The battle between Uzumaki Raiden and Urashiki was intense, and their battlefield was not far from Konoha Village. Not long after their fight ended, Konoha reacted swiftly, dispatching a 32-member Anbu team to Uzumaki's residence.
When the Anbu arrived at Raiden's house, they immediately noticed the massive fox claw mark near the property and the bloodstains at the bottom of the pit.
"Master Raiden's residence doesn't seem to have been attacked by the enemy."
"That battle mark… Master Raiden caused it, right?"
Outside the courtyard, Yūgao Uzuki, wearing her mask, led the Anbu to a stop. After briefly analyzing the area, she knocked on the gate.
It wasn't the butler, Akina Uehara, who opened the door, but Kisame Hoshigaki, who was still standing guard.
"Mr. Kisame?"
"What about the Fourth Hokage? Was the enemy attacking here?"
Yūgao was slightly surprised to see Kisame answering the door. She wasn't very familiar with him, but she knew that this shark-faced man was Raiden's personal guard. She paused before asking directly.
"The enemy has already been repelled by Master Raiden. You should all leave."
"An opponent like that is beyond your capabilities."
Kisame waved his hand dismissively, showing little concern for the Anbu before him.
"You—" One of the Anbu members was displeased by Kisame's arrogant attitude and was about to argue, but Yūgao quickly raised her hand to stop him.
"Don't say anything unnecessary."
"Since the Fourth Hokage is safe, let's return and report to the Fifth Hokage."
Yūgao spoke politely to Kisame before signaling the others, and the group of more than 30 Anbu disappeared from sight. However, despite her words, she was the only one who actually returned to report to Konoha Village. The rest of the Anbu discreetly positioned themselves in the surrounding woods, secretly guarding Raiden's residence.
"Master, those people are gone. Should we go now?"
In the dense forest, Boruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha hid under the shade of a tree, observing the house in the distance. The master and apprentice had left Konoha to seek out Raiden, hoping to learn more about Urashiki from him.
However, shortly after they arrived, Konoha's Anbu also showed up. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Sasuke had immediately taken Boruto into hiding, waiting for the Anbu to leave.
Now, Boruto, seeing the entrance was clear, couldn't contain his excitement. Ever since learning that they were coming to meet Raiden, he had been eager. The legendary deeds of Uzumaki Raiden were widely known even in the future, yet Boruto had never seen him in person. Finally, he had the chance to meet this legendary uncle—how could he not be thrilled?
"Wait a moment. The Anbu haven't actually left."
Sasuke's keen perception allowed him to sense their presence through his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"They haven't left? But I just saw them disappear," Boruto said in surprise.
"They're hiding in the woods."
"Anbu serve directly under the Hokage and specialize in assassination and protection missions."
"If they want to remain hidden, there's no way you'd be able to detect them."
"It seems the battle here caught the village's attention, and they've increased security."
Sasuke explained in a low voice, then glanced at the sky. It was still a long time until nightfall, and waiting until dark to sneak in would take too long.
"You stay here. I'll take care of it soon." Sasuke patted Boruto's shoulder and then quickly vanished.
Inside the courtyard, Kisame, having shut the gate, walked toward Raiden's study, taking up his post outside. However, at that moment, Raiden's voice came from within.
"Kisame, open the door. We have guests."
"Bring them to the study, and tell Akina to prepare three cups of tea."
Kisame looked at the study with a puzzled expression, scratched his head, and then walked toward the entrance. Three cups of tea? That clearly wasn't for the Anbu just now. Yet when he had answered the door earlier, he hadn't sensed anyone else. If Raiden was asking him to open the door now, then who could it be?
With a creak, Kisame opened the gate. Standing before him were two figures—one tall and one short. The taller man was a handsome black-haired individual with a cold demeanor, while the shorter one was a blonde-haired boy with an odd air about him.
Upon seeing the blonde-haired boy, Kisame's pupils shrank slightly. This kid looked strangely familiar!
"You two—" Kisame started to question them but then stopped himself, instead saying,
"Master Raiden already knows you're here. Please follow me."
Kisame's tone was noticeably more respectful when addressing Sasuke and Boruto. After leading them into the courtyard, he silently closed the gate, glancing at the quiet forest once more.
"Alright, lead the way."
Sasuke gave Kisame a meaningful look. He knew that Kisame had already sensed something was off. The hidden Anbu had all been knocked out by Sasuke, and their unconscious bodies, though silent, still had noticeable breathing patterns—something Kisame would easily detect.
That realization made Kisame wary. It had taken Sasuke only three to four minutes to incapacitate so many elite Anbu. Even Kisame himself couldn't do that so effortlessly.
"Who is this guy? He neutralized all those Anbu without making a sound."
"And the boy with him… he resembles Master Raiden's nephew!"
"Could he be the Fifth Hokage's illegitimate child?"
As he guided Sasuke and Boruto, Kisame speculated about Minato in his mind. At the same time, his muscles remained tense, ready for any sudden movements from the black-haired man beside him.
"This is the place. You two may enter—Master Raiden is waiting inside."
