"Alright. You won't go berserk again."
Jugo's massive form appeared before Naruto, his body still carrying traces of instability. Without hesitation, Naruto raised his hand and placed a sealing mark on him, his movements casual—almost effortless. Then, as if handling something insignificant, he flicked him aside.
Jugo staggered.
Karin and Suigetsu stood frozen, exchanging stunned glances.
…That was it?
No interrogation. No punishment. No follow-up.
"It looks like we're not actually part of the Akatsuki… so he's letting us go," Suigetsu muttered.
Karin frowned. "How does that make sense? We're literally wearing their cloaks. We've been walking around as Akatsuki members this whole time."
"Idiot," Suigetsu shot back. "Wearing the cloak doesn't make you one of them. Jiraiya wore it. Sasuke wore it. Did they get dragged here too?"
Karin blinked.
"…Yeah… we might've overthought this."
The three huddled together, whispering under their breath.
Then realization struck.
When Naruto had left earlier, they had foolishly followed behind him—and he had given them a strange look at the time.
They had misunderstood everything.
And made complete fools of themselves.
Naruto ignored them completely.
Instead, his gaze shifted.
"Sage of Six Paths," he said calmly, "have you come to understand the meaning of your existence?"
"…I have."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo gave a faint, bitter smile. Loneliness lingered in his expression.
Looking back, everything felt different now.
Stopping his mother, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, from casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi… saving the people of the ninja world… at the time, he had believed it was justice.
Later, he sealed her using Planetary Devastation.
For thousands of years, he remained in the Pure Land, waiting. Waiting for the moment he would appear again—to grant the power of Yin and Yang, to guide the reincarnations, to ensure Kaguya would be sealed once more.
But now…
He understood.
None of it had truly been his own will.
Everything had been guided.
Arranged.
Predetermined.
He had simply followed a script.
A puppet.
A tool.
At the critical moment, he would appear, hand over power to the "child of destiny," and ensure the world followed its assigned path.
If one didn't think deeply, it seemed natural.
But once you did…
It was terrifying.
Without Naruto's existence—without that unexpected disruption—the ninja world would have continued along the same cycle endlessly.
And even whether Hagoromo himself could awaken again…
Was uncertain.
Thousands of years had passed.
Yet he held no true memories of them.
Not the Warring States era.
Not the conflict between Hashirama and Madara.
Not even the First, Second, or Third Ninja Wars.
He had simply waited—
Like a dormant mechanism—
Until the Fourth War.
Until Kaguya's return.
Then he would awaken, grant power… and fade away once more.
A life entirely defined as a tool.
"…Is there truly a god in this world?" Hagoromo murmured softly.
Because of Naruto, fate had shifted.
His consciousness had awakened completely.
For the first time—
He could truly think.
Truly feel.
Truly question.
Naruto looked at him calmly.
"A god?" he said.
"Maybe."
"But now that you understand… why not break free?"
"Why not become your own god?"
His gaze was deep—unfathomable.
Naruto had seen multiple timelines.
Different versions of the same world.
And he had realized one truth.
Without change, every ninja world followed the same script.
Naruto would be born.
The Fourth War would unfold.
Kaguya would be sealed.
And everything would repeat.
Over and over again.
No one escaped.
Unless—
A variable appeared.
A disruption.
Only then could fate be broken.
Only then could people truly take control of their lives.
Whether those lives ended in tragedy…
Or something beautiful.
"Become… my own god…"
Elsewhere, beyond sight—
Kaguya murmured those same words.
She understood now as well.
Even while sealed, there had always been a voice guiding her.
Break free.
Cast Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Replant the God Tree.
It hadn't felt like her own will.
It had been like a command.
Like something planted within her.
She, too, had been a puppet.
But now—
She was free.
Even if Naruto restricted her actions…
Her will was her own.
"…Reward the good. Punish the evil."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"That kind of life… doesn't sound so bad."
For the first time in ages—
She felt light.
Truly light.
"Thank you… deeply."
Hagoromo bowed his head toward Naruto.
Then his figure faded away.
From this moment on—
He would live for himself.
Not as a tool.
Not as a script.
But as his own being.
Far away—
On the moon—
A heated debate raged.
"The daimyo system is unnecessary! A unified ninja world doesn't need it!"
"That's absurd! Every system needs leadership! Without it, everything collapses!"
"What about the Kage? Are we keeping the old structure—one country, one village, one daimyo, one Kage?"
"The majority of people are civilians! Without daimyo, who governs them? Can any of you manage an entire nation—let alone the entire world?"
"Then learn! Or do you plan to stay incompetent forever?!"
Voices clashed.
Tempers flared.
No one could agree.
At the center of it all—
One question remained.
Should the daimyo system continue to exist?
For generations, its presence had been ingrained into the very structure of society. Even those who resented it found it difficult to imagine a world without it.
Senju Tobirama frowned deeply.
He disliked the system.
But removing it entirely felt… unnatural.
As if it violated something deeply rooted in the world itself.
Madara scoffed.
"Hashirama, have you forgotten?" he said coldly. "The chaos of the Warring States era—wasn't it driven by those very people?"
Hashirama hesitated.
"I understand… but removing them so suddenly could destabilize everything."
"Tradition?" Madara sneered. "We're already reshaping the world. Tradition means nothing now."
"You're rushing this."
"And you're still naive."
And just like in the past—
They clashed.
A deafening explosion echoed.
Susanoo rose into the sky.
The Wood Golem roared in response.
Even the moon trembled beneath their power.
The battle raged—
Until neither side could claim victory.
Then—
Space itself tore open.
A rift appeared.
Naruto stepped through, followed by the members of the Akatsuki.
"Have you reached a conclusion?" he asked calmly.
Tobirama let out a long breath.
"We've outlined a basic framework… but we can't agree on one issue."
Naruto's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Daimyo?"
"That relic should have been buried in history long ago."
His voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
"You call yourselves leaders, yet you lack the courage to break from the past?"
"What is peace?"
"Equality. Harmony. Mutual respect."
"If a ruling class still exists…"
"How can any of that be real?"
Silence followed.
One by one—
Realization dawned.
Even Hashirama said nothing.
At last, Tobirama finalized a foundational structure for the unified ninja world.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was enough to begin.
Naruto glanced at it briefly.
Then smiled.
"Rinne Tensei."
A green light filled the sky.
One by one—
The reanimated shinobi began to change.
Their bodies restored.
Their lives returned.
This time—
The future would no longer follow a fixed script.
It would evolve.
Unpredictable.
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