Far above Konoha, atop the carved Hokage faces, the wind shifted. Naruto stood there in his Bill Cipher attire, cane resting at his shoulder, silhouette sharp against the moonlight.
He didn't turn when the space behind him warped from two synchronized shunshin.
"Aren't you gonna say anything, Shisui? Itachi?" His voice carried no weight, no anger—just a quiet finality. "Now you know exactly who you've been dealing with."
Shisui landed first. His expression broke—sad, shaken, empathetic in a way Shisui rarely allowed himself to be.
Itachi stood beside him, jaw tight, eyes lowered. Their silence said everything: they had finally seen the truth behind his background.
Naruto said, "Well, if not, it's time to finalize our—"
Itachi cut him off. "I have something to say. Especially now that we know who you are."
Shisui stepped forward. "You're the son of a hero. The Yondaime—Minato, the Yellow Flash. And I know your grief is great. But I'm sure someone—maybe even Sandaime—supported you behind your back."
The moment those words landed, Naruto's mood turned black. His eyepatch cracked under his fingers. The cloth ripped away, revealing a hollow bleeding socket—and the air behind him split, forming a cross-shaped tear as the Nightmare Realm pushed through.
Naruto's voice shook the stone beneath them. "That word always pisses me off. Every. Fucking. Time."
The tear in reality widened, wind screaming backward.
"You know what self-sacrifice is? Forced. Manipulated. Like THAT." His teeth clicked. "You know what I'm going to ask? You… and this entire world… what are you going to give me now? Because I didn't receive a single merit."
Naruto stepped forward, cane materializing in his hand.
"And you two?" His gaze sharpened to a killing edge. "Trying to leash me?"
The Nightmare Realm pulsed behind him, bending the mountain air.
"I suggest you choose your words very, very carefully. There are ten ways I can glass this world to dust. "
He froze mid-breath. Naruto's eye sharpened. He sensed them. Multiple chakra signatures rushing in—fast. he muttered. "Tch."
A new eyepatch materialized over his empty eye as he forced his emotion down. Black cards whirled around the three of them—Naruto, Itachi, Shisui—and in a blink they vanished. Nightmare Realm sealed. Air snapped shut behind them.
Ten seconds later, Kakashi landed on the stone face of the Hokage Monument, ANBU masks fanning out behind him.
He stared at the empty sky.
"I swear," Kakashi said, voice low, "there was something here. Someone. But the disturbance's gone. Nothing like earlier."
A green blur somersaulted into view.
Guy struck a pose, teeth shimmering. "Here I am, Kakashi! And now I challenge you to a youthful race across the village!"
Kakashi stared at him, soul half-dead. "Here we go… I'm tired, Guy."
Guy sparkled harder. "THAT is why we MUST run! TO REVIVE YOUR YOUTH!"
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
On Uchiha Compound
Sasuke helped his mother stack the golden cups Naruto brought, metal clinking softly as they slid into the shelf.
He frowned. "Mother… why are we stacking these? Naruto might use them to prank us."
Mikoto didn't miss a beat. "Which is exactly why I need to sell them quickly and make some profit. Besides, Naruto said it himself — he has many. That means these cups are disposable to him."
A sudden swirl of black cards spiraled open in the center of the room.
Naruto stepped out first, followed by Itachi and Shisui — all three emerging from the collapsing vortex of cards like returning phantoms.
Fugaku looked up from the shelf. His eyes sharpened. "So. How did it go? Was your plan successful, Naruto?"
Itachi nodded once. "It went very well. Though… there were a lot of twists."
Sasuke leaned forward, eager. "What twists? Come on, nii-san, tell me."
Shisui placed a hand on Sasuke's head, pushing him back gently. "Nope. Not today."
He smirked. "And not ever."
A knock echoed at the front door.
Fugaku moved first. Naruto had already taken precautions — he vanished from sight, presence erased completely.
Fugaku opened the door with his usual stern calm. "Yes?"
An ANBU in porcelain mask bowed. "Fugaku Uchiha. The Sandaime ordered me to deliver this."
He handed over an official scroll, stamped with the Hokage's seal. "An invitation. Clan-head meeting. Tomorrow morning. All leaders are required to attend."
Fugaku kept his expression flat, unreadable. "Understood."
The ANBU bowed again and left into the night.
Only when the door closed did Fugaku finally exhale, relief flickering behind his eyes. He turned back to the room.
"Naruto," he said quietly. "I don't know how you did it… but you will always be welcome here."
Naruto reappeared from the shadow of reality itself, expression calm, eye gleaming behind the patch. "Your part isn't done yet."
Fugaku straightened.
Naruto said. "You still have tomorrow's meeting, Remember what I told you. Say every line exactly as instructed… and everything will be smooth sailing."
Fugaku nodded once, steady. "Right. Very smooth."
Mikoto immediately brought out the dishes she'd prepared with care, setting them across the table like a warm, normal family banquet. "Now, now. It's time to eat. All of us worked hard today. And tomorrow… it will be the day that decides everything."
But Naruto was already surrounded by swirling black cards.
