At this moment, in the late night, the upper echelons of Konoha were in complete chaos.
It was all because of the footage preview: "Uchiha Massacre Night."
"The Uchiha? Who would massacre them? Could it be the Uchiha clan?" The Third Hokage, considering recent events involving the Uchiha and the recent confrontations, wore a stern expression.
The Uchiha clan itself was in disarray.
For a while now, the Uchiha had been in an extremely awkward situation.
They were internally planning a rebellion but had to temporarily delay their plans due to the appearance of the footage.
Now, the preview of the footage gave them a very ominous feeling.
Perhaps the "massacre" mentioned inside referred to the Uchiha.
Sasuke, the twenty-five-year-old Uchiha, couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, fearing exposure because of this.
A new day began with clear weather, yet the black screen hanging high in the sky made people somewhat uneasy.
The residents of Konoha quickly resumed their daily lives.
And at this moment, Naruto Uzumaki, yawning, headed towards the school.
His expression became calm, a forced smile barely formed on his lips, completely unrelated to warmth and gentleness.
The residents of Konoha subconsciously ignored Naruto Uzumaki.
Thus, Naruto Uzumaki didn't encounter any insults along the way.
Almost everything in all parallel worlds happened similarly.
Naruto Uzumaki's status as the hero's son made them feel guilty for their previous actions. However, the calculated nature displayed by Naruto in the footage made them fear that their own Naruto Uzumaki might be just as shrewd.
Amidst this interweaving of emotions, they chose to ignore it.
Naruto Uzumaki naturally felt disheartened.
They studied Naruto's demeanor overnight, attempting to become refined and gentle, even considering changing their attire, but the progress was minimal.
After observing Naruto Uzumaki for these two days, the Konoha high-ups still couldn't lower their guard against him.
This was because the Naruto in the footage hid too well.
No one could be certain whether the Naruto Uzumaki here was also disguised.
Although he hadn't encountered any insults, Naruto Uzumaki had a feeling that his situation in Konoha seemed even worse now.
Upon arriving at the ninja school, his classmates also maintained a cool attitude towards him.
Apparently, they were all worried about being seen as pawns themselves.
"How did it turn out like this?" Naruto Uzumaki wore a sad expression.
"Bzzt." At this moment, the screen in the sky displayed an image.
["Uchiha Massacre Night."]
"Massacre? Which family in Konoha would be massacred? It can't possibly be the Hyuga or the Uchiha, right?" A student chuckled indifferently.
It was well-known that the Hyuga and the Uchiha were Konoha's most powerful and influential clans. Regardless of which family faced a massacre, it wouldn't involve them.
But what happened next in the footage left him speechless.
["Uchiha Massacre Night."]
"The Uchiha got massacred? Impossible!" Instantly, a commotion erupted across all parallel worlds, with countless shocked faces.
"The plan has been exposed!!" The expressions of the Konoha high-ups and Sasuke turned grim.
In different timelines of Konoha, the couple, Minato and Kushina, exchanged a glance, both expressing shock. Just yesterday, they successfully anticipated the masked man's conspiracy through the footage and prevented the unsealing of the Nine-Tails, leading to Naruto's birth.
In this world, Naruto was no longer the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha.
With Minato around, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha was still manageable.
But now, the exposure of the footage would push the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha to new heights.
["The Truth Behind the Massacre."]
["Since the Uchiha Madara's defection, the higher-ups in Konoha have never trusted the Uchiha clan. Various marginalizing policies have led to the gradual estrangement between the Uchiha and Konoha. By the time of the Nine-Tails' rampage, the Nine-Tails, controlled by the Sharingan, made the Konoha higher-ups extremely vigilant and wary of the Uchiha clan, even pushing the Uchiha towards a rebellion."]
["The Uchiha clan, knowing the conflict was irreconcilable, prepared for a rebellion."]
["The Uchiha prodigy Sasuke knew that the Uchiha's rebellion was doomed to fail. To save his brother's life, he made a deal with the higher-ups. In the dark of night, he took up the butcher's knife."]
The footage shifted to Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan, and under his massacre, the entire clan was utterly defenseless.
The masked man appeared again, aiding Sasuke in his slaughter.
With the Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke displayed combat power at a dominant level, rendering his clan completely helpless against his eyes.
Sasuke walked back to his home as casually as taking a stroll in the park.
