How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

"Yes." The older Sasuke nodded. "Originally, Naruto assigned this mission to me alone. He stayed in the Hidden Leaf to keep an eye out for any other possible Otsutsuki threats, while I used the Otsutsuki clan's artifact, the 'Plow,' which we unearthed in the Land of Water, to travel back in time and track down Urashiki." 

"But some things happened along the way, and I ended up bringing Boruto and Sarada with me." The older Sasuke chuckled. "At first, I was only going to take Boruto, but Sarada seemed really curious about what I was like as a kid, so I brought her along too." 

That did make sense. 

But Sasuke still frowned. "Are you really that confident you can protect Sarada… and Boruto? What if something happens to them? Kurama will definitely kill you." 

It was obvious from earlier how much Kurama liked Sarada… and Boruto. If anything happened to them, given Kurama's personality, there was no way he'd let the older Sasuke off the hook. If he did, Sasuke might as well change his last name to Uzumaki. 

The older Sasuke nodded with a smile. "I'm absolutely confident that Sarada… and Boruto won't get hurt." 

Sarada blushed and secretly peeked at her younger father. 

Hmm… He still looks way cooler as an adult. 

Boruto, meanwhile, was completely confused. He pointed at himself. "Uncle Sasuke? I get that Sarada's your daughter and you're worried about her, but am I just some side character to you?" 

Come on, Sarada was the real tag-along on this mission! 

Dad, say something! Why aren't you saying anything?! 

Naruto: "Ababababa~" 

Boruto looked disgusted. "Why was my dad such an idiot when he was younger?" 

"For once, I actually agree with you, kid," Kurama nodded approvingly.

Kushina just smiled without saying anything. 

Ah, she really liked this feeling of three generations together. If Grandma Mito were still around, she'd be so happy. 

Sasuke fell silent for once. After thinking for a long time, he finally looked up at the older Sasuke, his face serious. "Confidence is a good thing, but being too confident can lead to unexpected disasters." 

"I used to think too highly of my own strength. I believed no one my age could beat me, but then I saw Lee's desperate effort, Naruto's explosive power, and Gaara's overwhelming force. That changed my mind a long time ago." 

"Future me, no matter how confident you are, never gamble with the lives of the people you love." 

"The word 'absolute'—never say it lightly." 

No matter how strong you are, some things should be done, and some things shouldn't. Taking your daughter into danger just because you believe you can protect her—that's something Sasuke could never agree with. 

The older Sasuke's smile slowly faded, and his expression became just as serious as his younger self's. At this moment, he truly looked like one of the strongest warriors to ever stand at the top of the ninja world. 

Six Paths Sasuke! 

A powerful aura exploded from both of them, but the pressure coming from the older Sasuke completely crushed the younger one, leaving him no room to resist. 

Yet, Sasuke's expression didn't change at all. In fact, beneath his calm exterior, a fierce determination burned. He stood tall, his chest out, staring straight at his older self. Even though he was being completely overpowered, he refused to back down. 

Everything fell silent. 

Sarada's eyes widened as she looked at both versions of her father, unable to tell if she was excited or deeply moved. "Dad…" 

Boruto was in shock, unable to move under the weight of the pressure coming from the two Sasukes. Just when he felt like he couldn't take it anymore and was about to speak, a figure suddenly stepped in front of him. Golden hair swayed in the wind, and when the figure turned around, it revealed a bright, sunny smile. 

"Dad?" Boruto suddenly felt lighter as he stared blankly at Naruto in front of him. 

Kushina held Sarada in her arms. The two overwhelming auras deliberately avoided them, so they barely felt any pressure. Watching the scene unfold, Kushina smiled, feeling satisfied with both of her godsons. 

Kurama's usually funny face looked slightly serious. Even with his immense power, he couldn't block out the pressure from the older Sasuke. So this was the Sasuke of the future? 

His strength was suffocating. 

But I'm not weak either. 

Kurama grinned, and Six Paths chakra flowed out, completely cutting off the pressure coming from both Sasukes. 

After about thirty seconds, the older Sasuke suddenly chuckled. The intensity around him vanished instantly, and he returned to his usual self. "I understand now. I won't make that mistake again." 

If anything happened to Sarada… he'd probably lose his mind. 

Sasuke was right. Maybe he had become too confident… or maybe just arrogant. 

"Hmph." The younger Sasuke let out a small scoff, his slightly trembling body finally steadying as he took a deep breath. 

The older Sasuke smiled and said, "Alright, let's get to the main topic." 

"We've been talking for so long, and we still haven't gotten to the point. What's this? Trying to drag things out on purpose?" Kurama curled his lips in disdain and shot the older Sasuke a mocking look. 

The older Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And who was the one who got us off track? Maybe try having some self-awareness." 

"Not my problem. It's Boruto's fault." Kurama crossed his arms. 

Boruto: "..." 

Yeah… he was used to this. 

A day didn't feel complete without Uncle Kurama making fun of him at least once. 

"Get to the point!" Sasuke finally lost patience. 

The older Sasuke gave Kurama an annoyed glance before speaking again. "It's about Urashiki. The reason I was so confident is that most of Urashiki's power has already been sealed by Naruto. And the sealing technique he used is made of Six Paths energy, so Urashiki won't be able to break free anytime soon." 

"He's after the Dragon Vein to use the chakra left behind by the Sage of Six Paths and force his way through Naruto's seal?" Sasuke picked up the conversation. 

"That's right," Adult Sasuke nodded. "The power of the Six Paths is very special. It has both the strength of the Otsutsuki clan and the power of the Ten Tails, but that's not the real problem. The key thing is that it also contains natural energy. Even someone like Urashiki would find that tricky to deal with." 

"And the best way to break through a Six Paths seal is to use an even stronger Six Paths power to force it open," Adult Sasuke summed up. 

Then, as if remembering something, he added, "We actually caught up to Urashiki earlier, but… we ran into someone troublesome, and Urashiki got away. He hid in another space, and I haven't been able to track him down yet." 

Adult Sasuke deliberately left out anything about Madara and Kaguya. Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't remember anyway, since their memories would be sealed, but if Aunt Kushina heard about it, things could get messy.

Kushina seemed to sense something and asked instinctively, "From what you're saying, you're already really strong. Is there actually someone in this time period who can stop you?" 

Adult Sasuke chuckled. "It's not that I *can't* win. It's just that this person's identity is a little complicated." 

If peak Sasuke went up against old Madara, the outcome was obvious. Without his Rinnegan, Madara's stamina and chakra weren't what they used to be, while Sasuke was at his strongest with the power of the Six Paths backing him. There was no way he'd lose. 

But if it were Madara at his peak? Even peak Sasuke would struggle. The difference wasn't in the Six Paths power—it was just that Madara… was insanely difficult to deal with. 

And if it were Six Paths Madara? Sasuke couldn't even picture a scenario where Madara lost. 

Yeah, Madara was *that* ridiculous. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed a plot twist to take him down in the original story. 

Same goes for peak Hashirama or Six Paths Hashirama. 

Man, that would be tough. 

Those two were just as broken as the Sage of Six Paths himself. If they had been the ones to seal Kaguya instead, she'd probably be sobbing, wondering what she did to deserve such overkill. 

Right, Black Zetsu? 

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