Swirl…
A portal radiated with blue energy opens in mid-air outside Konoha's barrier.
Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh…
Three figure plops out from the portal.
Swoosh…
One of the tall figures performs a somersault and grabs the smallest figure among them.
Whoosh…
The three figures safely land on the ground.
"My head is so dizzy. I feel like puking."
Boruto clutches his forehead and dashes towards a nearby bush.
Bleurgh… Bleurgh…
He pukes out his breakfast and feels light-headed.
Aww… Aww…
"My head still hurts. Bleurgh…"
He pukes again.
Tatsuya also grabs his head as he feels dizzy.
Hah!…
He falls on the ground and takes support against a tree.
Adult Sasuke clutches his forehead for a while before he regains a little bit of his composure.
"I am pretty used to dimensional travels. So, spatial shifts are normal for me. But… this is my first time undergoing a temporal shift, and it's the same feeling when I did my first dimensional shift."
Sasuke takes a deep breath to ease his nerves. He turns towards Tatsuya and Boruto with concern.
"You two? Are you alright?!"
"Haah… Haah… I am fine. Just a bit dizzy and nauseous."
Tatsuya takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. He tries to assure Sasuke but his pale face says otherwise.
"I know a little about Spatial and temporal laws. Father taught me many Space-time Ninjutsus. So, I will be fine after some rest." Tatsuya closes his eyes to relax.
"Check on Boruto!! This is his first time leaping through Space and time. His condition is worse than mine."
"Alright!"
Whoosh…
Sasuke flickers towards Boruto and gently places his hand on Boruto's back.
"Are you alright, Boruto?!"
Boruto weakly turns to Sasuke.
"Uncle Sasuke! My head is throbbing with pain, and it seems like my chakra is in disarray. Bleurgh…"
Boruto vomits some blood and passes away.
"BORUTO!"
Sasuke quickly infuses some Nature energy into Boruto's body to rejuvenate him.
But, despite his efforts, Boruto's condition doesn't change at all.
"This kid! If I knew such a thing would happen, I would have left him behind. Sigh…"
Sasuke sighs in remorse.
"He needs immediate medical attention."
Sasuke places Boruto on his shoulders and walks towards Tatsuya.
"Can you move?!"
"I can."
Tatsuya nods his head.
Crack…
He chops a branch from a nearby tree and uses it to support himself.
"Before we make a move… First, we need to know where and at which time are we?"
Sasuke grabs hold of Karasuki and questions him.
"Which time period is this? And where are we?"
"Understood! This is three years prior to start of the Fourth Shinobi War, and currently, we are in past Konoha."
Karasuki answers Sasuke's question.
"I see." Sasuke nods his head.
Swoosh…
He stores away Karasuki and walks towards Konoha.
"Currently, there are only two people present in Konoha who can help Boruto in his condition." Sasuke remarks.
"You mean! Tsunade-San and Dad!" Tatsuya speculates.
"Yes! Their Medical skills are ahead of their time. I am sure Boruto will make a full recovery under their care. But first…"
Konoha's gigantic entrance appears in their vision.
"… We have to enter Konoha to seek them."
Both of them continue to walk towards Konoha.
"We can't enter Konoha in our current appearance. Your Anbu outfit will instantly alarm them." Sasuke warns.
'I am currently out of chakra. So, I can't use my Rinnegan. It will take another 30 hours for me to recover my chakra, but Boruto can't wait that long. Otherwise, I could easily manipulate the memories of these gatekeepers.
"I know!"
Swoosh…
Tatsuya immediately changes his appearance to that of a peddler. He tightly wraps some bandages around his right leg and left arm.
"Ah!"
Sasuke speechlessly stares at Tatsuya as it suddenly reminds of Izuna.
'Why does it feel like déjà vu? Izuna Nii-san will use such transformation to infiltrate and somehow they always work.'
"Sasuke-san! Both of us are peddlers from a nearby village. We were on our way to Konoha to sell our goods, but halfway through our journey we were attacked by bandits and all of our goods were stolen by them. We escaped from the fervent pursuit of bandits and came to Konoha to ask for help." Tatsuya fabricates a story.
"…"
Sasuke and Izuna turn speechless to hear this story.
Izuna is hiding his presence using one of his Rinne-Sharingan abilities.
"Kuninotokotachi"
It's one of his unique Rinnegan abilities derived from the Light Aspect. With this ability, Izuna can create a thought projection. This thought projection can travel through all sorts of restrictions and barriers without any inhibition. Since this thought projection has no mass and soul, it can't be detected through any sort of means.
'Perhaps even another Rinnegan won't be able to see it. Though I have yet to testify this claim.'
Izuna shakes his head and turns to the trio.
The moment Izuna sensed the disturbance in temporal and spatial laws, he sent his thought projection to inspect the situation.
'I can recognize Boruto and Sasuke. But this other guy, he looks similar to me and Mei…. Looks like he is our son.'
A smile bloom on Izuna's face.
"I have to make sure the future me is teaching my son well. I will personally test how far my son has progressed?"
A devilish smile appears on Izuna's face who is sipping some alcohol in Yakiniku-Q.
Hicc…
"What's with that stupid smile on your face?"
Jiraiya interrupts his thoughts.
"Nothing much! I was just wondering about the pictures you took this morning?"
