The next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window, waking the sleeping traveler.
When Itachi pushed open the guest room door again, what he saw was the middle-aged Sasuke, already dressed and with a completely different mental state.
He was still silent, but that aura of death,almost tangible before,had largely dissipated.
In its place was an unprecedented calm.
In the dining room, a scene unfolded that would drive anyone who knew the other world's history to madness.
Uchiha Fugaku sat at the head of the table, meticulously reading a report on Police Force reforms.
Uchiha Mikoto, apron tied, was bringing exquisitely prepared breakfast dishes to the table, her voice grumbling, "Sasuke, today there's your favorite tamagoyaki. Don't you dare give it all to Itachi again."
This world's Sasuke was locked in an intense battle with Boruto over the last sausage, their chopsticks clashing mid-air in fierce combat, neither willing to yield.
And Itachi was leisurely sipping his miso soup, completely ignoring the childish antics of the two brats.
When they saw the middle-aged Sasuke walk in, everyone's movements paused for a moment.
The atmosphere froze for just a second.
"Come, child. Sit here."
The first to break the awkwardness was Mikoto.
She pulled out the chair beside her, her face wearing a natural, motherly, gentle smile.
She placed a steaming bowl of rice and miso soup before the middle-aged Sasuke.
"Eat quickly, before it gets cold."
The middle-aged Sasuke looked at the bowl of steaming soup before him. Silently, he sat down.
He picked up his chopsticks. His hands were steady.
"Hmph."
Opposite him, the young Sasuke had ultimately triumphed in the sausage war. He raised his chin smugly at Boruto, then cast a critical glance at his "alternate-universe counterpart."
"Oi, you. You recovered pretty fast, huh."
"Sasuke!" Fugaku's voice was a low reprimand, without even lifting his head.
Young Sasuke pouted, reluctantly lowering his head to shovel rice into his mouth.
The middle-aged Sasuke paid no heed to his provocation.
He simply, silently, picked up a piece of tamagoyaki and put it in his mouth.
That familiar, slightly sweet flavor,the taste of Mom's cooking ,bloomed on his taste buds.
He chewed. Swallowed.
Then, he lifted his head and looked upon this room full of warmth and clamor.
His father's sternness. His mother's nagging. His brother's indulgence. And that childish bickering from "himself."
All of it was as real as a dream he never wanted to wake from.
The middle-aged Sasuke's lips slowly, uncontrollably, curved upward.
An extremely faint,yet wholly genuine,smile, carrying no shadow whatsoever, quietly blossomed on his face.
---
# Chapter 82: Urashiki's Invasion; The Deity Descends Upon the Battlefield
Sunlight filled the dining room of the Uchiha residence.
The bowl of miso soup before the middle-aged Sasuke, now empty, still carried a wisp of curling steam.
That faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face was like the first sprout of green breaking through frozen soil after the melting of the first snow,fragile, yet brimming with vitality.
This scene was a landscape called "home",one he had never dared to hope for.
Just within this atmosphere of warmth, almost too surreal to be true, a massive chakra,brimming with ominous, violent intent,erupted without warning from the village center!
BOOM,!
A muffled roar echoed from the distance. The entire residence trembled slightly.
The bowls and chopsticks on the table clattered crisply.
"What's going on?!"
Young Sasuke and Boruto simultaneously sprang from their chairs, faces full of shock.
The warm atmosphere of the dining room was torn apart in an instant.
That faint smile on the middle-aged Sasuke's face froze instantly, then vanished without a trace.
In its place was the cold, sharp alertness of a top-tier warrior.
His body reacted faster than his brain. Almost at the exact moment the explosion sounded, he was already on his feet, his lone arm scooping up Boruto beside him.
"Sasuke-oji!" Boruto cried out.
"Nii-san! What's happening?!" Young Sasuke looked at Itachi, who was still calmly drinking his tea, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
Itachi set down his teacup. His gaze, behind his lenses, was already directed toward the source of the chakra eruption. His expression was grave.
"Doesn't feel like chakra from within the village."
"Be careful on your way."
A gentle voice spoke up. Uchiha Mikoto had, at some point, moved to stand before the middle-aged Sasuke. She looked at this weather-beaten "son," her eyes full of worry.
The middle-aged Sasuke's body stiffened slightly.
He turned his head and saw his mother's face, etched with concern.
At the head of the table, Uchiha Fugaku had also set down his report. He looked at this unfamiliar "son," and that perpetually glacier-like face revealed an extremely rare expression,belonging to a father's sternness and acknowledgment.
He didn't speak. He just nodded heavily.
Go.
Protect this village.
The middle-aged Sasuke's heart felt as if wrapped in a warm current,bittersweet, yet scorchingly hot.
He drew a deep breath, and gave the parents before him a solemn nod.
"Mm. I'm heading out."
Before his words faded, his figure, carrying Boruto, had already shot out the open window like an afterimage.
---
The forest outside Konoha.
