Naruto's eyes widened in horror as a masked shinobi emerged from the dissipating smoke, clutching Arashi's severed hand and his tanto.
"Danzo-sama, we missed the target," the shinobi reported, his voice devoid of emotion. "Only this remains."
Danzo's frown deepened as he examined Arashi's hand. "Search for the damn eyes again!" he commanded, his voice laced with frustration.
Naruto's world crumbled around him. He stopped struggling, his gaze fixed on the gruesome sight.
"No... no, this can't be happening!" His voice trembled, tears welling up in his eyes. Time seemed to slow down, his heart aching with a grief he'd never known before. 'Arashi... You can't... You can't leave me!'
The Root shinobi holding him, unmoved by the scene, offered a cold, heartless remark. "Don't be sad, this is the way of the shinobi. You and he aren't shinobi, just weapons for us."
"Shut up..." Naruto's voice was barely a whisper, but it crackled with a newfound intensity.
The masked figure glanced at Naruto, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "What? Was he your first friend who died?"
"I won't forgive any of you! I'll kill you all!" Naruto's voice was raw with rage, his chakra surging with uncontrollable power. With a burst of energy, he broke free from the Root shinobi's grasp.
"I... I won't let them get away with this!" His voice trembled, but his determination was unwavering. He lunged towards Arashi's remains, his grief fueling his fury.
"Aaarhh!"
A guttural roar erupted from Naruto, a primal scream that sent a shockwave through the forest. The ground trembled, and nearby trees shook violently. Danzo stumbled backward, shielding his face from the blast of raw power.
Naruto's form twisted and contorted, his features becoming more animalistic. Thickened whiskers appeared on his cheeks, and his nails elongated into sharp claws. His body radiated a menacing aura of orange chakra.
'This is it,' Danzo thought, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement. 'The Nine-Tails' chakra. It shall be mine!'
He uncovered his right eye, revealing a Sharingan.
Fwoosh!
Naruto vanished, reappearing behind Danzo in a blur.
Boom!
His chakra-infused kick connected with Danzo's back, sending the old man crashing through a tree.
"Danzo-sama!" Three Root shinobi rushed to their leader's aid, while the others launched a volley of shuriken and explosive kunai at Naruto.
"Roooaaaar!!!!" Naruto's roar shook the forest as he effortlessly deflected the projectiles with a wave of chakra.
"Is that even possible?" one of the shinobi watching from the trees gasped in astonishment. "With chakra alone, he could deflect everything!"
Fwoosh!
The shinobi blinked, and in that instant, a crimson blur crossed his vision. Blood spurted from his neck as he crumpled to the ground, his eyes widening in disbelief.
He caught a fleeting glimpse of a black-haired boy, tanto in hand, soaring through the air. 'That blade... He's alive... And I didn't see it coming...'
"Grrrr!" Naruto growled, dropping to all fours, his transformation deepening.
'This isn't good.' Arashi landed behind Naruto,
"Hey, Naruto! Ease up a little!"
Naruto whirled around, his eyes blazing with a feral rage. Arashi's heart sank. 'Naruto's eyes... They're different...'
The once bright blue irises were now a deep crimson, slitted like a fox's.
Arashi reached out a hand, his voice gentle but firm. "Come on, we need to get out of here."
"A-ra-shi..." Naruto's voice was a guttural growl, tears streaming down his face. "You're... alive?"
Slowly, Naruto's claws retracted, and the orange aura surrounding him began to fade.
Arashi let out a relieved sigh, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. 'For a second, I thought I'd have to steal his chakra.'
Arashi helped Naruto to his feet, his concern evident in his eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, but... What happened?" Naruto's gaze swept over the scene of devastation, his brow furrowed in confusion. The sight of fallen shinobi and shattered trees was difficult to reconcile with his own fragmented memories.
"You don't remember?" Arashi asked, his voice gentle.
"No, but..." Naruto clutched his head, trying to piece together the events that had transpired. "I thought you died."
Arashi's lips tightened into a thin line. "Come on," he said, forming a hand seal. Whoosh! They vanished in a blur, using the Body Flicker Technique to escape the scene.
Naruto remained silent as they ran, his mind reeling from the shock and confusion.
'After I was cornered, I had to think fast to save us,' Arashi thought, replaying the events in his mind. 'If only I knew what I did would result in this. After swapping places with a random guy and stealing chakra from the others to survive, I needed them to believe I was dead. So I made a clone of my tanto by transforming their katana. I had to be silent, but then this happened.' He shook his head, a wave of guilt washing over him.
He glanced back at Naruto, who remained unusually quiet. 'He's been silent this whole time.'
Arashi slowed to a stop, leaning against a tree for support. 'I don't even know where we're going anymore. It's been two hours now.'
'And even with that much distance, I don't feel any safer,' he thought, his Rinnegan pulsing with a dull ache. 'My eyes are slowing me down, and everything looks strange. The colors, the shapes... they're all foggy. Not to mention it's dark.'
"So, umm... Is there a chance you'll tell me what's going on?" Naruto's voice broke the silence.
Arashi hesitated. 'Should I tell him the truth? The Nine-Tails... The reason he's hated and feared... I'm not sure I should be making this decision, but...'
He sat down beside Naruto, searching for the right words to explain a deeply guarded secret.
"Do you remember the Nine-Tails attack all those years ago?" he began cautiously.
Naruto nodded, a shadow passing over his face as the memories of that night resurfaced. "Yeah, the monster that the Third Hokage always talked about... It killed so many people, including your mother and my parents."
"Yes, that's the one," Arashi confirmed, his voice heavy.
Naruto's eyes widened with a mix of curiosity and fear. "So? What about it?"
Taking a deep breath, Arashi revealed the truth. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but... the Nine-Tails... it's sealed inside you."
