[The white screen lights up.]
[Konoha Year 48 — The Night of the Nine-Tails' Attack.]
The screen broadcasts scenes to the entire shinobi world:
The mysterious masked man pressing a paper tag onto newborn Naruto—
The Fourth Hokage using Flying Thunder God: Second Step to defeat the masked man—
The final words of Naruto's parents—
Then Naruto growing up under the cold stares, insults, and rejection of the villagers of Konoha—
And finally, the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
(The truth behind the massacre is not revealed.)
[Kushina Uzumaki: W-W-Why did my Naruto have to suffer like this?! The peace we gave our lives for—for Konoha—this is how you treat my child?!]
The villagers of Konoha hardly dared to breathe.
After the Third Hokage issued his order, no one dared openly bully Naruto anymore—but before that decree, many of them had behaved exactly like the people shown on screen.
[Minato Namikaze: Calm down, Kushina.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?! My poor Naruto—say something!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Waaaah—!]
[Little V: Ahahaha, sorry! I forgot to remove the restriction.]
Suddenly—
The camera cuts to Naruto and Sasuke.
The two are locked in a kiss, their eyes practically rolling back.
The entire shinobi world falls into dead silence.
…What are kids these days doing?!
[Kushina Uzumaki: ...]
[Minato Namikaze: ...]
[Fugaku Uchiha: ...]
[Mikoto Uchiha: ...]
[Itachi Uchiha: ...]
[Various Uchiha: ?]
[Inabi Uchiha: Itachi Uchiha—you still dare show yourself?!]
[Yashiro Uchiha: You heartless bastard!!]
The Uchiha clan immediately erupts in curses toward Itachi.
[Itachi Uchiha: What a narrow-minded clan.]
[Izuna Uchiha: Itachi Uchiha! If I could come back to life, I'd kill you first!]
[Madara Uchiha: Hmph. Izuna, calm down. This is a parallel world—not ours.]
Though the Uchiha clan had once betrayed Madara, he had no intention of letting his younger brother lose his composure over this.
Only after Madara's reminder did the shinobi world realize—
This was a parallel world.
Any attempt by rival villages to mock Konoha over the Fourth Hokage's son suddenly seemed rather pointless.
[Onoki: Hmph. Even so—the Uchiha clan may not be reduced to just two people like in that parallel world, but…]
[Fourth Raikage A: But there aren't many left either.]
[Rasa: Heh. Konoha is still frightening.]
[Onoki: I refuse to believe Itachi Uchiha wiped out his clan alone without Konoha's involvement.]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi: Ahem. Please refrain from unfounded speculation. And Konoha's affairs are not for you to meddle in.]
[Onoki: ...]
Onoki and A both felt puzzled.
Since when had Hiruzen become so forceful?
[Kushina Uzumaki: Forget that for now. Naruto—has your life been the same as what we just saw?]
Naruto was just about to answer—
When the screen suddenly turned red.
[Konoha Year 48 — The Night of the Nine-Tails' Attack.]
The footage plays again as before—
Until just before Naruto enters the Academy.
Shiranui Clan Compound—
Shiranui Nagi is following the instructions on a scroll given to him by his cousin, Genma Shiranui, attempting to refine chakra.
[Minato Namikaze: Hmm? Is this where things differ? Is that child one of your clansmen, @Genma?]
[Genma Shiranui: Yes, Fourth Hokage-sama. That's my cousin.]
In the classroom, students stare at the screen in shock upon seeing Nagi.
The girls, in particular, immediately swoon.
"Ahhh—so Nagi is that handsome?"
"Seriously, how did we not notice before?"
"Especially his eyes—they're so beautiful!"
"..."
[Orochimaru: Hehehe… I see.]
[Onoki: I don't recall this segment appearing in the parallel world. And the boy who was sitting beside Naruto earlier—it was him, wasn't it? But he didn't exist in that classroom in the other world.]
The older generation's insight was sharp—they immediately spotted the discrepancy.
[Madara Uchiha: Hm? Could this brat be the variable between the two worlds?]
The screen continues.
Nagi is fully focused on refining chakra. Genma watches quietly from the side.
Suddenly—
Nagi's body emits a dazzling aqua-blue light.
[Deidara: Whoa! The kid turned into light!]
[Onoki: Hm? Deidara?]
[Kurotsuchi: Big Brother Deidara, where are you right now?]
[Deidara: Heh heh, old man and Kurotsuchi, huh? I'm out pursuing art!]
[Sasori: Shut up, Deidara.]
[Chiyo: Hmm?]
The screen shifts.
Inside Nagi's mindscape—
He looks around in confusion, finding himself in a strange space awash in blue.
Suddenly, a streak of blue light gathers before him, taking human form. The light fades—
And the figure of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, appears before him.
Tobirama glances around, puzzled.
"Hmm? Impure World Reincarnation? No… this isn't that. Then where is this place?"
Nagi stares blankly at the man before him. He feels as though he has seen this face somewhere—almost daily.
Tobirama, noticing the boy's white hair, feels an inexplicable sense of approval.
"Child. Where are we?"
"I… don't know."
"Then do you know how you got here?"
Though young, Nagi remains cautious.
"…And you are?"
"I am the Second Hokage of Konohagakure."
[Hashirama Senju: What?! Tobirama, you actually appeared in there! How did you show up?]
[Tobirama Senju: Quiet, Brother. I won't go into details. The livestream will likely explain.]
[Madara Uchiha: Hmph. No doubt some unsightly forbidden technique.]
[Hashirama Senju: But Tobirama… we're already dead. We shouldn't interfere with the present world.]
[Tobirama Senju: Silence! And Madara Uchiha—you have no right to criticize me.]
[Hashirama Senju: ...]
[Madara Uchiha: ...]
Back in the mindscape—
Nagi suddenly realizes why the man looks so familiar.
He's seen the Hokage Monument countless times.
This is the Second Hokage.
He explains that he was refining chakra when everything suddenly went black—and he ended up here.
Tobirama quickly analyzes the situation.
As a master of soul-based techniques, he recognizes that this place closely resembles a person's subconscious space.
Based on Nagi's description, Tobirama deduces:
When he perished fighting the Gold and Silver Brothers, the power of the Six Paths Ninja Tools likely left his soul in a transient state. When Nagi refined chakra, some accidental resonance allowed Tobirama's spirit to enter the boy's consciousness—
Similar in principle to the Spirit Transformation Technique.
A true master of ninjutsu—Tobirama has already pieced together most of the truth.
"What year is it in Konoha now?"
"Konoha Year 54. Spring."
"So many years have passed… Who is the current Hokage?"
"The Third Hokage, sir."
Tobirama's eyes widen in shock.
"What?! Hiruzen's been Hokage for that long?!"