The Land of Fire. Hidden Leaf Village. A place that called itself a great ninja village, though to some eyes it looked more like a polished pyramid scheme wrapped in noble slogans.
Inside the arena, the final rounds of the Chunin Exams were underway.
One match in particular had drawn endless complaints from the crowd. The prodigy of the Hyuga clan against the village dead last. A genius versus a loser. What was there to look forward to?
Nothing about it seemed interesting.
And as expected, the battle had unfolded exactly the way everyone thought it would.
Hyuga Neji had completely overwhelmed Naruto Uzumaki.
From start to finish, it looked less like a contest and more like a lesson in humiliation. Naruto rushed in recklessly, shouted things no one could make sense of, then somehow always circled back to those loud, righteous lines that made him sound like a self-proclaimed hero from some cheap storybook.
Neji looked at him and smiled.
Then, just as the match should have ended, he stopped.
In full view of the arena, with Konoha's elite, foreign dignitaries, and countless spectators watching from every direction, Neji slowly removed the forehead protector tied around his brow.
The moment the cloth came away, the seal on his forehead was exposed.
A caged bird.
The cursed mark engraved into the flesh of the branch family.
That ugly brand was the shame of the Hyuga clan, and Neji had chosen this exact moment to reveal it to the world.
A thin sheen of cold sweat appeared on Hyuga Hiashi's forehead.
Why now?
Why expose the Hyuga clan's disgrace in the center of the arena, when the stands were packed with powerful figures and outsiders from every land?
Neji clearly had another purpose.
At the very top of the viewing platform, the Fourth Kazekage sat beside the Third Hokage.
Or rather, the man disguised as the Fourth Kazekage did.
Orochimaru, hidden beneath that skin, glanced sideways at Hiruzen Sarutobi. The old Hokage's face had briefly tightened with displeasure before he smoothed it away almost at once.
Orochimaru smiled to himself.
His teacher really was as tolerant as ever.
As expected of Sarutobi-sensei.
Down below, Neji stared at Naruto with cold, unwavering eyes.
"So that's what you believe?" he said. "That anyone can become Hokage as long as they work hard?"
His voice cut across the arena, calm and sharp.
"Wake up. Face reality."
"Those fated to become Hokage are born with that destiny."
After saying that, Neji tied his forehead protector back in place.
Naruto, whose chakra points had already been sealed shut by the Gentle Fist, lowered his head in silence.
His teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw trembled. His shoulders shook.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
Then he suddenly raised his head, balled his hand into a fist, and shouted at Neji, "Tch! So what?"
"I won't give up that easily!"
At that moment, the outcome felt settled.
Whether it was skill, physical ability, or even words, Neji had completely crushed Naruto at this stage.
The Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms.
As expected, Naruto was sent flying once more.
Neji stood tall and composed, his breathing steady, his expression unchanged.
"Dreaming that hard work alone can carry you to your goal," he said flatly, "is just a fantasy."
The match should have ended long ago.
But Neji had dragged it out until now, as if he needed Naruto to hear every last word.
And then—
A voice seemed to scrape through Naruto's consciousness.
You mangy fox... you've been squatting here long enough. Time to pay some rent. Lend me your power.
In the next instant, crimson chakra erupted from Naruto's body.
The vile, violent chakra of the Nine-Tails poured out like a sudden flood, tearing through the restraints on his body and forcing his sealed chakra network back into motion.
Naruto moved again.
Not cleanly. Not elegantly. Not like some heroic comeback from a legend.
He lunged in a wild, desperate mess and slammed Neji into the ground with all the grace of a collapsing building.
And yet, it worked.
Neji lost.
Or rather, he lost to the Nine-Tails.
He lay flat on the ground, staring up at the sky while Naruto jumped around shouting at the top of his lungs. The contrast was so absurd that for a fleeting instant, Neji actually doubted himself.
Before the fight, Naruto had been a nobody.
After the fight, he was a damn landlord collecting power from the beast inside him.
"Hmph." A lazy voice drifted over from nearby. "If a caged bird has enough sense, it'll use its beak to pry open the door. That's because it still hasn't given up on flying free."
Genma Shiranui stood there with both hands in his pockets, speaking in that detached, indifferent tone of his.
Neji froze.
At the same time, a wave of applause rose from the stands.
The cheers were warm, approving, enthusiastic.
For some reason, hearing them made Neji feel lighter.
When birds are trapped in cages, people rarely blame the cage. They rarely blame the one who built it. Instead, they blame the bird for not being clever enough to escape.
Naruto Uzumaki, Neji thought, your sophistry wins.
He closed his eyes, ready to accept the result.
And then—
***
[Ding!]
[Comparison livestream now online!]
[This broadcast will compare the life of Naruto Uzumaki, jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, in this world and in a parallel world.]
[The gold-framed screen on the right displays Naruto Uzumaki of this world.]
[The black-framed screen on the left displays Naruto Uzumaki of a parallel world.]
A loud mechanical voice rang through the arena.
Everyone froze.
Every head tilted up toward the sky.
