In the so-called Forest of Death, Naruto sat meditating, ignoring everything around him. No, rather, he could feel everything around him, but he didn't worry about it; he knew the enormous animals wouldn't harm him. His upper eyelids had gained an orange pigmentation, and a green orb rested on his hands.
Since learning of the enemy he would face and the mission had been activated, Naruto had spent most of his time training in this place. First, he meditated so he could maintain his Sage Mode longer, while also completing a jutsu that had been on his mind for a few days.
Small birds had landed on his shoulders and head, one of them playing with a lock of Naruto's hair. Some snakes had coiled near him, while some larger animals watched from afar, lying down but staring curiously at the human.
In his hands, the green orb seemed to gain more and more color, resembling the color of a glowing green jade. The energy spun at high speeds inside the orb, but remained peaceful on the surface. This was his new Rasengan. Using nature energy and wood-release chakra, Naruto had successfully formed a new Rasengan. He had done so a few days ago, but knew it was still not perfected.
He knew that in this upcoming battle, Sage Mode might be the most useful against his enemy. Of course, he didn't know if this person could absorb nature energy, so he decided to create this special Rasengan.
"It's still not enough..." Muttering quietly to himself, Naruto began to supply an increasing amount of chakra to the Rasengan, causing it to increase in size.
But while Naruto was training hard, different things were happening elsewhere.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Boruto was eating with Hinata on the side. The young Uzumaki was a little nervous about having a younger version of his mother, especially since she seemed less strict.
"What's your father like?" Hinata decided to ask.
"Huh?" Boruto stopped eating and looked at Hinata, a little puzzled, especially since he was thinking about so many things. He had seen Neji when he visited the Hyuuga compound, which had resulted in a slightly awkward encounter because he was dead in his timeline. He didn't say anything about death; he thought it was for the best, but it still felt very strange. The village was different, smaller and much quieter. His father's friends were younger and livelier.
"I don't know much about this space and timeline stuff, but they should be a little different?"
"Well..." Boruto began, frowning slightly, "Dad spends a lot of time being Hokage, which causes some... problems. Even though I've come to understand it, I still don't like it much, especially when it makes my sister sad."
"Although he can act a little silly sometimes..."
Hinata smiled at that last part. He knew Naruto was quite outgoing, which caused some discomfort, but that didn't mean he was stupid. Many misunderstood him.
"I see..."
"What's your sister like?"
"She's adorable and has a good personality! Although... she's scary when she gets angry."
As the two chatted, the minutes passed slowly. Boruto was learning a few things that, perhaps in his timeline, might be the same. He didn't care much about that, but he enjoyed listening to Hinata talk about her missions, since her mother didn't say much about it.
Far away from them, someone else was thinking about some things. Sasuke, who was standing on the First Hokage's head on the monument, looked out over the village with a calm and peaceful expression. This world was different for him. But the core, the personalities that made up the people he knew, remained the same, perhaps with some small differences.
Sasuke had avoided meeting Sakura, but he watched her from afar for a few moments, noticing that there seemed to be no change in her; she was still the same girl. But he wondered if things would end up the same as in his world. Here, his counterpart was being guarded by ANBU and in a cell with his chakra sealed and a band over his eyes, so he couldn't use them.
The chances of him escaping were practically zero. Obito wasn't there to lure him out and manipulate him, and neither was Danzo. Zetsu had been eliminated, so the resurrection of Madara and Kaguya was unlikely. And if that were the case, perhaps the encounter with Ootsutsuki Hagoromo was also unlikely.
The Akatsuki were still around from what I'd learned, but I didn't think they were much of a danger compared to Naruto's growth. In his world, it only took Naruto learning Sage Mode and a little luck with his seal for him to defeat Pain. Here, Naruto was already stronger than his counterpart that year, plus he had Mokuton. His chances of winning were very high.
The only dangers this world could encounter would be the Ootsutsuki clan on the moon or those further away, like Urashiki, Momoshiki, and Kinshiki. Wars were unlikely. It became clear when the fourth war was declared that no country wanted a full-scale war like the previous ones; that would only result in a dwindling supply of resources and shinobi.
Although he felt a little sorry because the Uchiha clan was practically finished. The things his brother had done to help him survive... the Uchiha Sasuke of this world didn't know. And even if he did, he'd only end up wanting to destroy Konoha. Sasuke felt a little sorry, but he wouldn't free this Sasuke or help him understand the things his brother did.
This wasn't his world.
These weren't his problems.
Although he still had some small hopes for Sarutobi Hiruzen. That man, even with his mistakes, wasn't evil. That the Third Hokage might try to talk to Sasuke about what his brother did was a possibility, perhaps slim, but a possibility nonetheless.
However, if there was one thing he wanted to do in this world, aside from fighting and winning against Urashiki, it would be...
Sasuke sighed, looking down, watching the villagers and shinobi walk through the streets of Konoha. This was what his brother wanted to protect: the safety of these people, the upkeep of the village, and the remaining honor of his clan.
At that moment, his Rinnegan flashed for a moment before space folded to form a portal, through which he lightly leaped. A short time later, the portal disappeared, leaving the monument completely desolate.
. . .
Elsewhere, a man with short, white hair smiled slightly as he pulled on a fishing line that seemed to be made of red energy, bringing a quantity of chakra onto its hook. This person was Urashiki, who watched as the man from whom he had stolen all his chakra died and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Well... this seems about right... Hahaha..." Urashiki let out a small laugh as he looked up slightly, observing the moon illuminating the Konoha village in the distance. But, that beautiful light also revealed a large number of dead people behind him. Lifeless men and women, their chakra completely drained.
"Ah~... I can't wait to steal that fox monster's chakra!" Urashiki exclaimed joyfully as he slowly rose and began his walk towards Konoha.
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