Time rewound a little.
On the rooftop of a tall building somewhere in Konoha, two uninvited guests stared in astonishment at the village's symbol—the Kage Rock.
"What's going on... The number of faces on the Kage Rock... Where's Dad's stone face?"
His short blond hair gleamed beneath the sunlight, and confusion filled his azure eyes. Wearing a black jacket and a Konoha forehead protector, Uzumaki Boruto pointed at the distant cliff and cried out.
In the scenery he knew, not only was his father Naruto's stone face absent, but Tsunade's and Kakashi's were gone as well.
A tall figure stood beside him. Black hair covered one eye, yet it could not conceal the handsome features beneath. Though his face was cold and stern, he exuded a steady presence that put others at ease. His loose robe fluttered lightly in the wind, one sleeve hanging empty.
Second Pillar possessed the strongest Dojutsu in the world. Even the Otsutsuki from Starry Sky could scarcely deceive his eyes with genjutsu.
At that moment, his grave gaze swept across the cliff. There were only four Hokage faces carved upon it, and the Fifth Hokage's monument had only just begun construction.
The village below was both familiar and unfamiliar. Its overall layout differed subtly from the Konoha he remembered.
"I have to harvest the fox's Chakra. I'm already late. There's nothing you can do."
The baffling words Otsutsuki Urashiki had spoken before their time travel echoed through Sasuke's mind, allowing him to quickly piece together the situation.
"Boruto..." Sasuke's low voice broke the silence. "This... is Konoha in the past."
"It's not just Dad's face that's missing." Boruto looked around, growing increasingly certain. "Grandma Tsunade and Uncle Kakashi's faces aren't here either... And the streets are laid out differently."
He carefully observed the streets below