Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 106 Future Hypotheses

"His departure from the village wasn't of his own volition, so of course it doesn't count as defection." Jiraiya was shocked by Sasuke's answer. Hadn't Naruto prepared a story with this kid? How could he even be talking about defection! Didn't Naruto go to all that trouble to give Sasuke a legitimate reason to leave the village? Wouldn't it be a waste of Naruto's efforts to be labeled a rogue ninja? Is this kid really Sasuke? Unfortunately, now is not the time to talk to Naruto about the situation.

The two engaged in an awkward, nonsensical conversation, eventually leading them to discuss the Fifth Hokage, who was extremely busy with state affairs.

"The task of monitoring them is entrusted to you." Tsunade had initially thought that the people Jiraiya and Naruto had stopped would be some troublesome individuals, which was why she had come personally. However, upon arriving and taking a look... Tsk, isn't that just an enlarged version of Sasuke? Never underestimate the insight of a medical ninja, especially the strongest medical ninja in the world. Look at this young man's facial bones, look at his upright posture, look at his body proportions. This is definitely Sasuke. Although she didn't know the specifics, if that child also came from the same point in time, he was probably Naruto's son. Let them cultivate their relationship beforehand—maybe she could even find out who his future wife is.

After seeing Tsunade off, the four of them stared at each other on the street, until Boruto's comment broke the eerie silence.

"I feel like all the tension I've accumulated in my life has been used up." Boruto, who thought he had fooled Tsunade, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmm? Is there anything to be nervous about? Granny Tsunade is very easy to talk to." Naruto reassured the child as usual, then asked, "Have you found a place to stay?"

Sasuke found Naruto's complete lack of commotion and surprisingly reliable demeanor rather strange. He subtly scanned Naruto's face several times, but couldn't detect any flaws in his smile. And… the kidnapping they just mentioned… he really cared about that. Didn't he defect voluntarily?

Boruto shook his head honestly, "Not yet, we just arrived a short while ago."

“You can stay next door to me. It’s currently vacant, and I’m sure the owner won’t mind if you stay for a while.” Naruto pulled out a key with the Naruto scroll hanging on it.

"Hey! Is it really okay?"

"This is also to facilitate our surveillance mission, so please don't wander around."

Then, Naruto stood at the front of the line with a bright smile and said, "Perfect timing, I've been craving hot pot for ages, you guys come along too."

So, Sasuke couldn't manage to slip away during the planned investigation of the surrounding area and ended up carrying things with his only remaining hand. He was lucky; the other adult, Jiraiya, was carrying bags and bags galore. The group walked into the house, bewildered, and watched as Naruto made tea and then ushered the three of them to the next room, claiming there were too many people and the kitchen was too small. Then, the magic of the Shadow Clone Technique proved itself again; ingredients that might take one or two hours to prepare could be done in half an hour with the Shadow Clone Technique. And this half hour was the necessary time to make soup. During this time, Naruto's main body didn't participate in cooking but instead focused on processing all the available information and calming his emotions.

First, Sasuke was completely unfamiliar with the house next door; when he first walked in, he was so shocked he almost popped his Sharingan out. Second, he didn't know that in Konoha, his defection was described as being kidnapped. Third, he was missing his left hand.

Naruto could swear to God that if they had to fight again at the Valley of the End, he would never have inflicted such severe injuries on Sasuke. When he sent young Sasuke away, he revealed most of his plan. Furthermore, when he used his enhanced senses to observe older Sasuke and Boruto, the spatial traces never disappeared, and they contained unknown energy. The report on Urashiki Otsutsuki's death was entirely based on Sasuke's verbal account, because it involved something dangerous: a turtle capable of traversing time and space, the Noble Phantasm, the Plow.

Based on the available information, there is only one conclusion Naruto can draw.

Sasuke, from the world before his death.

"Naruto...can cook?"

Separated by only a wall, Sasuke held a teacup, feeling utterly disoriented. In his memory, Naruto and cooking were completely unrelated; even in the Hokage's office, he saw piles of ramen containers. Could that ramen fanatic really cook? Moreover, the house next door was strange. The decor was more refined than Naruto's, and the clan crests hanging everywhere practically spelled out the owner's name on the doorplate, which explained Sasuke's shock. He clearly remembered not living there after the age of seven!

Is it a problem with the world, or is there something wrong with his brain? We really need to wake that turtle up and get to the bottom of this!

"Naruto's cooking is pretty good." Ever since he'd tried Naruto's rice balls, Jiraiya had been very impressed with his skills, and he was really looking forward to this meal. After all, if the broth was good enough, the hot pot would definitely taste great! But... what's with Sasuke? He was just wondering about the kidnapping, and now he's wondering about "Naruto being able to cook." Shouldn't this be something Sasuke knows best? It's really strange... I'll have Naruto keep an eye on things later.

Boruto was completely unaware of the competition between adults and instead wandered around the house curiously. However, he was a well-mannered child and wouldn't touch other people's things without permission.

This looks like Sasuke's house. He used to be my dad's neighbor? And he even gave his dad the key? Speaking of which, where's this generation's Sasuke? Is he still on a mission? I'm so curious about what young Sasuke looks like…

[Tobirama-san, are you busy?]

What happened now? Have they made another move?

"No." Naruto was a little unsure how to explain. "I want to ask a question about spacetime."

"Speak."

[Can there be many futures?]

What kind of question is this? The future certainly holds countless possibilities.

I mean, all these countless possibilities could happen?

[Are you suggesting that all futures derived from the present exist simultaneously, yet are independent of each other?]

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean!" Naruto nodded subconsciously in reality, giving Tobirama a thumbs up for his excellent comprehension.

There's no definitive conclusion on this issue yet, but I personally believe it's possible. Everyone makes different choices at different times, and the reasons behind these choices can be well-considered or impulsive. Different choices lead to different futures, and these different futures may actually exist...

Naruto remained silent for a long time. "So, now we can confirm this hypothesis."

I met people from the future. But I'm certain they... didn't come from the future of this world.