The Resolve to Become a Demon

The Chunin Ninja Exams finally came to an end.

Only a handful of Genin teams managed to collect both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and reach Laozi Rock within the allotted time. Every team that made it arrived exhausted and covered in wounds, but their eyes were filled with pride and excitement. Naruto Uzumaki personally welcomed the young people who had endured the trials at the finish line and announced the list of those who had passed the second exam.

The names of Kakashi Sakuya, Nadeshiko Haku, and Hatake Lian were clearly among them. Though they were in terrible shape when they arrived—Sakuya was unconscious with severe injuries, while Haku and Lian were both wounded—the fact that they had made it and handed in their scrolls was indisputable. Their performance, especially the rumors that Sakuya had faced three Root elites alone in front of Laozi Rock and driven them back (though the higher-ups had deliberately suppressed the details, the general story still got around), caused a quiet stir among the successful candidates and the Jōnin examiners alike.

After the final assessment, the overall results were announced. Thanks to the overwhelming strength, tactical execution, and composure under extreme circumstances they had demonstrated in the first two exams, Sakuya, Haku, and Lian were all promoted to Chunin without question.

After the promotion ceremony, the crowd gradually dispersed.

"Kakashi Sakuya." An Anbu member appeared soundlessly in front of Sakuya, who was just about to leave. "Lord Hokage wants to see you. Alone."

Sakuya stopped in his tracks. A flicker of understanding crossed his deep purple eyes. He nodded, gestured to Haku and Lian beside him, then silently followed the Anbu member toward the Hokage Office.

When he opened the door to the Hokage Office, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't sitting behind his desk. He stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the door, gazing out at the prosperous village of Konoha. The golden glow of the setting sun fell across his Hokage robes, yet seemed to weigh them down.

"Close the door." Naruto's voice carried over. There was none of his usual exuberance or warmth in it; he sounded calm and serious.

Sakuya did as he was told, then stood quietly in the center of the office.

Naruto slowly turned around. His gaze was no longer the gentle look of an older man addressing a junior; it was the scrutiny and gravity of the Hokage. His eyes settled on Sakuya, as if trying to see through him and uncover everything he kept hidden.

Silence filled the office, broken only by the faint commotion of the village outside.

After a long while, Naruto finally spoke, his voice low. "I've already heard what happened at Laozi Rock."

Sakuya said nothing. He simply listened in silence.

"I'll thoroughly investigate and deal with the remnants of Root." Naruto's tone carried an unquestionable resolve, but also a profound weariness. "Konoha wronged you brothers."

He took a few steps forward, his gaze sharpening. "But, Sakuya, do you realize how much you've revealed? The Three-Tomoe Sharingan, your Uchiha identity, and your combat strength and style—far beyond a Genin's, even comparable to a Special Jōnin's... Kakashi-sensei and I had gone to great lengths to keep all of that hidden."

Naruto stopped in front of Sakuya and fixed him with his blue eyes. "In that situation, you unleashed your power to protect your comrades. I can't blame you for that. In fact, I should thank you on behalf of Himawari and the others. But—"

His voice grew heavier. "What about the consequences? Have you thought about them? Root failed, but word may already have gotten out. Those who set their sights on your eyes may no longer be limited to the darkness within Konoha."

Naruto sighed and rubbed his brow. His tone softened, though he sounded even more conflicted. "You and Lian are strong—stronger than I imagined. Especially you, Sakuya. When Kakashi-sensei told me, I could hardly believe it... but this exam proved everything."

He paused, as if weighing his words. "Becoming Chunin means a higher status, but also greater responsibility and more dangerous missions. You won't be protected like children anymore. You'll truly face this world's cruelty and darkness."

"I called you here alone not to reprimand you as Hokage." Naruto's gaze turned solemn. "As someone who's walked through darkness himself, as someone who... has to protect the entire village as Hokage, I want to ask you one question."

