Even knowing that this was not the timeline he belonged to, Uchiha Sasuke had originally decided to keep a low profile as much as possible to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
However, when he saw those two faces buried deep in his memories with his own eyes, his reason could not suppress the surging emotions, and his body made an involuntary, uncomposed gesture.
Even Boruto, who spent every day with him, had never seen Sasuke look so out of control—those usually calm eyes were trembling violently, and he seemed to be pinned to the spot by an invisible force, staring fixedly at the doorway.
Satsuki, Mikoto, and Fugaku naturally noticed this stranger with such an intense reaction. His burning gaze was mixed with too many emotions that were hard to decipher: shock, nostalgia, pain, and... longing.
"This world... my parents... are still alive?"
When this realization completely struck Sasuke, the first things to surface in his mind were those fragments of memory that had become increasingly precious with time—they were the happiest moments of his life.
A gentle mother, a stern father, and an older brother who had not yet started his act... especially during the years when his brother and father were busy with missions, his mother, Mikoto, became the harbor that the young Sasuke relied on the most.
A gentle voice, the aroma of home-cooked meals, the body heat felt during a hug... these subtle instances of warmth formed Sasuke's fondest memories of "home."
Yet, this mother, who remained forever gentle and beautiful in his memories, was someone to whom he could not even say a final goodbye; when they met again, she was just a corpse lying in a pool of blood...
No matter how powerful a person becomes, deep within, there is always a child yearning to be cared for in front of their parents.
At this moment, Sasuke was driven by a strong impulse; he wanted to rush forward and touch his mother's cheek, to confirm that this was not a fragile, phantom dream, and then he wanted to kneel down to repent and apologize for failing to protect them back then...
Hearing the commotion outside, Naruto walked quickly out of the kitchen and happened to witness this rare loss of composure from Uchiha Sasuke. If Sasuke wanted to say something to Mikoto and Fugaku, Naruto was already prepared to explain for him.
However, in the suffocating silence, Sasuke's body trembled slightly. He bowed his head deeply, using all his self-control, and did not say a single word. Under the confused gazes of everyone, he turned around abruptly as if fleeing from something and rushed out of the apartment door!
Boruto immediately stood up, wanting to chase after him, but Naruto gently pressed down on his shoulder.
"Boruto, I'll go talk to him; it'll be fine." Naruto then turned to Satsuki, "Satsuki, no need to follow; I'll be back soon." After a simple reassurance, Naruto followed closely behind him.
"What is up with that guy?" Satsuki said, bewildered. Why would he have such a huge reaction upon seeing her parents? This person's suspicious points were becoming more and more numerous.
Just as most people were confused by this scene, Mikoto was still gazing in the direction Sasuke had left, her right hand unconsciously resting on her chest. What she found strange was that this was the first time she had felt such an intense sense of familiarity with a stranger—even when she first met Kushina, who was like a sister to her, and Naruto, whom she regarded as a godson, she had never experienced this kind of heart-fluttering sensation that felt like a connection of blood.
That stranger's gaze inexplicably reminded her of how Satsuki would hold back tears when she felt wronged as a child.
——————
On the cold streets of Konoha, the twilight deepened, and the streetlights cast dim, yellow light onto the road. After running for some distance, Uchiha Sasuke finally could not hold on, and he leaned against a wall with one hand, panting heavily.
Sweat rolled down his temples. Even though he had not engaged in any battle, his body was uncontrollably breaking out in a cold sweat. It turned out that the power of emotions could really affect a person's physiological state so profoundly.
"Are you okay?" A familiar voice came from behind. "Why didn't you talk to them? You clearly wanted to say something to them, right?"
Uchiha Sasuke turned his head abruptly and found that Naruto had caught up at some point and was standing a few steps away, his blue eyes full of concern.
"...What is going on?" Sasuke's voice became hoarse due to his agitation. He recalled the conversation he had just heard in the apartment—when the other version of himself said he wanted to revitalize the Uchiha Clan, he had thought that the Uchiha of this world had still embarked on that path of destruction.
"...On the night of the Uchiha Clan's annihilation," Naruto's voice deepened, "I hid my identity and saved them from your... other brother's hands."
So it was like that... Sasuke clenched his fists unconsciously, his nails digging deep into his palms. Just a moment ago, he had felt ashamed and disappointed in the "himself" of this world, but at this moment, an emotion called "envy" surged uncontrollably from the depths of his heart—envy that the himself of this world could have his parents' company.
"Don't you have anything you want to say to them?" Naruto took a step forward. "I can explain your origins to them for you."
"No!" Sasuke practically roared these words. Although he longed to acknowledge his parents, that desire for stability, and perhaps even some rigid notions, still held the upper hand.
He was afraid that if he said anything impulsive, it would trigger an unpredictable space-time paradox, thereby destroying this world where his parents were still safe and sound.
"Sigh... you really are rigid." Naruto sighed softly, his tone filled with helplessness. "But have you ever thought that, actually, since you arrived in this world, things have already started to change? The butterfly effect is quite powerful."
Naruto continued to persuade him. "Also, I said it before, my situation is similar to yours. But if I had held onto your idea of being afraid to change anything, Aunt Mikoto and the others would not have survived."
Naruto's words echoed in the night. Sasuke did not respond immediately, but he did not continue to refuse either. His trembling body revealed the torment he was experiencing within—the intense battle between reason and emotion was almost tearing him apart.
"Um... can we talk?"
A gentle female voice suddenly came from the alley entrance, and the two turned their heads in surprise to look. They saw Uchiha Mikoto had followed them out at some point and was standing under the streetlight, gazing gently at Sasuke. There was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes as she asked softly.
"Excuse me, have we met somewhere before?"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"