Chapter 309: Pain's attack
"With the previous example of Danzo, Konoha's shinobi no longer naively believed Naruto would stand on Konoha's side."
"The Collapse Plan caused such chaos in Konoha; Naruto would certainly do something."
Next, Naruto's actions drove the entire Konoha crazy.
He actually infused spiritual pressure into the souls of deceased shinobi, twisting them into Hollows.
Black bodies with a black hole in their chests.
Faces concealed by grim white masks, that's what Hollows looked like.
When the first Hollow appeared in Konoha.
The nature of the Collapse Plan instantly shifted from invasion to experimentation.
Konoha and Suna shinobi were experiments, and Naruto was the researcher.
"Hollows twisted from the souls possess strength surpassing their original selves. These creatures are born solely for war," the Kage of various villages expressed with fear.
"Naruto Uzumaki turning out to be this kind of person... What does life mean to him in his eyes?"
"Impossible, I'm not that kind of person!!" The Naruto Uzumaki from parallel worlds was the most shocked.
They couldn't believe it as they looked at the footage of Naruto, coldly smiling, and agonizingly clutching their heads.
Their situation was already extremely difficult. It was foreseeable that after today, it might be hard for them to even stay in Konoha.
...
In the world of Boruto:
"Dad was this kind of person in the past? No way." Boruto looked at the footage in disbelief.
In his impression, Naruto had always been gentle, a Hokage who dedicated himself to Konoha.
In contrast to Boruto, Konoha's shinobi and residents trusted Naruto even more.
"The Seventh Hokage wouldn't do such things; the Naruto from that world and our Seventh Hokage are so different."
"Exactly, I remember our Seventh Hokage was the hero who saved the ninja world."
"Hey, Naruto, worried? Even if you've become the Seventh Hokage, if the villagers lose trust in you, you'll still face resistance." Sasuke looked at Naruto and asked.
"Worried? Not at all, what's there to worry about." Facing the question, Naruto scratched his head, looking simple-minded, just as carefree as when he was a child.
"I trust the villagers. They all understand that I am completely different from the Naruto in the footage. I remember in the Collapse Plan, my role was quite significant. I even defeated Gaara back then."
Talking about the past, Naruto suddenly became a bit verbose.
"Yeah, how could you, the idiot, think about using Konoha for experiments." Sasuke made a relaxed smile but then turned serious.
"The Naruto in this footage is too different from you. I'm worried about the purpose of this footage."
"Yes, we need to be prepared." Naruto put away his cheerful demeanor, nodding seriously. "Sasuke, after all these years, your body hasn't rusted, has it?"
"Of course not, I'll only get stronger."
At this moment, the footage continued.
Hollows continued to appear in various areas of Konoha.
"Under the Hollow's attack, the shinobi on both sides were in chaos, but with the joining of high-ranking shinobi, the situation gradually stabilized."
"But then, under the suppression of the shinobi, an enraged Hollow unexpectedly unleashed a Cero."
In the footage, a white light shot out, turning into a straight line. The powerful Cero directly lifted rubble and soil from the ground, causing the earth to crack wherever it passed, leaving nothing behind.
The spiritual pressure brewing within it gave off a deathly aura, making souls tremble, unable to move.
As the Cero struck the crowd, a violent explosion occurred, lifting debris from buildings, and a thick mushroom cloud rose.
In an instant, cries echoed, and severed limbs were everywhere.
The once fertile Konoha now had black smoke rising, houses reduced to rubble.
This kind of power was akin to a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Naruto actually created such a terrifying creature." Seeing this, the eyes of Konoha's upper echelons burst with greed.
Even Danzo, who was in battle, was drawn to attention.
"If we can control Hollows, then Konoha will possess a powerful army."
Danzo and the Third felt that the ongoing battle didn't have much significance anymore, so they both backed off.
The Third disbanded the ANBU and engaged in deep conversation with Danzo.
The entire footage ended amid the beautiful sight of Hollows, and no one knew the final outcome for Konoha, nor whether the Hollows were defeated.
But they all understood that for the entire ninja world, Naruto had become an undeniable threat.
And Konoha also shifted from initial internal strife to later transformation.
Danzo's incident was eventually downplayed by politicians, minimized into a minor issue.
Now, Konoha couldn't afford any more losses.
Almost all parallel worlds of Konoha were preparing for battle.
Because they understood that with the exposure of the footage, various secrets would be revealed in the ninja world, and Konoha would soon become a target.
"Next episode preview: The Future of Different Narutos."
As the preview ended, the ninja world fell into a slumber.
In the dead of night, a parallel world's Naruto was sound asleep when suddenly his consciousness found itself in a damp space.
Confused, he walked forward, hearing the crisp sound of dripping water, feeling a bit eerie.
Soon, he arrived at a prison cell.
Before he could see clearly, a swift figure appeared.
"Ciao." A baby slipped through the bars and effortlessly jumped in front of Naruto.
"Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you. I'm your family tutor, helping you become the tenth generation of the Penglai clan. You can call me Ribogen."
...
"My space ability can now forge connections with special characters from other worlds and a fixed character from a parallel world." Naruto remained calm as the screen displayed Ribogen and Naruto interacting.
After absorbing more Asura Chakra, his space ability strengthened once again.
This time, Ribogen was directly brought into one of the Naruto's bodies. However, this ability currently had limitations and couldn't transport too powerful characters.
Although Ribogen as the family tutor had decent strength, compared to the ninja world, he was lacking.
"I will make you the most outstanding underworld boss." Inside the sealed space, Ribogen made his promise.
"No, I want to be the Hokage!" Naruto looked pained.
"I'm afraid that's not up to you. You are the Tenth Generation I value."
Watching the development of this parallel world, Naruto's lips couldn't help but form a slight smile.