Gulp…
Jiraiya instantly sobers up.
"Pictures?! What pictures?" I don't have such sort of thing." Jiraiya hurriedly denies the claim.
"Oh!" Izuna rolls his eyes.
"Maybe! I was imagining things." Izuna brushes aside the topic and takes another sip of sake.
"That must be it!" Jiraiya heaves a sigh of relief.
'Damn! This closet pervert!" Jiraiya scoffs internally.
'Let's get back to the trio's situation. For now, I don't have any intention of helping any of them. For starters, I dislike that snotty personality of Boruto. From the manga and anime, Boruto acts like a spoiled-brat, totally different from Naruto who just acted mischievously to seek attention. Also, it is kinda fun to watch them.' Izuna smiles sheepishly.
--
Back at the Konoha entrance,
"Halt!"
Izumo and Kotetsu block Sasuke's and Tatsuya's path.
"Visitors aren't allowed at this hour!" Izumo sternly warns them.
"The visiting time is between 6 am to 10 pm. It's already past that time." Kotetsu adds.
He notices Tatsuya and Sasuke's dilapidated looks and stays indifferent.
Such transformations were common for enemy invaders. They will appear harmless and helpless on the surface but will stab you the instant you lower guard.
Izumo and Kotetsu were on high alert.
Kotetsu has a flare in his hand. He was ready to release it the moment Tatsuya and Sasuke showed any sign of aggression.
"Please help us! Konoha shinobis please help us."
Tatsuya weakly staggers towards them.
"He?!"
Izumo and Kotetsu draw their kunai, ready to attack him any moment.
BAM…
Tatsuya stumbles on a rock and face plants on the dirt near the entrance.
"This!"
Izumo and Kotetsu stare at each other.
'Does he really need help?' Both of them silently converses with each other.
'I will check on him. Meanwhile, you maintain your guard. Any suspicious activity and immediately release the flare.' Kotetsu volunteers.
'Alright!' Izumo clenches the flare in his left hand with a kunai in his right hand.
"I will help you." Kotetsu carefully walks towards Tatsuya.
He places his left hand on Tatsuya's back and helps him stand.
'Let me check his chakra network. If he is a civilian, then there will be no reaction if I circulate my chakra through his body.'
Kotetsu releases his chakra in Tatsuya's body, who seems to be impervious to his intentions.
'Hmm! There is no chakra flow in his body which means he is a civilian.'
Tatsuya narrates his 'story' to Izumo and Kotetsu.
Sigh…
Kotetsu sighs slightly and walks towards Sasuke.
"I am sorry… but we have to check your bodies before we allow you entry into the village. It's the rule of the village"
"We are fine with it." Sasuke nods his head.
Kotetsu completes his inspection and signals to Izumo.
Haah…
Izumo sighs in relief and gestures for them to enter.
"Come in. I am sure you people are looking for the hospital. It's that way." He points the general direction of Konoha hospital.
"Thank you very much." Sasuke thanks them and enters Konoha.
All this time Izuna silently monitors them.
The trio reaches an isolated valley.
"Phew! That was close!"
Tatsuya removes a seal from his wrist. Sasuke also removes a similar seal from his and Boruto's wrist.
"Thankfully, we had these chakra suppression seals."
'These are!! Fuck! Wait, a sec! Hold on!'
Izuna's eyes open wide in astonishment.
'Don't they look similar to my chakra suppression seal used during the Shinobi Soccer?' Izuna exclaims in surprise.
"Let head to Konoha hospital to treat Boruto. Also, we need a place to settle and assess the situation." Sasuke plans.
"Alright!" Tatsuya nods his head.
"That was some nice acting skill out there."
Sasuke applauds Tatsuya.
"Of course, I learned from the best." Tatsuya nods his head.
"…"
Izuna and Sasuke roll their eyes.
'Still, I have to say that was an Oscar-winning performance right there?' Izuna nods his head in satisfaction.
'For now, I can only follow them around like this. Once the party is over, I will settle their business.'
Sasuke takes out Karasuki and questions him.
"We are already in the past. Where is Urashiki? There are no signs of him present here. Given his power, he should have already turned this place upside down." Sasuke questions the turtle.
"Master Urashiki fell from the temporal bubble midway, so his destination is a bit altered. According to my calculations, he will arrive a month later." Karasuki replies to them.
"That's a relief to hear!" Sasuke and Tatsuya heave a sigh of relief.
"If he were to appear now, I am afraid we won't be able to hold against him. If it's a month, then we have enough time to plan a counterattack." Sasuke nods his head.
"But first…" He turns to Tatsuya.
"I will look for a place to settle." Tatsuya nods his head in understanding.
"Then, let me take Boruto to the hospital."
Both of them decide to split up.
'If that's the case, then…'
Swoosh…
Another thought projection of Izuna appears beside him. The second projection follows Sasuke.
Whoosh…
Tatsuya hides his presence using Anbu techniques and flickers through the village.
Soon, he arrives in front of a large inn and enters a nearby alley.
"I can't use the money from the future here. It might lead to some severe consequences. I have to think of another way."
Creak…
Tatsuya enters the inn.
"Welcome!" a female attendant greets him.
"I will reserve three rooms with food and other necessities for a month."
"Sure!" The attendant takes out a calculator from the drawer.