"What?!" Naruto's voice rose in disbelief.
Arashi nodded solemnly. "Nearly everyone who was there that night knows about it."
Naruto's frown deepened, his gaze falling to the ground. "All this time... So, what does that make me? Am I the monster?" His voice trembled with uncertainty.
"No!" Arashi interjected, his hands reaching out to grasp Naruto's shoulders. "Naruto, you aren't a monster. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. You're my best friend."
But Naruto's emotions were spiraling. "But I... I killed your parents. Did I kill mine too? How long have you known about this? Is this why everyone hates me? How do you even know?" His questions tumbled out, each one laced with pain and confusion.
Arashi leaned back against the tree, his voice calm and reassuring. "It's not that simple, Naruto," he began, preparing to explain the complex truth behind the Nine-Tails attack and its aftermath.
"You didn't do anything to anyone's parents. It was the Nine-Tails," Arashi explained, his voice firm yet gentle. "People wanted to blame you and direct their hatred towards you because you carry it within you. And no, you didn't even kill your parents. They sacrificed themselves for the village."
Anger flared in Naruto's eyes. "How do you know that? You weren't even there!" he snapped.
"You idiot, just shut up and listen!" Arashi exclaimed, his own frustration rising.
"I've known about this since I saw the difference between your chakra from normal chakra. I can see your chakra using my Rinnegan. Do you think it's been easy keeping this secret from you?"
Releasing Naruto, Arashi took a deep breath to calm himself. Things were getting heated, and they needed to focus.
"Listen, this is even more secret than the Nine-Tails itself, but I'll tell you anyway," Arashi said, clenching his fist.
"Your parents were Minato Namikaze, also known as the Fourth Hokage, and a woman named Kushina Uzumaki, the last known pure Uzumaki in this village. I'm sorry for hiding this from you, but you can beat me up about it later. Just know that no matter what, I won't let you die."
Avoiding eye contact, Arashi muttered, "Not even if you hate me."
Naruto stared at him, the weight of the revelation settling upon him. Memories of their shared experiences flooded his mind.
'He said... He's known about this all this time,' Naruto thought, a mix of emotions swirling within him. "Hold on," he reached out to Arashi, trying to slow down the rapid progression of events.
"What now?" Arashi asked, his voice weary.
"If Danzo hadn't attacked us, would you have told me the truth?" Naruto's voice was quiet, but his gaze held an intensity that Arashi couldn't ignore.
"I always planned to tell you the truth," Arashi confessed, his fist clenching. "I hated keeping this from you every second. I even hated those ungrateful villagers for the way they treated you."
"You and I could have turned out much worse if we wanted to. And even sometimes I..." Arashi shook his head, his voice trailing off.
"The point is, we didn't. And we haven't yet. We stayed friends, best friends. And nothing has changed, even after I found out about my family. We only grew closer, and–"
Bump bump...
Arashi's heart pounded loudly in his chest, and a sharp pain suddenly pierced his side. His eyes widened in alarm.
"Cough! Cough!" He covered his mouth as he began coughing up blood.
"Arashi!" Naruto cried out, rushing to his side.
"My chest..." Arashi gasped, the pain intensifying. A piercing ringing filled his ears, and his vision blurred.
"Cough! Cough!" More blood splattered onto the ground.
"Arashi, are you alright?" Naruto held him tightly, his voice filled with panic.
Through the haze of pain, Arashi's eyes caught sight of a kunai hurtling towards them. Boom! The tree they were leaning against exploded, sending them flying through the air.
They crashed to the ground amidst a tangle of fallen branches and debris. Arashi blacked out momentarily, the world fading to darkness.
He awoke with a gasp, his senses reeling. "Naruto..." he groaned, pushing himself up with the help of a nearby log, ignoring the searing pain in his chest.
"Cough! Cough!" Arashi coughed up more blood, his body wracked with pain.
Naruto appeared behind him, his concern palpable. "Are you alright, Arashi?" he asked, gently supporting his friend.
A voice echoed through the chaos, casting a shadow over their fragile hope. "You're both cornered now. There's no point in fighting you or trying to obtain your Rinnegan anymore, Arashi Uchiha."
Danzo stepped out from the shadows, his gaze cold and calculating. "I shall kill you both and make it seem like the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki did it himself. No one would doubt me, considering the damage he has caused. I will be hailed as the one who stopped the beast from emerging again."
"No!" Arashi summoned his remaining strength, pushing Naruto behind him. "I'll fight them too. I'll use the power of the Nine-Tails to help you," Naruto declared, his hand outstretched towards Arashi.
"No," Arashi insisted, his voice strained but resolute. "I can handle this on my own using the Rinnegan."
Naruto, however, stood his ground, refusing to back down. 'Damn it, he won't listen.'
As Arashi glared at Danzo and his men, a sudden, throbbing ache pulsed at the nape of his neck. He recognized the sensation instantly.
"The masked man..." he muttered, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.
"What did you say?" Naruto asked, his confusion growing.
Before Arashi could respond, an intense heat engulfed his body, coursing through his veins and pooling in his eyes. He knew this power, this overwhelming force.
"Naruto, get back!" Arashi commanded, pushing his friend away with a surge of adrenaline.
With a single glance, every shinobi in Danzo's group dropped to the ground, their bodies paralyzed by an unseen force. Arashi's Rinnegan pulsed with power, the sheer intensity of his chakra overwhelming their senses.
Blood trickled from Arashi's eyes as his body trembled. The exertion was taking its toll, his chakra reserves depleting rapidly. He tried to turn towards Naruto, but his legs gave way.
"Naruto..." he whispered, his voice fading.
With a final, heavy thud, Arashi collapsed, his face hitting the cold, damp earth. The darkness closed in, and he succumbed to unconsciousness.