At that exact moment, notification sounds echoed in both Rin and Obito's group chats. The adults quickly reached for their phones, and as they opened the messages simultaneously and read through them carefully, their expressions hardened. Without hesitation, they changed direction, leading the children with them to a different location. The messages had come from Kakashi.
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Meanwhile...
In a dark room filled with advanced machines and highly intelligent computer systems, a figure sat cloaked in shadows, facing the largest screen in the room. An overwhelming flow of data streamed across the black display in the form of numbers and codes.
Suddenly, the code morphed into a video feed displaying various individuals we all know well—Zabuza and his White Fang gang among them.
There was footage of Sasuke and Ino entering a hospital, followed by Sakura and Kiba walking purposefully somewhere. Then came the Red Devil's group, and finally Lily's team. All of them were being monitored by this enigmatic figure, who now wore a sinister smile.
"As expected of Tsunade… You covered your tracks well. And yet, you changed your plan at the last moment and chose to escape. You're a cunning old hag… But it's too late. My objective has already been achieved—despite you."
He pressed a final button. All the screens powered down—except for one. A blank white screen remained, casting a pale glow over the otherwise pitch-black room.
The shadowed figure rose from his chair and began to walk away.
"This was a fun game… I look forward to your next move—one of the Legendary Three..."
With those parting words, he closed the door behind him, leaving the room and its secrets in utter darkness.
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At that very moment, in the Namikaze clan's estate.
Minato sat in the family head's chair, his hand on his forehead, staring downwards with a dark expression—almost desperate, almost broken.
(This all happened because I allowed something as foolish as a political agreement to separate me from my son… I never should have let him go… I let Naruto slip right through my fingers. Because I let him go… this is what happened. Do I even deserve to be called his father?)
Minato blamed himself, the inability to protect Naruto weighing on him heavier than anything he had ever experienced. He, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, the man who was known for resolving problems in the blink of an eye—couldn't even find his own son.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. A familiar name lit up the screen.
"Carol?" he whispered.
He opened the message. With every word he read, light returned to his eyes. Placing the phone on the table, he stood up abruptly.
(They found him!)
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Elsewhere, in Room 108.
A girl sat alone in silence, surrounded by a heavy, somber aura. Her idol phone buzzed endlessly with notifications, yet her real phone remained chillingly silent.
She lay on her bed, her mature figure shifting slightly as she stared up at the ceiling in sorrow. It had been so long—without news, without anything. Her home had become unbearable. This apartment had become her refuge.
The feeling was all too familiar. It was the same as that day nearly ten years ago when she'd received the devastating news of his death. Her heart pounded. She placed her hand over her chest, pressing down on her soft curves in mourning.
"Don't think about that... Naruto… will come back… He won't go far… I'm sure he won't…" she whispered to herself.
Scarlet tears slipped out from under the mask that concealed her stunning blue eyes. No matter how well it hid her face, it couldn't conceal her grief—not anymore.
Then, suddenly, the silence was broken. Her real phone rang—its unique ringtone piercing through the gloom.
The crimson idol sat up instantly, her eyes darting to the screen. It was a message—from someone she'd met so many times, someone she trusted enough to give her real number to. A friend of her precious, missing boy.
Her face lit up in an instant. She screamed, joyfully, desperately.
"He's been found!!"
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Toward the massive Uzumaki estate, once beginning to shine with familial warmth, now once again a source of sorrow, despair, and overwhelming gloom. The light had vanished with the one who once brightened it all.
In the clan head's room, the elderly matriarch Mito lay there, visibly drained, her body frail and nearing its limits.
Beside her sat her eldest son, Senju heir Uzumaki Oshino. He gently held her hand, silently offering his presence and support.
"Any… news… of my grandson? Any… news… about Naruto…?"
Mito's weak voice came with short breaths and quiet coughing. It was clear she refused to surrender to death before knowing her grandson's fate.
Oshino didn't answer. He looked around, watching his siblings and their families sitting quietly.
Yukiteru, his younger brother, gently comforted Yuna and their daughter Rebecca, assuring them Mito would be fine.
On the other side of the room sat Mikael with his wife and daughter Yuha, immersed in a dreadful, suffocating silence.
Then suddenly—Yukiteru's phone buzzed. He hurried to check the message, eyes widening in shock. His face lit up.
"They… found him…!"
Those words reignited life in the room that had been preparing for death.
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Elsewhere in the same estate, in the female servants' wing.
On a pristine bed lay a stunning dark-skinned woman with heavenly blue eyes. She wore a glossy white pajama set and let her short hair fall naturally, unstyled.
She stared at the ceiling, sadness etched into her features. Like a mother mourning a lost child—because she had been one to him. She had watched him grow from a helpless boy into a mature young man… even into a clan leader.
She exhaled softly, holding back tears. Her phone screen was glowing—an ongoing video call with a young man sporting red hair and crimson eyes. He wasn't extraordinarily handsome, but certainly not plain either.
