The audience had just finished watching the events of the Baiming World.
From the current ending, it was clear that Uzumaki Baiming's efforts had been recognized by everyone. His contributions led to a peaceful ninja world.
In the present time, however, the focus shifted to Uzumaki Heiming.
Everyone assumed that Heiming, being the opposite of Baiming, would disrupt this peace. His existence posed a significant threat to the fragile tranquility of the ninja world.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, with a smile, addressed Orochimaru:
"Hehehe, Orochimaru...
As a fan of Heiming, I'm curious to know what you think now, especially seeing the future of the world Baiming created. With Baiming's resilience, the ninja world finally reached peace."
Orochimaru remained silent, not even sparing him a glance.
"Is the peace in Baiming's world truly because of his resilience? Is it really because of mutual understanding among people?"
Sarutobi's words seemed to be more of a mockery than an actual question.
A month had passed since the collapse of Konoha, and the village was in disarray. The higher-ups tried their best to suppress information, hiding the full extent of the destruction. Despite everything, Konoha kept accepting missions to avoid suspicion, and a more pressing issue arose: the search for the Fifth Hokage.
The Hokage position had to be filled quickly to stabilize the village.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Naruto was home, sorting through various scrolls he had obtained from Konoha. He was careful to organize everything, ensuring no one could find it later.
Naruto had learned to use scroll storage ninjutsu, which allowed him to neatly tuck away all the documents in the scrolls he carried.
Nine Tails, clearly bored, remarked:
"Naruto, you've been rummaging through these lists for a month, what's the point?"
Naruto smiled and replied, "Luna... You must know that understanding your enemy is just as important as understanding yourself."
"And I've found some interesting things in these lists, like this one..."
He pulled out a confidential document, which contained detailed records of Orochimaru's history as a Konoha ninja.
"Orochimaru, ninja number 002300..."
The list detailed Orochimaru's early years, his rapid rise to ninja status, his record of mission completions, and the various positions he held within the village. It also mentioned his connection to the mysterious Root organization.
Naruto continued, "What is this Root organization? Many of the Anbu members were transferred from it."
Nine Tails didn't seem to care much, replying, "I have no memory of it."
But Naruto was keen to investigate further, noticing that the list contained a link to the time of the Uchiha massacre.
Five or six years ago—coincidentally, that was when the Uchiha clan was eradicated. It was also the time when Sarutobi Hiruzen had removed Danzo's Hokage assistant position and dismantled the Root organization, integrating its members into the regular Anbu.
Naruto was particularly intrigued by one name: "Tenzō," the only person in Konoha known to use Wood Style.
He thought to himself, "I've seen the Wood Style during the battle with the Impure World Reincarnation. Could this man Tenzō have something to do with Orochimaru's experiments?"
He scanned further through the records, where he found references to an experiment attempting to fuse First Hokage's cells into other ninjas to replicate his Wood Style. The results were failures, and the remaining Hashirama cells were sealed away.
"Wait..." Naruto pondered aloud. "Could Tenzō's Wood Style be a result of Orochimaru's experiments?"
Nine Tails, more disinterested, replied:
"Doesn't matter. Wood Style is a useless technique."
But Naruto wasn't convinced. He said, "Wood Style might be stronger than you think."
"After all, it could suppress the chakra of the tailed beasts," he added, recalling the Nine Tails' own sealing.
Nine Tails hesitated for a moment before admitting, "Yes, that's true. I was once controlled by Madara using the Wood Style to attack Konoha."
Naruto then turned the conversation to something more personal, revealing his thoughts on the future.
"I want to become stronger," he declared. "I need to get both Wood Style and Sharingan. They might be the key to securing peace."
"Naruto, are you out of your mind?" Nine Tails exclaimed. "Why do you want Sharingan and Wood Style? Don't you already have enough power?"
Naruto replied confidently, "The stronger I am, the more respected I'll be. Everything else is secondary. Forgiveness is a quality of the strong. You're only feared because you're strong."
At that moment, Orochimaru's words echoed in Naruto's mind, challenging him.
"There's no true peace in the world," Orochimaru had once said. "The peace Baiming created is only possible because he is a pacifist. If you and Sasuke join forces, the world wouldn't stand a chance."
Naruto shook his head. "I believe in a future where everyone can live in harmony. The ninja world will understand each other eventually."
But Orochimaru, always the skeptic, replied, "Naruto-kun, you believe in a world of peace, but without the power to back it up, can you really make a difference?"
Naruto was taken aback. The truth in Orochimaru's words shook him, but he refused to admit it.
"I don't want to fight. I believe in peace," he said, though his mind was clouded with doubt.
While the debate continued, other figures in the ninja world took notice.
Tsunade, recalling their past conversations, mused, "Uzumaki Heiming is becoming more interesting by the day. He's already dabbled in medical ninjutsu. He might be a skilled healer in the future."
Meanwhile, in the Pure Land, the Sage of Six Paths, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, watched with growing intrigue.
"Uzumaki Heiming is not like the others," he muttered. "The reincarnation of Ashura Chakra seems to have a very different path ahead. If he truly fuses the Chakra of Ashura and Indra, he might change the course of history."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo pondered the potential impact of Heiming's actions. "The ninja world, as it stands, is about to be thrown into turmoil. But perhaps, just perhaps, this will bring about the true peace I've been hoping for."
Elsewhere, Uchiha Madara's voice rang with amusement.
"Does he really think he can pull it off?" Madara scoffed. "Even with Sharingan, he'll never match the true power of Rinnegan."
Naruto, hearing Madara's words, was uncertain.
"Can Heiming really make it to Rinnegan?" he wondered aloud. "That's... the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
Sasuke, his old friend and rival, responded, "I don't know, but if anyone can do it, it's Heiming. After all, he's someone I admire."
As the tension in the ninja world grew, Heiming's intentions became clearer. He wasn't content to follow in the footsteps of the past. Instead, he sought to surpass it.
Heiming's ambition to acquire both Sharingan and Wood Style was just the beginning. He aimed to reshape the very fabric of the ninja world, pushing its boundaries beyond what anyone had thought possible. And with that ambition came the promise of an uncertain future—a future that would forever change the destiny of the world.
-––-------------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
patreon.com/Samurai492