Flames shot into the sky. This was the Uchiha district, and it was hell on earth.
Sasuke stood in the middle of the street, gripping the custom kunai, his palms slick with sweat.
The System's voice exploded in his ear.
[Mission Objective: Survive for 10 minutes.]
[Current Status: Stat Boost (Genin Peak).]
Just ten minutes. If he could survive that long, the footage would broadcast.
"Where are we?"
Naruto looked around at the burning houses and the bodies on the ground, his brain failing to process the horror.
"Idiot! Snap out of it!"
Sasuke screamed.
A kunai whizzed past Naruto's cheek, shearing off a few strands of blonde hair.
Three shadows leaped from the darkness. Ninjas in animal masks. Root agents.
"Kill them."
The squad leader gave the order.
No monologue. No hesitation. Three swords were drawn instantly.
Sasuke's body reacted faster than his brain.
The System's physical buff let him keep up with their speed.
He wove signs: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive sphere of fire rolled forward, the intense heat forcing the attackers back.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Naruto's eyes went wide.
He'd never seen a fireball that big.
Sasuke, you jerk, were you holding back in class this whole time?
"Don't stare! Behind you!"
Sasuke landed, gasping for air.
The Fireball Jutsu drained a chunk of his chakra.
Naruto spun around just as a Root ninja flanked him.
A sword was raised high, aiming straight for Naruto's neck.
"This won't do. If the actors die, the show's over."
"Let's give the kid a power-up. Temporary Skill Card, load!"
[DING! Host faces lethal threat.]
[Temporary Skill Granted: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu (Trial Version).]
[Taking over Chakra Circuit...]
A strange memory flooded Naruto's mind. His body moved on its own.
His fingers blurred, forming a seal he had never used before: Tora! (Tiger cross seal).
"What is this... whatever!"
Naruto shouted on instinct:
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Smoke exploded everywhere. Dozens of Narutos filled the street.
"Get 'em! Nobody messes with the Great Naruto!"
The army of clones swarmed the enemy, trying to bury them in numbers.
The Root ninja didn't even blink. He slashed methodically, popping clones like balloons. Pop. Pop. Pop.
The skill gap was massive.
Even with the System buffing their stats to Genin level, against these cold-blooded killers, they were as helpless as babies.
"Real body on the left."
The agent spotted the original instantly.
He kicked out.
Naruto felt like he got hit by a wrecking ball. He flew backward and crashed hard.
"Cough..."
Naruto clutched his stomach, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Isn't this a game? Why does it hurt so much?
"Naruto!"
Sasuke tried to help, but two other Root ninjas blocked his path.
Sasuke dodged frantically, gaining new cuts and bruises with every second.
This is the truth of the massacre? This is what Itachi faced that night?
How did Itachi protect me while killing everyone else?
No! Itachi didn't protect me. He's one of them!
Sasuke gritted his teeth, anger overriding fear.
"Lightning Style..."
He tried to use a jutsu he was still developing, but it was too late.
A Root ninja flickered behind him and drove a kunai into his shoulder.
"Argh!"
Sasuke screamed, dropping his weapon.
"It's over."
The ninja raised his sword for the kill.
"Halt."
An old voice commanded from above. The blade stopped inches from Sasuke's neck.
Sasuke clutched his bleeding shoulder and looked up.
Standing on top of a utility pole was a man with half his face bandaged, leaning on a cane.
Danzo Shimura.
Seeing his nemesis, Sasuke's eyes turned red instantly.
This is him. The man who stole Shisui's eye. The man who forced Itachi to murder our parents.
"DANZO!!!"
Sasuke screamed, trying to lunge at him.
The wound on his shoulder tore open, and the pain forced him back to his knees.
Danzo looked down at the two children like they were insects.
"Uchiha scum," Danzo said flatly. "And..."
His gaze shifted to Naruto, huddled by the wall.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Naruto wiped the blood from his mouth and used the wall to stand up.
This is the bad guy Sasuke was talking about?
"Why do you want to kill us?" Naruto yelled. "What did we do wrong?"
Danzo didn't answer.
He pulled a glass jar from his robe. Inside floated an eye.
"Give that eye back!" Sasuke went berserk, throwing every shuriken he had.
Danzo's guards deflected them effortlessly.
"Foolish."
Danzo pocketed the jar.
"Since you're both here, it saves me time."
He made a cutting motion across his throat.
"Dispose of them all."
The Root ninja hesitated. "Lord Danzo, that is the Jinchuriki. The Third Hokage will..."
"I will handle Hiruzen," Danzo said coldly.
"We will report that Uchiha rebels killed him. To neutralize the threat of another Nine-Tails incident, sacrifices must be made."
"Dead men tell no tales."
Naruto froze. A chill shot up his spine.
Sacrifices? Dispose of?
He always thought it was just the villagers who hated him, just the dumb kids who bullied him.
Grandpa Hiruzen always said if he worked hard, people would acknowledge him.
It was all a lie.
