Training Ground 13.
"Strange, why would the world line change so drastically?" Otsutsuki Urashiki squatted in the bushes, thoroughly perplexed by the intelligence he had gathered the previous night. Why wasn't the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Konoha Village? And hadn't only Uchiha Sasuke defected from those two?
"Everyone, look who it is!" Just as he was scratching his head in frustration over the timeline changes, a cheerful female voice reached his ears, instantly worsening his already sour mood. His face fell as he looked in the direction of the sound. He saw eleven little brats standing嘻嘻哈哈 on the training ground, up to some mischief.
"Sasuke?!" Ino couldn't help but exclaim after getting a clear look at the face of the man Sakura had been hiding behind her. "Am I dreaming?" Kiba and the others were also startled to see him. Their graduating class from the Ninja Academy was considered quite the 'legend,' after all; no other graduating year had produced two missing-nin simultaneously. Especially since both missing-nin had been prominent figures in their year.
"Of course you're not dreaming!" Sakura's face was beaming with a radiant smile. She had thought going to the hospital this morning was just for a routine internship, but she hadn't expected to bump into Sasuke. She still remembered vividly the excitement and joy she felt when she had asked Shizune-nee and learned that Sasuke was about to return to Konoha. After finishing her internship, she had immediately gathered all her peers from their year, intending to share this joy with everyone.
"Sasuke, do you still remember everyone? Shall I reintroduce you?"
"Everyone, long time no see!" Uchiha Sasuke stepped past the woman in front of him. He, who had always shown a cold face to others, revealed a smile for the first time.
"Yeah, long time no see," Kiba and the others replied dazedly.
"Hey! Is this guy really the Sasuke we know? Why do I feel like it's not him?" Ino leaned close to Shikamaru and Choji's ears and whispered. The transformation from a cool, aloof heartthrob to a considerate, warm guy was too drastic, so much so that she found it hard to accept.
"Probably… right?" Choji also began to doubt. Was this still the 'public enemy of all males' in their memory who only knew how to act cool?
Is this still the Sasuke I know… Sakura stared blankly at this scene. Ever since meeting him at the hospital, the shocks Sasuke had given her had been progressively greater.
"Uchiha Sasuke?" Seeing him, Otsutsuki Urashiki was also stunned, but then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he had thought of something amusing. "Can't find Uzumaki Naruto… Taking it out on you first doesn't seem too bad either." He stood up, picked up the red fishing rod slung over his shoulder. A ripple went through his translucent Byakugan, replaced by a pair of Rinnegan emanating a faint blue light. His figure transformed into several red paper cranes and vanished from the bushes.
Uchiha Sasuke looked at the group before him, hesitating on how to proceed with the next step of their interaction. Although their strength was weak, they were all direct scions of Konoha's major clans. According to Future Sasuke, when they grew up, they would all succeed their respective elders, becoming the heads of Konoha's various great families and key nodes in Konoha's network of interests. Building a good relationship with them was crucial for his campaign for Sixth Hokage. Especially… His gaze flickered slightly towards Nara Shikamaru, who was standing in a corner. The head of the Nara clan had served as the Hokage's Assistant since the time of the First Hokage. This clan's combat strength might be far inferior to the Hyuga clan's, but their influence in Konoha definitely far surpassed that of the Hyuga.
"Sasuke, can you tell us about the interesting things you've encountered during this time?" Sakura quickly spoke up, seeing the conversation stall.
The Fifth Hokage's disciple… she has value for further association. I just don't know if she has received the Godaime's true teachings… Uchiha Sasuke looked at her, pondering inwardly. A direct disciple and a disciple in name only were two very different concepts.
"Alright…" He smiled and nodded. Suddenly, a sense of crisis welled up from the bottom of his heart. His Sharingan activated instantly, his powerful dynamic vision quickly catching sight of an incoming red fishing line. Looking at Yamanaka Ino walking towards him, he quickly formulated a plan in his mind. A look of concern appeared on his face, and he shouted loudly: "Watch out!" As he shouted, he forcefully tackled a stunned Yamanaka Ino to the ground. The incoming red fishing line grazed perilously close to his scalp. The other rookies quickly dodged to the side. Ino stared at the handsome face so close to hers, felt his breath on her cheek, and the image of Sasuke diving towards her replayed in her mind. Her heart thumped wildly, like a deer repeatedly ramming its antlers.
"Oh my, I actually missed? That shouldn't have happened," a frivolous voice reached everyone's ears. Uchiha Sasuke stood up, his expression grave as he looked at the man floating in mid-air. He can fly. That means dealing with him will be significantly harder. He didn't have any decent anti-air capabilities. "You dare lay a hand on my comrades? Tired of living, are you?"
"Interesting, this is truly interesting!" Otsutsuki Urashiki was initially surprised, then looked at the youth below with great interest. His attack target had clearly been him, yet the boy insisted the target was that little girl… But he didn't expose the 'lie' immediately. Because this kind of cunning… he liked it very much!
"Ino, are you okay?" Choji quickly ran to her side and asked.
"N-No, I'm fine!" Ino jolted and quickly shook her head.
"That's good."
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Uchiha Sasuke's hands rapidly formed seals, and a massive fireball flew towards the enemy in mid-air. Otsutsuki Urashiki shifted his body slightly to the side, and the fireball flew past him.
"Fang Over Fang!" With a flick of the fishing rod in his hand, Kiba, who had leaped into the air, was entangled by a thin red fishing line, unable to move.
Thump! A circle of cracks appeared on the ground, and Uchiha Sasuke's figure vanished from his spot. In mid-air, behind Otsutsuki Urashiki, a powerful whip kick lashed out. Whoosh! The immense force even created a visible shockwave in the air. Several red paper cranes slowly dissipated. Uchiha Sasuke's expression changed slightly. He quickly adjusted his stance and caught Kiba, who was about to fall to the ground. Gazing at the enemy who had reformed, he turned his head to the other rookies behind him and said, "Run! He's not an enemy you can handle!"
"Even though we know you're strong, don't underestimate the efforts we've put in this past year!" Lee slowly assumed a stance, glaring at the enemy opposite them. Shikamaru's expression changed when he saw the pattern in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, distinctly different from a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. "We need to go, now!"
"Why?" Sakura looked at him in disbelief. The enemy was clearly alone, while their numbers were eleven times his! They could wear him down through attrition! "Lady Tsunade has already agreed to restore Sasuke's status as a Konoha ninja. That means he's our comrade." "Shikamaru, how can you abandon a comrade?!"
"We're leaving too!" Neji had also noticed Sasuke's eyes and led his team members to follow Shikamaru.
"Sakura, stop fooling around!" Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her along with the group.
"No! I'm not leaving!" Sakura shook off her hand, about to go support Sasuke.
BOOM! From the billowing dust cloud, countless pieces of debris flew out at high speed. One of them struck her squarely on the head. The terrifying force instantly knocked her unconscious.