Over the next few days, Sasuke stopped training and instead accompanied Older Sasuke as they wandered around the Hidden Leaf Village, much like Naruto and Boruto had been doing.
Although Older Sasuke had already seen Sasuke's memories, he had never bothered to explore the day-to-day trivialities of the village. He hadn't considered them worth his time.
As the two Sasukes walked through the streets of Konoha, Older Sasuke noticed something that made him pause, many people were greeting Sasuke warmly.
Older Sasuke was surprised. He hadn't expected Sasuke to have such a high status in the eyes of the villagers. Most ordinary shinobi didn't receive that kind of treatment.
Sensing his younger self's surprise, Sasuke spoke up: "Back when Pain invaded, I was the one who organized the evacuation. So a lot of people know me. But... that alone isn't enough."
"I see." Older Sasuke nodded. He was struck with a thought and asked, "You're aiming for the Hokage position?"
"Of course," Sasuke answered without hesitation.
That left Older Sasuke a little stunned. He suddenly recalled himself during the Fourth Great Ninja War in his own world, back then, he too had intended to become Hokage and reshape the village.
If I had defeated Naruto and become Hokage… what would've happened?
Would I really have been able to reform Konoha and bring true change to the ninja world?
Older Sasuke shook his head. He couldn't be sure. Even if his plan had succeeded, would it have worked? Would the outcome have been good or bad? Back then, he hadn't really thought that far ahead.
After all, it had always been a long-term goal, one that started with becoming Hokage first. Since he'd never actually taken that seat, he'd never needed to think further.
He sighed as he looked around Konoha. It's… nice, actually. At least from what he'd seen in Sasuke's memories, most people in the village lived happy lives. Maybe it was just Konoha, but for the people here, that was enough.
At that moment, Older Sasuke noticed two familiar figures in the crowd and froze. After a moment of thought, his expression turned to surprise. "Who are they?" he asked Sasuke.
Sasuke glanced over. "Nagato and Konan. You might recognize them."
Older Sasuke nodded. He hadn't seen this version of Nagato before, in the Akatsuki meetings of his world, Nagato always used Yahiko's image, but Konan had shown up as herself.
So seeing Konan here made it easy to deduce who the man beside her was.
"It really is them... but why?" Older Sasuke asked, confused. Why were they alive, and in Konoha, of all places?
"They're Natsuro's senior disciples. Former students of Jiraiya. Though they did invade the village, they didn't cause much damage, just knocked down some illegal buildings that were going to be demolished anyway. So Natsuro spared them the death penalty," Sasuke explained.
"I see..." Older Sasuke nodded. That made sense. In his world, Nagato had destroyed most of Konoha, but with Natsuro's presence here, he probably never got the chance.
He then recalled that Nagato had tried collecting tailed beasts for the sake of world peace. That… wasn't so different from his own past ambition for revolution."Can I go talk to them?" he asked.
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He walked forward and led Jiraiya away, giving Older Sasuke space. Older Sasuke then approached Nagato and Konan.
"Can we help you?" Nagato asked, surprised that someone would approach him so casually in Konoha.
Older Sasuke quickly posed his question. Nagato froze, then fell silent for a long while before responding.
"…Sorry. I can't answer that question anymore," Nagato said.
"Why not?" Older Sasuke asked.
Nagato replied, "Because... I'm lost now. I don't know how you learned about my old ideals, but lately I've been wondering, if I had succeeded, if the world had lived under the threat of a weapon capable of destroying everything at any time... would people have really been happy?"
"More likely, they would have lived in fear, secretly building power to resist me. And then I, in the name of peace, would have had to suppress those resistances... and it would all spiral into an endless cycle."
Older Sasuke remained silent. After a while, Nagato, though blind, seemed to look off into the distance toward Konoha.
"These past few days in Konoha... I haven't found a clear answer. But I've come to understand at least one thing."
"The peace I wanted was one where everyone could live in safety, no wars, and even if there were disputes, they'd be resolved through fair and just means.... An ideal world."
"But that kind of world probably doesn't exist," Older Sasuke said.
"No, it doesn't," Nagato agreed. "But that doesn't stop me from chasing it."
"Even if we can't change the whole world, maybe we can change the environment around us. Countless people have thrown themselves toward their ideals. Few succeed. But do they regret it?"
"Perhaps... every action we take brings us closer to what we believe in. That process alone may be enough."
Nagato shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't leave Konoha now, so I can't chase that ideal."
"You're not alone, Nagato," Konan said gently.
"No, Konan. You've already done enough for me. You should chase your own dream now, not—"
But Konan interrupted firmly. "Nagato, I don't have a dream. Your dream is my dream. I'll help you make it real."
