"I've waited for this moment for so long, and you think I'll just retreat because you say so? Dream on!"
Orochimaru's face twisted as madness flashed in his eyes.
The massive white serpent lunged at the Uchiha brothers.
Its momentum was like a collapsing mountain—wild, ferocious, and unstoppable.
The sheer force of the attack was no weaker than Itachi's Susanoo.
"Annoying."
Naruto glanced back.
A strange light flickered in his eyes.
An invisible pressure spread outward.
The eight-headed serpent suddenly froze.
Orochimaru's eyes widened in pure terror, as if he had seen the most horrifying thing in existence.
He clutched his head and screamed.
It felt as if thousands of knives were stabbing into his mind.
The enormous serpent rapidly shrank until only Orochimaru remained, rolling across the ground and shrieking miserably—just like Obito had earlier.
"One look and Orochimaru's finished… Is that some kind of ultimate genjutsu?"
Everyone stared at Naruto in awe.
Every person present possessed power far beyond ordinary shinobi.
There were Kage-level fighters and even individuals approaching the pinnacle of the ninja world.
Yet now they were all silent.
Because in their midst stood a monster who could crush them effortlessly.
Even though Naruto looked relaxed and friendly, the oppressive pressure surrounding him was suffocating.
"Uchiha Itachi. Wake up."
"I didn't save you so you could lie there."
Naruto's words made Sasuke's eyes light up with joy.
When Itachi opened his eyes again and the sickly gray color in his face slowly faded, Sasuke nearly burst into tears.
"That's great… Brother…"
But his smile quickly stiffened.
Hatred resurfaced.
Distance once again formed between the two brothers.
Sasuke wanted to get closer.
But he forced himself to step back.
Itachi slowly stood up.
He glanced at Sasuke, then at Naruto.
Confusion filled his eyes.
Moments ago he had been dying.
Now his body felt incredibly strong—like when he was eight or nine years old.
Young.
Energetic.
Full of power.
But he had come here to die.
To die at Sasuke's hands.
That had been his final wish.
"He wants to die. You want revenge," Naruto said lightly.
"So, Sasuke—why not just stab him?"
"I guarantee he won't dodge."
"You'll get your revenge. Your lifelong wish fulfilled."
Sasuke stared blankly at Itachi.
His hand tightened around his sword.
Then loosened.
Hatred had once consumed him completely.
But after everything Naruto had revealed—and after nearly losing Itachi—Sasuke's heart had become a chaotic storm of emotions.
Hatred alone was no longer enough.
He couldn't bring himself to strike.
"Not going to do it?" Naruto shrugged.
"Fine. Then listen to me."
"You two brothers come with me."
"I'll give you a bigger stage."
"You'll hear the truth of what happened from many different angles."
"Only after hearing the full story can you judge right and wrong."
Sasuke snorted and turned away.
But he didn't refuse.
Itachi's desperate attempt to die had made Sasuke realize something.
The Uchiha massacre might not have been so simple.
He would learn the truth first.
Then decide.
Kill.
Or forgive.
Itachi remained silent.
After brushing so closely with death, even he began to question his past choices.
Regret crept into his heart.
"Orochimaru," Naruto said casually while crouching beside him.
"How does it feel?"
"You keep cutting pieces of your soul apart to survive. Your spirit grows weaker every time."
"At this point even a mediocre genjutsu user could torture you to death."
Naruto clicked his tongue.
"You're supposed to be a scientist. Didn't you think about that flaw?"
"Did someone feed your brain to a dog?"
Naruto snapped his fingers.
Orochimaru's screaming suddenly stopped.
He lay on the ground panting heavily, drenched in sweat, staring at Naruto with pure fear.
Naruto turned toward Obito.
"Uchiha Obito."
"You really believe Infinite Tsukuyomi will give you the perfect world you want?"
"What if it's just an illusion… a castle in the sky?"
Obito trembled.
Of course he had doubts.
But what else could he do?
The only way forward was to lie to himself.
To keep believing.
To keep repeating that the Infinite Tsukuyomi would create a peaceful world where everyone could smile.
Naruto turned to Zetsu.
"Zetsu. How about this?"
"I'll help you revive Ōtsutsuki Kaguya."
"But your ridiculous plan?"
"Impossible."
Naruto lifted a small sphere.
Inside it—the sealed Gedo Statue.
"Without this, the Ten-Tails can never exist."
"Your entire plan is already dead."
Zetsu went silent.
He could clearly feel the presence of the Gedo Statue inside the sphere.
Looking at Naruto's bright smile, Zetsu couldn't help thinking:
This man is a demon.
"Well, everyone's here."
"Orochimaru—you were technically part of Akatsuki too."
"Go put on the Akatsuki uniform."
"And the rest of you—change clothes too."