The earth was torn asunder. Countless towering trees had been snapped in half. Charred craters billowed thick black smoke.
"Tch. What a troublesome fellow."
Uchiha Shisui flickered, dodging a chakra claw launched from a bizarre red fishing rod. The signature sunny smile on his face had now taken on a hint of gravity.
Behind him, three Anbu members maintained formation, continuously using Fire Style and Earth Style for suppressive attacks, but with minimal effect.
"Hehehe. Konoha shinobi are just like carp in a pond. Lively and jumping, but in the end, they're nothing but bait."
A frivolous voice, tinged with mockery, echoed through the forest.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki, wielding his red fishing rod, floated leisurely in midair. His white Rinnegan looked down condescendingly upon these resisters he viewed as mere ants.
His target was that Nine-Tails Jinchūriki hidden within the village, possessing enormous chakra.
This Uchiha before him, whose speed was somewhat absurdly fast, was merely an unexpected appetizer.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Shisui's hands rapidly formed seals. He inhaled deeply, then expelled a highly compressed air cannonball that shot toward Urashiki in midair with a howl.
Urashiki merely chuckled, flicking his fishing rod casually.
The claw at the end of the fishing line traced a bizarre arc through the air, precisely tapping against that Wind Style cannonball.
Bzzzt!
The raging Wind Style jutsu was instantly absorbed completely by that tiny claw.
"What?!"
The Anbu members behind Shisui cried out in disbelief.
"I'll be taking your jutsu."
Urashiki smiled, and with a flick of his rod, an even larger, darker Vacuum Great Sphere,denser than before,was launched back at even greater speed!
"Scatter!"
Shisui's pupils contracted. He roared, pushing his Body Flicker to its absolute limit, narrowly evading the lethal counterattack.
BOOM!
The spot where he had just stood was blasted into a massive crater over ten meters in diameter.
Can absorb jutsu, then return them twice as strong?
Interesting. Like a downgraded Preta Path, but seems a bit more convenient.
A hundred meters away, atop a massive tree untouched by the chaos.
Akashi Sora sat lazily on a branch, legs crossed, a grass stem dangling from the corner of his mouth.
He had teleported here via Flying Raijin the very moment Urashiki's "exotic" chakra had appeared within the village's vicinity.
He hadn't rushed to intervene.
Come on. I've raised so many elites. Can't expect the Hokage to handle everything personally, can I?
Wouldn't that put my Chief Secretary and Chief Advisor out of a job?
Besides...
Akashi Sora's gaze swept over that uniquely styled "alien" wielding a fishing rod, then shifted toward the two figures,one black, one yellow,hurtling rapidly from the village's direction.
A "watching-the-show" smirk curved his lips.
Ōtsutsuki. Rinnegan. Spacetime ninjutsu...
And that Uchiha Sasuke from another world, whose psychological wounds were just freshly healed.
Let me see... what kind of new discs this free-for-all can drop for me.
The air currents in the forest were a chaotic mess.
Uchiha Shisui was like a black lightning bolt, zipping at high speed between shattered trunks and churned earth, attempting to close in on that leisurely figure floating in midair.
However, that bizarre red fishing rod always managed to thrust out at the most treacherous angles just as he was about to succeed, forcing him to change direction.
"Seriously. Slippery as an eel."
Shisui, after another failed pass, landed on a broken log. The smile was gone from his face, replaced by one hundred percent focus.
Behind him, the three Anbu unleashed jutsu with practiced coordination, trying to limit the enemy's range of movement.
But all Fire Style, all Earth Style,the moment they touched the claw at the end of that red fishing line,vanished like mud cows sinking into the sea.
"Hehehe. Useless, useless."
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki chuckled, elegantly dodging another wave of attacks, his white Rinnegan brimming with the mockery of a cat toying with a mouse.
"Your chakra... is nothing but dessert to me."
Tsk. Shisui's still the same old Shisui. Fights purely relying on speed. Zero technical finesse.
This fishing rod is a bit interesting, though. Absorb chakra then reflect it back? A budget Preta Path mixed with something else? Concept's decent, but the design is hideous. Negative points for style. Severely detracts from the battle's aesthetic.
Atop a giant tree a hundred meters away, Akashi Sora shifted into a more comfortable position, his crossed legs swaying lazily.
He had just acquired the Rinnegan and was currently in a "seen it all, nothing impresses me" state of post-enlightenment clarity. This battle,which seemed rather clumsy in his eyes,served perfectly as a bit of entertainment.
Just then, two figures, one after the other, arrived at high speed from the village's direction, landing heavily at the edge of the battlefield.
A black cloak. A one-armed figure. And that spiky blond hair.
Oh ho. The main characters have arrived.
The grass stem in Sora's mouth twitched.
Judging by that stance, looks like he's run into an old acquaintance.
The moment the middle-aged Sasuke landed, those eyes,which had just regained a hint of calm,were filled with icy killing intent the instant they saw the figure in midair.
"Ōtsutsuki Urashiki!"
