Day 75 – Border of the Land of Hot Water
Night fell like a blanket of black fire.
The small war village known as Kinrō lay silent under the stars. Its stone paths were slick with moss, its huts emptying as dusk swallowed the sky.
But not all homes held peace.
In the central estate, a black-market tactician named Raiken paced his chamber. He was a former Hidden Cloud jōnin — now a rogue lord who sold military secrets to the highest bidder.
And tonight, he was on Naruto's list.
One Hour Earlier – Cliffside Above the Village
Naruto crouched beneath a dying cedar tree, cloak fluttering in the night breeze. His hair, blood-red and tied back, swayed gently against the wind. His katana lay across his lap, its hilt wrapped in black chakra-treated bandages.
His eyes burned beneath his bangs.
Not with rage.
With intention.
Kurama's voice rumbled from within.
"Target confirmed?"
"Yes," Naruto whispered.
"You could wait. Strike him in daylight."
"No."
"Why?"
Naruto unsheathed the blade slowly, its edge hissing in the air.
"Because screams echo louder in the dark."
Flashback – Age 9 – Hospital Room
Naruto had broken his wrist training alone. No one visited.
Not a single person.
Even when he stared at the hallway, hoping — praying — for any of his friends, Iruka, even just a nurse with a kind word.
Nothing.
Just silence.
Cold silence.
Present – Kinrō Village Gates
The guards didn't even see him.
The first fell with a clean cut across the back of the neck — fast, clean, no blood spill. The second gasped as a kunai severed his voice box mid-scream.
By the time the third turned, Naruto's blade was already inside his ribs.
No chakra flare. No warnings.
Only death.
Inside the Mind
"I used to shout my way through every fight.
Now I don't speak unless it's necessary.
The world doesn't listen to noise.
It listens to silence with weight."
Inside Raiken's Estate
Dozens of shinobi stood guard.
Elite mercenaries. Veteran mist-nin turned rogues. One even carried a massive cleaver stolen from a battlefield years ago.
None of it mattered.
Naruto dropped into the central courtyard like smoke through fire.
The first attacker lunged—swinging a kanabo club.
Naruto pivoted. Slid forward.
One step. One cut.
The man's throat opened like paper, but not a sound escaped. Naruto had already triggered his Sound Suppression Seal, carved into the dirt under his boot minutes earlier.
No chakra release. No sound.
Screams in silence.
Combat – Extended Fight Sequence
Two kunoichi attacked from above — explosive tags laced in wind-infused wire.
Naruto looked up calmly.
He made one single hand sign: "Release: Reverse Burn Array."
The air between them ignited, reversing the wind chakra and causing the explosion to bounce backward.
Boom.
Both bodies hit the ground in flames before they ever screamed.
A third ninja rushed from behind with a lightning blade.
Naruto turned his head slightly.
"Too slow."
His blade rotated low, cutting behind him without turning.
Spine severed.
Kurama's Voice During the Fight
"Efficient. You're starting to remind me of Madara."
Naruto didn't respond aloud.
But inwardly?
"Madara wanted control.
I want clarity."
He remembered Iruka smiling at him once.
"Don't become the people who hurt you."
Naruto whispered under his breath as another body fell.
"I'm not becoming them."
He stepped forward, eyes dead.
"I'm replacing them."
Final Room – Raiken's Quarters
Raiken waited with six guards, each heavily armed.
Naruto walked in like a myth.
Long coat drifting behind him.
No chakra aura. No killing intent.
Just presence.
Raiken barked, "Who the hell are y—"
Naruto raised a finger.
Silence Seal.
Raiken's throat locked. His voice died in his mouth.
Naruto spoke quietly.
"You sold intel to the ones who burned villages down. You watched children starve and profited."
He stepped forward.
"I'm not a shinobi anymore."
Another step.
"I'm not justice."
Another.
"I'm just a message."
The room erupted.
Flames. Screams. Shadow clones with sound seals. Chains of pure chakra erupted from the walls, pinning the guards as they suffocated, silent.
Naruto reached Raiken.
He placed a single seal on his forehead — glowing with Uzumaki script.
It read:
"This Pain Is Mine."
Then he drove the katana through his heart.
Slowly.
With purpose.
Raiken's eyes went wide.
Then dim.
Aftermath – Forest Outside Village
Naruto cleaned the blade calmly.
Kurama exhaled from within him.
"You were ruthless."
"I was necessary."
"You're becoming something... monstrous."
Naruto sheathed his katana.
"No," he said.
"I'm becoming inevitable."
Status Window – Post-Mission Sync
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🌀 Name: Naruto Uzumaki
⚔️ Chakra Natures: Wind (Mastered), Fire (Advanced), Earth (Stable)
🔥 Combat Fusion Style: Silent Fang
📚 Sealing Combat Level: Deadly Grade – Shadow Array Active
🗡️ Kill Count (Confirmed Shinobi): 36
💢 Emotional Expression: 2% Variance
🐺 Kurama Link: Strategic Synergy
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Final Flash – Young Naruto's Voice (Memory Fragment)
"Believe it!"
Laughter echoed in the back of his mind.
Naruto stood atop a tall tree, looking down at the destroyed compound.
He didn't smile.
But for the first time... he didn't feel the weight of the past.
Only the burn of what came next.