The moment the image appeared on the black-bordered screen, the entire arena seemed to go tense at once.
Everyone from Konoha's upper ranks felt it instinctively. Something was wrong. Very wrong. If the earlier footage had only hinted at the truth, then what came next looked ready to strip everything bare and drag every filthy secret out into the light.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a thread of cold sweat slide down his temple. Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed instead, lit with naked delight.
Things were getting more interesting by the second.
Deep underground, inside Root's hidden base, Danzo's expression flickered between light and shadow. The words he had casually thrown out earlier now came back to haunt him, and for a brief, absurd instant, even his nose seemed to burn with embarrassment.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a look. In each other's eyes, they saw the same thing: panic.
Inside an unnamed tavern on Tanzaku Street, Tsunade slammed her bottle down hard enough to rattle the table. "A bunch of senile old bastards!" she snapped.
Shizune hurried forward with Tonton in her arms. "Lady Tsunade, you can't drink anymore."
"I'm not drunk!" Tsunade shoved her aside without even looking.
Then she turned back to the screen, unable to hide the complicated storm in her eyes. Since the live broadcast began, she had been paying special attention to Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju in the chat. Just hearing their voices again was enough to stir something deep in her chest.
But the two people she longed to hear just as much still hadn't spoken.
That silence left a bitter ache inside her. Beside her, Shizune only shook her head and sat down quietly with Tonton in her lap.
On the black-bordered screen, the scene continued.
"Hiruzen, we still need an explanation for this," Koharu said first after Danzo shot her a meaningful glance.
"A jinchuriki should be kept under supervision, inside a controllable framework. Letting him roam freely inside Konoha like this... if something happens again, can the village still afford the cost?"
Homura followed in a low, solemn voice. "Konoha is already too fragile now. We can't take another risk."
Hiruzen sat there without the slightest trace of panic. He simply lifted his pipe and took a slow drag, as if the matter before them were no more serious than the weather.
Then he turned his gaze toward Danzo. "And you?"
Danzo's face remained expressionless. "Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura are right. The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki belongs to Konoha, not to you alone. You made this decision without consulting us at all. Whether from sentiment or reason, that child cannot be allowed to slip beyond our control."
"So?" Hiruzen asked, lifting a brow.
"Hand him over to Root." Danzo's voice was cold and decisive. "The way he looked when he left unsettled me. If you cannot guarantee his absolute loyalty to Konoha, then stop playing with fire."
At once, Onoki's mocking voice rang through the chat room again. The old Tsuchikage clearly wasn't going to let a chance like this pass him by.
"Hmph, the Dark of Konoha really does live up to his reputation," he sneered.
Danzo fired back immediately. "I'm doing this for Konoha. This is Konoha's internal matter. What are you trying to achieve by slandering me again and again?"
Hiruzen, however, said nothing. He only kept smoking.
Koharu took that as her cue. "Hiruzen, handing him to Root isn't a bad choice. At the very least, it guarantees the jinchuriki's absolute loyalty to Konoha."
Hiruzen's eyes shifted toward her. "Loyalty? Loyalty to Konoha... or loyalty to Root?"
The question hit like a blade. Koharu, who had only just switched sides, instantly fell silent.
Hiruzen tapped ash from his pipe. "I've already made arrangements. There's no need to discuss this further. Danzo, withdraw your men. I do not want Naruto coming into contact with Root."
Danzo's voice rose sharply. "Hiruzen! Do you understand how much damage that brat could cause Konoha if he loses control? Can you guarantee absolute safety with the few ANBU you sent?"
Hiruzen finally lowered his pipe. "Enough. Pull your people back. That's final."
"Hiruzen, you-"
Before Danzo could finish, Hiruzen cut him off coldly. "Danzo. I am the Hokage."
In an instant, Danzo's face went rigid, ugly as if he'd just swallowed something rotten. Koharu and Homura both shut their mouths without another word.
With a heavy snort, Danzo turned for the door. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
A heartbeat later, the office door slammed shut behind him with a deafening bang.
The Fourth Raikage burst out laughing in the chat room. "Hahaha! Now that's a scene worth watching!"
Hiruzen's face looked ugly enough already. Deep in Root's underground base, Danzo slammed a fist against the table with a crash, his rage spilling over like poison.
For a moment, it looked as if Hiruzen and the others might have escaped the worst of it.
But then the black-bordered screen kept going.
After Danzo left, Koharu and Homura exchanged another glance. The two of them had always been like that - wavering, hesitant, forever drifting with the strongest current in the room.
Then Homura spoke first. "Let's set the jinchuriki aside for now. Things have been unstable around the Uchiha clan lately."
The moment those words appeared, Sasuke felt his head ring.
The Uchiha clan? Why were they bringing up the Uchiha here? No... could it be...? Could those old bastards be involved in that too?
Madara's cold voice echoed through the chat. "Hmph. Just as I thought. Worthless trash, inheriting Tobirama's will."
Then he pressed harder. "Well? Someone from the Uchiha, answer me. Was the clan exterminated?"
"A pack of idiots," Madara continued mercilessly. "If Izuna hadn't entrusted me with his dying wish, do you think I would have wasted so much time in Konoha?"
"Onii-chan, stop talking already," Izuna complained, but Madara ignored him.
Tobirama's tone turned icy. "Monkey, don't tell me this is true."
This wasn't the Fourth Great Ninja War. There was no need for careful diplomacy or veiled language. Tobirama was simply furious.
Hiruzen responded almost immediately. "Tobirama-sensei, by the time I found out, it was already too late. Alas... I had already stripped Danzo of his role as Hokage's assistant."
