BORUTO'S MASTERS – SASUKE AND SAKURA
On the Patrol Route
It was a long time ago when Mitsuki first saw him. He hadn't taken the title of Shadow Hokage at the time, but he had the same aura back then, he was a man who valued the village above all. Although he seemed distant, there were rare moments of warmth when he looked at those closest to him, at his wife, at his daughter, at his best friend. While the Hokage's carefree attitude made him approachable, it also made him seem harmless, traits that his shadow did not share. From the moment you looked at Sasuke you could tell he was a man you never tangled with.
The Sasuke standing before him now is much younger than Mitsuki has ever seen before and with a slightly different feel about him. He is slightly shorter and the rage inside him that he has not yet been able to hide. Nevertheless, he appears to be on their side, and he appears to be stronger than he ever was in the pocket world. This is the man who never stopped battling, who never went soft for a single day, this is the strongest Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke's rinnegan pulses and the Shadow 7th Hokage turns to glance over his right shoulder. There are more approaching, just like the others who attacked moments ago. He doesn't wait for the others to react; he simply turns and charges towards them.
Mitsuki watches as Sasuke battles without the use of the viridian energy from before. Even without using his full power, the Uchiha's dexterity affords him a significant advantage over his 'death' wielding opponents. He dances through their attacks with precision and counters with accuracy in place of might. A stream of melee combat that lasts for what feels to be an eternity yet Sasuke does not receive a single strike on his body.
This is unbelievable Mitsuki determines. Just a few moments ago he had been sure that they would die, the victims of an assassination attempt clearly engineered to purify the group of 'death' users. However, of all the people to show up it's Boruto's old master. One of the most revered shinobi to have ever lived has somehow been reanimated and has come to their rescue.
Reanimated is wrong, he has been summoned. Mitsuki, a user of the reanimation technique himself, can tell the difference easily, this is a living breathing Uchiha Sasuke. He quickly puts the pieces together in his mind. Only one person amongst them could have brought Sasuke back like this, that would be his daughter, Sarada. It makes sense, he remembers the day Sarada collapsed, just as if she had brought someone forward into the future. That was the second time she attempted the technique; it must have been Sasuke that she brought here.
Truly, everything happens for a reason.
Sarada brought Sasuke to the future for Boruto.
"Hey, Sasuke, why are you taking so long, stop holding back!" Sakura demands.
Sasuke's eyes bolt back and forward as he skips through the attacks, he looks for a safe place to land so that he can most easily speak with his teammate. He choses a spot between two of the attackers, using his sharingan to put a simple genjutsu on them. He steps forward out of their way as the two of them throw attacks that end up hitting one another.
"I don't want to use that power if I can help it," Sasuke admits.
Sakura runs forward, joining her partner in battle. She sprints to the two dazed warriors that Sasuke cast the genjutsu on, lifting them both by the neck and powerfully slamming them back down into the ground.
Mitsuki was more familiar with the abilities of Sarada's mother than her father. Sakura was one of the most respected shinobi in the village when he was growing up, widely acknowledged as a medical genius and a powerhouse on the battlefield. Still, back then she never had this sort of power, she never could have stood up to these 'death' wielding drones. No, both Sakura and Sasuke have changed since they came to Homeworld. Their attacks are clearly enhanced by divine energy, they have evolved just as their teammate Naruto did.
Sasuke understands Sakura's rather unsubtle message and decides to end this fight quickly. He manifests a Susano around him, bringing a nostalgic smile to the face of the shinobi onlookers. It seems that Sasuke's unique talent has given him an edge over all the other shinobi who have come to Homeworld, his sharingan is more capable than even Sarada of genjutsu. In this place, on this level, he is the only person who can use it reliably.
As the Susano draws back on the bow in its hands, the viridian energy focuses on the tip of the arrow, seemingly warping the very space around it as the roaring wind howls around him. He waits for four seconds, that's how long it takes for the last of his opponents to look him in the eye. Fortunately for him the fools from this place lack the experience of shinobi and do not yet fear the sharingan. Now, each of them are under his spell.
