After Hinata left, Boruto became anxious, realizing that his father and mother weren't together. It even seemed like his mother had developed feelings for someone else. If his father and mother weren't together, how could he possibly exist?
Even though this timeline wasn't the same as his own, Boruto found it difficult to accept.
"Hey, uh, Father—I mean, Naruto… big bro. What's your relationship with that lady who just left?" Boruto felt he had to help his father out a little, so he asked.
"Oh, you mean Hinata? She and I were classmates for a year. She'll probably be marrying Akira soon," Naruto answered without holding anything back, after hearing Boruto's question.
This answer left Boruto stunned.
What was going on? They were classmates for only a year? He remembered his father and mother being classmates for a full six years!
And now his mother was about to marry someone else?
"Naruto, happiness is something you have to fight for. If you really like someone, then just boldly confess your feelings!" Boruto, convinced that Naruto liked Hinata but was too afraid to pursue her since she was already spoken for, decided to encourage him.
"Confess boldly and fight for what you want?" Naruto paused in his steps, looking at Boruto with a curious glint in his eyes.
"Yes, fight for it! Trust me, it will work out!" Seeing the hesitant hope in Naruto's eyes, Boruto felt a glimmer of light, like he could finally see a path forward.
This is crazy—I'm teaching my own father how to pursue my mother? What kind of situation is this?
Boruto couldn't help but silently complain to himself.
But what else could he do? To ensure that he himself would be born in this timeline, he had to give it his all.
"Hmm, you might have a point. I'm not getting any younger… perhaps it's time to make a move." Naruto nodded thoughtfully, seeming to agree with Boruto.
"But… she already likes someone else. Isn't it wrong to pursue her anyway?" Naruto's newfound resolve faltered, and he shook his head, struggling with the morality of the situation.
"There's nothing wrong with it! Everyone has the right to fight for the person they love!" Seeing Naruto wavering, Boruto immediately spoke up to encourage him.
Afraid that Naruto might actually give up, Boruto quickly added, "By the way, we just passed a flower shop. Let me buy you a bouquet. Giving her flowers will definitely increase your chances of success!"
"Alright, I must admit, you're young, but you sure know a lot about this stuff! Let's do it!" Under Boruto's constant encouragement, Naruto finally seemed fired up, nodding his head with determination.
Once the words were said, Boruto quickly ran off, found the flower shop they had passed, and picked out a beautiful bouquet for Naruto.
Naruto, holding the big bouquet in his arms, used the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu to scout and locate his target, and soon waited in a small alleyway, ready to confess.
"Am I the only person in history who's ever helped his father pursue his own mother?" Boruto thought to himself with mixed emotions while standing beside Naruto, waiting.
About ten minutes later, footsteps approached, getting closer and closer.
Judging the timing, Naruto jumped out, holding the bouquet forward, "Sakura, I'm giving you these flowers. Go out with me!"
"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you? I like Sasuke, not you!" Haruno Sakura said with exasperation, looking at Naruto, who had jumped out of nowhere.
"But Sakura…" Naruto began to argue.
Meanwhile, Boruto, who had been full of confidence just moments before, was completely dumbfounded.
What was happening? Wasn't he supposed to be helping his father pursue Hinata? Why was Naruto holding a bouquet and confessing to Aunt Sakura?
Wasn't this Sarada's mother?
If his father really ended up with Aunt Sakura, wouldn't that mean neither he nor Sarada would ever be born?
Everything had become completely chaotic! Boruto felt utterly confused and helpless. He wanted to try to put things right, but everything seemed tangled beyond repair.
While Boruto was urging Naruto to confess to Sakura again…
Meanwhile, Sasuke was following Akira back to the Uchiha compound.
As they entered the compound, the once blurry memories grew clearer for Sasuke, leaving him deeply moved.
Sasuke was already in his thirties now. The Uchiha Massacre was over twenty years ago for him, and the memories of the Uchiha compound had long since faded.