"That will be 50,000 Ryo." The attendant turns to Tatsuya.
"Please deposit the cash in advance." She has an amiable smile on her face.
Sigh…
'I don't mean to do this. But I have no choice.'
Shiing…
Tatsuya activates his Sharingan.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan"
He casts a Genjutsu on the attendant and all the nearby people.
"Thanks for your patronage." The attendant smiles at him and passes the keys to him.
"These are the keys to your room."
"Thank you!" Tatsuya grabs the keys and walks upstairs.
--
On Sasuke's side,
Whoosh…
Sasuke appears at the entrance of the Konoha hospital.
"Emergency! It's an emergency. Please help!"
He hurriedly enters the hospital while carrying Boruto on his shoulder.
"Let me check."
Coincidently, Sayori enters the room.
(She is from Chapter 113. Aftermath Part-1)
"Please!"
Sasuke gently places Boruto on a nearby bed.
Sayori gently grabs Boruto's wrist and checks his pulse. She inspects his eyes and places her hand on his forehead to circulate some chakra.
Her expression turns ugly.
"His condition is quite critical. Shift him to the emergency ward!" Sayori immediately orders nearby medic nins.
"Tch… My medical knowledge isn't enough to treat him. Only Shizune-san or Tsunade-san can treat him."
Sayori clicks her tongue.
"But… but they aren't present here." She sighs in helplessness.
Sayori notices Sasuke's ugly expression and immediately shakes her head.
"Don't worry, I will immediately send someone to look for Tsunade-sama. Tsunade-sama is the current Hokage, so she won't visit the hospital that often. Usually, such a situation is hard to come by. It may not seem like it, but I am the best Medic-Nin after Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san." She tries to assure Sasuke.
"I… I see." Sasuke slightly nods his head.
'Looks like I can only search for Izuna Nii-san and ask him for help. I have to avoid the present me at all cost.'
Sasuke walks out of the Konoha hospital.
Whoosh…
He jumps on top of an electricity pole and turns towards the Uchiha compounds.
Whoosh…
Sasuke disappears from his place and flickers towards the Uchiha compound.
"Sasuke-san! How did it go?"
Tatsuya appears beside him.
Sasuke shakes his head.
"We can only ask Izuna Nii-san for help. He is our only hope."
Both of them avoid the members of the Konoha Police Force patrolling the clan and sneaks into the clan district.
Whoosh…
They flicker towards Izuna's house.
"If my memory serves me right, it should be there!"
Soon, they appear in front of Izuna's house.
"This is Grandpa's house." Tatsuya curiously stares at the house.
Many things happened in the future, and Konoha has to rebuild a few times.
As such, the present Konoha is vastly different from the future Konoha.
He activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and inspects the house. There is a dense barrier present around the house. Numerous Fuinjutsu seals are carved into the barrier.
"Sasuke-san! Be careful! There are many Fuinjutsu seals here." Tatsuya warns Sasuke.
"If that's the case, we can only wait till morning!" Sasuke sighs helplessly.
"Wait! Maybe I can bypass few seals. Dad taught me a lot of things, including Fuinjutsu." Tatsuya chimes in.
"Then go ahead and give it a try. If it gets dangerous, then retreat." Sasuke gives the green signal.
Meanwhile,
The real Izuna is staring at them while floating in the air. The party is already over and he came to settle them.
"Oh! Now I am curious to know how much has he learned."
Izuna acts like a doting father who is curious to see his son takes his first step.
Swish… swish… swish…
Tatsuya makes several hand signs and slams his hand on the invisible barrier.
Swoosh…
Several seals crawl out of his hand and cover the barrier.
After half an hour,
Huff… Huff…
Tatsuya breathes heavily as he stares at the barrier.
"This is a Sage level Formation. Although I have yet to reach that level, I am not far from it. Still, I have deactivated most of the seals in this area and we can safely enter the barrier." Tatsuya takes a deep breath and turns to Sasuke.
"Well done!" Sasuke nods his head.
'Not bad!' Izuna smiles slightly.
'But it's not enough. Do you think the barrier which took me over a year to create is a joke? You only disabled the outer layer; the real barrier is still hidden. If Sasuke had his Rinnegan, he might be able to see the hidden danger.'
Izuna shakes his head in disappointment.
'Never mind, I will allow you in. I have tested you enough!'
"That's Izuna Nii-san's room." Sasuke points towards a room on the first floor.
Whoosh…
They appear near the window.
Shiing…
Tatsuya activates his Mangekyo Sharingan and both of them enter the room with their guard up.
"He is not here."
Tatsuya and Sasuke stare at the empty room.
Whoosh…
They jump out of the room and reappear near the entrance.
"Oh! What a surprise!"
Fugaku and Yagami stare at Tatsuya and Sasuke who appeared out of nowhere.
"You people are?!"
Fugaku has a stern expression on his face.
'Father?! Uncle?!'
Sasuke starts to sweat bullets as he notices Fugaku.
Meanwhile,
The thought projection of Izuna is cracking up.
'Now… what will you do, Sasuke? You may be stronger than your dad, but he is still your dad. And Uncle Fugaku particularly has that ever-present frown on his face. It makes his face hard to read.'
"Erm! We are working for Izuna-san. We came to deliver some intel." Tatsuya hurriedly handles the situation.
