Chapter 21: Strange Timeline
Black sealing runes formed a semicircle around Tsuruma Nobuyuki, pinning Sasuke in place.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!!" Sasuke struggled desperately, unwilling to accept defeat.
Meanwhile, Nobuyuki adjusted his posture, freeing himself from the wires while keeping the seal active. As he did, his gaze fell on Sasuke's hands—red welts stood out clearly against his skin.
Those marks were fresh. He must have been training late into the night.
No wonder he's so frustrated by this loss.
"It's over." Nobuyuki released a portion of his Light Net Formation, swiftly pulling a kunai from his pouch and pressing it lightly against Sasuke's neck. His voice carried a hint of satisfaction.
Unlike their previous taijutsu match, this time, both of them had fought at full strength, using every skill at their disposal. And yet, despite Sasuke's best efforts, he had lost again.
Defeating Naruto's future rival—the so-called "genius" of the Uchiha Clan—felt like a huge achievement. Compared to that, the experience points he gained from the battle were insignificant.
Sasuke, who had been struggling moments ago, suddenly stopped moving. His head lowered in silence.
"Release the seal!" Iruka's voice cut through the tension, bringing everyone back to reality.
The entire battle had lasted less than a minute.
For the first-year students watching, it had happened so fast that most of them were still processing what they had just seen.
The chatter among them quickly grew loud.
"The fight's already over?"
"I thought Sasuke had this one in the bag!"
"What was that jutsu Nobuyuki used at the end?"
"What? Sasuke lost again? Maybe the Uchiha aren't as great as they say!"
"Hah! Even I could do that!"
"..."
Hearing the murmurs around him, Sasuke clenched his fists tightly. His face was hidden beneath his bangs, but when he finally looked up, his Sharingan-free eyes were red with frustration.
Without another word, he turned and walked straight toward Uchiha Itachi, gripping his older brother's sleeve.
"Brother... am I useless?" he asked in a whisper.
Itachi knelt slightly, placing a comforting hand on Sasuke's head and murmuring something only his little brother could hear.
Even so, Sasuke remained silent and withdrawn.
Itachi didn't linger long. As a member of Anbu, acting as a double agent between the Uchiha and the village, his time was limited. Even sparing a few minutes to watch his brother's match had been a rare luxury.
But just as he turned to leave, he stole one last glance at Nobuyuki.
The moment their eyes met, Nobuyuki felt a chill run down his spine.
That guy… he's really capable of slaughtering his entire clan without hesitation.
There was no murderous intent in Itachi's gaze, no hostility—but knowing what he would do in a year made Nobuyuki uneasy.
His thoughts inevitably drifted to the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
One year from now, Sasuke would be the sole survivor of his clan. A seven-year-old kid who would wake up to find his entire family dead.
Could he, even with his system, change anything?
No.
A battle of that scale was still far beyond his reach. If he interfered carelessly, he might just end up getting killed before the massacre even happened.
Still, the thought of Sasuke going through all that made him pause.
Just then, a sudden weight crashed into him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Nobuyuki, I knew you'd win!" Kiba's loud voice rang in his ears as he slung an arm around him. Akamaru barked excitedly from Kiba's shoulder.
Nobuyuki turned his head and saw Naruto, standing a few feet away, hesitating. It looked like he wanted to jump on him too but was holding back for some reason.
Further away, Shikamaru leaned against a tree, smirking lazily as he watched. Beside him, Choji grinned and waved enthusiastically.
Even Shino, who usually preferred staying in the shadows, had stepped forward into the sunlight, making an effort to be more noticeable.
Across the courtyard, the girls were having an entirely different reaction.
Ino and a group of them whispered among themselves, sneaking glances at Nobuyuki and giggling whenever he looked their way.
Sakura, on the edge of the group, stared at Ino with jealousy.
And Hinata… was nowhere to be seen. She had probably retreated the moment she saw Neji in the crowd.
Taking it all in, Nobuyuki suddenly smiled.
"Saving others… that's the hero's job."
"As a transmigrator, my job is simple—grind experience and make sure I don't end up as cannon fodder."
"If I can help people along the way, great. But if I don't have the strength, I won't take unnecessary risks."
The realization made him feel lighter.
Just as he relaxed, Naruto finally made up his mind and lunged at him—only for Nobuyuki to catch Kiba and throw him in a clean shoulder toss instead!
BANG!
"Kiba, you're getting way too close," Nobuyuki said flatly.
Kiba groaned from the ground. "Ow, damn it, Nobuyuki! You're too strong!"
Naruto, who had been one second away from doing the same thing, froze in place.
Iruka, watching the entire scene, could only shake his head with a fond smile.
But when his gaze landed on Sasuke, his smile faded.
Sasuke stood alone, staring blankly out the window of the classroom.
Iruka took a step forward, intending to say something—but before he could, Sasuke turned and walked away.
He didn't want anyone's pity.
---
A Shift in the Timeline
Over the next few days, Sasuke completely shut down.
He slouched at his desk during class, barely paying attention. He stared out the window during breaks, lost in thought. Even when the teachers called on him, his answers were half-hearted.
To Nobuyuki's frustration, Sasuke didn't even seem interested in training anymore.
He wanted to farm experience, but he couldn't if his usual training partner refused to fight!
Of course, the girls didn't mind at all.
The moment class ended, they swarmed around Sasuke, thrilled by the chance to get close to him now that he wasn't pushing them away.
Sasuke, still in a daze, gave the bare minimum of responses—mumbling an occasional "Mm," "Ah," or "Oh" when they talked to him.
But for a group of seven-year-old fangirls, even that was enough to send them squealing with excitement.
Watching all this unfold, Nobuyuki rubbed his temples.
"Did I just trigger some kind of weird alternate timeline?"
If Sasuke stayed like this, who would fight Naruto? Who would awaken the Sharingan? Who would be the rival pushing Naruto to get stronger?!
Would all of that responsibility fall on him instead?!
No way. That's way too much pressure!
Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't seem to be snapping out of it anytime soon.
For now, the only thing Nobuyuki could do was focus on his own training.
And so, day after day, he pushed himself harder—grinding for experience, sharpening his skills, and ensuring that no matter what happened in this timeline…
His fate would remain in his own hands.