Just then, the scene on the screen shifted.
Somewhere in a cliffside valley.
Under the glaring sunlight, White-Robed Sasuke appeared on a high precipice. The hem of his clothes fluttered in the wind, and the sword at his waist gleamed coldly.
Down in the valley below stood the three members of the new Team 7—Naruto, Sakura, and Sai—shoulder to shoulder, with Yamato briefly visible in the distance.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. A valley outside Konoha]
Team 7 and Jiraiya sat in a row on the ground, looking up at the Sky Screen.
After getting a clear look at the new Team 7's members, Sasuke immediately put his hands behind his head, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.
"I thought it'd be someone impressive. Turns out it's just my substitute."
Even as he said that, his eyes were fixed on Sai, sizing him up.
'Black hair, pale skin, and what a fake smile!'
Sakura's eyes sparkled. "He's handsome too, though not nearly as handsome as Sasuke-kun."
Naruto was dumbfounded, looking left and right. "Wait—Kakashi-sensei isn't there either? Who's that other guy?"
Hearing Naruto's question, the others paused. Only then did they realize—Kakashi really wasn't part of Team 7 anymore.
On the screen, only four people stood at the front: Naruto, Sakura, and two unfamiliar men.
Kakashi himself recognized one of them. "Yo! Isn't that Tenzō?"
"How come he's taking my spot in the future?"
Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of it. He just assumed he had simply been assigned other duties.
"Kakashi-sensei, you know that guy?" Naruto asked.
"Mm, he's an old colleague of mine. Very strong, too," Kakashi replied.
Naruto lowered his head. "So Sasuke's gone in the future, Kakashi-sensei isn't there either… just me and Sakura left. Is Team 7 still Team 7?"
Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Why wouldn't it be? Don't worry. Sasuke isn't going anywhere."
"Right, Sasuke?"
Sasuke didn't answer, but he didn't deny it either.
Kakashi paused, his voice softening. "I'm probably just off on some other assignment. Our bond won't change."
---
[Location of Team 10, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio]
Ino looked at the screen, tapping her chin with her finger.
"That guy is pretty good-looking too."
Chōji crunched on potato chips and asked, his words muffled, "Better looking than Sasuke?"
Ino thought about it seriously. "It's a different kind of handsome. Sasuke is the cool type. This one is… the more delicate type?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Women are such a drag."
---
The scene continued to play.
As soon as Naruto on the screen saw White-Robed Sasuke, his expression became agitated, and he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Sasuke!!!"
After catching Sasuke's attention, he couldn't help but ask.
"Why didn't you kill me back then?! You think that could break our bond, Sasuke?"
Watching the almost hysterical Naruto, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and answered calmly.
"It's not that I couldn't break the bond with you... It was just irritating to me. Obtaining power based on the method he told me."
"Back then, I simply spared your life on a whim."
Under Naruto's disbelieving gaze, Sasuke flickered and instantly arrived at the bottom of the valley.
Before Naruto could react, Sasuke's left hand was already resting on his right shoulder. His speed was so terrifying that Yamato and Sakura on the scene felt their hearts skip a beat.
Then, Sasuke whispered in Naruto's ear, "Come to think of it… wasn't it your dream to become the Hokage? Instead of chasing after me all the time, why don't you go train?"
"Huh, Naruto?"
"So this time, my whim just might cost you your life."
On the screen, Sasuke still had his left arm hooked around Naruto's neck, his stance as casual as if he was chatting with an old friend.
But his right hand reached for the long sword at his waist.
As he applied force, the blade was slowly drawn with a rasping sound, its cold light gleaming.
But Naruto showed no fear, standing his ground with a firm tone. "No way can a guy who can't even save one friend become the Hokage."
"Isn't that right, Sasuke?"
Sasuke didn't answer. He simply raised his sword and thrust it slowly toward Naruto's back.
However, the speed was several times slower than when he had flickered to Naruto's side earlier.
Naruto remained perfectly still, letting the blade come toward him.
Just then, Sai, who was nearby, moved.
He quickly flickered behind Naruto, his left hand raised high to block the sword in Sasuke's hand, while his right hand pressed down on Sasuke's scabbard.
The two of them stood on either side of Naruto, forming an iconic scene.
[To be honest, White-Robed Sasuke was incredibly cool. In his first appearance, he blew away the new Team 7 with a single Chidori Nagashi. He then one-shot Yamato, who possessed Wood Release, and casually suppressed the Nine-Tails to boot.]
[If Orochimaru hadn't intervened, he probably would have unleashed Kirin. If that had happened, the new Team 7 might have been wiped out right there.]
[White-Robed Sasuke had immense presence. Every fight—against the new Team 7, against Orochimaru, against Deidara—he fought intelligently, and every scene was spectacular. Unfortunately, after defeating Uchiha Itachi, he went off the rails.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. A valley outside Konoha]
Sasuke could barely contain his delight. He didn't even care that the Sky Screen said he would go off the rails in the future.
'Defeat Uchiha Itachi!!'
He really would kill that man!!
But then Sasuke grew puzzled. Hadn't the Sky Screen said that White-Robed Sasuke's strength was only at Elite Jōnin level? So how could he kill Itachi, who was at least Kage-level?
Suddenly, he thought of something.
'Mangekyō Sharingan!'
That must be it. During this period, he must have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, reached Kage-level, and successfully killed Itachi.
As for going off the rails afterward—that was a minor issue. Maybe he was just too happy.
Naruto noticed Sasuke's expression and leaned in. "Sasuke, what are you thinking about?"
"How to kill that man."
Naruto was stunned, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Sasuke looked at his expression and suddenly found it a little amusing. "What? Scared?"
"No!" Naruto stiffened his neck. "I'm just afraid you'll go down the wrong path!"
Sasuke's voice, however, was very calm. "I won't. I'll get stronger in my own way. I won't go to Orochimaru, and I won't end up like the one on the screen."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then."
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Deidara looked at the screen, his tone playful. "Hey, Itachi-senpai. Sounds like your little brother is going to be a threat in the future."
He tilted his head. "How about we team up and kill him now?"
Itachi's eyes instantly narrowed, his voice was icy. "If you make a move on him before those eyes are born, I will kill you."
Deidara blinked. "You—"
"After I've taken his Mangekyō Sharingan, you can do whatever you want."
Deidara snapped, "Do you take me for a fool?! What if he awakens some terrifying ability? I'm not—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because he saw the look in Itachi's eyes. The killing intent was real.
Kisame held Samehada, his shark-like face curling into a meaningful smile. "Deidara, you should shut up now."
Deidara huffed, turned his head away, and stopped speaking.
*****
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