If Eida hasn't arrived in Konoha yet, and he can't rely on her "Omnipotence" Shinjutsu—which is basically an infinite Tsukuyomi-level reality rewrite—then replacing Sasuke is going to be tricky.
As for other methods...
Rasa knew perfectly well that in this world, he was an unregistered entity.
Using conventional Genjutsu to hypnotize a few dozen people was easy enough.
But establishing a publicly recognized identity? That was difficult.
Especially with Naruto Uzumaki watching from above.
If this were any other Ninja Village, it would be a breeze.
Rasa beckoned to Ino. When she leaned in close, he lowered his voice:
"Go check on Boruto's current condition."
"If nothing unexpected happened, he should be receiving treatment in the hospital. When you see him, tell him something..."
Hearing Rasa's words, a flash of shock and sadness crossed Ino's eyes.
Eventually, she nodded silently and whispered:
"Don't worry, Rasa. I understand."
After saying this, Ino leaned down and pressed her soft lips against Rasa's forehead.
After planting a firm kiss, Ino clenched her fists, turned on her heels, and walked out.
Rasa watched her retreating figure for a few moments.
He touched his forehead, seemingly still feeling the warmth and softness of her lips.
Lying back on the bed, he closed his eyes slowly, a faint smile touching his lips.
Once his body recovered in a few days, he would definitely have to taste Ino properly.
Minutes later.
Konoha Hospital.
Lying in a hospital bed, Boruto Uzumaki slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing his surroundings, he instinctively tried to sit up.
But severe pain shot through his body instantly, forcing him back onto the mattress with a cry of agony.
"It hurts!"
Hinata Uzumaki, who had just arrived after being notified of her son's condition, saw the pain on his face.
The joy of seeing him awake was instantly replaced by heartache.
Hinata stood up quickly, instinctively reaching out to touch Boruto's wounds.
But her hand stopped halfway, hovering in the air as she panicked.
"Boruto, hang in there! Mom will go find Sakura!"
"Mom, no, I'm not in pain—ow!"
Boruto tried to stop her, but the simple act of reaching out pulled at his wounds, causing him to cry out again.
Seeing his pained expression after stopping her, Hinata became even more anxious and turned toward the door.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
Ino Yamanaka, dressed in a sexy, provocative outfit and high heels, walked in. She immediately saw Hinata reaching for the door handle.
Seeing Ino enter, Hinata grabbed her hand in delight, pulling her toward Boruto's bed as she spoke rapidly:
"Ino! You came to see Boruto too?"
"That's great! I was just about to go find Sakura. Since you're here, please check on Boruto quickly!"
Being dragged somewhat roughly to the bedside by the anxious Hinata, Ino didn't get angry.
Instead, she calmly pulled up a chair, sat down elegantly, and began to expertly examine Boruto's condition.
A dozen seconds later.
Ino placed her hands over Boruto's chest, her palms emitting a gentle white glow.
While healing him, she said:
"Hinata, don't worry too much."
"Boruto's injuries are stable overall. It only hurt just now because he moved suddenly and tore the wound slightly."
Hinata let out a long breath of relief, gently patting her bountiful chest.
Her full, elastic breasts heaved up and down with the motion, creating a spectacular sight that would make anyone look twice.
Ino glanced at Hinata and spoke softly:
"Hinata, I have something to discuss with Boruto. Could you step out for a moment?"
Surprise flashed in Hinata's pale eyes, but she nodded slightly.
"Mmh. I'll wait outside."
Once Hinata left the room and closed the door.
Boruto, lying on the bed, asked curiously:
"Aunt Ino, what did you need to tell me that you had to send my mom away?"
Ino sighed softly, a trace of sorrow flashing in her eyes. Her red lips parted slightly as she delivered the heavy news:
"Boruto... is Sasuke really dead?"
Hearing this, Boruto's mouth fell open in shock.
"Aunt Ino, how do you know that?"
"I just woke up! I haven't told anyone yet!"
As he spoke, Boruto tried to sit up again, but Ino, anticipating this, gently pushed him back down.
