Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the shop entrance, feeling hundreds of eyes boring into him.
Fugaku Uchiha's sword was still unsheathed.
The Mangekyo Sharingan was radiating a pressure that made hearts skip a beat.
The villagers hadn't dispersed. They were waiting for an explanation.
The images on the sky screen were too shocking to ignore.
Danzo's insane rant, the Third's tacit approval, the Root massacre.
If these weren't addressed, if no one was held accountable, Konoha would fracture by sunrise.
Someone had to take the fall. Someone had to be the scapegoat.
Hiruzen took a deep breath.
In that instant, he made what he considered the most rational decision of his life, which was also the most ruthless.
For the sake of the Hokage's reputation and the stability of the Leaf, his old friend had to be sacrificed.
"Arrest Danzo Shimura."
Hiruzen's order went out, but the surrounding ANBU froze for a second, thinking they had misheard.
Arrest the Hokage Advisor? The number two man in the village? Just like that?
"Are you all deaf?!"
Hiruzen raised his voice.
"Danzo Shimura acted alone. He mobilized Root without authorization to attack villagers, intending to provoke a war between the Uchiha and the Leaf."
"The images on the sky screen were a conspiracy created by Danzo abusing his power. He attempted to frame the Hokage and destroy the unity of Konoha."
In a few sentences, the narrative was set.
Everything was Danzo's fault.
The Hokage was deceived and innocent. The Uchiha were victims. Everyone got played by Danzo.
The logic was smooth. Danzo was the villain; everyone else here was a good guy.
Danzo, however, did not agree with this narrative.
Several ANBU rushed into the shop.
The gravity field had vanished; Roy didn't keep it running.
Danzo had just scrambled up from the floor. Before he could regain his balance, two ANBU agents pinned him by the shoulders.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo's mouth was full of blood, his single eye staring daggers at his old friend.
"You're burning the bridge after crossing it! You dare arrest me?"
"Everything I did was for the Leaf! You weak-willed..."
"Gag him."
Hiruzen didn't look at him.
His heart was pounding. If Danzo started spilling real secrets now, the situation would be unsalvageable.
An ANBU moved quickly, dislocating Danzo's jaw and wrapping his mouth with a special sealing cloth.
Danzo struggled desperately.
But he was heavily injured, his chakra was a mess, and he couldn't break the ANBU's hold.
As he was dragged past Hiruzen, Danzo's eye was filled with venom and disbelief.
Hiruzen refused to make eye contact, turning his head away.
He felt clever. As long as Danzo couldn't talk, the mud wouldn't stick to him.
"Fugaku."
Hiruzen looked at the Uchiha Clan Head.
"Danzo has been arrested. He will be stripped of all titles and indefinitely confined in the Root prison for interrogation."
"The village will compensate the Uchiha clan for the shock you received tonight."
"The extermination plan was purely Danzo's insane delusion. As long as I am Hokage, the Uchiha are part of the Leaf."
It was a beautiful speech.
It gave the Uchiha a way out while preserving the Hokage's image of impartiality.
Fugaku watched coldly.
He wasn't a three-year-old. This was a compromise.
The Third was shifting the blame, but Fugaku didn't call him out. This was the best possible outcome right now.
Even with the Mangekyo, a full-scale war with the Leaf would end in mutual destruction.
Since the Third had folded, since Danzo had fallen, and since the massacre was called off...
Take the win.
"I hope the Hokage keeps his word."
Fugaku sheathed his sword.
"The Uchiha will be watching you."
Fugaku left that threat hanging, then waved his hand.
"Police Force, listen up! Fall back! Return to the compound!"
"SIR!"
Hundreds of Uchiha shouted in unison.
They sheathed their weapons and withdrew in orderly formation.
Before leaving, every Uchiha took a deep look at the Mirage Dojo.
That shopkeeper was their benefactor and their new backer. Fugaku had declared it Uchiha territory, but they all knew this mysterious man had power that went far deeper than that.
The crowd began to disperse.
Villagers walked away, whispering among themselves.
Tonight was too big to digest quickly.
The Third had pinned it on Danzo, but the seed of doubt was planted.
Once the filter of the "kindly grandfather" cracked, it could never be fully repaired.
Hiruzen stood on the empty street, feeling ten years older.
He glanced at Roy inside the shop.
The young man was sweeping up broken glass as if nothing had happened.
Hiruzen thought for a moment, decided not to push his luck, and turned to leave.
He knew that from tonight on, the sky over Konoha had changed.
---
Inside the Shop.
Roy swept the last shards of glass into the bin.
The door was broken, the window drafted, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was the loot.
He sat behind the counter and pulled up the System Interface.
[Dungeon Event Calculation...]
[Event Name: Reversal of the Massacre Night.]
[Participants: Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki.]
[Impact Radius: All of Konoha.]
[Core Achievements: Danzo Canceled, Third Hokage Humiliated, Uchiha Saved, Naruto Awakened.]
[Overall Rating: S-Rank.]
Gold text flashed across his vision.
[Rewards Distributed:]
1. Destiny Points: 5,000.
Roy did the math. 5,000 points was a fortune.
