Before Hanzo or Nagato could respond, his figure vanished like erased pencil marks. He was gone without a trace.
At the same time, unaware that most of the Akatsuki front-line ninja had been wiped out, dawn arrived over Konoha in calm silence.
"Haah... haah..."
Naruto Uzumaki climbed a steep slope using both hands and feet, ignoring the way gravel cut into his palms. At last, he reached the top of Hokage Rock and dropped down onto the head of the Fourth Hokage's massive stone statue.
The morning light dyed all of Konoha Village in warm red and gold. Smoke rose from kitchens, windows glowed softly, and the village moved through its usual rhythm.
People walked the streets, children played together, and the smell of food drifted through the cool air. This was a view Naruto Uzumaki had seen countless times, a Konoha that seemed wrapped in happiness.
Yet none of it belonged to him.
He hugged his knees and rested his chin on them, curling into a small shape. The autumn wind swept across the high rock face, cold enough to cut through his thin clothes.
In the distance, a hawk circled up from the forest and crossed the glowing sky. Naruto Uzumaki followed it without thinking, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Then another bird rose from below the cliff and cried out clearly as it joined the first. They brushed past each other in the light and flew on together, free and full of life.
The smile slowly faded from Naruto Uzumaki's face.
The smell of food drifted in again, and his stomach suddenly growled. He pushed himself up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and headed down toward the streets of Konoha.
When his small figure appeared, the lively street seemed to cool at once. Whispers spread, and children were pulled back into their parents' arms.
"That is him..."
The looks from both sides of the street formed an invisible wall around him. Naruto Uzumaki was already used to it, lowering his head and walking step by step as naturally as he could.
He was too young to understand hatred and fear, but he clearly felt the bitterness of being pushed away by the world. Then a ball rolled to a stop at his feet with a soft pata pata sound.
Naruto Uzumaki crouched down and picked it up, looking up with a bright smile. The man in front of him pressed a hand on his own child's shoulder and stared down coldly.
"Do not play with him. Who knows what he might do."
The words cut deep, and the smile froze on Naruto Uzumaki's face. He did not understand what he had done wrong, when he only wanted to return the ball.
He stood stiffly and let the ball drop. Hungry as he was, he turned away like he always did and left the crowd behind.
His walk turned into a run, his small back stiff with stubborn pride as he headed toward quieter streets. He brushed past Sasuke Uchiha, who glanced back and muttered, "What a strange guy."
"He is the one," an adult nearby said. "They say the Fourth Hokage died because of him."
Sasuke Uchiha frowned but turned to leave. A burst of noise behind him caught his attention, and he turned to see someone standing in front of that boy.
It looked like the blond kid had run into him. When Sasuke Uchiha saw the face clearly, a name came to mind at once.
Yunchuan Hyuga.
"Pant, pant."
With his vision blurred, the stone road under his feet seemed endless, and the cold words still echoed in Naruto Uzumaki's ears. Right now he only wanted to run back to his own home, back to that quiet place where at least no one pointed at him. He wanted to hide himself away and stop being seen.
He kept his head down and ran in a mess through the street, and everyone he passed frowned and stepped aside. Just as he rushed forward without looking up, it happened.
Bang!
It felt like he slammed into a wall that was not hard, yet strangely solid. The impact made his already unsteady body lose balance.
The small body fell backward and landed hard on the cold ground. His palm scraped against the rough surface and burned with pain.
"I, I am sorry!" Naruto Uzumaki blurted out almost by reflex. "I, I did not mean to…"
He did not dare to look up at the person he hit, afraid of seeing another pair of disgusted eyes. His small body curled up in embarrassment, shrinking in on itself.
But the scolding he expected never came.
A hand reached out in front of him and entered his lowered field of view. The hand was long, with clear joints and thin calluses from long training, yet the movement was unusually gentle. It did not pull him up, but simply opened quietly before him like a patient, silent invitation.
Naruto Uzumaki froze when he saw it, his voice stuck in his throat. He cautiously raised his head little by little and followed the hand upward.
What he saw was a person lowering his center of gravity, one hand on his knee as he bent slightly forward. There was no coldness or anger on that face, only a smile that felt unfamiliar and unreal to him. Sunlight fell across it, and even those pure white eyes carried a hint of warmth.
"It is, it is you…"
A faint spark flashed through Naruto Uzumaki's mind as he remembered the figure who once sent three kids flying with a few slaps. He spoke without thinking, "That really strong big brother?"
"It is you." Yunchuan Hyuga seemed to remember him as well and moved his hand slightly. "Are you hurt?"
Naruto Uzumaki instinctively wanted to raise his hand to take it, but just as his fingertips were about to touch.
"Wait, Yunchuan Hyuga sir, do not touch him!"
A tense and loud warning suddenly broke the calm of the street. Yunchuan Hyuga followed the voice and looked over, seeing a middle-aged man nearby.
"Ahem, you may not know this." The man wore a flattering smile mixed with smug certainty. "This child is the vessel of the Nine-Tails that killed the Fourth Hokage back then!"
The words were like a stone thrown into water, instantly stirring waves.
"Look at that child's face…" "Yes, yes, it is him. I heard it too." "Lord Yunchuan, you are a hero just like the Fourth Hokage was, young and capable. You cannot let this thing cling to you!"
The noisy whispers gathered again like a cold tide, freezing shut the small opening that had just appeared. The crowd that had quieted when Yunchuan Hyuga showed up returned to its buzzing, and many eyes watched Naruto Uzumaki with tension and scrutiny.
"I, I…"
Naruto Uzumaki's raised hand froze in midair, and the tiny spark that had just ignited was drowned at once by cold water. He lowered his head again, afraid to see Yunchuan Hyuga's expression after learning his so-called identity. Tears welled up as he pressed his head even lower.
At this moment, Yunchuan Hyuga's smile faded a little. It did not vanish, but melted away like thin spring snow, revealing something calmer beneath. He did not answer the villagers right away, nor did he look down at Naruto Uzumaki.
Those pure Byakugan eyes slowly lifted. They swept over the villagers whose faces carried self-righteous concern and the deep-rooted prejudice of Root.
When that emotionless gaze calmly passed over each person who had been talking at once, the noise weakened on its own. It faded until it vanished completely, leaving silence behind.