Two enormous screens had appeared out of nowhere above the stadium, hanging over the arena like divine mirrors.
"A genjutsu?" someone blurted out.
"Heh. Lord Hokage, you joke too much," another person said with a dry laugh. "We're all here. Who could cast a genjutsu right under all our noses?"
The old man was terrified of death, Orochimaru thought.
Even so, hidden inside his robes, he quietly kept circulating chakra and preparing hand seals, testing for any sign of disturbance in his own body.
There was none.
The mechanical voice sounded again.
[Ding!]
[Relevant personnel have been connected.]
[All viewers may freely discuss the screening in the livestream chat.]
[Any aggressive behavior is prohibited during the viewing period!]
[There will be quiz segments during the screening. Participate actively! Rewards may include ninjutsu, taijutsu, forbidden arts, and more—up to and including resurrection!]
The arena went dead silent.
Then it exploded into uproar.
A quiz?
Rewards?
Resurrection?
Before anyone could digest any of it, the first line of text flashed across the invisible chat for all to see.
Fourth Kazekage Rasa: 1?
Fourth Kazekage Rasa: I'm dead, and I can still talk?
Fourth Kazekage Rasa: Hey! Orochimaru, get out here! How dare you lay a hand on me!
For a moment, everyone in the arena felt their minds go blank.
The Fourth Kazekage... was dead?
But wasn't the Fourth Kazekage sitting right there beside the Third Hokage?
Then why was the man speaking in the chat saying he had already died?
Could it be—?
Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
Instantly, his thoughts turned to Orochimaru, who had appeared during the second phase of the exam. He shifted his attention toward the Fourth Kazekage at his side with open wariness now.
"Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asked, uncertainty laced with fury.
At that moment, even Orochimaru was caught off guard.
The dead can speak too...? What exactly is this thing?
He tried to gather chakra, preparing to strike before Sarutobi could react.
Nothing happened.
His body remained completely still.
"Any aggressive behavior is prohibited..." Orochimaru murmured, then gave a helpless little shake of the head.
Since he had already been exposed, there was no point maintaining the disguise.
The robes of the Fourth Kazekage slipped away.
Orochimaru's pale face was revealed beneath them.
"It seems there's no helping it," he said with a faint smile. "Sarutobi-sensei, you should be grateful this comparison livestream appeared when it did."
"Without the restriction on aggression, I would already be sending you off on your final journey."
"Orochimaru!" Hiruzen stared at his former disciple, and a nameless rage surged through him along with lingering fear.
The real Fourth Kazekage had actually been killed.
And Orochimaru had sat at his side in disguise without him noticing.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Hiruzen demanded.
"Naturally?" Orochimaru looked up at the giant screens hanging in the sky. "To send Sarutobi-sensei on his way, and let Konoha's old, decaying windmill start turning again."
Even as he spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Was this thing ninjutsu?
Or some form of technology?
He wasn't the only one wondering.
Almost everyone present was thinking the same thing.
And then the chat spoke again.
First Hokage Hashirama Senju: Huh? So dead people really can talk. What is this thing?
Second Hokage Tobirama Senju: It appears so, brother. Naruto Uzumaki...? Is he from Mito's clan?
First Hokage Hashirama Senju: He should be. Mito, are you there?
Mito Uzumaki: Yes.
First Hokage Hashirama Senju: Hahaha! You're dead too?
Mito Uzumaki: Not long after Tobirama died, Uzushiogakure was destroyed. Every major ninja village had a hand in it, including your Konoha. Later, Tsunade brought Kushina back because she was suitable as the next jinchuriki. After that, I died.
Kushina Uzumaki: Huh? Grandma Mito! Wait—Naruto... my child!
Second Hokage Tobirama Senju: Damn Uchiha. They are born evil.
First Hokage Hashirama Senju: Tobirama, here you go again!
Second Hokage Tobirama Senju: Hmph.
Madara Uchiha: Konoha was involved, and you think the Uchiha—whom you deliberately suppressed and isolated—would have gotten any share of the spoils? Ask your precious subordinates.
A wave of cold tension swept across the arena.
The names alone were enough to make people's scalps go numb.
Hashirama Senju.
Tobirama Senju.
Mito Uzumaki.
Madara Uchiha.
These were legends buried in history—yet now they were talking casually in front of everyone.
First Hokage Hashirama Senju: Hahaha! I knew you'd be here too, Madara!
Second Hokage Tobirama Senju: Big brother, shut up.
Kushina Uzumaki: All of you, shut up! Naruto, can you see what's being said? You're all dead. Is there anyone alive in here or not? If there is, answer me!
The entire arena was still reeling from the revelation when a new message popped up.
Might Guy: Yo~
For a heartbeat, nobody knew what to say.
The dead were talking. The living were watching. The strongest men in history were arguing in plain sight.
And above them all, the paired screens waited in silence.
One gold.
One black.
Ready to show Naruto Uzumaki's life in two different worlds.
Whatever happened next, it was obvious this was no longer just a Chunin Exam match.
Something much bigger had begun.