Hiruzen persuaded me to die

"You went to Sunagakure and convinced them?"

Nara Shikaku stared in disbelief.

Not long ago, Hyuga Naraku had dumped a heap of paperwork on him, saying he was heading to the Hidden Sand Village.

Shikaku had been speechless then.

Since when had Konoha seen such a restless Hokage?

After the operation with Kirigakure, most of the Konoha forces returned.

But the Hokage—Hyuga Naraku—chose to stay behind in the Mist Village for a while!

And now?

He had traveled to Sunagakure alone! Again!

Still, out of trust in Naraku's strength, Shikaku said nothing.

Yet—once again—the Hokage had pushed all his duties onto his assistant.

This was torture for someone who just wanted to slack off and enjoy his tea!

But now?

Now the situation had escalated.

"Send someone to Sunagakure to renegotiate the peace agreement and retrieve the spoils of war. This is the price they should pay after losing in the Third Great War," Naraku said calmly, sipping his tea.

"..."

Shikaku was speechless.

What he said made sense, but—couldn't he stop throwing all the responsibility his way?

Just then, Kakashi entered the room, leading Jiraiya and Naruto.

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama and Naruto have arrived," Kakashi announced respectfully.

Although Kakashi and Naraku were of the same generation, he maintained formal decorum in the Hokage's office.

Naraku nodded.

"There's something I think the three of you should be the first to know."

He glanced at them, all wearing puzzled expressions.

"The masked man. We've confirmed his identity—it's Uchiha Obito."

Earlier, Naraku had specifically instructed Kakashi to bring Jiraiya and Naruto.

These three had a deep connection to Minato Namikaze.

Kakashi was Minato's only surviving student.

Jiraiya was Minato's mentor.

And Naruto—well, that was obvious.

Naruto blinked. He couldn't immediately connect the name.

He still remembered the masked man—the one who'd taunted him and tried to kidnap him.

But "Uchiha Obito"?

"Who's that?" Naruto asked directly.

Jiraiya had been taking care of Naruto recently, helping him overcome the darkness in his heart.

Naruto also remembered his father—Minato—telling him he could trust Hyuga Naraku.

So Naruto wasn't the least bit shy in front of the Hokage.

"Obito… that name… wasn't he one of Minato's students?" Jiraiya muttered uncertainly.

He vaguely recalled Minato's three-man squad. Besides Kakashi, there was a girl—and a boy.

The boy's name was… Uchiha Obito?

But—

Jiraiya didn't dare continue the thought.

"Impossible!" Kakashi suddenly shouted, his voice tight.

Cold sweat slid down his face.

"It can't be Obito!"

"Obito is dead!"

"He would never do something like this!"

Naraku's voice remained calm.

"I saw him with my own eyes. And he admitted it."

Kakashi was struck dumb.

He wanted to argue—say Naraku had mistaken him for someone else.

But…

Back then, Naraku and Obito were classmates too. They knew each other.

"How is that possible?" Kakashi whispered, shaken.

In truth, deep down—he had already suspected it.

The masked man… no one fit the profile better than Obito.

The biggest clue?

He'd had multiple chances to kill Kakashi—but didn't.

Still—

If that man really was Obito…

Kakashi wished his thoughts would just stop.

But the masked man's cruel deeds flashed in his mind one after another.

"Is it really… Uchiha Obito?" Jiraiya murmured, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Obito—Minato's own student.

Which meant…

The Nine Tails' rampage.

Minato and Kushina's deaths…

Had been at the hands of their own disciple?

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, more confused than ever.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and explained slowly:

"Uchiha Obito was your father's student—Minato's student."

"Like how your dad was my student."

"Technically… that makes Obito like a student-grandson to me."

He paused for a moment, then added with a heavy gaze:

"The problem is… if that masked man really is Obito…"

"Then it means your father and mother were killed—because of him—when the Nine Tails attacked the village."

"No way! Obito's dead!" Kakashi still refused to accept it.

"His body was crushed by a falling boulder!"

"I saw it myself! Half his body was gone!"

"He was only Chūnin-level at the time—how could he possibly survive?!"

Naraku nodded slightly. "That part puzzles me too."

"Apparently, he was saved by Uchiha Madara."

"According to Madara, Obito somehow phased through the rock. A miracle."

Naraku's tone held a trace of disbelief.

"Obito's survival makes no logical sense. But I can confirm—it's really him."

"I spoke to him."

He continued slowly:

"Obito harbors deep resentment toward the Fourth Hokage. He blames him for always being one step too late… for failing to save Rin Nohara."

"He resents this entire shinobi world for taking Rin from him."

"That's why he targeted Kirigakure, the village responsible for Rin's death."

"And now, he's targeting the Tailed Beasts."

"I encountered him in Sunagakure recently—he was trying to capture Shukaku."

"As for the Nine Tails attack years ago…"

"It was both a strategic move to capture the beast—and an act of revenge against the Fourth Hokage."

Jiraiya and Shikaku were stunned.

To betray your village because of hatred for your teacher?

To unleash the Nine Tails inside your own village?

That wasn't human.

That was a monster.

"Obito… isn't like that," Kakashi said weakly.

Naraku remained calm.

"I'm not the only one who saw him. Many people in Sunagakure saw his face."

"If you don't believe me, go there and ask around."

"…"

Kakashi fell silent.

He had known it in his heart.

He just didn't want to admit it.

"The information is out," Naraku said after a pause.

"In that case, let's announce it to the public."

Shikaku frowned deeply.

"You want to publicly reveal it?"

Obito's name was still carved on the memorial stone.

A war hero—now revealed as the mastermind behind the Nine Tails disaster?

Wouldn't that damage Konoha's reputation?

Naraku's gaze turned cold.

"Obito did it. That's the truth."

"And more importantly…"

"The families of the victims of the Nine Tails attack—"

"They deserve to know who was responsible."

Shikaku exhaled heavily.

During the Nine Tails rampage, Konoha lost countless lives.

For years, many had believed it to be a tragic accident.

But after the masked man tried to capture Naruto, it became clear—

The Nine Tails attack had been orchestrated.

Not a natural disaster. A massacre.

Now, the truth had to be revealed.

The people of Konoha—especially those who lost loved ones—deserved justice.