"What I'm looking forward to most now is whether pinning the blame on him will actually draw Ōtsutsuki Isshiki out!"
"Isshiki's been hiding in the shadows, refusing to show himself. With every last crime pinned on him this time, even if he can stomach it, he'll have to come out eventually!"
More than the blame-shifting scheme, everyone was curious about the outcome of that heart-stopping confrontation between clansmen.
"I still can't believe it!"
"That Uzumaki who went on a killing spree really let Naruto talk him down that easily?"
"He just let go of a blood feud like that?"
An astute veteran shinobi sighed softly, laying bare the truth with a few words.
"You don't understand."
"He was never persuaded. It was the survival of his clan that moved him."
"Revenge was only secondary to his obsession. What he truly couldn't let go of was the thought that the Uzushio lineage had died out completely, with no one left to remember its blood feud or carry on the clan's glory."
"Now he knows that Naruto, Karin, and other pure-blooded Uzumaki are still alive."
"His greatest obsession has already been laid to rest."
"The younger generation has avenged him. His clan's bloodline lives on."
"Continuing to kill would only cause needless casualties and destroy the peace the younger generation earned. There would be no point."
Discussion raged throughout the shinobi world. Some marveled at fate, some admired Naruto's vision, some awaited Isshiki's appearance, and others wondered about the Uzumaki Elder's hidden past.
Meanwhile, among Konoha High Command, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third, stared at the Sky Screen with deeply conflicted expressions.
All three finally breathed enormous sighs of relief. Cold sweat had already soaked the backs of their clothes.
"Thank goodness... thank goodness." Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long