"Sins must be repaid."
Naruto's voice was calm, yet it carried a weight that pressed down on everyone present.
"Even death… is no exception."
His gaze swept across the members of the Akatsuki, cold and discerning, as if measuring each of their lives against an invisible scale.
Yahiko stood quietly—he had died too early, his hands relatively clean. Nagato and Konan, as leaders, bore responsibility for bloodshed, but compared to the others, their sins were restrained.
Kisame Hoshigaki had killed many, but as a ninja—following orders, not indulging in cruelty. After joining Akatsuki, he had rarely harmed innocents.
But others…
Deidara, who saw destruction as art.
Sasori, who had reduced entire nations to lifeless puppets.
Kakuzu, who murdered endlessly for profit.
Hidan, who reveled in killing as a twisted form of devotion.
And then there were Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo—still standing at the edge, not yet fully consumed by sin.
A faint chuckle broke the tension.
"Heh… that kid's smile feels off," Deidara muttered, though his tone quickly shifted. "What are we even scared of? We're already dead!"
His laughter grew louder, wild and unrestrained.
"That's right! I forgot—I'm already dead!" he shouted. "Why should I be afraid of some blond brat?!"
Arrogance returned to him in full.
"Idiot…" Sasori murmured under his breath, his eyes narrowing.
Because he noticed something the others hadn't.
Naruto was smiling.
But there was nothing normal about that smile.
Even Kakuzu and Hidan fell silent, an unspoken unease creeping into their minds. Something about Naruto's gaze felt worse than death itself.
Naruto brought his hands together in a soft clap.
"True," he said lightly. "You're already dead."
"So punishment shouldn't apply… right?"
Deidara grinned widely.
"Exactly! Now you understand!"
Without hesitation, he tore open his shirt, revealing the grotesque mouth embedded in his chest.
"Then watch this—my ultimate art!"
His chakra surged violently, spiraling out of control.
Self-destruction.
The same technique that had once nearly taken Sasuke's life.
"Damn it, he's insane!"
"He's going to blow himself up?!"
Panic spread through the crowd. Few here could survive such an explosion.
Naruto let out a quiet sigh.
"…What a temper."
A strange light flickered in his eyes as he spoke.
"Deidara. Stop."
"Stop?" Deidara laughed. "You think you can stop me? This explosion covers kilometers! This is my ultimate art!"
He even whispered the sound, almost reverently.
"Boom."
And then—
He waited.
But nothing happened.
The raging chakra stilled.
The explosion never came.
"…What?"
Deidara's eyes snapped open.
His body was no longer under his control.
Step by step, he walked forward.
Toward Naruto.
"Come here."
Naruto's voice left no room for resistance.
Deidara dropped to his knees before him, panic flashing across his face.
"What… what is this?!"
Naruto placed a hand gently on his head.
"Rinne Rebirth."
Power surged.
Before everyone's eyes, Deidara's Edo Tensei body transformed. The cracks vanished. The cold, lifeless form regained warmth.
He was alive again.
Breathing.
Human.
Naruto's voice remained calm.
"From now on, every time you attempt to use your explosions…"
"You will feel unbearable pain."
"Unless it is for justice. To save lives. To protect peace."
A seal formed within Deidara's body.
At first, he didn't understand.
Then—
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
A scream tore through the hall.
Pain flooded him, overwhelming and absolute, as if his very soul were being torn apart.
Everyone froze.
They understood now.
Naruto wasn't simply powerful.
He could rewrite people.
Even Uchiha Itachi felt a chill.
This wasn't genjutsu.
This was reality itself being altered.
Naruto raised his hand again.
"Rinne Rebirth."
Light surged outward.
Yahiko. Sasori. Kakuzu. Hidan.
All of them returned to life.
Even Sasori, whose body had long been reduced to nothing more than a puppet, was restored completely.
Then Naruto's gaze shifted.
Hidan was dragged forward, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"From now on, you will believe only in justice," Naruto said. "You will protect the weak. You will punish evil."
"If you violate this…"
"You will suffer."
Before he could respond, Hidan collapsed, screams already spilling from his lips.
Next came Kakuzu.
"You will never possess more than a small amount of money," Naruto declared. "You will use what you have to help others."
Pain struck instantly, bending him to the ground.
Then Sasori.
"You will never create puppets again," Naruto said. "You will atone."
One by one, they were bound—not by chains, but by laws that governed their very existence.
Deidara tried to rise, to attack—
But the moment intent formed, agony crushed him back down.
All of them writhed on the ground.
Screaming.
Powerless.
Naruto watched calmly, a faint smile on his face.
"You hate me?" he said softly. "That's fine."
"You won't change your hearts."
"So I changed your bodies."
"Think whatever you want."
"But your actions…"
"Will follow justice."
"This—"
"Is your punishment."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unbearable.
Even Nagato felt a chill run through him.
This wasn't justice.
This was control.
Absolute control.
Naruto's gaze shifted toward him.
"You're different."
Nagato stiffened slightly, but Naruto shook his head.
"…Forget it."
"The ninja world is about to change."
"It will fall into chaos."
"And in that chaos…"
"We need someone to maintain order."
He pointed toward the Akatsuki.
"You."
"You will become that force."
"Punish evil. Protect the innocent."
"The peace you sought…"
"I've created the opportunity for it."
"Now prove you deserve it."
Nagato stood in silence.
For the first time in his life—
His dream felt within reach.
Naruto turned his gaze once more.
To Orochimaru.
Orochimaru smiled faintly, but tension lingered in his eyes.
Naruto raised his hand.
"You are forbidden from conducting human experiments."
A seal formed instantly.
"Your intelligence has value," Naruto said. "But your methods do not."
He paused briefly.
"…Truthfully, I should kill you."
"You've done too much."
"But…"
"Others still care about you."
"So your fate—"
"They will decide."
Orochimaru said nothing.
For once, even he fell silent.
Finally, Naruto's gaze moved to the last three.
Karin.
Suigetsu.
Jugo.
They trembled under his eyes, like prisoners awaiting judgment.
And in that moment—
They understood.
Standing before them was no ordinary ninja.
Not just someone powerful.
But someone who held dominion over fate itself.
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