''Konoha''
Naruto descended slowly from the sky, coming to a halt in the center of what was once Konoha's busiest street.
This place, which had left him with so many bitter memories, was now nothing but ruins.
The devastation exceeded even that of Pain's 'Super Shinra Tensei'. Aside from a handful of survivors, the majority of the villagers had simply vanished.
Conversely, despite unleashing such a cataclysmic technique, Naruto himself had barely consumed any stamina.
Just as he had said, he merely planted a seed. The rest was the work of the villagers own malice. All he had done was harvest that malice and return it to its source.
They had destroyed Konoha themselves. They were their own executioners.
If they had held no ill will toward Naruto, they would have remained unharmed, just like Jiraiya standing over there.
That said, while the power of 'Harbinger's Bloom: Revised' was had no upper limit, it wasn't a technique suitable for regular combat, nor was it a true measure of Naruto's strength. Its variance was too unpredictable, against a pure heart, it wouldn't amount to a gentle breeze, but against deep-seated hatred, it could theoretically instant-kill anything.
It was ill-suited for battle. It was a technique designed exclusively for Konoha.
--**--**
"The world of the future will undergo massive changes, and the only one who can guide these changes is the 'Child of Prophecy'. This child will bring either unprecedented peace or total destruction to the ninja world. His choice will determine the fate of all."
"Jiraiya-chan... find this 'Child of Prophecy' and take him as your disciple. Guide him to choose the correct path."
Jiraiya looked at Naruto with a conflicted expression, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy echoing in his mind. He had spent his entire life searching for this savior, never expecting him to be right here in Konoha-and the son of his own student, no less.
He had once thought the Child of Prophecy was the boy with the Rinnegan he met in the Rain Village years ago.
He had also believed it was his disciple, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Now, he realized he had been wrong. It wasn't them. It was Naruto Uzumaki standing before him.
'Minato's child is the one?'
'Naruto is the Child of Prophecy?'
'So, I failed to find him until it was too late...'
At that moment, Jiraiya felt only a deep, crushing regret. If he had known earlier, he would have returned to the village sooner. He would have taken Naruto in.
If he had raised the boy himself, Naruto never would have walked down this path.
But the world has no room for 'ifs' or 'had I knowns.'
'Naruto turning out like this... it must be Danzo's fault. He must have corrupted the boy.'
"I cannot sit idly by and watch him who destroyed Konoha!"
A blur of green arrived in front of Naruto, at supersonic speed. It brought with it a fierce gale, a swift, heavy kick.
*Pa!* Naruto raised a hand and caught the kick with rock-steady precision.
The attacker was none other than Konoha's Noble Green Beast, Might Guy.
Harboring no malice toward Naruto, he had survived the Konoha-ending technique unscathed.
"Guy-sensei..."
Naruto tried to speak, but Guy cut him off. He had no intention of listening to Naruto's explanation (bullshit).
"Even if you are Kakashi's student, I won't show mercy." Guy said with solemn gaze. The blocked attack had told him everything he needed to know: Naruto was a master of taijutsu.
"First Gate: Gate of Opening!"
Guy's body erupted with an astonishing aura, a visible wave of azure chakra blasting out like an explosion before shifting into a deep crimson.
"Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View!"
Guy opened six gates in a single breath. It wasn't just the chakra around him, his skin flushed a deep, violent green.
His movements were so fast that the mere act of shifting his stance tore up the ground with air pressure alone.
"Morning Peacock!"
Guy punched the air in a blinding blur, the friction igniting the atmosphere. Countless fireballs, formed from pure shockwaves, rained down on Naruto like a peacock spreading a tail of flame.
It was a technique that used high-speed punches to compress the air into projectiles.
In other words: 'Air Cannons.'
'The scariest type of opponent is the knucklehead who doesn't give you a chance to explain.'
*ATATATATATATA!*
Seeing that Guy wasn't listening, Naruto could only wave his arms violently, shattering the incoming air cannons one by one.
Naruto could currently tank Ki Blasts with his bare hands, mere compressed air wasn't going to cut it.
Six-Gate Guy wasn't strong enough.
Compared to Shenno, who had obtained the power of the Zero-Tails, this offensive power was lacking.
'Is the Sixth Gate still not enough? Then I have no choice but to open the Seventh-the Gate of Wonder!'
'Does he want me to give him the Madara treatment ahead of schedule?' Sensing Guy's intent, Naruto prepared to activate his Yang Release Chakra Mode to subdue him before he could open the seventh gate.
But just as both sides were about to escalate, a smaller green figure flashed between them.
The same red aura. The same green skin.
Rock Lee.
"Lee! What are you doing?"
Seeing his beloved student, Guy pulled back his attack.
"Guy-sensei... if you want to continue attacking Naruto, you'll have to get past me first."
"Lee, move aside! The person standing behind you is the one who destroyed Konoha!"
"Naruto definitely has his reasons for doing this. I believe in him." Lee stood his ground, planting himself firmly on Naruto's side.
"Guy, let's hear them out for a moment." Kakashi arrived, landing softly nearby.
Like Guy, he held no malice toward Naruto, so naturally, he remained unhurt.
His affection for the villagers of Konoha had died long ago, buried alongside his father. Sakumo's death was inextricably linked to the very people Naruto had just judged.
If not for Obito, Rin, and Minato, Kakashi likely would have become an empty shell long ago, a tool that existed only to complete missions.
Though, with those cherished people gone, the current him wasn't much different from a shell anyway.
Forced to choose between Konoha and his teacher's son, he would likely stand with Naruto. At the very least, he would stay neutral.
"Guy-sensei, calm down." Seeing the opening, Naruto launched his 'Talk No Jutsu' offensive. "Haven't you noticed?"
"In the mere decades since its founding, Konoha has already rotted... The higher-ups know only how to hoard power, refusing to pass the torch."
"Konoha hasn't changed its leadership in decades, has it? It's always the same few old fossils. How many brilliant, talented ninja have appeared during that time? Why is it still them at the top?"
"That is because of public opinion! It is the will of the people!" Guy shouted, sounding painfully naive.
'That's the line I was waiting for.'
"Public opinion... Guy-sensei, public opinion is the easiest thing in the world to manipulate. It is foolish, ignorant, and hateful."
"In the ninja world, the strong are respected. If it's truly about the 'will of the people,' then why did all those brilliant, talented ninja end up dead or driven away? Have you ever thought about that?"
Guy fell silent. Compared to other villages, an unusually high number of Konoha's elites had chosen to defect or die under suspicious circumstances. It was indeed unnatural.
"You should have realized it by now. There are too many things that defy logic."
First, raise doubts. Question the opponent. No, first fight the opponent to prove you are strong enough for your words to carry weight, then raise doubts. Then, validate the opponent. Guy's train of thought began to subconsciously align with Naruto's. And not just Guy, Kakashi and Lee found themselves following the same logic.
"There are too many schemes, too many conspiracies woven into the foundation."
"What I'm about to say might offend you, Guy-sensei..."
Seeing the groundwork was complete, Naruto dropped the bombshell.
"Have you ever asked yourself one specific question, Guy-sensei?"
"Why, during that mission years ago, did the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who had absolutely no business being there, coincidentally appear in your path?"
"And why did your father just 'happen' to appear there at the exact same time?"
'The plot is full of holes if you scrutinize it. Many events were designed purely for dramatic convenience.'
'But if you look at it from inside the world... it's full of conspiracy theories. It's a dog-eat-dog reality.'
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