Nagato fell silent again. Then he said softly, "I don't know if I was right. Maybe the answers I'm looking for... I got from Jiraiya-sensei and the Sixth Hokage."
"Thank you. I understand now," Older Sasuke said.
"No need to thank me. You're from Konoha too, right? I don't know why you asked, but I hope it helped," Nagato replied.
"It helped a lot," Older Sasuke nodded.
"Good to hear." Nagato smiled.
"We'll take our leave then," Konan said after seeing Older Sasuke had no more questions.
Older Sasuke nodded and watched as Konan pushed Nagato's wheelchair away.
He stood still for a while before turning to leave.
An ideal world, huh… Older Sasuke thought. In his timeline, the wars between the Five Great Nations had indeed stopped, but who was to say it would last?
Besides, from what he knew, the supposed peace was only on the surface. In the shadows, the same threats still lingered, merely overshadowed by the Ōtsutsuki invasion.
And just then, Older Sasuke had a realization: Maybe… after defeating the Ōtsutsuki, I'll finally know what I want to do next.
"How'd it go?" Sasuke asked, walking up beside him.
"Very insightful," Older Sasuke nodded.
Sasuke also nodded. "That's good, then."
They turned and left together.
Meanwhile, Konan and Nagato were also talking about Older Sasuke.
"Do you think there was something strange about that guy?" Konan asked.
"No," Nagato replied. "If Jiraiya-sensei was okay with it, then that means the village doesn't see him as a threat."
"I see." Konan nodded, then hesitated. "Nagato, are you really not going to get an eye transplant? Lady Tsunade examined you. You might not regain full vision, but you could at least see again."
"There's no need," Nagato replied. "I'm a criminal. Even if I could see, the Sixth Hokage wouldn't let me leave the village. I don't want to waste someone else's eyes."
"Maybe Natsuro wouldn't mind letting you leave," Jiraiya said, returning to their side.
"I don't want to trouble you anymore, Sensei," Nagato said. He knew Jiraiya would probably go speak to the Sixth Hokage if he agreed, but he didn't want to owe Jiraiya anything else.
Because he still remembered Natsuro's question to him.
If Jiraiya had gone to investigate the Akatsuki back then… he might've really ended up killing him. That thought made Nagato feel he no longer had the right to ask Jiraiya for anything.
Jiraiya sighed and didn't press the issue.
....
Three days later, Karasuki had once again fully recharged and was ready for the return journey.
The same five people gathered as before. Naruto and Boruto were clinging to each other, sobbing uncontrollably, causing the others nearby to sweat awkwardly.
Sasuke and Older Sasuke simply exchanged a knowing smile.
"I hope you become Hokage," Older Sasuke said. Although he had failed in his own world, he felt that the Sasuke in this world might actually succeed.
"Thanks. I hope you find your own path as well," Sasuke replied.
Natsuro glanced at Karasuki, while Umbreon on his shoulder yawned, seemingly uninterested in what was about to happen.
Natsuro, on the other hand, was full of curiosity. He wanted to see exactly what kind of power was being used to travel through time and space. After all, even after playing around with Urashiki Ōtsutsuki for so long, he had still gained very little understanding of temporal abilities.
What he didn't know was that his ability to perceive fluctuations in time was already proof that he had maxed out his potential in space-time ninjutsu.
Most people, no matter how often they encountered Urashiki's time-reversal, couldn't sense even the slightest temporal disturbance.
In other words, if someone ever used time-reversal again in the future, he would be able to sense it instantly, the only issue was that he was still a long way from being able to use that kind of power himself.
"All right, stop crying. Maybe you'll see each other again someday," Natsuro said helplessly as he looked at Naruto and Boruto, who were still sobbing.
"I'll miss you!" Naruto said, wiping his eyes.
"I'll miss you too!" Boruto echoed, also wiping away tears.
Naruto reluctantly guided Boruto to the center of the array. Older Sasuke watched him with a somewhat helpless look.
At that moment, Older Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, even in his own world, wasn't it rare for Boruto and Naruto to be like this?
Still, he could understand. Once they returned to their world, Naruto probably wouldn't have time to spend with Boruto like this again.
"These past few days have been great. Thank you all," Older Sasuke said.
Boruto nodded vigorously in agreement. Naruto and Sasuke, standing nearby, both smiled.
"We feel the same way!"
"Then, we'll be going now," Older Sasuke said. Finally, Karasuki let out a sigh of relief, and the energy within its body began to spread.
A bright light emerged from where Older Sasuke and Boruto stood.
Natsuro squinted at the glow, and at the same time, focused all his sensory ability, trying to detect the slightest ripple of time.
When the light faded, Older Sasuke and Boruto had vanished.