He practically spat the name through gritted teeth.
"Ara ara. Isn't it Sasuke-san and Boruto-chan?"
Urashiki looked over at the sound. When he saw that familiar duo, one large, one small,the mocking expression on his face deepened.
"What a coincidence. Have you been enjoying your 'spacetime journey'?"
These words made Shisui, who was locked in combat with Urashiki, pause slightly.
He glanced sideways, his sharp gaze sweeping over that one-armed man. So what Lord Fifth said was true. He really is from another world.
Boruto poked his head out from behind Sasuke, pointing at Urashiki and shouting, "He's the one who sent us here!"
"Shut up, Boruto."
Sasuke growled lowly. His remaining hand was already resting on the hilt of his Kusanagi blade.
Having endured last night's purgatorial "family reunion," he had thought his heart was as still as water.
But the moment his enemy appeared before him, that forcibly suppressed flame uncontrollably flared up again.
He would protect this world.
Protect that happy version of 'himself' in this world,the one with a complete family.
"Oh? Seems Sasuke-san is quite motivated?"
Urashiki noticed Sasuke's movement. Rather than tensing up, he licked his lips with keen interest.
"Perfect. I've grown tired of the appetizers. Let me see if you,having lost most of your chakra,can still bring me pleasure like before!"
As his words fell, he violently lashed out with the fishing rod in his hand!
A crimson chakra claw, like a venomous serpent striking, shot straight toward Sasuke's face with a sharp shriek!
Clang!
The Kusanagi blade left its sheath, tracing a cold arc through the air, precisely intercepting that claw.
However, the moment the blade met the claw, Sasuke's expression shifted.
An immense suction force transmitted through the sword. The chakra within his body was uncontrollably being drawn along the blade, madly devoured by that tiny claw!
"Sasuke-san, seems your chakra isn't quite enough."
Urashiki's smile grew even more gleeful.
"Body Flicker Jutsu!"
Just then, a black shadow flashed. Uchiha Shisui appeared beside Sasuke, the short blade in his hand wreathed in Wind Style chakra, viciously slashing toward the red fishing line connected to the claw!
"Oh?"
Urashiki flicked his wrist, retracting the line and nimbly evading Shisui's slash.
Having missed his strike, Shisui immediately retreated, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the middle-aged Sasuke.
Two Uchiha, from different spacetimes, bearing different fates. In this moment, their eyes met.
No words were exchanged.
But that bond born of shared blood was instantly forged.
"This guy can absorb jutsu and chakra."
Shisui stated the reminder concisely.
"I know."
The middle-aged Sasuke's voice was hoarse.
In the next second, both moved simultaneously!
Shisui pushed his speed to the extreme, becoming countless afterimages, harassing from every direction, carving away Urashiki's evasive space.
And the middle-aged Sasuke abandoned flashy jutsu, relying solely on his battle-hardened taijutsu and kenjutsu, seeking an opportunity for a single, fatal strike.
Yo. Two Uchiha teaming up. The scene's actually quite entertaining.
Atop the tree, Akashi Sora watched with great enjoyment.
One's a speed-type. One's a technique-type. Their coordination's not bad.
It's just that this Ōtsutsuki is slippery as hell, like a goddamn eel. Defense is absurdly high too.
That fishing rod's ability... worth recording? Feels kinda useless. Even if I devoured it, it'd just be an extra power bank function? Whatever. Record it for now. Might be able to parse some spacetime-related concept later.
With a thought, Sora silently activated the system's recording function.
On the battlefield, the intensity of the fight escalated.
The coordination between Shisui and Sasuke was flawless. For a moment, they actually forced Urashiki into visible disarray.
"Honestly! Two annoying flies!"
Unable to land a decisive blow, Urashiki's face finally lost its composure, a trace of irritation surfacing.
He abruptly pulled back, his white Rinnegan blazing with light.
"Game time is over."
His voice turned cold and dangerous.
"Since you're so eager to play, I'll play a big one with you!"
He raised his fishing rod high. A massive chakra,far exceeding anything before,began converging toward the rod's tip.
The sky darkened in an instant.
A crimson-black energy sphere,composed of high-density chakra mixed with the jutsu energy he had previously absorbed, radiating an aura of annihilation,began rapidly forming!
"Not good!" The middle-aged Sasuke's pupils sharply contracted.
He could feel it,the power contained within that energy sphere was enough to flatten this entire forest!
"Fall back!" Shisui also sensed the danger and roared, preparing to withdraw with his Anbu.
"Fall back?"
Urashiki let out a scoff.
"Too late!"
He didn't launch that energy sphere directly down. Instead, he precisely locked its target onto the very edge of the battlefield,onto Boruto, the one trembling in terror, whom he deemed the weakest!
"I'll take the little one back first."
The crimson-black energy sphere, exceeding the speed of sound, trailing a long tail of flame, shot straight toward Boruto like a falling meteor!
This strike was swift, ruthless, and left absolutely no time to react.