Maintaining the correct history—this idea always struck Shin as laughable. The very concept made his lips curl into a sardonic smile as he faced down his opponents.
Such arrogance, thinking there's only one path worth walking.
In his previous life, he saw many TV shows playing with this concept.
Whether it was Naruto, Attack on Titan, or even World of Warcraft, they all shared the same fatal flaw: an arrogant reliance on fatalism.
They all insisted that only one predetermined path was the correct one. Even if that path was riddled with tragedy and imperfection, no deviation was permitted. As if suffering was somehow more noble than change.
Shin despised this kind of thinking.
He preferred Emerson's words: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
There was no such thing as a fixed historical trajectory. History was created by those who walked it.
So to him, there was no correct path—only the road beneath one's feet.
For this reason, when Sasuke uttered the words "we must preserve the correct history," Shin immediately realized he and the Konoha group would never see eye to eye.
Because from the moment Shin transmigrated into this world, he had been rebelling against correct history. After all, that so-called correct history had intended for him to die from the very beginning.
Initially, he only planned to drive these people away. Sasuke in his final form was a Six Paths-level powerhouse, and Shin wasn't keen on provoking such a formidable enemy unnecessarily.
But sometimes fate forces your hand, doesn't it? And rewards...
So, unwillingly, they found themselves in a three-on-one battle: the Akatsuki trio against Sasuke.
"Formation Alpha!" Shin called out, and his teammates moved instantly. They had practiced this countless times, but never against an opponent of this caliber.
Nagato bore the brunt of the pressure, using Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten'in in quick succession to deflect Sasuke's attacks.
"I've got the skies!" Konan shouted, her paper wings spreading wide as she took to the air. Her mastery of aerial combat allowed her to maneuver freely in the skies above the battlefield, paper shuriken raining down in precise patterns to limit Sasuke's movement options.
Unexpectedly, however, it was Shin who delivered the highest damage output—albeit in a manner no one anticipated.
Psychological damage was still damage.
"Tell me," he called out, "does your precious 'correct history' include all the deaths you could have prevented?"
After just a few exchanges, Sasuke looked visibly frustrated.
On the ground, Hanabi, who was still tangling with a few of Nagato's Pain puppets, was utterly stunned by what she saw.
She had never imagined that Sasuke, would struggle so much against a group of 'defeated enemies' from Konoha's past.
From her vantage point, it even seemed like he was the one being suppressed.
How is it be possible? How did we ever beat Akatsuki back in Konoha's history?
In the timeline Hanabi came from, Naruto had defeated Nagato with nothing but words.
Now, Shin was turning the tables, using words to suppress Sasuke.
Fair enough, right?
This karmic justice, however, felt especially heavy when it landed on Sasuke's shoulders.
"How much do you know about Konoha? Who are you, really? Where did you come from?" Sasuke asked as he raised his hand, unfurling a long scroll.
With a loud bam, a massive windmill shuriken appeared.
As he hurled it through the air, Sasuke quickly formed a single-handed seal, causing the shuriken to multiply and blot out the sky as they rained down on Shin.
"Behind you!" Nagato called out, instantly moving to shield him. He activated Shinra Tensei once more to repel the attack, the gravitational pulse sending shuriken scattering in all directions.
But Sasuke wasn't done—he manipulated steel wires attached to the shuriken, expertly redirecting their trajectory.
Even those deflected by Shinra Tensei looped back around unnaturally, as if refusing to accept defeat.
Shin's heightened sensory abilities through the air current detected that several of these shuriken emitted unusual chakra signatures. Using the real shuriken as cover for the clones.
As expected, with a series of hand seals, Sasuke transformed the clones mid-air, sending them hurtling toward Shin with blades electrified by lightning chakra.
So this is what it looks like to fight someone who's survived to the endgame...
The icy blossoms on his back spun faster, unleashing freezing winds and shards of ice that shredded the incoming clones.
The temperature around him plummeted as his power manifested, turning the air into a weapon.
Clone after clone burst into smoke as they were caught in his frozen tempest.
Sasuke quickly summoned a bird to catch himself mid-air. His eyes narrowed as he analyzed the technique, Sharingan spinning rapidly to process what he was seeing.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more puzzled he became.
Ice jutsu weren't common in Suna or Ame, and this particular variation seemed entirely unique.
Who is this guy?