"Oh!" Yagami nods his head.
Both of them ignore Sasuke and Tatsuya and enter the house.
"…"
Tatsuya and Sasuke speechlessly stare at them.
"Aren't you afraid, we are spies?"
Tatsuya mumbles to them.
"Is that so?!"
Fugaku and Yagami turn towards them. Both of them activate their Mangekyo Sharingan and sternly stare at them.
Eek…
Tatsuya freaks out to see them. He is not afraid of their power, but rather of their identity. Both of them are his grand uncles who took care of him during his childhood.
But he is still curious to learn the reason.
Haha…
Fugaku and Yagami laugh lightly.
"You got us there. Hicc… How can any spy enter this place? Izuna-kun's place is the safest in the entire Konoha. If an enemy can infiltrate this house and by now, he would have leveled Konoha."
Yagami lightly pats Tatsuya's shoulder.
Heh!
Tatsuya and Sasuke speechlessly stare at them.
'Both of them are drunk.'
"Let's invite Akira for a drink. Since kids out there are enjoying themselves, we old fellows might as well. Hicc…"
Both of them knock at the door and a moment later Akira walks out of the house.
Sasuke and Tatsuya hide their presence as they speechlessly stare at the house.
"That was a close call!" Sasuke heaves a sigh of relief.
"They are as scary as ever!"
"Since there is nothing much we can do here. Let's return to the inn and search for him in the morning."
"Looking for me!"
Whoosh…
Izuna appears beside them.
AH!
Tatsuya and Sasuke freak out at Izuna's sudden appearance.
"Dad?! Nii-san!"
They stare at Izuna with varied emotions.
"Woah! Let's hold on for now!"
Izuna immediately stops them.
"What will people think if I have an eighteen-year-old son and a thirty-two-year-old younger brother?"
Izuna rolls his eyes.
"You three being present here has already messed up the timeline."
"I… I see."
Tatsuya and Sasuke calm down. They look at their surroundings and turn their attention to Izuna.
"Phew! That was a close call."
Sasuke heaves a sigh of relief.
Hmm…
Izuna scrutinizes Tatsuya as the latter anxiously stands at the spot.
"You took your looks from me, but your hairs are after Mei. I will give you a score of 10 out of 10 for your handsome looks. As for you earlier performance, 5 points for your courage and 1 point for your foolish execution."
Ah!
"Well!"
Tatsuya scratches his head in embarrassment.
Izuna's expression turns stern, and he harshly rebukes Tatsuya.
"You fool! Do you think a Sage level Fuinjutsu formation is so easy to solve that any Tom, Dick, and Harry can crack it? Here! Take a look!"
Izuna waves his hand.
Shoom…
The Fuinjutsu formation around the house appears in front of them.
"Take a closer look at the Fuinjutsu seals and tell me, do you understand where you made a mistake? If not for me disabling the rest of the formation, I won't be bantering here with you."
Gulp…
Tatsuya gulps his saliva and inspects the seals.
His expression changes change from trepidation to fear, then to amazement and wonder, to finally that of relief.
"This sealing formation is really amazing. I… I only deciphered the outer layer."
Tatsuya lowers his head in shame as he stares at Izuna's toes; his face turns red in embarrassment.
Pfft… Haha…
Izuna cracks up at his expression and pats his head.
"I am not angry at you. It's just that I am ashamed of myself. I didn't teach you well."
'Also, I always wanted to say that catchphrase.'
Izuna shakes his head. He turns to Sasuke.
"There must be a valid reason for you three to be here."
Swoosh…
A portal appears behind the group and sucks them in.
Swoosh…
The portal opens in the new headquarters of In-Yō.
"Let's talk here. No one will disturb us here."
Hmm…
Izuna and Sasuke look around in surprise.
"Isn't this our headquarters?" Tatsuya wonders in surprise.
"I am also amazed that Nii-san created this place this early?"
Sasuke stares at the small dimension in wonder.
In the future, this place has become one of the most important strategic forts of the shinobi world. Although, this place currently looks desolate; in the future, it is gigantic enough to occupy an entire village.
"It's just empty husk for now. Let's sit and talk business."
Swish…
Izuna waves his hand and three chairs and a table appear in front of them.
"Now tell me the reason for your arrival in the past? I am sure you already know this, but Time Travel is for Immortals and Fools."
Izuna places his hand under his chin as his expression turns grave.
"And I am sure you both aren't immortals, so do the rest of the math yourself."
"Well!"
Sasuke and Tatsuya's faces turn red from embarrassment.
"Izuna Nii-san? It's not what you think it is? There is a very powerful enemy traveling through time to hunt Naruto…"
"Oh… you mean Urashiki Otsutsuki!"
"Yes!"
Sasuke nods his head.
"Wait!"
"You already knew about it." Tatsuya and Sasuke stare at him in amazement.
"Nii-san is as amazing as ever! He never fails to surprise us." Sasuke sighs in wonder.
'Well!! To be honest, I am that cool kid who read the story and already knows the spoilers.'
Izuna curiously stares at them.
'Though the story has changed a little due to the appearance of new characters. Still, I wonder just how powerful is this version of Urashiki and why my future self didn't interfere. I will hold my curiosity on this one or I might erase an entire timeline by mistake.'
Izuna makes a mental note.
