"Sasuke-san, is this really Konoha from more than ten years ago?"
The spiky-haired boy stared at the Hokage Monument, where only five faces were carved.
Beside him, the adult Uchiha Sasuke said,
"That's right. I just don't know exactly which point in time this is. What matters most is finding Urashiki."
He tried to guess their enemy's intent.
"His target is Naruto when he was still a child. He wants to take the Nine-Tails' chakra from him at this age, so he can collect the power of the Tailed Beasts."
At that moment, the turtle in the boy's hands suddenly spoke.
"Right now, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade-sama, is in charge of Konoha. Urashiki-sama's spatial coordinates were set for Uzumaki Naruto's childhood. However, due to an error during the space-time transfer, we veered off course. The Urashiki-sama who was separated from us will arrive in a few days."
"What are you supposed to be? One of Urashiki's allies?" the boy asked suspiciously.
"I am a time-space transport treasure, Karasuki. Before anything else, I must remind you—do not attempt to alter the future. Doing so could cause certain people or things from your future to disappear entirely."
Karasuki was a precious artifact only the Ōtsutsuki clan possessed. It could carry people across time and space, and provide warnings—but had no other functions.
Sasuke of this era and Naruto's son, Boruto, had both come from the future. Their pursuit of Urashiki, who sought the Tailed Beasts' chakra, had gone awry and cast them into this time period.
"Hmph. If it's this point in history… Kiyosuke-sama is in his prime."
Sasuke snorted coldly, filled with disdain for Urashiki's arrogance.
Boruto perked up at that name.
"I've heard my mom and dad talk about him when I was little. What kind of person was he really?"
"…A hero."
Sasuke sighed.
"All right. We'll need to stay hidden. Kiyosuke-sama isn't an ordinary man. He might notice something off about us. Take off your forehead protector."
"Got it."
Boruto obediently removed it, then asked,
"Even if he's really strong, there's no way he could possibly see through who we really are—that we came from the future, right?"
Sasuke gave Boruto a long, meaningful look.
"I already told you—not to underestimate Kiyosuke-sama. Without him, Naruto and I would never have survived. You wouldn't even exist."
He thought back to that final battle against Kaguya—so perilous, so narrow their victory.
But in the end…
Sasuke exhaled softly.
"Let's move."
The two slipped into a side alley, changed their clothing, and quietly infiltrated Konoha.
...
At the same time, Kiyosuke was reporting a mission to Tsunade when he suddenly lifted his head and looked out the window.
"What is it?" Tsunade noticed his movement.
"…Nothing. Maybe just my imagination."
But that chakra… wasn't it Sasuke's? What would Sasuke's chakra be doing here in Konoha? Right now, he should be with Orochimaru.
Still, this chakra felt different—far stronger than Sasuke's ever was.
Once he finished his report, Kiyosuke leapt from the Hokage's office. Following his senses, he landed right in front of the two disguised intruders.
"Yo, strangers. You look familiar somehow. Haven't we met before?"
Kiyosuke looked straight at Sasuke.
"That's… Kiyosuke-sama?!"
Boruto jumped in shock. So fast?!
"No. You've mistaken me for someone else."
"Is that so?"
Kiyosuke didn't press further. Instead, he suddenly swung a fist at Sasuke.
Though already in his thirties, this version of Sasuke had fought countless battles. His body was at its peak, both arms intact, his combat prowess intact. His chakra reserves were running low, but he could still match Kiyosuke's sudden strike.
The two clashed in a blur of blows, their movements too fast for the eye to follow, as they battled fiercely in the narrow alley.
"S-so fast!"
Boruto had always thought his father was unbelievably strong, yet here was another man, just as powerful.
Was this the might of the man once known as the strongest in Konoha?
Boom!
The two separated. Kiyosuke flicked his sleeve, and several large snakes shot out, coiling tightly around the unprepared Boruto.
"Boruto!"
Sasuke's shout gave him away. Kiyosuke instantly realized the truth.
"Ha. I knew it. So you really are Sasuke. Which means this kid… is Naruto's son, isn't he?"
Kiyosuke looked Boruto up and down. Golden hair, a spiky style like a pineapple, whisker-like marks on his cheeks—Naruto's son, without question. The bright blue eyes clearly came from Minato.
The boy's clothes matched the style of this era, and his face, so like Naruto's, was filled with astonishment.
"So, you already know things about the future."
Sasuke wasn't surprised. He had once met the White Snake Sage, who mentioned Kiyosuke. Neither the Sage, nor Jiraiya, had ever told Kiyosuke about Sasuke's so-called "destiny." And yet he clearly knew.
There could only be one answer—Kiyosuke had learned certain truths about the future from somewhere, and had prepared accordingly.
"Everyone has one or two secrets."
Kiyosuke let Boruto go. The snakes slithered back into his sleeve.
"Still, what a pathetic excuse for a shinobi. No spirit, no awareness. Is this what future ninja are like? Tch. Did Naruto even bother training his own son?"
Boruto: certified non-burnable trash!
Boruto himself: also trash!
"Maybe Naruto was too busy as the Seventh Hokage," Sasuke replied.
"Hey! What's that supposed to—"
Before Boruto could finish, Kiyosuke smacked him on the head, leaving a big bump.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"
"For being an ill-mannered brat. If Naruto didn't teach you, didn't Hinata? She may be soft-spoken, but as a mother she's plenty strong. Do you really expect me to believe she'd raise you like this?"
"Wait—how do you know who my mom is?"
"Hmph. Look at Naruto. Who else would marry him but Hinata? Was that really hard to guess?"
Kiyosuke waved him off and asked,
"So, why did you two come to this point in time?"
"There's an enemy. In a few days, he'll arrive in this era to try and steal the Nine-Tails from Naruto. We came to stop him. But we got caught up in a space-time rift and ended up here instead."
Since they'd already been exposed, there was no point hiding it. Once his Rinnegan recovered, Sasuke planned to erase Kiyosuke's memory anyway.
For now, why not enlist the strongest man of this time as an ally to help ambush Urashiki?
Sasuke had no idea there was someone here who could rival Naruto himself.
If so, then why not use that power to kill Urashiki once and for all?
"…Hmm. I see. Must be another Ōtsutsuki, right?"
Kiyosuke didn't know much about Boruto's era. So many years had passed, and his memory of the details had long since blurred.
Sasuke nodded.
"Yes. His name is Ōtsutsuki Urashiki."
"Oh? By the way… how am I doing in the future?"
Kiyosuke couldn't resist asking, curiosity plain in his voice.
The question instantly changed both their expressions.
Boruto stood in Konoha Village, face tight with unease…