Three days passed.Night fell over the Uchiha compound, quiet and heavy. Every Uchiha , adults, even the younger ones—gathered in the clan's largest courtyard. Lanterns flickered along the stone paths. The air carried a low tension that no one quite understood.
All of them looked upward.
At the full moon. Hundreds of Sharingan ignited at once, crimson rings gleaming like a field of silent watchfires aimed at the sky.
Teyaki squinted. "Why are we doing this again? I mean… sure, the moon's beautiful and all."
Uchiha Uruchi shrugged, adjusting her posture as her Sharingan settled. "Not that it matters. Look around. Half our houses are being renovated. Supplies came in this morning. And I heard other clans came to greet us."
Inabi kept his gaze fixed upward, voice flat. "Let them greet all they want. We stay cautious. They don't exactly appreciate us. They pretend well… but appreciation? No."
Yashiro stood behind them, Sharingan bright, jaw tight. His thoughts spun harsher than his tone.
I insisted on a coup. I was ready to burn everything. And now this… diplomacy? Why is it working?
He clenched his fists behind his cloak.
. Why… why must things change now?
Inside the Naka Shrine—deep below the abandoned temple—Naruto sat cross-legged on the ancient floor, sharpening Masamune with a single finger. Each drag of his nail across the impossibly long blade released a faint metallic hum,.
Around him stood the Uchiha who knew the truth.
Fugaku folded his arms. "That's a pretty big sword for a kid like you."
Naruto didn't look up. "Even you can't lift it anyway."
Shisui leaned against the old stone pillar. "Then tell us honestly. What exactly are you planning with all the Uchiha staring at the moon?"
Naruto smirked without warmth. "Oh, nothing. I'm throwing things for fun and fuck the shit up."
Footsteps echoed down the stairs—sharp, hesitant.
Sasuke and Izumi appeared side by side, still catching their breath.
"Haha. Very funny," Sasuke said, eyes narrowing. "But that's not what happened. And not what'll happen next."
Itachi turned instantly, gaze sharpening on Izumi. "Izumi… what are you doing here? I told you not to come tonight."
Izumi stepped forward, clutching her hands together. "I came to find you. I felt something wrong in the air. And—" she swallowed— "Sasuke wouldn't let me go alone."
Mikoto moved quickly, trying to pull Izumi back up the stairs. "Izumi dear, this isn't a place for—"
Naruto raised a hand lazily. "It's fine. It's fine. Let her stay."
He slid Masamune back into cane-form.
"As long as the majority stare at the moon," he said, tone flat and amused, "everything's still on track."
The air beside him warped—color draining out of reality.
A colorless portal opened like someone erased a hole through space.
Naruto's posture stiffened. A jolt ran through him, a pulse of familiar sentience threading straight into his skull.
"You're here," Naruto muttered. "First Fragment."
A drifting sphere emerged from the portal—glass-like, translucent, packed with runic wires of Bill's power twisting inside it like caged lightning. It hovered at Naruto's eye level.
The First Fragment spoke with a layered echo, voice old and newborn at the same time.
"Long time no see, Original. It was… difficult. Being placed on the moon. Forced to coordinate our stability from distance."
It pulsed once, dimly. "But before you absorb me… among the humans of this world, there is an alien power suitable for—"
"Stop," Naruto cut in sharply. "When your memories merge with mine, I'll see the details myself."
"You will be absorbed. As planned."
For the first time, the First Fragment hesitated—its glow faltering, colors shifting like indecision. The silent tremor made every Uchiha feel a wrongness they couldn't describe.
Naruto's eye gleamed—blue sclera filling the entire white, iris burning sharp red. His voice thinned into something predatory.
"What's wrong… First Fragment?"
The Fragment flickered. "It is nothing. I will leave the matter in your hands."
Naruto didn't buy that—but he didn't waste breath on it either. He reached out and grabbed the sphere. The First Fragment cracked like glass under touch—and dissolved into streaks of blue-gold energy that surged straight into Naruto's chest.
Naruto's body shot upward—bones stretching, muscles tightening, height rising. His child form unraveled in seconds, replaced by a lean, deceptively adult young frame. Shoulders broader, posture sharper, aura pressure multiplying.
Fugaku stepped back half a step. Itachi's breath locked. Shisui blinked hard.
Naruto exhaled once, slow and cold, steam curling from his lips as the fragment fully merged.
Memory. Power. Instinct. All slammed into him at once.
Fucking Bern… she really gets on my nerves. Scattering fragments across places even I'd struggle to reach.
He rolled his neck once, cracking vertebrae like snapping glass.
A fresh line of memory snapped through him—an echo tied to the moon, a spatial ripple from another dimension, and a predatory chakra signature drifting across the world like a loose needle hunting for prey.
Naruto's lip curled into a slow, feral grin as the merged fragment settled in his bones. However… there's an Ōtsutsuki running around. What was his name… ah, yes. Urashiki. If I absorb something like that… my Weirdmageddon spikes by miles.
He stood there smirking to himself, fully enjoying the power haul he'd just collected.
Izumi leaned toward Itachi and whispered, confused. "Itachi-san… why did that kid suddenly turn into an adult?"
Itachi didn't answer. He only glanced at Shisui—because Shisui looked like he'd just pieced something together.