Tobirama fell silent.
At that moment, he regretted everything.
He regretted opening his mouth earlier on Hiruzen's behalf. He regretted staying behind to cover the retreat back then. If he could go back, then when Hiruzen volunteered, he'd simply say, Fine, you stay. And when Danzo offered too, he'd say, Good. Then both of you stay behind.
Akimichi Torifu still hadn't spoken. Uchiha Kagami still hadn't spoken. How could Tobirama not understand what that silence meant?
If Koharu and Homura dared to ask for it, he would have granted it without hesitation. But regret was useless now. The words had already been spoken. Even Hashirama no longer dared to talk carelessly.
On the black-bordered screen, the scene changed again.
Naruto stood before a mirror, staring at his own reflection. Slowly, he raised a hand and touched the six whisker-like marks on his cheeks.
Why am I different from everyone else?
He was still trying to understand that question when hunger stabbed through his stomach and broke his train of thought. In the end, he picked up the money and left.
The entire arena watched with strange anticipation.
Would this Naruto do the same thing as the one on the golden screen? Or would he choose a different path?
Konoha, however, had no such curiosity.
Many people there felt only unease. A dark, creeping fear. They had a vague sense that Naruto in this black-bordered world might not accept everything the same way. He might remember. He might resent. He might even take revenge.
The screen continued.
At first, the development was nearly identical to the golden version. Naruto kept his eyes on the shops along the street, pausing only when he spotted a store selling fishing gear.
He didn't step inside right away. First he checked the prices posted out front.
Too expensive. There was no way he could afford a rod now. In the end, he spent one hundred ryo on a small box of hooks and ten meters of fishing line.
That price alone was shockingly cheap.
Because Naruto was young, polite, and well-behaved, the shopkeeper even tossed in a few inexpensive extra hooks for free.
Naruto carefully put everything away, bowed obediently, thanked the man, and hurried off to look for a place to buy food.
The shopkeeper even smiled and waved him off.
The entire arena stiffened.
This was completely different from the golden screen. For one brief moment, some people almost thought that the whole world itself must be different.
Then the familiar voices rang out.
"Hey, look! Isn't that him?"
"That's him! Look at those whiskers!"
A collective breath seemed to catch in everyone's throat. Here it came.
Kushina's furious voice exploded through the chat room. "You damned old monkey!"
The hatred in that single roar was so intense it almost seemed to take form. Hiruzen felt a chill go down his spine. But the next instant, her words were censored again, probably because the insults were too vicious.
Tobirama immediately seized the chance. "Monkey! Look at what you've done!"
This was the opening he had been waiting for. He had to cut ties with Hiruzen completely now, or he'd be dragged down together with him forever.
Hashirama sounded baffled. "Hmm? Tobirama, what's wrong?"
"Brother, just look at what that monkey is doing!" Tobirama snapped. "He keeps scheming against a child. A child! A fresh green shoot of Konoha! When did I ever teach him a Will of Fire like this?"
Hashirama hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Hmm... when you put it that way, monkey, you've gone too far."
Madara gave a cold laugh. "What miserable acting."
Izuna sneered too. "Onii-chan, isn't Tobirama just as shameless? No wonder he could raise a disciple like that."
"Enough! I've tolerated you for too long!" Tobirama shot back instantly, choosing to muddy the waters so no one would remember that he'd spoken for Hiruzen earlier.
"You think I'm scared of you? Come out and fight me one-on-one!" Izuna barked.
"You lost once already and still dare yap like this?" Tobirama retorted.
Madara's presence darkened. "Huh?"
Hashirama hurriedly tried to smooth things over again. "Haha... give me some face, both of you. Stop arguing. Anyway, monkey, come out and explain yourself."
Hiruzen went silent for a beat before replying stiffly, "Lord Hashirama, that isn't what happened. I never ordered anyone to do such a thing. It must have been Danzo, acting in anger after leaving the office!"
"Nonsense!" Danzo roared at once.
Onoki snickered. "Living long really is wonderful. You get to watch Konoha's dogs tear at each other in public."
The chat room became so chaotic that, for a moment, everyone quieted down on instinct and turned back to the screen.
Below, the conversation among the villagers spread quickly, just as it had on the golden screen.
Soon, Naruto once again found himself drowning in naked malice.
"That's him!"
"Damn fox demon!"
"How shameless! Why is he still alive?"
"I'm going to kill him and avenge my brother!"
The hatred in the air became almost tangible.
Naruto's faint smile disappeared without a trace.
Then, among the crowd, he spotted the shopkeeper from before - the man who had sold him the hooks and line.
The shopkeeper had obviously come over after hearing the shouting. The moment he saw Naruto clearly, disbelief flashed across his face.
That obedient, well-behaved little boy from before... was a fox demon?
After a moment of hesitation, the man's eyes reddened. But unlike the others, he didn't join in immediately. He didn't spit curses. He didn't throw anything. He only stood there with black-rimmed glasses and a face full of shock.
At that instant, a stone suddenly cut through the air and whistled past Naruto's ear.
Naruto froze, then immediately turned toward the direction it had come from.
Something was different.
Those people... they weren't like ordinary villagers.
Are they ninja?
The camera shifted, zooming in on the face of the so-called civilian who had spoken first.
The moment Naruto's thoughts appeared on the black-bordered screen, the entire arena stared in shock.
In the Pure Land, Kushina wiped away her tears with trembling hands.
"Good job, Naruto!" she shouted.
"Remember their faces. You absolutely must remember what they look like!"