Naruto SI: Kaito Red Lightnin Chapter 183
Sasuke and Boruto reached the edge of the village's detection barrier.
Sasuke came to a sudden stop, looking straight ahead.
Boruto noticed and blinked. "Huh? What's wrong, Sasuke?"
He followed Sasuke's gaze—and spotted someone standing just beyond the trees.
Leaning against the trunk with his arms crossed and eyes closed, stood Itachi.
Boruto's eyes widened. "Eh?! Itachi-san?"
Itachi slowly opened his eyes, pushed himself off the tree, and walked toward them.
"I heard you were leaving," he said as he came to a stop in front of them.
Sasuke gave a small nod. "Yeah. We have to get back home. It's been a while."
Itachi nodded once, then held out a small wooden box. "It's a parting gift."
Sasuke took it and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you."
Itachi gave a faint nod, then walked past them—but just as he passed by Sasuke, he stopped.
"…You've grown up, Sasuke," he said quietly. Before Sasuke could respond, Itachi's body dissolved into a flock of black crows, scattered
Sasuke's eyes widened, frozen for a moment as he stared at the disappearing crows.
Boruto stood beside him, mouth slightly open. "Wait… does he know?"
Sasuke smirked and shook his head. "Come on, Boruto. We should get going."
…
After walking a bit further beyond Konoha's detection barrier, Sasuke turned to Boruto. "Did you pack everything we brought with us?"
Boruto nodded. "Yeah, I got everything. I mean, we can't forget this stuff—especially this." He pulled out the time-travel device, KuraSuki, from his pouch.
KuraSuki chimed in cheerfully, "Ah, good morning to you both. Have you finally decided to return to our original timeline?"
Boruto handed the device over to Sasuke as it continued, "Did you enjoy yourselves in this timeline?"
Boruto shrugged. "Yeah… I guess you could put it like that. Honestly, I'm surprised you're awake. You've been asleep the whole time we've been here."
Sasuke gave a curt nod. "We'd like to borrow your power again to get home."
"Understood," KuraSuki replied.
But just then, Kaito appeared behind boruto using the flying thunder god jutsu.
Sasuke instantly tensed, ready to react.
Kaito scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Good, you're still here."
"Ahhh!" Boruto jumped back, holding his chest. "Don't sneak up on people like that!"
Kaito chuckled and held out a scroll. "Sorry about that—I forgot to give you this."
Boruto blinked and took the scroll. "Eh? What is it?"
"It's Lady Hitomi's dango," Kaito said, still scratching his head. "I asked her to make me some."
Boruto frowned. "Why?"
Kaito looked at him, slightly puzzled. "I mean… it's for Hinata. Who else? She's your grandmother, ya know. If I'm not mistaken, she's not around in your timeline, right? I was there to save her during Hanabi's birth here… but if I wasn't there in your world, she would've died during childbirth. Or am I wrong?"
Boruto's expression dimmed. He slowly shook his head. "Eh… no, you're right. She's not. Mom doesn't really talk about her much."
Kaito nodded with a soft sigh. "Well, Hinata was only five or six when it happened, so I doubt she remembers much… but I figured she might like something from her mom. Just a little gift that might make her happy, ya know."
He shrugged, giving Boruto a small smile. "Alright then… I'll leave you guys to it. Goodbye." With that, Kaito poofed into white smoke, revealing himself to be a shadow clone.
Boruto stared at the fading smoke, his voice soft. "Yeah… goodbye."
Sasuke glanced at him, then turned to KuraSuki. "We're ready. Can you take us back now?"
KuraSuki's voice rang clear. "Very well. Initiating temporal travel."
A bright light enveloped the two of them.
Soon, Boruto and Sasuke stood on a glowing platform suspended in a vast void. The space around them shimmered with deep blues, reds, and purples, constantly shifting like a flowing current. Transparent white cubes drifted slowly around the platform, descending in silence like snow.
Boruto looked around in awe, then sighed. "Well… it was a lot of fun seeing how things were in that timeline. But… I still wish we could've seen how Dad was in the past of our timeline, ya know."
Sasuke stood silently for a moment before answering. "Naruto had to face a lot of hardships growing up alone. Unlike the timeline we visited, your father had no family. No one to love him. No one to care for him. He faced all of that with a smile, and he refused to give up. That's what shaped him into the man he is today."
Boruto looked down. "So… what Kaito said about Dad that he had to grow up being the village's scapegoat?" His voice was quiet.