Surprisingly, the clan head, Fugaku, and Mikoto were quietly waiting for Sasuke.
They showed immense tolerance towards their son.
Fugaku understood that the Uchiha's fate was already sealed.
As Sasuke raised his hand with the blade, Fugaku and Mikoto were slain.
At this point, all the audience couldn't contain their inner anger.
"Beast! How heartless! He actually massacred his own family."
The entire Uchiha erupted; everyone angrily confronted Sasuke.
They demanded Sasuke be handed over and executed on the spot.
They never imagined that the cause of the Uchiha massacre was someone from within their own ranks.
Forced by circumstances, Sasuke had no choice but to temporarily leave the Uchiha territory.
He didn't know how he could face his own clan.
In his heart, he was filled with resentment towards the person who released the footage.
"Fugaku and that traitor are of the same ilk. They must be removed." The sentiment within the Uchiha surged, blaming everything on Fugaku.
Fugaku's expression seemed to age ten years, resigned to his fate.
The situation for the Uchiha clan became awkward afterward.
Their intention to betray was exposed, and the consequences of their betrayal were unexpectedly made public.
Faced with the high-ranking officials from Konoha who demanded an explanation, both sides stood in opposition.
Konoha's leadership had been targeting the Uchiha's actions, and now, there was no chance for a favorable outcome.
If the Uchiha were allowed to leave and join other ninja villages, it would inflict unprecedented damage on Konoha.
"Is it possible that the two worlds aren't closely connected after all?" The tension was palpable as everyone faced this standoff, and finally, Fukuyue, the captive, spoke up.
"Hmm?" His words drew everyone's attention.
"The Naruto Uzumaki in that video and the one here are vastly different. So, perhaps there's a certain connection between the two sides, but it's not significant."
Fukuyue's words temporarily eased the atmosphere, reducing the hostility between the two sides. Meanwhile, the mirrored image on the screen continued.
Itachi tormented Sasuke and, while stepping on his face, delivered the classic lines of humiliation.
["My foolish little brother, you're not worth killing. If you want to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run away, live in hiding until you possess the same eyes as mine, then come back."]
"Itachi!!" Sasuke, watching, roared in anger as the Sharingan spun in his eyes.
After witnessing the horrific scene of his parents' murder, he awakened.
Even now, he couldn't imagine that his brother, Itachi, would do something so inhumane.
So, he swiftly left the ninja academy and headed towards the Uchiha residence.
Next, in the footage, Naruto headed towards the hospital.
["As Sasuke Uchiha's close friend, Naruto naturally would visit. But, in reality, he wants to see if, after such a sorrowful experience, Sasuke can awaken and display his potential."]
The subtitles provided a psychological analysis of Naruto, sending chills down everyone's spine.
Though Sasuke was his best friend on the surface, after Sasuke's incident, Naruto's immediate concern wasn't worry but rather pondering Sasuke's potential, revealing a certain level of indifference within him.
The change was immense, yet it had its traces.
Initially, like the Naruto from the parallel world, Naruto here also sought attention and displayed a naive personality.
But at some point, Naruto had an awakening. He started to learn how to conceal his emotions, living up to the image of the perfect heir to the will of fire as perceived by the Third Hokage.
Everything, in essence, was simply about surviving.
Despite being the son of a hero, he lived a life worse than that of a dog.
People tried to put themselves in Naruto's shoes, only to realize that if it were them, they might have turned to darkness long ago.
During the visit to Sasuke, even Sasuke showed some resentment, continuously provoking Naruto with words. Rock Lee, hot-blooded, immediately intervened, and after a brief exchange, everyone got an understanding of their strengths.
Although they had recently enrolled, their abilities had already reached the average level of graduates.
That's talent.
Comparing the Sasuke from that world to this one revealed a terrifyingly vast difference.
Seeing this, the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha once again eased.
"Perhaps the connection between the two sides is truly insignificant." Konoha and the Uchiha once again entered into an eerie relationship, concealing their conflicts deeply.
In the footage, Naruto easily defeated Sasuke and said, "Never believe what your eyes show you."
Naruto was hinting to Sasuke that there must be a deeper story behind the Uchiha clan's massacre.
Since then, Sasuke's demeanor drastically changed.
This brought a sense of calmness to Sasuke in both worlds.
