(Note: This world is not the main Naruto timeline. Contradictions in events or timeline are intentional.)
The turmoil shaking the ninja world had no effect on the sky screen. Unbothered, it continued to play.
"I'll use Shadow Clones to deal with you!"The blond boy pressed his hands together, forming seals. In a flash, dozens of clones appeared on the narrow path carved into the cave. With a battle cry, they charged the black chakra–covered tentacle monster.
But the assault failed. The mass of thrashing tentacles ripped through the clones with terrifying speed, then slammed into the boy's real body, hurling him to the ground.
Dust and rubble filled the cavern. Yet even as his body trembled with pain, the blond boy propped himself up, teeth clenched."I… won't die!"
From the doorway of a nearby meatball shop, Team 7 watched the scene unfold on the sky screen.
Sakura leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Doesn't that boy… look like Naruto?"
Naruto blinked, confused, staring upward. "H-Hey! You're right! Wait—why the heck am I up there?!"
"Don't get worked up, idiot," Sasuke cut in sharply, though his own eyes lingered on the screen. "That guy's older than you."
Kakashi said nothing, his single eye narrowing as he analyzed quietly. Sasuke's right. The age is off… but everything else—the hair, the face, even the way he moves—he's identical to Naruto.
All across Konoha, people who knew Naruto had the same reaction. Some wondered aloud, but most dismissed the thought, chalking it up to coincidence. Others, the villagers who despised him, whispered darkly about the Nine-Tails, convinced it was all part of some sinister conspiracy.
In the Pure Land, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina watched the boy with growing unease. For Minato, the hair, the eyes, and the aura were all too familiar. He already had a strong guess.
On the screen, the blond boy darted side to side through the air, kunai flashing as he sliced down several tentacles. But his eyes flicked toward the magma below, catching a glimpse of something strange—a purple glow, shaped like an eye."An eye…?"
The thought barely formed when agony struck. A black tentacle tore through his body from behind, lifting him off the ground. His pupils contracted, crimson drops splattering across his face. His body went limp, limbs dangling as strength left him.
Below, a girl with long beige hair collapsed to her knees, her voice breaking with grief."Naruto!!"
The screen shifted upward, revealing a monstrous shape outlined against the magma. In its hollow eyes, two lights flickered—one white, one purple.
"…Naruto?!" Sakura gasped. Her gaze shot to Kakashi, then back to Naruto, worry written all over her face.
Kakashi's tone was grim. "Don't panic. It could be an enemy's trick."
"The last one…" Sasuke muttered, frowning. His eyes flicked from the screen back to Naruto.
Naruto, however, was frozen. His mind buzzed with confusion as he stared at the figure on the screen—his double, his name, his death.
Far away in the Land of Tea, Jiraiya looked up from his travels, stunned. "Naruto?! Could that be… Minato's kid?"
In the Pure Land, Kushina's pupils shrank. "That's him. That's my Naruto!"
Minato's face darkened with worry. His earlier hope vanished. "It really is our child… but what is this scene?"
Elsewhere, in the Land of Demons, the shrine maiden Shion tilted her head at the fleeting image of the beige-haired girl.
The screen shifted again. Clouds filled the sky above a Konoha torii gate. In a deep pit, a coffin wrapped in shimenawa rope was lowered into the earth.
A girl with short pink hair sobbed quietly, flanked by a thick-browed boy and a white-eyed youth in white robes. Together, they watched in silence as the coffin was buried. The camera lingered on the gravestone.
Uzumaki Naruto.
"…Uzumaki Naruto?!" Sakura's voice cracked. She stared at the name carved into the stone, her breath catching.
The girl on the screen looked older than her by a few years, her long hair cut short—but the resemblance was undeniable. Sakura knew the truth in her heart.
Sasuke felt the same. His throat tightened as he swallowed, forcing the words out. "Kakashi… is this… the future?"
Naruto's voice broke the silence, loud and desperate. "What?! Why is my name on that gravestone?!"
Kakashi held Sasuke's gaze, then shook his head. "We can't jump to conclusions yet. A vision of the future shown to the entire world… that's even harder to believe than a new enemy."
Across Konoha, the other teams reacted in shock.
Team Guy froze mid-training. Lee saluted the screen. "That's me! And Neji, too!"
Tenten turned to Neji. "What's happening?"
Neji opened his Byakugan, only to shake his head. "Nothing. Let's wait for Guy-sensei. Maybe the village will explain."
Team 10 was no calmer."That's Sakura!" Ino shouted. "Which means the boy… really is Naruto!"
"Tch." Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his temple. "What a drag. This is gonna be troublesome."
Even Choji stopped eating.
Team 8 stared upward as well. Shino was silent, Kiba scratched his head in confusion—but Hinata's face turned pale with worry. Her lips trembled as she whispered:"…Naruto-kun…"
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage came to the same chilling thought as Kakashi: a glimpse of the future. But he didn't dare voice it.
Instead, he gave the order to keep the village calm and prepare countermeasures. If word spread unchecked, the consequences would be catastrophic.