"Wait, Guy!"
Kakashi tried to stop him, but it was too late—
Might Guy had already sent the message.
As shinobi—and with matters involving a jinchūriki—
they really shouldn't speak carelessly.
After all, the dead were dead, and the living were still alive.
And no one knew whether this was genjutsu or something else.
Uzumaki Kushina: That's great! Might Guy, right? Is Kakashi there? What about Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto!
Uchiha Mikoto: Resurrection… reward quizzes… forget that for now. Sasuke, are you okay? Tell Mom—are you alive?
Two mothers were frantic.
Of course—there was another person who was even more anxious.
Rasa: Hey, wait a second! Everyone in Sunagakure, listen up—abort the plan! Don't let Orochimaru succeed!
The Sand shinobi were stunned.
Their Kazekage had been killed—and no one noticed.
And the plan was still ongoing.
This was bad. Very bad.
Kushina: Mikoto? Mikoto, you're dead too?
Mikoto: We'll talk about that later. Sasuke, can you see this?
Sasuke, who was changing clothes while waiting for Kakashi to bring him into the arena, felt his eyes instantly redden.
"Mom… Mom, I'm alive!"
"I swear—I'll kill that bastard with my own hands!"
Five years.
It felt like a dream—hearing his mother's voice again.
In the arena, Naruto scratched his head.
"Uzumaki Kushina?"
"That's weird… it's my first time seeing someone with the same last name as me."
Neji opened his eyes.
He looked at the clueless Naruto before him.
And once again, he was speechless.
Wasn't it obvious?
Above the stands, Orochimaru watched Sarutobi Hiruzen's fluctuating expression with amusement.
"Sensei, you look a little nervous."
"Oh~"
"Must be because you deliberately hid certain truths, right?"
"After all, if everyone knew Naruto was the son of a hero, who would bear the hatred of those idiots?"
"Ah, forgive me, Sensei. You must have done it all for Konoha."
Orochimaru's words were like a hand tightening around Hiruzen's throat.
Many Konoha shinobi turned to look at the Third Hokage.
Naruto: "Auntie, do you know me? What a coincidence—your son has the same name as me."
Everyone: "..."
Third Tsuchikage · Ōnoki: "Looks like this isn't an illusion after all. Even the dead are being pulled in… The Third Hokage really is an old fox."
Fourth Raikage: "Exactly! If that old man were in Kumogakure, we'd have dragged him out and executed him long ago!"
Despite being mortal enemies, the two immediately coordinated once the wind turned against Konoha.
Fifth Mizukage · Terumī Mei: "What exactly are these golden and black screens?"
Fifth Mizukage?
Many were shocked.
Had Kirigakure already chosen a new Mizukage?
Kushina: Stop interrupting! Naruto, I'm your mom! How do you not know me?!
Kushina: Don't tell me you don't even know your father was the Fourth Hokage!
A terrible premonition gripped Kushina.
The moment those words were spoken—
The arena fell deathly silent.
That demon fox…
was the son of a hero?
Don't joke!
The new generation of genin all stared at the clueless Naruto below.
Kiba Inuzuka was completely dumbfounded.
Neji stood stunned for a long while.
Then, suddenly—
He smiled in relief.
Kushina: What exactly happened?!
Kushina: Third Hokage, didn't I entrust Naruto to your care?!
Kushina: This is how you took care of my son?!
Kushina: Minato! Get your dead ass out here! I know you're in the chat!
Kushina's furious voice echoed through the chat, one accusation after another aimed at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Minato Namikaze went completely silent.
Naruto listened in a daze.
Hiruzen was drenched in cold sweat.
Even Mikoto was too frightened to speak.
[Ding~!]
At that moment—
The comparison system's voice rang out again.
To Hiruzen, it sounded like divine music.
And he wasn't the only one.
Kakashi wiped sweat from a forehead that wasn't actually sweating.
He was terrified.
Truly terrified.
Afraid that the next moment, Kushina would call out his name.
Fortunately, once the system's voice sounded, Kushina's audio was temporarily restricted.
[Content loading complete.]
[Comparison viewing countdown begins…]
[Ten… Nine… One!]
[Friendly reminder: Watch carefully and participate actively in the reward quiz.]
[Comparison viewing begins!]
Buzz—
The moment the announcement ended,
the golden-bordered screen on the right lit up.
[Land of Fire, Konoha.]
[Three years have passed since the Nine-Tails Incident.]
[The infant Naruto has lived within the Sarutobi clan compound for three years.]
[Today is the day Naruto is sent out to live alone.]
The scene shifted.
[An old apartment building, top floor.]
[A Sarutobi clan shinobi pushes open the door. A musty smell rushes out.]
["From today on, this is your home," he says coldly, disgust evident in his eyes.]
[At his feet stands a thin, helpless child.]
[Blond hair. Azure eyes. Most striking of all—the three whisker marks on each cheek.]
["This is your living allowance for the month. If you run out, figure it out yourself."]
[After tossing down an envelope containing three thousand ryō, the Sarutobi shinobi turns and leaves without hesitation.]
[The child is left standing alone at the doorway.]
That child—
Was young Uzumaki Naruto.
"This is… Naruto?" Sakura Haruno froze.
In truth, all of the Rookie Nine recognized him instantly.
Incidentally, quite a few of the instant noodles in Naruto's house had been given by Sakura.
Shikamaru leaned against the railing, staring at the golden screen.
"Comparison viewing… two completely different lives of Uzumaki Naruto?"
"What we're seeing now must be the Naruto from our world—the one we know."
"So what will the other one be like?"
Not everyone was as quick as Shikamaru.
On Konoha's side, the mood grew heavy.
Kushina's words had pushed the village into an extremely awkward position.
But no one could blame a mother who loved her child.
From what they'd seen so far—this was Konoha's own doing.
Orochimaru was delighted.
Especially since he could clearly see every change in Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression from such close range.
"How fascinating."
The only pity was that, among the living, no one in Konoha dared speak freely—
After all, the Third Hokage was still alive.
And sitting right there.
Orochimaru sighed inwardly.
At this point, letting Sarutobi die as a hero was impossible.
Moreover, he had a faint feeling—
If he insisted on pushing things further—
The Fourth Hokage, who couldn't be summoned via Edo Tensei…
Kushina: Naruto? My child… good, good. Old monkey, this is how you took care of him?! Three thousand ryō a month?! How generous of you! Where the hell is my inheritance?!
Kushina: Minato, if you don't come out and say something right now, Naruto won't need to acknowledge you as his father anymore!
Fourth Hokage · Namikaze Minato: Ahem… something.
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