As the adult Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki (going by the nickname "Dog Egg" for some reason) made their way toward the Hidden Leaf Village, a faint jingle jingle sound broke the silence.
Two figures appeared before them, dressed in black cloaks with red clouds, their faces partially hidden under wide-brimmed hats. It was none other than the Akatsuki members, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, sent to scout out intel on the Leaf Village.
The moment Sasuke laid eyes on them, he froze. Itachi, too, stopped dead in his tracks. They recognized each other instantly.
For Sasuke, seeing his older brother stirred up a whirlwind of emotions. The future version of himself knew the truth—Itachi had done everything to protect him. He'd paid a heavy price for his actions and had been atoning for the Uchiha clan ever since. Oh, my foolish big brother, Sasuke thought. I'd love to show you the power of my Rinnegan right now.
Itachi, meanwhile, was staring at the man in front of him, his heart racing. This was unmistakably his little brother, Sasuke. But why was he all grown up? He was supposed to be a kid! What in the world had happened?
The Akatsuki had recently gotten wind of major changes in the Leaf Village, so Itachi had volunteered to investigate, partly because he wanted to check on his home. But he never expected to run into his adult brother before even reaching the village gates. His mind was reeling.
Kisame, sharp as ever, could tell the two strangers were disguised. "Hey, you two! Who are you?" he barked.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, then at the Akatsuki duo. "Sensei, isn't that—"
"Enough, Dog Egg," Sasuke cut him off. "Don't say anything."
Itachi, on the other side, placed a hand on Kisame's shoulder. "Kisame, we're here to gather intel. Let's not stir up trouble we don't need."
"Got it, Itachi-san," Kisame replied, though his eyes lingered suspiciously.
Itachi's only thought was getting to the Leaf Village to figure out what was going on. Why was Sasuke like this? Why was he grown up? And that chakra… Sasuke's chakra was monstrous, far beyond what he or Kisame could handle. The two Akatsuki members moved on, their figures fading into the distance.
Sasuke and Naruto stayed put. Naruto scratched his head, confused. "Sensei, wasn't that your brother, Itachi-senpai? And the other guy's one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen under my godfather, right? Why didn't we just say hi?"
"Dog Egg," Sasuke said patiently, "we're time travelers. A lot of things haven't happened yet. Right now, my brother and Kisame are still Akatsuki members. We need to avoid doing anything unnecessary that could mess with the future."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Akatsuki, huh? The group that later becomes the Ninja World Security Force, right?"
"Exactly. Let's keep moving."
"Got it, Sensei!"
Instead of rushing back to the Leaf Village, Sasuke and Naruto took their time, searching for traces of the Otsutsuki, Urashiki.
Meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame made a beeline for the village. "Itachi-san," Kisame said, noticing his partner's urgency. "You seem kinda on edge. Something up? Does it have to do with those two back there?"
"It's nothing," Itachi replied curtly. "I just have some questions that need answers in the Leaf Village."
Using a quick genjutsu, Itachi easily bypassed the village gate guards, and the two slipped into the Hidden Leaf.
---
Elsewhere, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi were enjoying a quiet moment by a riverbank, lost in their little world. Asuma was on cloud nine lately—his dad, the Third Hokage, was alive and somehow younger, and his relationship with Kurenai had leveled up. They were officially a couple now, thanks in no small part to that song Hirofumi had given him. Without it, who knows how long it would've taken him to win Kurenai over?
"Hey, Kurenai," Asuma said with a grin, his eyes sparkling. "How about we sing that song again?"
Kurenai sighed. Her boyfriend could be such a kid sometimes. With that scruffy beard, he was always going on about being a mature man, but his mindset? Total child. He was either begging her to sing or on his way to beg her to sing. Today alone, they'd sung Who's My Groom? eight times.
"Asuma, I swear…" she started, exasperated.
Just then, both of them froze. Their eyes locked onto two figures approaching—black cloaks with red clouds, faces hidden under hats. They didn't look like good news.
Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious. Asuma lit a cigarette and stood up. "Hey, you two! You're not from the Leaf Village, are you? What's your business here? And why are you hiding your faces?"
Kurenai stepped up beside him, ready for trouble.
"It's been a while, Asuma, Kurenai," came a calm voice. Itachi removed his hat, revealing his face. "This doesn't concern you. I don't want to hurt you, so please, step aside."
Asuma and Kurenai's eyes widened in shock. "You…" Asuma stammered. "No mistake—it's you! Uchiha Itachi!"
"That's right," Itachi said evenly. "So, Asuma, can you and Kurenai step aside?"
"No way!" Asuma snapped. "You're a rogue ninja, and you have the nerve to show your face in the Leaf Village? Whatever you're planning, I'm stopping you right here!"
Kisame, grinning, hefted his massive sword, Samehada. "Itachi-san, why waste time talking? Let's just take care of them. Name's Kisame Hoshigaki. Nice to meet you both!"
With that, Kisame charged, swinging Samehada. CLANG! Asuma drew his chakra blades, meeting Kisame head-on in a clash of steel.
---