Over the past three months, the Land of Iron Ruins had become the bloodiest arena in the shinobi world.
New corpses appeared every day, and new greed was crushed every day.
The Menos Grande crystal still lay there quietly, occasionally touched by some lucky-or rather, unlucky-ant.
Then a subordinate of Las Noches would quickly emerge from some unknown corner to retrieve it, clearing away the nearby "trash" in passing.
In the coldest, most direct way possible, Las Noches had declared one fact to the shinobi world:
I've left the bait right here.
But whether you're worthy of taking a bite-
Depends on whether you can survive it.
Given the strength Las Noches had displayed at the Five Kage Summit.
This only convinced more people that it was a treasure, one powerful enough to overturn the shinobi world.
While the Land of Iron became a millstone grinding flesh and blood.
Konoha, in the Land of Fire, was immersed in an almost extravagant celebration utterly at odds with the oppressive atmosphere hanging over the rest of the shinobi world.
Today was the first birthday of Naruto Uzumaki, son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
In the original timeline, Naruto would have been curled up alone in a cold apartment today.
Facing expired instant noodles and the lively lights outside his window, he would have been swallowing the curse of "demon fox" and the hatred of the entire village.
But now, everything was different.
Uchiha Ryūha had forcibly altered the Nine-Tails' attack. Kushina had survived, and though Minato had been gravely wounded, his prestige had risen rather than fallen-
He had single-handedly snatched the broken bodies of Jiraiya and Ōnoki back from the hands of a "god."
That resolve and willingness to shoulder responsibility had earned the respect of Konoha, and even