Sunlight reclaimed the rooftop, but the air felt even colder than it had beneath the barrier.
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils, the pair of crimson, oppressively imposing lenses was clearly reflected.
The Bolter's dark barrel was aimed at his brow.
He could not understand it.
Seconds ago, they had still been comrades fighting side by side.
Now, the other party's killing intent was purer and more direct than even Orochimaru's.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several figures flashed into place, forming a fan-shaped encirclement around Naruto and Julian.
They were ANBU.
Their short blades were drawn, and the eyes behind their masks were filled with vigilance and hostility.
The ANBU captain at the forefront barked hoarsely, "Naruto Uzumaki! Drop your weapon! Stop this dangerous action immediately!"
Naruto did not move.
He did not even raise an eyelid.
He simply stood there quietly, allowing the ANBU—the Hokage's direct military force—to surround him.
Julian's enormous blue body remained utterly motionless, his gun barrel steady without the slightest deviation.
The murderous aura emanating from the steel giant, forged amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, made cold sweat seep into the palms of the encircling ANBU.
They vaguely understood that if Julian truly wanted to fire, there was nothing they could do to stop him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the tense standoff before him, his aged face filled with exhaustion and confusion.
"Naruto... what are you doing?"
Naruto finally reacted.
He did not answer the Third Hokage's question. Instead, he spoke calmly in a flat tone, as though reading out a list of crimes.
"According to data collected by my Shadow Clones during the battle, more than sixty percent of the civilian casualties caused by Orochimaru's invasion were concentrated in the eastern district of the village."
He paused, his icy blue eyes turning toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.