Tsunade found herself in the posture of having just finished a punch, with her lower leg still between Shiro's legs, as if she had just passed directly through Shiro.
But she had no memory of what had just happened.
She had already been surprising enough, yet the other party still reacted.
Could it be that he could really see the future?
"Did you move just now?"
Tsunade casually withdrew her leg, straightened up, and her gaze swept across Shiro's feet.
"Originally, I didn't want to move, to give you all a reference."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"To prevent 'clipping'."
Shiro pointed to the spot where Tsunade had been standing just now.
Tsunade compared it in her mind. If Shiro hadn't taken a small step back, and she had passed through Shiro's body while maintaining her previous posture... it seemed that part of her body would have overlapped with where Shiro had originally been standing.
Is that what he meant by "clipping"?
Tsunade was thoughtful.
If Shiro didn't use his ability, then the result would be getting knocked flying, and in that case, her standing in that position wouldn't be a problem at all.
After using the Time Deletion ability, her actions would still not change, but Shiro wouldn't be knocked flying, which is why he needed to move.
"So, how do you prove this?"
Tsunade was a little disappointed that she hadn't hit Shiro, but she didn't pursue the attack. After shaking her arms, she looked at Shiro and asked.
"It's not over yet. Let's do it a second time, for comparison."
Shiro said, walking in front of Tsunade and turning his back again.
Orochimaru watched from behind, saying nothing.
He also realized that Shiro's proof was not yet complete.
"Hmph."
Tsunade pouted and twisted her wrist, pondering how she could hit Shiro.
"I hit."
"I hit—"
"I hit..."
Tsunade kept raising her hand behind Shiro, making feints of attack.
This scene made Orochimaru somewhat speechless.
Shizune even slapped her face and covered it, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Shizune suspected that Lady Tsunade had been playing with children too much lately and was too deeply immersed to return.
Why was she so childish today?
"Hooah!"
Tsunade finally launched an attack.
A gust of wind from her punch swept up behind Shiro—
"Is there any need to hit yourself?"
"Huh?"
Her fist was still heading towards Shiro, when Shiro's voice suddenly rang out, and Tsunade instantly froze.
Her fist stopped in mid-air.
She had indeed thought of feigning an attack on Shiro, but actually hitting herself, to create an "unexpected" move.
It's just... "You saw it, right? I saw the future scene of 'Tsunade attacking herself'. Logically, this future should inevitably happen, and I shouldn't be able to change it.
According to the paradox Orochimaru just proposed, if I, as I am now, spoke up and changed the fact of 'Tsunade attacking herself', then the past me shouldn't have seen this future of 'Tsunade attacking herself'.
This is also a paradoxical loop, but I have jumped out of this loop."
Shiro turned and explained to everyone.
Just as Shiro had said before, he merely named his ability after a Stand from JoJo, which didn't mean his ability completely conformed to Stand abilities.
Shiro had actually discovered this very early on.
—When he first arrived in the Hidden Rain Village in this era, Shiro had already discovered it.
King Crimson from JoJo, as Shiro just told everyone, cannot change the outcome of a future it has already seen; it can only use Time Deletion to erase parts that are unfavorable to itself.
But what about Shiro?
In the Hidden Rain Village, he saw the "future", walked to Konan's landing spot, raised his hand, and made a "catching" motion, causing Konan to change the "future" and land in a different spot.
This incident itself is also a paradox.
After Shiro finished speaking, Orochimaru and Tsunade both fell silent.
It was indeed true.
Tsunade herself knew best that her punch just now had not yet reached the stage of retracting and turning towards herself.
In fact, to prevent Shiro from having mind-reading or similar secret techniques, she had launched the attack the instant the thought appeared.
"So, why exactly is this?"
Tsunade's beautiful eyebrows were tightly furrowed.
"I don't know either. If I knew why, would I still need to recruit Orochimaru?"
Shiro shrugged.
"..."
"Instead of thinking about why, let's think about how to do it.
In this regard, you all need to learn more about the Uchiha Clan's way of thinking."
Shiro spoke with a lecturing tone.
"Uchiha thinking?"
Tsunade was puzzled.
What was so good about the Uchiha Clan's way of thinking?
The most common scolding she heard from her second grandfather was—'This is typical Uchiha thinking.'
"Don't overthink it. Before suspecting that a person has a problem, first suspect that the world has a problem—in the future, there is a divine technique of the Ōtsutsuki Clan that can swap the identities of two people in everyone's memory across the entire ninja world.
And having Uchiha thinking can easily counter it.
Because the Uchiha, between their family being wrong and the world being wrong, will unhesitatingly choose the latter."
"..."
Shiro's explanation of "Uchiha thinking" once again left Tsunade and Orochimaru speechless.
The key was that it was quite apt.
"An Ōtsutsuki divine technique? To have such terrifying power, to modify everyone's will..."
Orochimaru's expression was grave.
He began to understand a little why Shiro chose to return to the present to change the future.
"This ability sounds a bit improper, like something that would only appear in Jiraiya's novels..."
"Cough, cough, cough! Lady Tsunade, mind your influence! There are still children here."
Tsunade's muttering was cut short by Shizune's forceful coughing.
"Alright, my doubts are mostly resolved. Let's discuss the rest later—Tsunade, have you made up your mind?"
Orochimaru stood up.
"You've only proven that you have the ability to change the future, but whether you truly come from the future, I still..."
Tsunade's words were halfway out when she saw Shiro hand her a photo, then take out a piece of paper and a pen, quickly draw a picture, and hand that over as well.
"This is..."
The content of the first photo was simple: a panorama of Konoha with the Hokage Rock, which anyone could take.
Compared to the current four, there were seven in the photo.
Tsunade saw herself; the fifth one was her.
"Is the sixth one Kakashi?"
Tsunade looked at the sixth figure; the distinctive mask was too familiar.
"Which disabled person is the Seventh Hokage? Why is his head missing a piece?"
Tsunade looked at Shiro in confusion.
"Uh, this was the day before the photo was taken, the Hokage's son and a rich second-generation son crashed into it with a lightning car."
"..."
Tsunade put away the photo and looked at the drawing Shiro handed her.
"This is?"
"Uchiha Sasuke and Boruto Uzumaki. They might appear in this timeline with a certain Ōtsutsuki sometime later. After you return and become Hokage, if you encounter them, remember to notify us in time."
"You said... what?!"
Tsunade was shocked. She had always thought that only Shiro had come, and the other few had failed. She didn't expect that they just arrived at different times?
After Tsunade made her promise, she left with a look of worry.
She was indeed preparing to return and assume the position of Hokage.
Regarding whether Shiro was from the future, no other proof was needed.
As long as the future Uchiha Sasuke and that "Ōtsutsuki" appeared, it would prove that everything Shiro said was true.
"It seems we need to prepare and deal with that Ōtsutsuki Clan enemy in advance. I wonder what the strength of the future Sasuke-kun is like."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"...The future Sasuke's strength is still very strong, it's just... never mind. You should pray he's weaker. He and the other one might both be our enemies."
Shiro shook his head and smiled.
....
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