The major Ninja Clans watched on.
Keeping a vigilant eye on the surroundings of their clan compounds.
At the same time, their gazes gradually shifted from the Anbu and the Root Organization to the Sarutobi Clan.
Each and every one of them was inwardly shocked.
After the shock came an endless silence.
Danzo ultimately endured it.
He chose not to expose himself.
Since the base entrance had just been destroyed, naturally, not many Root Organization Ninjas had followed him up.
In the end, they naturally couldn't withstand the combined forces of the Anbu and the Konoha Military Police Force.
While being forced back into the underground base, the newly opened entrance was blocked once again.
The tense, sword-drawn atmosphere finally eased slightly.
But everyone knew that this matter would absolutely not end here.
Afterward, at Hiruzen Sarutobi's command, a large number of Konoha Military Police Force members stood guard there.
Killing every single one that came out.
This killing spree continued directly until dawn.
The Will of Fire, which was usually boasted about so extravagantly, had once again conveniently vanished.
Perhaps because too many members had died, Danzo's Root Organization finally quieted down.
The matter would absolutely not end like this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had a splitting headache.
Since the Land of Waves incident, he hadn't had a single good night's sleep.
He was finally nearing his limit.
Just as he was about to grit his teeth and go all the way, "cutting off his own arm" by directly using the Sarutobi Clan's power to completely wipe out the Root Organization to avoid affecting future plans...
Danzo suddenly backed down.
Clearly, Danzo had also calmed down.
However, Danzo couldn't stand Hiruzen Sarutobi anymore, and Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't stand him either.
After some deep consideration, he secretly made up his mind.
Once the high-priority Joint Chunin Exams concluded and the plans were finalized, he would immediately deal with the Root Organization.
He would not give Danzo another chance.
Even if it meant paying a significant price, Hiruzen Sarutobi was determined to do it.
the darkness of konoha, this double-edged sword, had already turned against him; if he couldn't change its direction, he would simply destroy it.
Even if it meant exposing the Sarutobi Clan, which had been secretly bleeding Konoha dry for years, he would not hesitate.
As for the attitude of those Ninja Clans, he could no longer care.
At worst, he would just reveal Naruto, his trump card as a Perfect Jinchuriki.
However, what exceeded Hiruzen Sarutobi's expectations was...
The Ninja Clans' attitudes were temporarily unclear, but those civilian ninjas... the ones not controlled by the Will of Fire, surprisingly showed no reaction, and many representatives even stepped forward to support him.
In normal times, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have noticed something was amiss.
After all, when things are unusual, there must be something fishy.
But right now, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind and body had been tormented enough by "soft knives"; seeing the situation tilt entirely in his favor, he accepted it without a second thought.
Meanwhile, the mastermind behind all this was soundly asleep, holding a beautiful woman in his arms.
Senju Tobirama: "Hmm... well done~!"
Senju Hashirama: "Hahaha~"
Senju Hashirama: "This kid is really interesting~!"
Looking at this point in time.
The hearts of those in Sunagakure skipped a beat.
The Joint Chunin Exams... were almost here.
This time, with Black-Framed Naruto around... what will the ending be?
Temari didn't know what others were thinking.
But Temari knew... there was a high probability she wouldn't be making it out of Konoha.
The next day, after Naruto received the reports from his 'leeks', his face was full of strange expressions.
Inside the Sealing Space, the Great Fox was laughing without any regard for his image.
He still hadn't brought himself to take off the wooden Karasu Tengu armor he was wearing.
He was clutching the Wood Release ninja blade even tighter.
Clearly, this fox had spent the whole night dreaming of being a swordsman fox.
Especially before bed last night, Naruto had demonstrated a swordsmanship technique infused with Fire Release Chakra for him.
It was incredibly flashy and explosive.
With one slash, there were sparks and lightning.
If the Wood Release ninja blade was blocked, it would immediately erupt into a massive Fire Release, making it impossible to defend against.
"I didn't expect to succeed by a stroke of luck."
Naruto shook his head and smiled.
Then, he had the Great Fox use the New Shinobi Sect to inform his friends of a gathering at noon.
"It's about time."
"They are all waiting for me to take a stand... fine, then I'll just go with the flow."
Hearing this, the Great Fox was stunned for a moment.
"You're going to show your hand?" the Great Fox asked.
"Yeah, the time is about right."
"Besides, it's time for them to make a real choice."
Human hearts are naturally biased; it's normal to have favorites.
After all, they had invested in him very early on.
It's only natural for there to be some special treatment.
As long as these Ninja Clans don't interfere with future development, Naruto naturally won't bother with them.
"Alright, let's clean up; I still need to go buy groceries early."
Naruto stood up with a smile, ending the topic for now.
The Great Fox silently took out a notebook.
"Wait, let this fox see~"
Foxes have hobbies too.
See, after watching Naruto cook so much, she had developed an interest as well.
Especially after witnessing Wife Izumi's cooking skills, the fox's confidence had skyrocketed.
She was reciting the recipe, telling Naruto what he needed to buy.
Suddenly, the Great Fox noticed something was wrong.
After sensing, oh boy, Yūgao was back, standing at the door with a look in her eyes... as if she wanted to devour Naruto.
And then... then there was no then.
The last scene was Yūgao pouncing over.
Immediately after, Naruto unilaterally blocked his own perception.
Great Fox: "..."
Lunchtime.
The Konoha 12 gathered together.
It was as lively as ever.
However, unlike before...
...most of the conversation was about what happened last night.
Shikamaru was much quieter today.
He glanced at Naruto from time to time.
Even he, who usually found everything troublesome, took over Choji's job as an assistant and went into the kitchen.
"Naruto... about last night?"
"Yeah, I did it," Naruto replied without looking back; there was no longer any need to hide it.
Shikamaru was completely stunned.
"Really?" Shikamaru couldn't help but ask again.
"Yes."
Shikamaru's face was full of shock.
Followed by a long silence.
It wasn't because of anything in particular.
He had already guessed many things.
But... last night's situation was completely different!
Even when he left the house today, his dad had specifically told him to confirm things clearly.
Confirm what?
Wood Release!
Shikamaru gave Naruto a deep look, then lowered his head and continued working.
"Since when?"
"Recently. Does Ino–Shika–Chō have any collected Wood Release Ninjutsu scrolls?" Naruto turned around, looking at him with a half-smile.
Shikamaru opened his mouth but eventually shook his head.
"Probably not."
"If there were, my dad probably would have given them to me before I left."
At that moment, the living room suddenly went quiet.
A moment later, Inuzuka Kiba looked at Sakura with a face full of disbelief.
"Are you serious?!"
"Naruto... Naruto is really the son of the Fourth Hokage, the hero who died protecting Konoha?!"
Kiba's question also represented the questions and shock of the others.
"Of course!" Sakura nodded very seriously.
Her heart felt sweet.
This topic was one she had deliberately steered them toward, as Naruto had instructed her before they arrived.
Even those who had already guessed were still inwardly shocked by this.
Kurenai Yuhi and the other two women didn't have much of a reaction.
But soon, their curiosity was piqued as well.
Seeing that the time was about right, Naruto and Shikamaru walked out together.
To the side, Shino, with his hands in his pockets, who usually spoke very little, suddenly looked at Naruto and said:
"As far as I know, the Fourth Hokage's wife was the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Jinchuriki?!
Everyone frowned slightly; this was somewhat unfamiliar to them.
Shino even obligingly provided an explanation.
In an instant, everyone's gaze toward Naruto changed slightly.
They had figured out something that had puzzled them for years, but immediately after, a new doubt arose.
"Naruto... since your parents were... then why did they make you the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"