"Eh? Are Shinomiya and Sasuke arguing?" Naruto was chatting animatedly with Hinata, but he quickly turned his head when he heard the commotion.
"Oh... this is such a drag," Shikamaru groaned, rubbing his temples. He had just been about to nap when the noise shattered his peace.
Nearby, Chōji continued munching on his chips, unfazed, while Ino nonchalantly trimmed her nails. She knew Shinomiya well—he was always up to something.
"Do you really want to know the truth?" Shinomiya asked Sasuke with a mysterious smile. "If so, follow me to the back mountain."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What are you playing at?"
Shinomiya didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked out of the classroom. Without hesitation, Sasuke followed. He had to know how Shinomiya knew that name.
"Sasuke, don't go! Class is about to start!" Sakura called out, reaching for his arm.
"Stay out of this!" Sasuke snapped, shaking her off.
---
At the Back Mountain
When Sasuke arrived, he found Shinomiya standing on the edge of a cliff, hands behind his back, his robes billowing in the wind. The morning sun cast long shadows over the rugged terrain.
"Tell me what you know," Sasuke demanded.
Shinomiya turned slightly and tossed a small crystal towards him. "Catch."
Sasuke caught it, frowning. "What is this?"
"A key," Shinomiya said. "Break it, and you'll find your answer."
Sasuke studied the crystal warily. He wasn't naive. It could be a trap.
"Don't look at me like that," Shinomiya sighed. "If I wanted to harm you, I would've done it already. Just trust me—for once."
Sasuke clenched his jaw. Then, making up his mind, he crushed the crystal.
The moment it shattered, a flood of memories surged into his mind—decades of experiences, battles, victories, and losses. The pain was unbearable.
Sasuke gasped, clutching his head as his vision blurred. The memories were too much. His body gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.
---
The Cold Wind Blows in the Valley of the End
Two hours passed.
Sasuke stirred, his eyelids fluttering open. The bright morning sun stung his eyes, and he instinctively raised a hand to shield them.
"Sakura... where's the roof of our house?" he mumbled groggily.
Wait... why am I outside?
A shadow loomed over him. Sasuke blinked and saw Shinomiya peering down at him with a smug grin.
"Looks like the fusion went well," Shinomiya mused. "You even blurted out Sakura's name. How nostalgic."
Sasuke's mind snapped into focus. He sat up abruptly, his body tensing.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Eh? Is that any way to thank your benefactor?" Shinomiya sighed dramatically. "I went through so much trouble to bring you back from the future, and you're already being hostile?"
Sasuke froze. The future?
Memories clicked into place. His last recollection was of battling Ōtsutsuki Isshiki alongside Naruto. He had been severely injured, his Rinnegan destroyed by Boruto—no, Momoshiki.
But that was years in the future. He wasn't supposed to be here.
The realization hit him like a lightning strike.
"I... I've been reborn," Sasuke murmured, staring at his hands. They were smaller, unscarred. His body felt lighter, younger.
The cold wind blew through the valley. Cicadas chirped in the distance. The boy who had lived through war and loss had returned to his youth.
Shinomiya Uzumaki smirked. "Welcome back, Sasuke."
---
A New Beginning
Sasuke slowly stood up, his dark eyes sharpening. "That crystal you gave me... it sent my consciousness back in time?"
"Yep." Shinomiya nodded.
Sasuke exhaled, his mind racing. "This technique... it's beyond anything I've ever seen." He narrowed his eyes. "Just who are you, Shinomiya Uzumaki?"
Shinomiya grinned. "Oh, that's a long story."
Sasuke clenched his fists. "In my memories, there was no such person as you. But now, here you are, influencing major events." His voice dropped to a dangerous tone. "You're not just an ordinary ninja, are you?"
"You got me," Shinomiya admitted. "But does it matter?"
Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life.
One tomoe… two tomoe… three tomoe.
In mere seconds, his eye evolved from its base form to the fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan.
Shinomiya whistled. "Damn. You really are talented."
Sasuke didn't lower his guard. "Are you from the Ōtsutsuki clan?"
Shinomiya scoffed. "Do I look like one of those pale alien weirdos?"
Sasuke studied him for a long moment. "...No."
"Exactly." Shinomiya spread his arms. "So relax. I'm not your enemy, Sasuke. In fact, I might just be your greatest ally."
Sasuke remained silent, still processing everything.
"Look," Shinomiya said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "you've been given a second chance. Instead of wasting time worrying about me, why don't you focus on what really matters?"
Sasuke's breath hitched.
Shinomiya smirked knowingly. "Danzo. Itachi. The Uchiha clan. You can change everything."
A deep silence stretched between them.
Sasuke exhaled slowly, then finally—he nodded.
---
Back to the Academy
"Well, that's settled then," Shinomiya said cheerfully. "Let's go, Sasuke. We've already missed two classes, and Iruka-sensei is probably losing his mind."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're awfully casual about all this."
"Of course. I already know how things play out." Shinomiya grinned. "But don't worry—this time, we're rewriting history."
He draped an arm around Sasuke's shoulders in an overly familiar gesture.
"You—!" Sasuke tensed.
"Relax," Shinomiya laughed. "You're going to need friends in this new timeline. Might as well start with me."
Sasuke sighed in frustration, but… a small part of him couldn't deny that he was intrigued.
As the two headed back toward the academy, a new future unfolded before them—one where destiny itself was about to be rewritten.
–--––-------------------------------
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