The ninja world had completely fallen into chaos.
With the sharp increase in missing-nin and the spreading turmoil, the ambitions of countless people were awakened.
Groups of missing-nin began to band together, forming entirely new organizations.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Fire, an Anti-Konoha group formed, headed by Boruto.
Valley of the End.
"So, this is what power feels like! Heh… Looks like Danzo did leave behind some good stuff."
Inside an abandoned secret base, Uzumaki Boruto lifted his head and let out a raspy laugh.
Feeling the strength of his new body, Boruto's face now showed clear signs of paleness—truly worthy of the Uzumaki bloodline.
He had managed to fuse with Wood Release cells, causing his chakra to surge dramatically, and he had even mastered the power of Wood Release.
"Heh, Boruto, how are you adjusting to that eye?"
Standing before him was a clone of White Zetsu, who grinned mockingly.
Boruto's left eye, as he slowly looked up, flashed with a blood-red glow.
Then, black tomoe began to rotate, forming a pinwheel.
The Sharingan—no, the Mangekyō!
White Zetsu's clone was shocked at the sight: "You awakened the Mangekyō!"
With a raspy smile, Boruto felt the overwhelming power in his eye.
"That's right. All thanks to Danzo's hidden base—he left behind a pair of spare Sharingan, and now I can use them."
Mangekyō plus Wood Release—Boruto's strength had skyrocketed, and he was now well on his way to super-Kage level.
"So, about our earlier deal…"
Before White Zetsu could finish, Boruto suddenly grabbed his throat, making White Zetsu widen his eyes and croak:
"Boruto, you—!"
A twisted smile appeared on Boruto's face.
"Deal? Do you think I'd be here if not for you guys? And now you're talking about deals? Isn't everything I'm doing exactly what you all wanted?"
Now that he had power, Boruto let out a furious, savage roar.
Although his life was in Boruto's hands, White Zetsu only smiled mockingly.
"Heh, Boruto, you're right about that. But, at the root of it all, your father—the Seventh Hokage—was always this kind of person.
If not, would we ever have been able to scheme against the Child of Destiny? Before this, Uzumaki Naruto's strength was the greatest in the ninja world."
"The resentment and unwillingness in your heart is just because Naruto always valued the village and others above you…"
"Shut up!" Hearing that Naruto cared about others more than himself pushed Boruto over the edge. He roared in rage.
"Heh, maybe you should take a look at this intel."
Just as Boruto was about to squeeze tighter, White Zetsu pulled out a file from his cloak.
Photographs of Konoha are scattered across the floor. As Boruto glanced at them, he froze.
Because, in those photos, he saw his father, Uzumaki Naruto.
Although Naruto now looked like a demon, he was still Boruto's father.
But in the photos, Naruto was gently patting another boy's head, his eyes full of fatherly love—the kind Boruto had always wanted but never received.
"Heh, who would've thought? The Seventh Hokage, Child of Destiny, corrupted by the negative energy of the Chakra Fruit, even after rampaging and attacking Konoha... still has love in his heart. That boy recently appeared in Konoha—oh, his name is Kawaki!"
Boruto's mind buzzed uncontrollably. White Zetsu continued to stoke the flames:
"I heard that, to control the negative energy inside him, Naruto has been secretly training in emotional discipline, and Kawaki even sees Naruto as a father."
Boruto's eyes blazed with disbelief, then deep anger and hatred.
What he could never have, someone else got instantly!
"Boruto, I—"
Splurt!
White fluid splashed everywhere as White Zetsu's clone, still wearing a strange smile, collapsed bonelessly to the ground. In its place, a huge tree sprouted.
"Konoha! Hokage! Father!"
In the dim laboratory, Boruto's deranged, crazed laughter echoed.
"Haha! So, I was wrong about everything! Too busy, were you? All for Konoha, huh? Turns out you can treat anyone like this—just not me!
If that's how it is, then I'll destroy your Konoha. I'll create my own Konoha—a Konoha that rejects you!"
With Boruto's furious roar, the secret base in the Valley of the End's forest suddenly collapsed.
However, within the ruins, a White Zetsu clone quietly faded away, carrying with it the Pure Eye that Boruto had traded away.
…
Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, Kakashi sat at a different desk, brows furrowed as he reviewed documents with a heavy heart.
"We can't be too rigid with the missing-nin. We need a gentle approach—persuade them if we can, since most act on impulse. These things are understandable.
We must also tell everyone the truth about the village. The Nine-Tails' rampage was the Hokage's desperate effort to protect everyone, which gave the enemy their chance…"
As expected of Konoha's Sixth Hokage, famous for his brains, Kakashi was leading the rebuilding—soothing economic unrest at home, while outwardly employing gentle policies to persuade the runaway ninja to return.
Behind the scenes, extra ninjas were assigned to missions. In short, if you're truly determined to be a missing-nin, then leave the Land of Fire.
If you remain inside its borders, you'll be treated as an enemy by Konoha.
"As for food—tell all the clans, the daimyo, and the nobles that only a stable Konoha can keep the Land of Fire steady.
If anyone keeps hoarding grain for profit, the country will get even more chaotic, and the nobles will be even less secure. We've already had rebel groups targeting noble families."