Kisame stopped at the study door and gestured inside. Without a word, Sasuke gave a slight nod and pushed the door open.
The moment Sasuke and Boruto stepped into the study, the door closed behind them on its own. Boruto flinched at the sudden movement but, realizing it was just the door, exhaled in relief. He then turned his attention to the study.
Raiden's study was enormous. Other than the entrance, all four walls were covered with bookshelves filled with scrolls. The exposed edges of the scrolls were a faint yellow, their aged paper exuding a sense of time.
In the center of the room, a large desk sat. Behind it, a young man with red hair sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, engrossed in a scroll. Surrounding him were neatly stacked scrolls, seemingly enough to bury him.
Unlike in the photographs, the young man behind the desk exuded a calm and composed aura that had an immediate effect on Boruto—his previously excited heart suddenly settled.
This was something he could never have understood from mere photos. Seeing Raiden in person, Boruto could truly feel how powerful he was.
"Fourth Hokage-sama!"
"Hello, I am—"
Sasuke began to introduce himself but suddenly tensed. Before he could finish his sentence, countless black sealing marks appeared across the bookshelves and rushed toward him and Boruto.
Sasuke, unfazed, allowed himself to be bound by the marks. Unlike him, Boruto instinctively tried to dodge, but the seals moved faster than he could react, binding him in place.
"What's going on?!" Boruto shouted, startled.
"Master Raiden, we are not enemies."
"I'm—"
Sasuke remained calm as he spoke, but he didn't finish his sentence.
At that moment, Uzumaki Raiden slowly raised his head, closed the scroll in front of him, rested his chin on one hand, and looked at Sasuke Uchiha and Boruto before interrupting:
"There's no need to explain—I already know who you are and where you're from. You don't have to say more."
"And I can more or less guess why you've come here."
"This was my first encounter with Otsutsuki Zoro. His strength seemed significantly weakened. After I wounded him, he used space-time ninjutsu to escape."
"As for how you can return to your world, I don't know."
Raiden smiled slightly as he looked at Sasuke and Boruto. His eyes remained fixed on Boruto, sensing an unusual chakra within him—one that didn't align with Boruto's own chakra.
A similar situation existed with Sasuke, but in his case, the foreign chakra seemed tamed, interwoven with his own, making it difficult to distinguish.
"Is this the power of the Six Paths?" Raiden thought to himself as he studied them with curiosity.
"Otsutsuki Zoro? Who is that?"
"We don't know anyone named Zoro Otsutsuki. We came here to ask about the whereabouts of Otsutsuki Urashiki."
"Master Raiden, the one you just fought was Urashiki Otsutsuki."
Sasuke was shocked by Raiden's words. He couldn't understand how Raiden had figured out their identities. After contemplating it for a moment, he decided against asking. However, the fact that Raiden could name an Otsutsuki meant he was indeed knowledgeable about them.
"So his name is Urashiki Otsutsuki, huh?"
"I always thought he was called Otsutsuki Zoro."
Raiden scratched his head and murmured before looking directly at Sasuke Uchiha.
"Is there anything else you need to know? If not, may I ask you something?"
"In your world… am I still alive?"
Raiden lightly tapped the table, his tone deep and serious. He already knew that Sasuke and Boruto were from the future. Naturally, learning whether he was still alive in that future was of great importance to him.
Sasuke and Boruto exchanged surprised glances. When Raiden had first claimed to know their identities, they were already taken aback, though they had doubted it deep down.
No one should be able to tell they were from the future just by looking at them.
But now, Raiden's question confirmed beyond a doubt that he truly knew the truth.
Because of this, Sasuke hesitated, unwilling to answer.
Seeing his hesitation, Boruto blurted out, "No."
As soon as he spoke, Sasuke quickly covered his mouth, but it was already too late.
"Really? I see… I'm not alive," Raiden repeated, surprisingly calm. After a moment of contemplation, he continued,
"How did I die?"
"Don't worry, I fully understand the consequences of knowing such things. I will handle it appropriately."
Raiden's tone was gentle, and Sasuke, who had initially been reluctant to discuss the matter, found himself wavering.
"There's no doubt that the Fourth Hokage was the strongest shinobi of his time."
"If he learns something, can he actually change the future?"
"Relying solely on Naruto and myself… I'm afraid we won't be enough to stop the Otsutsuki. But if the Fourth Hokage can change the future and prevent that catastrophe from ever happening, perhaps everything will be different…"
Sasuke thought silently before finally speaking after a long pause.
"You died… You fell in the Fourth Great Ninja War. You were killed in battle against Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
Raiden's pupils widened in shock.
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?!"
"That's impossible!"
"I completely sealed Black Zetsu. How could Kaguya have been revived?!"
Raiden slammed his hand on the table, his face filled with disbelief—a stark contrast to his earlier composure.
"It's true," Sasuke responded. "It wasn't Black Zetsu who unsealed her. It was Uchiha Madara—he was resurrected from the Pure Land."
"After his revival… even you couldn't stop him."
(End of Chapter)