With a crisp "ding" sound, the voice Naruto had been half-dreading finally echoed in his mind.
"Standing at the crossroads of fate, the system now issues your second life choice. This decision will shape the course of your destiny."
"Confronted by the villagers' malice, ignorance, and cruelty, your options are:"
"Option One: As the reincarnation of Asura Ōtsutsuki, you embrace love for all living things, kneel and admit fault, beg for forgiveness, and strive to gain their acceptance."
"Reward: Wood Release (Mokuton)."
"Option Two: Embrace the demon fox's wrath. As the vessel of the Kyūbi, cast aside restraint, let the foolish masses tremble before you, and show them the consequences of provoking a Jinchūriki."
"Reward: Sharingan."
"Choose wisely."
The system fell silent, and Naruto's spiraling emotions froze mid-rage. His feet rooted to the spot. He lowered his head so no one could see the flicker of shock and awe in his expression.
This system really wasn't ordinary.
As disgusting as the first option sounded kneeling for forgiveness from the very people who abused him it undeniably matched the ethos of Asura's reincarnations. Whether it was Senju Hashirama or Uzumaki Naruto from the original timeline, both had endlessly chosen forgiveness over vengeance. No wonder this path offered Wood Release, the signature power of Hashirama, the First Hokage.
Hashirama: I'll kneel for peace in the shinobi world!
Madara: Everyone kneel to me for peace!
Yet this Wood Release wasn't just for show it ended the Warring States Period, tamed the Tailed Beasts, and founded Konoha. The temptation was real. Unlike Yamato, who only had a diluted version from DNA experiments, Naruto had massive chakra reserves, and with Kurama's chakra—which had rivaled Hashirama's in the past he could potentially wield the full might of Mokuton one day.
Still… what of his training over the past year and a half? What of the scorn, the pain, the rocks thrown at him in the streets, the nights he cried alone?
He was Uzumaki Naruto. He would do whatever he wanted.
"Kurama, lend me your chakra."
Sarutobi Hiruzen could sort things out later. For now, these people needed to be silenced.
"Heh… go ahead, kid. These worms dare treat my Jinchūriki like trash?"
Kurama's voice was full of dark amusement.
Malice, wrath, and bloodlust surged forth as the tailed beast chakra poured into Naruto's body. It would have driven most mad, but Naruto endured it with cold clarity.
The blood-red chakra cloaked him entirely. A tail of energy extended from behind as the Nine-Tails' influence seeped into reality.
"W-What's that?"
"A tail!"
"H-He really is the Kyūbi!"
"Run!!"
"The Nine-Tails is attacking the village again!"
Panic erupted. The same villagers who'd hurled stones moments ago now scattered like leaves in a storm. They never believed the boy they bullied would really turn out to be the demon fox. They just wanted a scapegoat, not a reason to die.
Soon, only the frozen, terrified stragglers remained along with a few Root operatives hidden in the crowd, subtly guiding emotions.
Even now, the Root agents stood their ground. Years of Danzo's indoctrination had dulled their instincts, but the primal fear was returning. Naruto's chakra was oppressive—savage and raw.
Naruto's eyes were no longer blue. Blood red with slitted pupils, flickering with madness.
He dropped to all fours like a beast ready to pounce, snarling as the volatile chakra burst forth. The Root agents instinctively tightened their formation. They were soldiers, but what stood before them was no child.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a thick cloud of white smoke burst into the square. Shimura Danzo appeared alongside a squad of Anbu, their expressions hidden behind porcelain masks. His eye gleamed ominously from beneath the shadow of his bandaged face.
Danzo's face hardened. He had only intended to provoke Naruto into revealing instability to justify his weaponization. But now things had spiraled.
And this... this was the village center.
This was bad.
Very bad.
He already felt the weight on his back growing heavier. If this got out of hand, the Hokage's seat would slip further from his grasp.
He turned toward his comrade-turned-political rival.
"Hiruzen, this just proves Jinchūriki should be treated as weapons."
"Shut up, Danzo," Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped, stepping forward in his battle armor. His eyes were cold. "Your Root has gone too far. After this, I'll personally disband your network."
Danzo froze, stunned. They had agreed to this plan together, but Hiruzen was already preparing to throw him under the bus.