Mikoto stepped forward, gentle but firm. "Naruto. I know you're an orphan, but you can join us here. We can be your normal family."
Naruto giggled lightly, the sound edged like a mocking bell. He tilted his head with that strange adult-child mixture he carried.
Sasuke frowned. "Even if you helped our situation, at least show some respect to my mother."
Naruto waved it off. "No, no. You know… I watched a movie recently about dopamine and chemicals in the brain. My point is—" His smile thinned. "I'm past that. Thank you. But whatever anyone tries to offer me stays the same and bland. In other words… I already know it."
The black cards surged upward, folding the air around him. And Naruto vanished into the swirl.
Mikoto watched the last ember fade. "He sounds very arrogant," she said quietly. "Though… he reminds me of someone. A woman who once told me she had a baby, and that one day he and Sasuke would be friends."
Itachi paused mid-step. Kushina… and her child. Naruto.
Shisui clapped his hands once, shifting the mood. "Right, right. Let's eat. Or Mikoto-san will complain."
Fugaku looked toward Itachi. "What exactly did Naruto do to make Sandaime invite us?"
Itachi sat down with a tired exhale. "He offered a bribe… and a threat."
Sasuke frowned. "A threat like… he'll prank Sandaime for life? Right, Nii-san?"
Itachi shook his head. "Wrong, Sasuke. If tomorrow's meeting didn't happen… that would be the last day Konoha stands."
Mikoto blinked. "Explain it in a way we can understand."
Shisui leaned back, voice grim. "If Sandaime didn't listen to him… he was going to bring this village down to the dirt. "
Morning came.
9 A.M.
Every clan head filled the meeting hall. The air was tense with old pride, suspicion, and unspoken grudges. Koharu and Homura sat stiffly near the front, whispering among themselves. Doors slid shut.
Hiruzen finally entered, robes trailing, pipe absent for once. "I apologize," he said, settling at the head of the table. "This meeting is sudden and unscheduled."
Shikaku shrugged. "Take your time, Hiruzen."
Hiashi folded his arms. "Before we begin… where is Danzō? His presence is required in matters concerning clan affairs."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly. "Danzō is unavailable. He has traveled to the Rain Village on diplomatic business."
Shibi Aburame adjusted his glasses. "Very strange. Danzo never misses diplomatic matters."
Hiruzen tried to move the room along. He unrolled the agenda scroll. "Right. Today's matter is the stabilization of the village. There are parties who disagree with the outcome decided six years ago."
Koharu leaned forward, her tone already sour. "I propose we wait for Danzō first."
Homura sniffed. "If the Uchiha have complaints about what we decided, we'll know. They've been given enough space to live. Isn't that right, Fugaku?"
Fugaku didn't blink. "I am that party who didn't like the outcome you made—one-sidedly—regarding the Uchiha clan years ago."
Hiruzen kept his tone neutral. "And what complaint do you wish to make, Fugaku?"
Fugaku's answer was immediate. "These outrageous claims you placed on us after the Kyūbi attack. As I said before, none of the Uchiha are capable of controlling that beast directly."
Homura opened his mouth. "We already heard that, about how—"
Fugaku cut him off sharply. "I'm presenting the list of demands you denied for years. The ones you piled up and ignored."
He unrolled the scroll.
Hiruzen read each line aloud, his brows tightening with every sentence.
"Requests the immediate lifting of surveillance on the Uchiha compound.
Requests Uchiha representation in core village strategic councils.
Requests reintegration of Uchiha positions beyond the Police Force.
Requests access to restricted mission intel.
Requests infrastructure upgrades for the district.
Requests formal recognition that the Uchiha were not responsible for the Kyūbi attack.
Requests direct audiences with the Hokage without advisor interference."
Then Hiruzen reached the last line.
He paused.
"Return the Uchiha to the center of Konoha… and dissolve the village advisors."
Koharu shot to her feet. "Outrageous! Dissolve us? We are the backbone of this village—!"
Homura slammed his cane once. "These demands are far beyond reason. Too much for any clan!"
Hiruzen steadied his breath. He needed an angle to stabilize the room. "Fugaku… your list needs more time. Can't you lessen it a bit? Just adjust—"
Fugaku remembered exactly what Naruto whispered into his ear.
His eyes narrowed. "No. I will not lessen anything."
Fugaku stepped forward, voice level and cutting. "Yondaime has a son."
"A son you ignored," Fugaku continued. "A son you outcast. And you couldn't even give edible food for years."
Hiruzen's face drained of color.
The clan heads exchanged looks—some shocked, some horrified, some angry.
Fugaku didn't stop. "I took care of that boy for a time. And is this how you repay us? By shoving blame on our clan, keeping us in the outskirts, watching us like criminals?"
He lifted his chin slightly—measured, dignified, pure Uchiha.
"And let me remind every person in this room: the founders of Konoha were Uchiha and Senju. Not Sarutobi. and your advisors."
Koharu bristled. Homura froze.
Fugaku finished with a tone sharp enough to cut through the entire council. "We're not asking to be Hokage. But if you won't even grant our reasonable requests… then we will leave. With that child. Since even you do not appreciate us."