Infinite Anime [252-253] (Patreon)

Chapter 252: It's a Promise

As it turns out, little kids neither argue with logic nor possess the patience and understanding of adults.

Now that Naruto knows the truth, all he feels is endless grievance and a budding resentment.

Not even the brightest sunshine can melt the ice in his heart. Even for someone as naturally optimistic, outgoing, and forgiving as Naruto, he can no longer look at the village before him with loving eyes.

"Why? Hasn't Konoha always treated its heroes like this?"

Gusion's tone was laced with sarcasm.

Naruto wiped his tears and looked at Gusion curiously, "Sorry, big brother, I still don't know your name. Do you know my parents?"

"I can tell you my name, but Naruto, it's a secret just between us."

Gusion smiled. "My name is Gusion. If your father were still alive, maybe he would have told you some stories about me. But Minato is already gone."

"Gusion..."

Naruto rolled the name around in his mouth, but having little education and drifting through his days in the village, he had never read any history books, nor did he know the meaning behind this name.

"Brother Gusion, can you tell me about my parents?"

Naruto no longer wanted to ask why the village treated him this way. The reason didn't seem important anymore. Now he just wanted to hear about his parents—to imagine what a wonderful life it would be if they were still alive.

"That's a long story. How about we eat while we talk? How about Ichiraku Ramen? My treat."

Gusion said with a smile. After wandering around Konoha all afternoon, he was getting hungry again.

As for the actions of the village's investigators and the Anbu, he didn't care at all. Even if all the strong came out, it would be hard to keep him there.

Clearly, the Third Hokage wasn't stupid. Though he couldn't hear what Gusion was saying to Naruto, seeing Naruto's tears and agitation, he knew something was off.

If it weren't for Naruto being with Gusion within the village, they probably would have already moved to capture and interrogate this mysterious man.

"Really!?"

Naruto was a bit excited. It wasn't that he'd forgotten his sadness and anger, just that he'd buried them deep inside.

"Of course. I can at least afford a few bowls of ramen."

Gusion took Naruto and left the park, heading to Ichiraku Ramen.

Teuchi was a bit surprised to see Gusion, his eyes seemingly saying, "Can you really eat that much?"

"Boss, ten bowls of ramen to start."

Gusion boldly ordered, chatting with Naruto as they ate.

Since they were already surrounded by Anbu, Gusion didn't care if Teuchi overheard their conversation.

"So my dad was really amazing, and my mom was great too. It's just… they're both gone."

As Naruto listened to Gusion's stories, he constructed images of his parents in his mind. He admired and loved them, but the thought of their deaths made him very sad.

Thinking of how his parents had sacrificed themselves for Konoha—using him as the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki to protect the village—made him feel even worse.

Even with his naive mind, he could clearly understand: his whole family were heroes who protected the village. But how did the village treat the orphaned child of these heroes?

Only with exclusion and endless indifference.

At that thought, Naruto felt no desire at all to become Hokage.

To become Hokage and protect those who coldly mistreated him, just to gain their approval?

Why should he!

He just wanted a few true friends his own age. Why was that so hard?

When he left Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto patted his belly. Ichiraku's ramen was supposed to be delicious, but even after eating his fill, he didn't feel satisfied as usual.

"Brother Gusion, you're not actually from the village, are you?"

As they strolled back to the park, Naruto asked.

Gusion was a little surprised—he hadn't expected little Naruto to be this perceptive—but he admitted it readily. "That's right, I'm a rogue ninja. I fought alongside your father during the Third Shinobi World War, but in the end, I was also driven out of the village. The details are complicated, let's not get into them today."

"I see…"

Naruto's mood was low. Rogue ninja—such harsh words. In the past, he always thought rogue ninjas were the worst kind of villains, but he didn't think Brother Gusion was a bad person.

Since he could remember, except for the Third Hokage, Brother Gusion was the only one who had treated him kindly.

But after learning the truth, he was now disappointed in the Third Hokage too.

"Brother Gusion… does being a rogue ninja feel lonely?"

Naruto looked up at Gusion's face and asked cautiously.

"Lonely? Maybe. Most of the time, I'm alone. But on my travels, I meet all kinds of interesting people and sometimes even make friends."

Gusion said with feeling—not as a ninja, but as a traveler through many worlds.

Naruto stood there, conflicted, thinking for a long time before finally working up the courage to say, "Brother Gusion… I want to go with you. Is that okay?"

Gusion was taken aback—this wasn't in his plans. He had only wanted to tell Naruto the truth, shift Naruto's development path, and rack up exploration points.

