"As a missing-nin, the only way you can ever be truly safe… is by dying."
Naruto finished his words and then ignored Itachi completely, choosing instead to stand there silently, as though waiting for something.
The Third Hokage hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end. He didn't even spare Itachi a single glance.
"All that I did… I did for Konoha."
"For Konoha?" Naruto let out a cold laugh, then murmured under his breath:
"They're here."
From the forest, countless figures emerged—thirty clans' worth of shinobi, marching together in an overwhelming tide.
Itachi squinted, straining his failing eyes to make out the newcomers. He recognized them. They were clans of Konoha—Hyūga, Kurama… even the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka.
"Welcome, clan heads. You have made the wisest, most correct choice."
Naruto smiled at them, then stepped forward. "From this moment on, we are Konoha."
He turned back to Itachi. "Itachi Uchiha, the one standing here as an enemy to Konoha… is you."
Itachi's voice was cold. "Konoha does not consist only of these few."
"Is that so?" Naruto said indifferently. Then he looked back at the assembled clan heads.
"Then allow me to welcome you all to witness a fine performance—"
"The destruction of Konoha."
With that, Naruto raised a hand and fired a ki blast into the sky. The glowing sphere soared upward before exploding high above, blooming like a flower.
"Please, wait just a little longer. The curtain is about to rise."
Inside Konoha
The battle between the Sand shinobi and Konoha's forces had already reached a deadlock.
Neither side could gain the upper hand—only bodies continued to fall, one after another.
Watching his comrades drop one by one, Rasa felt his heart bleeding.
The Land of Wind did not have resources as abundant as Konoha. The number of Sand shinobi was fewer too. Each one was painstakingly raised at immense cost.
Rasa had prepared countless backup plans, gathered powerful allies and mercenaries—yet still, they could only fight Konoha to a stalemate.
He had underestimated Konoha's deep foundation.
As time dragged on, Konoha shinobi poured into the battlefield like endless ants, while the Sand's numbers dwindled further and further.
Anxiety gnawed at Rasa's chest.
Why hasn't it happened yet?
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion resounded from above, drawing everyone's attention skyward.
When Rasa saw the ki blast burst into a flower of light, a smile finally spread across his face. Without hesitation, he gave the order:
"All Sand shinobi—retreat!"
He turned to his right-hand man, his children's teacher.
"Jōnin Maki, sound the retreat!"
"Kazekage-sama, if we keep fighting, we may not necessarily lose," Maki protested, unwilling to accept it.
To Maki, this was the decisive, life-and-death moment. Either Konoha fell, or the Sand endured. How much had the Sand sacrificed for this very instant? How many comrades had they lost? Finally, they had fought their way to this point—and now retreat? He could not understand his Kazekage's order at all.
If not for being absolutely certain this was the real Kazekage, he might have suspected an impostor.
"I said retreat. Do you intend to disobey my command?"
Rasa's voice sharpened, twice as heavy as before.
Knowing his temper, Maki realized the Kazekage was truly angry. He could only grit his teeth.
"Yes, sir. Sand shinobi—retreat!"
"Tch? Leaving already? I haven't had my fill yet, hm!" Deidara whined loudly at the order. He had been reveling in displaying his "art" all across the battlefield. There were still several pieces he hadn't even shown Konoha's shinobi yet.
Though thrilled today, he was nowhere near satisfied.
At this time Deidara was barely fifteen, and hadn't yet developed his strongest "arts."
"Time to go, brat." Sasori, however, didn't care. Standing among the Sand forces had always felt unnatural to him. If not for Pain's order, he would have left long ago.
"Not a bad harvest." Kakuzu hefted a black sack over his shoulder, looking perfectly satisfied as he headed off first.
"I wonder how Itachi's side is going…" Among them, the one most concerned for Itachi turned out to be the very one assigned to monitor him. "But this is Konoha. With his strength, leaving should be no problem."
"Banshō Ten'in."
At that moment, Nagato revealed himself, controlling Pain's body as he slowly appeared. With a simple gesture, he yanked Deidara—who had been trying to sneak away to blow up a bit more—straight back by the collar.
"It's time to retreat."
"Yes, Leader…" Deidara deflated instantly, like a frost-bitten eggplant.
Damn it, if I'd known this, I would've tested Number 17's power…
By now Deidara had already developed clay doll explosives up to model 17, and had planned to experiment on the battlefield. But he hadn't gotten the chance. Before long, he would complete an even stronger one—the "C3 · Model 18."
Akatsuki had only aided the Sand as part of the mission; they had no reason to reveal their full arsenal or risk their lives.
For most of them, this battle had been little more than amusement. None had fought seriously.
So when the retreat signal came, they withdrew immediately.
Akatsuki's departure greatly eased the pressure on Konoha's elite jōnin. And once the Sand began to pull back, both sides relaxed in relief.
Except for a few blood-crazed shinobi who ignored orders and charged into enemy ranks—only to die miserably—most Konoha and Sand ninja both instinctively drew back, ceasing attacks and simply keeping distance.
The Sand withdrew in waves. Konoha shinobi gave no chase. Finally, the last of the Sand slipped away.
"They've retreated! The Sand has retreated!" a Konoha shinobi shouted in joy.
Cheers broke out all around.
"We've won!"
"Jiraiya-sama, we've won!"
Jiraiya laughed heartily, then collapsed to the ground, exhausted. After battling two Tailed Beasts and dueling someone of Rasa's caliber, even the Sage of Mount Myōboku was drained half to death.
At least, it seemed… to be over.
But was it truly over?
Laugh, cheer, rejoice… For the moment of greatest joy is also the brink of despair.
As Konoha shinobi celebrated, a sharp-eyed one suddenly noticed a small black speck hanging in the sky above the village.
"Jiraiya-sama, what is that?"
Jiraiya looked up where the shinobi pointed.
"…It looks like… a person?"
Soon, he was certain. It was indeed a person. Familiar, yet different.
The speck grew larger and larger—until at last, a figure clad in white priestly robes appeared, floating above Konoha.
That unmistakable golden hair… Who else could it be but Uzumaki Naruto?
This was Naruto's true body. The "Mr. Hattori" down below had already been swapped with a shadow clone.
Naruto gazed down coldly upon Konoha, extending his index finger.
At the tip of his finger hovered a small black sphere, no bigger than a fingernail, rising and falling in the air.
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