But regardless of the truth, Itachi's betrayal of the Uchiha was an undeniable fact.
They couldn't return to how things were.
Subsequently, the footage played Naruto encouraging and motivating Sasuke.
With Naruto's help, Sasuke fulfilled his potential, and his strength rapidly grew.
In Sasuke's heart, Naruto also held an extremely important place. For him, Naruto was the light that saved him.
"Sasuke fully trusts Naruto now. If Naruto were to betray Konoha in the future, would Sasuke follow?" Seeing this, the Third Hokage couldn't help but murmur.
Even though their world's Naruto was different, everything that happened in the footage was a warning for them.
Later, the high-ranking officials of Konoha and the Uchiha clan engaged in an in-depth conversation.
The specifics covered how the Uchiha would be dealt with next and the mysterious masked man.
Through the footage, they already knew that the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident was the masked man.
There were even shadows of the masked man on the night of the Uchiha massacre.
On one hand, Konoha feared the Uchiha, and on the other, they were filled with hostility towards the masked man.
The process of the Uchiha massacre had been exposed, and now, the relationship with the Uchiha had reached an absolute freezing point.
But the leadership in Konoha also understood that other ninja villages were surely watching closely. Konoha couldn't afford to reveal any weaknesses at this moment.
So, they attempted to reconcile with the Uchiha.
Among the myriad of parallel worlds, there were outcomes where the Uchiha reached an agreement with Konoha and also ones where the Uchiha were wiped out prematurely, with Sasuke not even surviving.
Parallel worlds were an extension of infinite possibilities within the world, where a small detail could lead to a significant butterfly effect.
Naruto silently observed the changes in all the parallel worlds, gaining some insights.
But what intrigued him the most was the Uchiha reaching a peace agreement with Konoha.
However, the Uchiha's condition was simple: take away Itachi Uchiha's eyes.
People like Itachi, who blindly loved Konoha, naturally ended up gouging out their own eyes.
And the rights of Fukuyue's family were completely stripped away.
From being the clan head to being shunned by everyone, it took only a day.
Sasuke's status also plummeted from the clan head's son to a commoner in an instant.
In some other parallel worlds, wars were about to commence prematurely.
Konoha and the Uchiha engaged in war, leading to the Uchiha holding Sasuke hostage and forcing Itachi to stand with them. With multiple Mangekyo Sharingans, the Uchiha unleashed unimaginable power, temporarily matching Konoha.
In the end, both sides suffered heavy losses. The Third Hokage died, the Uchiha were completely wiped out, and Tobi took over as the Hokage, directly controlling Konoha. He captured Naruto and subjected him to inhumane human experiments.
"Why are you doing this to me?" All these Narutos were in dire straits.
Lying on the examination bed, missing limbs, hopeless, they harbored endless hatred towards Konoha.
This hatred was something even Ashura's Chakra couldn't alter.
A faint smile appeared on Naruto's lips.
Seeing the miserable state of these Narutos, Naruto also realized that the time had come to take away the Ashura Chakra.
... In the root base under the cover of night, Naruto was tied to an examination bed, limbs restrained.
In this world, Danzo had completely seized power.
He looked at Naruto with a sinister expression, eyes filled with greed.
"Since you're Naruto Uzumaki, you should also have the same bloodline limit. Even if you don't, your talent won't be lacking, and you have significant research value."
"But before starting the experiment, I must ensure that you're completely loyal to Konoha," Danzo said coldly.
The brainwashing capabilities of the Root base had always been among the best in the ninja world.
Most of the ninjas within the Root base were dead loyalists willing to give everything for the Root.
Danzo was confident that, after the modifications in the Root base, Naruto would become Konoha's sharpest blade.
"Is there anyone to save me?" Naruto looked desperate, recalling the faces of his friends.
But he didn't hold any expectations.
Because the only person who could possibly save him, the Third Hokage, had died in the previous Uchiha rebellion.
"Naruto Uzumaki." At this moment, Danzo entered the laboratory, looking at Naruto mockingly.
"It's hard to imagine that you're so dangerous in other worlds." A cold blade traced Naruto's face.
Danzo emitted an evil chuckle. "But no matter if you have hidden something, I will completely control you next."
"Even in other parallel worlds, you're equally dangerous, my student." Suddenly, a magnetic voice echoed in the space.