Hearing this, Kagami was speechless. He had expected something significant, not such a trivial matter.
"Of course, this information must be made public," Kagami declared, waving his hand dismissively. A playful, cunning smile touched the corner of his mouth. "Let the people see the true face of the Third Hokage they so blindly admired."
He cared little for the reputations of the two dead men. However, presented with an opportunity to shatter their legacies, he would not let it pass. It was a small, satisfying way to vent the anger his wife, Uchiha Rinne, felt. He would not allow those two to be remembered as heroes.
Understanding his intent, Nara Shikaku nodded. "Consider it done, Kagami-sama. I will ensure everyone in the village sees them for who they truly were." He then paused, his expression shifting. "Kagami-sama, what brings you to the Hokage building today?" Since Kagami had appointed him and Hiashi to handle the village's affairs, becoming a ruler in shadow, it was unusual for him to appear in person. Shikaku knew it must be important.
Kagami simply nodded and gave his order: find Orochimaru.
Shikaku agreed without question. Although Orochimaru was a rogue ninja, a single word from Kagami could erase any such designation. Orochimaru held no grudge against Kagami, so there was no reason to disobey. After giving his instructions, Kagami left.
True to his word, Nara Shikaku began disseminating the damning evidence of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura's crimes. The truth spread through Konoha like a wildfire, and soon, the entire village knew. Many initially refused to believe it, but when confronted with undeniable proof, their faith crumbled.
Among those most affected was Naruto. He had always held the "Will of Fire" as his guiding belief, the very foundation of his dream. Now, that foundation had been exposed as a lie, a facade for the despicable actions of a corrupt politician. In an instant, Naruto's world shattered.
The sheer shock and despair sent him into a spiral. The Nine-Tails, sensing the crack in its host's spirit, seized the opportunity. Its chakra, a dormant volcano of pure hatred, erupted from Naruto's body with the force to destroy everything. The immense power warped the air, creating a suffocating pressure that crushed down on the village.
Under the influence of this raw power, Naruto's body began to transform. Dark red, bubbling chakra enveloped him, forming scales over his skin. His eyes became deep and feral, and four crimson tails thrashed wildly behind him, each one powerful enough to level mountains. Then, to the horror of everyone watching, a fifth tail slowly began to sprout. The nightmare of the Nine-Tails' rampage had returned.
Fear and chaos erupted. Screams, cries, and the frantic pounding of footsteps created a symphony of doomsday. The very villagers who had tormented Naruto for years, who had treated him with scorn and indifference, were now consumed by terror. They fled in every direction, their arrogant faces now pale and helpless, desperate to escape the wrath they had helped to create. They had been brave when attacking a weak, lonely child, but faced with a real monster, they couldn't muster an ounce of courage.
"Human nature is so very ugly," Kagami murmured, watching the scene unfold from a nearby rooftop, a cold sneer on his lips. He had felt the surge of the Nine-Tails' chakra and had come to observe. He chose not to act immediately, instead watching with detached amusement as the hypocrites who had made Naruto's life a living hell were now forced to confront their creation. This wasn't his revenge, but it was a grim form of justice.
For him, the lives of these people were meaningless. He only cared that his new territory was not destroyed. He would eventually step in to stop Naruto's transformation, but he was in no hurry. He would wait until Naruto had inflicted a little more damage. After this, after knowing he had killed his own people, the kind-hearted Naruto would surely find it impossible to cling to his ridiculous bonds with the village. Only by severing those ties completely could he be properly subdued and reshaped.
The Nine-Tails' tails danced like the heart of a violent storm, each one wreathed in scorching, destructive flames. They tore through the air, engulfing the battlefield and painting the sky a terrifying, oppressive red.
Through the chaos and smoke, Kagami's gaze fixed on a single figure rushing recklessly toward the rampaging jinchuriki. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. It was Iruka Umino, Naruto's first and most important bond in the village. He hadn't expected that, in such a desperate moment, Iruka would be able to overcome his own past trauma and choose to save the boy.
In the heart of the ruins, Iruka ran with all his might, his heart hammering against his ribs, driven by the desperate hope that he could awaken Naruto. Sweat and tears blurred his vision, but he pushed forward, his shouts piercing the air with heart-wrenching despair.
"Naruto! Wake up! Have you forgotten your dream? Don't you want to become Hokage? What you're doing now is destroying Konoha, the very village that raised you!"
But no matter how loudly Iruka cried out, his voice was like a whisper against a hurricane. Naruto's world remained a silent abyss of darkness, and he remained deaf to the pleas from the outside world.
From his perch on the high building, Kagami listened to Iruka's words and couldn't help but scoff at the hypocrisy. As the son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto should have been a hero. Instead, he had endured a childhood of hatred and neglect, forced to eat expired food and wear tattered, ill-fitting clothes. Where was Iruka when Naruto was being beaten and bullied by the villagers? Where was he when Naruto was sick from eating spoiled food, with nothing to eat and no one to care for him, forced to fish in the river just to survive?
And now, he dared to use emotional blackmail, to appeal to a bond that the village itself had tried so hard to sever. How utterly, pathetically, hypocritical.