Menma then immediately looked down at the floor and smiled. ‘So THAT’s where he got those green eyes from… Now it makes so much sense….’ 

“Naruto…” Shinachiku heard him utter, even as he witnessed Menma covering his mouth with his bandaged hand. His mind was full of images of the other blonde-haired, blue-eyed man identical to himself.

“Um…?” Boruto and Shinachiku now questioned as they saw the expression in Menma’s eyes seem to shift.

“Lord Hokage…?” Konohamaru asked in concern as Menma turned to face him. “Let’s head back to my office… Bring Denki back home, I’ll deal with the boys and explain everything to them.”

An hour passed as Denki got sent home, back with his father, leaving only Konohamaru, Himawari, and Shinachiku alone in the room.

Outside, Shina could hear Menma, Hinata, Kushina, and Minato scolding Boruto in the hallway for the ‘train incident’ crashing into the Hokage monument. Hinata and Menma left Himawari in the room with Shina as they didn’t want their daughter to hear Boruto being yelled at. However, almost every word could still be heard from the angry red-hot habanero, causing Shina and Hima to wince slightly.

Regardless, seeing his grandparents still alive left in this world was indeed shocking. And now Shinachiku had even MORE questions on top of other questions about what was happening. How could Grandma Kushina and Grandpa Minato still be around?! 

“B-But Grandma, Mom! You know that Dad deserved it-!” said Boruto feebly.

“YOU DAMN BRAT!!!” Kushina and Hinata shouted as their hair flared and spiked in all directions. Hinata even also activated her Byakugan as she glared at her child. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED OR THOSE OTHER KIDS!!!”

“B-But I didn’t!! And you….You said for me not to be late again!! So I wasn’t!!” Boruto retorted.

“Boruto!! That’s not the point!! Don’t change the subject on me!!!” Hinata growled in warning.

“I wasn’t!! It’s just- Uuuuuuuuuugh!!!”

Shinachiku just flinched in the room as the arguments got worse outside the room they were in. As the arguing escalated, Boruto was eventually sent home and sentenced to a one-week suspension from the Academy. And taxes for all the citizens living in Konohagakure was increased by 3% to pay for the damages done to Menmas' face on Hokage Mountain.

Shinachiku flinched hearing Kushina yelling and demanding this punishment for her Grandson. He couldn’t help thinking she was scarier than his mother and could see their resemblances. ‘But..how is Grandma alive? Dad told me his parents were dead, and…. they were killed the day he was born, but...they’re alive??? And..’ Shina glanced over at Himawari from where she sat on the other side of the Hokage desk. She seemed to be drawing something on his desk, occasionally sending glances and staring at him from a corner of the room.

Shinachiku took a mental note of her and Borutos' whiskers. And how much Himawari looked just like Auntie Hinata. ‘So… I guess I am in a different world than my own… But then that begs the question… if my mom and Dad aren’t together, then who is Mom married to???’

“Um, so… what are you drawing, little Hima?” Shina asks, deciding to break the awkward silence between them as they wait for the adults to finish outside.

“Drawing you!” Himawari replies and smiles as she looks back at her drawing and shows it to him. And just as expected, it looked very much like a child’s drawing of him, but Shinachiku was flattered anyway.

“Awww, that’s so cute, Hima. Thank you,” Shina smiles, blushing a little from the drawing.

After a few minutes, a soft knock tapped lightly on the door. A soft ‘come in’ was heard on the other end, and Menma turned the handle to let himself and the others inside. Menma’s eyes first settled on Himawari, who gave her Dad a cheerful, innocent smile and a wave before Minato, Kushina, and Hinata glanced at the young man sitting on one of the chairs nearby the Hokage’s desk.

Once the others were in the room, Kushina and Hinata blinked once, then twice. As well as Shina doing a double take. This was the first time he ever saw his grandparents in person. “Wha-”

The two girls rubbed their eyes. Kushina’s cerulean eyes shifted between the two figures in front of her. Minato’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe what he saw. The boy did look exactly as his son did and had very noticeable features to Sakura Haruno and even her father, Kizashi Haruno, the former 4th Hokage, with his very noticeable emerald eyes. Minato walked closer, examining Shinachiku closely, and the photo hung above the desk along with all the other Hokages of the past, of the previous 4th Hokage, Kizashi Haruno. Their eye color, face shape, and nose were the same! The boy was glaring at him while sporting an exasperated look. 