Sasuke nodded but didn't say anything.
After a moment, Boruto looked up at Sasuke again. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask… about the Uchiha Clan. Did what Kaito said really happen in our timeline? That the Third Hokage and his advisors manipulated your brother… forced Itachi to slaughter the entire clan just to save you?"
Sasuke remained still for a moment, eyes watching the slow drift of the white cubes. Then he spoke. "Yes… Everything Kaito said was true."
He continued, voice calm. "The Third Hokage and his advisors were responsible for what happened. They isolated and cornered the Uchiha Clan. Years of mistrust and alienation pushed the clan to the brink. Eventually… the pressure became too much. The clan began planning a coup."
Sasuke's expression stayed neutral.
"My brother Itachi and his closest friend, Shisui… they loved both the village and the clan," Sasuke said quietly. "They tried to stop what was coming. They took it upon themselves to ease the tension, to find a peaceful solution."
Boruto's eyes widened. "Wait—Shisui? You mean the police officer guy we met on our first day?"
Sasuke gave a slow nod. "Yeah. That was him."
"They went to the Third Hokage," Sasuke continued, his eyes drifting to the floating cubes. "They hoped he'd step in. That he'd speak to the clan and try to defuse the situation before it escalated. But the Hokage… he just kept delaying. Over and over… Until it was too late."
Sasuke continued, his voice steady but heavy. "Shisui turned to his last hope—his Sharingan. He possessed a powerful genjutsu that could alter a person's will. He planned to use it on our father—the head of the Uchiha Clan—to steer him away from the coup."
Boruto's eyes widened in shock.
"But… he made a mistake," Sasuke said. "He told the Third Hokage about his plan. And that same day… one of the Hokage's advisors—Danzo—betrayed him. He poisoned Shisui and stole one of his eyes."
Boruto asked quietly, "Surely the Third Hokage did something about it… right?"
Sasuke slowly shook his head. "Shisui knew… if the clan found out what happened to him, they'd launch the coup immediately. And that was the last thing he or my brother wanted. So Shisui… chose to end his own life. He left behind a letter and jumped into the Naka River. He was already dying anyway."
Sasuke's voice remained steady as he continued. "Even though Shisui had been vital to the clan's plans, his death only delayed the coup for a few months. And the Third Hokage… still did nothing."
He paused, then went on. "Just days after Shisui died, Itachi was summoned. He was given two choices: stand with the clan and die alongside them… or kill them all, become a rogue ninja—and I would be allowed to live."
Boruto's eyes widened, his breath catching in his chest.
"Itachi chose the second option," Sasuke said flatly. "He knew the clan didn't stand a chance. The Hokage and his advisors were already prepared for the coup. And even if the Uchiha had somehow won, the rest of the village would never have accepted them as leaders. Their reputation had already been stained after the Nine-Tails' attack."
Sasuke stared into the glowing void ahead of them. "And even if they'd won," he continued, "there was a real chance the Fourth Great Ninja War would've started right after. Tensions between the villages were already high back then. Any sign of weakness… and everything would've burned."
"In Itachi's eyes… there was only one choice."
Boruto stood still, fists clenched tightly at his sides. His face was a storm of emotions—grief, anger, confusion, and something like understanding. "So Itachi-san… gave up everything," he muttered. "His family… his name… even his future… just to stop a war that hadn't even started yet. And to protect you… that's just wrong, ya know."
Sasuke gave a slow nod, eyes never leaving the drifting cubes. "He lived as a criminal. Died as one too—at least in the eyes of the world. But to me… he was the greatest shinobi this village ever had. He carried a burden no one else could."
Boruto swallowed hard, his throat dry. "And the Third…" he said, his voice tight. "He just let it all happen? He didn't even punish Danzo for what he did to Shisui?"
Sasuke remained calm. "No. He covered it up. Just like he covered up the truth about the massacre. The Third Hokage pretended to strip Danzo of his authority… but it was only for show. In reality, Danzo still had his organization. Root. The only difference was, he had to operate from the shadows instead of in the open. Danzo wasn't punished. He wasn't held accountable. He continued to manipulate things from behind the scenes… until the day he died."
He looked directly at Boruto. "That's the truth of Konoha, Boruto. The Will of Fire burns bright… but sometimes, it casts long, dark shadows."
Boruto lowered his gaze, his hands trembling slightly. "That's so messed up…" he muttered. "I used to think the village was always right. That the Hokage, the elders… they always knew what was best."