The 'death' users all jump towards one another, each attempting to dodge what they believe to be an incoming attack from the Susano. What they do not realise is that Sasuke has yet to release his attack, he is waiting for the perfect moment, so that he can end this as quickly as possible.
Six seconds after his Susano was first formed, the perfect moment arrives. Each of his opponents, in their attempts to dodge an attack that doesn't exist, have lined up perfectly for him. He unleashes the bow in the hands of his Susano, casting the arrow forward at a tremendous speed and watching as it perfectly strikes all of his opponents at once.
It is over in an instant.
ChouChou can hardly keep her mouth off the floor. Shikadai is strong, very strong. He is also a tactical genius who is practically unrivalled throughout all the lands. He could not defeat the multitude of opponents he was faced with but Sasuke managed to defeat them all in an instant. The awe that surrounds him has not diminished one bit from when she first saw him fight in her youth.
The Susano disappears and Sasuke turns once more to look at the group of four shinobi whom he and Sakura have just rescued.
"That was impressive," Inojin eventually comments.
"It's Sarada's parents," ChouChou excitedly shakes Shikadai by the shoulders, "Lord Shadow 7th has come to save us."
"Who are you?" Sasuke asks.
Mitsuki steps forward to explain, though he notices that Sasuke's grip remains firmly on the end of his blade. That is to be expected, since he came to Homeworld he has surely experienced nothing but hostility and aggression from the locals.
"I know who you two are," Mitsuki calmly explains, "I know you well. You are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura of team 7. You are teammates of Uzumaki Naruto himself and students of Hatake Kakashi. You are famous for defeating Kaguya, correct?"
Sasuke says nothing but is clearly not impressed.
"Before I explain who I am," Mitsuki continues, "I think I need to explain clearly what has happened to you. I am also part of a team 7, of course a different one. One of my teammates created a technique that could move people forward in time, she created it in a desperate situation to summon the Hokage. She used that technique on the two of you, bringing you forward into the future."
"The future?" Sakura starts.
"You're going to have to do better if you want to convince me of that," Sasuke says.
"How about my three colleagues? I'm sure you don't need me to tell you who their parents are. This is Nara Shikadai, son of Shikamaru and Temari. Akimichi ChouChou, daughter of Choji and Karui. Yamanaka Inojin, son of Ino and Sai."
"Ino's son?" Sakura inspects Inojin, "Well you do look like your mother. You look a lot like Sai too."
"He was one of your teammates, he remembers it fondly," Inojin explains, "Unfortunately, he gave his life in the battle against our enemies."
"You're not going to guilt us into believing you," Sasuke continues, "So, who are you?"
"Me, I'm the child of your former teacher," Mitsuki explains, "My father is Lord Orochimaru. He spoke about you with pride too. At the end he lost interest in standing against you. He told me that he wanted to watch what you would do. It's a bit like an explosion he told me, if you stand too close you will get damaged, but if you stand back and watch it go, it can be beautiful."
Sasuke uses his rinnegan to inspect Mitsuki's body. He isn't normal and on a cellular level his body is snake-like in many ways. There are things that he can surely do that normal people can't. The story does add up, they do all bear a strong resemblance to their supposed ancestors. Still, Sasuke struggles to stomach the story that they have been brought forward in time, it seems unlikely that anyone ordinary could have developed such a technique.
"Tell me about the Hokage," Sasuke says.
"You know those who came at first," Mitsuki says, "Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Namikaze Minato, Senju Tsunade."
"And after that?"
"Following the war your sensei Hatake Kakashi became the 6th Hokage, stabilising the village following the worst disaster in history. After that the village was led into a golden age by the 7th Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. He was succeeded by the 8th Hokage, that was my teacher Sarutobi Konohamaru. The latest Hokage brought the others forward in time, as she brought you forward, her name is Uchiha Sarada."
