Civil War
After separating a portion of his chakra and allowing shadow clones to move around the Land of Water, Naruto arrived at Kirigakure.
Unlike Konohagakure, where the sunlight filters through the leaves and shadows stretch beneath towering trees, Kirigakure was perpetually veiled in a dense mist. Standing at the village entrance, Naruto could barely make out the Mizukage's Office at its center. The air was damp, carrying a faint metallic scent—perhaps a remnant of the Bloody Mist era.
As he wandered through the streets, Naruto gathered valuable information, but what stood out most was the attitude of the villagers toward the ninja.
In Konoha, even genin and outsiders were met with some measure of arrogance, but in Kirigakure, there was only fear. The villagers secretly resented the ninja, yet outwardly, they remained deferential, too afraid to show even the slightest disrespect.
After all, in a place where strength dictated authority, villagers had the freedom to insult others—just as much as the ninja had the freedom to retaliate.
Perhaps it was this law of strength or Kirigakure's geographic isolation that reminded Naruto of a country from his past life. Unfortunately, Kirigakure lacked the capability to act as an offshore balancer in the ninja world.
Sensing the air thick with unease, Kurama opened his eyes and scoffed, "I hate this place. The negativity here is worse than Konoha's. That old turtle of the Three-Tails is still holed up here, right?"
"Of course. The only villages that can compare with Konoha in atmosphere are Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Even there, jinchūriki face discrimination, and the other villages are no better."
"Then why did you leave Konoha with me?"
Naruto's voice was indifferent. "Konoha only seems good because the other villages are worse. That doesn't mean it isn't bad. In the end, the entire ninja world is just varying degrees of rotten."
He paused, then exhaled softly. "Of course, if the Third Hokage had been a little more responsible, if he had the courage to truly bear the burden of leadership, maybe I would've stayed. I would've fought for the title of the Seventh Hokage and slowly reformed the village."
Kurama caught onto something and snorted. "Seventh Hokage? Why not Sixth?"
Naruto smirked. "You don't just become Hokage. You have to be the apprentice of the current Hokage first. The Third would never take me as his student, so I'd have to be trained by his successor. That way, I could eventually inherit the position."
"So if an Uchiha became Hokage's apprentice, he might've had a shot at the title too?"
Naruto's gaze flickered toward a figure at his side—Namikaze Minato. Then he sighed. "Maybe… But even if an Uchiha were chosen, he'd die under mysterious circumstances before he could ever take the hat."
Kurama's ears twitched, and he let out a derisive chuckle. "You humans are twisted. Always scheming, always betraying. Kirigakure's system is straightforward—strength is respected. Maybe I should become Mizukage."
Naruto scoffed. "And let the masked man control you again?"
His teasing tone quickly faded into seriousness. "From what I've gathered, the one who manipulated you and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, was the same person—an Uchiha with a space-time dōjutsu. Could the masked man be Uchiha Madara?"
At this, Minato, who had been silently listening, stiffened.
Naruto's earlier remark—'The Hokage always ensures an Uchiha disciple dies'—had already shaken him. But now, the possibility that the masked man was Madara raised even more questions. If that attack on Konoha hadn't happened, if Minato had survived… would things have turned out differently?
Kurama's deep voice rumbled. "Even though he controlled me, he wasn't Madara. If he were, he wouldn't have needed my power to destroy Konoha. That level of battle… is beyond anything you humans can comprehend."
His expression darkened as he recalled that fateful night. The humiliation of being subdued—being played with—still burned in his mind. As the strongest tailed beast, he had been tossed around like a toy, stripped of his freedom, and sealed inside a human for decades.
Shaking off the memory, Kurama muttered, "But even if he's not Madara, he controls White Zetsu. And Zetsu's body… it's a fragment of the Ten-Tails. With that thing's assistance, he's hardly weak."
Minato's brow furrowed. "White Zetsu… the Ten-Tails…?"
Every new revelation deepened his concern. He had always assumed the masked man attacked Konoha for power, revenge, or some personal grudge. But if his true goal was to revive the Ten-Tails, then…
Naruto turned to Kurama, narrowing his eyes. "So the Ten-Tails… it's stronger than you?"
Kurama nodded. "To be precise, the Nine Tailed Beasts were originally one entity—the Ten-Tails. If it's revived, it will become the Shinju, the God Tree. All living beings in the ninja world will be trapped in an eternal slumber."
Minato clenched his fists. "Then the masked man's goal is to gather all the tailed beasts and revive the Ten-Tails?"
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Then, Kurama sighed and spoke with uncharacteristic solemnity. "That's why I told you to gather the chakra of the other tailed beasts. We need to warn them—if the Ten-Tails returns, none of us will be free."
Naruto chuckled, seeing through him. "So you want me to rally the other tailed beasts? That's why you've been so cooperative?"
Kurama snorted but didn't deny it. "The Jinchūriki dies when their beast is extracted. I'll admit—I want you to survive. But beyond that, this isn't just about me. The fate of the ninja world is at stake."
Minato, deep in thought, couldn't help but wonder. Could tailed beasts truly care about the world?
Naruto smirked. "Kurama, I liked you better when you were more feral. Back then, at least you could still bare your fangs. You were much cuter than the grumpy ball of fur you are now."
Kurama let out an annoyed huff and turned away.
Just then, Naruto's expression tensed. He turned toward the Mizukage's Office, eyes narrowing.
Dark silhouettes were darting from the building, heading toward the far end of Kirigakure.
"Did Mangetsu and the others make their move early? Or… is Kirigakure under attack?"
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