When he saw how worked up his companions had become,
Shikamaru hurried forward, intending to calm things down a little.
"Shikamaru! Keep quiet! I'm asking Naruto and Neji, and I want to hear their answers here!"
Before he could finish,
Kiba's loud shout cut him off,
stopping him in his tracks.
Kiba turned his gaze back around,
staring straight at Naruto and Neji.
Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Choji, Shino, and the others nearby were also watching Naruto and Neji. Times had changed, and the enormous shift in their identities and standing meant that Naruto's answer mattered deeply to these friends.
These young shinobi had their homes, relatives, and friends in Konoha.
Naturally, they regarded Konoha as their home.
And if Naruto truly intended to destroy Konoha,
that meant they would end up standing on opposite sides.
From then on,
they would no longer be companions,
but enemies.
If it came to that, no matter how strong their bonds or how deep their feelings were, the choice they had to make would be entirely different from before. Even Hinata was no exception. At this moment, the young shinobi—or Hinata, in particular—felt exactly as Sakura had after the Five Kage Summit in the original story!
The person she loved most,
or her village, companions, and family.
What choice had Sakura made in the original story?
She wanted to kill Sasuke with her own hands!
And now,
depending on Naruto's answer,
Hinata, Shikamaru, Sakura, and the others might make the same choice.
"My answer?"
Looking at his companions, especially Hinata's clear, pure eyes, Naruto felt a dull ache in his heart. Even so, his expression remained resolute, almost defiant, as he answered in a low voice. "If that day comes, I'll do it!"
Those words
made every Konoha shinobi present change expression.
That included