I, Your Father, Carry a Big Stick - Chapter 122
While Wu remained in Konoha as a failsafe against anyone targetting his family, his clones flew over the heads of the investigating ANBU, reaching the source of the quake a few minutes later.
Though they weren’t sure what they would find, nothing could have prepared Wu’s clones for the scene of devastation that awaited them. A vast section of the forest, nearly 30km in diameter, had been reduced to a smoking crater. They briefly caught sight of a predominately white figure floating in the sky, but it disappeared into a strange black rift immediately following their arrival.
“What the fuck…?” muttered the clone closest to the scene. Before the figure had disappeared, the clone could sense an amount of Chakra that exceeded the aggregate reserves of everyone in Konoha. That included Hashirama, Naruto, and Kushina, so the clones felt a tinge of fear for the first time in Wu’s life.
As the white figure wasn’t the only being present at the scene, a few of the clones surrounded the flaming purple skeleton protecting a group of people near the center of the crater. There, they found a severely injured woman with somewhat spiky, raven-black hair protecting a buxom blonde with pigtails and familiar ‘whiskers’ on her cheeks. There was also a much younger girl present, her features somewhat similar to the raven-haired woman’s.
Noticing the group of clones, the raven-haired woman forced herself to her feet, her single eye depicting a red, six-pointed pattern resembling a flower as she stared at the nearest clone and asked, “Who are you? What village are you affiliated with…?”
“Ah…”
Pulling out a headband, the clone dangled it as he replied, “I’m Senju Wu, from Konohagakure.” Then, noticing the youngest girl within the group had a similar headband, the clone asked, “The real question is, where did the three of you come from? I’ve memorized the faces of every registered Shinobi in the Elemental Nations, and I sure as hell wouldn’t overlook a girl around my age who possesses the Sharingan…”
In response to the clone’s words, the pattern in the raven-haired woman’s eye pulsated, accompanied by a surge of Chakra. Nothing happened, but the clone understood what had occurred, frowning as he asked, “Did you just try to pull me into a Genjutsu? You must not have any clue who you’re dealing with…”
Pulling out their staves, the clones were prepared to give the raven-haired woman a ‘gentle’ beating when she abruptly stated, “Sorry…I wanted to ask you a few questions, and it was the most efficient method to get the answers I needed. If you are truly from Konoha, we’re not your enemies…”
“Hmmm…”
As the woman was already bleeding from her eye and missing an arm, the clones decided to forgo beating her, asserting, “We’ll go tit for tat. Answer my questions, and I’ll answer yours in turn. Deal?”
Though she seemed reluctant, the raven-haired woman nodded her head. In response, the clone inquired, “Who are you? And by that, I mean what are your names and affiliations?”
After a moment of consideration, the raven-haired woman replied, “I am Uchiha Sasako. This is my daughter, Sarada. The one on the ground is my friend, Uzumaki Kushinada…”
Without revealing where they were from, Sasako asked, “You said you’re from Konoha, correct? Tell me, who is the current Hokage…?”
Though he narrowed his eyes, the clone replied, “Sarutobi Hiruzen, my adoptive grandfather. Aka, the Third Hokage.”
As a look of realization marred her face, the raven-haired woman exhaled a tired sigh, muttering, “Not again…” under her breath.
Ignoring the remark, at least for the time being, Wu asked, “Who was that white figure you were fighting? I’ve never sensed anyone with that much Chakra before.”
Raising her head to meet the clone’s gaze, Sasako’s expression turned serious as she replied, “That was Otsutsuki Kojin, one of the Custodians of the Otsutsuki Clan…”
Though he had never heard of the Otsutsuki Clan, at least outside of a few archaic texts, the clone gave a sagely nod and replied, “I see…” in an audibly intrigued tone.
Since it was her turn to ask a question, Sasako asked, “How many years has it been since the founding of Konoha…?”
After doing a bit of quick math, Wu replied, “Around sixty?” before asking, “I’m guessing the three of you are from the future or something…?”
“…”
Instead of answering Wu’s question, Sasako tried to think about what she had been doing during the sixtieth year of Konoha’s founding. A lot of her memories from that time were obscure, but she was fairly certain she had left the village by then.
Shaking her head, Sasako did her best to focus on the present, rising to her feet as she said, “Take me to your Hokage. There is a matter of grave importance I need to discuss with him.”
As they were already planning to take the trio back to Konoha, the clones exchanged glances before nodding in concert. Sasako and the girl on the ground had enormous reserves of Chakra, so they were initially planning to beat the answers they wanted out of the two girls. Now, they decided to leave their fates to the original. After all, they shared Wu’s thoughts, so they wouldn’t take away an opportunity for him to have fun…
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Receiving the visual data from one of his clones, Wu’s brows perked up as he remarked, “It appears we have some time travelers coming to pay us a visit…”
Hearing Wu’s remark, an incredulous look appeared on Tsunade’s face as she asked, “Seriously…?” while cradling Momo in her arms. She knew Wu liked to fool around, but he was also very honest when he needed to be.
Nodding his head, Wu revealed, “There are two members of the Uchiha Clan, and a girl that I’m guessing is Naruto’s daughter. The oldest appears to be in her thirties, so I’m guessing they originate from thirty-five to forty years in the future. I can’t imagine Sasuke having children in the next year or two.”
“Right…”
As the theory of Space-Time Jutsu had been around for quite some time, pioneered by her Great Uncle, Tobirama, Tsunade wasn’t too surprised to learn that people from the future could travel backward through time. She couldn’t even begin to fathom the repercussions of doing so, however, so she ultimately just shrugged and said, “Be safe. And no traveling through time without letting me know beforehand.”
