At the same time, Jiraiya was also making his way back to Konoha.
He was already certain now—Naruto Uzumaki was the Child of Prophecy, the one destined to bring about a fundamental transformation of the shinobi world.
"It seems… the future me failed to guide Naruto down the right path," Jiraiya muttered, scratching his head with a grim smile.
"Well then, this time I won't fail. Hahaha…"
Konoha — Ninja Academy
The moment the projection vanished, the suffocating silence lasted no more than three seconds.
"Naruto Uzumaki!!!"
A roar filled with extreme rage and agony suddenly exploded through the classroom.
Sasuke Uchiha's black pupils constricted violently. Like a provoked predator, he lunged at Naruto—who was still standing there, confused and at a loss.
Naruto was caught completely off guard.
A heavy punch slammed into his face, sending him stumbling backward before he crashed to the floor!
"You bastard—! You actually dared…!"
Sasuke mounted him, his eyes bloodshot, fists raining down like a storm.
"You dared to implant the Sharingan?!
I'll kill you!! The honor of the Uchiha will not be defiled!!"
Having just endured the pain of his clan's massacre, the Sharingan was, to Sasuke, suffering and power—but above all, the final symbol and sacred taboo of his family.
Seeing future Naruto tear a Sharingan from his arm and use an Uchiha forbidden technique—
That impact struck him far more directly, far more unbearably, than even witnessing Naruto destroy the world.
"Ah—! That hurts! You bastard, Sasuke!"
Naruto cried out in pain, anger flaring as well. He struggled to block the blows and shouted back:
"That wasn't me! It has nothing to do with me!
That was some future lunatic you know—not me!!"
Naruto felt utterly wronged and furious. He had done nothing—yet he was being blamed for everything, and now beaten for it.
But Sasuke, blinded by hatred and the weight of clan pride, couldn't hear any explanation.
All he wanted was to vent the pain and fury in his heart with his fists.
"Stop it! Sasuke—stop right now!"
Iruka finally snapped out of his shock and rushed forward, forcibly pulling the raging Sasuke off Naruto.
Naruto staggered to his feet, battered and bruised—his lip split, his face covered in welts and bruises.
He glared furiously at Sasuke, who was being restrained by Iruka, his blue eyes filled with grievance, anger, and deep confusion.
Sasuke struggled violently, and though he was held back, the hatred and killing intent in his stare toward Naruto was undisguised.
Panting heavily, Sasuke growled each word through clenched teeth:
"Naruto Uzumaki… just you wait."
This was far from over.
The rest of the students sat frozen in fear. When they looked at Naruto again, their gazes held even more terror and distance than before.
Akatsuki
One by one, the Akatsuki members' gazes converged—heavy with unspoken meaning—on Itachi Uchiha.
Those looks contained greed, curiosity, caution… and a faint, dangerous eagerness.
"Fufufu…"
Orochimaru was the first to break the silence.
His golden, slit pupils gleamed like someone who had just discovered a priceless treasure. His long tongue slid across his lips as he laughed softly—a sound that sent chills down the spine.
"To think… the Uchiha clan was hiding such a magnificent secret.
Izanagi—turning reality into illusion, rewriting death itself…"
He sighed in genuine admiration.
"It's practically a second life prepared in advance."
His words immediately stirred deeper ripples among the others.
Kakuzu's green eyes glittered as he calculated—how much such a technique would be worth in money… or how many extra lives it could buy him to earn even more.
"A jutsu that alters reality…"
Even Sasori, hidden within Hiruko, let out a low, ambiguous rasp.
"Another form of ultimate art, perhaps?"
Zetsu's Venus flytrap body swayed slightly, both the black and white halves wearing unsettling expressions.
They were all elite rogue ninja, veterans of the shinobi world—but a survival technique as broken as Izanagi was something they had never even heard of.
That even Orochimaru—famous for his encyclopedic knowledge and obsession with mastering all jutsu—had been unaware of it spoke volumes about just how secret and precious it was.
Itachi Uchiha remained expressionless, as though he couldn't feel the scorching gazes around him.
Yet beneath the Akatsuki cloak, his body was taut with tension. His Mangekyō Sharingan chakra stirred silently, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
Alarm bells rang loudly in his mind.
The exposure of Izanagi had pushed him into an extremely dangerous position.
One who carries a priceless jade invites disaster.
He understood that truth better than anyone.
Fortunately, Pain's Deva Path stood before them like a statue—its Rinnegan radiating absolute pressure, temporarily suppressing any thoughts of immediate violence.
Until the leader spoke, no one dared to attack a full member outright.
Orochimaru, however, clearly had no intention of letting this go.
He licked his face with that unsettling tongue again and stared intently at Itachi.
"Itachi-kun," he said smoothly, "such a beautiful technique shouldn't be monopolized.
Perhaps… you'd be willing to exchange Izanagi for some forbidden jutsu I possess—or something you might find… interesting?"
Itachi gave no verbal reply.
Instead, he lifted his head sharply.
His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan met Orochimaru's gaze directly, releasing cold killing intent and overwhelming ocular pressure.
A clear warning.
But to someone as obsessed with the Sharingan and immortality as Orochimaru, that warning only poured oil onto the flames.
"Heh…"
Rather than fear, Orochimaru's smile widened with excitement.
His gaze locked onto Itachi's dazzling, dangerous eyes, his voice thick with sick fascination.
"What… beautiful eyes."
Less admiration of power—
More coveting of a future possession.
Itachi's heart turned cold.
He knew it.
From this moment on, his situation within Akatsuki had become far more perilous.
But he didn't care.
The disappearance of the projection did not bring peace.
Instead, it marked the opening of real-world turmoil.
Konoha—the greatest of the Five Great Villages, still reeling from the Uchiha Clan Massacre—was now facing even greater pressure from the outside world.
On the desk in the Hokage's office, towering stacks of documents had nothing to do with missions.
They were letters of interrogation and condemnation from the other four great villages—each harsher than the last.
Mixed among them were letters from Fire Country daimyō and his retainers, expressing their "grave concern."
Every spearpoint aimed at a single name—
Naruto Uzumaki.
"Naruto Uzumaki must be dealt with."
"If not eliminated, then he must be placed under the joint supervision of the Five Great Villages."
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