Naruto walked out of the thick smoke, completely unharmed.
He looked at Itachi with a faint, mocking smile.
"Angry? Or is this your silent denial?"
His gaze swept across the crowd behind him.
"Look at them… the Uchiha standing behind you. Women. Children. Civilians."
"Why should political conflict drag innocent people like them into it?"
"Is your solution really to wipe out an entire clan? Even these children?"
Naruto's voice turned colder.
"I remember… during the Ninja World Wars, killing civilians without cause was forbidden, right? Unless they were confirmed to be shinobi."
"Nagato's parents were killed because they were mistaken for ninja… and even then, it was treated as a mistake."
He stared straight into Itachi's eyes.
"And yet you… you're doing this to your own people."
"And you still dare to call it 'peace'?"
"Tell me—how are these civilians a threat to your so-called peace?"
A heavy silence filled the air.
Naruto's lips curled slightly.
"The only thing they threaten… is Sarutobi Hiruzen's rule. Isn't that right?"
Itachi's emotions finally cracked.
"Stop…! Shut up!"
"You don't understand anything!"
Blood and tears streamed down his face as black flames began to flicker around him.
"I'm right! The Uchiha are the problem!"
Naruto let out a quiet, disdainful chuckle.
"Amaterasu?"
"The strongest flame?"
"It's still just chakra."
A red cloak of tailed-beast chakra instantly wrapped around Naruto's body, blocking the black flames completely.
"With control, I can do the same."
His chakra surged, forming a massive, claw-like arm that lashed toward Itachi.
Itachi's expression changed. He dodged instantly—
BOOM!
The ground where he stood exploded into a crater.
Black flames fell and burned the earth relentlessly.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Not bad."
"But I don't have time to play with you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Didn't you want to be a 'savior'?"
"I'll give you that chance."
"But tell me… isn't it selfish to only spare Sasuke?"
"That's not very fair, is it?"
The moment Naruto finished speaking—
Figures dropped from all directions.
Hyuga Hiashi.
Ino–Shika–Cho.
Aburame.
Inuzuka.
Elite jonin surrounded the area, protecting the Uchiha civilians.
Itachi's face turned pale.
Their appearance shattered all his justifications.
His Mangekyō activated instantly—
In a flash, Naruto was dragged into a crimson illusionary world.
Tsukuyomi
Blood-red space.
Endless silence.
Itachi glared at Naruto with hatred.
"Why are you ruining everything?!"
"Why are you destroying Konoha's peace?!"
Naruto smirked.
"Peace?"
"You mean control."
Itachi's voice trembled.
"You don't understand the evil of the Uchiha!"
"You're just the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki!"
Naruto laughed softly.
"And yet… I didn't stop you from slaughtering them."
"To you, they're 'evil'."
"To me… they're just people."
He stepped forward slowly.
"You want the glory of the Uchiha?"
"I can give it to you."
"The real Uchiha… from the Warring States era… were monsters on the battlefield."
"What I need… is that kind of power."
"Hatred. Strength. Warriors who crush enemies."
Naruto's eyes gleamed.
"Look at them. Many have already awakened their Sharingan."
"Ten years old. Six years old."
"Geniuses."
His voice dropped.
"My goal… isn't saving Konoha."
"It's destroying the entire ninja system."
"Unify the world."
"Erase the root of conflict."
He smiled faintly.
"You want peace, don't you?"
"Then why stop at one clan?"
"Why not destroy Konoha itself?"
Naruto's voice echoed like a demon inside the illusion.
"Power creates desire."
"Desire creates war."
"So if you want true peace…"
"Are you ready to make a real sacrifice?"
The illusion trembled.
A massive, four-pointed Mangekyō appeared in the sky.
Naruto's will surged.
His presence expanded.
Itachi's expression twisted in pain.
"Ninja… are they really the source of all conflict…?"
Naruto smiled.
He broke free from the crucifix-like restraint and walked toward Itachi.
"A strong person…"
"Doesn't harm the weak."
"That's what true strength means."
"Even Uchiha civilians… are people we should protect."
"Our goal is peace for the entire world."
He raised his hand.
"So tell me…"
"Are you willing to endure endless pain…"
"For that 'greater peace'?"
Light exploded.
A terrifying genjutsu descended.
Kotoamatsukami.
Not to trap.
But to rewrite.
The world of Tsukuyomi began to change.
No more blood.
No more destruction.
Itachi looked up in shock.
Naruto stood before him—
Like a god.
Like salvation.
Naruto gently placed a hand on his head.
"If you seek happiness…"
"You must endure trials."
In the real world—
Everything lasted only an instant.
Blood streamed from Itachi's eyes.
His expression… changed.
"Naruto… are you okay?"
Hyuga Hiashi asked seriously.
Naruto simply smiled.
"I'm fine."
He turned and walked away.
Behind him—
Itachi slowly drew his blade.
His eyes were filled with madness.
"Today…"
"You will all die here."
His first target—
Uchiha Fugaku.
----------------
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