In Konoha, war had erupted.
Countless White Zetsu swarmed the village, their grotesque forms spilling into the streets. Standing atop the Hokage Tower, Tsunade surveyed the battlefield, her arms crossed. The ANBU, ever-vigilant, stood by her side, their masks concealing their emotions.
Jiraiya stood a few steps away, observing in silence.
At the command center, Shikaku Nara listened intently to the reports flooding in, exchanging vital intel with Inoichi Yamanaka. His brows furrowed slightly at one particular update before turning to Tsunade.
"It's confirmed," Shikaku stated. "The White Zetsu can transform into anyone. They're indistinguishable to normal sensors."
Tsunade frowned. "What's the casualty count?"
Shikamaru, standing nearby, smirked. "Well, thanks to a certain someone, we have a lot of injured, but no fatalities yet. The Zetsu infiltrated by mimicking familiar faces, so the initial ambush was brutal, but we caught on quickly."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Shikaku turned to Jiraiya with a knowing smile. "Naruto. His Nine-Tails Chakra Mode allows him to sense the disguised White Zetsu instantly. Our forces no longer need to second-guess allies. They can attack freely without hesitation."
He continued, "And that's not all. Naruto created thousands of Shadow Clones and deployed them along Konoha's perimeter. Each clone formed a unit with the village's defenders, drastically improving our combat effectiveness. The tide of battle is in our favor."
Tsunade's lips curled into a smirk. She glanced at Jiraiya. "Maybe you were right about him."
Jiraiya chuckled softly. Since returning to the village, he had been deep in thought about Naruto's true goal. What was he striving for? What was his endgame?
Then it hit him—Nagato.
Nagato once claimed his dream was to bring peace to the world, even if it meant reshaping it through destruction. If someone like Nagato had yielded to Naruto, then Naruto must possess something worth believing in.
World peace.
If Naruto truly saw a future no one else could, then Jiraiya was convinced the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage referred to him. Among his students, one would change the shinobi world forever.
Despite Naruto's unorthodox actions, true revolutionaries were rarely understood in their time.
That was why, while holding Tsunade in private, Jiraiya had urged her to trust Naruto's judgment—to follow and witness his path firsthand.
Tsunade clasped her hands together in a seal. "If we have the advantage, then we can't neglect our wounded."
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive cloud of smoke erupted as Katsuyu materialized, her colossal form towering over the village. Tsunade executed a hand seal, and the slug split into thousands of smaller fragments, dispersing across the battlefield to administer healing.
Shikaku exhaled in relief. With Tsunade ensuring medical support, Konoha's shinobi could fight without fear of succumbing to their injuries.
Inoichi Yamanaka nodded. "So far, we haven't encountered any high-level threats. Only White Zetsu—nothing our forces can't handle."
Jiraiya turned to the ANBU stationed around them. "You should be on the front lines. I'm here with the Hokage."
The ANBU exchanged glances before Tsunade gave a sharp nod. Without hesitation, they flickered away.
Truth be told, if not for their mission to guard Tsunade, they'd already be out there tearing through the enemy.
Inside Konoha—
"Burn with the flames of youth!"
Might Guy roared as he delivered a bone-crushing uppercut, followed by a devastating roundhouse kick that sent a White Zetsu flying. His movements were a blur, a relentless hurricane of fists and feet.
Rock Lee, watching his mentor mow down enemies with ease, clenched his fists. "Sensei, you're too fast! I won't lose to you!"
Without hesitation, he activated his Inner Gates.
"Eight Gates Released Formation—Third Gate, Gate of Life, OPEN!"
A violent burst of chakra erupted from Lee, his aura surging like a wildfire. His hair whipped back from the sheer force. Guy's eyes widened with pride.
"Yes, Lee! Let your youth explode!"
Lee nodded and launched himself into battle, cutting through the enemy ranks at an exponential rate.
"AHHHHHHH! I'LL PUNCH! I'LL KICK! I'LL—"
Guy, seeing Lee gaining the upper hand, refused to be outdone. He intensified his assault, unleashing a devastating Konoha Hurricane that obliterated over twenty White Zetsu in an instant.
Lee halted mid-strike. "SENSEI, THAT'S CHEATING! We agreed on hand-to-hand combat only!"
Guy scratched his head sheepishly. "Ah, Lee, you see… as a teacher, I must set an example. But perhaps I overdid it."
Neji, observing from a distance, sighed and shook his head. The absurdity of his teammates never ceased to amaze him.
Nearby, Tenten had just finished wiping out a wave of enemies using her scroll-based weaponry. She exhaled in frustration. "Unbelievable. These two are turning a battlefield into a competition."
A fresh wave of White Zetsu approached. Without missing a beat, Neji unleashed a precise Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, obliterating them effortlessly.
He turned his attention to a distant rooftop.
There, bathed in golden chakra, stood Naruto Uzumaki.
Unlike before, when he was just another ninja among them, Naruto now exuded a presence akin to a force of nature. His clones were scattered across the battlefield, reinforcing the defense.
Neji activated his Byakugan and analyzed Naruto's chakra composition. Even as a mere shadow clone, Naruto possessed the strength of a full-fledged Jōnin.
How powerful must the real Naruto be?
Memories of their battle at the Chūnin Exams surfaced. Back then, Naruto had fought with his chakra sealed, relying purely on guts and strategy. Even with the Nine-Tails lurking within him, he had held back.
Yet, despite Neji's supposed genius, he had fallen. One punch was all it had taken.
Looking at him now, Neji realized—Naruto wasn't just strong.
He was a monster.
Smirking to himself, Neji adjusted his headband. "Guess I better see for myself."
Before Tenten could stop him, Neji leaped toward Naruto's position.
"Seriously? This guy," Tenten groaned, before dashing after him.
As the battle raged on, one truth became undeniable.
Naruto Uzumaki was no longer just a promising shinobi.
He was the future of the shinobi world.
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