"If only… if only I were as strong as Kazuki-nii… Would I even be hesitating like this? Today, I would've taken revenge for my father and mother, not just been left powerless and raging…"
"The fear inside me… it's so pathetic."
"In the end, Kazuki-nii was right… In this shinobi world, even if you just want to live a peaceful life, until you have true strength, you could run into a madman like this at any moment…"
"I have to get stronger. I must become someone no one can kill!"
Naruto's drive to grow stronger—after this dual lesson from Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito—was now blazing like never before.
Two murderous lunatics. One of them had a blood grudge with him—and had set his sights directly on him…
What reason did he have left not to strive with everything he had?
"Naruto, there's no need to be afraid. I'm here behind you."
Kazuki's large hand gently grasped Naruto's small one, his gaze filled with an unspoken warmth and resolve as he spoke slowly: "Don't hate yourself for being temporarily weak. You've already worked very hard—but you still need time to grow. As long as you understand the importance of strength and keep working toward it, then bringing you here to witness this farce already has meaning."
"Naruto, do you have the courage to face them?"
Kazuki spoke softly: "Go, and experience firsthand the helplessness of the weak in front of the oppressors. Etch this moment deep into your memory…"
"I'll guarantee your safety."
Off to the side, the Nine-Tails let out a furious roar: "That bastard! I can smell his filthy chakra already! How laughable—he really thinks he's the one who had me under control?"
"If it hadn't been for that bastard Uchiha Madara forcibly signing a summoning contract with me, this brat in the ridiculous mask would never be able to control me!"
"Naruto, face him boldly! I'll give you all of my chakra! And with Kazuki-sama here with you, what do you have to be afraid of?"
Kurama locked his gaze on Uchiha Obito, eyes brimming with killing intent—he wished nothing more than to obliterate him with a Tailed Beast Bomb and scatter his bones to dust.
What an utterly arrogant and dangerous Uchiha…
He actually wanted to stuff Kurama into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!
Although Kurama wasn't sure how Uchiha Obito had learned such confidential secrets about the Ten-Tails, the mere fact that he sought to revive it was reason enough for the fox to see him as an unshakable, sworn enemy.
"I—I understand now, Kazuki-nii, Kurama!"
Naruto took a deep breath and slowly nodded.
"I'm going in! If I've got both of you behind me, and I still cower before this masked man, then how could I ever avenge Dad and Mom?"
"Kazuki-nii, I know it would be easy for you to take care of him—you want to help me get revenge… but could you give me a chance, so that one day I can settle things with him myself?"
"Alright. I promise you, Naruto." Kazuki gave a warm, approving smile as he agreed to Naruto's request.
To Kazuki, the life or death of Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi was completely irrelevant.
What mattered was how these two had become catalysts—igniting Naruto's inner drive for strength.
At this point, the fact that Naruto could say he wanted to personally deal with Uchiha Obito… that alone was a success.
The boy's confidence and resolve had been awakened!
After receiving Kazuki's answer, Naruto took a deep breath. Recalling the body flicker techniques Kazuki had taught him, he suddenly leapt down from beneath the eaves—landing squarely in front of Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi.
"Stop! What do you think you're doing!" Naruto shouted.
Obito and Itachi were both caught off guard.
Yelling like that—any nearby clansmen still asleep could be roused by a shinobi's nerves alone!
A flash of red flickered in Obito's eyes as he quickly formed hand seals, activating some unknown barrier technique to enshroud the area—dampening the sound of Naruto's shout.
"Who are you?" Obito turned around, eyes full of killing intent. But when he saw Naruto's face, he froze for a moment—then a wave of uncontrollable joy surged in his heart.
Did a Nine-Tails jinchūriki just fall out of the sky?
He knew this was the Uchiha clan compound. Under normal circumstances, a jinchūriki like Naruto would've been under strict surveillance and protection by numerous ANBU: sensory units, seal specialists, elite combatants—everything.
If he were to strike recklessly, it would be discovered instantly. Even with Kamui, he wouldn't get away clean.
That was why Obito had never attacked Naruto during his childhood. He didn't want to alert Konoha—or worse, draw the fury of the entire shinobi world—before the Akatsuki were fully prepared.
But the thing was…
Tonight was the night of the Uchiha massacre. There wouldn't be any ANBU showing up here.
To avoid Konoha being blamed for the extermination of the Uchiha, Uchiha Itachi had reached an agreement with the Third Hokage: during the operation, no ANBU would intervene.
Only at the final clean-up stage—under the witness of multiple shinobi factions—would the entire Uchiha downfall be pinned solely on Uchiha Itachi, so that Konoha's Will of Fire wouldn't be too harshly questioned—
"This is nothing more than a mad act committed by a Uchiha in pursuit of power—not Konoha purging dissidents."