But he had no intention of taking a child with him. Besides, as a Explorer, his stay in this world was limited.

He could see what Naruto was thinking. Even after all that's been said, Naruto wanting to leave the village wasn't out of hatred.

It was because he'd heard Gusion say that you could also make friends as a rogue ninja outside the village. That was what moved Naruto's heart.

In the end, Naruto was just too afraid of being alone. If Konoha couldn't give him warmth and friends, he wanted to go somewhere else—anywhere he could make friends.

"Naruto, you're Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki. You're still young, so you might not understand what that means, but jinchuriki are usually seen by the village as ultimate weapons. If I take you, Konoha would hunt us to the ends of the earth."

Gusion said seriously.

Naruto lowered his head, his thin boots digging into the ground. "Sorry, I shouldn't have made such a selfish request."

"But—"

Gusion changed his tone, making Naruto's heart skip and look up in hope.

Gusion smiled. "If you trust me, Naruto, I actually know a good village where I could settle you. There are a few outstanding young ninjas about your age there. You'd probably have a lot in common."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really. But not now—since I've been spotted after meeting you, I'll need to wait a bit before I can take you."

Gusion explained. He wasn't about to try escaping with Naruto while Konoha was on guard—that could easily get Naruto killed.

If he wanted to take Naruto, it would be best to wait for the Konoha destruction plan, when the situation was chaotic.

"When will that be?"

Naruto, eager for friends, couldn't wait to leave this cold place.

"It won't be long. It's a promise."

Gusion hooked his pinky with Naruto's.

"It's a promise!"

Naruto grinned, showing his neat white teeth.

"I have to go now. The Hokage will probably summon you to ask questions. Don't worry—just say I told you who your parents were."

With that, Gusion turned and walked into the trees beyond the park.

As soon as he was out of Naruto's sight, figures flitted in from all directions—Konoha's Anbu. The other explorers didn't act, since they'd seen Gusion's stats…

Most of the people entering this world were late third-stage or early fourth-stage explorers. Fourth-stage was rare. Once third-stagers guessed Gusion's identity, they didn't dare act rashly.

Sensing the Anbu's approach, Gusion used shunpo, instantly speeding up and vanishing into the woods like a phantom. In another location, he used transformation jutsu to blend into the Konoha crowds.

Konoha still wasn't taking things seriously enough. The Third should have come personally instead of sending Anbu. Otherwise, Gusion could come and go as he pleased; ordinary ninjas couldn't even catch a glimpse of him.

…

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage's face was grim.

"Who was that person? What did he say to Naruto?"

He asked the Anbu before him.

"According to intel from Ichiraku Ramen, the mysterious man seemed to tell Naruto the truth about his parentage. They spent the whole time in the shop talking about the Fourth Hokage and his wife."

The kneeling Anbu reported quickly.

The Third massaged his brow. "This is troublesome… truly an eventful season."

Recently, the Uchiha situation had already been giving him a headache.

Kakashi had been attacked by someone with Sharingan, reigniting tensions between the village and the Uchiha clan after a difficult peace.

The Third wasn't impulsive—he rejected Danzo's proposal and suppressed the matter for now.

But somehow, the Uchiha found out about the incident and believed the Konoha leadership saw them as prime suspects, which made them furious. These past days, they kept demanding Kakashi confront them.

Most Uchiha didn't believe it was one of their own—they thought this was a ploy by the Hokage to smear them.

Recently, the Uchiha had only been held back from further rebellion by their clan leader's authority, grudgingly going along with arranged marriages.

Most Uchiha were rebellious by nature and didn't really want to comply; only the clan head's power pushed the policy through.

Now, with this new incident, the Uchiha were the first to protest before being accused.

At this point, there was no trust left between the Hokage's faction and the Uchiha; both sides suspected the other of underhandedness.

The Third was already worried about the Uchiha, and now a mysterious figure was stirring up his dear protégé's grandson and Konoha's jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto—he felt his blood pressure rising.

"Hiruzen, you seem troubled."

At that moment, someone entered the office: Konoha's elder advisor, Shimura Danzo.

"It's the Uchiha and Naruto issues."

The Third rubbed his brow and turned off his crystal ball, ending surveillance of the Anbu.

"I've heard about Naruto. Hiruzen, seems even you make missteps."

Danzo seemed to gloat. "If you're feeling overwhelmed, why not step down and let me handle things?"

The Third frowned. "Danzo, your methods would do the village great harm."

