July 31st, Year 80 of Konoha.
The final day of the seventh month.
It was Kin'yōbi—Friday.
History would later record this as the day the Fifth Great Ninja War began.
A war that should never have happened.
A farce.
Future generations would come to call it Black Friday.
Because of former Hokage Uzumaki Naruto's misinterpretation of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, fifty thousand shinobi from the four great nations would lose their lives as though they were pieces in a meaningless game.
The hero of the Shinobi War, Naruto Uzumaki, would be nailed to the pillar of history's shame.
In this battle, Naruto would truly lose everything and become utterly alone.
And yet, this would also mark the beginning of his greatest transformation.
But that was a story for later.
…
With the advent of the Lightning Train, long-distance travel between nations no longer required shinobi to cross mountains and rivers on foot.
When the forces of Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure fully assembled, their numbers reached a staggering eighty thousand.
Because of the rushed circumstances, the Allied Shinobi Forces did not wear the standardized forehead protectors they had used during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Naruto did not care.
Headbands were only symbols.
Through years of effort by himself and the other Kage, the Five Great Villages had long since cast aside old grudges and united in spirit.
Naruto and the Kage stood atop a ridge, surveying the vast army below.
His heart was heavy with emotion.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, the Five Great Nations had gathered eighty thousand shinobi and lost half of them.
Over the fifteen years since then, the villages had recovered. New generations had replaced the fallen, and the number of chūnin and above had grown even larger than before.
If Konoha had not been devastated by Isshiki…
If its twenty thousand shinobi were standing here as well…
Then this would be a true army of one hundred thousand.
It was my indecision.
My hesitation.
I failed to recognize the ambition of Uchiha Jin and Isshiki sooner.
I failed to take decisive action.
And now everyone has lost their homes.
At that moment, Kurotsuchi's voice broke the silence.
"Naruto, aren't you going to ask Konoha to join the war?"
Naruto's back stiffened.
Seeing him fall silent, Gaara said softly, "Tsuchikage, even as a joke, that goes too far. You know what happened to Konoha."
Kurotsuchi crossed her arms.
"I do."
"It was nearly wiped out by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Only two thousand survivors remain."
"Kakashi is rebuilding from scratch."
She fixed Naruto with a sharp gaze.
"But if they still call themselves shinobi…"
"If they still honor the alliance treaty formed after the war…"
"Then they shouldn't be absent at a time like this."
Gaara had no response.
Setting aside personal sympathy, she was right.
Naruto sighed.
"Kurotsuchi, if you want to blame someone, blame me."
"Don't blame Konoha."
"I lost their trust completely."
"They won't listen to me anymore."
"It's my incompetence."
"My fault."
"I'll make up for Konoha's absence by fighting twice as hard myself."
"Will that satisfy you?"
Kurotsuchi snorted.
"How many lives do you think you have?"
"Twice as hard, huh?"
She waved a hand.
"Whatever. We're already here. It's not like I'm turning around now."
Naruto gave a bitter smile.
"Thank you."
He stepped forward, preparing to deliver his speech to the assembled army.
Beside him, Mei clenched her fist.
Naruto…
Once you take this step, there may be no turning back.
I can't bear to watch you destroy your future.
She took a breath.
"Naruto, there's something you should know."
"I've received confidential intelligence."
"Uchiha Jin is not currently in the Hidden Dark Village."
Naruto stopped and turned sharply.
"What?"
"How do you know that? Is the information reliable?"
Mei nodded.
"It is."
"Unlike Konoha, Kirigakure never fully disbanded its ANBU."
"I still maintain my own intelligence network."
"The report comes from my most trusted former subordinate."
"Blue of the Byakugan—Ao."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Ao?"
"Wasn't he killed when the Allied Headquarters was destroyed by the Ten-Tails?"
Mei decided to reveal everything.
If dirtying her own reputation could prevent this disaster, so be it.
"Yes. Ao survived."
"Not only that, I sent him undercover into Kara—Isshiki's organization."
"Two days ago, his mission ended and he returned."
