Naruto squatted down in front of Uchiha Shisui, casually holding two eyeballs in his hands. With a grin, he made a small gesture.
"Shisui, it must be inconvenient not having eyes. Here, let me give you a pair."
Shisui, still in shock, broke out into a cold sweat. His voice trembled. "N-Naruto… don't mess around. An eye transplant isn't as simple as you think…"
"I'm a human, not a damn puzzle piece. You can't just—"
"Shut up."
Naruto rolled his eyes and, with a simple thought, summoned four chains from his body, binding Shisui in place.
He then leaned in and asked, "How is it? Can you see?"
Silence.
Shisui didn't even know how to react. Then, in the flattest tone possible, he said, "Naruto… you installed them backwards. The black part should be on the outside."
Naruto blinked. "Oh."
A moment later, without hesitation, he dug the eyeballs back out of Shisui's sockets.
Shisui: "…"
"Yeah, definitely reversed. The black part goes outside."
"Gee, you think?"
Naruto adjusted the eyeballs and shoved them back in.
Shisui could only cry internally. Does he really think such a crude transplant will work? What a joke! Eye transplants require extreme precision—
"Eh!?"
Shisui suddenly jolted, blinking rapidly.
He could see.
His own mind struggled to process what had just happened.
"What the hell…?"
Naruto smirked, looking at him as if he were some kind of experiment. "The Uchiha body's adaptability really is something. First Madara, now you… I wonder if this would work with other eyes too…"
Shisui didn't even register the name 'Madara.' He was too horrified by the implication of Naruto's words.
"N-No, Naruto, please abandon that terrifying idea!"
Shisui, now able to see, took in the scene around him—particularly the bodies of the three fallen Root ninja. His breath hitched.
"These were Root operatives… Instant kills… Naruto, you took down three Chūnin just like that?"
Naruto glanced at the corpses with disinterest.
"Oh, they were just Chūnin? No wonder they were so weak."
Shisui nearly coughed up blood. Do you even hear yourself right now?!
You're a brat who's not even a Genin yet! You just killed three Elite Chūnin, and you're brushing it off like it's nothing?!
"Alright, Shisui," Naruto said suddenly, "you should get some rest. I have some questions for you when you wake up."
Before Shisui could respond, Naruto struck his neck, sending him into unconsciousness.
Once Shisui was out, Naruto turned to the corpses. With a flick of his fingers, several Scorch Style fireballs landed on them, instantly igniting the bodies. The flames consumed flesh and bone, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
Carrying Shisui with his Adamantine Sealing Chains, Naruto made his way to the Forest of Death. He found a cave hidden behind thick foliage, chased out the black bears inside, and tidied up the place before laying Shisui down on a bed of leaves.
"Phew." Wiping the sweat from his brow, he finally took a deep breath.
Then—
"Oi, Naruto, why the hell are you helping that Uchiha brat?"
Inside his sealed mindscape, the Nine-Tails flicked its massive tails, clearly irritated.
"The Uchiha are an inherently evil clan," Kurama growled. "You should've let him die."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Because… I want to know the truth."
Kurama paused.
"You mean the truth about your parents?"
Naruto nodded, his expression unreadable. "There's something off about it all."
"My mother's location should have been top secret. Yet somehow, it was discovered. And when you rampaged, the Root forces didn't intervene. Instead, they focused on blocking the Uchiha from helping. As a result… my parents died."
Kurama remained silent.
Of course, he had been too blinded by rage at the time to notice such details.
Naruto's eyes grew colder. "It doesn't add up."
Danzo controlled the Root, but the real power behind it was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Yet, during the Nine-Tails attack, the Root forces never moved.
And then there was the Uchiha Massacre.
Uchiha Itachi slaughtered his clan? Yeah, right. No way that happened without Sarutobi Hiruzen's approval.
And the Nine-Tails attack…
Not only did Sarutobi forbid the Uchiha from intervening, but he also delayed his own response. He let the situation drag out until Minato had no choice but to use the Reaper Death Seal.
And after that? The Third Hokage conveniently took back his position.
It all seemed… too orchestrated.
Too convenient.
As if the Nine-Tails attack was never about the village.
As if it was all just a way to get rid of Minato and Kushina.
Naruto clenched his fists.
Before, he hadn't been strong enough to question any of it. But now…
Now, he had the power to uncover the truth.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen. Shimura Danzo." His voice was ice-cold. "Just how ugly are your faces beneath those masks?"
His fist struck the cave wall. A deafening crack echoed as the stone split apart, blood dripping from his knuckles.
But Naruto didn't care.
His journey to uncover the truth had just begun.
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(A/N: Advance Chapters Are Available On My Patreon... Please Think Of Joining It)