Without the Earth, there would be no children.
Naruto understood this better than anyone.
It was precisely because he wanted to protect Hinata—and the unborn child in her womb—that he had to make this choice. If he failed, the Earth would eventually become nothing more than a harvest field for the Ōtsutsuki Clan. By then, everything would be gone. There would be no future, no next generation, no hope.
Kushina opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but Minato gently stopped her and shook his head.
Kushina understood.
She was never someone who lacked a sense of the bigger picture.
"I've said everything I should say," Naruto said calmly, looking at everyone present. "Let's begin."
As he finished speaking, Naruto prepared to take action.
At that moment, Madara stepped forward.
"Naruto, I'll go with you."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Madara crossed his arms and continued, "I have experience with this kind of thing. I can observe from the side and make sure nothing goes wrong."
Naruto thought about it for a moment, then nodded. Madara's words made sense.
Seeing this, Hashirama and Tobirama also stepped forward, expressing their intention to follow.
In the end, the decision was made.
Naruto, Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara would go together.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then turned and walked toward the door.
"Naruto, I won't accompany you."
He opened the Hokage's office door and walked out without looking back.
When the world fell into sleep, Sasuke intended to find Itachi.
About twenty kilometers away from Konoha lay a vast, dense forest.
With a sharp flash, Naruto used Flying Thunder God Technique and arrived instantly, bringing Hashirama, Tobirama, and Madara with him.
The four of them landed atop a massive tree.
Madara glanced around, frowning slightly.
"This place isn't high enough."
He stepped forward, placed his hand against the tree trunk, and formed seals.
"Wood Release!"
Chakra surged into the tree.
In an instant, the tree erupted with terrifying vitality, growing wildly upward. Its trunk thickened, branches spread, and within moments, it transformed into a colossal tree nearly a hundred meters tall, towering above the forest and overlooking everything below.
Madara withdrew his hand, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Now this is the feeling."
Standing high above the land, gazing down upon the world—this was something Madara had always enjoyed.
Tobirama snorted coldly.
"This guy only knows how to steal my brother's techniques. Typical Uchiha. Even at a time like this, he still cares about such things."
Hashirama ignored their bickering and looked into the distance. From here, Konoha Village was faintly visible.
"Naruto," Hashirama asked seriously, "are you ready?"
Naruto nodded.
He closed his eyes.
Within his spiritual space, the Small Ten-Tails taken from Jigen was bound and sealed.
"It's your turn," Naruto murmured.
"Open."
The seal was released.
The Small Ten-Tails was expelled directly from Naruto's body.
"ROAR——!!!"
A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth. Violent chakra waves swept across the surrounding forest, flattening trees and sending shockwaves rolling outward.
Hashirama instinctively prepared to suppress it.
Tobirama observed carefully from the side.
Madara, however, was visibly excited.
"Naruto," Madara said loudly, "next we feed it chakra and force its evolution—hm?"
His expression suddenly changed.
Madara stared at the Small Ten-Tails and frowned.
"It's… smaller?"
Naruto opened his eyes and said calmly, "No. This is a different Ten-Tails. The original Ten-Tails is still inside my body."
Madara's eyes widened.
"There are actually two of them?!"
Tobirama frowned deeply.
"This situation is far beyond expectation."
Hashirama sighed heavily.
"No wonder Naruto made such a decision…"
Naruto formed seals again.
"I'll leave the rest to the three of you. Follow the plan."
With a flash, Naruto vanished.
The next moment, he appeared directly atop the Small Ten-Tails, establishing a link with it and continuously pouring massive amounts of chakra into its body.
Madara looked at Naruto and spoke decisively.
"Hashirama, Tobirama, let's form a barrier. Protect Naruto while he completes the activation."
Though Tobirama was extremely reluctant to cooperate with Madara, this was no longer about personal grudges.
This was about the future of the entire ninja world.
"Let's begin," Hashirama said.
The three leapt into position, spreading out into a triangular formation. A powerful barrier formed around Naruto and the Small Ten-Tails.
Konoha Village.
The moment the Small Ten-Tails appeared, the sensing unit detected the massive chakra fluctuation.
"This chakra… it's enormous!"
"Quick, notify the Hokage!"
Kamizuki Izumo clenched his teeth.
"What in the world is that?!"
Kotetsu Hagane frowned deeply.
"No idea. Hurry!"
Nearby, Sakumo Hatake—the White Fang—stepped forward after sensing the disturbance.
"I'm already dead," he said calmly. "I'll go investigate. You two inform the Hokage."
With that, Sakumo vanished into the night.
At moments like this, the responsibility of the older generation of ninja became painfully clear.
Inside Konoha, Kakashi immediately issued orders.
All ninja were to remain on high alert. No one was allowed to leave the village.
Tsunade, Shizune, and Nara Shikaku quickly arrived.
Kakashi remained silent for a moment, then spoke.
"The disturbance… was caused by Naruto."
Those words immediately calmed everyone present.
Jiraiya frowned.
"What is Naruto doing this time?"
Kakashi smiled faintly.
"Lord Jiraiya, please believe in Naruto."
Jiraiya fell silent. Kakashi would never say such words without reason. If he spoke this way, it meant Naruto had already informed him and was carrying out a plan they had agreed upon.
Shizune frowned.
"Kakashi, you can't keep everything secret. Everyone here isn't an outsider."
Tsunade raised her hand.
"That's enough, Shizune. Kakashi is the Hokage now. Since Naruto trusted him and he agreed, then we follow Naruto's will."
Kakashi bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you for your understanding, Lady Tsunade."
On Hokage Rock, the Third and Fourth Hokage stood side by side, gazing over the village.
"Minato," Hiruzen said quietly, "do you hate me?"
Minato was silent for a moment.
"Why do you ask that, Third Hokage?"
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
"You should hate me. You and Kushina gave your lives for the village. When you died, you wanted the villagers to see Naruto as a hero. But I… I didn't protect him well."
Minato remained quiet.
Hiruzen continued bitterly.
"I gave him money and ensured his basic living conditions, but I allowed him to be hated by the entire village. I treated him as the Hokage's Jinchūriki, not as a child who lost his parents. I failed him. I'm sorry, Minato."
Minato looked out at the village and exhaled slowly.
As a father, he knew the Third Hokage hadn't done enough.
Naruto's childhood had been filled with loneliness and pain. If not for Iruka… if not for Jiraiya…
Naruto might have walked a very different path.
Minato finally spoke.
"It's all in the past, Third Hokage."
Naruto's home.
Hinata lay on the bed, one hand resting gently on her belly, smiling softly.
"Child… you must grow up healthy."
Downstairs, Kushina sat silently in the living room, staring into space.
In the forest.
Madara narrowed his eyes.
"The chakra input is sufficient."
Naruto changed his seals.
The Small Ten-Tails began to undergo a violent transformation.
"Come forth," Naruto said coldly.
"God Tree."
To be continued…
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