As the shinobi world plunged into chaos, suspicion, and panic due to the secrets exposed by the Heavenly Screen, inside a personal pocket dimension, the mastermind behind it all—Yin An—was lounging leisurely, stroking the cat on his lap. A calculating glint flickered in his eyes.
"Hm… The Heavenly Screen has played three times already. Just broadcasting it from afar feels like it's missing a bit of… participation."
He murmured to himself, the corners of his mouth curling into a mischievous smile.
"The timing's just about right. It's time to let them truly take the stage and add another spark to this shinobi world…"
There was no need for him to personally go to the shinobi world. Why invite trouble for himself?
Staying at home was far more comfortable—novels, TV shows, movies… anything he could think of, he could buy.
"I ought to really make my presence felt in the shinobi world. Since the Land of Iron Samurai Elite Guard already exist…" Yin An chuckled softly, his eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Then it's time for the evil final boss to descend upon the shinobi world and announce your existence!"
At this very moment, the shinobi world had no idea that a storm far greater than internal conflicts—one that would shake the very power system and world order—was officially lifting the curtain.
Hokage Office
The atmosphere was stifling.
Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at the blond boy before them—eyes red, clearly having cried, now staring at them nervously—Naruto Uzumaki. Both felt a growing headache.
"I… I'm really okay, right? Pervy Sage… Granny Tsunade?"
Naruto's voice was thick with a nasal tone, filled with uncertainty.
He desperately needed reassurance—something to dispel the massive shadow the Heavenly Screen had cast over his heart.
Tsunade frowned deeply, arms crossed, not answering right away.
As the greatest medical-nin in the shinobi world, she had personally overseen the examination, using every method available, even combining it with the Yamanaka clan's mind techniques. And yet…
Jiraiya looked at Naruto's eyes—like a frightened little animal—and couldn't bear it. He let out a heavy sigh and patted Naruto on the shoulder.
"We checked, Naruto. We used everything the village currently has… and really, we didn't find any abnormal chakra source or any foreign mental imprint."
That result should have been reassuring.
Naruto's face instantly lit up with hope, almost bouncing in place.
"Really?! That's great! I knew it! There's no way I could be—"
But his smile froze after only a moment.
A deeper unease and fear crept in, like icy vines wrapping around his heart.
He hesitated, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, timid enough that he almost didn't dare ask:
"Then… then could the Heavenly Screen… be wrong?"
The moment the question left his mouth, even he felt how weak it sounded.
How he wished everything shown on the Heavenly Screen was fake—just a nightmare.
At first, he hadn't believed it at all. Destroying the world? That sounded ridiculous.
He was going to become Hokage—someone acknowledged by everyone. How could he possibly destroy them?
But…
When the Heavenly Screen explicitly stated that there was a chakra within him that could subtly alter one's thoughts—that terrified him.
If no problem could be detected… did that mean the chakra was hidden so deeply that even Granny Tsunade and the strongest secret techniques couldn't find it?
Did that mean… everything the Heavenly Screen said was true?
This result—finding nothing—didn't reassure him at all. Instead, it deepened his fear.
An unknown, undetectable influence was far more terrifying than a visible enemy.
He looked at the silent Tsunade and the worried Jiraiya, his blue eyes filled with confusion and pain.
"I… what am I supposed to do? If… if one day I really become… like that…"
He couldn't bring himself to continue.
The office fell silent, broken only by Naruto's heavy, suppressed breathing.
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a glance, seeing the same weight in each other's eyes.
"If… if there really is such a chakra inside you," Tsunade said after a deep sigh, her sharp gaze locking onto Naruto as she asked the most crucial question,
"Do you want to remove it?"
Naruto opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to shout "Of course!"—but the words stuck in his throat.
What would happen if it were removed?
That world-destroying version of himself shown on the Heavenly Screen… could that be the result after its removal?
If that chakra truly was, as Hawkeye claimed, the source of his "kindness" and "forgiveness," then without it—would he become a monster filled with hatred, indifferent to life?
If that happened… would he still be Naruto Uzumaki?
But if he didn't remove it… was the Naruto he was now truly "Naruto Uzumaki" either?
Fear of the unknown future and confusion about his own identity left him speechless, his face twisted with struggle and bewilderment.
Tsunade looked at him like that and shook her head helplessly.
"Since even you haven't thought it through or prepared yourself, then let's pretend this doesn't exist. We'll talk about it… later."
"But—" Naruto pouted instinctively, dissatisfied with such a vague answer.
He wanted certainty. A guarantee that could put his heart at ease.
Tsunade, however, impatiently pointed at the door and snapped,
"No 'buts'! Now, get out! Go train when you should train, go play when you should play—don't just stand around here!"
Overwhelmed by her presence, Naruto—though full of frustration and confusion—could only lower his head and leave the Hokage Office dejectedly.
The moment the door closed, Jiraiya slumped into a chair, rubbing his temples.
"All we can do is take it one step at a time… What a mess."
"Since there's currently no way to detect it—let alone remove it," Tsunade said calmly, her tone carrying a hint of resolve,
"Maintaining the status quo is the best choice we have."
Jiraiya frowned and looked at her.
"But… isn't that unfair to Naruto? Making him live his whole life under the influence of some unknown power, like a—"
"Like a puppet?" Tsunade cut him off sharply, glaring at him as her voice rose.
"What's so bad about that?! At least the Naruto we have now is optimistic, kind, positive—and a kid who genuinely wants to protect the village!"
"I don't want to see a future where a Naruto who's broken free of all restraints, with nothing left in his heart but hatred and a desire for destruction, stands before me as a world-ending demon king!"
Her voice was firm and unquestionable.
"Unless—unless Naruto truly puts down roots in the village. Marries, has children, and forges bonds and a sense of belonging to Konoha so deep they can't be severed—until his interests are completely tied to the village's interests!"
"At that point… perhaps… perhaps we could consider taking that risk."
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