Naruto found it difficult to accept everything happening before him.
To him, it was simply too cruel.
In truth, for anyone, it would have been cruel. His emotions churned violently, a chaotic mix of confusion, anger, and bitterness. He had never imagined things would turn out like this. The admiration he once held for the Fourth Hokage had, in this moment, completely transformed into resentment.
He could not understand—why would his own father, a Hokage no less, seal the Nine-Tails inside him?
Was that something a father should do?
Did he have any idea what kind of life that decision would force upon him?
That feeling… no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much effort he put in, he would always be rejected—simply because of the Nine-Tails sealed within him. Did he ever understand that?
"...It actually worked."
Tsunade stared at Minato in disbelief. The Reaper Death Seal, a technique that dragged even the caster's soul into eternal imprisonment, had truly been undone. And Ren had done it so effortlessly that it felt unreal.
Yet when her gaze shifted toward Naruto and Minato, her expression subtly changed. Compared to the miracle of breaking the seal, the situation between those two was far more troublesome.
Naruto's past she didn't fully know, but she understood enough about Jinchūriki—from Kushina, from her own experiences—to realize what that kind of childhood must have been like.
This… would not be easy to resolve.
"Naruto…" Minato looked at the silent boy, countless thoughts swirling in his mind, yet in the end, all he could manage was a single sentence. "You've grown."
Naruto let out a stiff response, his voice lacking any real emotion. In truth, he wanted to run. He couldn't handle this.
Ren, standing nearby, sighed inwardly. One of them was filled with joy but burdened by hesitation, the other longed for something yet couldn't let go of the past. Situations like this were never simple.
Still, since he had chosen to revive Minato, he naturally had a plan.
"Alright, enough with those expressions," Ren said lightly, patting Naruto's shoulder. "Some things need time to talk through, but we don't have that luxury right now." He turned his gaze toward Minato. "Fourth Hokage, apologies for summoning you only to immediately assign you a mission. We're short on time."
"A mission?" Minato scratched his head, but surprisingly, his expression brightened slightly. "Together with Naruto?"
That thought alone stirred something within him. Without hesitation, he nodded. "Then let's talk on the way. What's the mission?"
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then nodded as well. "Yeah… let's go."
"No rush," Ren replied calmly. "Actually, we've already waited this long." He casually gestured toward Asuma. "Look at him—still calm."
Asuma nearly choked on that. Calm? He had been barely holding himself back from rushing out. Being singled out like that only made things awkward.
Kakashi stepped in at that moment, voice steady. "Assistant Hokage, do you have another method?"
Ren nodded. Without another word, he raised his hand.
A strange chakra spread through the room, and in an instant, everyone's consciousness was pulled away. The surroundings darkened, and the next moment, the world shifted entirely.
A cave appeared before them, illuminated by flickering light. A masked man stood there, clad in black robes, a crying infant held in his hand.
Kakashi's pupils shrank instantly—he recognized that figure.
Naruto, meanwhile, stared at the infant, and an inexplicable feeling surged within him. That child… was himself.
"This is…" even Minato froze for a moment.
Ren's voice echoed calmly around them. "Apologies, Fourth Hokage. I extracted your final memories. Since you don't have time to explain everything, this is the fastest way for Naruto to understand what truly happened that night."
—
Elsewhere, the battle between Sasuke and Itachi had reached a new level.
Sasuke's eyes were changing.
Power surged within him, his perception sharpening to an almost frightening degree.
"Something's wrong…" Itachi frowned slightly. "His eyes… they're evolving?"
"Looks like you've learned quite a bit in Konoha," Itachi said evenly.
Sasuke's voice was cold. "To kill you… it's enough."
Lightning crackled violently along his blade. His vision had never been clearer—movements, intent, openings—everything lay exposed before him.
The ground exploded as his attack tore forward, forcing Itachi to evade narrowly.
Even Itachi couldn't hide his surprise. Sasuke had predicted his movement.
Without hesitation, Itachi formed seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
But Sasuke had already moved.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame!"
Three blazing dragons surged forward, cutting off every escape route. Itachi struck at a weak point, but at that exact moment, Sasuke had already closed the distance.
"Lightning Style: Chidori!"
The attack shot straight toward his chest.
Itachi's expression shifted. Sasuke's perception had reached a terrifying level. But he was not without options.
A crimson skeletal armor erupted around him—Susanoo.
The Chidori was blocked.
At the same time, Itachi grabbed Sasuke's wrist. "You've gotten faster."
"You've gotten slower."
Their eyes met—and then Itachi's Mangekyō spun to its limit.
The world shattered.
Tsukuyomi.
Sasuke found himself bound, nailed upon a cross.
"I knew it," he muttered.
Itachi's voice echoed from all directions, cold and distant. "You're not ready."
But Sasuke remained calm.
"You're wrong."
Then, with a voice filled with suppressed fury, he spoke.
"You don't understand anything."
He revealed the truth—about Madara, about Izuna, about sacrifice.
"You killed everything… for a lie."
His voice turned icy.
"I despise you."
His eyes spun faster—faster—until, at last, they changed.
A new pattern formed.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I told you," Sasuke said as he opened his eyes, the world trembling under his gaze. "Today… you die."
The illusion shattered.
Reality returned.
Sasuke's blade slashed forward, forcing Itachi to retreat. Blood spilled from Itachi's face as his vision blurred and his body trembled.
"So… this is how it ends," he murmured inwardly.
Yet when he looked at Sasuke, a strange feeling surfaced. This outcome… perhaps wasn't so bad.
But then he noticed something.
Observers.
Uchiha.
"They came…"
Understanding dawned instantly.
"Then… I'll make it real."
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames erupted violently—but to Itachi's surprise, Sasuke's eyes shifted, and the flames halted… controlled.
Even Sasuke himself was momentarily stunned, but he did not hesitate. Purple chakra surged around him, forming the ribcage of his own Susanoo.
Their blades collided with a resounding clang, their Susanoo forms growing larger and more complete.
Then—
The battlefield exploded.
Two colossal Susanoo, towering over fifty meters, clashed violently. Mountains shattered, forests collapsed, the earth split open under their power.
Even the observing Uchiha were stunned.
"He awakened it…"
Shisui exhaled slowly, then raised his hand. "Prepare. We're going in."
Inside the battlefield, Itachi was already at his limit. Blood poured from his mouth, his vision fading, his body on the verge of collapse.
Sasuke stepped forward, his towering Susanoo pressing down with overwhelming force. "You don't deserve those eyes. Die."
The blade descended—
But a surge of green chakra intercepted it.
Sasuke froze. "Shisui…?"
Itachi's eyes widened.
Shisui… alive?
Behind him, more Uchiha emerged, their Sharingan burning with hatred. Among them—Izumi.
"Impossible…"
Everything Itachi believed collapsed in that instant.
Shisui looked at him, his gaze cold and devoid of warmth.
"You don't deserve the name Uchiha."
Each word struck like a blade.
"You betrayed everything. If not for Ren, we would all be dead. You destroyed everything and dragged everyone into hell."
His voice hardened.
"So today… you die."
Itachi stood there in silence.
Was he wrong?
Had everything… been a mistake?
At that moment, a bitter realization surfaced in his heart.
He and Obito…
Were no different.
Just—
Clowns.
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