The ninja world was a mess, and Kakashi was filled with anxiety. He'd never seen things this chaotic—not even during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Just then, an Anbu rushed in and reported urgently:
"Kakashi-sama, bad news! There's a new 'Will of Fire' ideology spreading from the Land of Earth. It's already swept the ninja world—countless organizations are following it.
Especially the Fourth Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi, who's declared herself the vanguard of this ideology. Under the banner of reform, she's already gathered countless rebel groups into alliances…"
Reading the intel, Kakashi sighed helplessly and waved a hand:
"All right, just keep monitoring the Land of Earth for now. We don't have the energy to worry about the rest of the ninja world—let's stabilize the Land of Fire first."
"Yes!"
Right now, even Konoha itself was a mess—no one could even keep their own house in order.
In the busy office, Kakashi continued signing and issuing orders. Meanwhile, Naruto sat cross-legged at the Hokage's desk, eyes closed as if practicing Sage Mode.
"Naruto, this Sage Mode training is a good way to strengthen your mind. You have to keep at it."
The Naruto present was a shadow clone. Training in Sage Mode was indeed the best way for Naruto to calm himself.
He should have gone somewhere more peaceful—like Mount Myoboku—but right now, his obsession was with the Hokage's duties.
Leaving the office only made his emotions unstable.
So Kakashi decided to let Naruto stay in Konoha, training in the office as a shadow clone.
Hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto slowly opened his bloodshot eyes, full of frustration.
"Kakashi-sensei, I used to be able to keep my heart calm like still water. Now I just can't do it."
Naruto spoke with deep regret, and Kakashi could only sigh.
"Naruto, you've already worked hard. By the way, how's Kawaki doing lately? I heard he comes from some mysterious organization—there are so many weird groups in the world now."
"I don't care what organization he's from. Kawaki reminds me of myself as a kid, and I trust him."
The best thing to happen recently was Kawaki's sudden appearance, which drew Naruto's attention.
Kakashi was relieved. He understood that Naruto saw his childhood in Kawaki, and that helped calm Naruto's unstable emotions.
'At least for now, with Kawaki around, Naruto's violent impulses have eased a lot.'
"Naruto, keep it up. Konoha will still need you."
Kakashi smiled with relief. To avoid agitating Naruto, everyone now addressed him as "Kakashi-sama" instead of "Sixth Hokage-sama"—a sign of Kakashi's careful handling.
Likewise, the two elders, Koharu and Homura, had kept quiet recently, which eased Kakashi's mind.
As long as those two didn't stir up trouble and Naruto had Kawaki to stabilize him, Kakashi had breathing room to handle Konoha's affairs.
As for Kawaki's background, Kakashi didn't care anymore. With so many organizations out there, none could be as troublesome as the Otsutsuki or Akatsuki.
Besides, with Naruto's power, Konoha could handle any risk.
Kawaki's background was trivial compared to the benefit of keeping Naruto calm.
With all the internal and external chaos, Kakashi was too busy to investigate further.
In normal times, he certainly would have checked, but now, all he wanted was for Konoha to recover.
While Kakashi privately counted his blessings, the two elders were busy in Danzo's old Root base.
…
Deep Inside Root.
In a dark room, two red IV bags dripped blood steadily.
On the chairs sat Konoha's two elders.
"Homura, this works—I can feel my body regaining youth!"
Koharu was ecstatic, her face full of greedy excitement as she watched the blood flow.
Across from her, Homura was just as thrilled.
"Koharu, I feel it too! And your hair is turning black again—we're getting younger!"
For them, power was seductive, but regaining youthful vitality was even more intoxicating.
You only realize what you've lost after it's gone.
But as the last drop was used up, Koharu's expression twisted.
"It's gone already? This isn't enough—we've barely started!"
Her hair had only a few black strands, and now the blood was gone. How could she accept that?
"Elders, all of the Hokage's gene-infused blood has been used."
"Useless! If it's gone, go get more! Tell the Hokage it's for his good—the sooner we solve his condition, the sooner we can protect Konoha together!"
Koharu claimed it was all for Konoha, but her greed was plain to see as she ordered Root to act.
The Root ninja nodded numbly.
"Koharu…"
Homura shook his head, regretful as the last drop was gone.
"Take it slow, we're just getting started. As long as Naruto is still in Konoha, we can keep this up."
He was greedy but also calm.
He knew the difference between one big meal and steady meals.
No matter how strong Naruto was, there was only so much blood in his body.
But as long as Naruto stayed in Konoha, they could keep draining him over time—he was their living blood bank.
"I was impulsive, Homura."
After Homura's reassurance, Koharu took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
In the dim chamber, the two elders stood before a mirror.
Looking at their hunched, elderly bodies, they revealed greedy smiles.
No one knew their physical condition better than themselves. Though still old, the age spots on their faces had faded, and a few strands of black hair had appeared.
In time, they would fully regain their youth.
"Heh heh. Otsutsuki, Chakra Fruit—we'll become immortal, too, one day."
Beneath their greedy smiles, neither noticed the red flash in their eyes.
The negative energy from the Chakra Fruit was amplifying their deepest desires and darkness.
Maybe they knew, but faced with the end of their lives, they chose to ignore the side effects.
Compared to falling into darkness, they feared death even more.