Before he could open his mouth, the boy exclaimed, 

“What the hell is going on-tenaro?” Shinachiku proclaimed loudly.

Shinachiku felt his mind was about to completely melt from what he saw. At the doorway was a man eerily similar to his grandfather and a woman who looked like his grandmother ! But they should be dead!!

Hinata, noticing this, quickly scurried toward the Uzumakis and shut the door behind them, not wanting any other shinobi to come in at a time like this. In contrast, Shina and all the others took this all in and regained their composure.

“Menma? What’s going on here? And… W-why does that kid look like you? Why does he look like ME ?” Minato asked while staring at Shinachiku incredulously. Menma frowned and turned away as he slowly began to put the pieces together, aware that so many eyes were now on him as he tried to explain things so it’d be easy to understand carefully. Even to a child, like Shinachiku was.

“Well…. you see….” Menma started, trying to think of where to start on his theory, “Do you remember when we- No, I mean… when that other me and the other Sakura-chan were trapped in a genjutsu? Where I had a twin, I mean…. a version of me, but he was completely different, like, he looked exactly like me but was way more energetic and acted like a dumb child. And then, you guys were there and played happy family with that imposter for a while. And then, Madara had me under HIS genjutsu? And then I kidnapped what I thought was our Sakura, the Heroes daughter, but it turned out to be Naruto’s Sakura instead. And, then, we fought as in Naruto, and I, and then my Kurama clashed against his?”

“Yeah… you were out cold for a week after that due to your injuries… but what’s that got to do with him?” Minato asked concernedly, though it was clear he was already starting to realize where this was going, just by how serious Menma sounded.

“No…. No way…” Shinachiku gasped as he came to the same conclusion, though Boruto still seemed confused.

“Huh? What- What’re you all talking about???” Boruto asked, this whole thing flying right over his head. “Dad… you fought another version of yourself that wasn’t a Shadow clone????”

“That’s right; he came from a Genjutsu world. Or rather, I guess Naruto would claim our world is the Genjutsu one, but anyways… Shinachiku, I think he’s that Naruto Uzumaki’s and….” He paused momentarily, trying to absorb what he’ll say to Hinata, “He’s my imposter’ and the other Sakura-chan’s child.”

At the mention of the other Sakura, Hinata immediately recoiled in shock. How can the kid exist when the genjutsu that Madara put on Naruto and Sakura was only an illusion? Or instead, Naruto and Sakura are only fake due to a genjutsu? Shinachiku shouldn’t even be alive in the first place. So, how was he here now? Is the boy posing to be someone he’s not? But even if so, how could he possibly know about the name ‘Naruto?’ The child seemed genuine when he was talking to Menma, according to him. Is it possible that there’s another world, another universe, where this boy lives?

Minato and Kushina, on the other hand, were utterly speechless. Hundreds of thoughts came running through both of their heads. They couldn’t believe what Menma had just said. A child...with Sakura-chan? The two remembered how often they kept pressuring and cheering for Menma to pursue his crush on Sakura and not give up on her, but in the end, it just didn’t work out. Menma had no interest in the Heroes’ daughter. Instead, he eyed the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, although the other Menma lookalike seemed fixated on Sakura… Should Menma feel worried that a stranger was claiming to be their son? Should he feel scared of what Hinata would think about all this? What does Sakura think about this? Should they even tell her? And more importantly, how would they get this kid back to where he belongs?

The scroll they’d used was destroyed the last time. And so, it couldn’t be used anymore.

Minato’s eyes traveled to Hinata. Her brows were knit, and her arms crossed. Then his eyes glanced over to Menma. He never changed how he approached a difficult situation. He knew if Sakura had heard that she and Menma had a kid, she’d jump for joy. And of course… even though outwardly he never cared much for either woman growing up always fawning for him. He dreamed once of being with Sakura and having a family with her. But, of course, in the end, he ended up choosing Hinata instead. After all, with the multiple times she’d even threatened Sakura’s life for even LOOKING at him, he felt he’d had no choice but to pick her for everyone’s sanity. And because he didn’t like the idea of her killing off his teammate one day out of sheer jealousy… Even though Sakura was the 4th Hokage’s daughter, he knew she stood no chance against the Gentle Fist or the Byakugan, not having any Kekkei Genkai .

