Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several sounds of breaking air rang out as the figures arrived.
Might Guy landed below the stands, carrying Gaara, who had been knocked unconscious and bound tightly like a cocoon.
Following closely behind were the panting Sasuke, Sakura, and the others.
"This is—"
When Guy looked up and saw the scene on the high platform, even a battle-hardened veteran like him felt his pupils tremble in shock.
Every Konoha shinobi who arrived afterward seemed as if they had been hit by a paralysis jutsu, their bodies frozen in place.
It was a scene straight out of hell.
Upon the high platform, corpses littered the ground.
Those nobles, once dressed in finery and perched high above, were now stacked on the stands like slaughtered livestock without a shred of dignity.
Small streams of blood converged, dripping rhythmically down the stone steps.
And at the very top of that pool of blood...
Danzo's mangled corpse lay at Naruto's feet like a dead dog.
The sunlight was blinding.
Naruto paid no mind to the horrified gazes surrounding him.
He was holding up a glass bottle, admiring the crimson Sharingan inside with great interest.
He was smiling.
But that gentle smile, set against the backdrop of a field of corpses, appeared bone-chilling.
Just then.
Buzz—
The purple barrier that had been enveloping the roof suddenly flickered twice without warning and then dissipated.
"The barrier is gone?"
The Anbu let out cries of surprise.
The moment the barrier vanished, an elderly figure leaped down from the roof like an enraged lion, landing heavily on the stands across from Naruto.
It was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He held his Adamantine Staff, his chest heaving violently.
Clearly, the battle with Orochimaru just now had drained a massive amount of his stamina.
But at this moment, he could no longer worry about Orochimaru.
His gaze swept over the area, looking at the dead high-ranking officials from various nations, before finally pinning his eyes on Danzo beneath Naruto's feet.
"Naruto—"
The Third's voice was trembling.
It was an expression of extreme anger, as well as profound heartache and disappointment.
"You—do you have any idea what you've done?"
"Executing the relatives of the Daimyo... killing a high-ranking official of Konoha... are you trying to doom the village to eternal damnation?!"
Facing the Hokage's roar and the gradually surrounding, murderous Anbu, Naruto showed no sign of panic.
He methodically placed the Sharingan into a spatial pocket.
He casually brushed his golden bangs—which were partially obscuring his vision—behind his head, revealing those terrifyingly calm azure eyes.
"Eternal damnation?"
Naruto gave a light chuckle and said slowly, "Are you not aware of what Danzo has done?"
"Betraying compatriots, assassinating allies, human experimentation, conspiring with foreign enemies, embezzling public funds—"
"Enough!" the Third Hokage interrupted sharply.
"He was the Root of Konoha... if the root rots, the tree will die."
Naruto remained unmoved by the Third's reasoning.
He pointed toward the pile of noble corpses, his eyes full of contempt.
"As for this group of people? Human trafficking, embezzling disaster relief funds, treating human lives like grass for their own amusement—"
"Tell me, Hokage-sama, what value do these pieces of trash have in living?"
As he spoke, Naruto flicked his wrist, tossing the previously prepared list and evidence at the Third's feet.
In black and white, these were ironclad proofs gathered by Orochimaru's intelligence network.
To a ninja, ordinary people were almost as transparent as blank paper.
Even for these high-ranking officials and nobles, very few could afford to hire high-level shinobi to protect them long-term.
The Third Hokage looked at the evidence on the ground and at Danzo's face, whose eyes remained open in death.
He opened his mouth but found himself speechless.
Even without looking at those documents, as the Hokage, he naturally knew what kind of character these people possessed.
In a world lacking oversight, the evils committed by those at the top were far more numerous than what Naruto provided in his evidence.
But under the existing order and rules, ninjas had to depend on them to survive.
This set of rules was the long-standing cornerstone of stability.
And Naruto had just shattered those rules with his own hands.
"Naruto! Even if Danzo was guilty, it was not your place to carry out a private execution!"
An Anbu squad leader directly under the Third roared, drawing the long sword from his back.
"Surrender immediately! Otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?"
Naruto tilted his head slightly, his gaze cold, looking at him as if looking at a dead man.
"Do it! Take him down!"