To this old man, his life was like a weed on the roadside. easy to cut down.
"I'm a citizen of the Leaf too..."
Tears welled up in Naruto's eyes. Despite his brave front, he was just a kid.
"Why kill me? I tried so hard to fit in!"
"You're the target. Do it."
Danzo lost patience.
Paper bombs drifted down from above, landing right at Naruto's feet.
"Run! Idiot!"
Even though Sasuke called him a loser, when death came knocking, the Uchiha body moved faster than the brain.
Sasuke tackled Naruto out of the way just as the explosion swallowed the street.
Naruto tumbled across the ground, covered in dust.
"Sasuke?"
The smoke cleared. Sasuke was lying in a pool of blood.
His back was a charred mess.
"Cough..."
Sasuke coughed up blood.
He opened his eyes, barely focusing on the unscathed Naruto.
"You... total loser..."
Sasuke's voice was fading.
"Stop spacing out... run..."
Naruto crawled over.
This guy... who always called him a moron, who looked down on him... just took a bomb for him.
Why?
The leaders want to kill us. The village wants to kill us.
Why save me?
"Sasuke..." Tears dripped onto Sasuke's face.
Sasuke couldn't hear him anymore. He passed out from blood loss.
Danzo watched from his perch, unmoved.
"Still alive? Uchiha vitality is impressive."
Wind chakra gathered around Danzo.
Vacuum blast. He was going to finish the job.
In that moment, Naruto's brain broke.
Hokage? Acknowledgement? The Leaf?
Screw it all!
They want to kill me! They want to kill Sasuke!
Then I'll kill all of you!
Deep inside the seal, behind the massive iron gates, a pair of slit red pupils snapped open.
They were filled with hate and mockery. The Nine-Tails wasn't interested in friendship yet, but it loved chaos.
"Hey, brat."
"Angry?"
"Desperate?"
"Want power?"
The Fox's voice echoed in Naruto's skull.
"Then tear this seal open a little bit."
Outside, Naruto lowered his head. His body began to shake.
Red chakra bubbled out of his navel.
The ground cracked. Pebbles floated into the air.
Naruto's blue eyes morphed into savage, vertical slits.
"I'll... kill... you..."
A guttural growl tore from his throat.
Red chakra exploded into the sky, forming the spectral shape of a giant fox head that roared at the heavens.
Terror washed over the area. The Root ninjas stepped back in fear.
" The Nine-Tails is rampaging?!"
"If we keep fighting, we're dead! Retreat!"
Even Danzo's expression changed. This level of chakra was beyond his control.
Back at the Mirage Dojo console, Roy watched the numbers spike.
[WARNING: Dungeon Energy Overload.]
[Nine-Tails Chakra Leaking.]
[Emotional Resonance Critical.]
"Perfect timing. This is it."
Roy had been waiting for this moment. Sasuke's near-death experience. Naruto's rage mode.
Extreme emotion was the key to tearing the veil between reality and simulation.
He slammed his hand on the button.
"If we're gonna do it, let's do it right. Let's go global. Let everyone see the 'Leaf' you're protecting!"
[System Announcement: Special Mechanism Triggered—SKY PROJECTION!]
[Coverage: Entire Hidden Leaf Village!]
[Signal Source: Dungeon Core Feed.]
[Status: Forced Broadcast.]
Hidden Leaf Village. Dinner time. The streets were lit up.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi was draining noodles.
In the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was picking up a dango.
At the Hyuga compound, Hiashi was drilling Hinata on Gentle Fist.
Suddenly, everyone stopped.
A massive screen of light ignited the night sky.
It stretched across the Hokage Rock, blocking out half the stars.
The resolution was terrifyingly high—you could see the sparks flying in the air.
"What is that? A mirage? Is this a prank?"
"Is that the Uchiha district?!"
Villagers pointed and whispered.
Hiruzen's dango fell onto the table.
A sense of dread washed over him.
The screen showed burning streets, a child lying in blood, and a rampaging Jinchuriki.
And standing above it all, a familiar figure.
The camera zoomed in. A close-up of that old face.
Danzo Shimura.
Magnified a thousand times, looming over twenty thousand villagers.
The System amplified the audio, blasting it across the village like thunder.
It was exactly what Danzo had just said in the dungeon.
Word for word.
"Hiruzen has already given his tacit approval. For the peace of the Leaf, the Uchiha clan must be wiped out tonight! Do not spare even the infants!"
The village went into an uproar.
The Hokage approved it? Wipe them out? Kill the babies?
This is what our leaders talk like? The guys preaching the 'Will of Fire'?
Before the villagers could process that bombshell, the next line dropped.
On the screen, Danzo pointed at Naruto.
"Even if he is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, if he gets in the way, dispose of him too!"
"Just blame it on the Uchiha rebels."
The entire Hidden Leaf Village seemed to hit pause.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi turned pale as a sheet. His pipe slipped from his mouth and shattered on the floor.
The curtain was ripped down.
The Leaf Village just exploded.