"That terrifying?! No, I have to send someone to inform Lady Hokage immediately!"
After hearing Dark Naruto's fabricated report, Shizune immediately prepared to summon an ANBU.
"Wait."
Naruto stopped her.
"You absolutely can't do that."
"Why?"
Shizune looked confused.
Why?
Because if she actually sent someone, how was his next step supposed to work?
"First of all, there isn't enough time."
Naruto raised one finger.
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki could attack Konoha at any moment. By the time Mom—the Hokage—gets back, it'll already be too late."
"We need to prepare defenses first and make sure the village is safe. We can worry about sending a report afterward."
"That makes sense."
Shizune nodded in realization.
"As expected of Lady Hokage's son. You really do have talent for this sort of thing. You're much better at it than I am."
"Second."
Naruto raised another finger.
"Suppose you do send someone with the message. What is the Hokage supposed to do after she receives it?"
"Retreat?"
"If she retreats, then she's voluntarily giving up the battle at the border."
"If she doesn't retreat, then sending the message accomplished nothing anyway."
"And worse, if the enemy forces learn that Konoha is in danger, it could boost their morale. They'll know we can't hold out for long."
Naruto continued calmly laying out every reason Kushina should not be informed.
"That makes sense too."
Shizune nodded like a chick pecking at grain.
Then she paused.
"Wait. If neither option works, what are we supposed to do now?"
"With Mom and Dad gone…"
Naruto puffed out his chest and walked toward the massive window of the Hokage's office.
He tilted his head upward at a perfect forty-five-degree angle.
"I'll protect Konoha myself."
Whoa.
That looked cool as hell.
Shizune's eyes lit up for a moment.
Then she quickly returned to reality.
"So… what exactly are you going to do?"
"Shizune, notify every villager."
Naruto turned back around.
"Tell them everything."
"We absolutely cannot hide the truth from everyone. We have to face this crisis together!"
"Then tell them that I, Uzumaki Naruto, can distribute Nine-Tails chakra to protect them."
"It might not guarantee everyone's safety, but it should at least help preserve their lives to some extent."
Naruto raised his fist.
"No one can face Ōtsutsuki Isshiki alone."
"We have to unite."
"Stand together."
"Move forward as one."
"For Konoha!"
Naruto delivered the speech with burning passion.
"Naruto…"
Shizune looked worried.
"You're saying you'll divide your Nine-Tails chakra among everyone to protect them?"
"But if you do that, won't your own strength—"
"I already said it."
Naruto cut her off righteously.
"No one can defeat Ōtsutsuki Isshiki alone."
"So why obsess over how much power I lose?"
He waved one hand.
"Enough discussion, Shizune."
"Tell all the villagers to line up outside the village."
"I'll give everyone a chakra cloak."
…
Ten minutes later.
Outside Konoha—
The villagers stood in one long line, grumbling nonstop.
"Damn demon fox. It's blazing hot and he makes us come all the way outside the village to stand in line?"
"Exactly! Couldn't he just come to our houses himself?"
"That monster really is the embodiment of evil. He's so damn lazy."
"He can use shadow clones! He could send one clone to each of us, but instead he makes everyone line up. He's definitely getting revenge!"
"Revenge? That's exactly what this is!"
"Damn fox. We stop bullying him for a few days and suddenly he thinks he can climb over our heads and retaliate!"
"Don't worry. First, let him give us the Nine-Tails chakra."
"Once he weakens himself, we'll all jump him together and teach him a proper lesson!"
"Good idea!"
"Settled, then!"
One after another, the villagers reached a unanimous verdict regarding the righteous punishment Naruto would soon receive.
Then, following his instructions, they formed a single-file line and stretched out their right hands.
Naruto was supposed to run along the line and slap every person's hand.
The instant their palms made contact, he would transfer chakra into them.
It was the fastest and most efficient method possible.
Now the villagers finally understood why Naruto had asked them to line up.
There was only one thing they still didn't understand.
"Why are we lining up facing the village?"
"This makes us look like country bumpkins queuing up to visit Konoha."
Several villagers complained in confusion.
They understood soon enough.
If everyone faced Konoha—
then Naruto would be standing with his back toward the village.
And there was a very simple reason for that.
Once he confirmed the villagers were properly lined up, red Tailed Beast chakra began spreading across Naruto's body.
A moment later, he transformed into his fox-eared, tailed form.
"Hurry it up."
"How long does one transformation take?"
"He really does look weird like that."
The villagers grew impatient.
But Naruto wasn't finished transforming.
Dark Naruto dropped onto all fours.
His body twisted.
A skeletal structure began forming around him.
Several villagers at the front of the line immediately became wary.
"Naruto, what are you doing?"
"Obviously…"
Naruto's voice had already become hoarse and beastlike.
"…I'm preparing to give all of you the purest, richest Nine-Tails chakra possible."
The villagers remained completely fearless.
"Fine, then hurry up."
"Quit talking like we've got nothing else to do. I still need to go home and wash my clothes."
"Exactly. Look at you crouching on all fours like some wild dog. You barely even look human anymore."
The insults kept coming.
Dark Naruto's cheeks suddenly swelled.
Like a toad preparing to spit something out—
And in the next instant—
A devastating beam erupted from his mouth.
It was an incomplete-stage Tailed Beast Bomb.
A Tailed Beast Chakra Cannon.
The same kind of attack Naruto had used against Orochimaru during the Tenchi Bridge battle.
Unlike a properly balanced Tailed Beast Bomb formed from an eight-to-two ratio of positive and negative chakra, this was nothing but condensed, chaotic chakra blasted forward as a raw cannon shot.
The beam swept through the line.
Every villager standing there was vaporized instantly.
All that remained was a long, scorched trench carved into the earth.
And that was why Naruto had made everyone face the village.
It meant he was firing outward.
The blast would travel away from Konoha—
and wouldn't destroy the village a second time.
Inside the mental world, the real Naruto saw everything through the lake.
His face immediately twisted in panic.
"No!"
"I still haven't earned everyone's recognition!"
"How could you kill them?!"
Naruto threw himself down beside the water, staring in horror as his dark side wiped everyone out in one attack.
At this point, he had completely forgotten that this was merely Engraved Tsukuyomi.
Not the real shinobi world.
Far away, Obito had been secretly watching.
And what he saw left him genuinely impressed.
Naruto's dark side was somehow just as similar to him as Naruto himself?
Back in the previous world, Obito had once thought:
If he wanted everyone's recognition, why not simply kill everyone who refused to acknowledge him and leave only the people who did?
He hadn't expected Dark Naruto to possess the same world-shaking wisdom.
Then Obito paused.
Wait.
Something wasn't right.
Dark Naruto had just fired an extremely concentrated Tailed Beast Chakra Cannon.
Logically, even if his power level didn't noticeably drop, it certainly shouldn't increase immediately afterward.
And yet—
Under Obito's perception and observation—
Dark Naruto's chakra was growing stronger.