In the Land of Rice Fields, thousands of miles from Konoha Village.
In a temporary secret hideout once used by Team Taka, Sasuke brought Boruto and Kawaki to rest.
Most of Boruto's physical injuries had been healed by 'Momoshiki,' but the mental strain and exhaustion were immense, requiring time to recover.
Kawaki, on the other hand, had simply fainted from nerve pain due to the disappearance of his Kama. He had no serious issues and only needed brief rest.
Meanwhile, Sasuke sent out several shadow clones to scout the area and confirmed the situation.
It wasn't just Konoha Village—everyone's memories across the entire world had been manipulated!
In the nearby Sound Village, the Seventh Hokage of Konoha in people's memories had also changed to Uzumaki Jigen, no longer the true Uzumaki Naruto.
When Sasuke returned with this news, Boruto's expression darkened, and he became increasingly aware of the enemy's terrifying ability.
This meant that, overnight, both of them had been erased from the entire world!
Boruto didn't dare imagine what the current Hokage Code, wielding the Hokage title, might do, acting recklessly in their village.
The thought that this person had replaced him, making all his friends pretend to be kind to him—even Sarada and Sumire having to feign submission—made Boruto's scalp tingle with anger, his heart aching as if sliced.
He desperately wanted to return to Konoha now and turn everything around. But Boruto, newly transformed after enduring hellish torment, would no longer act impulsively. He knew full well that with his current strength, he was powerless.
Only by suppressing his anger and rapidly improving himself could he change everything.
"I just received word: Konoha Village, through the Land of Fire, has officially issued a wanted order against us."
"Sensei, so we're all rogue ninjas now?"
"Yes. From now on, we're all rogue ninjas of the village!" Sasuke sighed.
After all these years, he was once again a rogue ninja of Konoha Village, forced to wander with Naruto's son. He could only sigh at how strange fate was!
But this time, he wasn't as fortunate as in his youth, with no steadfast friend like Naruto who never gave up on him, nor the protection of the Fifth Hokage Tsunade and others.
Of course, he wasn't as weak as he was in his youth either. He now possessed absolute power capable of destroying most of the ninja world, nearly fearless of most pursuits.
"Rogue ninjas? I never thought I'd become a rogue ninja…" Boruto was stunned for a moment, still somewhat dazed by the current situation.
Overnight, he went from being the Hokage's son to a rogue ninja of Konoha—a nightmare too absurd to believe! This was the difference between Boruto and his father, Naruto.
Naruto's life was a story of rising from nothing to gaining everything through struggle. Boruto's life, however, might be a tale of having everything and gradually losing it all.
It's hard to say whose experience was more painful, but Boruto was indeed feeling the hardships his father once endured.
"By the way, Sensei, weren't you a rogue ninja for a while too?" Boruto asked curiously.
Perhaps talking about something else could keep him from constantly reliving the pain of killing his own mother. But Boruto clearly wasn't great at conversation.
"…"
Sasuke nodded slightly, silent. His chuunibyo memories of being a rogue ninja who looked down on everything weren't exactly worth boasting about.
"Boruto, this is just the beginning. Since everyone's memories in the world have been manipulated, other villages and countries might soon issue wanted orders or bounties for us."
"Bounties? Sensei, how much is the bounty on you?"
"One billion!"
"What! That much?!?!" Boruto exclaimed, awestruck that his teacher was worth a billion!
But it made sense. After all, this was the once-invincible Uchiha Sasuke. Even if he was now replaced by Otsutsuki Sasuke, he remained the most notorious villain in history.
"Oh, what about me?"
"The bounty for Otsutsuki Boruto: fifty million Fire Country currency."
"Why only fifty million? That's so little!"
"It's already higher than the bounty for a certain Hokage's son back then."
"Huh? Another Hokage's son had a bounty? Who dared do that?"
"You'll find out later."
"Oh…"
Boruto suppressed his curiosity; now wasn't the time to care about gossip like this.
"What about Kawaki?"
"Eighty million."
"How's that possible? He's worth more than me?" Boruto protested.
Even though they were brothers, why was Kawaki valued higher? It didn't make sense!
"He's now the Hokage's son in everyone's memories, a hostage we supposedly kidnapped. The bounty requires capturing him alive and returning him to Konoha, so the reward is naturally higher."
"Fine…"
"In short, prepare yourself mentally. This hatred and the temptation of huge money will draw many people to hunt us. Besides our former village comrades, there'll be ninjas and assassins from across the world. From now on, everyone will be our enemy! If you encounter someone you know, you know what to do, right?"
"I understand. If I meet someone I know, I can show mercy, but only if it ensures my own safety. If I die, everything's over, right?"
"Good, as long as you understand. Don't be soft-hearted!"
Sasuke looked at Boruto, giving him a serious warning.
He worried Boruto wouldn't grasp the danger of this fugitive journey. If he clung to his old naive ideals, it would only endanger himself and everyone else!
"So, Sensei, what do we do next? We're not just going to keep hiding here, are we?" Boruto asked.
Just then, Kawaki, who had been unconscious, finally woke up.
"What's wrong with me?"
Kawaki rubbed his aching head, his memories stuck at the moment Jigen was killed by Sasuke, and his Kama suddenly vanished. He was completely unaware of the massive changes that followed.
"Uchiha Sasuke, and Boruto, you guys…"
Kawaki calling Sasuke by his surname proved his memories were still intact.
Though his Kama was now gone, it had previously melded significantly, replacing most of his genes with Otsutsuki ones, so he was naturally unaffected by Eida's Divine Technique.
"Kawaki! You still remember us!"
Boruto was overjoyed to see Kawaki still recognized him and their teacher.
He rushed forward, throwing an arm around Kawaki's shoulder. Amid the extreme loneliness of being forgotten by the world, Boruto couldn't help but crave someone who still remembered and understood him.
Though his teacher was great to him, there was a generational gap. Kawaki, being his age, made Boruto feel more at ease and comfortable.
"Boruto, what are you saying? Wait… let go of me, you're gross…"
Kawaki was startled by Boruto's enthusiasm, his skin crawling, almost thinking Boruto had been replaced.
"It's fine. Let me confirm again: you still remember who the Seventh Hokage is?" Boruto calmed down, quickly verifying.
"Huh? What a stupid question. The Seventh Hokage is Naruto… Wait, where's Naruto? The Seventh Hokage… And Jigen? Is he dead?"
Kawaki recalled many doubts, immediately worrying about Jigen's fate and Naruto's safety.
Seeing this, Sasuke didn't waste time. He activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, relaying the latest information and changes directly to Kawaki through genjutsu.
After learning everything, Kawaki was utterly shocked. He stood stunned for a long time, unable to accept the reality for a moment.
"Jigen was just a puppet, and Otsutsuki Isshiki is the real enemy?"
"Naruto became an Otsutsuki! I'm now truly the Hokage's son?"
"Everyone's memories have been manipulated, and that bastard Code became the Eighth Hokage? How's that possible?!?!"
"And, Boruto, you killed your own mother?!?!"
Kawaki was dizzy with shock, finally staring at Boruto beside him, his face full of astonishment and fear.
*THUD!*
Boruto landed a 'friendly punch' on Kawaki's face.
"Kawaki, shut up!"
"Boruto, you're crazy!"
The two instantly started brawling, leaving Sasuke shaking his head repeatedly, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Another familiar voice suddenly sounded beside Sasuke: "What, does it feel like you're seeing yourself and Naruto joking around in the past?"