Dropped into Naruto, Breaking the World Apart

Chapter 117: Chapter 4: I Am Human



A madman doesn't know he's mad. A fool doesn't know he's a fool.

Sōseki had no idea his sanity was slipping.

For a while after that, it was as if he'd completely forgotten his mission. He wandered around Konoha like an ordinary tourist, taking in the sights and attractions.

Then, on a public bench, he stumbled upon a note. The paper was scorched along the edges and filled with chaotic scrawl—

[I can't tell what's real—I can't tell, I just can't! The rules contradict each other; I don't know what's true and what's false. I'm only writing down the useful intel so I won't forget it once I lose my mind.]

The Uchiha compound is a trap. Once you go in, there's no coming out. The staff won't let anyone leave.

You can't fully trust Konoha's shinobi. They're the ones who forced me into the Uchiha compound. I tried sneaking out and they just dragged me back in.

Near the entrance to the Uchiha district, there's a hidden notice board. ████████████████ (the writing has been scratched out)

There's a secret path out of Konoha under the Naka Shrine. But something about it gives me a terrible feeling...

I am not an Uchiha. (The handwriting is slightly messy.)

Humans are creatures that walk upright on the ground. Humans cannot fly. Humans do not have feathers. (The writing is extremely messy.)

Sōseki blinked, stunned for a moment. Then his expression tightened as he suddenly remembered who he was—and why he was here.

"A hidden notice board at the entrance to the Uchiha compound? Could that be the real set of rules?"

Based on what he'd gathered so far, "Uchiha" was certainly dangerous—but maybe the most important clues were hidden within that danger. Should he go?

He didn't hesitate long. Rising to his feet, he headed straight for the Uchiha compound, though he couldn't explain why the path felt so familiar.

At the intersection, the same old sign displaying the Uchiha Compound Visitor Guidelines stood tall. Sōseki continued onward. In the distance, he could hear the bustling chatter of a thriving Uchiha district.

Wait a second...

Weren't the Uchiha supposed to be wiped out?

Then who were all these people inside the compound?

Tourists dressed in Uchiha garb?

Confused, Sōseki kept following the road deeper into the district. Before long, he found a brand-new sign—one far more pristine than the others. Its color was slightly different and its placement was hidden enough to be easily missed.

This one had rules too, though much more concise and straightforward—

[Dear tourists, by now you've likely noticed something strange about Konoha. Don't panic. We are trained professionals who handle abnormal phenomena. Please follow the rules below to safely exit the village.]

The visitor rules and all other posted guidelines are fake. Do not believe them.

Do not go to the Hokage Tower. Do not trust Konoha's shinobi.

The Uchiha compound is open for tours, but those in navy vests wearing masks are not staff. Do not engage with them.

We've dug a secure escape tunnel beneath the Naka Shrine. You can use it to leave Konoha. To prevent exposure, enter alone when no one's watching.

Crows are the summoned beasts of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi—two of the clan's greatest prodigies. They are safe and friendly. If you have any crow-themed items with you, the crows will notice and guide you to the escape tunnel at the Naka Shrine.

Only normal people can see this notice. Do not let others know that you can see it.

"Knew it—that's critical intel." Sōseki nodded to himself. Without hesitation, he decided to investigate the Naka Shrine and see if the escape tunnel was real.

If it was, then he'd leave right away. The other spies were all trapped in Konoha with no way out. The fact that he'd made it this far already put him ahead. He couldn't afford to get greedy.

The trip to the Naka Shrine went surprisingly smoothly. Along the way, a few crows seemed to subtly guide him.

But... pinned to a tree near the shrine's entrance was yet another slip of paper.

Another damn note. Sōseki was practically developing PTSD from these things.

He wanted to ignore it, but what if it was important? Scowling, he snatched it off the bark.

[Something strange has happened in Konoha. The surviving humans are doing everything they can to escape. I've compiled what I've learned in hopes it helps those who come after me.]

The tunnel under the Naka Shrine is a lie. No one who's entered Konoha has found a real way out. Maybe there isn't one.

The Hokage Tower is actually safe—but only if you enter the right one.

The Will of Fire can resist the corruption.

Konoha's shinobi bring the lightly infected to the Hokage Tower for purification. Those heavily infected are █████████ (scratched out).

Beware the evil ███ (scratched out).

Sōseki groaned. The contents of this new note completely contradicted the last notice board—almost like they came from different realities.

Still, he stepped into the Naka Shrine.

He didn't have a choice. There was no way to determine which rules were real, so he had to test them himself.

Behind the stone monument in the shrine, he found a tunnel entrance—just as described. But the pitch-black opening gave him a deep sense of unease.

Inside, the passage had no visible light source, but was somehow still illuminated. Step by step, Sōseki walked forward.

Then... an odd itch spread across his skin. It felt like something was pushing out from beneath it. He reflexively lowered his head and used his beak to peck at some feathers.

Wait, a beak? Feathers?

Something didn't feel right...

No matter. He pushed the thought away.

The world outside the tunnel was bright—too bright. And it was deeply unsettling.

Sōseki saw a crowd of monsters. They walked on two legs like humans, but unlike him, they lacked feathers and couldn't fly.

This place looked like Konoha—except everything was proportionally larger. Even the faces carved into the Hokage Rock had become monstrous visages.

In the corner of a forest clearing, Sōseki found other humans—still alive, huddled together for warmth and safety, hiding from the monsters hunting them.

According to them, those creatures were once human too—corrupted into their current forms.

The deep blue ones were lightly infected; they still retained some fondness for humans. The green ones were heavily infected and loathed humanity. Other colors represented different levels of contamination.

Humans could help cleanse the monsters' corruption—just by approaching and reaching out to them emotionally. If a heavily infected monster regained some sense of humanity, it would revert to the lightly infected state.

But a full recovery was only possible... at the shrine behind the mountain.

Sōseki had just been bombarded with a truckload of information. What had his original mission even been?

Right. He'd been sent to help cleanse the infected.

What a noble and righteous mission this was!

Spreading his wings wide, Sōseki took to the skies and quietly approached the monsters...

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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