Sasuke had prepared himself for Akatsuki's strength, having been a member in his youth. But never had he heard of an ice-user like Shin.
"Who are you?" Sasuke asked again. "A Yuki clan member?"
His hand rested on his sword hilt as he studied Shin's movements, looking for any pattern or weakness he could exploit.
Shin smirked. "I've already introduced myself. The question is—why don't you explain why you're really here in Rōran? If you truly wanted to protect history, why not just leave? What are you hiding?"
His probing words were meant to extract information, but Sasuke remained silent.
Shin's grin widened. "Dragging this out, hoping I wouldn't notice your little brat sneaking off? You don't think I realized his real body disappeared right after the fight started? You sent him toward the Ryūmyaku, didn't you?"
Sasuke's hand tightened on his sword, a flicker of lightning chakra running down the blade.
---
Boruto went deeper into Rōran's underground passageways, unaware that his stealth mission was no longer a secret.
As he neared the Ryūmyaku's core, a soft rumble of tiny hooves made him freeze.
"Got you, little boy~"
Boruto yelped, nearly dropping the Karasuki he carried. Scrambling to catch it, he looked up to see… a miniature elephant? The sight was so unexpected he almost dropped the time-travel turtle again.
"What's that in your hand?" the elephant asked, her trunk curling as she balanced perfectly on a narrow ledge above him.
"None of your business! A tiny elephant thinks it can stop me?"
Ayumi didn't respond, merely unrolling a scroll from a pouch strapped to her side with her trunk and pressing it against the wall.
Bam!
From the scroll emerged a partially completed puppet—a middle-aged man whose spiral-patterned Rinnegan glowed ominously.
Boruto froze. Those eyes... Just like Sasuke-sensei's...
Ayumi looked at him while balancing on the puppet's shoulder.
"A tiny elephant, huh?" she said, her trunk casually holding a kunai. "Care to repeat that?"
---
When Shin exposed Sasuke and the others' calculations with a single remark, the tug-of-war in the air finally ground to a halt.
Sasuke, no longer concerned about affecting history, fully unleashed his power and summoned his Susanoo once more.
The colossal purple warrior forced the Akatsuki trio to retreat with a single slash. Then, he went deeper into Rōran, the Susanoo's wings spread wide against the desert sky.
As he flew, Sasuke shouted, "Boruto's in danger! The time-travel device is still on him! Fall back immediately!"
This call was directed toward Hanabi, engaged in ground combat, and Gaara, who was fighting deep in the desert. Below, Hanabi spun through a barrage of attacks from the Paths of Pain.
By now, events had veered entirely off course from their original expectations at the start of the battle.
Sasuke had believed that, after experiencing the battle at the Valley of the End, he was nearly invincible and capable of suppressing anyone from the past.
Yet, to his surprise, the Akatsuki trio matched him blow for blow. Since the battle with Kaguya, he hadn't experienced emotional turmoil as intense as what he endured today.
Hanabi, who had thought her status as an elite jonin of Konoha would at least allow her to protect Boruto's shadow clone and execute their deception tactic, found herself unexpectedly powerless before the three Paths of Pain.
The purpose of misleading the enemy was completely defeated, as Shin had seen through their ruse from the start. She dodged another blast, her feet sliding across the sand.
As for Gaara, he was the only future ninja who managed to gain an advantage in combat—but he remained utterly clueless about the situation.
"What's happening to Boruto? What on earth is going on?"
He wore a bewildered expression, feeling like nothing more than an outsider, merely invited to the 'game' to make up the numbers.
Earlier, when they initiated the battle outside the city, this was far from what they had envisioned.
Were the ninjas in past wars really this terrifying? How did the village even survive the Great Ninja Wars back then? Hanabi rushed back.
---
In pursuit, Shin continued his interrogation. "At this point, aren't you going to reveal the purpose of your trip to Rōran?"
Initially, Sasuke had firmly decided not to disclose anything to people of the past timeline. However, whether due to his suspicion of Shin's identity or the adverse battlefield conditions, he was now forced to compromise on some of his principles.
When they held the advantage, they could afford to say nothing, suppress their enemies, and leave, minimizing any impact on the past.
But now, even as reluctant as Sasuke was, he had to admit he couldn't quickly deal with the Akatsuki trio. Maintain timeline integrity or protect Boruto... which matters more?
Unable to defeat them quickly, Sasuke had no choice but to concede a bit. Maybe Akatsuki could help? And they would lose their memories anyway.
