Chapter 40 : World of Hunters

Following the closing comments:

As the world watched in anticipation, they pondered what the video would reveal about the courageous couple who had given their lives to safeguard them. Would it be a testament to their profound love, an unwavering resolve to sacrifice, or a defense of the village's honor? Or perhaps, like the previous video, was it penned by my own hand?

[The faded screen flickers to life once more]

[It returns to the moment of Minato's and Kushina's demise]

A peculiar atmosphere filled the air, different from before. The unfolding scene took a new path, carrying the story forward.

[Continuing on the screen]

[With the Nine-Tails sealed away, the claws that pierced their chests vanished, and Minato and Kushina fell together.]

[The Adamantine Sealing Chains barrier dissipated, and Sarutobi Hiruzen hastened to the altar, gently picking up the infant.]

["Lord Third Hokage, could this be... the Fourth Hokage's child!?"]

["The Fourth Hokage chose his own son to become a Jinchūriki!"]

[The two approaching ninjas were taken aback by this revelation!]

[Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent, withholding his response.]

[First, he gazed towards the village, then turned his attention to the lifeless forms of Minato and Kushina before him.]

[After a pause, he spoke with determination:]

["Secure this area, and concurrently, the identity of this child shall be classified as the village's utmost secret. Anyone who breaches this confidentiality shall be branded a traitor."]

["Remember, henceforth, this child is solely the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails!"]

In the Pure Land, Kushina struggled to believe what she had just heard!

Merely a Jinchūriki!?

Was this the outcome brought by her and Minato's sacrifice!?

In that instant, rage and disbelief surged through Kushina!

Within the confines of the Shinigami's world, Minato wore an expression of incredulity!

However, unwilling to accept this truth, he found solace in a comforting notion—that perhaps the Third Hokage's intent was to shelter Naruto and raise him well.

[The screen continues, this time fast-forwarding]

[The imagery portrays Naruto's solitary upbringing from infancy to his fourth year.]

[But by his fifth year, he was assigned a dilapidated room on the second floor, where he lived alone.]

[Simultaneously, word spread throughout the village of the Nine-Tails' release.]

[Before long, even the common folk recognized the yellow-haired child as the embodiment of the demon fox.]

[Among the shinobi, knowledge spread that the child was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.]

In the Pure Land, Kushina quivered with dread, as if glimpsing the impending future.

She clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs, tears coursing down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Minato was consumed by disbelief, his last glimmer of hope now shattered.

[Loneliness, mistreatment, revulsion, hunger, fear, cold…]

[The malice lurking in human hearts cruelly assailed this defenseless child!]

[Those who had lived through the Nine-Tails' rampage channeled their hatred onto this innocent being.]

[Though they may not have acted overtly, their deeds far surpassed malevolence.]

[In his childhood, Naruto even purchased expired bottles of milk...]

[Initially, he would return the spoiled milk, hoping for a replacement, but a group of individuals subjected him to abuse, accusing him of intentional wrongdoing even at his tender age.]

[Ultimately, Naruto gritted his teeth, allowing himself to be swindled by those who would sell his goods.]

[Sometimes, he subsisted on expired food.]

[Due to the meager relief provisions, refusing sustenance meant facing hunger.]

[As such, he endured countless instances of stomach ache caused by spoiled food!]

[Yet, whenever he encountered something good, Naruto would revel in it for hours, feeling he had earned it.]

[…]

[The picture concludes with a young Naruto seated alone on a swing within the ninja academy.]

[As the sun dipped below the horizon, he gazed longingly at children being collected by their parents. The youngsters enthusiastically recounted their daily learnings to their caregivers, who in turn praised their efforts.]

[The chill of his home left Naruto yearning for the warmth of such familial affection.]

["It's good enough already..."]]

...

The closing words of that juvenile voice left the world awestruck!

This twist of fate defied their expectations entirely!

Was this truly the treatment befitting a hero's son!?

Not even an ordinary orphan should face such cruelty!

It was akin to treating an enemy!

Even the vilest villains struggled to reconcile with this revelation!

…..

Hokage's world, Konoha Village.

At this juncture, it was not only the shinobi, but virtually every villager who trembled.

Their past deeds now revealed themselves as transgressions, piercing the conscience of all.

Within the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen removed his hat and placed it upon the table, as if he were confronting his own dark future.

Jiraiya, who had been wandering the world, raced back to Konoha with an urgency born of guilt.

He chastised himself, acknowledging that half the blame for Naruto's harrowing childhood rested on his shoulders.

If he could turn back time, this outcome might have been averted.

In the Pure Land, Kushina's eyes burned with anger, her heart pierced by anguish!

Given the chance, she would have slain the Third Hokage without hesitation!

Minato, too, was consumed by regret. Was this the purpose of his sacrifice?

Why had he not heeded Kushina's counsel from the start!

Had he survived, Naruto might have enjoyed a different, less tormented existence!

Within the Pure Land, Senju Hashirama shook his head, profoundly disappointed by Konoha's course.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara smirked, vindicated in his assertion that this cycle was mere repetition. As long as the darkness in human hearts persisted, the core of this world would remain unchanged.

…..

The world of hunters.

Within a building, an elderly man rose to his feet with a heavy sigh.

Human suffering proved universal, and today, his spirits were particularly low.

Decades of emotions, now stirred anew.

He gazed silently at the world beyond the window, but before long, the vanishing screen returned once more.

"Ah, less than half an hour has passed, and it commences again?"

In the next instant, the countdown reappeared on the gray screen amidst the snowflakes.

10. 9. 8... 3. 2. 1!

The image brightened.

Devoid of living beings, this time the frame displayed an immense rose-shaped explosion!

This detonation exuded an aura of terror and a foreboding miasma, derived from the frigidity encoded within, causing involuntary shivers.

[The renowned death scene, Top.6!]

[World of Hunters: Rose of the Destitute.]

*****

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