"Uchiha?"
"She's your daughter."
Sasuke looks down at his feet, hiding his face. He wrestles with the idea that this is untrue, but it makes sense that someone who could do this would come from the Uchiha clan. They have always been the clan of miraculous techniques and another Uchiha could only have been a child of his. Could it be untrue, could they be trying to deceive him into thinking he is not the last of his clan?
Sakura smiles, "You're not alone anymore Sasuke. Aren't you happy, you have a daughter?"
It hits Sasuke then, it all makes sense, this is definitely the future. There are many things that these shinobi could have made up, many things they could have said to trick him. A resemblance is not proof of heritage, neither are techniques or mannerisms, no matter how strong an indicator they are. However, there is one thing that these people could not have known, that would be purely down to guesswork. That is the name, Uchiha Sarada. He really likes the name Sarada, they could not have known that.
"She's your daughter too Lady Sakura," ChouChou explains.
"My daughter. She's my daughter and she's Sasuke's daughter."
ChouChou nods.
"You mean Sasuke and I-"
"Perhaps you should sit down Sakura," Sasuke interrupts her.
ChouChou and Inojin do their best to keep Sakura calm but the whole situation is much to Sasuke's annoyance. Clearly this is not the way that this was supposed to work. He distracts himself by dissecting the other news that he has received. Kakashi became Hokage, that makes sense. Most importantly Naruto became Hokage, his best friend worked all his life to achieve that goal and he did it. Sasuke is happy for Naruto, truly.
In the short term, there are more important things to discuss.
"Who were those people who attacked before?" Sasuke asks, "I've felt this strange energy since I came to this place, but I've never felt anything like that before. It was strong but it just felt wrong at the same time."
"That was 'death' energy," Shikadai explains, "They were supposed to be our allies but obviously something changed. We need to speak to Boruto as quickly as possible; he has been keeping us safe until now."
"Boruto?"
"He has a similar role to you, to your future self rather. We call it the Shadow Hokage, someone who operates away from the village to keep it safe, the counterpart to the Hokage. He was in team 7 with your daughter and Mitsuki."
"Then I should speak with this Boruto," Sasuke concludes.
With Sakura having calmed down, she agrees with Sasuke's assertion. If there are people from their village, from the future or from the past, it's important to unite with them straight away. There is a lot about the future that they don't know, and they need to find out as much as possible.
The Camp, 2 Hours Later
Boruto is sat by a campfire while the others sleep. He tends the fire, wondering about how things will go in this world. Even now he respects his father's strength and position above all others, but he felt Furst's energy from afar when the academy was destroyed. He knows that even his father cannot compare to the tremendous energy of the emperor. Is it possible for Naruto to climb so high, is it possible for himself to climb so high?
He continues to poke the fire until he hears footsteps behind him, and they're very close. A shinobi is sneaking up on him.
Boruto whips up to his feet and throws the kunai behind him, attempting to stun his would-be opponent to buy some time. In the event of unexpected combat his first priority is to activate the tenseigan and assess his opponents capabilities.
A dark-haired man lifts his hand up, dramatically snatching the kunai from the air and throwing it back to Boruto.
Boruto likewise catches the kunai, his technique mirroring that of the mysterious stranger. He believed this to be impossible, he believed that this technique was a unique one taught to him by the sole user of these methods. However, as he glances past the dark-haired man at Mitsuki and the others he notices that there are two newcomers amongst them, a pair of shinobi.
That technique was one he learnt from Sasuke. The only other person who would move exactly that way is Sasuke himself.
"… master," Boruto stammers as he looks at Sasuke.
"Master?"
Boruto works out what happened silently. This Sasuke is younger than the one who taught him as a child, he has not been reanimated or revived, this Sasuke has been brought forward from the past. It must have been by Sarada.
"I see, you must not know much of what has happened in the future," Boruto says, "My name is Boruto, when I was a young man you became my teacher. You turned me from a whining little kid into a shinobi that my parents could be proud of. Your daughter must have brought you to the future. I know it's a lot to take in, but you can trust me, I am your student."
