Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

"So, what are your plans next?"

Kakashi's tone held a hint of probing, "Should we try to find our way back? Or...?"

He didn't say anything more, but just waited quietly for the answer.

Sasuke did not answer immediately.

First, he glanced at Boruto, who was still kneeling on the ground, looking utterly terrified, and then he glanced at the disabled man with the watermelon-shaped haircut in the wheelchair next to him.

"Go back? No rush."

Sasuke turned around and looked at the Hokage Rock in the distance, which was carved with seven faces.

"I want to take a look first."

Sasuke's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable determination: "Let's see what this so-called future world is really like."

The moment he finished speaking, his figure swayed slightly and then disappeared silently into the shadows of the woods.

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

Boruto finally recovered from the extreme fear and looked up sharply, only to see a few fallen leaves being swept up by the breeze.

"Where are they?!" He looked around blankly.

"They've already left," Kakashi's voice came from the side.

"Damn it! That guy..."

The fear hadn't faded from Boruto's face. He leaped to his feet, his voice still trembling, "What just happened?! I felt like I was going to die!"

Kakashi looked at his somewhat pale face, then slowly squatted down to look him in the eye.

"You're lucky, Boruto."

"Huh?" Boruto was stunned.

"No, you should say you were born in the right era."

Kakashi's gaze drifted into a distant memory, as if he were recalling something. "If it were him in your father's childhood..."

"The moment you said 'Let's have a match' in that provocative tone, the knife at his waist was already drawn."

"And you won't even have a chance to react."

These words left Boruto completely stunned, and a cold sweat broke out on his back once again.

“You treated him like me, like your always smiling old man.”

Kakashi's voice was soft, but it struck Boruto's heart like a heavy hammer: "But you must remember, Boruto, the person he is now is completely different from me and from the current Uchiha Sasuke."

He stood up, took one last look in the direction where Sasuke had disappeared, slowly closed his eyes, and then let out a sigh.

"...I don't know whether his coming to this world is a good thing or a bad thing."

Chapter 121 Static Balance is a Tragic Sin

The Hokage's office.

The afternoon sun shone through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a lazy golden hue over the mountain of scrolls and documents inside.

The Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, rubbed his temples wearily, put down his pen, and looked up at his capable assistant.

"So, Shikamaru, you mean...?"

His voice carried a hint of confirmation, "Is Sunagakure and the other villages still insisting on sending those problem children to participate in this Chunin Exams joint training exercise?"

Standing opposite him, Nara Shikamaru yawned and replied in a listless tone, "There's nothing we can do. This is diplomacy between villages. We can't just send them back."

He glanced at Naruto's worried face, a slight smile playing on his lips. "What, you're already finding it troublesome? Seventh Hokage, back in your day you were..."

"I know I know!"

Naruto immediately interrupted him, scratching his short blond hair in frustration. "Back in the day, I was the most troublesome one, wasn't I?"

"Seriously, Shikamaru, you always use that line to shut me up."

"Knock knock."

A polite knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

"Please come in."

"Come in." Naruto responded, his weary expression vanishing as he sat up straight again.

The door was pushed open, and Sakura Haruno walked in, followed by Sarada Uchiha, who looked visibly dazed.

"Sakura? Sarada?"

The moment Naruto saw the two of them looking like this, his expression turned serious. "What's wrong? Is something wrong with the wounded in the village?"

"No, it's not a matter for the medical department."

Sakura shook her head, quickly walked to her desk, and said in a low voice, "Naruto, there's something very strange that I need to report to you immediately."

She looked at Shikamaru, seemingly hesitant about whether or not to speak.

“Shikamaru is no outsider, so just say what’s on your mind.” Naruto noticed her concerns.

"Ah."

Sakura took a deep breath, gently placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder, and said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "Sarazana was in the village today, and it seems she saw Sasuke."

"Huh? Sasuke's back?"

Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, and he leaned forward instinctively, his face beaming with undisguised joy. "That guy, at least he knew to give me a heads-up this time!"

However, Sakura slowly shook her head.

"No, Naruto, it's not what you think..."

She glanced at her daughter, struggling to find the words, "Sarazana said she saw a very young Sasuke, who looked..."

Sakura paused for a moment, then uttered a conclusion that stunned everyone present.

"...They look about the same age as us back then."

"what?"

Naruto paused for a moment, then grinned. "Is Sarada training too tiring? How could Sasuke be like this...?"

He was interrupted by Shikamaru halfway through his sentence.

"Sarana, explain yourself more clearly. What kind of father did you see?"

"Yes... younger."

Sarada's voice was soft, "Just like in that old family photo, she was probably only fifteen or sixteen years old, and..."

She paused, then added a more crucial detail, "And his left arm is still there."

"..."

Naruto's smile froze, quickly turning into a serious expression.

"You must be mistaken, Sarada."

Shikamaru frowned deeply and immediately offered the most reasonable guess: "Someone must be using the Transformation Jutsu to play a prank. Recently, because of the Chunin Exams, too many unfamiliar faces have infiltrated the village."

"impossible!"

Sarada immediately retorted, her tone agitated, "That feeling, that look in her eyes, absolutely cannot be imitated by transformation magic! And..."

"Boruto was there too, and he saw it too!"

"What? Even Boruto..." Naruto's expression turned even more grim.

“I have already checked.”

Sakura's voice rang out at the right moment, "Sarana's mental state is stable, and there is no sign of her being under any genjutsu."

"There are just more and more troubles..." Naruto's knuckles tapped the table unconsciously.

Just then, a spatial ripple spread out without warning throughout the office.

A tall figure draped in a black cloak appeared silently in the center of the room.

"Sasuke!" Naruto's confusion was instantly replaced by joy when he saw the person who came, and he immediately stood up from his chair.

The middle-aged Sasuke did not respond to him, but slowly walked forward and gently placed his right hand on Sarada's head.

"...She didn't see wrong."

Sasuke's voice was soft, yet it struck the hearts of everyone present like a boulder.

"What?!" Naruto and Shikamaru exclaimed simultaneously.

"I saw it."

Sasuke slowly lowered his hand, turned around, and calmly looked at the two Narutos, "A 'me' from the past."

He succinctly recounted his earlier encounter, as well as the boy Sasuke's peculiar attire and bizarre power system.

The entire office fell into a suffocating silence once again.

Is there a temporal or spatial distortion?

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Shikamaru's forehead. Even with his exceptionally high intelligence, he couldn't immediately comprehend this illogical phenomenon. "Are you kidding me? This kind of thing..."

"Where is he now?" Naruto asked anxiously, more concerned about the safety of his "past" comrade.

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"...He's gone."

"They're gone?!" Naruto's voice suddenly rose as he stepped forward, looking at Sasuke in disbelief.

He vanished into thin air.

Sasuke's voice also carried a hint of solemnity, "Right in front of me, it was enveloped by a chaotic spatial force and then disappeared."

"..."

Naruto stared at him blankly, his voice a little hoarse, and finally asked the question that made him most uneasy.

"Even you couldn't stop him?"