?????? ????? (Boruto x oc) ?

Sasuke observed them silently, his usual stoic demeanor betraying a quiet pride in how far his daughter had come. She was not just a reflection of him, but her own person. And, just like her, Boruto had grown into someone Sasuke respected. Itaki and Boruto—these two, it seemed, were inseparable, bound by something neither had fully admitted yet.

But for now, they would continue their journey, with more battles ahead and more moments to share.

As the group of travelers—Boruto, Itaki, and Sasuke—step through the strange portal, the world around them shifts dramatically. The air grows colder, and the landscape morphs into a forest clearing. The familiar sights of Konoha are replaced with dark woods and ominous tension. It's the time when Sasuke left the village and was training under Orochimaru, a period filled with uncertainty and deep internal conflict.

After a few days of traveling through the strange time-warped world, the group—Boruto, Itaki, and adult Sasuke—find themselves in a dense forest clearing. The atmosphere is eerily quiet, the usual bustling sounds of the village replaced by a haunting stillness. The ground beneath their feet is soft with moss, and the trees around them are twisted and gnarled, casting long shadows in the late afternoon sun.

As they walk further into the clearing, a sudden rustle in the bushes alerts them. Without a moment’s hesitation, adult Sasuke’s hand rests on the hilt of his sword, his senses sharp and alert. Itaki, too, instantly drops into a ready stance, her eyes scanning the area. Boruto watches, equally alert but still slightly confused.

From the shadows, a young figure emerges, stepping confidently into view. It’s Sasuke. But this isn’t the Sasuke that Itaki and Boruto know; this is a younger version of him, the Sasuke they’ve only heard about—the rogue ninja who left the village in pursuit of power.

Teen Sasuke looks at them, his eyes narrowed in typical Sasuke fashion, scanning them with suspicion. He’s a little younger than Boruto and Itaki, but the intensity in his gaze and the cold aura around him are unmistakable.

"Who are you?" Teen Sasuke asks bluntly, his voice low and guarded.

Adult Sasuke steps forward, his posture calm, though his eyes give away the faintest hint of recognition. "We’re travelers," he answers coolly, his gaze holding steady as he watches his younger self. "And you are…?"

Teen Sasuke eyes them warily, his hand twitching towards a kunai at his waist, as if he’s prepared for trouble. "I don’t need to explain myself to anyone," he mutters, but there’s a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

Itaki, who’s been watching the exchange with a smirk, steps up, her usual playful demeanor shining through. "Aren’t you a little young to be this moody?" she teases, crossing her arms and looking Sasuke up and down. "You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind, but I guess that’s what happens when you leave a village behind."

Teen Sasuke’s eyes flash at her words, but he doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, his gaze shifts from Itaki to Boruto, who’s standing nearby with a confused expression. "And you," Sasuke says, eyes narrowing, "What’s your deal?"

Boruto, a little hesitant, scratches the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh, we’re just passing through, I guess. But we can’t really say the same about you," Boruto adds with a grin. "You’re acting like the kind of guy who’s out for revenge. Is it because you didn’t get enough attention at home, or…?"

Teen Sasuke sneers at Boruto’s comment. "You don’t know anything about me," he mutters coldly.

But before the tension can escalate, Itaki cuts in, her voice light but tinged with mischief. "Look, if you’re really that interested, we could always go for a spar," she suggests with a smirk, her stance shifting into a battle-ready position. "I’m sure we’d both learn a thing or two from it."