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It was night.
A spiraling distortion appeared atop Konoha's defensive wall—Obito's space-time vortex. In the blink of an eye, he phased through the barrier and silently infiltrated Konoha.
After some searching, he arrived at the Hyūga clan compound.
Carefully examining the protective seals, he found the person he had been looking for.
Just as he was about to activate his Kamui and disappear into the vortex, an unexpected force repelled him. A translucent shimmer of chakra pulsed in the air.
Obito's eyes narrowed in surprise. "There's actually a barrier seal here?"
Before he could attempt to force his way through, a shadow clone of Naruto suddenly appeared beside him.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto's clone asked coldly.
Obito gave a faint smile and replied, "You're really attentive. You actually set up a barrier and even left a shadow clone behind. Not even your master gets this kind of treatment."
Shadow Clone Naruto snorted. "I've already synchronized your appearance and actions to my original body. If nothing else, my master is more than capable of dealing with you."
Obito snorted in return. "Tch. So I can't get in after all. Well, I guessed you'd have something prepared."
Naruto frowned. "Obito, to be honest, I really don't like you. You always threaten people using what they care about most. Is that fun for you?
If Rin were still alive, would you like it if I used her against you?"
Obito's face darkened the moment he heard Rin's name. "Don't you dare mention her to me!"
Naruto scoffed. "It's pathetic. My mother was so kind to you before, and yet, when I was born, you still went through with your plan."
Obito's face twisted slightly. To mask his guilt, he sneered, "This world is absurd and hypocritical. But none of it matters. In the Infinite Tsukuyomi, I'll reunite your family for you. Hell, if I feel generous, I'll even make sure I show up in your dreams as your ideal friend."
With that, Obito activated his Kamui and vanished into the swirling vortex.
Naruto's shadow clone exhaled, formed a seal, and relayed the memory to the original Naruto. With that done, he returned to his hidden surveillance post within the Hyūga estate.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Hinata opened the window and looked up at the moon, her thoughts lingering on Naruto.
According to her father, the Land of Lightning had officially apologized to Konoha and retracted the previously issued diplomatic threat. That could only mean one thing—Naruto had gone to the Land of Lightning and forced them into submission.
Hinata smiled gently. It felt good—no, it felt incredible—to have someone who would go to such lengths for her.
Now, even the clan elders treated her with politeness and respect. Her father, Hiashi, even consulted her on important decisions—something that would've been unthinkable before.
She was still the Hyūga heiress, but Naruto had earned all this respect on her behalf.
Moreover, after the Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, heard about what Naruto had done in the Land of Lightning, she personally brought Jiraiya to the Hyūga compound to visit.
Jiraiya had even stated bluntly, "I'll personally handle Naruto's wedding arrangements."
Then Naruto's father—Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage—had laughed and said, "Tsunade, that means you'll be Naruto's mother!"
Tsunade responded by punching him so hard that he crashed through a wall. The clan members were still repairing the damage.
At that moment, Naruto, resting in a room far from the village, received the synchronized memory from his shadow clone. He sighed. "Obito's stirring up trouble again."
Most likely, Obito hadn't made any progress. Just like him, Obito was wary of the Five Great Nations uniting into a full-fledged Shinobi Alliance. So, instead, he was trying to create division from the shadows.
Naruto smirked. "Interesting. If he's feeling this desperate, then it means he senses danger. That means I can't sit still—I have to move faster and bring the fight to him."
With that decision, Naruto left Yugakure once again. He intended to visit a capable, trustworthy old friend.
Using the Animal Path's summoning technique, Naruto summoned the giant bird and flew through the night, finally arriving at the borders of the Land of Wind by dawn.
"So this is it."
In his previous life, Naruto had spent a long time here trying to save Gaara. He was very familiar with the place, and even felt a little nostalgic.
Thanks to Gaara's trust in him, the Sand Village had built strong ties with Konoha during Gaara's tenure as Kazekage.
Because of this trust, Naruto didn't bother hiding his presence. He flew straight toward Sunagakure on the bird's back.
But as he neared the village, he noticed something strange.
The village was in chaos—explosions, people running, chakra signatures flaring. Fireworks lit up the sky.
Naruto's expression turned serious.
He dispelled the bird, activated Sage Mode, and used the Deva Path's levitation ability to fly low and silent across the ground toward the village.
Inside Sunagakure, Gaara stood at the center of the battle, surrounded by his shinobi.
"Who the hell are you?!"
He glared at a man covered in explosive tags, weaving between buildings and setting off powerful blasts. Even worse, there wasn't just one—there were seven of them, and all wore the exact same outfit Naruto had worn the last time he visited.
"You don't even recognize me, Gaara?" one of them called out mockingly.
The figure pulled off the gauze covering his face.
Naruto's face stared back.
Temari gasped. "Naruto?! Why would you attack our village?!"
Kankurō gritted his teeth. "You bastard! Gaara considered you a friend—and this is what you do?!"
The fake Naruto laughed coldly. "Times have changed.
I'm attacking your village to claim your power.
You must've heard I attacked the Raikage—forced them to hand over their secret techniques. I'm here for the same thing. Hand them over."
Kankurō drew his puppet scroll in fury. "You piece of—!"
Gaara raised his hand, silencing him.
"No. You're not Naruto."
The fake Naruto frowned. "What makes you so sure?"
Gaara's voice was calm, but resolute. "You may look like him, and there are seven of you, but your abilities are all the same. None of our attacks land, which means you're using some kind of intangibility. As far as I know, that's not Naruto's ability.
And most importantly—Naruto would never attack our village, even if he left Konoha. He would never betray his friends."
A confident smile spread across Gaara's face. "Because I am Naruto's friend. And Naruto never raises his hand against his friends."
The fake Naruto sneered. "Friend? Don't flatter yourself. I've never considered you one."
Gaara's smile didn't waver. "Then you're definitely not Naruto. And based on your technique—phasing through attacks—you must be the masked man. After all, you're the only one in the shinobi world with that ability."
"Well said, Gaara!"
A voice echoed from outside the battlefield.
The real Naruto leapt over the wall, Sage Mode blazing, and shouted:
"Shinra Tensei!"
With a loud crack, the repulsive force slammed into the fake Naruto, sending him flying into the distance.
The dust settled. Gaara exhaled slowly, then smiled.
Naruto turned to him, smirking. "Sorry I'm late."
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