He leaned forward slightly, bringing an invisible pressure to bear. "Now that you have this power and have reached this position, what do you intend to do? What kind of ninja do you and Lian want to become?"

The sunset's afterglow streamed through the window, stretching their shadows long across the floor. The Hokage Office was so quiet they could hear each other breathe.

Naruto Uzumaki waited for Kakashi Sakuya's answer. It would determine how Konoha should treat these two brothers, burdened by hatred for the Uchiha's killers.

Sakuya lifted his eyes coldly. He had already removed the deep purple contact lenses he used to conceal his eyes before coming here.

Now, exposed to Naruto's gaze, were eyes as black and deep as a wintry pool. There was none of the energy expected of a boy in them, only a cold, lifeless stillness that refused to thaw.

Naruto's pupils contracted sharply! He saw clearly that deep within those black pupils, the outlines of three Tomoe were just barely visible, radiating an unsettling, uncanny aura. These eyes were even more like... that man's than he had imagined.

Facing the Hokage's question and grave stare, Sakuya's voice held not a trace of emotion. It was as cold as the polar wind, every word carrying the rusty stench of blood.

"I'll do it myself."

He paused. His eyes, with their faintly visible Tomoe, met Naruto's sharp gaze without fear.

"Every last one of them,"

The final words were delivered with unshakable finality, steeped in an unquestionable resolve to kill.

"I'll kill everyone in Root."

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

There were no grand declarations, no lofty ideals, not even the slightest response to the so-called Will of Fire. There was only the most direct, bare, blood-soaked declaration of vengeance.

These weren't words a boy should say. They sounded more like the vow of an asura returned from hell, bent on settling old scores.

Naruto's blue eyes remained fixed on Sakuya, searching that cold darkness for the slightest sign of wavering, hesitation, or pretense befitting someone his age.

But all he saw was an almost pure, all-consuming killing intent and resolve. The boy was serious. He wasn't posturing; he was stating a future he fully intended to bring about.

A longer, deeper silence settled over the office.

Naruto's expression was incredibly complicated. There was shock, gravity, and a faint trace of heartache, but in the end, all those emotions settled into profound seriousness.

He slowly straightened and stopped trying to pressure Sakuya with his presence. He understood that such a thing would have no effect on the boy before him.

"It seems... Kakashi-sensei was right." Naruto spoke again at last, his voice much lower. "You're walking a completely different path."

He turned back toward the window and the village of Konoha, the setting sun stretching his shadow long.

"I won't stop you." Naruto's words were unexpected. "What Root did must indeed be thoroughly reckoned with. Konoha owes you that debt."

But he abruptly turned back, his gaze blazing. "But, Sakuya, remember who you are now! You're a ninja of Konoha! Your blade must never be turned against the innocent! Your actions must not bring disastrous consequences upon the village!"

"Vengeance is allowed." Naruto's tone was firm. "But only under Anbu rules, and with my permission! Otherwise, you'll no longer be a man seeking revenge—you'll be an enemy of the village."

"And I," Naruto said, looking at Sakuya, each word deliberate, "will never allow anyone to threaten Konoha's peace and stability. Not even you, not even with eyes and power like yours. Do you understand?"

It was both a warning and a line that could not be crossed.

The Hokage's will and the Uchiha survivor's killing intent collided silently in the sunset's afterglow.

Sakuya watched Naruto in silence. His black eyes, marked by the faint shadows of Tomoe, remained entirely expressionless.

A moment later, he gave a slight nod.

No promise. No assurance.

Just a simple gesture.

It meant he had heard.

And that he would make his own judgment.

Then, without another word, he turned and left the Hokage Office in silence.

The door closed softly.

Inside the office, Naruto Uzumaki was left alone, gazing out at the sinking sun with knitted brows, saying nothing for a long time.

He knew that what he had released back into the wild might be more than just a newly promoted Chunin.

It might also be a double-edged sword, tempered for a long time and forged for nothing but slaughter...