[...In the end, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox inside a newborn infant, thus bringing the Nine-Tails' Rampage to an end!]
The glow from the phones slowly faded, but everyone still stared blankly at their screens.
Even though the terrifying Nine-Tails had vanished and the Hokage who saved the village had perished, what remained was only the dark, glossy screen reflecting their stunned faces.
Silence lingered for a few seconds—then came the explosion of noise.
"Oh... oh my god!!"
"That was the Fourth Hokage-sama!"
"So that's what really happened during the Nine-Tails' Rampage!"
"So scary! Waaaah~"
"Is this for real?!"
The entire classroom erupted—some excited, others terrified. Everyone was chattering all at once.
It was just too unbelievable. No one had expected that the Ninja Mobile Game's opening event would actually release footage of the real Nine-Tails' Rampage.
It looked too real! The impact was so intense it felt like one could be pulled right into the screen.
Though it wasn't the entire sequence, at this very moment, the whole shinobi world knew the truth behind that event.
The reason behind the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice.
"This... this kind of thing..."
Shikamaru was deeply shaken. His hands trembled slightly as he held his phone.
He hadn't lived through that day himself, but it matched exactly with what his family had described.
He began to think of many possibilities.
After seeing that the Ninja Mobile Game included him among twelve others yesterday, a suspicion had already taken root in his mind.
Could it be...
That everyone in the entire shinobi world might enter the game?
If not everyone, then at least all the famous historical figures—surely they'd be included?
But more importantly...
Shikamaru discreetly glanced toward Naruto. The boy could only be described as completely frozen.
Everyone had recognized it too. The baby used as the vessel for sealing the Nine-Tails—the child in the footage—was none other than the outcast of the village, Uzumaki Naruto.
"So... so that's how it is."
Naruto buried his head in his arms, hiding his face beneath the desk, his expression unseen.
Iruka, seeing this, felt uneasy.
"Everyone, keep exploring the Ninja Mobile Game. I'm taking Naruto out for a bit!"
As Iruka-sensei scooped up the unresisting Naruto and leapt out the window, the entire class exchanged looks with one another in silence.
After a long pause, someone finally whispered,
"I didn't expect... the rumors about Naruto in the village were actually true."
"Yeah! That guy's really the Nine-Tails!"
"No, he isn't the Nine-Tails—he just has it sealed inside him!"
"What's the difference?"
"Uh..."
"But... doesn't that mean Naruto-kun, who bears the Nine-Tails' seal, is actually the hero who protected the village?"
No one knew who said it, but the classroom suddenly went quiet.
Come to think of it... that did make sense.
Sasuke ignored their chatter entirely. It was as if he hadn't even noticed Naruto being taken away. Instead, he continued fiddling with his phone.
That earlier video had only been the opening cutscene. After it ended, a loading screen appeared.
Sasuke frowned immediately.
Why... was it him and Naruto?
On the screen, Naruto and Sasuke both appeared equipped with weapons, locked in a tense standoff, ready to fight.
When the progress bar finally filled, a line appeared beneath the login interface.
[Land of Fire — Konohagakure]
It was the server name. No other options. Those under the Konoha faction could only log into this one.
Sasuke tapped "Enter."
The next instant, a miniature version of the village filled his screen—it was unmistakably Konohagakure.
At the front of the screen stood a wooden pillar, and on top of it—Naruto. Every few seconds, his avatar would randomly strike a pose.
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes as he tapped on the "Ninja" feature.
Inside, every icon was grayed out except for Naruto's—clearly, the others were still locked.
Most of the main interface was also sealed off with locks—apparently, access needed to be unlocked through gameplay.
Sasuke figured as much, but it still irritated him.
Why Naruto? Was it because Naruto won that fight yesterday, so now the entire game revolved around him?!
With nothing else to do, Sasuke tapped into the story mode—and immediately confirmed his suspicion.
Heh. Damn it, Naruto really was the main character!
"Uzumaki Naruto, reporting for duty!"
...
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage watched the phone screen, where Naruto's character introduction appeared. He raised an eyebrow in amusement.
This was the cutscene for the first stage of the story mode. Not only that, the player had to control Naruto to beat up Leaf shinobi.
After defeating the enemies with a Rasengan to clear the level, the Third chuckled softly.
"So that's how it is. From Naruto's perspective, the shinobi stopping his pranks really would be the ones to defeat."
Just as he was about to continue, the office door burst open—Iruka and Naruto rushed in.
"Grandpa Third! Is all that stuff true?! The Nine-Tails, the Fourth Hokage, and... and me..."
Naruto, who had been quiet when Iruka carried him, now shouted at the top of his lungs—but as he spoke, his voice gradually weakened.
Iruka stood beside him, his expression complicated.
It was clear these two wanted him to answer. The Third took a puff from his pipe, then spoke gently.
"The Fourth Hokage hoped that you would become the hero of the village."
Those words made Naruto's heart tremble. Iruka, however, already knew this.
When he first became Naruto's teacher, the Third had told him everything. This time, he had come here just to confirm it again.
"Third-sama, so the footage shown in the Ninja Mobile Game... it was all real?" Iruka asked.
"Yes. But at this point, there's no one who can stop it. Things will probably keep getting more chaotic from here," the Third sighed.
Naruto being the protagonist was fine—but the story unfolding this way might expose certain things about Konoha.
There were pros and cons, to be sure.
Still, the Third believed the benefits outweighed the risks—if only because he truly believed Konoha was the best of all the shinobi villages.
"Seems like I came at a bad time. The mood here's... kind of strange."
Naruto was still brooding when an unfamiliar voice drew his attention.
He turned to see a man at the doorway—wearing a mask that covered half his face, including one eye.
Naruto snapped irritably, "If it's a bad time, then why'd you come in?! And what's with that weird hairstyle?!"
He turned to leave, but the man grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey now, is that really how you should talk to your future sensei?"
The man smiled faintly.
"Sensei?" Naruto blinked in confusion.
"That's right," the Third explained. "Kakashi is the jōnin who'll be assigned as your team's leader after you graduate."
"Huh? But I haven't even—"
"Alright, alright. We'll talk outside. Don't go barging in and bothering the Hokage-sama like that."
Kakashi grabbed Naruto, ignoring his protests, and led him out of the office.
After they left, Iruka looked at the Third Hokage. He hesitated for a few seconds before finally mustering the courage to speak.
"Hokage-sama... You said the Fourth Hokage wanted the villagers to see Naruto as a hero. But... hasn't that wish already failed?"