With that command, the surrounding Konoha ninja were about to swarm forward.
Might Guy also set Gaara down, preparing to take action with a solemn expression.
At this critical juncture.
"Hehehe... everyone, have you forgotten about me?"
A cold, raspy voice that made every shinobi present feel their skin crawl rang out abruptly.
Everyone snapped their heads up.
They saw Orochimaru, who had been in a death match with the Third, leisurely leaping down from the roof.
He landed gracefully behind Naruto.
The entire area went silent.
Orochimaru... standing behind Naruto?
And it was in a submissive, protective stance—
There was no need for more words to explain what that meant.
It was precisely because of this that they found it so hard to accept.
One of the Legendary Sannin would actually deign to serve under a Genin?
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Immediately after, several sounds of breaking air followed.
The Sound Four quickly landed around Naruto, assuming defensive positions.
From the shadows, Yakushi Kabuto also stepped out, pushing up his glasses with a slight smile on his lips.
His body was still stained with fresh blood, but he didn't care at all.
He walked straight to Naruto's side and bowed respectfully.
"Naruto-sama, all data has been recovered."
Other scattered remnants of the Otogakure forces also gathered there, surrounding Naruto like stars around the moon.
"Orochimaru... Kabuto... you all..."
The Third Hokage looked at them, only to feel a chill surge through him.
This wasn't some mere defection.
This was a long-premeditated coup d'état aimed at Konoha and the entire old order of the Ninja World.
The boy before him was no longer just a prank-playing troublemaker.
At some unknown point, he had become a terrifying chess master with his own subordinates, even capable of commanding one of the Sannin.
And they were clearly standing in opposition to him.
"Stop them!"
The Third let out a roar, his voice carrying a trace of fear he had never felt before.
"We must not let them out of the village! Otherwise, the Ninja World will never know peace!"
"Oh? Still want to fight?"
Looking at the Konoha forces about to surround them, Naruto did not take a combat stance.
He merely let out a helpless sigh and pulled a specially made signal flare from his robes.
"I wanted to leave with a bit of dignity."
"But since you're all being so hospitable... I'll give you a parting gift."
He pointed toward the Hokage Rock, the monument symbolizing Konoha's highest glory and history.
"Idols of the old era are such an eyesore."
"Disappear."
Whoosh!
He lightly raised his hand, and a streak of fire shot into the sky, exploding into a brilliant firework.
This was the signal to his Shadow Clones.
The next second.
BOOM—!!!
An earth-shattering explosion rocked Konoha for the second time today.
The terrifying sound waves instantly drowned out all noise, and the ground began to tremble once more.
Under everyone's terrified gazes, the rock face carved with the heads of the successive Hokage collapsed amidst continuous, sky-high flames.
The First, the Second, the Third, the Fourth—
The four massive stone heads shattered with a roar, and the rising dust obscured half the village.
"This... this..."
The Third Hokage's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to his knees.
This was undoubtedly the most complete trampling of Konoha's dignity.
"Don't be in such a hurry to despair, Third Grandpa."
Naruto turned around, looking at the dumbfounded crowd, and showed a 'kind' smile.
"This is just a small warning."
"I won't tell you that I've also placed explosive tags in the Ninja Academy, the hospital, the shelters, and the commercial streets."
"Now... does anyone still want to stop me?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Might Guy's fists clenched and loosened, loosened and clenched.
The Anbu were all frozen in place, not daring to move.
No one dared to gamble.
"A wise choice."
Naruto nodded with satisfaction.
He turned around, and Orochimaru and Kabuto immediately followed.
The group walked boldly toward the exit of the exam grounds under the watchful eyes of Konoha's elite shinobi.
As if entering an uninhabited land.
"Wait... wait! Naruto!"
A sob-filled cry broke the heavy atmosphere.
Sakura rushed into the crowd, spreading her arms and recklessly blocking Naruto's path.
She was trembling all over, her eyes full of incomprehensible sadness.
"Why... why go to this extent?"
"Aren't we comrades? Is there anything... that we can't just talk about properly?"
"I'm begging you, don't go... as long as you admit your mistake now, everyone will forgive you—"
Naruto stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the tearful, pitifully naive girl before him.
"There's no going back, Sakura."