With a sorrowful expression, Ino shook her head and whispered:
"Boruto, you must not tell anyone else about this."
Hearing this, Boruto became even more confused.
Before he could ask, Ino brushed the bangs covering one of her eyes aside. Her beautiful eyes locked onto Boruto's as she spoke with utmost seriousness:
"Do you remember the uncle who came to this world with you?"
"He also followed you to this world that doesn't belong to him... but this world is rejecting him."
"Until he finds a way to return to his own world, he needs a public identity to blend in temporarily."
Boruto's jaw dropped further. He wasn't stupid; he immediately realized the implication and stammered:
"You mean... he wants to take Uncle Sasuke's identity?"
Ino nodded solemnly, her face serious.
"Yes, Boruto. So you absolutely, absolutely cannot tell anyone that Sasuke died in some past world."
Boruto frowned deeply, his face full of incomprehension. After struggling with the thought for a few seconds, he spoke slowly:
"I can help with that, of course."
"He helped us so much. He was the one who took down Urashiki. Without him, I would probably be dead too."
"But... even so... everyone knows Uncle Sasuke's face and voice too well. Can he really pretend to be Uncle Sasuke?"
A somewhat eerie, confident smile appeared on Ino's face. She spoke firmly:
"Don't worry. At the very least, making Sakura and Sarada believe he is Sasuke won't be a problem."
"We just need to get through this period while he heals. We can deal with the rest later."
Boruto's eyes flickered with uncertainty. He hesitated.
"Is this really okay?"
"And... why do you seem so familiar and close with Uncle Rasa, Aunt Ino? Why are you helping him so much?"
Ino chuckled softly and shook her head.
Her bangs fell back into place, covering one eye again, giving her an air of mystery and silent charm.
"Because I happened to find Rasa and brought him home to take care of him."
"Besides... don't you think Rasa is very charming?"
Boruto frowned slightly. In his heart, Ino's explanation felt incredibly forced.
But in the end, he closed his eyes slowly and whispered:
"Fine. I won't say anything."
A happy smile bloomed on Ino's face. She nodded, praising him with genuine relief:
"It seems experiencing these things has really made you grow up, Boruto!"
Boruto opened his eyes slowly.
A complex emotion flashed through his gaze, but he remained silent.
Watching Uncle Sasuke die right in front of his eyes was a deep scar that had indeed forced him to mature significantly.
Rasa lay quietly on the bed, staring blankly at the brilliant sunset outside the window.
In the shadow cast by the setting sun, the gap at the head of his silhouette was clearly half the size of a fist.
And it was growing at a slow but noticeable rate.
Unknowingly, half a day had passed since he arrived in this Boruto world.
He wondered how long he would have to wander in this strange world before finding a way back.
Rasa could only pray silently.
He hoped the time ratio between this Boruto world and his original world was 1:1.
Even if there was a difference, let it not be too great.
He was afraid that if he stayed here too long, everything back home would have changed by the time he returned.
He feared missing the important people and events of his own world.
Meanwhile, in the Ninja World.
January 5th, Konoha Year 47.
Although the new year had arrived.
The atmosphere in Konoha was far from joyous; instead, it was shrouded in grief and solemnity.
In front of the Konoha Memorial Stone, a massive pile of flowers had accumulated.
The colorful blossoms were like the endless thoughts of the living for the dead, piled there to narrate their sorrow.
A red-haired woman sat quietly on a bench near the memorial.
Her pregnancy was now obvious, her belly protruding prominently beneath her black dress.
The black fabric swayed gently in the breeze, seemingly sighing along with the sorrowful atmosphere.
Her fiery red hair looked even more dazzling against the black, yet it exuded an indescribable loneliness.
When the ninjas and civilians passing by inadvertently glanced at the red-haired woman.
They would stop involuntarily, their eyes filled with sympathy.
Then, their gazes would shift to her high belly, and expectation would flicker in their eyes.
After all, the woman before them was the widow of the Fourth Hokage-designate, Minato Namikaze.
The child she carried was undoubtedly Minato's bloodline.
Just a month ago, during Minato's memorial service.
