Naruto sat alone on the small bed in his apartment, his hands clasped over his head, memories flashing through his mind from the Shadow Clone — the world-destroying Great Spiraling Ring of Yu, the terrified expressions of the Konoha Shinobi, the scorched body of the Raikage...
The commotion I caused was too big, wasn't it...
The Shadow Clone's memories were as vivid as if he had experienced them himself, allowing him to clearly feel the almost arrogant confidence he had when releasing that Ninjutsu.
Am I... really a chuunibyou?
This thought made his ears burn. Those exaggerated lines, those oppressive declarations, were incredibly embarrassing to recall now. Especially that one line:
"Either obediently gnaw on the rotten fruit of peace and survive... or let me teach you what real war is!"
How could he have said something like that?!
Naruto rolled over on the bed, burying his face in the covers. But soon, he forced himself to calm down and began to sort through the Shadow Clone's logical reasoning.
Regarding the organization's name — [Cinder].
Why was this name chosen at the time? Through memory sharing, he understood the Shadow Clone's thoughts.
Simple, direct, powerful.
Just like the [Akatsuki] organization, a single-character name is easy to remember and full of deterrence. "Cinder" means burning the fires of war to ashes. This character represents both destruction and the meaning of an end.
Although it sounds cool... isn't it a bit too pretentious?
He remembered the Shadow Clone had considered several other options. [Divine Punishment] was too lofty, like claiming to be a god.
[No Blame] was too literary and not intuitive enough.
[Fallen Army] was too specific, only targeting armies.
[Cage of Paradox] meant treating war as a paradox, forever locking war in a cage... This one was directly rejected because even the Shadow Clone itself found it awkward.
The final choice of "Cinder" was also a tribute to the [Akatsuki] organization; a single-character name indeed has more impact.
Regarding the apparent goal — "stopping war through threat."
This reason sounds grand and righteous, but in reality... in the original timeline, the Third Ninja World War had already ended, and besides the Fourth Great Ninja War, there would be no more wars between Great Nations...
This was just a facade.
The true purpose was to use this opportunity to secretly recruit Shinobi who couldn't be recruited by "righteous identities" — these individuals might have eccentric personalities or extreme ideologies, but without exception, they all possessed formidable strength.
The future enemy... is the Otsutsuki.
Relying on the Five Great Nations fighting individually would be impossible to contend with those alien monsters. There must be an organization that transcends the boundaries of Shinobi Villages, a force capable of integrating all "unconventional combat power."
And [Cinder] was the first step of this plan.
Naruto took a deep breath and sat up from the bed. Outside the window, Konoha had returned to peace. The villagers had no idea that the "Masked Man" who had almost destroyed the village was now sitting in this small apartment in the form of a three-year-old child.
Although the methods were a bit radical... this path must be followed.
All of this was to accumulate enough strength before the true apocalypse arrived...
— — — — — —
This conflict, despite miraculously causing no casualties, caused a nuclear-level sensation in the Ninja World.
The evidence was before everyone's eyes — the giant crater outside Konoha Village, almost as wide as the village itself.
As Naruto had requested, the names of [Cinder] and "Menma" quickly spread throughout the Ninja World. It could even be said that Kumogakure's propaganda was a bit overzealous. They extensively exaggerated Menma's terror through diplomatic channels, black market bounties, and underground intelligence networks.
The Raikage, as Kumogakure's face and strongest combatant, was severely injured to the brink of death.
Kumogakure, always known for its "fight first, ask questions later" attitude, strictly forbade any actions that might provoke Menma while the Raikage was on the verge of death. Even the most aggressive war hawks fell silent after seeing the giant crater outside Konoha.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, the Third Hokage recovered with great difficulty after a long period of recuperation, but as the Hokage of the village, he had to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible.
He first drew elites from the Anbu to form a special reconnaissance team, responsible for collecting all intelligence about "Menma." However, the Third Hokage specifically instructed them — not to delve too deeply, and once any anomaly was discovered, they must immediately cease tracking and never take risks.
Subsequently, he urgently recalled Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were traveling abroad. He attempted to stabilize public morale with the return of the Legendary Sannin.
At the same time, Konoha mobilized all Shinobi in the village skilled in Earth Release Ninjutsu to begin filling the shocking giant crater outside the village. This was a massive undertaking, but it had to be completed as soon as possible, not only to repair the landscape but also to eliminate that terrifying symbol that constantly reminded people that "destruction is imminent."
Here's where it gets interesting: in Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage Onoki publicly condemned Kumogakure, accusing them of the foolishness of "trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice." Subsequently, a high bounty quietly appeared on the black market, offering a large sum for any information about Menma and [Cinder].
This old man, openly gloating, but secretly wanting to contact the [Cinder] organization that struck fear into the entire Ninja World?
At the same time, Kirigakure, still secretly controlled by Obito, also reacted.
Obito was highly wary of this suddenly appearing strong individual. When did such a person emerge in the Ninja World? He worried that this variable would interfere with the Eye of the Moon Plan and immediately ordered Black Zetsu to collect all intelligence on [Cinder].
The two conspirators hidden behind masks felt uneasy that their plan was slipping out of control.
And within Amegakure, Nagato, the leader of the [Akatsuki] organization, who had not yet begun his actions, learned of this world-shaking event through his intelligence network. What caught his attention even more was Menma's publicly proclaimed ideology — [Ending War Through Fear].
This ideology created a subtle resonance in Nagato. Both sought to achieve peace through extreme means, but their methods were entirely different. Menma chose to become the public enemy of the entire Ninja World, using absolute military deterrence to suppress war.
Nagato's plan was even more radical — he intended to collect Tailed Beasts, create weapons capable of destroying a nation with a single blow, and then use this power to cause mass casualties.
He wanted nations to understand the horror of war by experiencing the pain of countless lost lives, thereby fearing war itself.
But after careful consideration, Nagato decided to attempt contact with the [Cinder] organization. Facing this "colleague" who also sought to achieve peace through extreme methods, he wanted to explore the possibility of cooperation.
Of course, if their ideologies clashed, he, possessing the Rinnegan, was confident that he would absolutely not lose.
It wasn't without its benefits; a strange calm descended upon the Ninja World. After seeing the giant crater outside Konoha Village, all the Great Shinobi Villages fell into a panic. They worried that one day Menma would suddenly appear above their village and casually drop a "Great Spiraling Ring of Yu."
Consequently, all nations unanimously ordered a halt to all diplomatic conflicts, and even the small-scale skirmishes that had persisted for years on the borders abruptly ceased.
Then, something even stranger happened. No matter how the Five Great Nations investigated, no matter how high the bounties they offered, Menma vanished as if evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace. The [Cinder] organization was also completely silent, as if it had never existed.
After all, the terrifying entity that struck fear into the entire Ninja World was now just a three-year-old child — no one would believe such a thing, right?