"Ah~!"
"…It was just a dream? That's… that's a relief."
Boruto slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the haze.
"Huh… what happened?"
He looked around in confusion, noticing that Sasuke was still frozen in place, his expression grim and shocked.
"Boruto…"
"…When are you going to poop?"
Before Boruto could process Sasuke's words, an obnoxious voice echoed in the sealed space within him.
"Who said that?!"
"Who's talking?!"
Boruto's face went pale.
He had a gut feeling—one he desperately wished wasn't true.
Hearing the disturbance, Sasuke snapped out of his daze. He turned sharply to look at Boruto, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spinning.
Just one second.
Do you understand the meaning of that one second?
A moment ago, Sasuke was seriously worried about Boruto's condition.
A moment later, he vanished from Boruto's side without hesitation.
Boruto was stunned.
Wait... was that all real?
His stomach churned.
Ugh... I feel like I'm going to be sick...
Naruto let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally... finally got Afei out.
Seeing Sasuke's reaction, Naruto didn't even bother checking on the situation inside Boruto. He just smiled faintly.
"Don't worry," Naruto said, "Consider this a gift."
Boom boom—
Boruto's heart sank.
Naruto's words confirmed it—Afei was real.
A bolt of dread shot through him.
He slowly turned to face Naruto, lips trembling.
"Dad… this… is this really a gift?"
"You're sure you didn't make a mistake?"
Naruto shook his head. "No mistake."
"Do you remember Otsutsuki Momoshiki?"
Boruto swallowed hard and nodded.
"I defeated him—and sealed him inside you."
"But now… Momoshiki's changed form."
"Although Afei—ahem—is very obedient, I decided to use him as a vessel and fused Momoshiki's chakra into him."
Boruto's heart dropped even further.
Momoshiki's power… how are we supposed to deal with that in the future?!
Naruto chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Afei won't go out of control."
"He's like Kurama once was, sealed inside me. You can draw on his power too."
"Of course, you can't handle too much right now."
"But Afei knows when and how much power to release to you."
As Naruto said this, he snapped his fingers.
Afei, now residing within Boruto, understood the cue immediately.
BOOM—
An enormous surge of chakra exploded from Boruto's body.
The wedge on his hand activated, spreading across his body in jagged black lines.
His right eye opened—the Jōgan.
Boruto was overwhelmed by the power surging within him.
His nose twitched—it was like he could smell something. But that didn't matter right now.
The rush of strength was intoxicating.
"This power… Is this Momoshiki's—no, Afei's power?"
He clenched his fist, feeling raw strength pulsing through him.
I could punch through a mountain with this!
Naruto stepped forward and lightly tapped Boruto's wedge.
"Now, try shutting it down."
Boruto nodded quickly and shut his eyes.
Bonk—
Naruto flicked him on the forehead.
"Ow~!"
"Why'd you close your eyes? Just focus your thoughts." Naruto smirked.
Boruto winced, then concentrated.
Sure enough, the wedge markings retracted immediately, and the Jōgan closed.
"How was that?" Naruto asked. "Still think Afei's gift is bad?"
Boruto shook his head vigorously. "No way! It's amazing! Afei's incredible!"
"Thanks, Dad!"
He eagerly activated and deactivated the power a few more times, marveling at the sensation.
Then, Afei's voice echoed in his mind again.
"Boruto, what does it feel like to poop?"
"Boruto, what does it feel like to hold in your poop?"
"Boruto, do you like playing with poop?"
"..."
Boruto's excitement drained in an instant.
The value of Afei just kept dropping.
And worst of all—he couldn't unsee the image of Afei's grinning face in his mind.
That image alone made him lose his appetite completely.
Then Boruto's nose twitched.
Psychologically, he felt like activating Afei's power had made his whole body smell… off.
"Ahem."
Sasuke coughed lightly, deliberately breaking the awkward silence.
"It's getting late. Let's head back to the village."
"Sasuke-san, I…"
"Wait. Don't come any closer. Just stay there and talk."
Boruto: "…"
Damn it. I've been contaminated.
Sasuke sighed, the weariness in his eyes deepening.
The more time he spent here, the clearer it became—this world's Naruto was on a completely different level than the one he knew.
That night, the entire country celebrated.
