To Tobirama Senju, the Uchiha had always seemed evil by nature. But even he had to admit that Konoha's fighters were now too few.
Tobirama Senju:"You're right, brother. This is unethical... attacking a wounded junior with a lethal jutsu."
Uchiha Madara:"Indeed. Still a child at heart. What kind of adult gets angry at a kid?"
Fourth Raikage Darui:"Totally agree. Ōnoki, what you did was overkill. Using World Removal on a child?"
Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi:"Exactly. I'm the Mizukage, and even I used Lava Release openly. You just spread your arms and hurled him like garbage."
Rasa:"It's terrifying in hindsight. Even Orochimaru warned me I'd die. You just said 'everyone wants him dead' and fired. That's insane."
Orochimaru:"Huh. Rasa, you finally appreciate my methods?"
Rasa:"...One compliment and you're arrogant already?"
Madara Uchiha:"Danzo Shimura. You'd better explain yourself."
Danzo froze. How could he possibly explain this mess?
System:"Selection time is over!"
"74321 chose A."
"421 chose B."
Although most players chose A, some still trusted Sasuke. The Uchiha believed in their own, and so did Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and others close to him.
Even if B turned out wrong, they stood with Sasuke.
But the rest of the shinobi world, including the Hidden Villages, overwhelmingly favored A.
This round's consequences would be... devastating.
System:"The correct answer is B!Correct players receive 100,000 gold.Wrong players lose two C-rank jutsu."
Danzo Shimura:"He's not dead? Impossible!"
All of Iwagakure, having chosen A, lost two C-rank jutsu each. It might not sound like much, but those techniques still took time and effort to master.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Naruto stared blankly at his 100,000-gold balance.
Confused.
The world had changed while he slept.
What were these chat features?
And the big screen?
And why were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki calling him by name?
Who... were they?
Naruto:"@Minato Namikaze, @Kushina Uzumaki... who are you? Do I know you?"
His question stopped the shinobi world cold.
What?The Fourth Hokage's son... didn't recognize his parents?
Minato Namikaze hesitated.Did the Third Hokage... never tell him?
Kushina Uzumaki:"What do you mean? We protected our son so well that he doesn't even know we exist?"
Genin Ninja A:"Wait, did she just say the Nine-Tails is her son?"
Genin Ninja B:"That can't be. Isn't he the Nine-Tails Fox itself? Didn't the Third say he killed the Fourth and wrecked the village?"
Genin Ninja C:"So we've been treating the Fourth's son like a demon fox... all these years?"
The moment Kushina said it, all of Konoha froze.
Everyone had assumed they'd misheard Minato in the past. But now, his wife had confirmed it plainly.
Uzumaki Naruto is their son.The child so long mistaken for the Nine-Tails was in fact the son of the Fourth Hokage.The same child spat on and feared as the one who killed his parents... was actually their legacy.
Elite Anbu stayed silent.
Many Chūnin, unaware of the full story, only followed one command: protect the Fox.
Hashirama Senju looked down in silence, guilt in his eyes.
Tobirama Senju couldn't help but whisper,"You treated the hero's son... like a monster?"
Minato's jaw tightened, his fists clenched.
Even in spirit, he trembled with rage.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi had long since vanished, the moment Danzo threw him under the bus.
And the rest? All distractions. Planted by Danzo.
In truth, Minato's death was due to Obito's infiltration, and Kakashi's copy jutsu at the tomb.All the secrets were known.But Danzo had let others carry the blame and escaped, again.
Ōnoki finally smiled.At least now, no one could accuse him of being the sneak attacker.
Naruto:"So... you two are my father and mother?"
Minato Namikaze:"Yes, Naruto. We're sorry we couldn't be by your side."
Kushina Uzumaki:"Mama is sorry too."
Naruto:"So I'm the son of heroes? The Fourth's son? I'm not the Nine-Tails?I... I have parents? I'm not an orphan?"
Minato blinked. Even a spirit could cry.
His anger gave way to sorrow.A parent's heart shattered at hearing such words.
Kushina's chest tightened painfully.
How could they answer that?
How could they ease years of suffering in a few words?
The Twelve Genin of Konoha watched, hearts heavy.
Shikamaru remembered the time Naruto begged to stay longer as they left for a mission.
"Can't we stay just a little more?""It's too late. It's not safe."
Kiba recalled seeing Naruto sitting alone on the fence, scorned by villagers, yet always protecting Hinata.
Sakura remembered when she once mocked Sasuke for being an orphan...Only to realize Naruto never complained about his own loneliness.
Hinata remembered how Naruto, covered in bruises, always stood between danger and his friends.
The boy who once painted the Hokage Rock with dreams of recognition...The boy whose work was erased every time...
The lonely kid swinging on that schoolyard swing...
The boy everyone ignored.And yet the one who never gave up on becoming someone worthy.
Tears streamed silently across faces behind the screen.
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