What?
Sakura was stunned.
The warm smile of the Fourth Hokage-sama from just moments ago flashed through her mind.
--Thank you for worrying about Naruto.
What did the Hokage just say?
Who?
Who is Naruto's biological father?
Not just Sakura—everyone around her gasped.
Not only that, they all began to doubt their own hearing.
"Sigh..."
Tsunade sighed deeply.
"Given Naruto's current strength, there's little point in keeping certain things hidden any longer."
Sakura's eyes, still red-rimmed, widened. "Hidden things?"
Before anyone could process the shock of the previous revelation, Tsunade dropped another bombshell:
"Sixteen years ago, to protect the village, Minato personally sealed the rampaging Nine-Tails within his newborn son."
"And in doing so, to protect the village, he exhausted his chakra and died."
"!!!!"
Come to think of it...
The day the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha, the day countless ninjas died, the day the great hero, the Fourth Hokage, perished—it was also Naruto Uzumaki's birthday!!
That was why they'd never seen Naruto celebrate his birthday. He barely left the house on that day!
Everyone who heard this news stared wide-eyed at the Fourth Hokage's back, then through him at Naruto Uzumaki, who was being battered on the battlefield!
This news...
This news was utterly shocking to all of them!
The young Obito Uchiha, having experienced something similar, understood the situation better.
"Because during the Third Shinobi World War, Minato-sensei killed too many enemy ninja. If it were ever revealed that Naruto was his son, the dangers he would face growing up would only increase."
Hearing these words, those who looked at Minato Namikaze noticed his hands were clenched tightly.
Those who could see his face turned toward him, only to find that his expression had darkened to a terrifying degree!!
"Katsuyu, please make sure Naruto doesn't hear this for now."
"Mm, understood."
The nearby slug nodded, and simultaneously, the other slugs also received the command.
Second Hokage: "To avoid changing the original outcome, all we can do now is trust that boy."
So, even the Fourth Hokage could only wait.
On the battlefield, Pain spoke to Naruto one by one:
"Like you, I bear the pain of losing family, comrades, my village, and my mentor."
"And like you, I strive to achieve the peace that Jiraiya-sensei spoke of."
"Our thoughts and goals are the same. The only difference lies in our sense of justice—or rather, the paths we've chosen to reach peace."
"Konoha destroyed everything I had, and I destroyed everything you had. What you've done, what I've done—it's all just revenge disguised as justice. But this only breeds more hatred. It's a chain reaction of resentment. If you understood history, you'd know..."
"As long as we exist in this ninja world, no era or time can escape this cycle of cause and effect."
"You must understand..."
At this moment, Pain finally showed a different expression. He raged inwardly, as if punishing himself, denying something.
"You must understand: the human species is inherently selfish, arrogant, and egocentric. They can harm others without a shred of guilt, yet when they themselves are harmed, they stand on moral high ground to condemn others!!"
"Mutual understanding among humans is impossible."
"Because the fundamental logic driving this ninja world is hatred itself!"
…
"Hashirama, did such conversations ever occur in our time?"
Hashirama Senju's expression was filled with sorrow.
He remembered the blood-red dusk when Kawarama was laid to rest. He, Hashirama, and Itama had sat on a stump in the Senju clan's territory, discussing how to carve out a new path to stop the endless slaughter between the ninja clans.
Tobirama remained silent, but Hashirama remembered how his older brother had once defied their father, determined to secure a way for himself and Itama to survive.
…
"Adults are all fools," Tobirama had said. "If we just suppress our emotions, sign a truce, and set strict rules, wouldn't that be enough?"
"But if we do that, won't the deaths of our fallen clan members have been in vain?"
"Saying that kind of thing will get you killed on the battlefield, too."
"Tobirama, Itama, I will protect both of you. I will end this war."
…
"It seems that even after establishing the ninja villages, all we've done is turn the wars between ninja clans into wars between ninja nations."
Madara had once said that his method was putting the cart before the horse. Perhaps he had predicted this very future.
As he watched the struggles of the younger generation, the God of Shinobi felt a sense of uncertainty deep inside.
Perhaps the voice that had spoken these words, so similar to his brother's—who had always been his spiritual and intellectual pillar—was what caused him to instinctively accept the theory being presented.
At that very moment...
Pinned to the ground, Naruto Uzumaki, hearing Pain's words, was reminded of the Pervy Sage.
It was soon after he had left Konoha and begun his training under the Pervy Sage.
…
"Even though I know the ninja world is full of hatred, I once seriously thought about how to break the chain of hatred between people."
"But to this day, I still haven't figured out how to solve this problem."
"But I believe that one day, an era of true mutual understanding will come!"
"Naru—Naruto, you are my disciple. If I never find the answer, then this burden must be passed on to you."
