The last rays of sunset bathed the enormous Kage Rock in warm, solemn shades of crimson and gold. The outlines of the four faces carved into the cliff grew ever more pronounced in the fading light.
Behind the top of the First Hashirama Senju's carved head, two figures landed almost simultaneously without a sound.
They were Sasuke Uchiha and Boruto Uzumaki, right on time for their meeting.
Sasuke quickly looked Boruto over, confirmed that he was unharmed, and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Boruto looked somewhat travel-worn, his eyes still dazed from the sheer amount of shocking information he had taken in that day. But the moment he saw Sasuke, he made an effort to focus.
"Mr. Sasuke."
Boruto greeted him quietly.
"Mm."
Sasuke gave a slight nod.
They sat with their backs against the cold rock, concealing themselves in the statue's shadow and the gathering dusk.
Boruto spoke first, reporting what he considered the important information:
"I went to a few places, but I didn't hear much directly about the Hokage or the Uchiha. The villagers don't seem to talk about them much in public. But..."
He paused, an expression mixing disbelief with a sense of absurdity crossing his face.
"Outside a casino, I saw... Lord First and Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage."
Sasuke's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
The First was definitely dead. If he had lived until now, he would have been over ninety.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
"Well... the two of them, Hashirama Senju and Tsunade, were gambling at a casino called the House of Wagers."
Boruto did his best to sound as though he were merely stating facts.
"Lord First looked... well, very friendly, like an ordinary, good-natured middle-aged man. Lady Tsunade was... really into the gambling."
He added his key observation. "But... their