Naruto tossed several black cloaks with red clouds into the air.
"Oh, and Jiraiya."
"You should wear one too."
"After all, Akatsuki was originally founded by your three disciples."
"As their teacher, you should at least try the uniform once."
Jiraiya stared at the cloak in disbelief.
Akatsuki was currently the most hated criminal organization in the entire ninja world.
He had gone to Rain Village specifically to gather intelligence so Konoha could destroy them.
And now—
He was being asked to join them?
"Naruto… what exactly are you planning?" Jiraiya finally asked.
Naruto grinned.
"Didn't I already say?"
"We're putting on a show."
"Just imagine it."
"The entire Akatsuki group wearing red cloud cloaks—marching proudly into Konoha Village."
"Wouldn't that look cool?"
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
For Naruto, the strength of Akatsuki members meant nothing.
But their style?
Incredible.
Those black cloaks with red clouds were far cooler than the ugly ninja vests worn by the Five Great Villages.
In his original world, Naruto had to maintain the dignity of the Hokage.
He couldn't openly admit how cool he thought they were.
But in this parallel world—
He could finally indulge himself.
The Akatsuki Heavenly Squad was about to debut.
Even though Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Hidan were dead…
With Sasuke, Orochimaru, Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo—
Akatsuki could still shine.
Dragging Jiraiya into it was simply Naruto's personal sense of humor.
"Just for that?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief.
"Of course."
"If I really wanted to conquer the ninja world, I could just walk into the Five Great Villages and declare myself their leader."
"Who would dare refuse?"
"I'm only doing this because this group of people will show up later anyway. Otherwise I wouldn't bother running around."
Naruto put on his own red-cloud cloak.
The wide sleeves fluttered dramatically.
He looked extremely satisfied.
"Orochimaru. Obito. Zetsu."
"Don't even think about trying anything funny."
"If I didn't need you for the show, I could kill you with one finger."
"And Sasuke—don't look so grumpy."
"You'll see your best friend soon."
"This time when we return to Konoha, you'll definitely impress that Uzumaki Naruto."
Orochimaru, Obito, and Zetsu all turned pale.
None of them dared disobey.
Not after seeing Naruto's power.
Besides—
They were also curious about what Naruto planned to do next.
Sasuke stared at Naruto and snorted.
But he couldn't deny it.
He was curious too.
This was insane.
But also exciting.
"This is ridiculous," Jiraiya muttered.
"Jiraiya," Nagato said calmly, "aren't you enjoying this a little?"
"Don't talk nonsense," Jiraiya replied stiffly. "I'm being forced by power."
"Marching openly into Konoha like this… is that really a good idea?"
And so—
A strange procession formed.
Red cloud cloaks billowing.
They walked straight toward Konoha.
Every member felt a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation.
After all—
The Akatsuki organization was infamous across the entire ninja world.
Every member was a wanted criminal.
Several tailed beast jinchūriki had already died because of them.
Now they were about to walk directly into Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Villages.
Just imagining it made their hearts race.
Meanwhile…
Inside the Hokage Office.
Tsunade slammed a report onto her desk.
"Jiraiya still hasn't come back?"
"He sent information earlier," someone replied, "but it was vague… just telling us to prepare ourselves mentally."
"That idiot!"
Tsunade's temper exploded.
"Did he suddenly forget how to gather intelligence?"
"This report is worse than homework from a ninja academy student!"
For days she had felt uneasy about Jiraiya's mission.
Now the entire ninja world was preparing to face Akatsuki.
Konoha had already lost elite jonin Asuma during a confrontation with them.
Each Akatsuki member was nearly Kage-level.
The pressure on the village was enormous.
Everyone was working nonstop.
Analyzing abilities.
Planning countermeasures.
Training harder.
Akatsuki hung over Konoha like a massive shadow.
Suddenly—
An ANBU ninja burst into the office.
"Hokage-sama… Akatsuki… Akatsuki…"
"What about Akatsuki?" Tsunade snapped, already standing.
"They're at the village gate!"
"The entire organization… it looks like all of them are there!"
Tsunade's face turned pale.
She immediately rushed out.
Across the village—
Chaos erupted.
Shinobi leapt across rooftops like rain.
Elsewhere, another Naruto looked up from training.
"Akatsuki…?"
"Members of Akatsuki have appeared at the village gate?"
"They're unbelievably arrogant. Are they invading Konoha?"
"Their goal must be the Nine-Tails."
"Protect Naruto!"
"Hide him!"
"Damn it!"
"If they succeed inside Konoha, we jonin might as well slit our own throats!"
Kakashi.
Might Guy.
Kurenai.
All the jonin rushed toward the village gate.
Civilians evacuated.
Defenses formed.
The entire village moved like a war machine.
Everyone waited—
For the inevitable collision.
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