"The rot in this village has reached the bone. I don't want to play house with you all anymore."
Naruto suddenly reached out with his hand, which was still stained with blood.
He held it in mid-air, his tone full of enticement.
"Although I have no need for this village, I still recognize your talent."
"Come with me, Sakura."
"Abandon this rotten village, abandon your identity as a Konoha shinobi, abandon your family and friends."
"If you are willing to dedicate everything to me, I can take you to the new world."
"Are you willing?"
Sakura was stunned.
For a moment, her heart beat violently.
She subconsciously raised her hand, wanting to touch that palm.
But as soon as her hand lifted slightly, it froze.
The faces of her parents flashed through her mind, along with her stable life and everything from her past.
Fear, hesitation, the shackles of morality—
Everything, like invisible chains, bound her hand.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"...As I thought."
Naruto gave a light chuckle and withdrew his hand without hesitation.
Without another look at her, he brushed past Sakura's side.
"You've already given your answer."
Naruto didn't look back at her.
Instead, he called out calmly toward the nearby ruins.
"Karin."
"Here!"
The red-haired girl, who had been hiding in the shadows and secretly following, responded instinctively upon hearing the call.
Naruto looked at her and asked calmly, "Are you willing to follow me?"
"Even if I am to be the enemy of the entire Ninja World from now on, living on a wanted list with no security."
There was no thinking.
Not even a tenth of a second of hesitation.
Karin lunged forward and, in front of everyone, grabbed Naruto's sleeve tightly.
"I am!"
"As long as I can be with Naruto-kun... even if it's hell, I'm willing."
To her, this world had already been hell for a long time.
And Naruto was her only salvation.
The corner of Naruto's mouth curled slightly.
"Do you see? This is the reason I no longer need my old comrades."
Sakura collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
This scene completely set off Sasuke nearby.
A strong sense of abandonment, betrayal, and a faint jealousy surging from the depths of his heart completely destroyed his rationality.
From Sasuke's perspective, he had finally found a rival, partners, and a master—
Everything was getting better, and even his thoughts of revenge had slightly weakened.
However, in this single instant, everything was shattered.
The person whose back he had always been chasing had not only personally destroyed all of this but also...
Even when choosing someone from another village, Naruto hadn't even asked him.
"Are you kidding me!!"
"Uzumaki Naruto!!!"
A roar full of anger and killing intent suddenly erupted from behind.
Chirp chirp chirp—!
The piercing sound of chirping birds instantly echoed through the area.
Sasuke violently broke free from Kakashi's restraint, his body wreathed in violent lightning as he launched a suicidal charge at Naruto.
"You bastard!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, the light of the lightning reflecting off his distorted face.
This was his fastest strike ever.
The lightning cut through the air, piercing toward Naruto's chest.
It carried all his resentment, anger, and the desire to prove himself.
However, in Naruto's eyes, it was too slow.
Naruto didn't even take his hands out of his pockets.
He just casually raised his leg and kicked Sasuke in the abdomen.
"Gah!"
Sasuke's eyes bulged, the Chidori in his hand instantly dissipated, and he flew backward like a ragdoll.
"Too weak. Simply too weak."
Sasuke lay on the ground, his hands clutching the dirt tightly.
Again! It's like this again!
Naruto walked slowly to Sasuke's side, looking down at his former teammate from above.
"You really don't know anything, Sasuke."
Naruto crouched down and leaned close to his ear, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Sasuke, the person you've always wanted to kill is Uchiha Itachi, right?"
"Use your brain and think about it. Do you really believe someone would kill their entire clan for no reason?"
Sasuke's body jolted, his pupils shrinking violently as he stopped struggling.
Before Sasuke could react, Naruto had already stood up and increased the distance between them again.
"Stay here in Konoha, Sasuke."
"Right now, you don't even have the value to be used by me."
With that, Naruto didn't linger any longer.
He turned around, leading Orochimaru, Kabuto, Karin, and the Otogakure shinobi.
They walked out of Konoha's gates in a grand manner.
Leaving behind a field of ruins.
And Uchiha Sasuke, kneeling on the ground, his expression shifting from anger to blankness, his eyes filled with confusion.
"What does he mean—"
"Could it be—"
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