"This one-armed man suddenly appeared and saved Naruto."
More importantly—
Kakashi met Tsunade's gaze directly and dropped the final bombshell:
"The monster from the Ōtsutsuki Clan called out his name the moment he saw him—Uchiha Sasuke."
Boruto trembled in the corner, not daring to so much as breathe.
Tsunade's gaze swept back and forth between Sasuke lying on the hospital bed and Kakashi by the wall. Her chest rose and fell sharply as she tried to steady her breathing.
She unconsciously loosened her crossed arms, her imposing presence easing slightly, but she was completely unaware of it.
If everything before had only been speculation, then Kakashi's words had now confirmed it beyond any doubt.
This man—missing an arm, bearing an unfathomable dōjutsu that even she couldn't fully comprehend—was the future Uchiha Sasuke, who had only just become a Genin.
And that blond brat…
Was actually Naruto's son.
What unsettled Tsunade even more was the monster that called itself part of the "Ōtsutsuki Clan."
If Naruto's son and Sasuke in the future had been forced to travel back in time just to pursue that being, then what kind of terrifying enemy awaited the ninja world in the years to come?
"So…"
After a long silence, Tsunade forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart and asked,
"You fought it out until I arrived on the scene?"
"That's right," Kakashi replied with a nod.
"The Ōtsutsuki Clan's abilities are extremely abnormal. They can not only absorb ninjutsu, but also glimpse fragments of the future."
"If not for Future Sasuke's desperate resistance—and my use of a last-resort trump card—Konoha would likely have been wiped off the map today."
Tsunade fell silent.
Her eyes lingered on Kakashi's left eye, on the spacetime technique capable of transferring fatal damage—something that clearly surpassed her understanding of the Sharingan.
But at this moment, that was no longer the most important issue.
Tsunade withdrew her gaze from Kakashi, slowly turning and walking step by step toward Boruto, who was curled up in the corner.
Boruto stared up at that familiar yet unfamiliar, breathtakingly beautiful face and froze.
In the future, even though Granny Tsunade was much older, her temper was just as terrifying.
As a mischievous child, he had suffered more than his fair share of her "iron-fist discipline." That deep-rooted fear was etched into his bones.
"Brat."
Tsunade looked down at him from above, her sharp, beautiful eyes seeming to see straight through him.
"You really are Uzumaki Naruto's son?"
Boruto swallowed hard and nodded frantically.
"Y-Yes… Granny Tsunade—no! Hokage-sama!"
Hearing his confirmation, Tsunade's expression grew extraordinarily complex.
She stared at Boruto's unmistakable blond hair and familiar facial features, a deep sense of awe stirring in her heart.
That dead-last who never stopped shouting about becoming Hokage…
His son was already this grown.
"Then tell me."
Tsunade's gaze sharpened instantly, her voice carrying unquestionable authority.
"Why did you return to this time? What exactly is the Ōtsutsuki Clan? And how did you travel through time?"
Three questions in succession—each one cutting straight to the core.
This was no longer just about Konoha's safety, but the future of the entire ninja world.
"Boruto… don't say anything."
A weak voice suddenly came from the hospital bed.
The adult Sasuke, who had somehow regained consciousness, struggled to prop himself up, fixing Boruto with a stern warning look.
"M-Mr. Sasuke! You're awake!"
Boruto cried out in surprise, then immediately clamped his mouth shut.
Tsunade turned around, her brows knitting tightly as she looked at the pale, weakened Sasuke.
A trace of displeasure flashed through her eyes.
"Uchiha Sasuke. Even if you're from the future, even if you protected Konoha today—"
She spoke coldly.
"This is still my village. I am the Fifth Hokage."
"You of all people should understand the kind of crisis Konoha was facing during this period."
"The appearance of that monster directly threatened the village's survival. I have the right to know the whole truth."
Sasuke leaned against the headboard, breathing heavily, cold sweat covering his forehead.
He ignored Tsunade's words and instead turned his gaze toward Kakashi by the wall.
"You shouldn't be asking these questions."
His voice was low and hoarse.
"Once the past is interfered with, the future becomes unpredictable."
"The more you know, the more you try to change—and the more disastrous the consequences can be."
"So you're afraid of changing history?"
Kakashi stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Sasuke quietly. His tone was casual, but his words were sharp.
"That Ōtsutsuki monster came here through time specifically to steal the Nine-Tails from Naruto. He didn't care in the slightest about 'changing history.'"
Kakashi stepped closer to the bed.
"If we hadn't stopped him today, Naruto would be dead—and Konoha would've been erased in the explosion just now."
"If this is the 'history' you're trying to protect…"
Kakashi's gaze grew cold.
"Then that history is far too fragile."
Sasuke clenched his fists and remained silent.
Having lived through that brutal future, he understood better than anyone how deep the waters of the Ōtsutsuki Clan ran—and how complex the web of cause and effect truly was.
"Kakashi… you don't understand."
Sasuke looked at the silver-haired man before him, someone both familiar and strangely distant, his expression unbearably complicated.
Some destinies were already set in stone.
If future information leaked here, causing Naruto and his past self to walk completely different paths, then the future's defenses against the Ōtsutsuki could collapse entirely.
"So that's your excuse for hiding the truth?"
Tsunade sneered, the Hokage's pressure erupting in full.
"Don't underestimate us, you Uchiha brat! Konoha's future will be carved out by our own hands!"
She stepped forward suddenly, her eyes sharp as blades.
"That monster is dead."
"History has already changed."
"Now I need to know who Konoha's true enemy is."
"Tell me everything you know about that monster—or else…"
Tsunade clenched her fist, her knuckles cracking sharply.
"Even in your current state, I have a hundred ways to make you talk."
Watching the situation teeter on the edge of open conflict, Boruto panicked, pacing like an ant on a hot pan.
Sasuke stayed silent for a long time.
Finally, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
"…I understand."