Shisui's mind clicked, but he chose his next words very carefully, avoiding any direct mention of Naruto's step sister. "I get it now. What your step sister meant about fragments… why you were in a child's body before… and why you look like an adult now." His tone tightened. "Naruto, you're older than even the Hokage, aren't you?"
Naruto shrugged lightly, the grin not fading. "I'm reaching a millennia now, give or take. Though that crazy Witch of Miracles kept me leashed day and night… so this is the freest I've felt in a long damn time."
Fugaku forced a light chuckle, trying to break the tension. "Right. That's a good joke, Naruto. A very good henge no jutsu."
Itachi didn't blink. "Father… that wasn't a jutsu. Naruto really turned into an adult in a single moment."
Shisui's Sharingan flared on instinct. The more he looked, the more the pressure around Naruto coiled wrong—too dense, too sharp, too indifferent. That disdain Naruto held for Konoha wasn't a phase. It was deep, old, and real.
Shisui exhaled slowly. "Naruto… what happens when you gather all of your fragments? Because your magic now is already extreme. And whatever that sphere gave you made you even stronger."
Naruto turned his head slightly, tone flattening. "Shisui. I know you want to protect both Konoha and the Uchiha. But you're prying too deep into someone else's business." His gaze sharpened. "I'm glad you invited me into the Uchiha compound. I kept my bargain. No bloodshed happened between your clan and Konoha. Good deal for everyone."
His expression dimmed just a touch, irritation threading through. "But you're getting pushy. And I'm running out of words."
A small device appeared in Naruto's hand—his flickering nightmare-electric vape. He drew a slow cloud from it, the faint distortion rippling around his adult frame, giving him an unnervingly relaxed charisma.
Naruto tapped ash off the tip and smirked. "So, Shisui… you want a second round? Here and now?"
Shisui stepped forward without hesitation, feet silent on the shrine floor. His intent was clear—he was ready to clash again.
But Mikoto moved first.
She placed a firm hand on Shisui's shoulder, voice soft but unwavering. "Shisui-san… let Naruto go. I made a promise to Kushina to help him if he ever needed it."
Shisui didn't step back. His Sharingan spun once, tense. "Mikoto-san… I'm sorry. But I can't. This isn't a small matter." He kept his eyes on Naruto as he spoke. "I've looked Naruto's step sister in the eye. She's not someone we can reason or bargain with. And Naruto—" he swallowed, "—Naruto is the same. If he gathers all his fragments, I fear he'll destroy everything."
Fugaku stiffened. "You mean… destroy Konoha?"
Shisui shook his head. "Worse, Fugaku-san. Beings like him—and his step sister—they play with entire worlds like toys."
Fugaku froze, a dry swallow catching in his throat. He didn't even attempt to deny it.
Itachi stepped up beside Shisui. "Shisui-senpai. Do you need my help?"
Shisui lifted a hand in refusal. "No. I'll do this alone."
He stepped closer, closing the distance until he could look Naruto directly in the eyes. And now that Naruto stood in his young adult form—taller, sharper, radiating an impossible presence—Shisui finally felt the scale of what he was dealing with.
"Answer me truthfully," Shisui said, voice low but steady. "You said you wanted this world as a refugee.. But your power keeps jumping—leaps at a time. And what I saw today…"
".. I believed what you said that day—about your sister,. But your personality, your smile… they say otherwise. So what exactly are you gathering all this strength for?"
Naruto brushed a thumb along the side of the nightmare vape, taking one calm drag before answering.
"I'm not exactly released," he said. "I have a mission. Don't worry—none of you are involved. The sooner I complete it, the better." He flicked ash off the tip, eyes narrowing. "But you and I? We don't talk with words, do we?"
Something clicked behind Shisui's eyes.He replayed their first confrontation.
Wait… a trick .
Handshake. Agreement. Deal. Deal—THAT'S IT.
Shisui inhaled sharply, realization striking like lightning.
He straightened.
Shisui said, voice calm but charged. " "Let's play a game, Naruto, . Each of us gets a demand."
Naruto opened his mouth as if to answer… then tilted his head and dismissed it with a casual, "Nahhh."
Shisui blinked. "What do you mean nahhh? You like playing games."
Naruto tapped his vape against his palm, smirking. "I play when there's worth. When there are stakes. From what I see…" He swept his gaze over the room—Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi, Shisui, Izumi, Sasuke lingering near the back. "You don't have any. And I mean all of the Uchiha clan. You have nothing worth betting."
Sasuke's jaw clenched. He stepped forward, ready to snap—but Fugaku stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. The clan head's voice was steady, controlled.
"I understand you helped us, Naruto," Fugaku said. "More than anyone ever has. And we won't deny that. But don't say we have no worth." His eyes hardened, Sharingan flickering at the edges. "We are the Uchiha. We are not accusing you of manipulation. But we've earned our name. We are the strongest clan in Konoha."
Naruto laughed once—low, sharp, slicing through the room like a scalpel.
"Strongest, huh? Then let me give you a truth you won't enjoy."
His gaze locked onto Fugaku.
"How many of you can use the Mangekyō Sharingan? In official records?"
Fugaku didn't answer.
Naruto tilted his head. "Exactly. None."