Sasuke placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Your father is different. That's why he fights so hard to protect the peace. He doesn't want you or anyone else to carry the same kind of burdens we did."
Boruto looked up at him, eyes filled with a mix of understanding and uncertainty. "So that's why Dad works so hard… to keep everything from falling apart."
Sasuke gave a small, knowing nod. "Naruto saw firsthand what power and politics can do to a village. That's why he's doing everything he can to protect it the right way."
Boruto turned back toward the glowing horizon, the transparent cubes drifting through the void around them. "Then I'll get stronger too," he said. "Not just to protect people… but to make sure no one ever has to go through what Itachi did, ya know."
Sasuke's expression softened. For a brief moment, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Good," he said quietly. "Because the future isn't written yet, Boruto. You still have the power to shape it."
Sasuke added quietly, "Please keep everything I told you about the Uchiha Clan to yourself. There's a reason it isn't taught to others. If the truth got out, people might start seeing the village differently… and it could damage morale."
Boruto nodded solemnly, then looked up at him. "Are you going to tell Sarada?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah… not now. But when she's older—I will."
Just then, KuraSuki's voice echoed around them. "We will be arriving back in your timeline shortly."
Sasuke turned toward the floating device. "Can you return us to the exact point just after we left?"
"Yes," KuraSuki replied. "That will be easy. In fact, with the chakra I have left, I can even travel to another era if you wish."
Boruto tilted his head. "Wait, what? How come you suddenly have so much chakra left?"
KuraSuki responded calmly, "When we first traveled to this timeline, my chakra reserves were nearly depleted. But a few days after our arrival, I located a spot where massive amounts of chakra were leaking out. So… I absorbed a portion of it."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You mean the Nine-Tails' chakra? When Naruto used it?"
"Correct," KuraSuki replied.
Sasuke smirked faintly. "You're pretty sharp, aren't you?"
"You honor me with such praise," KuraSuki said in a neutral yet somehow pleased tone.
Boruto chuckled. Then, after a moment, he asked, "So… what are you gonna do after this?"
"That depends on you two," KuraSuki replied.
Boruto blinked. "Huh? What does that mean? Don't you have anything you want to do?"
"I am merely a tool. I've never considered such a thing," the device answered.
Boruto frowned. "Well… maybe you should. Go do something. Anything. Whatever you want to do."
KuraSuki paused. "Is that… a command?"
Boruto sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Tch, whatever… just think for yourself, ya know."
"…Understood," KuraSuki replied after a brief pause. "After I return you to your time, I will begin a journey to discover something I want to do."
Boruto looked at Sasuke. "That's fine, right?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. It's not like we should be using his powers however we want."
KuraSuki replied, "Well then… thank you both for everything during this journey."
The platform beneath them began to glow brighter and brighter, the light rising and spreading until it became blinding.
…
When Boruto opened his eyes again, he was standing on a familiar rooftop, the cold morning breeze brushing against his skin. Sasuke stood calmly beside him, cloak fluttering slightly.
Boruto blinked, disoriented. "Wait… is this—?"
He ran to the edge, gripping the railing and looking out. Below, the Hidden Leaf Village stretched out as it always had—peaceful, whole. The Hokage Monument was clear in the early morning haze, Naruto and Kakashi's faces carved proudly into the mountain. The sun had yet to rise.
Boruto turned to Sasuke, eyes wide. "Sasuke! Look!" he said, grinning. Then he raised a fist into the air with joy. "We're back home, ya know!"
Before Sasuke could respond, Boruto's head snapped to the side, sensing someone approaching.
"Boruto! Sasuke-san!" Konohamaru, hurrying up the stairs onto the rooftop. His face was tense, urgency in his voice.
Boruto's eyes lit up. "Big brother Konohamaru!" he called out with a grin.
Konohamaru barely slowed as he reached them. "What are you two doing here? Wait—never mind. Listen, Urashiki has infiltrated the village! Things are bad right now!"
Sasuke gave a slight nod, his face calm and focused. "We know. We were just about to report to Naruto about it."
Konohamaru blinked. "Huh? Oh… right." He frowned in confusion but didn't question it further.
Without another word, Sasuke turned toward the Hokage Tower. "Let's go, Boruto," he said, then vanished using the body flicker.
Boruto shot one last grin at Konohamaru. "See you later, Big Bro!" Then, Boruto flickered in and out of view a few times before vanishing completely.
Konohamaru stared for a second, blinking. "…Huh. That's new. When did He learn that?"
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