Uzumaki Naruto: "This is so strange… why can't I remember what they looked like, no matter how hard I try?"
Uzumaki Naruto: "I was clearly looking very carefully. Really carefully."
After Naruto's message appeared in the chat—
An oddly eerie scene unfolded on Konoha's side.
Huu—
It was the sound of people exhaling in genuine relief,
as if they had just survived a catastrophe.
Orochimaru blinked.
He glanced sideways at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was sitting not far away.
Snake-san could clearly feel it—
this self-proclaimed "strongest Hokage" of a teacher had actually relaxed.
How could that be allowed?!
Orochimaru smiled.
A very, very bad smile.
As a qualified disciple, how could she possibly let Hiruzen-sensei breathe easy?
Almost on cue—
"Orochimaru, what are you planning to do?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked like a startled bird.
A terrible premonition rose in his heart.
Orochimaru lifted the corner of her mouth.
"Hiruzen-sensei."
"I originally thought I wouldn't be able to give you my gift."
"But now… it seems like I still can."
Hiruzen frowned deeply.
He didn't understand what Orochimaru meant by "gift,"
nor could he guess.
But instinct told him—
Whatever this so-called gift was,
after this comparison viewing, it would be absolutely fatal.
"Oh? Hiruzen-sensei, are you already starting to look forward to it?"
Hiruzen's face instantly darkened.
At that moment—
He regretted it.
Yes.
Danzō had always said Hiruzen would regret things one day.
Now—
he truly regretted it.
He regretted not killing Orochimaru with his own hands back then.
Only now did he fully come back to his senses.
What the comparison system would eventually bring, he didn't know.
Even if it filled him with dread—that was a problem for later.
Right now, the most urgent danger—
Was the rebellious disciple sitting right beside him.
That danger wasn't distant or unknown.
It was right in front of him.
If not for the sudden appearance of the comparison system,
Orochimaru would probably already be attacking him.
Of course—
that was what he told himself.
But one sentence from Orochimaru made his fear surface again.
Orochimaru:
"Second Lord Hokage, I've perfected your Edo Tensei technique."
"And I've also collected the DNA of both you and the First Hokage."
"The sacrifices are already prepared—for when chakra use is restored."
"Oh, right—the sacrifices were provided by Danzō."
"As for my Konoha Crush plan—without his help, I wouldn't have been able to stroll in this openly."
???
Danzō froze.
Orochimaru—
you sold me out?!
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "!!!"
"Danzō!"
In Iwagakure, the old fox Ōnoki helplessly brushed his granddaughter's hand away as she tugged on his beard.
"Stop messing around."
Then, hearing Orochimaru's words, his eyes lit up.
'Konoha Crush Plan?'
Ōnoki: "Orochimaru—go on, go on! Tell us more!"
Fourth Raikage: "Orochimaru, please elaborate. I'll gather my army right now—we'll definitely lend you a hand!"
The two spoke almost simultaneously.
Damn brat!
Damn old man!
Each cursed the other in their hearts.
Senju Tobirama: "..."
Uchiha Izuna: "Hahahaha~ nothing to say now, huh? Shameless trash—taught an even more shameless disciple! Bah!"
In the Pure Land, Tobirama grabbed his own hair in near hysteria.
"This can't go on. If it does, I'll be remembered in infamy!"
"Damn Izuna! A defeated foe dares bark at me?!"
On the other side, Kushina was also going mad.
Because her speech was too intense, she'd been muted again—ten minutes this time.
She wanted to be revived,
yet she couldn't even speak.
How was she supposed to endure that?
Senju Tobirama:
"Fine! Orochimaru—once you can use chakra, immediately Edo Tensei me!"
"I'll personally kill that so-called 'Darkness of Konoha'!"
Shimura Danzō:
"Tobirama-sensei, please don't believe a word spoken by a traitor!"
"This is pure slander! Orochimaru is Hiruzen's own disciple!"
Senju Hashirama:
"Alright, let's put this aside for now."
"I'm more curious about what's going on with Black-Frame Naruto."
The black-framed screen continued.
[Little Naruto stared so hard it was as if his eyes would pop out.]
[Ignoring the dizziness, he fixed his gaze on the crowd.]
[Egg yolk mixed with blood flowed into his eyes.]
[The stinging pain instantly triggered his tear ducts, and tears poured out.]
[Buzz—]
[A chilling, terrifying chakra suddenly appeared.]
[Naruto froze. He felt as though his entire head had suddenly become much lighter.]
[But the sensation vanished almost instantly.]
[Externally, nothing obvious changed.]
[The chakra appeared too fast and disappeared too quickly.]
[And with Naruto lowering his head to protect it, no one noticed—]
[That his azure blue eyes briefly turned an eerie crimson.]
[That moment of mental clarity left him dazed.]
['Could it be because…?']
['That's it—ninjas… ninjas use jutsu. They can do amazing things—like breathing fire.']
['There's also another kind… right, the kind that creates illusions—genjutsu?']
['This must be related to some kind of jutsu!']
['Who did this?!']
['The shinobi who brought me out?']
['Damn it… I can't remember what he looked like anymore!']
[That chilling chakra gave Naruto just a brief moment to breathe.]
[At this point, his pain wasn't physical—it was mental.]
[The villagers' near-tangible malice confused and hurt him.]
[At the same time, anger and resentment surged.]
[Yet the unknown emotion kept interfering with him.]
[That was what broke him the most.]
"This…" Naruto froze.
"So that's how it was?"
"I don't remember any of this at all."
"Do you remember what the Sarutobi-clan shinobi who sent you back looked like?" Neji suddenly asked.
Naruto answered instinctively, "I don't."
"Naruto, I can be certain now—there's a force inside you influencing you."
"…aamaybe even more than one."
"So that's it… Jinchūriki."
"The reason you beat me earlier was because you relied on the tailed beast inside you, wasn't it?"
Neji took a deep breath.
The scattered pieces in his mind finally came together.
"Uh… yeah. I borrowed chakra from that big fox," Naruto scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
After all—
being caught 'cheating' by your opponent was awkward.
Even with thick skin, it depended on who caught you.
"Hmph. Foolish brat. That wasn't this fox's chakra."
"My chakra isn't that kind."
Suddenly, the Nine-Tails' voice echoed in Naruto's mind.
"The chakra that made Black-Frame Naruto feel comfortable—that included my chakra."
"Heh. I'm suddenly a little jealous of the me in that world."
"That Naruto will definitely fall in love with my power."
"Unlike you—stupid and overflowing with pointless sympathy, constantly refreshing my understanding of foolishness."
The big fox…
Naruto went blank for a moment.
So that's how it was?
The chat messages echoed the Nine-Tails' words.
Noticing Naruto's state was off, Neji—who had recovered a bit—stood up and patted his shoulder.
"You're both Naruto."
"You started at the same place."
"If he can do it—so can you."
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