"We can keep using your methods for the Uchiha, but right now, we have a bigger problem, don't we?"

Danzo, hearing Naruto had been influenced, immediately saw his chance. "The Nine-Tails jinchuriki is a vital asset, a weapon to deter other nations—more important than the Uchiha. If this isn't handled well, we'll lose his loyalty."

He looked into Hiruzen's eyes as he spoke. "Even if he's Minato's son, do you really think he'll forgive the village?"

Chapter 253: Itachi, Go Seduce Obito!

Faced with Danzo's challenge, the Third pondered, "…I'll visit him at home tonight. As long as I talk to him sincerely—"

But Danzo cut him off with a cold laugh, "Heh, Hiruzen, when did you become so naive? Do you really think talking will help now? The truth is right in front of him. You can't play the loving grandfather anymore."

The Third frowned, displeased with Danzo's attitude. "I truly care for Naruto…"

But Danzo interrupted again. "No need for that—Anbu are gone, it's just us now, no need to keep up appearances."

Danzo walked up to the desk, leaning over Hiruzen. "I have a way to make Naruto forever loyal to Konoha."

"Let him join Root? No, we've already discussed this."

The Third shook his head.

"No, I'll let him live in the light, inherit our Will of Fire, and be absolutely loyal to Konoha."

Danzo whispered, "If you let me be Hokage, I can win Naruto back."

…

As this power struggle played out in the Hokage's office, under the rising moon, Gusion arrived at the appointed location.

Behind the Uchiha clan's compound, before an ancient shrine, the bright red torii gate stood silent.

The wind swept through the night. As the clouds parted, moonlight shone on the figure atop the torii.

A crouching youth, his pale face holding a trace of hidden strength, black hair fluttering in the wind, adding a touch of melancholy.

He wore a dark blue ninja outfit, its hem swaying, his solemn presence blending into the night.

When he saw Gusion, the figure flipped down and landed silently, standing up and bowing respectfully. "You're here, Gusion-senpai."

"Don't worry, no one followed me."

Gusion saw Itachi's Sharingan scanning the area and spoke.

Itachi carefully led Gusion into the empty shrine. "Gusion-senpai, the situation is bad. Because of the masked man's attack on Kakashi-senpai, the village and the Uchiha are at odds again."

"I already know the general situation. As long as there's no fighting in the next two days, Konoha will soon give up targeting the Uchiha."

Gusion waved his hand. "Three days from now, the Konoha destruction plan will begin."

"So soon? Gusion-senpai, have you gathered enough forces?"

Itachi warned, "Kirigakure isn't like Konoha."

Gusion understood. "I'm not alone. There will be a ninja army with me. Just get ready to perform well."

"Can you disclose the lineup? So I can direct my clansmen to the right battlefield."

Itachi asked. Due to communication restrictions, he still didn't know the specifics of the plan.

"Of course. I've joined forces with Orochimaru of the Sound Village. He'll attack Konoha with me—his target is the Third Hokage, so let him fight the Third and his disciples. Besides that, watch out for the Fourth Mizukage and Kisame, summoned by Orochimaru's forbidden jutsu, as well as myself…"

He then detailed the forces to Itachi, making it clear he himself would pressure Konoha directly, leaving the side battles to the Uchiha.

Of course, plans always change, so he told Itachi to adapt as needed.

After they finished discussing, Itachi expressed his concern, "The masked man really is one of the Uchiha. Absolutely not a case like Kakashi—he's awakened the Mangekyo, which only our clan's bloodline can achieve."

He brought Gusion to the clan's stone tablet. "In a sense, Konoha isn't wrong—an Uchiha really did attack Kakashi. But I'm sure he's not someone living in the clan now."

"Itachi, he told you to look at the stone tablet, right? Did you?"

Gusion asked.

Itachi shook his head. "I didn't. It has nothing to do with our current situation."

"You have a lot of self-control. If it were me, I'd be curious. But there's no harm in looking—true or not, if nothing on it has come to pass, it means it's unreliable."

Gusion advised, just in case the Uchiha found something after he left, causing trouble.

Itachi considered it. "Gusion-senpai, you're right. I'll take a look."

He activated his Mangekyo, reading the tablet aloud to Gusion as he went.

Afterward, Itachi was moved. "Sharingan evolution? Rinnegan? Six Paths' power? Ten-Tails jinchuriki…"

He frowned. "The tablet records some shocking things. I've verified some of the Sharingan evolution, so that's real. But the rest is uncertain—especially the Infinite Tsukuyomi part. It feels off."