Exhaling a light chuckle, Wu walked over and gave Tsunade a chaste kiss before revealing a sincere smile as he asserted, “This is the only timeline I care about…”
Directing his gaze at the sleeping Momo, Wu’s expression softened in a way that compelled Tsunade to follow suit. She was well aware of how much Wu cared for their daughter, so she wasn’t too worried about him disappearing. Even if he did, she was certain he would come back to this exact point in time, unwilling to miss even a moment of their daughter’s growth…
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After departing the Senju Clan Compoun, Wu rushed to the Hokage Tower to explain the situation to Hiruzen. He wasn’t absolutely certain that Sasako and her two companions were from the future, but there was no way in hell two people with Kage-level reserves could make it into their thirties without drawing attention. He was pretty sure the flaming purple skeleton around Sasako’s body was the mythical Susanoo, so they ‘had’ to be from the future as the only person in the present who could use the legendary technique was Itachi.
Though Hiruzen was surprised by Wu’s report, watching the latter grow up had numbed him to many things. He had even witnessed his mentors being brought back from the Pure Lands, so traveling through time didn’t seem like such a big deal. And even if it was, he figured that Wu would be able to handle whatever came their way. If he couldn’t, well, there was an argument to be made that no one could…
With Sasako and her daughter arriving a few minutes later, Wu greeted them with his usual “Yo.” while standing behind and off to the side from Hiruzen. The latter was still the Hokage, so he had to give him at least a little bit of face in ‘public.’
After casting a glance at Wu, Sasako focused her single obsidian eye on Hiruzen, surprised by how young he looked. It didn’t show on her face, though, so she appeared calm and stoic as she revealed, “I came to you to discuss a matter of grave importance, not just to Konoha, but the world as a whole…”
Nodding his head, Hiruzen replied, “Wu-kun has already explained the basics of your situation. You’ve traveled here from the future, and there is someone from the Otsutsuki Clan you’re trying to stop, correct…?”
Though she didn’t respond immediately, Sasako eventually nodded her head, admitting, “We are from the future. However, even though I’ve only witnessed a few things in passing, there are certain peculiarities between this Konoha and the one I’m familiar with…”
Raising his brows, Hiruzen mused, “Oh…?” before narrowing his silvery-grey eyes slightly and asking, “Mind being more specific? Perhaps it will provide some useful insight that would allow us to better aid you.”
Returning a slight nod, Sasako revealed, “The face of the Second Hokage, the one on the monument, is different from the one I’m familiar with. Tell me, was there no Senju Tomiko in this world…?”
Blinking in surprise, Hiruzen parroted, “Senju Tomiko…?” before caressing his chin as he added, “The Second Hokage, at least from our timeline, is Senju Tobirama. There might have been a Senju Tomiko among the Senju Clan, but I never encountered them…”
Furrowing her brows, Sasako used her single remaining hand to cup her chin, falling into deep thought for several seconds. Then, as if to confirm something, she met the gazes of Wu and Hiruzen as she asked, “You don’t recognize my name…?”
After exchanging glances with Wu, Hiruzen shook his head and answered, “If you’re the descendants of Uchiha Sasuke, he has yet to have any children. Right now, the only two things the poor boy is focused on are getting stronger and avenging his Clan…”
Cradling her head, Sasako nearly stumbled before her daughter, Sarada, helped to support her, exclaiming, “Kaa-chan…!”
Shaking her head, Sasako gestured for her daughter to calm down as she softly asserted, “Don’t worry, Sarada…I’m fine…I just…”
Meeting Hiruzen’s gaze, Sasako revealed, “My father was Uchiha Fugaku. As for this Uchiha Sasuke…though I am uncertain, I believe he and I may be the same person…”
Before Hiruzen could say anything, Wu began to snicker as he said, “In other words, you didn’t just travel back in time, but to an entirely separate reality. This is fucking great. To think there is actually a reality where that broody emo is a woman…!”
Since Wu was technically talking about her, Sasako’s face scrunched up a bit as she retorted, “I was going through a lot. Witnessing your twin sister slaughtering the people you love leaves a mark…”
Realizing that the Itachi of Sasko’s world was also a female, Wu nearly did a spit take. At the same time, an even greater realization donned upon him as the identity of the buxom blonde became clear. He had initially thought that Naruto had named his first daughter in honor of Kushina, but the girl was none other than Naruto’s counterpart from another reality!
Unable to contain his curiosity, Wu surprised Sasako with his Fiery Golden Eyes, asking, “Please tell me the version of me from your world is a girl. I ‘need’ to know…!”
Though she was taken aback by Wu’s words, Sasako took the wind out of his sails by answering honestly, revealing, “The only member of the Senju Clan I ever met, at least among the living, was Senju Hirai…the Grandson of Senju Hashirama…”
Blinking in surprise, Wu disregarded the fact there was a male Tsunade in Sasako’s world, asking, “You never met the ‘me’ from your world? How is that possible? I’ve been one of the most powerful people in the Elemental Nations since I was ten. Even if I were a woman, I wouldn’t just hide away or lie low…”
Shaking her head, Sasako replied, “I can’t know people I’ve never met. If you did exist in my world, our paths never crossed.”
“…”
Though he was suddenly a lot less interested in Sasako’s world, Wu didn’t let it bother him too much, stating, “Well…it doesn’t really matter. For now, how about you explain the situation surrounding this Otsutsuki Kojin? If they are a threat to this world, I won’t permit them to do as they please…”
Since it seemed like Wu was fairly important in this timeline, Sasako only hesitated for a moment before explaining the circumstances surrounding the Otutsuki Clan, starting with their relation to the Sage of Six Paths and the Rabbit Goddess, Otsutsuki Kaguya…
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(A/N: Shit just got weird xD…)