Tsunade was visibly unable to offer any rebuttal to Allen's heart-shattering words.
None of this was fabricated, nor was it exaggerated or distorted; it was all cold, hard fact. Sometimes, she even felt that her teacher, the Third Hokage, had been a senile and incompetent old man in his later years. Especially during his second reign after the Fourth Hokage's death, he had been utterly feckless, allowing Danzo to carry out those clandestine, despicable machinations without restraint.
If given the chance, Tsunade truly wanted to ask that old man what he had been thinking to make such foolish decisions.
What she found even more incomprehensible was where Allen had obtained these secrets. Even she, as the Fifth Hokage, hadn't been entirely clear on the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre until she cornered the two advisors and forced them to confess the details.
Did he learn it from Danzo after joining Root?
Just as Tsunade was struggling with how to handle the collapsing morale and the shinobi who were beginning to voice intense doubts about the village leadership, a blond boy slowly emerged from the woods. With a trembling voice, he asked, "Granny... is what he just said true? My... my parents were the Fourth Hokage and his wife?"
"Dammit!"
Seeing this, Kakashi couldn't help but cover his eye.
Without a doubt, this was the worst-case scenario. There was none worse. He couldn't imagine how this stubborn, single-minded kid would react upon learning the truth.
Would he choose to defect, just like Sasuke Uchiha? Or would he, too, turn his sights on Konoha for revenge?
If it really came to that, Konoha could effectively declare itself finished. The combination of the Mangekyō Sharingan and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki would be more than enough to uproot the entire village, leaving no hope for reconstruction.
At the thought, Kakashi immediately stepped forward to intercept him, saying bitterly, "Naruto. Listen to me explain. It's not what you think."
"Not what I think? Is my father not the Fourth Hokage? Or were the suffering and discrimination I faced since I was a kid just an illusion?"
Fire-like anger flickered in Naruto's eyes as the Nine-Tails' chakra surged out continuously, forming a fiery red Tailed Beast Shroud.
He had always naively believed that everything he suffered in his childhood was caused by a misunderstanding, that as long as he worked hard to prove himself, everyone would eventually acknowledge him. But now, the cruel truth was that his parents were heroes who died for the village, while he, the hero's son, had his identity intentionally hidden and lived a life worse than a commoner!
Watching Naruto, who was now beyond furious and showing signs of a mental breakdown, Sasuke couldn't help but curl his lips into a mocking smile. He whispered to Allen, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"Is that even a question?" Allen gave Sasuke a meaningful glance.
The reason he had said those things was that he had used Track Humanoids to discover the unlucky kid hiding in the shadows. He then decisively chose to fan the flames to see what would happen.
The result was no surprise! Naruto exploded on the spot.
There was no way he wouldn't. Unless one was a complete fool, anyone would have a similar reaction. No one would tolerate living a giant lie since birth.
The Third Hokage, in particular, would often play the role of a kind elder, taking the opportunity to brainwash the Fourth's orphan with the Will of Fire to ensure he wouldn't harbor hatred toward the village. One had to admit, the old man's brainwashing was quite effective.
Unfortunately, he forgot that everything he did was built upon a foundation of lies. If someone pierced that lie, it would trigger a violent backlash immediately.
"I knew it! You're definitely up to no good!" Sasuke's eyes were full of schadenfreude. He couldn't wait to see Naruto go berserk, release the Nine-Tails within him, and level the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
"Naruto! Your parents sacrificed themselves to protect Konoha! Do you really want their sacrifice to be destroyed by your own hands?" Tsunade suppressed her rage and hostility toward Allen, attempting to calm the dangerous boy down.
She knew that any explanation now was too late. In Naruto's eyes, everyone around him was no longer worthy of trust.
Just as Naruto was about to say something, Sasuke finally spoke up: "Hey! Loser! Since you've seen the true faces of these people, why not join my side? I guarantee that whatever Konoha has done to us, they will pay for it today. Even if the Fourth and his wife knew of your plight, they would surely feel their deaths weren't worth it. Because these ungrateful wretches don't deserve it!"
"Sasuke is right! You don't deserve it!"
As the last word left his mouth, Naruto finally entered a state of frenzy under the influence of the Nine-Tails' evil, brutal, and bloodthirsty chakra.
Before Kakashi could even react, he was swatted away by a claw, turning into a log in mid-air.
Substitution Jutsu!
He had clearly anticipated that things would escalate to this point and had woven the signs in advance.
The remaining Konoha shinobi began to launch attacks on the Tailed Beast-state Naruto in self-defense. However, compared to the united front during the previous Nine-Tails incident, most people now were only fighting to save their own lives.
As for the village... not many people cared anymore.
Tsunade used her Monster Strength to punch the charging Naruto away. She then turned back to question Allen, who was watching the chaos from the sidelines: "Is this what you wanted? To destroy my grandfather's village piece by piece, from the inside out?"
"No, I don't actually have any goals regarding Konoha. I'm just passing the time because I'm bored. Besides... weren't these things done by your own high-ranking officials? I simply spoke the hidden truth. This is the karma you reaped, so naturally, you must bear the consequences."
After saying this, Allen ignored Tsunade's livid expression. He grabbed Karin and Sasuke and retreated to the peak of a distant mountain, looking down to enjoy this classic "Remastered Version" of the Nine-Tails' rampage.
Just as the three of them landed, a Tailed Beast Bomb obliterated a thousand meters of forest in front of them. Quite a few unlucky souls died instantly, without even having the chance to scream.
As the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb was incomparable to those of the other eight. Fortunately, the battlefield was still some distance from the village; otherwise, that single blast would have likely wiped out half of Konoha.