...
Uchiha Obito's Kamui-fueled Mangekyō Sharingan surged with power as he swept his gaze across the surroundings. Just as he'd suspected—not a single ANBU in sight.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Clearly, Naruto, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, had run off on his own—only to stumble into the night of the Uchiha Massacre…
If he could take Naruto away right now, even if Uchiha Itachi later turned traitor and exposed his existence, would the Third Hokage really believe such nonsense from a Uchiha?
Absolutely not!
Murderous intent flared in Obito's eyes, just like seven years ago when he charged into Konoha. He launched himself at Naruto with the same lightning-fast madness.
And off to the side, Uchiha Itachi felt his heart go cold the moment he saw Naruto—
That damned Nine-Tails jinchūriki! Why did he ignore the village's orders and appear here, of all times—right in front of such dangerous Uchiha?!
Uchiha Itachi could slaughter the Uchiha within Konoha, but he knew one thing: he wasn't capable of taking on the one-eyed Uchiha before him.
The Nine-Tails was one of Konoha's most vital assets—it absolutely could not fall into the hands of outsiders!
And Obito's actions made it crystal clear—he intended to seize the Nine-Tails.
In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts clashed and crashed through Itachi's mind—'This bastard must be trying to take control of the Nine-Tails jinchūriki! If the Nine-Tails goes berserk again, it'll recreate the disaster of the Nine-Tails Night… The village will suffer catastrophic losses!'
Itachi clenched his teeth. He was nearly certain that the man before him—the mysterious Uchiha—had been the one behind the Nine-Tails rampage seven years ago.
After all, as a former ANBU squad leader, Itachi had access to certain classified intel:
Masked… one eye… Mangekyō Sharingan…
'He's one-eyed—but I possess both of my Sharingan. Only a complete pair can unleash their full potential. If it's a battle of dōjutsu, I won't lose to him!'
With that conviction, Itachi exploded into motion, matching Obito's ferocity. Crimson light from their Mangekyō Sharingan sliced through the night like blood, both of them charging straight toward Naruto.
Itachi had to reach him first—had to suppress the Nine-Tails with his Mangekyō.
He possessed the eye technique: Tsukuyomi…
If he could strike first and shroud the Nine-Tails in powerful genjutsu, then Obito would never gain control over it.
But from Naruto's perspective, it was a nightmare: two Uchiha—one on the left, one on the right—both radiating killing intent, Mangekyō eyes seething with malice, katana in hand, storming toward him.
It felt like their blades were about to skewer him from both sides.
Naruto stood frozen, feeling the invisible pressure of their dōjutsu crushing down on him—the piercing shriek of katana slicing through the air…
It was as if he were personally experiencing the despair and helplessness of the Uchiha clan members as they were slaughtered.
'I swear… I swear I will never feel this kind of pain again!' Naruto screamed inwardly, hysteria flooding his heart.
"Kazuki-nii! I understand now! I need power! I want power!"
"Understood, Naruto. You've already done great. Now just relax…"
And the next moment—
Naruto completely relaxed. His eyes shut as if he had passed out, and from the perspective of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito, it looked exactly like he had fainted from shock.
Seeing this, both Obito and Itachi picked up speed.
But the next instant—
Naruto's eyes snapped open, a razor-sharp glint flashing through them like a blade.
"Two little Mangekyō brats… You think Konoha is a playground for you to run wild in?"
His voice dropped low—eerily similar to a certain white-haired man's.
"Childish."
At the same time, Naruto rapidly formed hand seals. In a breath, he released an expanse of darkness that swallowed both Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi whole.
The two Uchiha froze in place, halting their advance with a jolt.
What the hell was going on?
Wasn't the Nine-Tails jinchūriki supposed to be a dead last?
How could he possibly use a genjutsu tailored to counter the Uchiha clan?
Obito and Itachi didn't have time to think. Having lost their vision, both of their dōjutsu surged violently as they forcefully broke through the darkness.
But immediately after, countless water needles shot up from the ground, piercing through their bodies!
In this blood-soaked clan compound, their Uchiha blood finally joined the stains on the earth. Both Obito and Itachi staggered back, stunned, eyes locked on the Naruto before them in disbelief.
What the hell just happened?
How could the Nine-Tails jinchūriki wield genjutsu designed to counter the Uchiha, along with such seasoned Water Release?
Obito's heart began to race, an ominous premonition swelling inside him.
What he'd thought was a lucky encounter with the jinchūriki…
Was this really just happenstance? Or was he the hunter… only to find himself the hunted?
Minato and Kushina might be dead…
But somehow, the waters of Konoha seemed… deeper now.
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