"Alright! Alright! Don't reveal anything or the history might change."
Izuna prevents them from speaking further.
"Let's get to the matter at hand. Boruto would be fine. I already informed Tsunade of his condition. She will take care of him." Izuna assures them.
Hmm…
Adult Sasuke curiously stares at Izuna.
"Nii-san! Since when did you know of our arrival?"
'Way before you were born. I can't say that, can I?'
"I sensed some disturbance in the temporal and spatial coordinates earlier. So, I hid my presence and arrived near the disturbance. There I saw you three hopping out of the temporal field. You three must have used some sort of artifact to protect yourself or else the temporal laws might have already deaged you to dust." Izuna states the facts.
"Yes, we used an Otsutsuki artifact."
Sasuke forks out Karasuki from his storage.
Hmm…
Izuna examines the turtle-shaped artifact.
"Master Izuna! I am Karasuki, a device meant for temporal shifts."
Karasuki trembles a little upon noticing Izuna's gaze.
'Huh! Am I seeing things, or is it just a figment of my imagination? Why is this artifact shaking upon noticing me? It's a relic of the past and a prized artifact of Otsutsuki. It might be my imagination.'
"So, you used this artifact to travel through time? It sure requires a lot of chakra."
Mm…
Sasuke nods his head.
"Nii-san?! If you noticed us the very instance we arrived here, that means you…"
"Ah Yes! Yes! Don't mind the small stuff. I already knew what I should know." Izuna waves his hand.
"For now! You both should return to your inn and relax. The temporal shift took a toll on your body. I will settle you tomorrow. And here…"
Izuna takes out a stack of Ryo and passes it to Tatsuya.
"That's 300,000 Ryo. It should be enough to last you for a month. If not, you can ask me for more, but in the future, I will cut this from your pocket money."
"Please don't." Tatsuya pales.
Haha…
"I was joking." Izuna waves his hand.
"I knew it." Tatsuya has a deadpan expression.
Sasuke stares at their antics and rolls his eyes.
'Like Father, like son!"
Whoosh…
Tatsuya and Sasuke flicker towards the inn.
"Sasuke! Wait!"
Izuna stops Sasuke.
"Is something wrong, Nii-san?"
Adult Sasuke turns to Izuna.
"Yes! Out of the three time-travelers, you are the sole person whose past self is present here. So, don't interact with your past self, or else it will create a paradox and it might erase one of you from the timeline. You know the rest of the details."
"Yes!" Adult Sasuke solemnly nods his head.
"Also, I can still see that you haven't completely mastered your Rinnegan yet. Seems like you have been slacking in your training. Come to the training ground 4 tomorrow at sharp 7 am. Understood!"
"Yes!" Sasuke straightens his back.
"Good! Go and have some rest for now." Izuna waves his hand and dismisses him.
Whoosh…
Sasuke flickers away.
Hmm…
'I got some clues about the future from their presence here. I can only speculate about it in my mind. Even my thinking of this matter will drastically affect the future. Fuck! Time travel is such a pain in the ass.'
"For now, I want to sleep. I will think about it later."
Yawn…
--
Back at the inn,
Tatsuya pays the money for a night and returns to his room. He sits on his bed and takes out a picture of Izuna and Mei with a ten-year-old kid in their arms.
The kid looks exactly like Izuna's past self. Izuna's features are a bit more prominent. He still has his young appearance, but his body is a little bulky and his muscles are evenly toned. Mei is still tall and slender but there are some slight changes in her personality which are apparent from her posture. She is gently hugging Tatsuya and there is motherly love in her gaze.
Sob…
Tatsuya wipes tears from his eyes and pockets the picture.
"After ten years, I finally got to meet you. Even if it is your past self! You are still that strict and grumpy father of mine. Though I prefer this past self-more!"
Tatsuya complains a little.
He takes out a small diary and writes about his encounter with Izuna.
"Mother! I will write about all of my adventures with father. When I return you can read them any time you want."
After finishing his writing, he stores the diary in his storage scroll as a small heart shape box rolls out in front of him.
"How silly of me! I even forgot to pass Aunt Ayaka's present to dad."
He places the box on the table.
"I will pass it to him in the morning."
Sigh…
Sasuke sighs to himself as he witnesses Tatsuya from the opposite room.
"Nii-san! Wherever you are, please return home. Your family is waiting for you at home."
Next day in the Morning,
In the training ground Number four,
Sasuke and Tatsuya have baggy eyes as they silently wait for Izuna.
Whoosh…
Izuna arrives at the training ground half an hour later than the promised time.
"You guys are quite early!"
He observes Tatsuya and Sasuke. Both of them have pale faces and bloodshot eyes.
"Looks like you didn't sleep well."
He chuckles and takes out two bento boxes from his storage.
"I am sure you guys didn't have breakfast yet, so I asked Mom to prepare two extra Bentos for you."
He hands them over to Tatsuya and Sasuke.
"Let's talk while we eat. I have a couple of questions for you."
Tatsuya and Sasuke grab the boxes and gobble down the food.
Mmm…
Izuna nods his head and takes out another bento to eat with them.
"Okay! My first question is about Urashiki Otsutsuki. How strong he is and what are his abilities?"
Izuna straightforwardly asks about the enemy's info.
Tatsuya and Sasuke stare at him with an odd look and Sasuke question him.
