Uzumaki Naruto turned his head in a daze; every classmate, even the stunned Iruka-sensei, looked as though they'd seen a ghost.
Their eyes darted between him and the "world destroyer" on the heavenly screen, brimming with terror, doubt, and utter disbelief.
Kiba pointed at Naruto, finger trembling, voice cracking: "Na-Naruto… he… he…"
Sakura covered her mouth, glancing from the screen to Naruto, face bloodless.
Even the ever-cool Sasuke stood frozen, mind reeling as he stared at Naruto.
Naruto met their eerie stares, baffled, and shouted, "Hey! Why're you all looking at me like that?!"
All the emotions churned up by the Ninja World's upended understanding peaked in that instant.
Yin An closed his eyes in delight, savoring the tsunami of "peak shock," "terror," and "incredulity" flooding from the entire Ninja World.
"The ultimate suspense is finally unveiled," he murmured with a smile. "Next, we'll show why the 'hero' became the 'demon'… the tragic origin."
"No—first the hero must stop the demon, then the hero turns demon…"
Above the ruins inside the heavenly screen.
"Naruto." Sasuke's voice was calm, but beneath it stirred complicated waves reserved for this one person.
The icy detachment on the hovering Naruto's face melted a fraction, like frost meeting warm sun.
He smiled—a familiar teasing grin tinged with unspeakable weariness. "Sasuke, you're ruining my plans again while I'm distracted. Picking on an old classmate, huh?"
The light tone made it sound as if they stood on the Academy training field instead of a devastated summit site.
Sasuke's lips curved in the faintest, resigned, tacit agreement-filled arc. "Look who's talking. Your way of greeting old friends is as 'special' as ever."
"Haha…" Naruto laughed, the sound echoing across the ruins, desolate.
When the laughter faded, his expression sobered. Ice-blue eyes locked on Sasuke, overflowing with sincerity. "Sasuke, you're my most important friend. I've always… seen you as a brother."
Sasuke gave a slight nod, black eyes reflecting Naruto's image, voice low and clear. "I know."
He paused, tasting the weight of their bond. "That's why I've always considered you my best friend, my… little brother. I really… don't want to fight you."
A sigh of boundless weariness and regret slipped from Naruto's lips.
He extended one last invitation to the brother before him. "In that case… why not join me?"
Wind swept the ruins, whirling dust.
Sasuke didn't answer at once.
He simply stared, trying to pierce the icy shell and find the boy whose sun-bright smile had once hauled him out of lonely hell.
After a long moment he spoke, voice firm, almost pleading.
"Naruto… once, you pulled me out of darkness."
"Now… I don't want to see you sink even deeper into the darkness you've made."
"Turn back, Naruto."
His words rang like a final warning bell across the silent ruins.
The real Ninja World fell deathly still.
Everyone was stunned by the sudden, emotion-laden exchange.
This wasn't the simple clash of good and evil they'd imagined, but a duet of pain, bonds, and helplessness.
"Aren't… aren't they enemies?"
"The world destroyer… and suddenly they're like brothers? What kind of ninja joke is this?"
"They used to… be best friends?"
Countless minds couldn't process it.
"Best friends turned foes, ideals in conflict… the most moving tragedy," Yin An whispered. "So, aren't you curious now?"
"But if someone kills Naruto early, that would be interesting."
Ninja Academy.
After a deathly hush, an uproar nearly tore the roof off.
"Ehh—?!!"
Naruto and Sasuke spun toward each other, eyes wide with identical absurdity and revulsion.
"Me, close with that guy (dead last)?"
Both looked as though they'd swallowed live rats.
"Protect Uzumaki Naruto!" Hiruzen Sarutobi ground out, issuing another order to the Anbu.
Could it really be because… Hiruzen dared not finish the thought; an icy chill shot up his spine.
For the first time he clearly realized his handling of Naruto back then might not have protected the Village, but had personally nurtured a demon capable of destroying everything!
Inside the heavenly screen, faced with Sasuke's heartfelt plea, Naruto only shook his head—slow, resolute.
"Sasuke, you know," Naruto said quietly, voice immovable. "There's no turning back for me… and I don't want to."
Sasuke fell silent.
He'd never been good with words, and had no idea how to warm a heart that seemed frozen solid.
Senju Tsunade forced down her pain and stepped forward, trying to reach him with old affection. "Naruto! You once… even called me Granny Tsunade! I don't want to see you keep making mistakes!"
Naruto merely glanced at her coldly—no respect, no warmth, as though she were a stranger in the way.
Ignoring Tsunade, he kept his gaze on Sasuke and spoke with brutal finality.
"Since you choose to stand with them… there's no other way."
The moment the words fell, suffocating pressure erupted from Naruto.
Sasuke's pupils shrank; he pushed his Chakra to the limit instantly.
The Five Kage and their guards behind him braced for battle; the temperature on the ruins plummeted.
Yet Naruto didn't strike.
He spread his arms as if to embrace the shattered world, lifted his head, and thundered.
"I declare—the Fourth Great Ninja War officially begins!"
The proclamation tolled like a final judgment in every viewer's heart.
Naruto looked down at the grim-faced Kage and burst into wild laughter—arrogant, untamed, lonelier than ever.
"Hahaha! Either I kill you and destroy everything!"
"Or you kill me and stop it all!"
"I'll give you three days to gather your forces!"
"When we fight, it will be the final battle!"
One clash—to decide the fate of the world!