The figure wrapped in reddish-gold light was none other than the future Naruto Uzumaki.
He bore a fair resemblance to Minato, but unlike Minato, he had the weathered air of someone who had lived through it all.
His yellow hair seemed not to have been trimmed for some time, its overlong ends draping over his shoulders. There was even a little stubble on his face, making him look mature but somewhat unkempt.
"It's been ages! What brings you here? I've missed you so much, Sasuke!"
At the sight of his visitor, the dejection vanished from Future Naruto's face. He laughed, stood up, and pulled Sasuke into a huge hug.
"Cough, cough! Let go, you idiot... What the hell are you doing here?"
Sasuke hadn't expected him to move so quickly. Before he could dodge, he was caught in a crushing bear hug.
Naruto really might have been a little too excited. Perhaps it was because he hadn't seen anyone else in so long, but he barely held back his strength.
Those two pats on the back nearly knocked the breath out of Sasuke.
"Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?"
"I... Forget it. From the look of you, you seem to be fine."
Future Sasuke pushed Naruto away and brushed off his sleeves in feigned disgust. "Have you moved on from that battle?"
"What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?"
"Aren't you? After your battle with the Nine-Tails, you vanished from the Shinobi World. We spent ten whole years looking for you... But let's leave that aside for now. What exactly are you hiding in this river of time to do?"
"I should have isolated this stretch of spacetime already. Neither the past nor the future should be affected."
"It's precisely because you isolated this spacetime that we