Hiruzen squinted toward the rampaging boy.
"We need to subdue Naruto thankfully, it's only one tail for now."
With practiced efficiency, he bit his thumb, flashed through hand signs, and slammed his palm to the ground.
"Summoning: Monkey King Enma!"
With a puff of smoke, a humanoid monkey in a ninja uniform appeared, muscle-bound and scar-faced, clad in a tiger-patterned haori.
"Hiruzen, who are we"
He stopped mid-sentence, spotting Naruto in full-tailed cloak mode.
"…Ah. I see."
"Enma Vajra Staff."
With a flash, Enma transformed into a massive, unbreakable black staff.
"Naruto, calm down!"
Hiruzen sprang into the air, brandishing the staff, and swung down at Naruto with all his might.
'Damn, the old man's fast…' Naruto cursed inwardly. He didn't want to clash with the Hokage here he only needed to appear out of control, not wage war.
He had just enough chakra for one tail. In this form, he couldn't defeat Hiruzen.
He leapt, redirecting himself like a crimson streak into a nearby building.
Boom!
Crash!
The Hokage's staff cracked the earth as Naruto smashed into the building's wall only to hit a dense barrier midair and rebound, disoriented.
'Damn it! They locked it down!'
His head throbbed. Dizzy, nauseous, Naruto realized he had no options left.
Time to play the part.
He collapsed on the ground, face twisted in fabricated pain, letting the chakra cloak flicker and vanish.
When Sarutobi and Danzo arrived seconds later, they saw a bloodied, groaning Naruto barely conscious, his body covered in shallow cuts and bruises.
"Naruto! Are you alright?" Sarutobi's voice was full of concern, but he didn't dare get too close yet.
Naruto cracked open a tear-filled eye.
Perfect.
"It… hurts… Grandpa Third… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt the village… wuwuwu…"
Sarutobi's eyes lit up. He did it. Naruto suppressed the Nine-Tails rampage on his own! That level of mental control wasn't just rare it was practically unheard of.
He picked the boy up carefully, voice low: "Naruto, can you tell Grandpa what happened?"
Naruto let the tears flow.
"The villagers… they said I was a monster. A demon. I… just wanted to be acknowledged…"
"Then… the fox said if I gave it control… people would finally notice me. But it it wanted to hurt them…"
Sarutobi was silent, the flames of guilt burning behind his stoic mask.
This child was still protecting them, even after all they did.
Danzo, however, growled, "If he gave in once, he'll do it again."
"Shut your mouth!" Hiruzen snapped with real anger this time.
"Naruto," he asked gently, "what will you do if the Nine-Tails tempts you again?"
'Seriously, old man? I'm bleeding out here…'
Still, Naruto kept acting.
"I I'll never listen to it again! It's bad! I… I'll…"
And with that, his consciousness gave out, and he slumped in Hiruzen's arms.
The Third Hokage glanced at his ANBU detail.
"Take him to the hospital treat his wounds immediately."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
As the three shadows flickered away with Naruto, Hiruzen turned to Danzo.
"It seems even the Nine-Tails can't shake Naruto's Will of Fire."
Danzo's lips curled.
"He still endangered the village."
"And since it was your scheme that caused this, you will take full responsibility," Hiruzen said coldly. "Make sure Naruto's enrollment into the Academy goes as planned—two months from now. Or Root funding is cut permanently."
With that, Hiruzen vanished, leaving only Danzo behind.
For the first time in years, the old war hawk looked… small.
---
Far from the chaos, a girl in a pale kimono came running.
"Hah… hah… Naruto-kun?"
Hinata arrived, panting, only to find devastation. Smoke, shattered tiles, crying villagers. But no Naruto.
Her eyes scanned desperately until they landed on familiar bullies—boys who had harassed her in the past, now pale and whispering.
She approached them, voice shaking, "Where's Naruto-kun?!"
"You're friends with that monster?!"
"You freak! Get away!"
They lunged at her again, trying to reclaim their sense of power.
But Hinata didn't flinch.
Blood pounded in her ears. The image of Naruto's bleeding, smiling face flashed before her eyes.
He was hurt… because of her.
Her Byakugan flared.
"You… you're the monsters."
Her voice trembled, but her eyes once shy burned with resolve as the veins around them bulged in defiance.
---