"Nii-san! Aren't you already aware of Urashiki's information?
Crunch…
Izuna takes a bite of rice balls and answers them.
"Don't give me that look. It's true I know about Urashiki but I only know about his name and nothing else. His abilities are still unknown to me. You should be aware of the fact that there are four Otsutsuki ruins. I have explored three of them and they are my source of intel on Otsutsuki."
"Oh! That makes sense."
Tatsuya and Sasuke nod their head. Sasuke takes a deep breath and replies.
"To be honest, we don't know the full extent of Urashiki's abilities. He is just too slippery and cunning. The other Otsutsuki utilized brute force to capture and destroy us and but Urashiki, on the other hand, is quite wary of us. He always looks for an opening and strikes at our weak points."
Sasuke has an honest expression on his face.
"However, he has some weird escape abilities. When he is caught in a pinch, he can transform his body into various red color chakra orizuru and escape. It's similar to Substitution jutsu, but he becomes untraceable for the next few seconds and can avoid detection from all sorts of detection.
Also, he is an expert puppet master. He wields a special chakra fishing rod that can hook other's chakra and turn it into chakra pills for him to replenish his chakra.
Then, most importantly, he possesses a pair of Byakugan and Rinnegan. I am not sure if these abilities are related to his Rinnegan or some Otsutsuki techniques."
Sasuke briefs him on Urashiki's known abilities.
"I see. That helps a lot. Now tell me about your Mangekyo abilities. Those will prove to be useful while developing a strategy." Izuna nods his head.
The group finishes their breakfast and Izuna creates a barrier to witness their abilities.
"First off, you Sasuke!"
Izuna turns to Sasuke.
Sasuke explains his abilities to Izuna.
'So, most of his abilities are the same as the original. Except for Kagutsuchi: Flame Control. He can manipulate every kind of fire technique with his right eye, not just the Amaterasu flames. Though I have yet to see his Rinnegan abilities.'
Izuna curiously turns to Tatsuya.
'I am really curious about his Mangekyo abilities.'
"Alright then! I will show you the results of my harsh training."
Tatsuya eagerly confronts Izuna. He never got a chance to showcase his abilities to his father, but now he got a chance to do so. Although, his father isn't his father yet.
Shiing…
Tatsuya activates his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Be ready, Dad! Attack me with all you got."
Tatsuya curls his finger and taunts Izuna.
"Hoh! You are asking for a beating brat!"
Izuna has a wide smile on his face.
Sasuke walks to a nearby stone and rests on top of it. He takes out a bag of popcorn from his storage and spectates Izuna's and Tatsuya's battle with excitation evident in his eyes.
'It has been a while since I last saw Nii-san in action. Thankfully, I always carry my trusty popcorn snacks with me.'
Sasuke takes a handful of popcorn and stuffs them in his mouth.
'These popcorns are quite a lifesaver and had saved me from hunger countless times in other dimensions. I always stock up on them whenever I return to Konoha.'
'Well, that's bullshit! But they still taste quite good.'
"You sure have grown some guts, little guy!"
Izuna has a smile on his face as he instantly blinks in front of Tatsuya.
"Leaf Hurricane: Whirlwind"
Izuna delivers a series of low and high kicks at an incredulous pace.
"Bring it on, Old Man!"
Tatsuya has a smile on his face.
"Leaf Coiling: Reverse Whirlwind"
Tatsuya delivers a low reverse roundhouse kick to kill Izuna's momentum and counter his move.
Bang…
Both of their kicks clash with each other.
Rumble… Rumble…
The ground beneath their feet trembles, and cracks appear on it.
"Not bad! Let's raise it a notch, shall we?"
Izuna nods his head and jumps back.
"Then what about this?"
HAAAH!!
Izuna clenches his fist.
"Eight Inner Gates: Gate of View: OPENNN!!"
SHOOMMM…
Izuna immediately opens the sixth gate. Due to the immense amount of chakra, he releases a shock wave from his body, which cracks nearby rock and boulders and creates a crater around him.
Hah!
Sasuke stretches his left arm and creates a barrier around himself to block the shockwaves.
"It's my turn, Dad!"
HAAAHH!!
Tatsuya clenches his fists tightly and riles up his chakra.
"Eight Inner Gates: Gate of View: OPENNN!!"
Whoosh…
Both of them disappear from their position and clash mid-air.
BANG… BANG… BANG…
Multiple explosions and shock-waves release from their battle and spread through the training ground, wrecking it beyond recognition.
Izuna takes a peacock stance and rapidly punches the air.
"Asakujaku (Morning Peacock)"
His punches create a peacock-like fan of flames in front of him.
"Now watch me!"
Tatsuya waves his arm and creates an air blade. He grabs the blade and takes a sword stance.
"Yoakeha (Blade of Dawn)"
Tatsuya rapidly swings the air blade in front of him.
Bang… bang…
The air blade creates multiple air pockets with high density in the shape of a blade. These air blades catch fire and travel forward with a sharp aura.
BAM… BAM…
The fire blades collide with the fan of flames and split it in half. They continue to travel towards Izuna.
"Not bad at all! You created a unique technique to focus on the sheer firepower of the sixth gate. Asakujaku is a technique meant to be used at close combat but your Yoakeha removes that weakness and turns it not a long-range attack."
