~ 💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 60→1ch | 100→2ch | 200→5ch ⏰ Resets Monday! Thanks!
The message transmitted through Inoichi's Mind Transmission Jutsu detonated like a depth charge in the hearts of every Leaf shinobi, sending waves of shock crashing through them.
"Inoichi-san, what the hell is going on?! Naruto would never do this!!! There must be some mistake!!!"
Inoichi's strained voice echoed back. Iruka…!!!
"Alright. You can shut up now."
The mental link snapped. Black flames erupted from the palm pressed against Inoichi's head, instantly engulfing his body.
"GAAAAHHHH—!!!"
Inoichi screamed, collapsing to the floor.
Outside, frantic footsteps pounded down the hall.
Inoichi's dying mind screamed. Shikamaru!!! Ino, run! Don't come in here!!!
Black Zetsu's dark eyes flicked toward the door. A vile idea sparked.
His form and features began to shift.
When Inoichi saw who Black Zetsu had become, he understood the sheer malice of the plan. Shikamaru and Ino might survive this encounter… but what came after…
I can't… let him succeed…!!!
With his last breath, Inoichi bit down hard. His front teeth shattered. He spat the fragments into the shadows beneath the desk.
Shikamaru… I'm counting on you. You're the only one who can expose this monstrous lie.
The door exploded inward. Shikamaru and Ino stumbled back from a wave of blistering heat.
Their eyes fixed on a cluster of dancing black flames.
And standing beside them… was their classmate. Uchiha Sasuke.
"Sasuke…!" Ino's voice was a whisper. "Where's my dad?!"
The impostor wearing Sasuke's face lifted a cold finger, pointing at the flames. A cruel smile played on his lips. "Right there."
The black fire dissipated. Only a pile of unrecognizable ash remained.
"No…"
Ino's pupils dilated. Her hands flew to her mouth. She sank to her knees, a trembling, raw scream tearing from her throat. "YOU'RE LYING!!!"
"This is reality."
Sasuke smirked. He turned to leave.
Whoosh!
Shikamaru's shadow shot across the floor, latching onto Sasuke's feet.
He couldn't accept it either. But logic was a cold, hard thing. Inoichi was dead. The man who was his father's closest friend, his unwavering partner, the kind elder who had always looked out for him… had been utterly erased by the person before him.
"SASUKE!!!" Shikamaru's voice cracked. "WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO MONSTROUS?!"
Black Zetsu mimicked Sasuke's icy tone perfectly. "Naruto and I are united now. We will take our revenge on this rotten village. You… all of you… are just as guilty as the ones who drove the Uchiha to their deaths."
Shikamaru froze. "Drove the Uchiha…?"
"Go ask the two old fossils still breathing in this village. Ask them exactly how far they went to persecute the Uchiha. Well… assuming you survive today."
Snap. The shadow connection severed. He ignored them, his body beginning to sink into the floor.
"YOU DEMON!!! PAY FOR MY FATHER'S LIFE!!!"
Ino surged forward, a hysterical fury driving her. Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her, holding her back with all his strength.
"Ino, STOP!!!"
"LET ME GO!!! I'LL KILL HIM!!!"
"DO YOU WANT INOICHI TO SEE YOU FOLLOW HIM TO THE GRAVE?!!!"
Ino went rigid. Her shoulders slumped. The dam broke, and tears flooded down her cheeks.
Shikamaru's own eyes glistened. His voice softened, urgent. "We can't break down. Not yet. We still have a duty to fulfill…!! You're the only one who can take your father's place. You have to coordinate everyone!"
Ino stared at the ashes that were her father. She wiped her face roughly. The grief in her eyes hardened, replaced by the steely resolve of a kunoichi… and the next head of the Yamanaka Clan.
Outside, the Leaf Village was in chaos.
Buildings lay in ruin, radiating out from a central point of destruction. The four ANBU squad leaders who had confronted the intruder earlier were now collapsed, their white uniforms stained crimson, breaths coming in ragged gasps.
Now, a large force of Leaf shinobi had converged on the battleground. Their eyes were sharp, their expressions a mix of fury and disbelief.
"Uzumaki Naruto!!! The village has shown you nothing but kindness! Why would you do this?!"
"I actually thought you'd turned a new leaf! But you were just the Nine-Tails' vessel all along!"
"Then we'll settle old scores and new today! We'll purge this filth from the Leaf!"
Swish-swish-swish-swish—!!
A storm of kunai and shuriken blotted out the sky.
"The noise is getting tiresome…"
Naruto-Madara, clad in black, walked forward calmly, utterly indifferent to the incoming barrage.
TING-TING-TING-TING!BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!!!
Metal clattered to the ground. Explosions bloomed in the air.
From the fire and smoke, the dark-haired boy emerged, encased within a shimmering, azure skeletal giant.
"What… is that?!"
The Leaf forces recoiled in shock, then redoubled their attacks with gritted teeth.
Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, weapons of every kind. Fireballs, water dragons, earth spikes—a torrent of combined ninjutsu crashed against the spectral giant's defenses… and did precisely nothing.
"What kind of technique is that?! Where did Naruto learn something so powerful?!"
"It's the Nine-Tails' demonic power! It has to be!"
Naruto-Madara snorted. "The Nine-Tails? Short-sighted vermin…"
Crack! Crack!
Curved blades of blazing chakra ignited in the Susanoo's hands. Two more arms sprouted from its shoulders, crossing before it. Four blades now gleamed with deadly intent.
They slashed forward as one.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
Four immense shockwaves of cutting force tore through everything in their path, obliterating hundreds of structures as far as the eye could see.
"ARGHHH—!!!" Countless shinobi were caught in the gale, flung like ragdolls to crash amidst the rubble.
Naruto-Madara advanced, the Susanoo clearing his path. Each swing of its blades brought fresh thunder and fresh screams.
This… this was overwhelming power. This was power that made a mockery of their numbers. The Leaf shinobi, accustomed to peace and routine, felt their blood run cold. Their will to protect the village held them in place—no one retreated—but a primal, instinctual terror rooted them to the spot. Hands shook. Weapons felt slippery in their grips.
As they hesitated, a single shinobi—unremarkable in appearance, average in strength—charged directly toward the certain death of those blades.
It was… Iruka.
"Hm?"
Naruto-Madara glanced over. "I recall him. The chuunin named Iruka… from the brat's memories."
Swish!
The Susanoo's sword descended, stopping just short of impaling Iruka.
But Iruka didn't flinch. He stood his ground, a look of absolute defiance on his face, and shouted with every ounce of his being.
"NARUTO!!! WAKE UP!!!"
The blade drove into the earth beside him.
"Heh."
Naruto-Madara chuckled coldly. The Susanoo released the sword hilt. Its massive skeletal hand shot out, snatching Iruka from the ground and lifting him to eye level.
Iruka ignored the pain of his likely broken ribs. His eyes burned into the boy within the spectral giant.
"Naruto… I know you! I know you would never hurt your comrades! Something has taken hold of you! Think of your dream to become Hokage! Think of the village you swore to protect! Think of the friends who would die for you! WAKE UP!!!"
Naruto-Madara's voice was flat. "No wonder the brat held you in such regard. But you will not live to see the day he awakens."
The Susanoo's hand began to close, bones creaking with immense pressure…!!!
But at that exact moment, a scream—not from the outside world, but from the very depths of the soul it occupied—shattered the silence within Naruto-Madara's mind.
—"DON'T YOU TOUCH IRUKA-SENSEI!!!"
————————————————————
🔥 This story has reached its conclusion on my P a t. r e o n! 400+ chapters
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 Join on -
patreon(.)com/BingeInk