Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Its proudly concealed identity, its grand plan that could overturn the entire ninja world over a thousand years, its supposedly flawless disguise...

Incredibly, it was so easily and bluntly described by a mere mortal, an ant that was in its eyes only slightly stronger!

This was more painful and unbelievable to it than any physical attack.

It felt as if all its pretense had been stripped away in an instant, leaving it naked and exposed to the sunlight. All its schemes and plots had become a laughable farce in the eyes of the man before it.

At this moment, time seemed to lose its meaning.

For the first time, Black Zetsu's brain, composed of pure will, fell into a complete blank.

The millennia-long scheme, beginning in the era of Indra and Asura, is like a shadow hidden in the gutter of history, manipulating generation after generation of pawns, patiently weaving the grand blueprint for the resurrection of the Mother.

It has seen countless heroes and triumphs, and has also toyed with countless self-important strongmen.

He considers himself the most skilled chess player in the world, while everyone else is merely a pawn on his chessboard.

But now, the chessboard has been overturned.

The creature that was supposed to be a chess piece not only jumped off the chessboard, but also pointed at its nose and called out its real name.

This feeling...

Like a pervert who has been hiding in the shadows for a thousand years, thinking no one knows, until one day on the street, a passerby points at him and says, "Hey, isn't that Black Zetsu who likes to hide under the bed and watch people use the toilet?"

It's absurd.

It's shameful.

It is an unstoppable breach of defenses.

This intense emotional fluctuation even affected Sasori of the Red Sand.

He turned his head stiffly, looking incredulously at the person beside him, the master he trusted and respected so much, whom he even regarded as a second parent.

Black Zetsu?

Kaguya Otsutsuki's son?

Parasitic on the Third Kazekage's body?

His faith, his obsessive pursuit of art in the name of eternity, collapsed at this moment, along with the sound of the outer shell of the Hiruko shattering.

Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his finger, too lazy to even look at Black Zetsu and Sasori, whose mental state was on the verge of collapse.

He slowly turned around and looked at the delivery room behind him, where a faint light was coming from.

Just then.

"Wow—wow—"

A loud and vibrant cry of a newborn baby pierced the night sky, breaking the deathly silence shrouded in death and conspiracy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled from the bottom of his heart.

"Welcome to this world, Naruto."

He didn't turn his head, his voice calm and indifferent.

"The game is over."

The moment the words fell.

A gigantic ape claw, made entirely of golden chakra, descended from the sky, blotting out the sun.

Every hair on that giant claw was clearly visible, radiating an unparalleled aura of power.

It didn't make a sound, yet it seemed to completely seal off the entire space.

Silently, it completely covered Black Zetsu and Sasori, who were below in a daze and on the verge of collapse!

Under the cover of night, the cleanup operation at the manor is nearing its end.

Before the echo of "The game is over" had even faded, a giant ape claw made entirely of golden chakra descended from the sky, blotting out the sun.

It didn't make a sound, and its descent wasn't fast, yet it seemed to completely seal off the entire space.

Every hair on that giant claw was clearly visible, radiating an unparalleled, pure energy pressure.

Below, the black shadow that thought it controlled everything, Black Absolute, was falling into an unprecedented state of stagnation and collapse.

It has been scheming for a thousand years, manipulating countless heroes and powerful figures, and considers itself the most skilled chess player in the world.

But now, the chessboard has been overturned.

The creature that was supposed to be a chess piece not only jumped off the chessboard, but also pointed at its nose and called out its real name.

The feeling is like a pervert who has been hiding in the shadows for a thousand years, thinking no one knows, only to be pointed at by a passerby on the street one day: "Hey, isn't that Black Zetsu who likes to hide under the bed and watch people use the toilet?"

It is absurd. It is shameful. It is an uncontrollable breakdown.

Before it could even react, the enormous golden ape claw had already silently descended.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no earth-shattering roar.

Only pure energy annihilation.

Black Zetsu, along with the body of the Third Kazekage it possessed, melted away like snow under the sun under that irresistible force, turning into nothingness.

Just before it completely dissipated, only a sharp, distorted howl filled with endless resentment and unwillingness remained in the night sky.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen!"

The sound stopped abruptly.

Beside him, Sasori of the Red Sand, who had fallen from the wreckage of Hiruko, was already utterly dejected.

His eyes, which were always veiled in indifference, were now filled with bewilderment and the collapse of his faith. His most revered mentor, his guide on his artistic path, was actually... a monster? A parasite?

He didn't even notice the falling giant claw until the annihilating force enveloped him.

For him, this might be a relief.

Hiruzen Sarutobi deactivated Sage Mode, and his aura, as deep as the sea and as vast as heaven and earth, quietly dissipated.

He reverted to his usual gentle, even somewhat weary Hokage demeanor, as if he had merely swatted a noisy mosquito.

He shook his hand, and the Vajra Ruyi Cudgel transformed into an ape demon, nodded at him, and then disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

He used the Instantaneous Movement Technique, and his figure appeared at the door of the delivery room.

And at that very moment.

"Wow—wow—"

A loud and vibrant cry of a newborn baby pierced the night sky, breaking the deathly silence shrouded in death and conspiracy.