He dispels the fire blades with a wave of his hand.
"You have passed my Taijutsu test. That new technique was a pleasant surprise for me." Izuna nods his head in satisfaction.
"Next up is your Ninjutsu skills. Feel free to use any technique you like. Let me see your full strength." Izuna nonchalantly stands at his position.
"Are you sure?!" Tatsuya asks in trepidation.
"Yes, I am sure of it. Now stop dilly dallying and hit me with whatever you got." Izuna curls his fingers and taunts Tatsuya.
"You asked for it."
Tatsuya claps his hand.
Crackle… crackle…
Purple lightning crackles around his right hand whereas Fire engulfs his left hand.
Haah…
He spews out a blade of wind from his mouth.
Crackle… crackle…
The fire and lightning combine with the wind blade and transform into a javelin.
Tatsuya grabs the javelin and aims it towards Izuna.
"Sunder Release: Valkyrie Enactment"
Whoosh…
The javelin tears through the air, leaving a trail of vacuum behind it.
BOOM… BOOM…
It releases deafening supersonic waves as it propels towards Izuna.
Izuna gasps in astonishment as he stares at the incoming blade.
His first thought being.
'Damn! I have to admit defeat. It's so cool. Why didn't I think of it first? This jutsu! Not only does it have the firepower of Fire and Lightning Release; it also has the kinetic force of the wind release. It has very high penetrative power and can even drill a hole in a Sage level Sealing Formation.
But that's not all, it will gain momentum the more it travels further and, on the impact, it will transfer all of its kinetic energy to the target in form of a sundering blast which will tear apart through everything.'
Izuna's expression changes as the jutsu close on him.
'Damn! I was so focused on its principle.'
"Susanoo: Yata on Kagami"
BAM…
A colossal dark black shield appears in front of him.
BANG…
The shield absorbs the entire kinetic force of the javelin, leaving the volatile chakra behind.
BOOM…
The chakra explodes on top of the shield, leaving a trail of destruction lashed with fire and lightning.
"He… he blocked it."
Tatsuya's expression turns pale. He has used most of his chakra in his last attack.
'Even if I can't beat you, this jutsu should have left you in a rough state. But looks like I was dreaming.'
Tatsuya sighs in depression.
'In the end, I wasn't able to impress father.'
"That was a pretty good move. I definitely felt that one."
Izuna sincerely praises Tatsuya.
"You have put some effort into your training. I am impressed!" Izuna pats Tatsuya's shoulder.
He transfers some of his chakra to Tatsuya.
"Let's keep going. Your Taijutsu and Ninjutsu skills are excellent, as for genjutsu, let's not talk about that. Now! Fight me like your life depends on it. In a life and death battle, the opponent won't sit idly and watch you complete your jutsu like an idiot."
Shoom…
Izuna has a stern expression. He riles up his chakra.
Rumble… rumble…
The ground trembles beneath him and web-like cracks appear on it.
"That's what I was waiting for?"
Tatsuya takes the initiative and makes the first move.
Whoosh…
He takes out a kunai and aims it for Izuna's blind spot.
"Too bad for you, I don't have a blind spot."
Izuna turns around and blocks the kunai with one of his own.
Swoosh…
Izuna performs a roundhouse kick to attack Tatsuya.
Whoosh…
Tatsuya leaps on top of Izuna's kick and dodges it. He gathers some chakra in his fist and aims a punch at his face.
Bam…
Izuna blocks Tatsuya's fist with his palm, easily dispelling the chakra.
Bzzz…
Tatsuya releases some purple lightning to free his hand from Izuna's grip.
Aww…
Izuna waves his hand to shake the numbing sensation.
Whoosh… whoosh…
Tatsuya rapidly performs body flicker around Izuna, leaving multiple afterimages around him.
Izuna silently stares at multiple afterimages hovering around him.
"Is that a move from Shisui's book?"
Izuna raises an eyebrow.
"Too bad! It's quite easy to counter if you know the right technique."
Izuna slams his palm on the ground.
'Artic Release: Life Reaping Spears"
Shoom…
The surrounding temperature drops instantly and ice crystals start to rain.
Swish… swish… swish…
Numerous ice spears with cold glint erupt from the ground. They pierce through all of Tatsuya's afterimages and shadow clones.
Haah…
Izuna makes a Ram hand sign.
Sizzle…
The spears turn into blue flames and incinerate the clones and afterimages to dust.
Bleurgh…
The real Tatsuya pukes out a mouthful of blood as the flaming blue spear pierces through his gut.
"As I said, it's too easy to counter. Any wide-area jutsu will make a quick work of them. It's only useful against a large number of enemies."
Izuna shakes his head.
"I have avoided your vitals, if I was an enemy, you would be dead by now."
Tatsuya has a downcast expression as the flaming spear burns through his body.
"But! I will give a full score for the attempt." Izuna nods slightly.
Tatsuya lifts his head and smirks.
"Got you!"
Whoosh…
Tatsuya's body vanishes into an afterimage.
"Huh?! What?!"
Swoosh…
He instantly reappears behind Izuna.
"Chidori: Raikiri Blade"
Tatsuya stretches his palm and forms a lightning blade. He aims the blade for Izuna's heart.
