"He... He's Lord Minato's son!"
That anguished roar was like a deep-sea bomb going off.
It exploded in the dead-silent arena!
"What?!"
"The Fourth Hokage's... son?"
"Is that true?!"
The tens of thousands of Konoha villagers in the stands erupted!
They sprang to their feet, craning their necks to stare fixedly at the blond boy in the middle of the arena.
As if they were looking at a living legend who had stepped straight out of a myth!
Doubt, shock, disbelief...
A tangle of complicated emotions crossed every face.
But the facts were right there before them.
That face, carved from the same mold as the Fourth Hokage's.
That signature Flying Thunder God Technique, as dazzling as the Yellow Flash.
And... his surname was Uzumaki!
The same surname as the Fourth Hokage's wife, the red-haired heroine who had also sacrificed herself for the village!
At that moment, all the clues fell into place, revealing a truth that was undeniable—and so cruel it broke their hearts!
Konoha's hero, Minato Namikaze, had not left the world without an heir!
His son was still alive!
"Ugh... sob..."
Choked, almost animal-like sobs rose and fell through the crowd.
Many veteran shinobi who had lived through the Third Shinobi World War and been rescued from the battlefield by Minato could no longer hold back their emotions.
They covered their faces and wept like children.
That was the hero's bloodline!
The only light their brightest sun, Konoha, had left behind in this world!
But...
Why?
Why was the hero's son wearing an Iwagakure Forehead Protector?
Why was he standing against Konoha, representing the village's former mortal enemy in the Chunin Ninja Exams?
One deadly question after another slithered into the heart of every Konoha resident present.
They gnawed furiously at the faith that had already been