...
"Junior brother, fellow ninja, how dare you claim you can break this cycle of hatred? How can you boast that you can bring peace to the ninja world, without just continuing to breed more hatred?"
Naruto fell into deep thought. Although he had promised the Pervy Sage that if he couldn't find the answer, he would inherit it...
"I don't know. I don't know what to do either."
"Then listen to my solution," Pain said.
"For the sake of Jiraiya-sensei and Yahiko's unfinished work, I have reformed the Akatsuki."
Hearing Yahiko's name for the first time, Naruto's expression shifted when he learned from Katsuyu that Deva Path Pain was merely a corpse, and that the true Pain was Nagato of the Uzumaki Clan.
His gaze toward Pain became more complex.
He could imagine that Nagato...
Had likely lost what mattered most to him as well, which led him to follow this unyielding path.
Naruto, who had always been skilled at empathizing with others, didn't know. He didn't know how much more he could bear.
Just like Sasuke had once said, Naruto had started with nothing.
He had finally gained Team 7, but Sasuke had left, and now Kakashi-sensei...
The mentor-disciple bond he had finally experienced with the Pervy Sage—something that had felt like family—would never be seen again. He would never feel that proud gaze from the Pervy Sage when he wore the Hokage's hat and cloak...
Pain: "Only by gathering the power of all nine Tailed Beasts can we forge an ultimate weapon strong enough to destroy an entire nation in one strike. Let the world feel pain, let fear and agony halt war, and through this, the world can truly reach peace and stability."
Naruto: "How is that real peace? It's just forcing people to live in fear!"
Pain: "True, but there is no other way. When humanity forgets its pain, the Tailed Beast weapon will make the world feel it again. In this endless cycle of hatred, humanity will repeatedly find fleeting peace."
Hashirama Senju: "...."
"It's a solution," Tobirama Senju said. "He plans to be the villain himself. Whenever war threatens, he will become the world's enemy, uniting people once more."
"Tobirama..." Hashirama couldn't find the words. He had never been as eloquent as Tobirama. He felt that this approach was flawed, but he couldn't come up with a counterargument.
"But," Hashirama's voice shifted, "Even the Sage of Six Paths didn't possess eternal life. How can he ensure that after his death, the Tailed Beasts won't fall into the hands of villains, becoming weapons for them to fulfill their own desires?"
Young Obito, listening, felt a wave of depression.
'Madara' had once told him that Infinite Tsukuyomi was the true way to end hatred and bring happiness to everyone. Of course, that was clearly wrong.
But at this moment, Pain's approach to achieving peace was just as flawed.
So, what was the true path to peace?
Meanwhile—
The real Nagato, having repeatedly drawn upon godlike power, was now on the brink of collapse.
Peace was within reach, but his body could no longer hold out.
Crack—
"Ugh!"
Pfft—
"AAAH!!!"
Black chakra rods repeatedly pierced Naruto Uzumaki's body.
Muffled groans and agonized screams reached the ears of the surrounding Konoha ninja.
Those too weak to protect the village themselves, forcing a sixteen-year-old boy to bear the burden for them, turned their faces away, unable to watch any longer.
Of course, some could no longer hold back!
"Hokage-sama!!"
The voice came from Iruka Umino, who had arrived from another location.
Because he had been far away and Minato Namikaze had specifically instructed Katsuyu not to pass on the information, many Konoha ninja, like Iruka, still didn't know that the Fourth Hokage was Naruto's biological father.
Even Iruka, who had been specifically entrusted by the Third Hokage to be Naruto's teacher, only knew that the Fourth Hokage had sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto with the hope that the village would see him as a hero.
"Fourth Hokage-sama! Please save Naruto!!"
"Although I can't understand your reasoning, I know you must have carefully considered your decisions as Hokage... but..."
"That boy idolized you. You were his goal."
"Some things might be hard to say, but because of your choice, Naruto had a painful childhood. People didn't treat him like the hero you wanted him to be; instead, they isolated him and ostracized him. But because of you, he never gave up on his dream of becoming Hokage! Not for a single day!!"
Watching the boy who felt like a younger brother, even a son, to him, the now 27-year-old Iruka grew flustered and lost his train of thought, barely aware of his own words.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain to you as Hokage. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. But please reconsider! Save this child!! I know you have your reasons, but..."
Unlike Sakura Haruno, Iruka spoke with the tone of an adult.
He was more serious, more humble, more submissive.
"But I've always treated this child as..."
"As my own child."
"Shamefully, I call myself his father, but I'm weak—utterly weak. Even at my age, I'm still just a lowly Chūnin. I can't do anything against Pain..."
This Chūnin, who constantly doubted himself, would bend over for Naruto Uzumaki without hesitation—even kneel for him.