"But I need answers," Naruto said, urgency leaking into his voice. "Is Nagato alive or dead? Why does Yahiko have Nagato's eyes? Is it like how Kakashi got Obito's? Did Nagato give them to Yahiko? I have to meet him myself."
Itachi reached over and draped a calm hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll help you. Truth is... I became a rogue ninja under orders from Hiruzen and Danzo, just to infiltrate Akatsuki. I've been watching them. I'll share what I know."
Naruto's expression shifted into something more dangerous. "Oh? Hiruzen and Danzo again? In that case..." he smirked darkly, "I think it's time I paid my old mentors a visit."
The others all fell silent, faces frozen in awkward smiles, but their inner thoughts were anything but calm:
'Those two are about to get slow-cooked on a spit of karma...'
'I almost feel bad for them… almost.'
Far away in the prison, both Hiruzen and Danzo shivered at the same moment—but had no idea why. The storm wasn't coming. It had already arrived, and it was wearing a grin.
Back at the dango shop, the conversation softened. Everyone began opening up, the air growing lighter, though Naruto still remained the sun they orbited around.
Eventually, Naruto stood. "Alright. Time to split ways, I guess."
"But, Naruto—" Sasuke began.
Naruto cut him off gently. "Sasuke, Itachi isn't a child. He doesn't need us to dote on him or force him home. He's an adult—he can choose his own path. When he's ready, he'll come back on his own."
Itachi gave a soft smile. Then he stepped forward and flicked Sasuke's forehead, just like old times.
Sasuke's eyes widened at the familiar gesture. He swallowed hard, nodding silently.
Then the brothers embraced.
Shisui came next, pulling Itachi into a tight hug with a quiet grin. "Don't do anything reckless, you hear?"
When it came to Izumi, she didn't hesitate. She ran into his arms, clutching him tightly.
"Be careful. Eat properly. Don't overuse your Mangekyō—it'll make you go blind. And even if you do, I'll take care of you, idiot. But still… don't push yourself. If you ever feel like coming home—just come back. No questions asked."
And then, in front of everyone, she kissed him softly on the lips.
Even Kisame looked away with a whistle.
After their farewells, Itachi and Kisame turned and began to leave the village.
But just before they crossed the boundary, Itachi looked back.
Atop a distant rooftop, two silhouettes watched him.
Fugaku and Mikoto.
They hadn't approached. Their guilt kept them rooted. They still couldn't forgive themselves for how they failed to protect their son. But their eyes never left him—not for a second.
As they watched Itachi disappear into the horizon, a voice suddenly rang behind them.
"Did you see him?"
Both parents jumped, startled.
"Naruto! Could you not pop out of thin air like a ghost?" Mikoto scolded, clutching her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
Naruto just grinned, totally unapologetic. "My bad. But hey—he looked back, didn't he?"
Both parents fell silent... then nodded.
"He did."
"Don't carry all that guilt on your shoulders," Naruto said gently, placing a hand on Fugaku and Mikoto's shoulders. "Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is we don't repeat them. I think he'll come back. So when he does… be ready to welcome him home."
They looked up at him—this boy who had carried their burdens without hesitation—and nodded.
"Thank you. For everything you've done," Fugaku said sincerely.
"Really… thank you," Mikoto added, her voice soft with emotion.
Naruto waved them off with a crooked grin. "Hey now, don't flatter me too much. I might blush."
They both chuckled, shaking their heads, the heaviness in their chests eased just a little. The three of them parted ways—Naruto heading toward the prison, while the Uchiha couple returned home.
At the Konoha Prison
Naruto arrived, the guards already on high alert the moment he entered.
"Where are Hiruzen and Danzo?" he asked calmly, though there was a sharpness in his tone that made the nearby guard straighten up like a rod.
"They're in the lowest level," the guard replied, swallowing thickly. "I'll guide you."
As Naruto passed through the prison halls, he could feel the stench of bloodlust hanging in the air. This wasn't your average jail—it was a pit of darkness where Konoha locked away its nightmares.
From the cells, a raspy voice called out, "Hey kid! You bust me outta here, I'll split my treasure with you!"
CLANG!
The guard slammed his baton against the bars. "Shut it, scum!"
"Apologies, Naruto. These ones are... volatile," the guard muttered.
Naruto simply nodded, calm and unbothered, like royalty among peasants.
Eventually, they reached the deepest floor—a damp, hollow space eerily silent except for the distant drip of water echoing through the stone.
In one reinforced cell sat three men and one woman: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.
Their heads turned slowly when they heard the guard speak.
"You've got a visitor."
They looked up... and their faces instantly paled.
"Visitor?" Hiruzen whispered.
The guard stepped aside, revealing a silhouette cloaked in darkness.
And then—Naruto stepped forward.
The devil himself.
Their blood froze.
"Nope. Nope. No thanks," Danzo croaked, inching back like a cornered rat.
"Can we request a different visitor?" Koharu asked, voice trembling.
"You all look like you've seen a ghost," Naruto grinned, cracking his knuckles one by one. "Miss me, old foggies?"
The guard smirked, unlocking the door with a heavy clank.
"They're all yours, Naruto."
And with that, he walked away—whistling like he just handed over a delivery package and not four terrified elders.
This floor used to be filled with other prisoners.
But after these four were locked up?
Everyone else was relocated.
Why?
Simple.
They screamed too loud whenever Naruto visited.
And now... he was back.
To understand why they feared Naruto, we must rewind time—back to the moment of their arrest.
After Tsunade ordered the imprisonment of Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu, the village stirred with unease. Whispers spread like wildfire. Accusations of treason against former Hokage advisors? Unbelievable.
Predictably, their clans erupted in outrage, demanding immediate release.
But this was four clans versus the entire village—a rare moment when the Hidden Leaf stood united.
Then came Fugaku, like the calm before a storm. He presented solid, undeniable evidence: classified documents, mission records, and audio logs—meticulously collected proof of conspiracies, manipulations, and the attempted extermination of the Uchiha.
Their clans fell silent. The guilt was undeniable.
Without a word, they left.
Worse still, Fugaku's evidence didn't just implicate the four—it dragged several aged shinobi from multiple clans into the light. A purge began.
Old secrets unearthed. Old names erased.
Fugaku and Hiashi Hyuga personally led the raids. Plans crafted with cold precision by Shikaku Nara.
The Leaf was being cleansed.
While all this unfolded, Naruto sent a shadow clone to visit the infamous "Konoha Four"—as people had begun calling Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura, and Koharu.
They had been sealed in the lowest levels of the prison—deep underground, where even whispers struggled to reach.
Naruto entered silently, calm as a lamb.
But truth? A tiger had just stepped into the wolves' den.
Inside their cell, Hiruzen remained eerily quiet. He knew.
But the others? Oh, they had mouths to run.
"Hey! Jinchūriki brat! What are you doing here? Come to gloat?!" Kotaru barked, lips curled in disdain.
Naruto simply smiled.
Then—SLAP.
Kotaru's body slammed against the wall like a broken doll, embedding into it with a sickening crunch.
Silence fell.
Danzo flinched. Homura's jaw trembled. Hiruzen only sighed, eyes cast down.
"Now," Naruto said, brushing dust from his knuckles, "shall we talk like the old days?"
He set down a wooden box between them. A simple, clean box. Unlocked.
They leaned forward—morbid curiosity overriding fear.
Inside were tools. Not weapons, not scrolls. Tools.
Carpentry tools.
A screwdriver. A hammer. A chisel. A cutter. Pliers. A small handsaw.
"Do you know what these are?" Naruto asked softly. "Tools. For building things… or for taking them apart."
Their faces paled.