Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

"Spring!"

"You really are Izumi!"

"You're actually alive!!!"

Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened in disbelief, his long-standing calm shattered.

Standing before him was a girl his age—one he hadn't seen in years, yet whose face he could never forget. He had witnessed her fall with his own eyes, lying lifeless in a pool of blood.

Then how—why—was she standing before him now?

A wave of confusion and dread surged within Itachi.

This wasn't a reunion—it was judgment day. All the affection Uchiha Izumi once held for him had turned into icy hatred.

Hearing Itachi's shaken voice, Izumi tilted her head slightly, a smirk playing at her lips.

"What? Surprised you didn't kill me?"

Itachi's face turned ashen, like he had swallowed a mouthful of needles. The guilt he had buried came crashing down again.

"Izumi..." he whispered, unable to meet her gaze. He didn't know how to explain what had happened that night—and perhaps he didn't want to.

He had killed his clan, his parents, and all for ideals—his mission, the village, and above all, for Sasuke.

He still felt guilt for his actions. But not regret. He believed it had been necessary.

Unfortunately for him, neither Izumi nor Sasuke had come here to listen to explanations.

They had come for revenge.

"Uchiha Itachi, cut the crap. Today is your last day alive!" Sasuke snarled, clenching his fists. His Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life as he glared at his older brother. "Go to hell and apologize to our parents, you monster!"

Mangekyō Sharingan?!

Did he awaken it after returning to Konoha?

Itachi's heart clenched, but not with fear—with pride. His brother had grown stronger. He could die knowing Sasuke had the power to carry on.

"My foolish little brother," Itachi murmured. "The light I've waited for all this time has finally come. And now... you offer me the Mangekyō. I accept it."

"Amaterasu!"

The two brothers released Amaterasu at once, twin black flames colliding and devouring the space between them.

Izumi leapt into action, her three-tomoe Sharingan spinning. Dozens of shuriken spun through the air toward Itachi, cutting off his escape routes. Then, her hands blurred through seals—chakra building in her throat.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The inferno roared forward, engulfing Itachi where he stood.

But Izumi didn't relax. She knew him too well.

Sure enough, moments later, Itachi's flaming figure exploded into a cloud of crows—his real body was never there to begin with.

From a distance, Yukito watched the fight unfold. "Should we help?" she asked Naruto, awaiting his command.

"That's not your battlefield," Naruto replied calmly. He pointed toward the forest. "Go find that one. If you can kill him, do it. If not, retreat."

Understanding immediately, Yukito nodded and vanished in a blur of motion.

Naruto didn't linger. He wasn't worried about the fight with Itachi. Two Mangekyō users versus one—plus Sasuke had the Curse Mark. The odds were in their favor.

Even if Itachi could fight both, Naruto doubted he could kill Sasuke. That was the only condition that mattered.

His real focus was elsewhere—on Uchiha Obito and Hoshigaki Kisame.

Especially Kisame.

Naruto still remembered the humiliation from their last encounter in Konoha. If Kisame didn't die today, Naruto would never forgive himself.

It was a good day for a funeral. An auspicious day, really.

When Izumi had sent word that Itachi and Kisame were moving, Naruto had already begun preparing. He had even contacted Sasuke through the Curse Mark.

And there was one more person who had quietly slipped away from Konan's pursuit to arrive here.

He walked silently, black hair billowing, skin pale and cold.

Orochimaru.

Uchiha Obito and Kisame had arrived at the agreed-upon location to capture the Nine-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchūriki—but instead found themselves facing a former comrade.

"Hold it right there!" Orochimaru hissed gleefully.

Before either of them could react, snakes burst forth from Orochimaru's sleeves, swarming the battlefield.

Obito and Kisame stared in shock. They had hoped to ignore him and move on—but now, they had no choice but to engage.

Normally they wouldn't waste time, but now, with two tailed beasts still at large, they couldn't afford this delay.

But Orochimaru wasn't running.

He was attacking.

"Fire Style: Storm Dance!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Flames and torrents collided as snakes hissed and burned in the chaos.

After a moment, Obito fixed his gaze on Orochimaru, eyes narrowed. "Are you here to die?"

