The light of dawn slowly climbed from the eastern horizon.
Naruto, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes. The birds perched on his shoulder, constantly hopping, felt the vibrations from the 'stone' beneath them and took flight, soaring into the distance.
They were puzzled. Why would a 'stone' move?
"Who are we seeing today?" Kurama's teasing voice echoed in his mind.
"Let's see them all. It's not often I get to come back." Naruto stood up, slowly releasing the natural energy from his body.
Ever since he discovered that Sage Mode could replace sleep and alleviate physical and mental fatigue, he rarely slept.
In Sage Mode, the cells of his body were constantly suffused with natural energy. He didn't understand the principle behind this suffusion, but he instinctively felt it was beneficial for him.
"Who knows when I'll be back next time."
Naruto stretched lazily.
"Besides, there aren't many people left to see."
He only knew a few people in Konoha.
"It's been so long, I've almost forgotten what their chakra feels like." As he said this, Naruto's expression suddenly shifted, and he turned his head to look towards the three o'clock direction.
"Kurama, did you feel that?"
"Since when did Konoha have someone this strong?" Kurama also sat up straighter.
"Why are there fewer faces on the Hokage Rock? Not only is Dad's missing, but Uncle Kakashi's and Granny Tsunade's aren't there either."
Atop a tall, domed building, two figures, one large and one small, gazed with puzzlement at the distant Hokage Rock.
"This location is different from the timeline travel destination Lord Otsutsuki Urashiki set," a pinkish-white turtle on the blond boy's hand said, poking its head out.
"You said time travel?" The older man turned his head to look at it, recalling his recent experience.
"Is this Konoha from the past?"
"The past?" The blond boy was taken aback.
"Yes, this is the era when the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, is in charge of Konoha," the pinkish-white turtle nodded.
"The Fifth..." The older man's expression faltered, as if recalling something. A hint of hesitation appeared on his weathered face.
"Really?" The blond boy didn't notice this, instead excitedly holding up the pinkish-white turtle in his hand.
"Does this mean I can meet young Dad and Mom!"
"To be pursued by such a beautiful mom, Dad must have been super handsome when he was young."
The blond boy turned his head to look at the man beside him and asked, "Uncle Sasuke, when Dad was young, was he as handsome as you?"
Recalling Naruto's youthful appearance, Sasuke was momentarily unsure how to answer his question.
"Hmm... You said the time travel destination was different, so where did Urashiki go? To another era?" He turned his head to look at the pinkish-white turtle in Boruto's hand.
"Lord Urashiki set the coordinates for time travel to Naruto Uzumaki's childhood. However, due to an error during the spatial transfer, the era we've arrived in is slightly later than the target era," the pinkish-white turtle explained.
"Lord Urashiki, who was separated from us, will arrive in a few days."
"Urashiki's target is indeed Naruto..." Sasuke's eyes flickered.
"What do you mean?" Hearing his father's name, Boruto quickly asked.
"Do you remember what Urashiki said back then?"
"What did he say?" Boruto was taken aback.
"He said he was going to harvest the fox's chakra," Sasuke replied, seemingly not expecting him to know. "In other words, he plans to steal the Nine-Tails' chakra from a still young Naruto."
"Fortunately, we arrived in this era before him."
Saying this, Sasuke felt a slight sense of relief. Naruto from this period would have no way to resist an enemy like Urashiki.
"He's targeting Dad when he was a kid." Boruto's expression turned serious. "This means we have to find Dad before Urashiki does."
"And protect him!"
"...Indeed." Looking sideways at his confident disciple, Sasuke hesitated for a moment but decided not to dampen his spirits.
After all, when facing an enemy like Urashiki, having confidence was better than having none...
"As people from the future, please allow me to inform you of the precautions you need to take while operating in the past," the pinkish-white turtle sternly reminded them.
"First, you must not reveal to anyone in the past that you are from the future. Especially, do not interfere with people with whom you have close relationships."
"What happens if our identities are exposed or if we interfere?" Boruto brought the pinkish-white turtle closer to his face and asked.
"It could have a huge impact on the future," the pinkish-white turtle explained. "To put it dramatically, a single action you take in the past can change the future."
"So, please act with caution."
"Please act with full consideration that people or things from your future might disappear."
"Isn't it just hiding our information? The Ninja Academy taught us that." Boruto Uzumaki wiped his nose with his thumb. "This is getting me more and more excited!"
"Hey! Who are you, and why are you standing on my roof?"
The owner of the house, hearing the commotion, leaned out and, upon seeing the two, quickly admonished them.
"Ah! Sorry, sorry..." Boruto quickly apologized.
The two awkwardly left the rooftop.
"Delicious takoyaki!" "Tricolor dango!" "..."
Boruto curiously looked around at the streets, which were both familiar and unfamiliar.
"Remember, don't let anyone see your forehead protector," Sasuke, seeing this, couldn't help but remind him again.
"Got it." Boruto nodded absently.
"How's Karasuki?"
"It said its chakra dye is low and retreated into its shell." Boruto took out the pinkish-white turtle shell from his ninja tool pouch.
"Huh? Sakura?! Oh no!" Seeing Sakura walking towards them on the street, Future Sasuke's expression changed.
"Excuse me, I was wondering—?!" Just as Boruto was about to step forward and ask, Sasuke clamped a hand over his mouth and asked in a low voice, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Asking Aunt Sakura where Dad is, of course." Boruto looked at him with an innocent expression.
"Didn't Karasuki tell us to act cautiously?" Sasuke was taken aback and quickly explained.
He couldn't quite explain why he was so nervous himself.
"Excuse me, were you calling me?" Sakura walked up to them and asked, puzzled.
"It's like this, I..."
"Sorry, we made a mistake." Sasuke clamped his hand over Boruto's mouth again and turned to leave.
Sakura watched their retreating figures with puzzlement. Why did she have a strange sense of familiarity?
An illusion?
After confirming they were out of Sakura's line of sight, Sasuke let out a slight sigh of relief. Suddenly, he felt a struggle from his hand and looked down in confusion.
"Mmph! Mmphh!"
Seeing Boruto's face turning red from lack of oxygen, Sasuke quickly let him go.
"Huu~ Hah~ Huu..." Boruto gasped desperately for air, clutching his chest, feeling his racing heart.
It's good to be alive.
"...Let's go. We need to keep looking for Naruto." Sasuke coughed lightly twice.
"Uncle Sasuke, aren't you and Aunt Sakura married? Why are you so scared?" Boruto asked, confused.
"Sigh, when you grow up, you'll understand." Sasuke patted his head and sighed.
Boruto: ???
"Who are you people?"
An inquisitive voice sounded.
The two warily turned around to see a pineapple-haired young man in a chunin vest standing not far away, observing them curiously.
"Uncle Shikamaru?!" Boruto hadn't even finished speaking when his mouth was covered again.