"Ughhhh——!"
The Daimyo's eyes bulged with fury.
His face and neck flushed red.
He was seething with rage, on the verge of madness.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the Daimyo's dramatic expression—and Naruto felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction in his heart.
"It was me, Dio~!"
Wait, no...
"It was me, Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Mmhh~!"
The shrine maiden whimpered in despair.
But with her mouth sealed shut, her voice could only tremble in her throat.
Her eyes filled with sorrow, tears streaming down her noble face.
The Daimyo, enraged, felt as if his heart was being sliced to pieces.
The shrine maiden, filled with guilt and shame, mourned for her husband.
And Naruto—delighted—was entirely immersed in the chaos he had orchestrated.
But outside the web spun between those three, another person watched the scene unfold.
Uchiha Izumi...
Hidden in the shadows, Izumi instantly understood the moment she saw what Naruto had done.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox... is still alive~~!"
That realization sent a tidal wave of emotion crashing through her heart.
So much so that her Sharingan activated on the spot.
The demon she thought she had killed... still lived on, and now it was influencing Naruto.
That's why... he'd done something like this again!
Unforgivable.
A terrifying resolve arose within Izumi.
Her heart was now steeped in an even deeper darkness.
Her expression turned grim, and her eyes grew cold and sharp.
Her Mangekyō Sharingan glowed—crimson and eerie.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this..."
Her lips barely moved as she whispered in her heart.
"Naruto… that boy's been corrupted by the Nine-Tails again! He laid hands on the shrine maiden… and that woman from the Anbu… and even that Hyuga maid~!"
Through the insight granted by the Mangekyō, Uchiha Izumi knew—or at least guessed—everything.
Yet her tone, as she spoke these words to herself, carried a strange emotion.
Something new was growing in her heart.
Just as she was about to take action, to punish Naruto—or rather, the beast dwelling within him...
The Daimyo, pushed to madness, lost all reason.
Shhhk!
Dark purple wings burst from his back.
The raging force of the Mōryō engulfed his body.
The Jinchūriki of Mōryō... had awakened.
His transformation triggered an instant reaction from everyone outside.
The power he now radiated… far surpassed that of even the Reaper's earlier invasion.
"Mmhh…"
The shrine maiden, eyes filled with sorrow, saw everything unfold.
It was all just as the prophecy had foretold… and now, it was coming true.
Yet she was powerless to stop any of it.
All she could do was watch as her enraged husband was consumed and possessed by the demonic force.
"Hehehehe..."
An ancient voice replaced the Daimyo's.
By now, his eyes were ablaze with violet-black fire.
"Thanks to this nameless brat's little show... I was able to fully possess this foolish Daimyo's body."
Poor Daimyo.
Despite his royal blood…
He was just an ordinary man, now completely overtaken by Mōryō.
And this had been the demon's plan all along.
Like a mantis stalked by an oriole—he had overestimated his will and power.
And now... it was too late.
"So then, kid… what's your name?"
Mōryō asked, clearly amused.
"When asking someone's name, shouldn't you give yours first? Didn't your mommy teach you that?"
Naruto slowly released the shrine maiden's chin and turned to face the demon.
The maiden in her red robes remained frozen in place, paralyzed.
"Hmph... Remember this name. I am Mōryō, the demon of a thousand years…"
"Oh. You can call me the Seventh Hokage, Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails—
Uzumaki Naruto."
He replied with a voice dripping with black humor.
Just then, chaotic footsteps echoed from outside.
Yugao jumped in from the side room, instantly grabbing the shrine maiden and pulling her away.
Now, only three figures remained in the room:
Naruto.
Mōryō.
And the hidden Uchiha Izumi.
When Uchiha Shisui finally burst through the door, what he saw was a tense standoff between Naruto and Mōryō.
"Everyone, beware—Mōryō has possessed the Daimyo! He wants to kill the shrine maiden and destroy Konoha!"
"Whaaat?!"
Shisui's eyes widened in shock.
His face contorted in a flash of terror.
The words "destroy Konoha"
flipped a switch inside him.
His instinct to protect the village flared to life.
The Will of Fire... or perhaps his PTSD.
Either way, Shisui's eyes filled with killing intent.
No matter what the Nine-Tails was, it belonged to Konoha.
But Mōryō… he was an outright monster.
"Uzumaki Naruto, I'll remember you…"
Mōryō growled, unbothered by the fact he was surrounded.
"The Land of Demons is mine, and soon… the entire Shinobi World will fall to me."
Unfazed, he stared Naruto down with the Daimyo's possessed body.
"Farewe—"
But just as Mōryō tried to flee—
Uchiha Shisui activated his Mangekyō Sharingan without hesitation.
Inside the hall,
a massive green skeletal claw shot out—
grabbing at the Daimyo.
Mōryō grunted in surprise.
"These eyes… I recognize them… Uchiha?!"
BOOM!!
The green claw latched on, but the Daimyo's body erupted with terrifying chakra.
His form exploded instantly, blasting the hall apart.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
From outside, it looked like the entire mansion had blown up.
And then—
a massive, dragon-shaped demon—dark purple and black—rose into the sky.
Facing Shisui's Susanoo Claw,
Naruto's lips curled into an intrigued grin.
Notably—
the explosion had leveled the entire house.
Naruto took advantage of the blast to leap out.
In midair, he saw Danzo standing calmly at the entrance of the courtyard, watching everything unfold.
To be exact…
Danzo was watching Shisui.
The moment Danzo saw Susanoo in action, his half-closed eyes gleamed with desire.
Naruto knew that look all too well.
Clearly, the old bastard had his eyes set on Shisui's Sharingan.
But that was all part of the plan.
Danzo had agreed to cooperate with Naruto's scheme that morning—
All to force Shisui to reveal his power in this incident.
And once Susanoo was revealed, and the Uchiha clan's terrifying might was once again on display...
Every clan in Konoha would fall into fear and suspicion.
After that…
taking care of the Uchiha would be easy.
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