Naruto lay pinned beneath Delta's foot, staring at the arrogant woman towering above him.
He forced out a question.
"What kind of organization are you people?"
"You have this much power… yet you're obsessed with Kawaki?"
Delta curled her lips into a mocking smile.
"Heh."
"You're about to die anyway."
"I suppose letting you understand before you die isn't a problem."
"Our organization is called Kara."
"Our ultimate pursuit is immortality… and the power of gods and monsters."
"Immortality… gods…"
Naruto's heartbeat accelerated.
In his mind, the image of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki immediately surfaced.
"As for Kawaki…"
Delta continued casually,
"He's not like you ordinary humans."
"One day, he'll offer his body to God."
Naruto asked urgently, sweat pouring down his face.
"Does that have something to do with the mark on his palm?"
"You know about Karma?!"
Delta blurted out in surprise.
"So it's called Karma…"
Naruto's mind raced as the pieces clicked together.
If the "god" Delta mentioned referred to the Ōtsutsuki, then Karma must be something connected to them.
Which meant—
The mark on Boruto's palm came from Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki, not from Uchiha Akira.
The question that had tormented Naruto for days finally had a solid answer.
The heavy weight in his chest lifted slightly.
"Well then."
"Time to send you on your way."
Delta grinned viciously.
Purple light began gathering in her eyes.
Her ultimate attack—
Destruction Beam, the most powerful weapon Amado had installed in her artificial eyes.
Anything struck by the beam would suffer cellular annihilation.
Even the strongest regeneration couldn't restore it.
Kurama shouted inside Naruto's mind.
"NARUTO!"
"I have a terrible feeling about this!"
"You must NOT get hit by that beam!"
CRACK!
Naruto tried to move—
But spikes burst from Delta's heel again, stabbing through the spot where his abdomen had just healed.
"AAAAAAH!"
Naruto's scream echoed across the battlefield.
"Brother Naruto!"
Konohamaru struggled to stand, leaning against a broken wall.
He barely took two steps before collapsing again.
"Damn it!"
Kawaki activated Karma Stage One once more.
The grotesque molten growth erupted from his left arm as he prepared to rush forward.
But the distance was too far.
Even at full speed—
he wouldn't make it in time.
"Don't hurt my dad!"
Himawari ran out from the alley, crying desperately.
Delta didn't even glance at her.
The purple light in her eyes intensified—
Just as she was about to fire—
A heavy voice descended from above.
"Delta."
"Stop."
"—Huh?"
Delta frowned and looked up.
Everyone present turned their gaze toward the rooftop.
There stood Koji Kashin.
Naruto's heart sank.
There's another one…?!
Kawaki's face went pale.
This monster… even stronger than Delta…
Delta asked impatiently,
"Koji Kashin."
"What do you mean by stopping me?"
"Why shouldn't I kill the Hokage?"
Koji crossed his arms.
"If you kill the Hokage…"
"The Five Great Nations will retaliate."
"That would be unnecessary trouble for us."
CRACK.
Delta snapped the spike from Naruto's abdomen.
Her leg regenerated instantly as she straightened up and faced Koji.
The destruction beam in her eyes still flickered.
"You're overthinking it."
"The strongest Hokage is already this pathetic."
"Even if the Five Nations attack together, they're nothing."
"We could wipe them out ourselves."
Koji shook his head slightly.
"It's not that simple."
"Our enemies aren't just the Five Nations."
"There are unknown forces as well."
"Who?"
Koji answered calmly.
"Uchiha Akira."
"And the mysterious Hidden Dark Village he supposedly leads."
"He's rumored to possess the power to defeat Kinshiki and Momoshiki."
"Until we fully understand him…"
"…we shouldn't act recklessly."
Naruto: "..."
Obito: "..."
Madara: "..."
Delta scoffed.
"Uchiha Akira?"
"No matter how strong he is, he's nothing compared to Jigen."
"Could he even survive one shot of my destruction beam?"
Akira: "..."
Koji replied calmly.
"He wouldn't stand still and let you shoot him."
"And regardless of whether he's stronger than Jigen…"
"Jigen hasn't completed his rebirth yet."
"Now isn't the time to stir up unnecessary chaos."
Delta stomped the ground angrily.
"Fine! Fine! Fine!"
"You're always right!"
"Now you show up when it's time to ruin things!"
Koji asked calmly,
"So what do you want?"
Delta snarled.
"My ultimate beam is already charged!"
"You expect me to just cancel it?"
"I don't work for free!"
Koji thought for a moment.
"Then do this."
"Other than the vessel and the Hokage…"
"You can kill anyone here."
"I suggest Sarutobi Konohamaru."
"Grandson of the Third Hokage."
"A Konoha jōnin."
"Possibly even the next Hokage."
"Kill him with the destruction beam."
"Then we take the vessel and leave."
Konohamaru, lying on the ground, suddenly looked relieved.
"Th-that's great!"
"Yes!"
"Kill me!"
"Trade my life for Naruto's!"
Delta grinned.
"That does sound tempting."
"But if you tell me to kill someone…"
"I'll do the opposite."
She suddenly turned her gaze.
Naruto followed her line of sight.
His face went pale.
"Himawari!"
"Run!"
"Eh—?!"
A flash of purple light burst from Delta's eyes.
The Destruction Beam shot straight toward the helpless Himawari.
At that moment—
Kawaki jumped in front of the beam.
"What?!"
Delta tried to cancel the attack.
Too late.
The beam erased Kawaki's massive mutated arm completely.
The laser slowed slightly—
but still surged forward.
"No!"
Kawaki's heart trembled as he watched the purple explosion swallow Himawari.
"How… could this…"
Suddenly—
A black blur shot out from the smoke behind the explosion.
The figure stepped on a broken electric pole and leapt again.
A graceful arc across the sky—
Landing on a rooftop.
"Mm…"
Himawari slowly opened her eyes.
Reflected in her pale blue gaze—
was the face of a boy.
Clean. Calm.
Wind stood against the breeze, holding Himawari in a princess carry.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
His soft, soothing voice spoke.
"You're not hurt… right?"
If you enjoy this story, check my other novels with faster updates:
🔥 Naruto: Preparing to Betray Konoha
🔥Konoha: The Man Who Became the Fourth Hokage
Both have many advanced chapters on Patreon.
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