The world without Qiu Xia's interference would have been somewhat better; although the Third Hokage died in that timeline as well, at least he died within the walls of Konoha. But because of Qiu Xia,
the Third had a home he couldn't return to, eventually dying in the wilderness. Most importantly, no one in the Hidden Leaf even knew when the news of his death would finally be discovered.
The Chunin Exams in Konoha proceeded smoothly without Orochimaru's interference. In the end, Gaara of Sunagakure took first place. After all, the other villages hadn't expected the Hidden Sand to bring a Tailed Beast along. However, because of the One-Tail's involvement, Gaara's top-ranking performance was ultimately invalidated.
As for the other villages, it was unknown who was promoted to Chunin, but within Konoha, only two were deemed qualified: Shino Aburame and Shikamaru Nara. Everyone else failed to meet the mark.
"Well, the Chunin Exams are over. It's time for me to go back and level up. After that, I need to make a trip back to the One Piece World. Even though I gave those Zombie Transformation Pills to the kind-hearted slaves, who knows if they'll end up turning to the dark side?" Qiu Xia mused.
If time were synchronized, he could afford a year's absence without the world collapsing, but when the plot was altered too drastically, time in those worlds tended to accelerate. That was why the previous two worlds had progressed so quickly.
Just as Qiu Xia was preparing to return to the Uchiha Clan to leave a clone behind and head to the Land of Demons for secluded cultivation, two figuresone large, one smallappeared in his field of vision.
Seeing them, Qiu Xia froze for a second. "What the... these two look incredibly familiar. One looks just like Naruto, and the other looks a lot like Sasuke."
The adult walking through the alleyway was observing his surroundings with casual vigilance. He hadn't thought much of Qiu Xia at first, but when his eyes landed on the Uchiwa fan on the back of the boy's clothes, his expression twisted in shock.
"Boruto, follow me!"
"Sasuke, what's wrong? Aren't we going to find my dad?" Boruto Uzumaki asked, looking at Sasuke with curiosity.
Sasuke's face was grim as he replied, "I've discovered an anomaly."
The anomaly he spoke of was the Uchiha clan crest on Qiu Xia's back. In Sasuke's memory, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out during this period, leaving him as the sole survivor in Konoha. It was impossible for anyone else to exist, yet this person was openly wearing the crest.
One had to understand that a clan crest wasn't something to be used lightly. Even if the Uchiha were extinct, anyone caught using it would be detained for investigation.
Sasuke and Boruto followed Qiu Xia stealthily, wanting to see his destination. Qiu Xia was perfectly aware of their presence but made no sign of it, swaggering toward the Uchiha compound. When they arrived at the entrance of the Uchiha district, Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief.
He saw the familiar compound, populated by people wearing clothes emblazoned with the Uchiha crest.
"These are Uchiha... the clan hasn't been wiped out? Did we travel further back than we thought? No, that's impossible. The Hokage Monument already has five heads on it. The timeline shouldn't be this early!"
"Brother Huolie, Brother Leishui!" Qiu Xia called out, greeting the two guards at the gate.
"Oh, Qiu Xia! Back from watching the exams? How were they? Did the Young Patriarch Sasuke get a good result?"
Qiu Xia shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. He lost to Rock Lee, who uses the Eight Gates Formation."
"Rock Lee? Isn't that Might Guy's technique? Is he Guy's disciple?"
"Likely. I'm not a ninja, but I keep my ear to the ground. Our clan members have great observation skills once they awaken the Sharingan, but they have weaknesses against pure Taijutsu. We can see the flaws, but if the body can't keep up, we still get hit."
"True. The Eight Gates is a forbidden art that pushes Taijutsu to the extreme. They say the Eighth Gate grants power dozens of times stronger than a Hokage. Even if that kid only opened the fourth, combined with his speed, it's no wonder Sasuke lost."
The two guards thought about Qiu Xia's analysis and found it quite reasonable. "Who would've thought you'd know so much about ninja combat despite not being one yourself?"
"It's not classified information. Just takes a bit of investigation and logic. Well, brothers, I'm heading in."
"Go on then. Oh, and Qiu Xia, if your vegetables are ripe, contact Uncle Gubei or tell him to pick them up. I've been craving your home-grown greens for days."
"Didn't you hoard a whole sack of potatoes last time, Brother Leishui?" Qiu Xia asked curiously.
Leishui's face soured. "Qiuzi gave them all away."
"Haha, Sister Qiuzi was always generous."
"If she wants to be generous, she can use her own money! This time, I'm sealing mine in a Sealing Scroll and carrying it with me."
"It's just a bag of potatoes," Huolie added from the side.
Leishui rolled his eyes. "Tell that to the guy who ate one potato a day for a week until he ended up in the hospital with diarrhea."
Huolie: "..."
Watching the exchange from a distance, Sasuke was a whirlwind of complex emotions. While finding Naruto was his priority, he couldn't help but be drawn to his clan. He wanted to see his people, his parents... he wanted to see Itachi.
Sasuke found a place to stay nearby and then began sneaking into the Uchiha district to investigate.
After Sasuke left, Boruto decided to go off on his own to find his father's location. But just as he stepped out the door, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and everything went black.
If Boruto were still conscious, he would have realized the person who knocked him out was the same boy he and Sasuke had been followingour protagonist, Qiu Xia.
"I was planning to go into seclusion, but then I run into you," Qiu Xia muttered. "I wonder if you're from the future or a parallel timeline. Let's see your memories... wait, before that, let's handle something else."
A Starlight Vortex appeared in Qiu Xia's hand. He held it over Boruto's head, and before long, a figure dressed in white with two horns on his head was dragged out and swallowed by the vortex.
Had Boruto been awake, he would have recognized the shadow as Momoshiki Otsutsuki, the one he had defeated before.
The extracted Momoshiki tried to speak, but he felt his soul being torn apart by the Starlight Vortex. A scream built up in his throat, but his soul was shredded before a sound could escape.
"So the Otsutsuki Planet is over there? Good to know. I'll visit it eventually. This guy's mental energy isn't bad; it'll give me a decent boost. Now, little Boruto, let's see what's in your head." Qiu Xia tapped Boruto's forehead.
"Ah, so it's a parallel dimension, not the future. Things there are mostly the same as I remember. Well, getting Momoshiki's soul and learning about a parallel world was entertaining.
I'll give you a little reward. I won't give you Daoist magic, but I'll leave you with some high-level ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals. I'll throw in some martial arts too. Whether you train them or not is up to you."
After removing the hidden threat from Boruto and leaving him a legacy of ninjutsu and martial arts, Qiu Xia vanished from the room.
Not long after, Boruto woke up. "How did I fall asleep? Was I that tired? Whatever, I need to find Dad."
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