Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 369

His movements stopped.

He lowered his head, looking at the girl's jet-black hair, his brows furrowed, his remaining left eye filled with pure bewilderment and confusion.

"Who...are you?"

He asked hesitantly, with an apologetic tone, "Do we...know each other?"

These words extinguished all of Guang's enthusiasm like ice water.

She suddenly looked up, staring incredulously at Boruto's face so close to hers.

Those beautiful eyes were filled with shock, hurt, and confusion.

She released her grip on Boruto, staggered back a step, and said in a trembling voice, "Boruto...you...you don't recognize me? I'm Hikaru! Uchiha Hikaru!"

"It was you...it was you who rescued me from the Uchiha prison! How could you...how could you not remember?"

Boruto looked at Hikaru's tearful face, and his confusion deepened.

He tried hard to recall, but ultimately shook his head, saying firmly, "I'm sorry, I really don't remember."

"I've never been to any Uchiha prison, and... I don't remember saving you. Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

Guang's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if the whole world had collapsed before her eyes.

Naruto witnessed all of this, his mind filled with doubt.

Boruto's reaction didn't seem fake; he genuinely didn't recognize Hikari.

But Hikaru's feelings for Boruto couldn't have been imagined.

What exactly is going on?

Memory distortion caused by temporal and spatial anomalies?

Or...some other reason?

He suppressed his inner turmoil, stepped forward, and gently patted Guang's shoulder to comfort him.

Then, looking at Boruto with a serious expression, he said, "Alright, Boruto, this is not the time to discuss this."

"Tell me first, what exactly is going on here? Why is Sasuke... trapped in that tree? And you... your eyes..."

Boruto took a deep breath, seemingly realizing that now was not the time to dwell on the identity of the strange girl.

He glanced at the eerie giant tree not far away and Sasuke lying silently within it, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

He extended his hand to Naruto and Hikaru, saying, "It's not safe here, it's not a good place to talk. Come with me, I'll take you somewhere."

Despite his many doubts, Naruto chose to believe his son.

He took Boruto's hand, and Hikaru hesitated for a moment, then wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and took Boruto's other hand.

The next moment, Naruto felt the surrounding scenery blur and distort, as if space itself had been folded!

This is a teleportation experience that is different from Li's time travel and more like a space-time ninjutsu!

Almost instantly, the desolate landscape before them vanished.

They found themselves in a dimly lit, damp cave.

The moment Naruto landed, his powerful senses spread out like mercury, instantly giving him a complete grasp of the cave's layout.

It was small and very enclosed, with no obvious exits, like a natural, secluded chamber.

Just then, a deep, wary male voice rang out from the shadows of the cave:

"Boruto, what are you doing bringing outsiders in here?"

Boruto seemed used to this and calmly replied, "They are not outsiders, I can confirm that."

Naruto and Hikaru looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure slowly emerging from the shadows.

He was a man with short white hair and noticeable eyeshadow.

He was wearing a combat suit and sat there, his overall appearance giving off an unfathomable feeling.

When Naruto saw the other person's face clearly, he was struck dumb and cried out again:

"A lecherous immortal...?!"

However, upon hearing this address, the white-haired man merely raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes calm and unwavering, even carrying a hint of aloofness.

He said calmly:

“Naruto Uzumaki… I see, so it’s another Naruto Uzumaki from the past.”

"I'm sorry, I'm not the legendary 'hero' Jiraiya that you know."

“I have my own name and my own path—just call me Guoxin Jushi.”

Chapter 389 The Situation of This Era

"I know what you're thinking,"

Kashin Koji seemed to see through Naruto's thoughts, his tone calm to the point of cruelty: "I am just a clone of Jiraiya, cultivated based on his cells."

"The real Jiraiya died heroically more than twenty years ago while investigating Pain in Amegakure."

"How could this be? I clearly..."

Naruto blurted out that he had saved Jiraiya, the teacher from his own world.

"You saved him, didn't you?"

Guoxin Jushi interrupted him, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "That's your past, your timeline, not mine."

"In my understanding and in history, Jiraiya did indeed sacrifice himself."