"This tablet's been around so long, who's to say it wasn't altered? If Infinite Tsukuyomi really brought peace, why didn't the Sage of Six Paths do it? He was the strongest, he could've done it. So I doubt that part."

Gusion said, "Besides, a fake world isn't really living, is it?"

Itachi nodded. "That makes sense. What about the rest? How much is true?"

"That masked man claims to be Uchiha Madara?"

Gusion mused. 

'Obito sure knows how to play a role.'

"He can use Mangekyo freely, unlike me—his stamina seems endless. Maybe he has the Eternal Mangekyo, which fits."

Itachi knew the clan's history: after transplanting his brother's eyes, Madara gained eternal eyesight.

"Or, as the tablet says, he may have obtained Yin-Yang Release and thus permanent sight, just not evolved to Rinnegan."

Gusion said. 

The tablet, if checked personally, did contain a lot.

Especially the Sharingan's evolutionary stages.

"Hmm… I don't think he's really Madara. His fighting style is different. And if he were Madara, he wouldn't have fallen for my Tsukuyomi, since he should be a genjutsu master."

Itachi analyzed, "I've reviewed the list of missing or presumed-dead Uchiha since the war and focused on a few candidates. I think he's likely someone who went missing during the Third War."

"Speaking of Uchiha in the war, I remember Minato's disciple…"

Gusion smiled. "What was his name? Uchiha Obito?"

"Obito?"

Itachi froze, recalling that as a child, he'd met him. Obito was on the death list—one of those whose body was never found.

"No way… I remember now, Obito was the dead last at the academy. How could he awaken Mangekyo and overwhelm me?"

Itachi dismissed it internally.

"Hey, don't underestimate the dead last—especially Konoha's dead last."

Gusion teased, "And if you think about it, the Hokage's side did give Uchiha a chance. Obito was under Minato, but he never amounted to anything."

Itachi pondered, but didn't see this as a real chance for the clan.

There were so many Uchiha geniuses. Why not let Shisui join Minato's team? Instead, they sent Obito—because the Hokage's side thought he wouldn't get anywhere. If it had been Shisui, he might have outshone Kakashi and become the next Hokage candidate after the Fourth died.

"Wait…"

Itachi suddenly realized something. He looked at Gusion, "Gusion-senpai… I remember, Kakashi's Sharingan… was given by Obito!?"

The masked man attacked Kakashi and took back the Sharingan—why?

 Just to stir up conflict between Hokage and Uchiha?

 Or…?

Gusion could see Itachi was finally on the right track. "Sharingan works best as a pair—Obito might be the masked man. He didn't die, and now he's back."

"But that can't be…"

Even the unflappable Itachi was shaken. "Obito was the dead last. How could he awaken Mangekyo? And he loved the village and his teacher—why would he harm them and his own clan?"

His mind raced—could the masked man be the one who attacked Konoha years ago, unleashing the Nine-Tails and killing the Fourth and his wife?

But there were so many contradictions. From the timing of Obito's disappearance to the motive for taking Kakashi's eye, it seemed likely. Yet, from his actions, it seemed impossible.

"Itachi, you think it's not Obito, because you can't imagine him betraying his sensei, village, and clan, right?"

Gusion observed. Honestly, with normal logic, you'd never suspect Obito.

But Obito wasn't normal—so normal logic wouldn't reveal the truth.

"Gusion-senpai, let's consider other possibilities. Obito would never do this."

Itachi concluded.

"Let's say—under certain circumstances, all the logic fits."

Gusion's tone was subtle. "That is… Obito is an absolute scumbag."

Itachi felt a little uncomfortable. After all, Obito was a war hero of the clan, who'd served the village. He didn't want to believe it.

But reason told him to consider it. Gusion was always right—he'd helped save the Uchiha.

He tried to imagine Obito as a scumbag, and suddenly, everything made sense…

"So… Gusion-senpai, even if we know who he is, does it actually help? Should I contact him?"

Itachi pushed away his chaotic feelings and got down to business.

"Does it help? A lot! At least, knowing he's a dead last and not the legendary Madara, you'll feel a lot less pressure, right?"

Gusion laughed. "I have a way to test if it's really Obito. Itachi, before we meet him, do this…"

After hearing Gusion's plan, Itachi hesitated. "Gusion-senpai, will this really work? He has Sharingan, and I have no interest in cross-dressing."

He only felt that this plan was truly strange—Gusion wanted him to seduce the masked man by transforming into Rin.