He never imagined he'd get to see the Uchiha living together again.
Watching many Uchiha children laugh and play, seeing the elderly bask in the sun and the younger clan members chat happily, Sasuke felt an unprecedented calmness settle within him.
If not for his wife and child waiting for him in his original timeline, Sasuke would have seriously considered staying here.
This life was something he had never even dared to dream of.
Akira walked with Sasuke through the compound, giving him a proper tour.
Seeing Sasuke's expression, Akira couldn't help but smile.
Truth be told, Akira also found it quite amusing. A thirty-something Sasuke traveling from a parallel universe—letting him see what the current Konoha and the Uchiha Clan were like—it must have filled many gaps in his heart.
In a sense, the scene before Sasuke was akin to living under the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
As they walked, many of the clan members greeted Akira warmly.
Akira led Sasuke around the village, introducing him to everything. They spent half a day wandering through both Konoha and the Uchiha compound.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Hokage's residence—which, of course, was also Sasuke's home.
Standing in front of the familiar house, Sasuke stood still, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over him. He wanted to go inside, but his steps faltered.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to go in and take a look?" After a few minutes, seeing Sasuke hesitating, Akira asked.
"What's the situation in my house right now?" Instead of answering directly, Sasuke asked about the current state of his home.
"It's just the three of them, living happily together. Since Clan Leader Fugaku is now the Hokage, even though he's busy, it's still a happy family." Akira replied.
"The three of them? Who's missing?" Sasuke asked in surprise.
If the coup had succeeded, shouldn't all four of them still be there?
"Itachi defected from Konoha," Akira answered, glancing at Sasuke.
"Why?" Sasuke couldn't understand. If the coup had succeeded, why would Itachi defect?
"On one hand, it was to keep an eye on the Akatsuki," Akira explained.
Hearing this, Sasuke's expression darkened.
So even in this timeline, Itachi was bearing the burden of infiltrating the Akatsuki as a spy, just like in his own time. Despite the successful coup and his own father becoming Hokage, Itachi had still ended up infiltrating the Akatsuki?
"Also, on the night of the coup, Itachi allied with Konoha's higher-ups to launch an attack on the Uchiha. He killed quite a few clan members, and therefore couldn't stay in Konoha." Akira continued.
Hearing this explanation, Sasuke fell silent, his face somber.
If that was the case, then Itachi being unable to remain in Konoha did make sense.
After all, in his own timeline, he himself hadn't stayed in Konoha either.
Though the Uchiha had succeeded in their coup, Itachi had indeed attempted the massacre—fortunately, it had been thwarted.
"What exactly happened that night? Could you tell me in detail?" After a long pause, Sasuke asked Akira about the events of that fateful night.
The Uchiha Massacre of this timeline—Sasuke desperately wanted to know what had happened.
Opening his mouth, Akira prepared to recount the events of the Uchiha Massacre in this timeline.
After all, this was one of Akira's proudest achievements.
At the age of seven, he had managed to change the fate of the Uchiha—to prevent the tragedy that had once seemed inevitable. It wasn't something anyone who knew the original story could easily grasp, how difficult it had been for him to achieve that.
Now, with a time-traveling Sasuke who was well-versed in—and had even experienced—the original events, Akira was more than willing to share his greatest accomplishment.
"Akira, who is this…?" Just as Akira was about to start speaking, Mikoto Uchiha happened to return home. She saw Akira standing at the entrance and greeted him.
Sasuke looked at his mother, standing there alive in front of him, and found himself completely at a loss for words.
His eyes were fixed on her, and without understanding why, tears began streaming down Sasuke's face…
"What's going on?" Mikoto asked, puzzled by the sight of Sasuke crying.
From what she could tell, Sasuke, in his thirties, was only a few years younger than she was. His sudden tears left her thoroughly confused.
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POWER STONE!!!
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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 300+ at patreon.com/Emik01.