with the voice, a figure stormed in with the force of a whirlwind.
He had a head of distinctive black curly hair, and a smile so dazzling it almost hurt to look at. His entire being radiated sunshine and vitality.
His eyes swept across the room, past Sora, past Itachi and finally... landed on that one-armed man, rigid as a stone statue.
That brilliant smile faltered, just slightly.
Uchiha Shisui tilted his head, curiosity shining through his clear eyes.
"Huh?"
"Itachi, when did you... get another little brother?"