Shimura Residence.
"Where are Madara-sama and Hashirama-san?"
Renya only realized after waking up that the two of them were gone.
Normally, their nap time was longer than his.
But today they were gone, which was quite unusual.
"They went shopping," Shimura Danzō explained.
To be precise, Madara went to buy sweets for Izuna, and Hashirama followed along eagerly.
Not long after they left, Hiruzen notified the ANBU to come and report.
"Shopping?" Renya yawned. "They didn't even call me along. That's really disappointing."
Shimura Danzō: "..."
In fact, Senju Hashirama had originally wanted to wake Renya, but Uchiha Madara saw him sleeping and didn't let Hashirama wake him up.
"Knock knock knock"
At that moment, the courtyard gate was gently knocked on.
Renya and Danzō exchanged glances, both showing surprise.
Who is it?
The gate was only loosely closed. If it were Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama returning, they would have just pushed it open and walked in, not knocked.
But now someone was knocking, which could only mean it was either a stranger or someone not very close.
Shimura Danzō opened the door, and upon seeing the three people standing outside, he was stunned.
Uchiha Retsufū, Uchiha Sasuke, and… a blond brat he had never seen before.
"You..."
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
He never expected people from the future timeline to travel to their time.
He had always been the one traveling through time; this was the first time he encountered others who had done the same.
And judging by Uchiha Sasuke's expression, he was probably here to avenge the past.
Because his good friend had committed too many sins while traveling through time, he couldn't even be sure which timeline's Sasuke this was.
"Is Uchiha Renya here?"
Uchiha Sasuke spoke first, breaking the awkward silence.
As he spoke, he subconsciously clenched his fists.
The grudge from over ten years ago—he could finally take revenge!
The brutal beating he took at sixteen was still unforgettable.
"Who's looking for me?"
Renya felt the voice was somewhat familiar. He got up from his chair and walked to the door curiously.
Then he met Uchiha Sasuke's excited gaze.
Renya: "..."
Why is this guy here?
Right, he must have come together with Urashiki.
That startled me—I thought he came specifically to get revenge on me.
For a moment, he thought it was that Sasuke who got beaten during the Five Kage Summit coming to seek revenge.
Seems like he overthought it.
What are the chances of something like that? No need to scare himself.
"You're here to ask about Urashiki's whereabouts, right?"
Renya spoke first: "He was seriously injured by Madara-sama. Now he's probably hiding somewhere, barely clinging to life."
Uchiha Sasuke: "???"
Boruto: "???"
Urashiki was seriously injured by Uchiha Madara?
Why would he appear in this timeline?
Could it be that he secretly followed them through time into this world?
This shocking news made Sasuke forget about revenge for a moment.
"You're telling the truth?" he quickly asked. "Urashiki was really heavily injured by Madara?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Renya said. "He's definitely badly wounded now. If you find him, you can eliminate him."
If Urashiki hadn't run fast enough, he would've ended up like the Three-Tails.
What a pity—that guy's survival instinct was too strong. Even Madara-sama didn't manage to finish him off in time.
After that incident, Urashiki probably wouldn't dare to show himself in front of them again.
But they could let Sasuke track him down.
Although Ōtsutsuki Urashiki wasn't much of a threat to them, they couldn't just let him exist in their timeline.
Since Boruto and Sasuke were here, they could leave it to them to handle.
"I understand."
Uchiha Sasuke nodded seriously.
The top priority was dealing with Urashiki's threat…
As for getting revenge on Renya, it wouldn't be too late to continue later.
After all, Konoha is right here!
With that, he turned and left with Boruto, leaving Uchiha Retsufū standing alone at the entrance.
Wait, why did you all leave?
"Retsufū, you came at the right time. Come in and sit for a bit—I happen to have something to ask you."
Renya had originally planned to find him tomorrow, but since he came on his own, it saved him the trip.
Uchiha Retsufū felt his heart tighten.
He didn't even need to guess—Renya would surely ask why he left the village.
Should he tell the truth?
The Mangekyō Sharingan, Black Zetsu, the "Eye of the Moon" Plan, reviving his wife and younger brother…
In the end, Retsufū chose not to hide anything and told everything truthfully about his experiences over the years.
Three years had made him realize many things.
Black Zetsu's words couldn't be trusted. He had most likely been used all along—he just didn't want to believe it.
He couldn't accept that the "Eye of the Moon" Plan was fake.
Wouldn't that also mean reviving his wife and brother was a lie?
So he chose to deceive himself, continuing to follow Black Zetsu in search of a way to realize the "Eye of the Moon" Plan.
With Black Zetsu's disappearance, the hope he had clung to shattered.
Even now, he still didn't understand why that guy vanished without a trace…
If Black Zetsu hadn't left, he could have continued deceiving himself until the day the "Eye of the Moon" Plan was realized and the truth revealed.
Renya listened to Uchiha Retsufū's explanation, feeling a bit emotional.
It had to be said—Black Zetsu was truly a master at manipulating people's hearts.
Uchiha Madara… Uchiha Retsufū…
It could precisely exploit each person's weakness and turn them into pieces on its board.
But the one thing he couldn't understand was why Black Zetsu suddenly disappeared.
Could something unknown have happened in that timeline?
What exactly happened…
Perhaps only those involved would know.
"Now that you're back, don't leave again." Renya patted Retsufū on the shoulder. "What's in the past is already past. People need to learn to look forward."
Ever since Retsufū suddenly disappeared, Uchiha Fugaku had effectively become an orphan.
He had seen Fugaku from afar a few times—the child had grown more and more silent.
It could only be said that there were indeed issues with the Uchiha clan's methods of upbringing.
For example, making children kill pets that had accompanied them for years just to awaken their Sharingan.
Although most succeeded, their hearts became twisted.
Experiencing something like that from a young age—what happens when they face further trauma as adults?
Wouldn't they go mad and try to destroy the village and the ninja world?
That was precisely why Senju Tobirama had kept a close eye on the Uchiha clan during his time in power, afraid they might do something insane.
"I understand. Thank you, Renya."
Uchiha Retsufū said with relief.
"From now on, I'll stay home and properly accompany Fugaku."
With that, he didn't linger any longer. He stood up, said his farewell, and left.
The two of them watched his departing figure in silence.
This guy is pitiful too…
Losing his wife and younger brother at such a young age.
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