The afterglow of the setting sun dyes the huge Hokage Rock into a warm and solemn golden Red Eyes. The outlines of the four statues on the rock wall appear deeper and deeper in the fading skylight.
First Hokage Hashirama Senju Behind the head of the statue, two figures landed here silently almost at the same time.
It was Sasuke Uchiha and Boruto Uzumaki who arrived on time for their appointment.
Sasuke quickly glanced at Boruto to confirm that he was okay, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Boruto, on the other hand, looked a little dusty, and his eyes were still in a daze after receiving too much shocking information during the day. However, when he saw Sasuke, he immediately tried to concentrate.
"Mr. Sasuke."
Boruto Say hello in a low voice.
"Hmm."
Sasuke nodded slightly.
The two of them sat down against the cold rock wall, hiding their figures under the shadow of the statue and the growing twilight.
Boruto spoke first and reported what he thought was important information:
"I went to several places and didn't hear much direct information about Hokage and Uchiha. The villagers didn't seem to talk about them openly.
But..."
He paused, with an expression on his face that was a mixture of absurdity and disbelief.
"I was at the door of Casino, and saw... Mr. First Hokage, and Fifth Hokage Lady Tsunade."
Sasuke's eyebrows moved almost imperceptibly.
First is definitely dead. If he had lived until now, he would have been over ninety years old.
"Tell me more about it."
"It's... the two of them, Hashirama Senju and Tsunade, were gambling in a Casino called 'House of Wagers'."
Boruto Try to sound like you are just stating the facts.
"Master First looks... well, very kind, like an ordinary good-tempered uncle. Lady Tsunade just... looks like he is very happy with gambling."
He added a key observation, "However... their gambling luck seems to be particularly bad. Lord First has never won at all, and Lady Tsunade has never won at all."
Sasuke was silent for a moment.
The living First Hokage gambles with his granddaughter at Casino...
And according to Boruto's description, First's appearance is not that of an old man.
Impure World Reincarnation?
This situation is the same as the abnormal relationship between Kakashi and the female spy Hanare discovered during his investigation. They are both scenes that "should not exist" or "should not exist in this state."
This further confirms that this point in time is not their world's time.
"Is there any more?" Sasuke asked, looking at Boruto with burning eyes. He always felt that Boruto's report was a bit too brief, especially his eyes that were a little flickering.
"Uh... I also went to Ichiraku Ramen."
Boruto said quickly, but subconsciously avoided some details.
"Uncle Teuchi mistakenly identified me as the father of this era, and said that my father 'hasn't eaten ramen for a long time.'
In addition, he mentioned that his father was ostracized when he was a child because of the rumors of 'Demon Fox', but after being on the Ninja Academy, he made friends and his personality became cheerful...
These seem to be similar to the history we know."
As for Uncle Teuchi's later statement about "many little girls like Naruto" and the list of names that are so specific that it makes people feel numb...
Boruto's reason and desire for survival are screaming like crazy: Absolutely! Can't say it! We must take this matter to the grave!
That guy Naruto, hasn't he eaten at Ichiraku Ramen for a long time?
Sasuke calculated the time and found out if it was the same as what happened at that time.
At this time, Naruto should be practicing with Jiraiya.
It should be that while he was still in the village with Jiraiya Training, he should go out to practice with Jiraiya after a while.
However, the Jiraiya of this world seems to be more serious than the Jiraiya of my own world.
Also...
Sasuke's right eye stared at Boruto quietly. The gaze was not harsh, but it carried a kind of scrutiny that seemed to penetrate people's hearts.
Years of experience and keen intuition told him that Boruto was hiding something.
Although Kid tried hard to stay calm, the subtle wandering eyes, the slightly accelerated speaking speed, and the subtle movement of relief after the report was over, could not escape Sasuke's eyes.
What is this Kid... hiding?
Sasuke thought in his heart.
Is it something related to Naruto that may involve privacy or embarrassment?
Or did he discover something else that he was too unsure or too shocked to say?
Boruto felt his heart tremble at the sight of Sasuke, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back.
Silence spread between the two for a few seconds, with only the whimpering sound of the evening wind blowing through the rock wall.
Just when Boruto was about to be unable to hold on any longer, Sasuke slowly withdrew his oppressive gaze.
He turned his head and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar Konoha where thousands of lights were gradually lighting up at the foot of the mountain, and said calmly:
"Forget it."
Boruto was stunned.
"Everyone has something they're not good at."
Sasuke's voice contained no emotion, as if it was just stating an objective fact.
"Intelligence gathering doesn't seem to be your strong suit."
"..."
Boruto opened his mouth, not knowing for a moment whether he should be grateful that he got through, or feel a little dissatisfied that he was underestimated.
But he wants to know even more. Uncle Sasuke's words are more like a kind of... letting go without going into details?
Or do you really think he is incompetent?
Instead of continuing the topic, Sasuke began to share his findings succinctly:
"I've confirmed a few things here."
His voice was low and solemn.
"First of all, the time point of Konoha is indeed different from the 'Fifth Hokage period' originally suggested by 'Plough'. First of all, my Parents and First times, these people who were supposed to be dead came back to life.
Secondly, Konoha Crush Plan just ended not long ago, but Third, who was supposed to be sacrificed in that turmoil, is still alive.
Then, Jiraiya may become Fifth Hokage, and currently he has begun to temporarily Acting Hokage."
"Jiraiya? Are you my master?"
Boruto's eyes widened.
Most of his knowledge of this master, one of the legendary Sannin, came from his father's memories and sporadic records. He knew that he was his father's mentor and a powerful Ninja.
"Hmm."
Sasuke nodded.
"He is indeed Naruto's teacher. In this timeline, it seems that he did not travel for a long time and look for Child of Prophecy like in our history, but got involved in Konoha's affairs earlier and more deeply.
Perhaps the survival of Third, as well as other possible variables, led to this result."
Jiraiya may become Fifth Hokage instead of Tsunade.
The impact of this change will be far-reaching.
Jiraiya's leadership style, policy tendencies, and way of handling conflicts within the village may be completely different from Tsunade.
More importantly, the two of them searched for a whole day but still couldn't find where Naruto was, which was very strange.