"Your parents," Sakura mutters, "Wow, it's easy to tell. You look just like them. It's Naruto and Hinata isn't it? Naruto and Hinata had a child."
"Two children. Myself and my younger sister Himawari. We both became shinobi like our parents, but it was a more troubled time. That is why your daughter brought you forward and the Hokage."
"Is Naruto here?" Sakura asks excitedly.
Boruto slumps. "The circumstances are complicated. Please, sit down and let me explain everything."
Sakura and the other shinobi sit around the fire that Boruto tends, but Sasuke decides to remain on his feet. The fact that Naruto has been separated from this group of shinobi, that they would have been assassinated had he not arrive, it makes him uneasy. Also, there is something about Boruto that he doesn't like. There is a lingering doubt behind Boruto's eyes, a lack of resolution that he never saw in Naruto.
"This strange energy we wield, it's called divine energy," Boruto explains. "This place is called Homeworld. This land's military culls worlds like ours, they call them pocket-worlds. They were created by the emperor of this land, a man named Furst Jonas. My father and the other Hokage managed to save our world from the military twice, but he insisted on forgiving them, on working with them to overthrow the emperor in this world."
"That sounds like him," Sasuke smirks, "That idiot, always too soft."
"With the lives of the villagers on the line, I decided that I couldn't afford to be so soft," Boruto admits. "My father and I are in different factions at the moment. He believes that we can coexist peacefully with the people of this world. He is wrong, I have endured their tyranny for years and know that they cannot be trusted to leave us alone."
"For years?"
"It was a long time before Sarada, before your daughter was able to bring my father forward," Boruto explains, "We fought a bitter war against the forces of General Clyde before that. You and my father from the future, you fought against him and lost. All we did was slow them down and survive. That all changed when the Hokage came to our rescue."
"You think Naruto is naïve with his response?" Sasuke asks.
"He is."
Sakura frowns, "A lot of people have thought that about your father. None of them have been right yet."
Boruto had feared this response. Sasuke and Sakura have been here for only a few moments and know very little of the events that have transpired. At this point in their lives, he knew that they would trust Naruto above all else. They have come just from the end of the war. That is the point that Sakura saw all of Naruto's shouting about becoming Hokage come to fruition. That is the turning point of Sasuke's life when he saw that Naruto was right, that their friendship was important. Any doubts they had about his father were erased moments before they came to the future.
"What about our daughter?" Sakura asks.
"Sarada, I saw her not long ago, she's doing well," Boruto explains, deliberately avoiding mention of Hannah. "She is siding with my father; she believes that we can coexist with the people of this world too."
"Is she wrong?"
"The people of this world, a mercenary named Mars, he killed my mother," Boruto says.
Sakura's mind is filled with images of a man she and Sasuke encountered before. A man who wielded the power of flames, a man with red hair and a long black coat. That was Mars. At the time she had no way of knowing that this terrifying man who fought with Sasuke would go on to kill her friend. It must have been fate. Sadly, fate isn't always a kind mistress.
"Boruto, you're leaving out something important they should know," Mitsuki says, "About you and Sarada."
"What about you and Sarada?" Sasuke asks.
Boruto nods, it's hard to remember with all their collisions and animosity, all the treachery, the deceit and the philosophical clashes. His heart still belongs where it did before all this though, the same place it did on the fateful night where Tao Ma whisked him away and changed his life. It belongs with Sarada.
"Sarada and I are engaged."
Author Note
Hi All,
Good news if you like this story. I have just finished the plan for part 10.
Therefore, per my plan, I will be releasing more regularly until all of part 9 is uploaded.
So, unless anything goes significantly wrong, I will be releasing chapter 198 tomorrow!
I hope you enjoy this chapter and the remainder of part 9 as it is uploaded.
Thanks for your support, stay safe,
Cbehrills