The battlefield finally fell silent.
Naruto did not let his guard down in the slightest. He bent down and picked up a jet-black sealing rod left on the ground, channeled chakra through his fingertips, and followed the connection deep within the rod back to its source.
He knew these puppets were only tools. The real body was still hidden far away, controlling everything.
Following the chakra connection, Naruto raced out of Konoha's ruins, crossed the forested mountains, and headed straight for an enormous ancient tree.
When he landed firmly beneath the tree, he immediately spotted several red-haired figures scattered around its base.
Like Nagato, they all possessed the Uzumaki bloodline and had survived the ravages of war.
Some were covered in wounds, kneeling on the ground and barely breathing. Others had already stopped breathing and lay motionless beneath the tree. Those still alive all raised their heads, watching Naruto approach with complicated looks and a turmoil of emotions.
They had witnessed the cruelty of war and watched Konoha be razed to the ground. Their hearts were filled with resentment toward the order of the shinobi world.
An older red-haired clansman slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and weary, steeped in numbness and helplessness:
"Konoha has been completely destroyed. Countless people died in this catastrophe. Naruto, you're Kushina's child. Now that things have come to this, what do you intend to do? Take revenge, or come with us?"
Silence settled over them. Everyone quietly waited for Naruto's answer.
They all assumed that after witnessing his village's destruction and the tragic deaths of his loved ones, Naruto would be consumed by hatred, thinking only of slaughter and revenge.
Yet Naruto's expression remained calm. There was not a trace of malice or murderous intent in his eyes, only clarity and unwavering resolve.
He spoke