"Yes, Lord Danzō!" the young Root shinobi answered, voice tight with nerves.
In the month he'd spent in Root, the phrase he'd heard most often was the same: Lord Danzō's orders must be obeyed. Everything from Danzō had a deeper meaning. Speak little, act more — that was Root's constant refrain.
The older Root agent beside him glanced at the youth with thin amusement. The last man with that kind of bravado had grass a foot high on his grave.
"You're bold and still breathing — Danzō must be in a generous mood," the veteran muttered.
Outside, the village had become chaos.
Huge snakes rampaged through the outskirts — Orochimaru's summons wreaking havoc among the Genin and Chūnin neighborhoods. The townsfolk panicked; the younger shinobi scrambled to hold lines, but Orochimaru's beasts were brutal and unstoppable.
"Move! Stop them — the residential area is right behind!" an experienced Chūnin barked.
"Rasengan!" came a cry from above.
A figure dropped from the sky, a Rasengan in each hand, and struck down two giant snakes in a single, devastating blow. The beasts were finished before they hit the ground.
"It's Jiraiya-sama!" the Chūnin exclaimed, relief flooding his face as he recognized the Toad Sannin.
Jiraiya's expression was hard. These were Orochimaru's summoned monsters. A chill flashed in his eyes.
"Orochimaru… what are you planning?" he muttered. He had meant to return in time to watch Naruto perform, not to fight through an assault on Konoha.
After putting down several disturbances on his way, Jiraiya pushed toward the village center.
At the heart of the fighting, a ring of shinobi had formed around Naruto, faces twisted with hatred. Many of them resented him on sight; those who knew nothing still bristled with animosity.
"You fox-spawn! You are the Nine-Tails incarnate! If not for the Third Hokage's mercy, you should have died years ago!" one shouted.
"My father died because of the Nine-Tails!" another screamed.
"You ungrateful fox — die!"
Those who didn't understand the truth were loud and cruel. Those who did looked grave. After all, Naruto was a Jinchūriki.
Inside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi — the Third Hokage — watched the turmoil grow and then saw Naruto's attacks. The power Naruto now displayed raised questions in Hiruzen's mind: had Naruto been holding back all this time? Did he finally know what he was?
Before Hiruzen could dwell further on the thought, Orochimaru surged forward, Kusanagi flashing.
Hiruzen met him with Enma's staff; sparks flew where iron rang on sword.
"Third Hokage, being distracted in battle isn't a good habit!" Orochimaru taunted, lips curling.
"Hachibi — what do you want, Orochimaru?" Hiruzen snapped, bitter regret flickering across his face. He had once spared Orochimaru — and that mercy had always weighed on him.
"O, Third Hokage," Orochimaru purred.
"Have you not felt the wind turn? I merely give breath to Konoha's stagnant windmill."
"You will regret this," Hiruzen warned.
"Regret?" Orochimaru laughed. "No. Tell me, do you regret letting me live back then? Allow me to repay your kindness — by inviting you to your death."
Orochimaru's smile was thin and dangerous. Hiruzen's expression hardened.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!" Hiruzen intoned.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
He formed four shadow clones and channeled different chakra natures into simultaneous techniques. The fusion of elemental chakra — a truly powerful Ninjutsu — erupted in a storm of power. It was an S-ranked Ninjutsu.
The resurrected First and Second Hokage, brought forth by Edo Tensei, were caught off guard and blasted back.
Outside, the shinobi's morale surged.
"The Third Hokage is incredible — he's holding his own against the First and Second!" someone cried. Word spread: Orochimaru had used a forbidden jutsu to summon the First and Second Hokage and force them to fight under his command.
Many of the younger villagers had only ever heard the Third Hokage's praises and had been taught a Konoha history that emphasized Hiruzen's glory. The village books lavished words on the Third Hokage — half the history in their minds was Hiruzen's story. History could be shaped by those who wrote it, and Konoha's narrative had been bent for decades.
They didn't even dare face the whole truth. How could a village be truly strong like that?
Hiruzen, who had seen the real power of Hashirama and Tobirama, felt a cold worry. Orochimaru's Edo Tensei had not been perfected; the summoned Hokage were not at their true peak. At best, they were the level of a Kage just entering their prime.
Yet Orochimaru himself had become a force comparable to a Kage, and so the battlefield now had three shinobi of terrifying power.
Minute beads of sweat dotted Hiruzen's forehead.
Outside the barrier, many villagers and rescued citizens turned their fury on Naruto. Misinformation and grief made them cruel.
"Fox-brat, I knew you were trouble! Why don't you just die!"
"You killed the Fourth Hokage and destroyed our lives! If not for the Third Hokage, how are you still alive?"
"You ungrateful beast — finish him, shinobi!"
To most, Naruto was nothing but the Nine-Tails incarnate — a demon in human skin, bent on revenge against the village. In their eyes, he was a monster to be slain.
"Shut up! You ignorant villagers!" Naruto's voice thundered, cutting through the chaos.
"What do you know? Do you think you are righteous? Every single one of you disgusts me!"
"Do you even remember how the White Fang of Konoha died?"
"He protected you for so long, yet because he saved his comrades, he failed a mission!"
"He was a true shinobi! A person worthy of respect!"
"Why should he have to protect you? White Fang completed countless missions. Even if he failed one, or ten, or a hundred, his achievements still outweighed any mistakes!"
"He made enemies tremble in fear. When others faced him, they could abandon their missions. Does a village that cannot complete its missions deserve to survive?"
"Protecting you was his kindness. Not protecting you would have been his right. Is there any rule saying he must shield you, useless villagers? Are your lives more valuable than his? Can hundreds of you compare to Senior White Fang?"
"Pah! You are not worthy!"
Naruto's words struck like a thunderclap.
Many of the villagers remembered the White Fang. Upon hearing Naruto speak, they lowered their heads, ashamed.
Then a defiant voice rang out. "Senior White Fang is Senior White Fang! What does that have to do with you, Demon Fox Brat?"
"Heh," Naruto said, his tone cold.
"It has nothing to do with me, you say? Do you know who my father is? My father is Minato Namikaze — the Fourth Hokage!"
"My father sealed the Nine-Tailed inside me so that I could live… so that I could become a hero!"
"I carry your so-called Demon Fox within my body!"
"My father, the Fourth Hokage, dedicated his life to protecting Konoha, carrying the weight of the village's safety and the dream of becoming Hokage!"
"And in the end, he protected you — a group of blind, ignorant, foolish villagers!"
"My mother, Kushina Uzumaki, also died twelve years ago!"
"I did not receive the honors of a hero. Is this how you treat the children of those who gave everything for the village? This village isn't worth staying in!"
Naruto's words dripped with disdain.
The uproar that followed was immediate. Every surrounding shinobi had heard him.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, thoughtful. Of course.
The villagers had seen Naruto and subconsciously connected him with the Fourth Hokage. The resemblance between father and son was undeniable.
Their disbelief was palpable.
The Demon Fox Brat they had cursed, ostracized, and feared — he was the son of their savior.
...
TN:
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