"Hahaha!"
"Everyone, don't listen to the Demon Fox brat's nonsense! I've watched him grow up. He's been living in the jungle since he was three years old—if that's not a demon fox, then what is he?"
A villager stepped forward, voice loud and filled with conviction.
"What kind of normal child could have that kind of power? He's been different since the very beginning!"
"That's right! I've seen him myself—always slipping in and out of the forest! The brat must survive by hunting wild beasts! If he isn't the Nine-Tails' host, then what is he? He must be the demon fox!"
"And now he dares to impersonate the Fourth Hokage's orphan? Who does he think he is? Hokage-sama's child is on a different level! A mere demon fox shouldn't even dream of being connected to Hokage-sama!"
The words stoked the crowd like fire to dry kindling.
If Naruto truly was the Fourth Hokage's son, then hadn't they all been repaying kindness with hatred, turning against their savior's own child? The idea was unbearable—so they refused it outright, inventing excuses and clinging to their prejudice instead.
Among the shinobi present, more and more were realizing the truth. Hyūga Hiashi and several others exchanged unreadable looks as they regarded Naruto.
Those who already knew his identity, and weren't swayed by the crowd's noise, were few. They stood silently, believing.
Kakashi especially—he had always known.
But Obito's death, Rin's death, and then the loss of his teacher and his teacher's wife… it was tragedy after tragedy. Before that, even his father had taken his own life.
Kakashi had been carrying grief all his life.
That burden slowed even his prodigious growth. With his genius, a jōnin at twelve, creator of Lightning Release techniques, and wielder of the Sharingan, he should have risen to Kage-level far sooner.
Only Guy's unwavering friendship kept him from sinking completely into despair.
"These people are hopeless," Sasuke sneered. "They only believe what suits them."
Naruto clenched his fists. He knew it too. These villagers shouted about hating the Nine-Tails, but most of them had never even been harmed by it.
The ones who had died were shinobi on the frontlines and those who lived too close to the attack. The rest? Just swayed by Danzo's lies, following the mob.
"Naruto, we need to move faster," Neji said quietly, Byakugan active as he scanned the battlefield.
Sunagakure's forces were already growing restless. The war had begun, and yet Rasa still hadn't appeared. Instead, Orochimaru stood in his place, disguised as the Kazekage. No one was foolish enough to believe this was a coincidence.
Naruto glanced toward the distance. Might Guy was already trading blows with Gaara. With Naruto and the others occupied, someone had to step up against the Sand's jinchūriki.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched Guy fight. The man with thick eyebrows, who had always seemed ridiculous… was holding back Gaara's monstrous strength with sheer power and technique.
And Guy hadn't even gone past the Third Gate yet.
"Come on," Naruto said, his eyes sharp. "Sasuke, let's collect some interest first."
"This place reeks of decay, inside and out."
Naruto closed his eyes briefly, speaking within the seal. "Kurama, lend me your strength. Let them taste the same fear they once felt."
The fox didn't hesitate. A rush of crimson chakra poured into him.
A massive wave of killing intent erupted outward. Shinobi who had once felt this power during the Nine-Tails' attack trembled uncontrollably, their bodies remembering that terror.
"Ah! He really is the demon fox incarnate! Run!"
One of the same villagers who had mocked him earlier now collapsed in fear, wetting himself as he scrambled backward, eyes wide with horror.
But Naruto was no longer consumed by the beast's chakra—his synchronization with Kurama had grown too deep. Now he could even shape a Tailed Beast Ball.
A sphere of compressed black chakra swelled in front of him, radiating pure destruction.
"This is bad! We can't let him fire that!"
Veteran shinobi gritted their teeth, but charged anyway.
Hundreds of ninja leapt into position across rooftops and walls, weaving signs. A massive Earth Release barrier rose, layer upon layer, thick and reinforced by sheer numbers.
"You think that's enough to stop a Tailed Beast Ball?" Naruto's lips curled. "Naïve."
The sphere launched, colliding against the wall of earth. For a heartbeat it held—then cracks spiderwebbed outward, spreading faster and faster.
BOOM!
The blast ripped the barrier apart in a deafening explosion.
"Damn it! Everyone scatter!"
But even before the warning, shinobi were already leaping away, their instincts screaming at them to flee.
The blast ripped through the villagers behind them.
"No! Protect us!!!"
The panicked cries were useless. The very shinobi they relied on for safety turned away, unwilling to shield them.
BOOM!!!
In an instant, dozens of people were gone—erased into a mist of blood. A massive, half-spherical crater yawned in the ground, its sheer devastation silencing all who witnessed it.
If before Naruto had earned only resentment, now he inspired raw terror.
From within the barrier, the Third Hokage saw the carnage and clutched his chest in pain.
"Why, Naruto? Why would you do this?"
His voice was heavy with heartbreak.
But Naruto stood unmoved, ignoring the mangled corpses and shattered ruins around him. His gaze locked on Hiruzen Sarutobi in the distance.
Then, he lifted a hand and gestured toward Orochimaru inside the barrier.
Orochimaru halted his assault at once, eyes narrowing with intrigue.
How delightful… Konoha's jinchūriki, turning against his own village.
Even the Edo Tensei bodies of the First and Second Hokage froze. The Third took the moment to catch his breath, trying to recover strength.
But Orochimaru barely noticed him. His golden eyes were fixed on Naruto alone.
"Orochimaru!" Naruto's voice thundered. "Release the consciousness of the First and Second!"
If the people of Konoha wanted truth, then he would show it to them.
Orochimaru licked his lips, then released a sequence of seals. The Hokage's eyes flickered, their awareness restored.
"Monkey… this is Konoha?" Hashirama Senju's deep voice carried warmth even through his confusion.
Orochimaru had revived their consciousness briefly before, but quickly suppressed it, forcing them to fight by instinct alone. That was why the Third could hold his ground against all three—it wasn't Orochimaru's full strength, nor the Hokage at their full power.
"First Hokage-sama! Second Hokage-sama!" Naruto shouted, drawing their attention.
"There's something you need to hear!"
"This brat… his aura feels familiar," Hashirama murmured, eyes widening.
"It's similar to Mito's. Is he her descendant? And that presence—the fox!"
"Tch. Enough, Big Brother!" Tobirama snapped. His sharp gaze scanned the battlefield.
"Can't you see? The situation is wrong. This Uzumaki child isn't standing with Konoha."
Naruto's voice cut like a blade.
"First Hokage! Madara's clan was wiped out. Second Hokage! Your clan too—annihilated. And all of it… was the work of your precious disciple!"
The words struck like lightning.
"What?!" Hashirama's face twisted with disbelief. "Madara's clan… destroyed?"
Even compared to the Senju's downfall, the death of the Uchiha shook him more.
...
TN:
Hashirama is really hopeless~ 😓 Him & Madara are really gay for each other.
...
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