Natsuro frowned, then sighed. As expected, the power of time wasn't something that could be grasped so easily. Even after pushing himself to the limit, he still couldn't understand the mechanism behind Karasuki's ability, let alone grasp the power of time itself.
"They're gone…" Naruto muttered, looking at the empty spot with a hint of loss.
"If you really miss him that much," Natsuro raised an eyebrow, "then why not make it official with Hinata already? Get married. Have a kid."
Natsuro had already mentally prepared himself. After all, in any world, time was likely one of the hardest forces to control.
So not being able to sense it didn't bother him.
"W-W-Wha—what are you saying?!" Naruto's entire face flushed red, and he stumbled over his words. His eyes spun like spirals. Marriage was a huge deal, and having a child? Even bigger.
"Hmph, so you're not denying it's Hinata, huh?" Natsuro teased with a smirk.
Naruto was speechless again, face completely red. This time, he didn't say a word or try to argue back.
Natsuro looked again at the spot where Older Sasuke and Boruto had disappeared. "I wonder where they ended up…"
"Hopefully back in their own world," Sasuke said. Then he looked at Natsuro and asked, "Do you think we'll ever get a chance to visit their world?"
Natsuro paused for a second, then smiled.
"Of course."
"In that case, I'd like to go see it," Sasuke said.
"I wanna go too!" Naruto chimed in, raising his hand.
"Heh, there'll be a chance."
In a strange, glowing space, Older Sasuke and Boruto sat idly beside Karasuki.
"Mr. Sasuke… do you think we'll actually make it back to our world?" Boruto asked.
"We'll find out soon enough," Older Sasuke replied.
After some time, Karasuki finally retracted its power. Older Sasuke and Boruto tumbled downward, and landed in a familiar forest.
"This is…"
They looked around, then made their way out just as they had before. Eventually, they saw buildings in the distance.
"This… looks like Konoha, but it still doesn't feel like our world…" Boruto said, disappointed.
"This is going to be a problem…" Older Sasuke sighed. He began considering whether to seek out Sasuke and Natsuro in this timeline.
Suddenly, both he and Boruto froze.
A figure had appeared beside them, and neither had sensed a thing.
"You are…?" Older Sasuke drew his sword instantly, but once he saw the man clearly, his eyes widened.
"Well, long time no see. Looks like you didn't make it back to your world after all," the young man said with a smile.
Older Sasuke put his sword away, smiling bitterly. "Looks like we can't go home after all."
"Need me to send you back?" the man asked.
Older Sasuke and Boruto froze.
"You… you can send us back?" Boruto asked.
"Of course. That's why I'm here," the man said with a grin. With a wave of his hand, a pitch-black rift opened before them.
"Enter that, and you'll return to your world."
Older Sasuke stared at the man intently. Even though he could see him clearly, he couldn't sense anything from him, not a single trace.
The gap between us…
After a moment's silence, Older Sasuke nodded and led Boruto into the rift.
Then, the rift vanished.
The young man stretched lazily, let out a yawn, and disappeared, as if he had never been there at all.
Older Sasuke and Boruto, meanwhile, felt as though they were falling endlessly through a bottomless abyss.
Eventually, they saw light, and when they came to, they found themselves in a familiar place.
It was the archives where they'd first chased after Urashiki.
So this… really was their world.
"We… we really made it back," Boruto said in disbelief.
"We did." Older Sasuke looked up at the sky and added, "Maybe someday, we really will meet that world's Naruto and Sasuke again."
.....
A day or two after Older Sasuke and Boruto's departure, Naruto came to find Natsuro.
"What is it?" Natsuro asked, surprised.
"I want to break the seal on the Nine-Tails," Naruto said seriously.
"Oh? You've mastered your Wind Style: Rasenshuriken?" Natsuro asked.
Naruto shook his head and explained about Sasuke's Susanoo. He felt that Sasuke had already surpassed him, and he couldn't afford to keep falling behind.
"I feel like my Rasenshuriken is almost complete, it's just missing one final piece. Maybe… in a fight with the Nine-Tails, I'll find it."
"I see…" Natsuro thought for a moment. True, there was only so much Naruto could achieve training alone, not everyone was like himself.
And right now, Sasuke really was stronger. Not only did he have Susanoo, but also Sage Mode, and four abilities from his Mangekyō Sharingan. Against that, Naruto couldn't keep up.
Finally, Natsuro looked at Naruto and asked:
"Naruto, one last time, are you really ready?"
"I'm ready!" Naruto nodded firmly, determination gleaming in his eyes.
"Good." Natsuro smiled and agreed.
There was no reason to refuse, he already knew that the Nine-Tails had acknowledged Naruto long ago. It was just waiting for him to defeat it personally.
And with that in mind, how could he possibly say no?
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Currently on Chapter 366 - The Meeting of Yin and Yang Kurama