Chapter 225: An Uneasy Deduction
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Tonbo Tobitake landed in the training ground, nodding in satisfaction as he watched Sakura and Ino working hard.
Both girls had top-tier talent for chakra control, though Ino was admittedly a step behind Sakura. Despite having her clan's specialized guidance, Ino still trailed Sakura, proving the gap in raw talent.
If there was one downside, it was that as young girls, their discipline was occasionally lacking. Had it not been for their rivalry fueling their efforts, they might have spent more time slacking off than training.
Then again, I'm the same way, hehe, Tonbo chuckled inwardly.
Even though he worried about future enemies, he wasn't the type to pour 100% of his energy into research or work. People who lived like that weren't human—they were Orochimaru.
"Tonbo-sensei!"
Sakura and Ino immediately stopped their movements and greeted him when they saw him. After these past few days, they finally understood why he was a teacher praised even by Kakashi and Kurenai. In terms of chakra control alone, he had opened their eyes to a whole new level of mastery.
Then there was the No-Seal Ninjutsu: "Bungee Gum" (Extended Love).
Even though the name was bizarre, it was a stroke of genius. By using powerful control to change the form of chakra into a high-density net, one could effectively block attacks and perform various support roles. It was a true "jack-of-all-trades" jutsu—and it required no hand seals.
"Mhm. You've both nearly perfected your chakra control. From now on, you just need to practice daily. Today, I'm going to start teaching you Genjutsu, Genjutsu Dissipation, and Taijutsu to make you even more formidable ninjas."
Both girls possessed a talent for Genjutsu, and Tonbo had prepared specific paths for them. For Sakura, he would teach traditional Genjutsu paired with Taijutsu. For Ino, he would teach the secret technique Eye of the Creator, which would allow her to create an independent combat style with her Mind Transfer Jutsu so she wouldn't be helpless when lacking teammates.
"Yes, Tonbo-sensei!"
"Now, listen closely. Genjutsu is about disrupting the enemy's chakra... thereby..."
Time trickled by.
While teaching the two girls, Tonbo kept his focus on Sasuke and Boruto, as well as the Jiraiya observing from the shadows. Most of his mental energy was spent decoding the biological information within Boruto and Sasuke's bodies. He left only a fraction of his attention to watch for any sign of an Otsutsuki.
According to his findings, the data within Boruto and Sasuke was indeed very foreign. Since he hadn't fully researched it, he wouldn't dare experiment on his own body yet. The parts he had figured out were those responsible for increasing physical vitality and boosting stamina—the source of chakra. Since he had already focused on this area in the past, he understood it much better.
Ah... it seems the Otsutsuki really isn't here. What happened? Tonbo wondered. He recalled from the "clips" he'd seen that the Otsutsuki was supposed to be fought here!
Meanwhile, Naruto had grown significantly while sparring with Boruto. He had to—Boruto was simply too powerful. Even so, Naruto, the "Number One Unpredictable Ninja," couldn't gain the upper hand despite his surprising tactics. Instead, he was being beaten black and blue.
What kind of grudge does this kid have to beat his own dad like this? Is he addicted to it? Tonbo thought as he looked at the bruised Naruto.
Sasuke led Boruto away from Naruto. Since Otsutsuki Urashiki had failed to appear and they could feel their time in the past was running out, they had to prepare.
"Uncle Sasuke, Urashiki isn't here. What do we do?" Boruto asked worriedly. Having to worry about the safety of the world at such a young age was quite a burden. Even though he'd enjoyed seeing his uncle, aunt, and others as children, the mission came first.
"It seems Urashiki didn't drop into this specific time node with us," Sasuke said gravely. "The future is in trouble."
"But in our future, we never heard of anyone fighting Urashiki in the past. Does that mean the changes we make here won't affect our timeline?" Boruto asked.
"No. We might only see the effects once we return," Sasuke replied, his heart heavy.
Boruto rubbed his chin. "So, time isn't linear? It might be intersecting paths rather than a self-contained closed loop?"
"It's also possible that this place and the future we come from aren't actually the same world." Sasuke and Boruto looked back at the bustling streets.
It felt like the same world, yet Urashiki was missing, and history didn't record this fight. With only a surface-level understanding of space-time, Sasuke could only speculate and prepare for the worst.
"In my opinion," Boruto said, trying to predict the outcome based on what he'd learned, "either this is a parallel world, or the timeline moves between linear and intersecting points. Or maybe it is a loop, but something beyond our understanding is causing our deductions to fail. I just hope that when we go back, the history books don't suddenly mention a 'mysterious enemy attacking Konoha' in this era."
Boruto didn't want to see the past ruined. The best-case scenario was that when they returned, nothing had changed and Urashiki had been forced back to the future as well. That would be perfect. At least in the future, there were more powerful ninjas to deal with him—not to mention the two legendary figures at the Technical Development Bureau, the Sixth, and Fifth Hokages, his dad, Uncle Sasuke, Konohamaru-sensei, and his rivals. Plus, they had Scientific Ninja Tools, which were far more advanced than anything in this era.
Sasuke was surprised by Boruto's insight and nodded approvingly. "You've thought this through. Those are all possibilities." He was becoming increasingly impressed with Boruto's talent—he wished his own daughter had this kind of analytical mind.
"Hehe. Uncle Sasuke, isn't your teacher the Director of the Technical Development Bureau? When we get back, why not have him research time travel? Maybe he can give us answers," Boruto suggested.
"No. He is too dangerous. Even now, we haven't truly seen through him," Sasuke rejected the idea immediately.
"But isn't he watched by the Deputy Director? With supervision, it should be fine, right?" Boruto was confused. Even if the man was a legendary ninja, he was suppressed by Naruto and Sasuke—the two saviors of the world—and kept under watch. Surely a research project wouldn't hurt?
"No... he's not as simple as you think..."
Sasuke wasn't as optimistic as Boruto. He still didn't understand how his younger self had managed to take down one of the Legendary Sannin so easily; looking back, it felt more like Orochimaru had allowed himself to be captured. When he was young, he thought he'd won because Orochimaru had lost his hands and the Power of the Sharingan was superior. As he matured, he realized it had been far too easy. It was like everything had simply fallen into place exactly as intended.
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