Sasuke and Boruto left the Uzumaki compound with dazed expressions a while later. The image of his mother frantically running after Yuna with a flushed face repeatedly played in Boruto's mind, and no matter how often he tried to push it away, it quickly returned. He was pretty sure that he won't be able to look his mother in the eyes from now on.
Sasuke wasn't exactly in a good condition either, as the image of two deep purple eyes that were looking at him like he was prey repeatedly appeared in his mind. Well, that and all the other absurd things he had seen today.
While both of them were deep in thought, the duo heard a wretched chuckle before an old man bumped into Sasuke.
"Oh, sorry, lad, I was just at a good part and lost focus for a moment. Or rather, I focused too much, hehehe."
Instead of answering, Sasuke looked at the old man in bewilderment. He wore cargo shorts, a pink aloha shirt with intertwined "female" symbols, sunglasses, flip-flops, and was currently reading a very suspicious-looking book. And most important, Sasuke couldn't feel the old man walking up to him at all.
'Has another monster appeared, or was I simply too distracted due to all the nonsense I went through?'
Despite his mind going through another turmoil, Sasuke answered the old man.
"Don't worry, since nothing happened, it's fine."
The old man nodded his head with a calm smile and looked at the duo for the first time, immediately causing his eyes to sharpen a little.
"Just out of curiosity, who are you two? I have never seen you in Konoha before."
Obviously, the old man wouldn't ask every random person who he couldn't remember who they were, but Sasuke and Boruto were both rather conspicuous. Sasuke currently wore an eye patch to hide his Rinnegan and even had a missing arm, while Naruto's blond hair was very noticeable as well.
Sasuke was surprised by the slight shift in atmosphere and decided that the old man in front of him definitely was no push-over.
"Haha, we are just traveling performers wandering the Elemental Nations."
The man's eyes sharpened even further when he heard Sasuke's words, as he easily saw through his lie.
"Ohh? Is that so? Then what were you doing in front of the Uzumaki compound?"
"It's no big deal; the matriarch of the Uzumaki clan, Yuna Uzumaki-sama, saw our performance and invited us in for a private conversation."
As soon as Sasuke said that, the atmosphere shifted instantly. The sharp glare the old man was directing at Sasuke vanished instantly and was replaced with a look of pity. A grandfatherly smile appeared on his face as he pattered Sasuke's shoulder.
"My condolences."
Sasuke was taken aback by the sudden mood shift, but before he could say anything, the old man continued speaking.
"Don't worry; you will soon come to accept the insanity in your heart and make it part of you. Only by accepting what you have become can you continue growing further on your path."
"Huh?"
Naturally, Sasuke was confused by what he had just heard, but before he could ask any questions, the old man had already walked past him and was vanishing in the distance.
"What the hell was that about?"
"Sasuke-san, I think I know who that was."
Sasuke frowned when he heard Boruto's words as he glanced at him.
'How in the world could Boruto know about this weird old man?'
"Okay, who do you think that was?"
Instead of answering Sasuke's question, Boruto pointed at the Hokage Mountain. Or, more precisely, at the third face from the left.
Sasuke's eyes looked at the mountain in confusion, but a moment later, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He repeatedly kept looking from the mountain to the old man in the distance, and moments later, the man's old face overlapped with the Third's.
"THAT WAS ACTUALLY THE THIRD!? WHAT THE HELL DID YUNA DO TO HIM!?"
While Sasuke's cries of despair echoed over Konoha, Yuna appeared in the Hokage's office. To Tsunade's credit, she didn't even flinch and continued doing paperwork.
"I have something somewhat important to report."
Instead of answering, Tsunade gave Yuna a short grunt and continued working. Yuna considered the grunt as her having Tsunade's attention and continued speaking.
"A time-traveling alien from the future will appear in Konoha in three days."
Tsunade paused her writing for a short moment, and after a few seconds of pondering, a deep sigh escaped her as she focused on Yuna.
"And I assume they won't be friendly?"
"Correct, the guy is after the Kyuubi."
Tsunade snorted in disdain when she heard that.
"He has my condolences. So, anything else?"
"Yes, a group of time travelers already appeared. It's Sasuke from the future and the son of Naruto and Hinata."
Tsunade raised her eyebrows at that.
"Hinata and Naruto? Where did that combination come from?"
"Well, apparently, I don't exist in their timeline and..."
*BANG*
Tsunade explosively stood up and smashed her hands on the table, turning it into dust instantly. She looked at Yuna with deep red eyes brimming with greed.
"CAN I GO THERE!? CAN THEY TAKE ME WITH THEM!?"
"Pretty sure they could, but you do realize that you won't have access to my alcohol if you leave this timeline, right?"
A conflicted expression appeared on Tsunade's face, and moments later, she fell back on her chair with a defeated look.
"Haha, isn't it fine, Tsunade? Sasuke should be ready to take over your position soon, right?"
Hope returned to Tsunade's eyes when she heard Yuna's words as she eagerly nodded her head. Frankly, she didn't expect things to go this smoothly, but it seems like Sasuke's actions over the course of the last few days were perfectly tailored for making him more popular.
He was constantly wandering around the busiest place in Konoha, the Uzumaki compound, with a contemplating face. He would occasionally look at the compound's main building with determination before switching mood and walking away, just to do the same a few hours later.
Frankly, Tsunade was half certain that he went insane, but she didn't mind at all. She kicked the propaganda machine into gear and spread rumors that Sasuke was very mysterious. He was searching for inspiration for a new jutsu by looking at one of Konoha's oldest buildings and other nonsense like that.
The people loved it. After all, Sasuke was very mysterious to those who didn't know every detail about him. He left the village three years ago and was branded as a traitor, and then he suddenly returns with outstanding achievements and is recognized as a hero.
"Hehehe, that's right. Just you wait, Hiruzen-sensei; soon, I will live the same carefree life you have."
Surprisingly, no answer came from her couch, shocking her a little. Despite that, she realized something else.
"Wait a moment. You said you didn't exist in that timeline, so that means those two never had contact with you. Don't tell me..."
"Hehe, I may have accidentally dealt some mental damage."
"So you shattered their minds, huh? As expected."
"You are exaggerating. I mean, Sasuke coughed out blood and fainted, and Boruto, Hinata and Naruto's son, can probably never look into his mother's eyes ever again, but it really wasn't that bad."
"[Right.]"
Surprisingly, fox and human were in sync for that retort.
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