With every possibility Naruto suggested, Sasuke and Neji felt their hearts sink further.
The theories…
They actually made sense.
"And I," Naruto continued, his smile widening—innocent yet cruel, "just made use of your 'bonds' and your desire to 'protect the shinobi world.' And while I was at it… borrowed your hands to eliminate a troublesome enemy."
Across the shinobi world, shock and anger gradually gave way to an icy silence.
"He was pretending the whole time…?"
"He acted from beginning to end? Played Sasuke and Neji like fools?"
"No way. That kid's famous for being straightforward—charging in headfirst. Since when did he become this calculating? Just because he lost Asura's chakra?"
"Don't forget whose son he is. Minato Namikaze—the Yellow Flash. One of Konoha's youngest Hokage. A tactical genius. You think his bloodline produces someone truly stupid?"
"Or maybe Asura's chakra made him naturally trustworthy—lowered people's guard around him. And once that mask came off…"
No one finished the sentence.
They didn't need to.
A shinobi with top-tier combat talent, the Rinnegan, mysterious "divine techniques," and now this level of cold calculation—
He was a flawless nightmare.
Within the projection—
Blood still seeped from Sasuke's severed shoulder, barely staunched by chakra. His face was pale, his body trembling from pain and blood loss.
Neji was at his limit. Activating the Tenseigan had drained him nearly dry.
And Naruto—
Naruto stood steady, chakra vast and stable, as if the prior battle had been nothing more than a warm-up.
"There's no chance…"
"Neji's drained. Sasuke's crippled. Naruto's almost untouched—and cunning on top of it…"
"This is over."
"Unless a miracle happens."
"Miracles? Even the Sage of Six Paths can't fix human hearts."
Despair spread like a plague.
The future shown by the projection seemed sealed the moment Naruto's ambush succeeded.
Sasuke and Neji—the two youths who had just attained supreme power—now looked like pieces on Naruto's board.
Used.
And about to be discarded.
Sasuke endured the piercing pain in his shoulder and the dizziness from blood loss. A cold, self-mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"Heh… I never thought I'd see the day. You, the dead last… besides rushing in headfirst and shouting about becoming Hokage, you've learned how to scheme like this."
Every word cut like a blade.
Neji's face was equally grim.
The weakness from chakra depletion was nothing compared to the mental shock of being used.
"I never imagined," Neji said hoarsely, "that you'd use us. Use our resolve to fight invaders. Use the last shred of trust we had in you."
The word trust tasted like blood.
Naruto merely shrugged, casual as if discussing the weather.
Their anger bored him.
Neji forced himself to steady his breathing. His gaze shifted to the broken wooden corpse of Shu.
"At least tell us who he was. And what about his 'sister'?"
Naruto tilted his head slightly, thinking.
"That? I honestly don't know. The guy showed up with red eyes saying I killed his sister and that he wanted revenge."
He spread his hands.
"I don't even know who his sister was. I've killed so many people—who knows which unlucky one he meant?"
He said it lightly.
As if a life—or revenge—was a trivial side note.
"Naruto!" Sasuke growled. "You're too arrogant! Did it ever occur to you that killing him might draw out whatever's behind him? You're inviting endless trouble!"
"Trouble?"
Naruto's eyes finally settled fully on Sasuke, amusement flickering within.
"You're stalling. Both of you. Trying to recover a pathetic bit of chakra, right?"
Their pupils shrank.
He'd seen through them completely.
"It's useless," Naruto said mildly. "Though… since you 'helped' me earlier, I'll tell you a little secret."
He paused deliberately.
"After cultivating these 'divine techniques,' my body changed a bit."
"One of those changes is—"
He dragged out the moment, savoring their tension.
"—by eating, I can recover at hundreds… even thousands of times the normal speed."
"Stamina. Chakra. Injuries."
All of it.
Sasuke and Neji felt as if struck by lightning.
Their minds replayed the earlier scene—
Naruto casually devouring roasted meat after the battle.
That hadn't been mindless gluttony.
It was rapid regeneration.
No wonder his breathing had remained steady.
No wonder he seemed so relaxed.
He hadn't cared about time passing—
Because he was recovering far faster than they ever could.
Watching their faces shift from shock to understanding to deeper despair, Naruto seemed pleased.
He stretched lazily.
Crack.
His joints popped softly.
And with that simple motion, the chakra around him surged—
Like a dormant volcano erupting awake.
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