"We arrived here by accident, chasing an enemy named Urashiki—and also to safeguard history. However, from the looks of it now, achieving the latter goal is nearly impossible."
"And where is this Urashiki? Why did you come to Rōran? Did you use the Ryūmyaku to travel back?" Shin's questions came rapid-fire.
In a way, this was his reward for the battle. Through sheer and slightly underhanded effort, he had subdued his opponent and naturally earned some intel.
But Sasuke, too preoccupied, ignored him and focused on rushing deeper into Rōran.
Shin turned to look at Nagato, who was also flying through the air. He knew that Nagato had entrusted the incomplete Tendō to Ayumi, and he wanted to ask how things were going on that front.
Before he could ask, Nagato's expression suddenly turned one of shock.
No way. Shin froze, startled. This chakra...
Could it really just be this coincidental?
---
Deep underground in Rōran, the grand entrance of Tendō had left Boruto so terrified his legs turned to jelly.
Summoning his courage, he attempted his father's signature jutsu, chakra swirling wildly in his palm.
"Rasengan!"
However, as he charged forward, he felt like he had slammed into an invisible wall. The collision made his head buzz, his jutsu dissipating like smoke.
"Shinra Tensei!"
With just a gesture, Tendō showed Boruto what true ninja power meant. The gravitational force slammed into him like a mountain, sending him flying backward into the stone walls.
"That… That strong?!" Boruto gasped, struggling to his feet. His whole body trembled, not just from the impact.
This single move nearly shattered his confidence entirely, the disparity leaving him in despair.
Was this the kind of enemy my dad faced in the past? He stared at his shaking hands. Everything I thought I knew about being a ninja...
Though Akatsuki hadn't intended it, they inadvertently delivered a brutal lesson, disciplining Naruto's wayward son on behalf of the future. Boruto would henceforth learn to approach the older generation of ninjas with more humility.
In his despair, he nearly flung away the Karasuki. At that moment, however, a sudden shift occurred. The very foundations of Rōran seemed to tremble.
The ground beneath them began to shake violently.
"What's happening?" Ayumi asked, her tiny trunk curling in distress as she balanced herself on the trembling ground.
She quickly retreated behind Tendō's robes, seeking protection from whatever was coming.
In the next instant, orange energy surged wildly, emerging through every crack in the stone floor. The light was blinding, transforming the underground chamber into a hellish scene.
Then, a skeletal hand burst through the ground and grabbed Boruto's leg.
Looking down, the boy let out a shrill scream, his face draining of all color.
"Ahhhh! What is that?!"
The pale hand clung tightly to him, its grip growing stronger with each passing second.
Its owner, with a crazed and longing gaze, stared at the Karasuki in Boruto's hands.
"You're here! You've finally arrived!! I've been waiting in this world for ten whole months! The cursed Ryūmyaku has kept me trapped, but today, you're here at last!"
"Hahaha! Now I'll make you feel my pain!"
The skeletal figure produced a strange, fishing-rod-like weapon from his back.
Only then did Boruto recognize this ghostly figure, his blood running cold.
"You… You… You're Urashiki?!"
It turned out that Urashiki had arrived even earlier than they had, months before. They couldn't find him—not because of a timing error, but because he had been sealed within the Ryūmyaku.
And now, sensing their arrival and the presence of the Karasuki, Urashiki had finally broke free from his imprisonment. Orange energy continued to pour from his body like a corrupted fountain.
Urashiki cast his fishing line indiscriminately toward everyone present, the hook splitting into dozens of deadly points. "You ants will all die! Feel the agony of my captivity!"
His laughter echoed off the stone walls.
Ayumi trumpeted in alarm, her small form pressing against Tendō's legs for protection.
Boruto surprisingly regained his composure. Something about facing a familiar enemy, even one as terrifying as Urashiki, steadied his nerves.
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out across the chamber.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The gravitational force slammed into Urashiki's fishing lines, sending them scattering in all directions. The hooks embedded themselves in the stone walls.
Moments ago, this voice had been a nightmare to Boruto. But now, it felt like divine music. The enemy of my enemy...
"Hah, Urashiki, experience true ninja power! The ninja era isn't over yet!" he shouted.
He stepped up beside Tendō, readying another Rasengan. This time, the chakra swirled more steadily in his palm.
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122/200 reached for bonus chapter.
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