Beneath the heavenly projection, the entire shinobi world erupted.
Uzumaki Naruto—
had truly fallen into darkness.
The boy who once shone like sunlight, shouting that he would become Hokage and earn everyone's acknowledgment, now stood cold and violent, raising his claws against the village's senior leadership without hesitation.
This was no mere defection.
This was a declaration of war.
Within the projection, the story continued.
Night lay heavy over the training grounds at the edge of the Hyūga Clan compound. Moonlight washed the earth in pale silver.
Neji stood alone, brows tightly drawn. The ruined battlefield from earlier that day—and the wounded shinobi's words—replayed endlessly in his mind.
He could not understand how Naruto's change had been so drastic. So absolute.
A faint disturbance in the air.
Neji reacted instantly. He slipped into the Gentle Fist stance and activated his Byakugan.
Then he saw who it was.
"Naruto?!"
Naruto stood silently on a nearby tree branch.
"Neji," he said softly, "I'm leaving Konoha."
Neji's pupils shrank.
"Leaving? Why? Naruto, you wanted to become Hokage! You and Sasuke just saved the village—this is your best chance! Why leave now? And what happened earlier? Why attack Danzō? Do you understand what that means? You'll be branded a missing-nin!"
The questions poured out, laced with urgency.
Naruto's blue eyes seemed deeper under the moonlight.
Instead of answering directly, he spoke words that nearly stopped Neji's heart.
"It wasn't just Danzō."
"I killed Hiruzen Sarutobi as well."
"What?!" Neji staggered back, face drained of color. "You… killed the Third Hokage? That's impossible! There's been no announcement! When? Why?!"
The shock was overwhelming.
To kill a Hokage—
an unforgivable crime.
Especially the Third Hokage, who symbolized an era of Konoha for so many.
A complicated emotion flickered across Naruto's face—pain, perhaps guilt—but he forced it down.
"Because Sakura…"
His voice lowered.
"They drove her to defect."
He did not explain further.
He did not mention the mysterious power Sakura had inherited.
He did not mention that, out of trust, he had once revealed certain information to Hiruzen—information that indirectly stirred Danzō's greed, setting off a chain of events that led to Sakura's parents' deaths and forced her to flee.
The guilt gnawed at him like poison.
For years, Sakura had been one of the most important people in his life—the only one who could stand beside Sasuke in that space within his heart.
Naruto saw it as his own failure.
And revenge was the only atonement he could imagine.
Neji studied his darkened expression. There was clearly more beneath the surface—something too painful to articulate.
"Naruto," Neji urged, "where did you get this information? Could there be some misunderstanding? We can investigate together! If you do this, you'll lose everything in Konoha!"
"Misunderstanding?" Naruto gave a faint, humorless smile. "Neji… we're the same."
"What's the difference between the fate of the Hyūga Branch House and mine as a 'Jinchūriki tool'?"
"We're both bound by predetermined rules. Used. Sacrificed."
He looked at Neji deeply.
"I thought you'd understand."
There was disappointment in that gaze—and distance.
"If you still want to fight and die for this Konoha… if you still believe in their ideals… then fine. I won't force you."
He turned to leave.
"Wait!" Neji vanished in a Body Flicker Technique, blocking his path. His voice, for once, carried a hint of pleading. "I can't let you go like this! Do you realize the consequences? And—Hinata… she cares about you!"
In desperation, he invoked Hinata's feelings.
Naruto paused.
He tilted his head slightly. Under the moonlight, the lines of his face looked sharper. Colder.
After a moment, he smiled faintly.
"You can't stop me, Neji."
His voice was calm—but absolute.
"As for what comes later… we'll see."
Before Neji could respond, Naruto's figure blurred—like foam dissolving into moonlight—and vanished.
Neji's outstretched hand grasped only cold air.
He clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles whitened. His body trembled with restrained emotion.
His Byakugan strained to its limits—
but Naruto was gone.
Should he pursue?
With Naruto's speed and resolve, the chances were slim.
And even if he caught up—
what then?
Drag him back to face charges of murdering a Hokage?
Slowly, Neji lowered his fist.
Some things, once broken, could never be restored.
Naruto had chosen a path with no return.
And Neji—
remained behind.
Time accelerated mercilessly.
Days turned to months. Months to years.
Neji led increasingly dangerous missions along the borders, maneuvering between rival factions. Quietly, he sought any trace of Naruto.
But Naruto had vanished completely—from Konoha, from every visible intelligence network.
Until one day—
The silence shattered.
Naruto reappeared.
But he was no longer Konoha's Uzumaki Naruto.
He commanded a legion of pale, humanoid creatures—beings resembling white clay.
They would later be known as White Zetsu.
Like a spreading plague, they swept across the shinobi world.
Their objective was merciless:
Hunt down all shinobi.
No distinction of allegiance. No concern for morality.
Rogue ninja wandering in exile.
Elite Jōnin cultivated by the Five Great Nations.
Even former comrades from Konoha.
If they possessed chakra—
they were targets.
Bloody rumors spread like a winter frost, freezing the entire shinobi world in dread.
Within Konoha, Naruto's strength had long been understood.
But for other villages—especially Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, who had not witnessed firsthand the devastation of Pain's assault—the cost was catastrophic.
Only after losing numerous Jōnin, even advisers and commanders, did they begin to comprehend what Uzumaki Naruto truly represented—
not a rogue ninja.
But a calamity.
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