"That's why I said you're Naruto Uzumaki from 'another world'."

Boruto picked up the conversation, his tone carrying a weight and understanding beyond his years: "Alright, Dad, just like I said three years ago, our worlds have no past or future connection."

"Because from a certain point onwards, we are no longer on the same trajectory, so we are in a parallel world."

Just listening to their conversation, her eyes, which had lit up with joy at finding Boruto, dimmed again.

She looked at Boruto, her voice trembling slightly: "So...you...you're not the Boruto who saved me?"

Boruto looked at Hikari, his eyes filled with apology, but even more so with honesty: "Maybe. I have no recollection of any of those things you mentioned."

"It must be 'me' from some other parallel world who saved you by chance."

"And for some reason, you traveled through time and space to my... perhaps rather terrible world. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

The truth was like a bucket of cold water poured over them, plunging both Hikaru and Naruto into a brief silence.

Naruto frowned, preoccupied with the once-disappointing hope, while others were troubled by the complex theory of parallel worlds.

But he quickly shook his head, drawing his attention back to the most crucial issue.

He pointed out of the cave, as if he could see through the stone wall to the eerie tree that imprisoned Sasuke.

His voice became urgent and serious: "Forget about parallel worlds for now! Boruto, tell me, what exactly happened in this world?"

"Why did Sasuke become like that? And you... the scars on your face... who did this to you?!"

Looking into his father's eyes, Boruto knew that there was no point in hiding it anymore, as there was no unwavering determination and worry in his eyes.

He sighed, a sigh brimming with weariness and world-weariness beyond his years.

"Dad, go back the way you came."

Boruto reiterated, his tone almost pleading: "This world is very dangerous right now; it's not a place for you to be."

"answer me!"

Naruto let out a low growl, placing his hands on Boruto's shoulders, his azure eyes fixed on his son's only remaining eye.

"Including everything that happened to you! I'm your father! No matter what, you're still my son! Tell me!"

Seeing the undeniable concern and determination in his father's eyes, Boruto's last line of defense crumbled.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his gaze was calm and clear, as if he were stating a fact that was unrelated to him, yet extremely heavy.

"Alright... since you insist."

Boruto gestured for everyone to sit down and began to tell the tragic story of this world.

"The beginning of the crisis, for me... or rather, for most parallel worlds, probably stemmed from the invasion of the Otsutsuki."

Boruto's voice echoed in the enclosed cave, carrying a cold quality: "The Seventh Hokage after becoming an adult—that is, you in this world—joined forces with Sasuke's master to first eliminate Momoshiki, and later dealt with Urashiki during an adventure that traveled through time."

Naruto listened intently, holding his breath. He had indeed participated in some of the parts about Urashiki.

"But the real nightmare comes after that."

Boruto's tone turned somber: "We've encountered a stronger, more cunning enemy—Isshiki Otsutsuki."

"Isshiki's strength... is very strong. Even if Dad and Sasuke's master joined forces, they would be no match for him."

"The battle was extremely fierce... In order to create an opportunity for victory, Uncle Kurama..."

Boruto's tone changed at this point: "Uncle Kurama chose to actively burn all of his chakra and life force to help Dad enter an unprecedented 'heavy particle mode,' buying time in a near-self-destructive manner... In the end, he was lucky enough to destroy Isshiki."

Naruto was struck dumb, and his body swayed!

Kurama...is he dead?

To defeat the enemy, they sacrificed themselves?

His mental space also fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

Minato and Kushina were filled with shock and grief, and even Madara, who had been feigning sleep, slightly opened his eyes.

Nine-Tails let out a low whimper.

If Boruto's description of the enemy is correct, Naruto will indeed use Heavy Particle Mode if he encounters a danger he can't handle.

"But the disaster... is not over."

Boruto continued, "After Isshiki died, the chakra of Momoshiki Otsutsuki, which had been lurking within me, began to backfire and worsen completely... He took complete control of my body and... took the opportunity to destroy Sasuke's master's Rinnegan."

Just by taking a deep breath, he destroyed the Uchiha's strongest eye—how cruel!

"Fortunately, my father's adopted son, Kawaki, stopped me from being controlled in time."