Orochimaru gave a cold chuckle. "There's only one person alive who can kill me—and it's not you."

Without another word, Obito lunged with an iron nail, using his phasing technique again. He assumed Orochimaru, like everyone else, wouldn't understand how Kamui worked.

He was wrong.

Orochimaru smiled even wider. Drawing the Kusanagi Sword, he stabbed directly at Obito.

Their bodies phased through one another.

Perfect.

Obito, grinning smugly, spun around and drove the iron nail into Orochimaru's heart.

It went through clean.

But it felt wrong.

"This is just a shell!" Obito realized.

Suddenly—dripping with mucus—Orochimaru appeared above in the trees and struck down with his sword.

CLANG!

Samehada blocked the Kusanagi blade just in time.

Obito stumbled back, stunned. If Kisame hadn't intervened, he would've had to use Izanagi.

Orochimaru grinned darkly.

Kisame raised his weapon. "We've been looking for you, Orochimaru. Didn't expect to find you here. Not going to run again?"

Orochimaru sneered. "No. Now it's your turn to run."

"You've got guts. But I don't think you'll make it far."

Orochimaru slammed his hands to the ground.

"Reanimation Jutsu!"

Two coffins burst from the soil. When the lids dropped, even Obito and Kisame fell silent.

The Fourth Kazekage. Kakuzu.

"I didn't think you were the one behind Kakuzu's death. Zabuza and Haku too, huh? Where's Hidan?"

Obito's tone was full of restrained fury. Losing Akatsuki members before even capturing the tailed beasts was unacceptable.

Hidan? Still soaking in one of Naruto's labs, most likely.

"You should worry about yourselves," Orochimaru said coldly.

The reanimated Kazekage attacked Obito while Kakuzu kept Kisame busy.

Orochimaru wanted to divide and conquer.

But Kisame felt insulted. "This guy's only one-third as strong as he was alive. What a joke. Annoying though—he just won't die."

Three times Kisame smashed him into bits. Three times Kakuzu reformed.

"Man, I wish Itachi was here to seal this idiot."

Kisame's patience wore thin. He finally began merging with Samehada.

He would finish this—destroy Kakuzu, then help Obito kill Orochimaru.

But just as the fusion completed...

A golden flash.

Naruto appeared, dagger in hand.

"Who—"

Before Kisame could react, Naruto rammed the chakra-enhanced dagger through his wrist and into his chest.

Kisame's eyes widened. "You... the Nine-Tailed brat!"

Naruto's gaze was colder than steel.

From afar, Orochimaru and Obito noticed. Their reactions were... mixed.

Orochimaru showed no emotion but inwardly relaxed. He had struggled with Obito. Neither was built for direct combat. But now, with Naruto here, the tide was turning.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Obito shouted. "You're attacking my allies! Are you breaking the contract?"

Naruto didn't respond. He turned toward Kisame again.

"Scorch Release: Scorching Flame Arm!"

He gripped the dagger in his left hand, and his right arm burst into blinding heat.

His aim: Kisame's head.

"Dammit!" Kisame screamed, severing his injured hand to escape. Blood sprayed but evaporated instantly.

The flaming arm missed by inches, but the heat still scorched his face.

Naruto frowned. "Only got one hand, huh?"

"You little bastard!" Kisame growled.

For ninjas like him, losing a hand meant losing everything.

Obito, now furious, shouted, "Uzumaki Naruto! You'll pay for this! You think the Hokage will let you off?!"

Naruto just laughed.

"Punishment? That's a joke."

He knew Tsunade loved him. Even if she got mad, at worst she'd ground him for a few days.

If anything, once she found out Obito had targeted him, she'd declare war on Akatsuki.

Naruto didn't bother saying all that.

Instead, he smiled coldly and said:

"You killed innocent people in Konoha. You unleashed the Nine-Tails and destroyed the village Rin loved. You killed her comrades, her home."

"Do you think she'd just want an apology?"

"How about I resurrect her... tell her everything... and ask her what she thinks?"

"Uchiha Obito—"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"—what do you think she'd say?"