"I'm still young. I've got room to grow. Who knows? One day I might accidentally blow up the moon with a Rasengan. Don't underestimate a growing boy."
Naruto said it half-jokingly—but also half-serious.
After all, the moon in the ninja world wasn't exactly impressive. It was smaller than the territory under Konohagakure's jurisdiction. And its only real purpose? Serving as a giant rock prison for Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Kurama rolled his eyes inside the seal.
"Destroy the moon? Kid, don't talk shit."
Still… if Naruto kept growing like this, maybe one day he really would surpass those two red-armored legends—Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha—and wash away the humiliation of being split and sealed.
Thinking about that, Kurama felt oddly satisfied.
"The pursuers are dealt with," he said lazily. "Let's leave and enjoy Konoha's civil war from a safe distance."
"Of course," Naruto grinned. "Watching people fight each other is free entertainment."
He was about to move—
When a spike of malice stabbed into his senses.
Naruto instantly formed a Rasengan and slammed it into the ground.
BOOM.
The earth exploded, leaving a crater.
At the center lay a white humanoid creature—twisted, pale, and very, very dead.
Kurama frowned.
"More pursuers?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"No. That's not Konoha."
He crouched down.
"White Zetsu."
Yes. Not "Bai Ze." Not some Chinese mythological beast.
White Zetsu.
A product of the Ten-Tails. A walking, talking plant parasite.
Kurama's pupils shrank slightly.
"White Zetsu… That's the Ten-Tails' creation. I remember the Sage mentioning it when I was young."
The Ten-Tails had been sealed for thousands of years.
So why were its minions crawling around now?
Naruto stored the corpse into a sealing scroll.
A White Zetsu body had research value. Plenty of crazy scientists in this world would pay good money for it.
And in the ninja world, mad scientists were as common as mosquitoes.
Neither Naruto nor Kurama noticed—
The Eight Trigrams Seal on Naruto's stomach flickered faintly.
The talisman paper trembled.
Almost loose.
…
Meanwhile—
Inside the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Under the moonlight, Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha clashed at blinding speed.
To ordinary shinobi, they were little more than afterimages.
To Uchiha elites, it was a high-speed death ballet.
Even those with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan struggled to track them.
The gap was obvious.
Uchiha Izumi and the others didn't dare interfere. Jumping in would likely make things worse.
While Itachi and Shisui fought—
Izumi Uchiha slipped over the wall and entered the clan head's mansion.
The smell hit her instantly.
Blood.
Her heart dropped.
In the main room—
Fugaku Uchiha lay in a pool of blood.
Beside him—
Mikoto Uchiha.
Izumi felt like her brain shut down.
Itachi…
He killed them?
He killed his own parents?
Why?
During the Nine-Tails' attack, Itachi had saved her and her mother.
At the Academy, he was quiet but kind.
After becoming a shinobi, he talked about protecting both the clan and the village.
So when did he become this?
When did he become a demon swinging the butcher's knife at his own people?
Her Sharingan spun wildly.
Three tomoe rotated faster and faster—
Chakra surged toward her eyes.
For a moment, it seemed like the Mangekyō might awaken.
But the surge halted.
The Sharingan stabilized.
Perhaps her body protected itself from collapsing under that trauma.
Izumi didn't notice.
Her eyes were on Mikoto.
Did her fingers just move?
She rushed forward and checked.
Breathing.
Faint—but present.
"Mikoto-sama is alive!"
Izumi immediately began using medical ninjutsu.
After several attempts, Mikoto's complexion improved slightly.
But Izumi knew the truth.
Without professional treatment, Mikoto had only hours left.
And seeking help from Konoha Hospital?
That would be suicide.
As for going to the village higher-ups?
That's like walking into a tiger's mouth and asking if it's hungry.
She checked Fugaku.
A dagger had pierced his heart.
He was gone.
But—
He was smiling.
Smiling after being killed by his own son.
Izumi closed his eyes gently.
The guards entered shortly after.
"Izumi… is Mikoto-sama still alive?"
"She is," Izumi said urgently. "Is there a skilled medical ninja among us?"
"There was," a guard replied bitterly. "But they were evacuated earlier."
Izumi clenched her fists.
She had already lost her mother.
Was she going to watch Mikoto die too?
"What about Shisui?" she asked. "Can he defeat Itachi?"
The guard picked up Fugaku's body.
"Shisui-sama has the Mangekyō Sharingan. Don't waste his time."
Izumi glanced one last time at Itachi fighting in the distance.
She engraved that image into her heart.
Whatever his reasons—
She would never forgive him.
Not even if he claimed it was for the village.
Many clan members didn't want a coup.
They just wanted peaceful lives.
And yet—
They died under Itachi's blade.
Back outside—
Clang!
Kunai and shuriken collided again.
Itachi and Shisui stood face-to-face, eyes locked.
Neither activated genjutsu.
They knew each other too well.
Half a year ago, they sparred countless times.
Back then, they never used Sharingan.
Because for Uchiha, Sharingan meant tragedy.
Now—
They fought without restraint.
Landing on a stone lantern, Itachi spoke quietly.
"Shisui. I'm glad you're alive."
"But you're too late."
"I've chosen my path."
"If you stand in my way…"
"I will kill you."
Shisui didn't try to persuade him.
He understood Itachi too well.
This wasn't about ideology anymore.
He was buying time—for the clan to evacuate.
If he survived, the Uchiha would still have hope.
Suddenly—
A massive explosion lit up the distant horizon.
The ground trembled.
Both men looked toward the village.
Confusion.
Tonight was supposed to be the Uchiha coup.
So why was something else detonating outside?
Another village invading?
Shisui felt a flicker of hope.
Chaos would reduce casualties during evacuation.
Maybe fate was giving them an opening.
Itachi's expression, however, darkened.
Too many variables.
Shisui returning.
Now this explosion.
Was it the masked man?
And if so—
Was Naruto in danger?
That split second of distraction was enough.
Shisui flashed forward with Body Flicker.
His blade cut across Itachi's shoulder.
In the next instant—
Itachi dissolved into crows.
Flying toward the outskirts of the compound.
Shisui didn't chase.
He wasn't confident of victory.
And he still had to escort the clan.
He sighed.
Next time—
He wouldn't hesitate.
Friend or not.
…
Outside the clan compound—
Hiruzen Sarutobi waited with ANBU in the shadows.
If Itachi chose to massacre the clan—
The damage would be contained within the compound.
If the Uchiha launched their coup—
ANBU would respond immediately.
It was the least destructive option.
After waiting—
Battle noises erupted.
But ROOT forces hadn't arrived.
Hiruzen frowned.
"Where is Danzō?"
A ROOT ninja lowered his head.
"I do not know, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen sighed.
Danzō might sabotage many things—
But he would never miss a chance to deal with the Uchiha.
Unless…
Suddenly, Hiruzen's expression changed.
A distant explosion shook the earth.
He recognized that scale of power.
A Tailed Beast Bomb-level detonation.
And within the village—
Only one person could do that.
Naruto Uzumaki.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 70+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.