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Chapter 154 - Chapter 154: Battle of Identity!

The Forest of Death. Hinata was still inside, under the watchful eye of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Although it wouldn't be hard to make a move on her now, you didn't want Naruto to suffer another heavy emotional blow. You chose to wait—until the final rounds began.

A half month passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, you refined the Wood Release bloodline and the Hyūga bloodline you had absorbed, finally extracting a single drop of blood—crimson with a faint green hue. In addition, you extracted four drops of Hyūga blood from the three Branch House members you'd captured. All were of inferior purity—three dim, one bright. 

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Naruto was kneeling in silence, tears pouring down his face. He stared at Hinata's lifeless, desiccated body. Just days ago, she had stood by his side at Yamato's funeral, encouraging him not to fall apart. And now, she was dead. A twisted, cruel fate.

You had also taken the lives of three Branch House guards. But in return, you had created a few "free" Hyūga—newborns, in a sense, who would serve your next step. You checked your underground storage full of corpses and confirmed that it wasn't enough for the upcoming phase of bloodline fusion. You would have to put that plan on hold.

Fortunately, Gato's mining company was now running smoothly, and chakra metal was coming in steadily. After absorbing it, your Shikotsumyaku technique grew significantly stronger. Your durability improved, and thanks to the magnetism fused with your bones, your flight speed increased dramatically.

Time flew by.

You returned to Konoha just before the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams began. Your Shadow Clone had already set the tournament brackets—Naruto versus Konohamaru. And now, Konohamaru was about to learn the truth of his identity.

You personally unlocked the memory that had been sealed within him for years. His resistance crumbled under the pressure of your chakra. In terror and confusion, he demanded answers.

You responded coldly. "Confused? You should be."

You gave him a choice.

Kill Naruto. Win your favor. And in return, you'd reunite him with Hiruzen Sarutobi. The only condition—he must never reveal your identity. If he dared defy you, you would completely take over his body. From that moment on, his fate would no longer be his own.

Konohamaru chose to submit.

He was Sarutobi Hiruzen's grandson—not some dog forced to fight in a pit.

Everything Naruto had, everything he enjoyed—it should've belonged to him.

Naruto was just a stand-in. A vessel of Hiruzen's guilt. A replacement for the grandson he couldn't save.

Now, Konohamaru would take it all back.

He would kill Naruto and reclaim his rightful place.

You were satisfied. "Don't say I never helped you. Without me getting rid of Hinata and Yamato, you wouldn't stand a chance against him."

The next day, just before his match with Naruto, Konohamaru stood before the crowd and revealed his identity. He recited fragments of childhood memories that only Hiruzen would recognize. Then, he declared Naruto a thief—someone who had stolen his life. Today, he would take it back.

Up in the Kage's seat, Hiruzen watched, stunned. That face... twisted and hateful... was one he couldn't forget. It was his grandson. But now, under the eyes of the Daimyō and the crowd, there was nothing he could say.

Naruto, already broken from Hinata's death, felt the last bit of calm inside him collapse.

"You have no idea how hard Grandpa Hokage worked!"

Roaring in rage, Naruto charged at Konohamaru with his fist cocked back.

Konohamaru met him head-on, drawing his blade and weaving a one-handed seal. A Fire Release jutsu burst from his mouth.

But Naruto, cloaked in chakra, took the attack head-on. He was already beginning to synchronize with the Nine-Tails.

The two clashed in close combat. Konohamaru fought viciously, his style refined from years of bloodshed in the arena—but Naruto's sheer power and the protection of the Tailed Beast overwhelmed him.

Even when Konohamaru activated the Sharingan and briefly turned the tide, Naruto broke free moments later.

Backpedaling, Konohamaru tried to keep Naruto at bay with Fire Release and shuriken, but Naruto bulldozed through it all and slammed him with a Rasengan.

Just as the match seemed over, Konohamaru grabbed Naruto's right leg and detonated the explosive tags hidden under his clothes.

BOOM!!!

The arena erupted in flames.

Naruto narrowly survived thanks to a last-minute toad summon from Mount Myōboku and the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak.

But in the stands...

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched everything—Hinata's death, Konohamaru's return, the explosion—and something inside him finally broke.

Blood poured from his eyes, nose, ears, mouth... all seven orifices.

The old man, already mentally fractured from the Uchiha Massacre and years of silent guilt, couldn't take it anymore.

He collapsed.

Jiraiya and the others rushed over, but it was too late. The Third Hokage was dead.

You, Gennō, and Shinnō stood hidden in the shadows, watching the chaos unfold with satisfaction. As the crowd descended into panic, you activated Flying Thunder God seals placed in advance—and detonated the explosive tags Gennō had scattered across the village.

"Heh... Naruto," you whispered, "just wait."

You didn't kill him.

Because behind Naruto stood the so-called Child of Prophecy. The reincarnation of the Sage's will.

You hated that damned toad from Mount Myōboku.

The Sage of Six Paths' prophecy... the ideals of Asura... the destiny of love and peace...

All of it now centered on Naruto.

You would destroy it.

You would overturn fate.

You would build a new world.

And when the Sage's soul looked down upon the wreckage of his legacy, you would be there, smiling in the ashes.

You would wait for the day Nagato became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.

The day he crushed the Five Great Nations.

The day the self-proclaimed righteous were brought to their knees.

And then, you'd see whether they still believed in love and peace...

Or if they'd scramble like rats to rebuild their thrones.

If they resisted—

Then you would fight them, even if your soul was torn apart.

As long as you could unveil the truth of this world—

It would be worth it.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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