Menma shook his head off his thoughts from the past. He shouldn't be thinking like that anymore. He thought as his smile fell. He had a family with Hinata now. He should be happy with the life that he chose…

Boruto, on the other hand, was just in shock as he slowly understood, “So, I guess that means we can assume that the world Naruto and Sakura came from wasn’t Genjutsu but maybe another world or dimension? So, how do we send him back?”

“I… do not know yet,” Menma replies truthfully, “but if it’s possible to send him still back to where he belongs, we will. And if not…” Menma trails off before sparing Shinachiku a look of worry in his blue eyes.

“If not…? Then what happens? Will I not be able to go back home? What about my family, my siblings, my squadmates???” Shinachiku asks, his voice getting increasingly desperate and scared-sounding as he starts noticing the grim expressions on everyone and feeling especially somewhat fearful of Hinata with that glare she kept giving him behind that innocent face.

Menma looked down at the boy and smiled, “Easy. We’ll figure it out, okay? I will have our best shinobi look into this matter and get you home as soon as possible.” Menma promises before putting a hand to his lips, “For now, however… you can stay with us. And… Well, I suppose we oughtta tell Sakura about you too.”

“For tonight, I guess you can sleep here in the living room until we figure out what to do. I hope it’s alright.” Hinata replies, and Shinachiku nods.

“Yeah… It’s fine. I’m sorry for intruding….” Shinachiku replies, trying to sound as polite as possible as he sets down his kunai knife pouch and shuriken holster on a table beside the couch. “Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome, I’ll bring you some extra blankets and pillows, and then I’ll start making dinner, alright?”

“Okay.” Shina smiles appreciatively at the hospitality and waits until Hinata leaves for him to sit on the couch and sigh. Shinachiku covered his face with his hands and pressed the end of his palms onto his eyes. Cold sweat broke out of his skin.

Everything around him was so confusing. He was a resident of Konoha, but this version of Konohagakure looked very different from the village he had known and grown up in.

On the way to this version of the Uzumaki household, Shinachiku couldn’t help but keep staring at the buildings on top of the Hokage Faces. It looked like there was a whole ‘nother section added to Konoha with much fancier, modern-looking skyscrapers and industrial buildings. He could see buses, trains, and cars driving by, according to Boruto and Hinata, who had to explain what they all were. They’d also mention that the vehicle Boruto had crashed into his father’s face was one of those “train” things.

Shinachiku felt as if he was dreaming and wished he’d wake up soon and be back in the safe arms of his little sister Hanami. He couldn’t voice how badly he wished to be back in Sakura and Naruto's home and see them and their soon-to-be-born little brother, Arashi, once more. 

 A man who looks like his father says he’s not his dad. Then apparently, his father was married to Hinata of all people… Who was with Mom in this world if it wasn’t with his father? Everything looks so familiar to him, but at the same time, it’s not. The village in this world was way too high-tech than the one Shinachiku came from. What else had changed…? The last thing he remembers is a blinding light engulfing him, and he wakes up on a train heading straight for Hokage Mountain.

‘What happened to me?’ Shina thought. He felt so sluggish and exhausted… Perhaps after he eats, a nap could do him some good, he decided. He needed the time to think, how were Kei and Aika holding up without him? What were they gonna say to Sai-sensei about his disappearance? And… were his parents looking for him? Were they worried for him? Were they trying to find a way for him to get home too?

Shina then noticed Boruto glowering at him from across the room, examining the other male sitting in front of him. Shina looked much like himself from afar, but once you get a closer look, he looked much more like Auntie Sakura, especially without the hitai-ate headband covering that big forehead as she had. Shina also had some of his and Menma’s features too. The blonde hair they all had was the biggest giveaway. The more Boruto stared, the more incredulous he became at how much Shinachiku looked like him. The teenager resembled him, but his striking green eyes would tell otherwise.

‘So if Auntie Sakura were my mother instead, I’d look more like this . . .’ A thought from the back of Boruto’s mind whispered, even though he vowed to suppress it as he also imagined what Sarada would look like if Menma were her father instead of Uncle Sasuke. And then he briefly wondered if she’d also be blonde or inherit Sakura’s pink hair like how his sister, Himawari, got his mother Hinata’s hair color. ‘I wonder if his dad is just as useless as mine’s is….’

“Is something wrong?” Bright emerald eyes looked at him curiously, which snapped him out of his reverie.