Trickling Sasuke into a single run only netted him a few dozen points. This was instant wealth.
With these points, he could unlock higher-tier dungeons, buy overpowered items, or buff his own stats.
2. Skill Draw: Uchiha Fire Style Mastery (Grandmaster Level).
A warm current flooded Roy's body.
Knowledge about Fire Style rushed into his brain.
Hand seals, chakra flow, nature transformation nuances.
Fireball, Phoenix Flower, Dragon Flame, Great Dragon Fire—even the secret Uchiha techniques were burned into his memory instantly.
Roy snapped his fingers.
A dark red flame danced on his fingertip.
Instant cast. No hand seals needed.
The temperature was so high the air around it shimmered.
"Not bad."
Roy clenched his fist, snuffing the flame.
In this dangerous world, being invincible only inside the shop wasn't enough.
What if he went out to buy groceries and got mugged?
With this skill, he at least had Jonin-level damage output.
3. Facility Upgrade: Shop Expansion Permit.
[Execute immediately?]
"Execute."
Roy mentally commanded.
The floor vibrated slightly.
The cramped shop suddenly began to stretch.
Walls expanded outward, the ceiling rose.
The lobby, which was barely fifty square meters, instantly grew to two hundred.
The decor changed too.
Rotting floorboards became polished marble.
Peeling walls became sleek, silver-gray metal panels with a sci-fi vibe.
On the left side of the hall, a row of brand new metal pods appeared—ten in total.
On the right side, a massive semi-circular area formed.
[Holographic Viewing Area]
Even if you didn't enter a dungeon, you could sit here and watch 3D projections of other people's runs.
Of course, heh, tickets sold separately.
Roy looked at his renovated shop with satisfaction.
Now this looked like the Number One Dojo in the Multiverse.
In the corner.
Sasuke and Naruto were still sitting on the floor. They hadn't left.
Sasuke's wounds had stopped bleeding.
The System buff not only boosted stats but also provided some regen.
He stared at the bloodstain by the door—Danzo's blood.
"He's not dead."
Sasuke spoke suddenly.
"The Third took him away. Said he's under house arrest."
Sasuke ground his teeth.
He was young, but not stupid.
House arrest? That sounded like protective custody.
As long as Danzo was alive, as long as he held the secrets of Root, the Third wouldn't kill him.
Once the heat died down, he might be let out again.
"I'm too weak."
Sasuke looked down at his hands. Hands that couldn't kill a single Root ninja in the dungeon.
In reality, facing Danzo's attack, he could only wait to die.
If the shopkeeper hadn't stepped in...
The feeling of powerlessness was crushing him. He was the Uchiha heir, the so-called genius.
But in this cruel ninja world, a genius who didn't grow up was just a joke.
Sasuke walked to the counter, his arrogance gone.
He bowed deeply to Roy. A full ninety degrees.
"Thank you for saving me. And thank you for saving the Uchiha."
Sasuke looked up.
"Shopkeeper, I want to get strong."
"I don't want to be the one protected anymore. I don't want my brother to carry everything alone."
"I want to kill that old man with my own hands. I want the Leaf's high command to pay."
"I don't care how much money it costs, or what the price is. As long as I can get stronger, I'll pay it."
Roy looked at Sasuke.
The avenger from the original story had veered off course.
He had veered into something more extreme—not a mad dog blinded by hate, but a lucid, calculating avenger.
"Want to get strong?"
Roy pointed to the row of new pods.
"Then grind the dungeons. Experience life and death. Hone your skills. As long as you have enough points, evolving your Sharingan isn't hard."
"Yes!" Sasuke nodded firmly.
Beside him, Naruto scrambled up.
Danzo's order to "dispose of him" had shattered his world view.
He thought if he pulled enough pranks, if he got enough attention, he would be acknowledged.
He thought Grandpa Hiruzen was the nicest person in the world.
All lies.
He was a container. A tool. An object to be sacrificed.
When the monster inside him—the Nine-Tails—went berserk, he felt that power.
It was evil, sure. That's why everyone hated him.
"Mister."
Naruto walked to the counter.
He didn't bow like Sasuke. He looked straight into Roy's eyes.
His blue eyes held less innocence and more grit.
"I want to get strong too."
Naruto clenched his fist over his heart.
"I don't want to be called a Demon Fox anymore. I don't want people deciding if I live or die."
"I want everyone to acknowledge me. Not because I have a monster inside me."
"But because I am Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto's voice was steady.
"I'm going to use my own power so that the people who want to kill me won't dare look down on me again!"
Roy smiled. This was the beauty of derailing the plot.
In the original timeline, these two kids had to go through years of confusion and pain.
Now, hate and the threat of death had forced them to awaken early.
"Excellent."
Roy pulled two cards from under the counter.
One gold. One black.
Freshly minted membership cards.
"Since you have the resolve, get a card."
Roy slid the cards to them, flashing a standard merchant's smile.
"We have a new membership system. Top up now for bonus points. The more you spend, the more you get."
"Want to change your destiny? It starts with a microtransaction."