One after another figures fell from the forest, all with masks on their faces.
As soon as they appeared, they quickly dispersed, blocking all possible exit directions. Then, an old man on crutches walked out from behind the crowd.
Danzo first glanced at the destroyed city in the distance, then swept his eyes across the messy battlefield, and finally landed on Naruto.
"Bring Nine-Tails back to the village."
No questions were asked, and no one was given a chance to speak. Danzo just stood still and gave the order directly.
Several Root ninjas immediately stepped forward.
Kakashi stood in front of them in a flash.
"Naruto has just regained consciousness. He needs treatment now."
"After returning to Konoha, someone will naturally treat him."
Danzo glanced at Naruto in Kai's arms.
"Nine-Tails has just completely lost control and even destroyed a city. Facts have proved that continuing to let you stay outside will only cause greater disasters."
"Jiraiya's current fate is entirely his own fault."
Hearing Jiraiya's name, Naruto's fingers moved.
When Tsunade heard this, he immediately looked at Danzo angrily.
"What did you say!"
Danzo just glanced at Tsunade.
"Am I wrong? If he obeys my order and controls Nine-Tails in the village, what will happen?"
Tsunade was choked all of a sudden. She clenched her fists loudly but did not speak.
Danzo didn't care about her reaction and continued to give instructions.
"Seal Chakra of Nine-Tails. After returning to the village, Root will take over."
Naruto was still leaning on Kai. After hearing these words, he slowly raised his head and looked at Danzo, who was surrounded by Root ninjas.
"Are you going to lock me up again?"
His voice was hoarse and his voice sounded very weak.
Danzo's expression did not change at all.
"This is to prevent Nine-Tails from getting out of control again. Just like this time, how many people died because of you?"
Naruto lowered his head and looked at his hands.
Minato What he said just now appeared in his mind again.
That city was indeed destroyed by the power of Nine-Tails. He must learn to control Nine-Tails and never let what happened today happen again.
But this does not mean that he will return to that dark place and become a controlled weapon, locked up and determined by others when he can be free.
Naruto held Kai's shoulders and stood up unsteadily.
"Naruto, your body..."
"Teacher Kai, I'm fine."
Naruto stood unsteadily and his legs were still shaking slightly, but he still pushed away Kai's hand holding him.
On the other side, Fukasaku looked at more and more Root ninjas around him, and looked at Shima. Shima quickly understood what he meant.
She glanced at Naruto, then looked at Jiraiya lying on the ground.
Bang!
The white smoke dispersed, Shima had released the channeling, and returned to Mount Myoboku first.
The surrounding Root ninjas just glanced over there and did not stop him. If a Toad left here, it was not worth their attention.
Danzo's attention is always on Naruto.
"Come back with us."
Naruto didn't move.
Danzo waited for a while, his eyes gradually became gloomy.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you should know what it means to disobey Hokage's order."
"I know."
Naruto raised his head.
His face was still stained with blood and mud, but his eyes were extremely clear. Danzo looked at his eyes and suddenly felt that the child in front of him was a little different from when he left Konoha.
"I was just thinking about why I wanted to be Hokage so much before."
Naruto raised his hand and touched Forehead Protector's forehead.
The metal piece of Forehead Protector has been scratched and is still stained with dust. Naruto's fingers slowly brushed over the Konoha logo, and many images suddenly appeared in his mind.
He once stood on Hokage Rock and shouted to everyone below that he would become Hokage sooner or later.
He had also imagined countless times that when he sat in that position, the people in the village would recognize him. He could protect everyone, protect all the weak, and make everyone in the village live a happy life.
Naruto looked at Forehead Protector in his hand and spoke after a long time.
"I always thought that as long as I became Hokage, I could change everything."
"I can make people in the village no longer hate each other, and no more children will be treated as monsters by everyone like me."
The surroundings gradually became quiet.
Even the Root ninja who was about to step forward stopped and looked at him.
"But now it seems that the person sitting in that position has to protect first and foremost no one in the village."
Naruto looked at Danzo again.
"What he wants to protect is Konoha, the rules, the things that have existed for who knows how many years. As long as it is beneficial to the village, one person can be locked up or another person can die."
Danzo's hand holding the crutch slowly tightened.
"Without rules, the village cannot exist. As a Hokage, you should make choices for the sake of the entire Konoha."
"So what about the people who were left behind?"
"Should they be locked up and die?"
"This is Will of Fire!"
"Everyone can give everything for the village!"
Naruto suddenly smiled, and he reached out and untied Forehead Protector from behind his head.
"Hokage ah..."
"I don't envy that kind of thing anymore."
Kakashi looked sharply at Naruto.
Tsunade also raised his head, with unwiped tears still on his face.
Danzo stared at Forehead Protector in Naruto's hand, and finally realized what he wanted to do.
"Naruto, think carefully before speaking."
"I've thought it through."
Naruto held Forehead Protector in his hand and looked around at the crowd.
Kakashi, Kai, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, who was lying on the ground and could no longer open his eyes.
"I still don't know how to end this, and I don't know what the new world will look like."
"But I will find an answer."
"An answer that doesn't require sacrificing anyone or turning children into weapons."
"An answer that can unite the world."
After saying that, he looked at Danzo again.
"From today on, I am no longer Konoha's ninja."
Naruto's hand loosened.
The Forehead Protector that he had worn for many years fell to the ground, and the metal piece hit a piece of gravel and made a crisp sound.
Root Ninja's hand has pressed down on the handle of the knife.
Naruto looked down at Forehead Protector, paused for a while, and then spoke again:
"No."
"I'm not even a ninja anymore."
Danzo's face turned completely gloomy.
"Get him!"
The Root ninjas all around rushed out at the same time.
Kakashi didn't move, and neither did Kai.
But just when those people were about to rush in front of Naruto, a string of black runes suddenly appeared from under Naruto's feet and quickly covered the surrounding ground.
Danzo's pupils shrank.
"Stop him!"
A Root ninja pulled out Ninja Blade and went straight to Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto stood there, looking at the knife getting closer and closer, without dodging.
Within Mount Myoboku, Shima's palms pressed hard on the ground.
"Reverse Summoning Technique!"
Bang!
Large clouds of white smoke exploded in the forest.
Root The ninja slashed into the white smoke, but the blade only hit empty smoke.
After the smoke cleared, Naruto and Fukasaku had disappeared.
Only the Forehead Protector, which was picked off by Naruto, was left, lying alone in the dirt.