"My little brother went with them… so they're bound to find him. Don't forget—Lucian is strong. He'll protect your young master no matter what."
The red-haired man smiled confidently, trying to reassure her.
Mina smiled faintly in return. She was grateful for a man like him—one who didn't love her for her beauty, her status, or her background, but simply… for being herself.
"But you're the same person who keeps saying Lucian shouldn't turn into a delinquent like you," she teased lightly, chuckling.
He smiled with a touch of embarrassment.
"I had nothing else to give him back then… except my stories as a delinquent. Now he wants to be like me. Guess I messed him up."
"And the young master too..."
"Both of us failed as parents… didn't we, my dear?"
"Yes… you're right."
Finding comfort in each other, Mina and the red-haired man kept talking, holding on to hope… waiting for news about Naruto.
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In a different estate, adorned with a unique emblem.
A secret meeting was underway—one unlike the usual family gatherings. Only the most important figures of the clan were present.
With their distinct brown hair and pale, pupil-less eyes, this was unmistakably the Hyuga clan.
Among them was the elderly genius Hamura Hyuga, the man who had elevated the clan to its current prestige.
Standing before him were Hyuga Hiashi—the father of Hinata and Himawari—and the current clan head, Hyuga Hizashi, father of the prodigy Neji Hyuga, the boy prophesied to change the clan's fate and lead them to dominance.
Other notable names surrounded them, and a heated discussion raged on.
"They say the White Fang gang has been wiped out! They were Konoha's number one gang and maintained underground balance. Who could eliminate them in a single day—without leaving a trace?!"
Hamura's eyes were sharp, his tone full of concern. The White Fang gang had always remained neutral, avoiding actions that might incite clan wars.
Naruto's situation was different. Since no one knew of it, his mysterious disappearance would be conveniently covered up by the Uzumaki and Namikaze—likely to avoid scandal and maintain peace.
"Whoever could do this is no ordinary person. Are we about to enter a war? What is this individual's goal? Why would they attack a neutral gang?"
Hizashi spoke, trying to find logic, but the evidence was sparse—far too little to reach a meaningful conclusion.
"With the White Fang gone, the underground will descend into chaos! A new gang must rise to replace them, or crimes will skyrocket. The Uchiha won't be able to handle the surge in gang activity!" Hiashi added gravely.
"But isn't that… good? If the Uchiha get weaker, we can gradually take control—add more medics on our end, and with higher casualties, profits will soar."
"That's not humane… We won't exploit this and wait idly for war!"
"He's right… this doesn't concern us. And whoever attacked the White Fang doesn't seem to be targeting us directly. Let the Uchiha handle their mess!"
The debates continued to escalate. Hamura stared upward, his thoughts drifting... toward the moon.
"Will your words prove true in the end… Mother? Is this truly the fate of Konoha?"
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In a fortress-like estate, surrounded by other massive mansions, dark and imposing like a state within a state—stood the great Uchiha estate.
The Uchiha brothers had gathered for an urgent discussion. Watching them silently was the ancient figure Indra.
"I've been a bit uneasy about this boy Sasuke's been looking for… the one named Sarutobi Naruto. So, I did some digging," Fugaku began, throwing papers onto the table.
Madara and Kizuna examined them, frowning slightly.
"Naruto and Sasuke first interacted around ten years ago, near the main road separating Uchiha and Namikaze lands. After that, they began meeting regularly, attending the same middle school, and now high school."
"He had a past connection with a Haruno girl—not a major clan, but not insignificant either… Didn't they have a boy said to have died from three gunshots? His name was Haruno Sasori."
"As if these events follow Naruto like a shadow… wait—wasn't Itachi's betrayal around the same time? Could there be a connection?"
Fugaku's eyes narrowed as he examined the dates of Sasori's death and Itachi's defection—both within a month of each other.
"Isn't that just coincidence?" Madara asked.
But Fugaku and Kizuna exchanged knowing looks… and sighed.
"Maybe you're right... Maybe I'm reading too much into it."
"No… I think you're onto something. I wouldn't have connected those events myself—but maybe they're more than coincidence."
"Let's expand our investigation. I suspect Naruto hides a dangerous secret. We must uncover it before it's too late."
"We'll question Sasuke once his current mission ends—maybe he can get us some answers."
"When will you send him on that mission?"
"Oh, that? For now… I'll let him wrap things up here. When he's ready, he'll come to me."
"Good thing he volunteered. I was about to send Obito or Shisui."
"Looks like Sasuke is finally starting to take his responsibilities seriously."
The meeting continued. Indra remained silent the entire time, his eyes closed… lost in thought.
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Lub-dub… lub-dub… lub-dub…
The rhythmic sound of a heartbeat echoed through the white hospital room. In the center, a single bed held a body under a blanket, hooked to a monitor.
The fingers twitched… the mouth parted as if inhaling life once more.
Then slowly, those eyes opened—two piercing blue irises staring into the void.
He had awakened.
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#To_Be_Continued