Swirl… Shiing…
Izuna's eye pattern changes and he activates his Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Amenominakanushi"
Swoosh…
Time slows down around Izuna. He turns around and faces Tatsuya, who has an incredulous look on his face.
"That was a pretty close call."
Izuna slightly raises his hand to attack Tatsuya. But before he could attack Tatsuya,
Whoosh…
Tatsuya disappears from his place and appears at some distance from him.
"What?! Again?!"
Izuna has a slightly confused expression on his face.
'What was that now?! I should have absolute control over space and time in this area, so he shouldn't be able to use any Space-Time ability but he still somehow blinked from his position.'
Izuna waves his hand and dispels the Space-Time field around him.
He slowly walks towards Tatsuya,who is huffing for breath.
"What was that last move of yours?It felt like a space-time Ninjutsu but there weren't any space fluctuations."
"Eh?! That… that's the Mangekyoability of my right eye."
Tatsuya explains.
"While using this ability, I can createspace remnants of myself in another dimension. These remnants are invisible to theeyes and even Sasuke san's Rinnegan can't detect them.
These space remnants can bypassthe restrictions of space locking and can move freely through space. I can also instantly swap positions with them. When I do so, my body will return to its previous state presentduring the initial use of this technique though my chakra will be drained in the process.
Earlier, in our fight, I intentionally used the Body-Flicker Jutsu as a feint to reveal a 'weakness'. You utilized the 'weakness' to attack and subdue me. But that was part of my plan. I had mixed some of my space remnants with the body flicker image and shadow clones.
Your jutsu did not affect them andI purposely took the hit to bait you. You fell for the bait, but in the end, your guard was still up."
Tatsuya has a wry smile on his face.
"No! That was a clever move. It's just that your opponent was me. Still, your Mangekyo ability is amazing."
"Well! There is a drawback to thistechnique, swapping position while being critically wounded will destroy the remnant and I can only create four remnants for now. I have yet to master this ability."
Tatsuya scratches his head inembarrassment.
"Hmm… your ability is a mix of Limbo, Substitution, and time-reversal. Also, what was that at the end? I thought I slowed the surrounding time, yet you were able to react on time." Izuna curiously stares atTatsuya's Mangekyo.
'He possesses Choku-tomoe Sharingan, just like me.'
"That's the ability of my left eye. Idon't exactly know how it works, but after activating it I can see a few seconds in the future. It'smore like Clairvoyance. Also, it makes me immune to time-based abilities to an extent. I have yet to figure out the full extent of its potential."
Tatsuya helplessly shakes his head.
"…"
Izuna rolls his eyes.
'And here I thought, my Mangekyo abilities were broken. But my son has already surpassed me in this aspect.'
Izuna scrutinizes Tatsuya.
'His chakra reserves are normal. He can be compared to an elite Uzumaki member. Also, he doesn't seem to possess the cockroach-like vitality of Hashirama.
Looks like my boons didn't pass to my offspring. It's fine. Given his natural talent, he will surpass Grandpa Madara in a year or two.'
Izuna nods his head in satisfaction.
"Earlier, I had some reservations regarding your abilities but now I am fully convinced of them."
Izuna dispels the protective barrierset around the training ground.
He gazes at the ruins of the trainingground.
"That's quite a mess."
Izuna slams his palm on the ground and fixes it with the wood release.
"Tatsuya, I have training partners for you. They are almost the same age as you. Oh! They are already here."
Whoosh… whoosh…
Shisui and Itachi arrive at the trainingground. Izuna's back is facing them, obscuring Tatsuya from their vision.
Swirl…
Adult Sasuke hides his presence or lest they might recognize him.
"Good! You came right on time."
Izuna turns around and nods hishead.
'Dad! Won't they suspect my identity?'
Tatsuya whispers to him.
'Everything will be alright! They won't believe me even if I tell the truth.'
Izuna moves aside to reveal Tatsuya.
Shisui and Itachi curiously stare at Tatsuya.
"Nii-san, is that a shadow clone in disguise?"
Shisui inspects Tatsuya who looks exactly like Izuna except for some distinct features.
"No! He is my son, Tatsuya Uchiha." Izuna reveals the truth.
Pfft… Haha…
Shisui and Itachi burst out in laughter.
"Please don't joke around. How can he be your son? He is almost the same age as you."
"…"
Izuna rolls his eyes and helplesslystares at Tatsuya.
'See! I told you.'
Tatsuya and Sasuke are dumbfounded to see this.
'What? What's going on?'
Adult Sasuke questions him fromthe shadows.
'You don't have to worry about your identity being discovered. I have created an illusion using one of my abilities. Even if they find anything suspicious, they will ignore it as a prank.'
Izuna shrugs his shoulder.
'It's not my fault that I use to prank both of them all the time during my childhood. Ah! Those sweet old days.'
"Never mind!" Shisui and Itachi shake their head.
They can see through every sort of hidden tactics and tricks used by other shinobis, but when it comes to Izuna Nii-san of theirs, they are helpless to do anything.
'He is as mysterious as ever!' Shisui and Itachi reach an agreement and turn to Tatsuya.
'Since he is a clone of Nii-san, we will relieve all of our frustration on him.'
Izuna notices the changes in their facial expression and senses their intention. He silently prays in his heart.
'Oh, my poor son! Father can only pray for your poor soul as your uncles will bully you.'
.."