Naruto: The Otsutsuki Naruto

Naruto held a blood-soaked, still-warm eyeball in his hand.

Orochimaru retrieved a jar filled with a nutrient solution and nonchalantly tossed it to Naruto.

"Thanks~"

Naruto gave a casual word of gratitude, opened the jar, and gently placed Shisui's eye—its optic nerve still intact—into the container before sealing it.

He thought to himself: I heard that during his final battle with Sasuke, Danzō sealed this eye. While I could break that seal, it would've taken a lot of effort. Being able to retrieve it like this is much better...

"Argh!!"

Suddenly, Naruto lost control of his power. The wood sprouting from his right shoulder began to grow wildly toward the sky.

"This isn't good! At this rate, I'll be consumed by the First Hokage's cells!!"

Crack!

Gritting his teeth, Naruto severed his right arm, collapsing to the ground, panting heavily.

Danzō, now stripped of his claws and fangs, had become a true paper tiger.

Rustle.

Paper butterflies fluttered through the air, converging to form the figure of Konan.

"Yo~" Naruto greeted her with a lighthearted smile.

Konan's voice was cold. "It seems everything went smoothly."

"More or less," Naruto replied casually, "though it cost me about twenty percent of my chakra." He then asked, "How's Sasuke?"

Konan responded, "As you instructed, I kept him occupied. But that boy is incredibly persistent—he chased me relentlessly. I calculated the timing and managed to withdraw just in time."

"I see," Naruto chuckled. "That sounds just like Sasuke."

"Hmm?" Suddenly, in Sage Mode, Naruto sensed something. He turned toward the distant forest and sighed. "So, they've come after all..."

Konan remarked, "One of his subordinates is a girl with exceptional sensory abilities."

Orochimaru added, "That must be Karin, one of my former subordinates. Like you, Naruto-kun, she's also a descendant of the Uzumaki clan and possesses extraordinary sensory abilities."

Naruto reminisced, "Ah, I know her..."

Before long, Team Taka arrived, stopping some distance away from Naruto and the others.

Sasuke, with a dried bloodstain near his left eye, scanned the battlefield. His gaze lingered coldly on the defeated Danzō before locking onto Naruto's cloaked back. A flicker of emotion flashed in his eyes, only to be quickly concealed.

He demanded coldly, "Naruto, what is the meaning of this?"

"Sasuke, I took care of Danzō for you. As you can see, he's now powerless and nothing more than a cripple."

Naruto spoke calmly, still facing away from Sasuke. Yet his emotions were complicated, so much so that he didn't immediately turn to face him.

Clenching his fists, Sasuke shouted, "Who gave you the right to meddle?!"

Naruto's back shifted slightly. "If you had followed your original plan, you would've attacked the Five Kage Summit, right? Given your current status, doing so would only worsen your crimes. You wouldn't want to become a true enemy of the entire shinobi world, would you?"

With that, Naruto raised his hand, removed the mask from his face, and slowly turned around.

The swirling snow seemed to momentarily calm.

Sasuke's expression turned to surprise. "What happened to your left eye?"

"The man who once tried to destroy Konoha and fought me—Nagato. This eye was his parting gift before he died," Naruto replied internally. One day, you will have it too, Sasuke...

Behind Sasuke, the now-childlike Jūgo suddenly exclaimed upon seeing Naruto's face, "I remember now! He's the one who attacked me by the river before!"

"Huff..."

Sasuke closed his eyes. "Naruto, it seems you've been busy while I was unaware. But I don't have time to deal with you right now."

Swish!

With his cloak billowing, Sasuke strode forward, heading straight for Danzō.

Naruto felt a pang of regret. No matter what, you can't let Danzō live, can you, Sasuke...

Although he didn't want Sasuke to take action, Naruto knew that at this stage, Sasuke's heart was filled with hatred, and with Tobi's instigation, it would be nearly impossible to dissuade him.

If he didn't let Sasuke act now and vent his hatred, it might cause even more trouble in the future.

With that thought, Naruto stepped aside, giving Sasuke a clear path.

Crackle!

Lightning Release formed into a blade in Sasuke's hand as he glared at his enemy. He demanded coldly, "Danzō, tell me, was it you who ordered Itachi to carry out the Uchiha clan massacre?"

"Huff, huff, huff..." Danzō panted heavily, his left eye glancing at his severed right arm, which still had three *Sharingan* embedded in it.

Though he'd lost his arm, there were still some of Hashirama's cells left in his body, giving him just enough to activate one more *Izanagi*.

Sasuke shouted, "Answer me!"

Danzō's voice was weak but low. "So, you've learned the truth. It seems Itachi couldn't keep his mouth shut..."

Sasuke's gaze turned icy. "So it's true, then..."

Danzō admitted, "Yes, it's true."

Sasuke's eyes grew colder. "Just as I thought..."

Danzō quickly reached for a *Sharingan*, plucking it out and inserting it into his right eye socket.

The remaining Hashirama cells in his body connected the optic nerve.

Forming a single-handed seal, a pale smile appeared on his lips.

Sizzle!

Izanagi... activated!

Then, without hesitation, he turned and fled at full speed!

"Hmph!" Sasuke snorted, his cloak flaring as he gave chase.

"Do you think you can escape?" Sasuke's left eye locked onto Danzō's retreating figure.

—Amaterasu!!

Whoosh!

Black flames erupted, engulfing Danzō's body!

"Argh!!"

Danzō screamed in agony as he collapsed to the ground.

But then, the burning Danzō vanished, his real body reappearing further away, still running.

Sasuke was stunned. "What?!"

Naruto shouted, "Sasuke, Danzō used *Izanagi*! Right now, he's invincible! But the effect will last less than a minute! Keep up your strongest attacks, and you can kill him!"

"..." Sasuke's eyes flashed with determination.

"Huff, huff, huff..." Danzō ran desperately, but his dwindling chakra filled him with despair. "Am I really going to die here?"

Tap.

Suddenly... Sasuke stopped his pursuit.

Everyone was stunned. "Sasuke... you?"

"It doesn't matter. Let him live for today. A vengeance carried out through others' hands is not enough to purify the Uchiha clan to its highest glory."

Sasuke slowly turned around, his *Mangekyō Sharingan* radiating an inscrutable darkness as he gazed at Naruto. "Especially not you, Naruto. You're the last person I'd ever want to act on my behalf."

In the swirling snow, Danzō's fleeing figure faded into the background.

"..." Naruto and Sasuke locked eyes, as if time had frozen.

Whoosh!!

A strange vortex swirled as Masked Tobi appeared...

In the distance, near the Land of Iron's border, Konoha's group raced through the snow.

Leading the charge were Hinata and Sakura.

"Naruto-kun..."

"Sasuke-kun..."

Conflicting beliefs were about to collide...