"On his way back, he personally saw Uchiha Jin."
"He was searching for Isshiki, trying to eliminate him."
Naruto stood frozen.
Mei pressed on.
"Naruto, I stake my name on Ao's intelligence."
"Shouldn't you reconsider this war?"
"If Jin is not our enemy…"
"If he is out there risking his life to stop the true threat…"
"Then attacking his home in his absence would be a deeply shameful act."
Naruto's mind descended into chaos.
Why?
Why now?
Why didn't Jin step forward when Sasuke and I fought?
Why is he moving only now?
Does he really intend to face Isshiki alone?
That monster is on an entirely different level.
No matter how many absurd dōjutsu Jin possesses, the raw gap in power is overwhelming.
Inside Naruto's mind, Hagoromo's voice rang out.
"Naruto!"
"This is overwhelmingly favorable for us!"
Naruto blinked.
"What?"
Hagoromo's tone turned grave.
"I won't hide the truth any longer."
"Even after receiving all of my power, your chances of defeating both Kaguya and Jin alone are slim."
"I didn't say so before because I didn't want to crush morale."
"But now…"
"If we can deal with Kaguya and Jin separately, that is an ideal outcome."
Naruto hesitated.
"But what if…"
"What if Jin really is trying to help us eliminate Isshiki?"
"Isshiki has less than two days left to live."
"But if he decides to go on a rampage, no one can stop him."
"I've been afraid of that all along."
"What if we attack the Hidden Dark Village and Isshiki strikes us from behind?"
He swallowed hard.
"Since Jin is trying to deal with Isshiki…"
"And we already have the Allied Army assembled…"
"Wouldn't it make more sense to join forces with him first?"
"Maybe fighting together would reveal the truth about who he really is…"
Hagoromo exploded.
"Naruto!"
"What kind of childish nonsense are you saying!?"
"Uchiha Jin is the heavenly demon from Gamamaru's prophecy!"
"I already explained this!"
"He and Isshiki are natural rivals, both seeking to harvest this world's chakra!"
"Of course they would fight each other!"
Naruto faltered.
"I know, but…"
Faces began flashing through his mind.
The warm family photograph he had first seen in Jin's home in the Land of Lightning.
Jin.
His wives.
His children.
All the people connected to him.
"Six Paths Grandpa…"
"I'm wavering again."
"What if…"
"What if Jin really isn't the heavenly demon?"
"What if we've misunderstood him?"
"If we invade his village while he's trying to stop Isshiki…"
"Wouldn't that be…"
Hagoromo sighed inwardly.
Naruto had suffered too much in too short a time.
Conflicting voices, opinions, and emotions were all colliding in his mind.
Any new variable was enough to destabilize him.
At this point, the only way forward was for Naruto to stop thinking and trust his judgment.
A deep, resonant sound echoed through Naruto's consciousness.
"Om."
His mind gradually stilled.
"Has your heart settled now?"
Naruto whispered, "Six Paths Grandpa…"
Hagoromo spoke gently.
"From this moment on, stop thinking."
"Do not concern yourself with whether Uchiha Jin is the heavenly demon."
"Focus on one undeniable truth."
"My mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, is absolutely not benevolent."
"She cannot be redeemed."
"Opposing Kaguya is always the correct choice."
"If Jin is not the heavenly demon, then sealing Kaguya will at least wash away part of his sins."
"If Jin is the heavenly demon, then sealing Kaguya removes his accomplice."
Naruto closed his eyes.
"Thank you."
"I understand now."
"I won't waver anymore."
The conversation ended.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked calmly at Mei.
"I understand."
"Your intelligence is important."
"I will take it into consideration."
Disappointment flickered in Mei's eyes.
Naruto turned away.
He stepped to the edge of the ridge and looked down upon the seventy-eight thousand shinobi assembled below.
Though he had lost the trust of Konoha, to the other four nations he was still a legendary hero.
Naruto raised his arm and shouted:
"Follow me!"
"We march on the Hidden Dark Village!"
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