Adult Sasuke didn't know what the best move was anymore, but he knew one thing for certain.
He couldn't get caught.
If they were captured and dragged into interrogation, their entire mission would collapse. At least there was one piece of good news. Judging from this world's Sasuke, this was still Naruto's apartment. That meant Naruto was likely still in the village. No need to search the entire place.
The bad news was standing right in front of him.
A younger version of himself, sword drawn, eyes sharp, clearly done listening.
There was no point explaining. Even if Sasuke tried, this Sasuke would just arrest them first and ask questions later.
And right now, Sasuke didn't want to fight a version of himself who was more than ten years younger.
So he moved.
In a single motion, Sasuke scooped Boruto up with his remaining arm and leapt backward.
ANBU moved instantly to intercept.
But even one-armed, even while carrying a child, Sasuke's movements were far beyond their expectations. He slipped through their formation and knocked several of them aside with precise kicks.
"Tch," young Sasuke snorted, launching forward. "With skills like that, you expect me to believe you're a street performer?"
He closed the distance fast.
Too fast.
Adult Sasuke felt it immediately. His chakra was still unstable. Too much had been siphoned away by Urashiki. Normally it would recover with time, but for some reason the regeneration was painfully slow. His Rinnegan was unusable, his speed dulled, his margin for error razor-thin.
"Sasuke-san!" Boruto shouted.
A kunai flew in from behind. The trajectory was perfect.
Sasuke twisted, pouring what little chakra he had into his legs and dodging sideways.
And then—
The kunai vanished.
In its place stood young Sasuke.
Steel flashed.
Everything stopped.
Young Sasuke's blade rested against adult Sasuke's neck.
Silence fell.
Young Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You called him Sasuke. That your name too?"
Adult Sasuke hadn't even processed what just happened. There'd been no transformation chakra. No release. The kunai hadn't changed. It had been replaced.
A spatial swap?
But young Sasuke didn't have the Rinnegan. And unlike the Sharingan, the Rinnegan couldn't be hidden once awakened.
"So," young Sasuke said impatiently, pressing the blade closer. "Answer the question."
"…Yes," adult Sasuke replied. "My name is Sasuke."
Young Sasuke nodded calmly. Plenty of people shared that name.
ANBU rushed in and bound both of them with chakra-reinforced rope.
Boruto blinked at the bindings. "…Sasuke-san, what do we do now?"
Adult Sasuke didn't answer. Being captured by a younger version of himself felt unreal in the worst possible way.
Young Sasuke studied them carefully. Originally, he'd assumed they were after Naruto on Akatsuki's behalf. But Akatsuki didn't bring children along. And the kid in front of him was exactly that. A normal child.
"…Why are you here?" young Sasuke asked. "What's your objective?"
Adult Sasuke exhaled. "If I said we're here to protect Naruto, would you believe me?"
Young Sasuke looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "With your current strength? Naruto doesn't need you."
That hurt more than the sword.
"There's someone targeting him," adult Sasuke said tightly. "Someone dangerous. If you don't prepare, you'll regret it."
"And I should trust a man who won't even explain who he is?" young Sasuke replied coldly.
Adult Sasuke fell silent.
By all logic, he shouldn't reveal the truth. Time travel rules. Paradoxes. Consequences.
But this wasn't his world.
"Take them to Intelligence," young Sasuke decided. "We'll sort it out there."
"Wait," adult Sasuke said quickly.
He couldn't let that happen. Once they reached interrogation, the eye under his bandage would be exposed.
He looked up.
And activated his Mangekyō.
The six-pointed star spun into view.
Adult Sasuke lunged for a final gamble. Genjutsu first. Burn the ropes with Amaterasu. Escape with Boruto.
But the illusion never took hold.
Instead, young Sasuke's eyes changed too.
Matching Mangekyō patterns flared to life.
Adult Sasuke's vision went blank.
"…Again?" young Sasuke muttered. "Someone really likes using Mangekyō genjutsu on me."
Adult Sasuke fell into darkness.
Inside the illusion, he saw everything he'd lost. His parents. His brother. The clan alive and whole. Sakura at his side. Sarada smiling.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
It was obvious it wasn't real.
And yet, leaving it hurt.
Outside, sweat poured down adult Sasuke's face. His breathing grew ragged.
Boruto panicked. "What did you do to him?!"
"He'll wake up," young Sasuke said calmly. "Eventually."
Moments later, adult Sasuke dropped to one knee, gasping.
"…Still terrifying," he muttered hoarsely.
Young Sasuke studied him. Then asked quietly, "Are there others like you outside the village? With eyes like that?"
There was hope in his voice.
Adult Sasuke understood immediately.
Rebuilding the clan.
He shook his head. "No."
The hope faded.
Young Sasuke frowned, then waved the ANBU away. "We're talking privately."
They moved to the Uchiha district.
Seeing it intact made adult Sasuke pause. In his world, this place had already been reduced to rubble.
"…You can talk now," young Sasuke said.
Adult Sasuke took a breath. "…My name is Uchiha Sasuke."
Young Sasuke's expression hardened.
"And that's Uzumaki Boruto," adult Sasuke continued. "Uzumaki Naruto's son. We're from the future."
Silence.
Young Sasuke stared at him. "…You're joking. And if you're really me, there's no way you'd be this weak."
Adult Sasuke had no response to that.
Boruto puffed up angrily. "Sasuke-san isn't weak! His chakra was stolen by Urashiki!"
Young Sasuke hesitated, then placed a hand on adult Sasuke's shoulder.
Their chakra resonated.
Perfectly.
Young Sasuke froze.
This wasn't possible. Not siblings. Not parent and child.
"…Still not enough," young Sasuke muttered stubbornly. "You could just be similar."
Adult Sasuke activated his Mangekyō again.
"Every Mangekyō pattern is unique."
Young Sasuke frowned. True. It matched what he knew.
Adult Sasuke began recounting details. Names. Events. Faces that no record would bother preserving.
Young Sasuke's resistance slowly cracked.
Then—
"No," young Sasuke snapped suddenly. "You can't be my future."
Adult Sasuke stiffened.
"If you were," young Sasuke continued, eyes sharp, "you wouldn't have been caught by my genjutsu that easily. My power won't get weaker in the future."
That was the final blow.
Young Sasuke crossed his arms, completely unconvinced.
"There's no way," he said flatly, "that my future self is this bad."