He found a hint of interest.
Though he couldn't sense too much power from Ribogen's body, it was different from chakra and spiritual pressure. If he could gain some inspiration from it, it would be beneficial for Naruto's future.
After this footage ended, chaos engulfed the Hidden Sand Village.
Their Kazekage looked utterly bewildered.
"Will I die in the future? Or will Orochimaru kill me? Is our village being used as a tool for someone else's murder?"
After confirming the sealed identities, security in the Hidden Sand Village became even tighter.
"No way, exposed. It seems the Collapse Plan of Konoha can no longer be executed." Orochimaru let out a cold laugh and vanished into the darkness.
"Come find me soon, Naruto Uzumaki." Those who hadn't gone to Jashin's shrine were filled with anticipation.
From the previous footage, it was evident that the relationship between Orochimaru and Naruto was intriguing, mostly mutual understanding.
Naruto admired Orochimaru's approach to research and appreciated his studies in ninjutsu.
Both had attitudes and thoughts different from the mainstream, making their coming together somewhat reasonable.
In the following days, the situation calmed down, the sky was clear.
The screen in the sky remained black.
Konoha stayed in strategic reserve, stocking various supplies.
At the request, Naruto joined the ANBU, undergoing brainwashing and training.
Sasuke graduated early and joined the ANBU for training.
Team 7 was completely broken.
"Charge!" A few kids dashed through Konoha, and one of them, surprisingly, was the grandson of the Third Hokage, Konohamaru.
"Bang!" Due to his reckless running and not watching ahead, Konohamaru bumped into a man.
"Ouch." He rubbed his nose and looked up in the sunlight, recognizing the face of the person he bumped into.
It was Naruto Uzumaki.
At this moment, Naruto had a gentle smile, completely different from his past foolish demeanor.
Under the influence of the footage, almost all versions of Naruto had undergone significant changes.
"Naruto, I'm your fan!" Konohamaru suddenly got excited.
"Buzz." At this moment, the black screen in the sky showed movement.
"The future of different Narutos."
The scene first showed the tragic childhood of Naruto, scorned by countless residents and controlled by the higher-ups.
Eventually, guided by the Third, Naruto aspired to become Hokage, believing that achieving that title would earn everyone's recognition.
Initially, everything progressed similarly to other parallel-world Narutos.
Pranks and seeking attention from other villagers had the opposite effect, making Naruto disliked.
Seeing this, many Konoha shinobi and villagers understood that this was their world's Naruto.
Many subsequent events diverged from the Naruto as the Grim Reaper.
In this timeline, Mizuki failed to graduate, and Naruto stole the Scroll of Seals.
Later, when Naruto used his Shadow Clone to defeat Mizuki, Iruka appeared but got injured trying to save Naruto.
After Naruto's victory, Iruka smiled and tied his forehead protector around Naruto's head.
That moment almost brought tears to the entire ninja world.
"This is a ninja's legacy."
"Though this Naruto is foolish and weak, his heart is pure."
"Iruka is such a good teacher."
"Iruka-sensei." Watching the Naruto in the footage, Naruto's eyes became a bit misty.
He also wanted to follow this development in the footage, but he couldn't go back.
Now, he had become a blade for the ANBU.
The scene shifted to Naruto and Sasuke's first kiss.
This made everyone smirk, especially the parties involved.
In the overall subdued footage, such moments brought some relief.
The audience indulged in some teasing.
"I didn't expect Sasuke, the cool guy, to be snatched by Naruto."
"Wow, are they all into guys now?"
Such jests made the usually reserved Sasuke blush.
As the story progressed, the footage gradually displayed various thought-provoking scenes.
["During the Chunin Exams, Naruto did everything to protect his teammates, showing his potential despite losing to Orochimaru."]
["Sakura, to protect her comrades, cut her hair."]
The Chunin Exams scene made countless people sigh.
Compared to the Grim Reaper Naruto, this current footage portrayed an "ordinary" person.
The strength of S-rank shinobi Orochimaru was displayed effortlessly, effortlessly playing with two promising young ninjas.
But Team 7 also showed a touching side, cherishing their comrades!
"This is what a Leaf ninja is, the true Will of Fire." The Third Hokage felt guilty inside for misjudging Naruto earlier, seeing him as the Grim Reaper who understood concealment and had ambitious plans.
Now, it was clear that Naruto genuinely loved the Leaf.
The footage then revealed Naruto's growth and enlightenment over time.
["Sasuke defected yearning for stronger power, and Naruto, bearing the hope of his comrades, embarked on the path to becoming stronger."]
["At some point, the mischievous Naruto, who always talked about becoming Hokage, disappeared, replaced by a mature Naruto who silently proved himself through actions."]
["Naruto has grown, but many people around him are no longer there."]
The footage then showed Naruto's training and some missions at Mount Myoboku.
There was laughter, but mostly a sense of responsibility and occasional sadness during quiet nights.
["For Naruto, his comrades are the most important."]
["He has always felt guilty for not bringing Sasuke back to the Leaf."]
"The foolish Naruto has grown. I suddenly feel a bit emotional."
"All innocence eventually succumbs to reality; that's perhaps what it means to be a ninja."
"Perhaps we were truly wrong." The guilt within the hearts of Leaf residents reached its peak.
They recalled their bullying of Naruto before and after the footage was played.
From then on, their attitude toward Naruto changed again.
["Pain strikes, Konoha falls, and Naruto appears."]
The preview of the upcoming footage shocked the entire ninja world.
"Konoha destroyed? Who is this Pain?"
"Can this Pain really destroy Konoha?"
"Has no one noticed Naruto's appearance? Has Naruto grown enough to save Konoha?"
Inside the Akatsuki organization, Nagato's face turned extremely grim.
"The purpose of our Akatsuki will be exposed."