Konoha.
With the arrival of the alien invaders, Otsutsuki Momoshiki and Kinshiki, the village of Konoha had descended into a living hell under the terrifying aftermath of their battle.
"No, please..."
"Help..."
"Boruto! It's Boruto!"
Amidst the chaos, screams and angry shouts suddenly erupted.
There stood Boruto Uzumaki, clutching kunai in both hands, a twisted smile on his face as he slashed wildly, blood spraying with every strike.
"Hahaha! From now on, I, Boruto Uzumaki, am no longer a ninja of Konoha! Seventh Hokage, aren't you all about righteousness? I'm waiting for you to come and kill this rogue ninja."
With half his body possessed by White Zetsu, Boruto's crimson eyes were filled with nothing but madness.
Or rather, Boruto had now been consumed by darkness—utterly fallen to the dark side.
"This feeling of slashing and killing, it's great! To hell with Konoha, like hell, I'd protect you bunch of nagging idiots..."
Shouting with pathological excitement, Boruto drove his kunai again and again into a Konoha villager beneath him.
"No... please, aren't you afraid that Hokage-sama will kill you for this?!"
"Boruto, calm down! If you keep making mistakes, Hokage-sama might not even acknowledge you as his son anymore..."
The panicked voices around only fueled Boruto's anger—Naruto again! Hokage again! The words he now hated most.
"Just die, all of you!"
With a furious roar, Boruto's Scientific Ninja Tool on his arm activated, a miniature Lightning Release scroll appearing in his palm.
In the next instant, lightning surged everywhere.
"Ahhh!"
Screams filled the air as Boruto, face covered in blood, charged further into Konoha's ruins.
"Boruto!"
From the arena, Shikamaru saw this and his eyes widened with alarm.
"I'm giving you all an emergency mission—retrieve Boruto! He's under the enemy's jutsu, being controlled..."
Shikamaru's mind worked fast—even now, they had to protect Boruto.
Kunai in both hands, Boruto sent up sprays of blood as he moved.
"Everyone, rescue the wounded and retreat to safe zones immediately!"
Shikamaru, his arm wounded, kept shouting orders as the Chunin Exam venue rumbled with chaos.
The giant golden Nine-Tails' roars and the terrifying power on display were a disaster for Konoha.
So Shikamaru could only order those who couldn't fight to evacuate as quickly as possible.
"Can we even take part in this kind of battle?!"
"Seventh Hokage-sama, please defeat the enemy!"
Across the ruins, countless ninjas stared blankly at the distant battle.
This was beyond anything they could comprehend—gods fighting, far above their level.
"Damn it! Sasuke!"
In the center of the battlefield, Naruto shouted. Facing the two Otsutsuki, they were clearly at a disadvantage.
"Naruto, don't worry! Lend my power to Sasuke—he can temporarily gain Six Paths power."
Seeing how dire things were, the Sage of Six Paths inside Naruto spoke in a grave voice.
"Sasuke, come here."
The massive golden fox reached out, grabbing the one-armed Sasuke Uchiha, and bringing him inside the fox's head.
There, Naruto grasped Sasuke's hand, and as they exchanged glances, Sasuke felt the surge of Six Paths' power and was visibly shocked.
"Sasuke, together we can defeat them again!"
Naruto declared with firm resolve, full of confidence in their teamwork.
With the Six Paths power, patterns of the Rinnegan began to appear in Sasuke's previously ordinary black eyes.
"Sasuke, my Six Paths power will last you ten minutes! Make the most of it!"
The Sage's tired voice echoed inside as Sasuke took a deep breath, eyes determined.
"Naruto!"
"Sasuke!"
The two exchanged a look, each filled with resolve.
"Let's go!"
With a simultaneous shout, Naruto and Sasuke unleashed their power—the golden Kurama went berserk, and blue Susanoo chakra formed around it.
Majestic Attire: Susanoo!
With the Six Paths power, Sasuke once again summoned Susanoo, merging it with Kurama for an awe-inspiring figure towering over Konoha.
"Damn insects!"
Momoshiki and Kinshiki both looked enraged—these ants were making them look so pathetic.
"Die!"
Amid the swirling dust, Kinshiki roared. The shadowy figures of several Kage-level ninjas occasionally launching sneak attacks only infuriated him more.
With a shout, Kinshiki summoned a giant sword and swung it in a wide arc.
Rumble—!
The massive blade wave swept across everything, inflicting yet more devastation on Konoha.
"I won't let you destroy Konoha!"
The Majestic Attire: Susanoo roared, its golden tails blocking the strike, but the attack's range was too wide.
The overwhelming force swept across half the village, causing even greater casualties and further enraging Naruto.
Momoshiki, meanwhile, coldly raised his hand and unleashed a unique power.
Bird Hunt!
A giant firebird, formed from Fire Release, descended from the sky, burning above Konoha.
The battlefield thundered with chaos as Kakashi, Gaara, and others struggled to retreat to the outskirts.
"Even after all these years, we can't take part in this level of fight!"
"They're just too strong."
Meanwhile, among the ruins, Shirou watched the battle, especially as countless Konoha ninjas desperately tried to evacuate, and he smiled.
"This rotten world, under the Seventh Hokage's leadership, has completely degenerated."
