Lying in bed, Sasuke struggled to make sense of the situation.
Above him, Ichikishimahi floated in the air, watching him with a gentle smile, as if she saw him as her leader. However, the thoughtful look in her eyes suggested she was also trying to understand what was happening.
Sasuke sat up and looked at her. "Ichikishimahi, do you know what’s going on with this world?"
Ichikishimahi shook her head. "Sasuke-sama, all I know is that this Ryūchi Cave is different from the one in our original world. While I’m still connected to it, the nature of that connection has changed."
As a sage, she had a certain bond with the original Ryūchi Cave—like the relationship between a mother and child.
She was sure they were no longer in their original world because that bond had suddenly changed. It was no longer a mother-child connection but more like a foster parent and child—one was by birth, the other by recognition.
"So, in other words, you don’t know how to break this Genjutsu either?" Sasuke sighed.
Ichikishimahi thought for a mont and then replied, "Actually, Sasuke-sama, I don’t believe this is just a simple Genjutsu. A Genjutsu, at its core, only deceives a person’s senses and perception. But... this world is real."
If it could alter her connection with Ryūchi Cave, then this wasn’t just a Genjutsu. Instead of calling it an illusion, it would be more accurate to say they had truly arrived in another world.
Sasuke didn’t respond. He stared at the floor, deep in thought about how to get back.
Ichikishimahi, curious, hesitated before asking, "Sasuke-sama, I heard about you from the White Snake Sage. Your parents have already passed away... Now that you’ve seen them again, do you not have even a little desire to stay?"
"I can accept them, but they are not my real parents." Sasuke’s expression was unexpectedly calm, without a hint of hesitation. "Just like your connection with Ryūchi Cave, I know for certain that they are not my parents. So why should I stay?"
Ichikishimahi was montarily stunned.
Sasuke looked up at her and continued, "I’ve already lied to myself countless tis. I could do it again, but there’s no point—because I know there are more important things waiting for ."
He suddenly chuckled. "If I truly miss my father and mother, I could just train until I’m strong enough and use Rinne Tensei to bring them back. Wouldn’t that be better than staying in a fake world, reminiscing over people who aren’t really them?"
"Ichikishimahi, humans are complicated. We need lies to survive, but if it’s not necessary, don’t deceive yourself. There’s no aning in that."
Ichikishimahi nodded slightly, though she wasn’t sure if she fully understood.
Just then, a knock ca at the door.
Sasuke instinctively turned his head as Fugaku’s voice ca from outside. "Sasuke, may I co in?"
Sasuke was silent for a mont before replying, "Co in."
Fugaku opened the door and stepped inside, maintaining his usual fake-serious expression.
After entering, he glanced at Ichikishimahi but said nothing. Instead, he closed the door behind him, then sat next to Sasuke. Staring at Sasuke’s Rinnegan, he couldn’t help but remark, "So this really is the Rinnegan—one of the three great dōjutsu, on par with the Sharingan. The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
Hearing that, Sasuke chuckled. "Actually, the Rinnegan evolves from the Mangekyō Sharingan. So, calling them the ’three great dōjutsu’ isn’t exactly right. In theory, the only truly powerful one is the Rinnegan."
On the sa level as the Rinnegan was the Tenseigan, though Sasuke had no idea about this.
After speaking, Sasuke turned to Fugaku. "Did you need sothing from ?"
"I just felt like you were in a bad mood, so I ca to check on you." Fugaku chuckled softly, then sighed with a hint of relief. "Honestly... I got so used to your old flirtatious ways that seeing you this mature feels a bit strange."
"You don’t have to think of as the old Sasuke," Sasuke said with a smile.
After all, he wasn’t the sa Sasuke from Fugaku’s mories.
"Is that so?" Fugaku smiled as he stood up and slowly walked over to the desk in Sasuke’s room. He reached out and picked up the ninja tool pouch sitting on the desk. "I rember you used to complain about how ugly this thing was and refused to wear it, even after graduation. Instead, you insisted on engraving a sealing formula for shuriken on your wrist—"
"Said it looked cooler. Mikoto was so mad back then she wanted to beat you."
"So that’s the kind of person I was?" Sasuke found it a little amusing. Complaining about how ugly a ninja tool pouch looked seed ridiculous for a shinobi.
"Mind if I take a look?" Fugaku asked, shaking the pouch in his hand.
"Go ahead." Sasuke nodded. There wasn’t much in it—just so shuriken, smoke bombs, and a few other small things.
Wait, no—there were also three strange scrolls in there, and he had no idea where they ca from.
As he was thinking about it, Fugaku had already taken out the three scrolls and was staring at the familiar sealing marks on them, lost in thought.
Sasuke stood up and walked over, looking at him curiously. "What’s wrong? Do you know where these scrolls ca from?"
He couldn’t rember how he got them. He had opened two—one was a Fire Release manual from the Uchiha clan, and the other contained insights on using the Sharingan. The third one, however, had a note saying **’Do not open for now,’** so he had left it alone.
Sasuke recalled that these scrolls had suddenly appeared after he returned from the Dragon Vein incident. That ant soone from his sealed-off mories must have given them to him.
Fugaku frowned. Instead of answering Sasuke’s question, he opened the two scrolls that didn’t have restrictions on them. After carefully reading for a mont, he turned to Sasuke with a face full of confusion.
Sasuke was puzzled. "What is it?"
Fugaku gave him a strange look and raised the scrolls. "This handwriting is mine. And besides that, each scroll has a transcription seal on it, sealing sothing inside. The sealing technique used is also mine."
eting Sasuke’s dumbfounded gaze, Fugaku added, "But in my mory, I never wrote these."
Sasuke quickly gathered his thoughts. He didn’t try to hide anything and explained, "I once traveled through ti using sothing. But after that, my mories were sealed. When I returned to my original ti, these three scrolls appeared."
"I see." Fugaku nodded. "That makes sense. You must have t the future , and he gave these to you."
He didn’t ask Sasuke why or how he traveled through ti. Instead, he simply smiled and said, "Do you want to unseal them for you?"
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