All of the former Konoha shinobi… were dead. Slain by their own Hokage—Jiraiya.
The remaining villagers of Konoha hadn't fared much better. They were sold off by Nara Shikaku to the nobility of the Land of Fire.
That same night, they were sent off to labor—no food, no rest.
Those who protested or tried to escape were beaten to death.
Any attempt at organizing resistance was immediately crushed. The moment people tried to rally together, someone would step in and shatter their legs—literally.
Faced with this overwhelming brutality, these once-proud villagers collapsed into fear and submission.
Before they were even allowed to sleep, they were subjected to intense ideological indoctrination.
This wasn't the light-touch persuasion Naruto once used with the Third Hokage.
This was ruthless psychological warfare.
And yet—to the astonishment of the elites—these former Konoha villagers were shockingly easy to brainwash.
Even Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado weren't spared. They were dragged out to sweep the streets and clean toilets.
As soon as they returned to the dormitory, they were tormented—by none other than Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Having spent years outside the village, leeching off and exploiting whatever remnants of Konoha they could find, Hiruzen had grown used to a life of relative comfort.
Now, all of it had to be paid back—and with interest.
The enforcer? Hiruzen himself.
When forced to work alongside Koharu and Homura, Hiruzen would beat them bloody at the slightest excuse. And every time, he'd loudly proclaim that he had nothing to do with them anymore—that he'd drawn a clear line.
It never got old for him.
Because whenever he laid into them, the other workers would cheer.
That made Hiruzen work even harder.
Only Danzo was still clinging to ambition.
"I can still turn the tables," he muttered in the dark, refusing to give up.
That night, Rin was pulled aside by the other girls. They whispered among themselves, their voices hushed but serious.
"Are you really okay?"
"Of course, you don't need to worry anymore," Naruto said softly. "I'll handle the Otsutsuki matter."
"Mmm~"
"Naruto… I think I like it here. I like the way this place feels."
Naruto chuckled, gently brushing her hair. "Go to sleep."
Suddenly, Kaguya murmured, "I saw it all."
"…What— Hiss~!"
The next day.
A strange ripple stirred in the sky above Konoha.
Space itself twisted unnaturally, as if being torn apart by an invisible force.
A moment later, a circular rift opened in the air—dark and ominous.
From that swirling void, a lone figure slowly descended.
As soon as the figure emerged, the spatial rift snapped shut behind him.
"Tch. A little later than planned."
He hovered effortlessly in the sky.
Pale-skinned, light blue hair tied into a high ponytail. No eyebrows, only two round, bony protrusions rising from his forehead.
Two horn-like projections curved forward like a visor—though the one on the right was broken.
This was Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Urashiki gazed coldly at the forest stretching out beneath him, a cruel smirk forming on his lips.
As he twisted his body, the glowing red chakra gourd strapped to his back pulsed in sync—its energy reacting to him.
"We were delayed by those two meddlers… but it's not too late."
With a soft rustle of robes, Urashiki drifted down to the forest floor, silently landing without disturbing a single leaf.
No sound, no chakra flare—no risk of immediate detection.
"Heh. Just two fleas. They can't protect that smelly fox now."
"This is the past. As time travelers, they wouldn't dare interfere too much. And chances are… the fox hasn't even been located yet."
He shut his eyes, releasing his chakra sense.
"The fox isn't that strong at this point. Shouldn't be hard to drain his chakra."
"Now then… let's see where you're hiding, you stinky fox!"
His sensory field expanded rapidly, sweeping across the land—
Whoosh—!
Hmm?
A chill ran down his spine.
Killing intent?
Urashiki spun around and looked back—but the spot where he had just stood was calm. No trace of danger, no shift in chakra.
He frowned—though with no eyebrows, the gesture was subtle.
"…Strange. Could my sensory ability be off because I just arrived in this time?"
But then—he felt it.
Yomi Hirasaka.
That unmistakable fluctuation of space-time manipulation, not far from where he stood.
"What's this?"
"I haven't been exposed… Could it be… those two fleas are already lying in wait?"
The corner of Urashiki's mouth curled upward into a sinister grin.
"So… you want to ambush me?"
"Then I hope you're ready for my counter-ambush."
...
TN:
Support me on P-com/LordMerlin