As Shirou shook his head in disappointment, Black Zetsu next to him looked excited.
"Father, we must make Naruto regret what he's done."
Shirou nodded calmly, forming hand seals. In the distance, two coffins rose from the earth.
Forbidden Jutsu: Edo Tensei!
With a rumble, the coffin lids fell open, revealing the figures within.
"What the—?!"
From one coffin stepped a red-haired man with Rinnegan—Nagato—who looked around dazed at Konoha and the distant battle.
"That's the Nine-Tails over there? And the Nara Clan?"
From the other coffin emerged Kakuzu of the Akatsuki.
Black Zetsu grinned hoarsely.
"Father, time was short—I could only find Nagato and Kakuzu's bodies..."
"No matter. I mainly wanted to see Nagato this time."
Shirou smiled, then pointed Kakuzu toward the distant Shikamaru.
"Kakuzu, you can go after your old enemy now."
As the Edo Tensei bindings loosened, Kakuzu—who'd lived nearly a century—quickly analyzed the situation.
He knew he was being used, but seeing the one who killed him—the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki—was out of reach, and Kakashi was too strong.
But the wounded Shikamaru Nara in the distance became his prey.
"Heh heh, understood."
With a rasping laugh, Kakuzu strode straight toward Shikamaru.
"Are you new enemies? I advise you to give up, Naruto..."
Nagato looked calm, clearly already talked down by Naruto in the past.
But Shirou only smiled mockingly and taunted:
"Nagato, the one who once destroyed Konoha—now you switch sides after just a few words? What of your doctrine, to make the ninja world feel pain? Was that all a joke?"
"And didn't you and Konan entrust Naruto with taking care of the Hidden Rain Village after your death?"
At this, Shirou's lips curled into a sneer as, under a bad premonition, Nagato was drawn into a genjutsu world by Mangekyo Sharingan.
Within the illusion, Nagato saw the world's development and Naruto becoming Seventh Hokage.
But as he reached the Rain Village, Nagato was shocked.
"How can this be? After all these years? Impossible!"
The Rain Village was in ruins, still bearing the scars of the battle—or perhaps worse than ever.
"Nagato, Father hasn't lied to you. You don't have anything worth lying about anymore."
At the same time, Black Zetsu appeared, his raspy, mocking laughter narrating the tale of Naruto, the so-called Child of Destiny.
"The so-called savior you placed your hopes on is just another cycle in the ninja world. He hasn't remembered your village in all these years—do you think he ever will? And when Naruto eventually dies of old age, the ninja world will return to chaos, just like after Hashirama's death—war, and hell, all over again..."
With Shirou's Mangekyo, Nagato's innermost desires were amplified.
"Konoha! Naruto!"
Suddenly, an angry roar echoed from Konoha as Nagato shot skyward, his Rinnegan blazing with hatred.
"Why?! Why did you promise me back then only to break your word?! In that case, I'll make Konoha feel my pain!"
Nagato flew toward the heavens, clearly ready to repeat the devastation he once brought to Konoha.
Meanwhile, among the chaos, Shikamaru Nara clutched his broken arm in fear.
"Kakuzu! No way, there are even more enemies!"
Kakuzu's green eyes locked onto Shikamaru, his feet planted on Shikamaru's son.
"Heh heh, little Nara brat, this is a ninja's fate. You killed me once, but now I get my revenge.
What you did to me and Hidan, I'll repay in full."
"No! Don't!"
Shikamaru shouted in terror as Kakuzu, eyes cruel, unleashed his jutsu.
…
Watching the chaos, Shirou stood atop the Hokage Rock, his gaze calm.
"Momoshiki and Kinshiki, is this all the power you have?"
Just then, a black dot appeared in the sky, catching many people's attention.
"Who's that?!"
"It's Akatsuki!"
"Damn it, Akatsuki?!"
"I thought Akatsuki was wiped out?!"
"Nagato!"
Someone recognized the familiar cloak—even Kakashi and others knew who that shadow was.
Even Naruto, fighting in the distance, shouted in shock: "Nagato, what are you doing?!"
High above the sunlit sky, Nagato glared furiously at Naruto.
"Naruto! You promised to look after the Rain Village. Is this what you call taking care of it, after all these years?"
"Nagato!"
Seeing Nagato's rage, Naruto felt a deep sense of dread and hurriedly shouted:
"Nagato, let me explain—I haven't had time these years..."
"Enough! One year, I could understand. Two years, I could believe it! Three, even five years, I could endure! But for over a decade?!
You, the strongest ninja in the world, Seventh Hokage of Konoha—just what was so important that you could forget for so many years? You never cared about your promise to us weaklings!"
Nagato glared at the golden fox in the distance, roaring with hatred:
"You only care about your ninja way. Even now, you feel no shame—rather, you think forgetting is justified. Now it's time for you to feel my pain!"
"Nagato, don't!"
As Nagato spread his arms under the blazing sun, Naruto's pupils shrank with terror—he knew what was coming.
At the same time, Kakashi and countless Konoha ninjas showed expressions of horror.
Under the sun, the black figure spread his arms wide, about to unleash a super jutsu that all feared.
In the sky, Nagato spread his arms, a vengeful smile on his face, then roared and unleashed the jutsu he had once used to devastate Konoha:
Almighty Push!