Many civilians and low-ranking ninjas learned for the first time that this devastatingly beautiful red-haired woman was Minato Namikaze's fiancée.
Kushina Uzumaki sat quietly on the bench.
She ignored the gazes directed at her completely, acting as if she saw nothing.
She slowly reached out, gently stroking her swollen belly.
Her beautiful eyes held a trace of indescribable complexity.
There was sorrow, helplessness, and confusion about the future—like a bottomless pool, unfathomable to others.
Kushina was well aware of the stares, the whispers, and the discussions happening behind her back.
But she had absolutely no intention of clarifying anything.
After all, in the eyes of the public, she was indeed still Minato's fiancée.
In reality, she had broken up with Minato peacefully a month ago.
But only a few days later, before Minato could mention it to anyone else in the village...
He had met with that terrible accident and left this world.
So, even the Third Hokage didn't know that she and Minato had separated.
However, since Minato had unfortunately passed away, and she had decided to stay and live in Konoha.
Then, for the sake of the future of the child in her belly—whether it be a son or a daughter.
To ensure the child wouldn't face discrimination while growing up.
Maintaining the identity of "fiancée" was necessary.
Konoha Hospital.
"The imprisoned Uchiha clansmen have all disappeared?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi lay in his hospital bed, frowning deeply, his voice full of doubt.
A Konoha ninja bowed his head respectfully.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. When we changed shifts this morning, we found all the night guards dead, and the prison cells completely empty."
Hiruzen subconsciously stroked his beard, staring straight ahead.
With his permission, only a thousand or so Uchiha had followed Rasa to the Sand Village.
A large number of other Uchiha remained imprisoned in Konoha for various reasons.
Those held in the high-security prison were specifically the ninjas who had participated in the siege on the Hokage Building.
He had planned to execute them publicly the day after tomorrow.
But he never expected something like this to happen.
Hiruzen asked again:
"Everyone vanished without a trace?"
"Did the barrier detection team notice any signs of them leaving?"
The ninja lowered his head further, almost burying it in his chest, his voice anxious:
"No, Lord Hokage. Including the dozen Root ninjas held there..."
"The Barrier Team has been running at maximum power for the past month, but last night... no unfamiliar Chakra signatures were detected entering or leaving..."
"Alright. You may go."
Watching the ninja retreat, Hiruzen frowned tighter, staring at the ceiling.
This was too strange. Too unreasonable.
So many people disappearing into thin air without the barrier detecting anything?
It was just as eerie as the incident a year ago, when several Rock ninjas appeared without warning in the Hyuga compound and started a massacre.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen's eyes widened with alarm.
Could the Hidden Stone be behind this too?
Does the Hidden Stone have a genius who has mastered Space-Time Ninjutsu?
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Stone Village.
Onoki looked down at the dense crowd of former Konoha ninjas kneeling before him.
He nodded with satisfaction, a smile spreading across his face as his voice dripped with temptation:
"Rest assured, everyone. From now on, Iwagakure is your home. The Uchiha Clan will rise again here!"
Obito Uchiha stood quietly within the Kamui dimension, his arms crossed as he watched the scene leisurely. His single visible eye beneath the mask was filled with irrepressible amusement.
Jigen stood beside him, speaking calmly:
"Kara can select new members from this group."
"Moreover, given their hatred for Konoha and the things they've experienced, there's no need to hide Kara's objectives from them."
"By the way, have Black Zetsu and the others suspected you?"
Obito nodded slightly, his tone dripping with disdain:
"Heh. How could those inhuman creatures suspect me?"
"If I didn't still need their intelligence network, I would have killed them already."
Hidden Sand Village, Kazekage's Office.
"Rasa" sat in the chair, eyes filled with confusion.
Rakuman stood beside the desk, head bowed.
"Akatsuki... over the past month, we've searched all the surrounding waters, but we haven't found a single trace of My Lord..."
Akatsuki, disguised as Rasa via the Transformation Jutsu, sighed softly and waved her hand.
"He is definitely still alive."
"Reports from the Hidden Steam Village say they can still sense the existence of the symbiotic contract, though it is very faint."
"We can only wait."