Civil War
After splitting off his Chunin-level chakra into shadow clones and scattering them across the Land of Water, Naruto arrived at Kirigakure.
Unlike Konohagakure, which is bathed in sunlight and surrounded by towering trees, Kirigakure is perpetually cloaked in a dense, eerie mist. Standing at the village's entrance, Naruto could barely make out the silhouette of the Mizukage's office in the distance, its form swallowed by the thick fog.
As he wandered through the village, he gathered valuable intelligence, but what struck him most was the attitude of the villagers toward their ninja.
In Konoha, civilians still held a degree of pride in their shinobi, even looking down on outsiders at times. But here in Kirigakure, there was only fear. The villagers secretly despised the Mist ninja, yet outwardly, they showed them deference, too terrified to display any form of disrespect.
After all, in a village where the strong dictated the rules, civilians had the freedom to insult, but ninja had the freedom to retaliate.
Whether it was this deeply ingrained brutality or Kirigakure's geographical isolation across the sea, Naruto couldn't help but compare it to a country from his past life. But unlike that country, the Mist lacked the power to be an offshore balancer.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Kurama opened one eye lazily and scoffed, "This place reeks. There's more malice here than even in Konoha. Is that old turtle, Isobu, still holed up in this hellhole?"
"Of course," Naruto replied. "Only Iwagakure and Kumogakure come close to Konoha's political stability. In both places, Jinchūriki are treated like dangerous weapons, but at least they aren't outright hunted. Every other village is worse."
"Then why did you drag me away from Konoha in the first place?" Kurama grumbled.
Naruto smirked. "Konoha only looks good compared to the alternatives. That doesn't make it righteous. The entire shinobi system is rotten."
He exhaled softly before adding, "If the Third Hokage had been a real leader—if he had taken responsibility instead of letting Danzo and the elders run unchecked—I might've stayed. I might've fought to become the Seventh Hokage and changed things from within."
Kurama immediately latched onto a detail. "Why Seventh Hokage?"
Naruto chuckled. "Because Hokage apprentices become Hokage. The old man would never take me in as his disciple. That means I'd have to be trained by the next Hokage first. Only then could I inherit the title."
"By that logic, if an Uchiha became Hokage's apprentice, he'd have a real shot at leading Konoha."
Naruto's expression darkened as his gaze flickered to the ghostly visage of Minato Namikaze. "Sure. But even if an Uchiha was chosen, he'd end up dead before he ever reached that seat. And it wouldn't be a clean death, either."
Kurama sneered. "You humans love your deceptions. At least Kirigakure makes no excuses—they respect strength. Maybe I should run for Mizukage."
"And let yourself get controlled by that masked man again?" Naruto shot back dryly.
Kurama's lip curled, but Naruto continued, his tone sharpening. "From what I've uncovered, the one who controlled you and the Fourth Mizukage is likely the same person—an Uchiha with a mastery of space-time ninjutsu. Tell me, could the masked man be Uchiha Madara?"
Minato, silent until now, stepped closer.
Naruto's earlier words—Hokage's apprentices always die if they're Uchiha—were still gnawing at him. But this? This was an even bigger revelation. The masked man had shaped his death. Without him, Minato would still be Hokage.
Kurama growled at the mention of Madara. "That guy used Genjutsu to control me, but he wasn't Madara. If he was, Konoha would've been dust before you were even born. His combat prowess was on a whole different level."
A shadow crossed his face as old memories surfaced. No humiliation compared to that night—being shackled like a mere tool, forced to rampage, only to be sealed away once more.
Pulling himself from his thoughts, Kurama muttered, "Whoever he is, he commands the White Zetsu. Those things were spawned from the husk of the Ten-Tails. If he's working with them, he isn't weak."
"The White Zetsu… a plan to revive the Ten-Tails?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.
Minato stiffened at the words. He'd always assumed the attack on Konoha had been an isolated incident. Now, he was realizing it was part of something far bigger.
Naruto should've been in the Academy, learning basic jutsu—not secretly unraveling the schemes of a masked Uchiha.
If I had lived… if I hadn't sacrificed myself… would things be different?
Regret flickered across Minato's face, but he knew it was meaningless. He was already dead. Knowing the truth wouldn't change a thing.
Unless… unless the Edo Tensei was used. But that was a dangerous thought. If the boundary between life and death vanished, the world would fall into chaos.
Meanwhile, Naruto glanced at Kurama and teased, "So, what, are you admitting the Ten-Tails is stronger than you?"
Kurama huffed. "To be precise, the Ten-Tails is our progenitor. The Sage of Six Paths split it into me and the other eight. If it reforms, it'll become the Divine Tree, and all life in the shinobi world will fall into an eternal dream."
Naruto's grin widened. "No wonder you asked me to collect the other tailed beasts' chakra. You're trying to warn them so you can all gang up on the masked guy."
Kurama clicked his tongue, slightly embarrassed. "Hmph. It's in your best interest too. If you die, I die. But yeah… if the Ten-Tails comes back, the entire world is doomed."
The entire world? Minato was taken aback.
Could tailed beasts really care about the fate of humans?
Naruto shot Kurama a knowing look. "You're getting soft, old fox. Back in the day, you'd snarl and try to eat me. You were a lot cuter when you were all grumpy."
Kurama snorted and looked away.
Just then, Naruto tensed. His gaze flicked toward the Mizukage's office as several dark figures erupted from its rooftop, darting toward the other end of Kirigakure.
"Did Mangetsu and his group move ahead of schedule? Or… is someone else attacking Kirigakure?"
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