[...Finally, at the cost of his own life, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within an infant, thus ending the Nine-Tails' Riot!]
The light emanating from the phone screens slowly faded, but everyone remained staring blankly at the displays.
Even though the terrifying Nine-Tails had vanished and the Hokage who saved the village had sacrificed himself, all that remained was a pitch-black screen, polished enough to reflect their own faces.
The silence lasted only a moment before an uproar erupted.
"Heavens! Oh my god!!" "That was Lord Fourth Hokage!" "So that's how the Nine-Tails' Riot actually happened!" "How terrifying! Waaaaah~" "Is this for real?!!"
The entire classroom exploded into chaos. Between excitement and fear, everyone started talking at once.
It was simply too incredible; no one expected the launch of the Ninja Mobile Game to directly play footage of the Nine-Tails' Riot from all those years ago.
It was too realistic! The impact was so profound that it felt as if one could crawl right through the screen and into that world. Although it wasn't the full account, at this very moment, the entire ninja world had learned the truth of that event.
That was the reason behind the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice.
"This... this kind of thing!" Shikamaru was deeply shaken, his hand gripping the phone trembling slightly. Although he hadn't experienced it personally, the footage matched the vague descriptions he'd heard from his family.
Many thoughts raced through his mind. After seeing the twelve students—himself included—in the game yesterday, he had suspected this.
Could it be...That in the future, everyone in the ninja world will enter the game!At the very least, those famous historical figures will surely be added, right?
And compared to that... Shikamaru cast a secretive glance at Naruto. At this moment, Naruto could only be described as "stunned as a wooden chicken."
Everyone else had realized it too: the infant in the footage, used by the Fourth Hokage as a vessel to seal the Nine-Tails, was none other than Uzumaki Naruto—the boy rejected by everyone in the village!
"So... that's how it was." Naruto clutched his head and buried it under his desk, hiding his expression.
Seeing this, Iruka sensed trouble. "Everyone, continue exploring the game. Naruto and I are stepping out for a moment!"
As they watched Iruka-sensei scoop up a non-resisting Naruto and leap out the window, the students looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, someone spoke in a low voice.
"I didn't expect the rumors about Naruto in the village to be true."
"Yeah! That guy really is the Nine-Tails!"
"No! He's not the Nine-Tails, he just has the Nine-Tails sealed inside him!"
"What's the difference?"
"Uh..."
"But... doesn't that mean Naruto-kun, who has the Nine-Tails sealed away, is the hero who protected the village?"
No one knew who said that last sentence, but the classroom went silent for a heartbeat. Somehow... that actually made a lot of sense!
Sasuke ignored the chatter. He didn't even seem to notice Naruto being taken away; he simply continued operating his phone. The footage just now was merely the opening cinematic. Once it ended, a loading screen appeared.
Sasuke immediately frowned. Why... was it him and Naruto?
On the screen, Naruto and Sasuke were both equipped with weapons, staring each other down as if in mid-battle. Once the loading bar reached 100%, a line of text appeared at the bottom of the login page:
[Land of Fire — Hidden Leaf Village]
This was the server. There were no other options; those belonging to the Hidden Leaf faction could only log into this one. Sasuke tapped to enter, and the next moment, a village appeared—a miniature version of the Hidden Leaf.
Standing on a pillar closest to the screen was Naruto, who would occasionally strike a random pose every few seconds.
"What an idiot," Sasuke muttered, tapping the "Ninja" function.
Upon entering, only Naruto's icon was lit up; the others were blacked out, clearly locked. On the main interface, most areas were locked as well, currently inaccessible. Probably requires some sort of unlock criteria, Sasuke thought, though he was still annoyed.
Why did it have to be Naruto? Was it because Naruto won the PK yesterday, so now the whole game revolved around him?
With nothing else to do, Sasuke tapped on the "Story Mode" (Quest). Once he was inside, he finally confirmed his suspicion. Heh! This damn thing really has Naruto as the protagonist!
"Uzumaki Naruto, arriving on the scene!"
In the Hokage's office, the Third looked at the basic introduction of Naruto on his screen and raised an eyebrow. This was the plot shown after entering the first stage of Story Mode. Not only that, but he had to control Naruto to beat up Hidden Leaf ninjas.
After using a Rasengan to knock down the enemies and clear the stage, the Third couldn't help but chuckle. "I see. From Naruto's perspective, the ninjas trying to stop his pranks really should be defeated."
The Third was about to continue to the next stage when the door was pushed open. Iruka and Naruto entered.
"Grandpa Third! Is everything on this thing true?! The Nine-Tails, the Fourth Hokage, and me..." Naruto had abandoned the quietness he showed when Iruka grabbed him and started shouting, though his voice trailed off toward the end.
Iruka stood by, his gaze complicated. It was obvious they wanted an answer. The Third took a puff of his pipe and said softly, "The Fourth Hokage hoped for you to be seen as the village's hero."
That single sentence made Naruto's heart tremble. This was something Iruka had known for a long time. Back when Iruka first became Naruto's teacher, the Third had discussed this with him.
"Lord Third, so the things played in the Ninja Mobile Game are all real, correct?" Iruka asked.
"Yes. But at this point, there's no stopping it. Things will likely continue to spiral," the Third sighed. While it was good that Naruto was the protagonist, a story unfolding this way could easily expose the Hidden Leaf's secrets. It was a double-edged sword.
However, the Third still believed the benefits outweighed the risks. If for no other reason, he simply felt that the Hidden Leaf was better than the other villages!
"It seems I've arrived at a bad time. What a strange atmosphere."
Naruto was still lost in a melancholy mood when the sudden entrance of another person caught his attention. He turned to see a man standing at the door wearing a mask that covered one eye.
Naruto snapped, "If it's a bad time, then don't come in! The strangest thing here is your hairstyle!" He turned to leave, but the man caught him.
"Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your future teacher?" Kakashi smiled slightly.
"Teacher?" Naruto froze.
"That's right. Kakashi is the squad leader assigned to you after you graduate," the Third clarified.
"Eh? But I haven't even..."
"Alright, let's go outside and chat. Don't bother the Hokage so easily," Kakashi said, grabbing Naruto and ignoring his protests as he led him out of the office.
After they left, Iruka looked at the Third. He hesitated for a few seconds before gathering his courage to speak.
"Lord Third! You said the Fourth Hokage wanted the villagers to see Naruto as a hero, but... hasn't his wish utterly failed?!"
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