Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

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This combat wisdom, this ruthless and efficient tactic, this masterful use of space-time ninjutsu...

Boruto looked at Naruto, who slowly appeared from a distance, his breathing steady and seemingly without much exertion, and his remaining left eye was filled with disbelief.

For the first time, he realized with such clarity the danger and power of this younger version of his father from a parallel world.

It may be far beyond his imagination.

Meanwhile, Kawaki, suspended in mid-air, looked down at the familiar yet unfamiliar blond figure. His knuckles turned white from gripping the black stick too tightly.

An unprecedented chill, mixed with deeper confusion and unease, quietly crept into his heart.

Chapter 404 Keeping my word is my ninja way!

Diruda's "death" caused no ripples; to those who knew her true nature, it was merely a temporary destruction of her body.

As long as Amado has the backup data, she can be reborn from the ashes of death countless times.

However, the young Naruto displayed a ruthless and decisive nature, utterly annihilating Delta without hesitation.

But it deeply shocked everyone present.

Aside from Boruto, who was almost killed by Naruto in the past.

He stood there, the golden chakra surrounding him had faded, as if crushing a powerful enemy was merely a matter of casually brushing away a speck of dust.

He slowly raised his head, his azure eyes, reflecting a cold luster, like polar ice, fixed firmly on Kawaki, whose expression was uncertain in the air.

“I said it,”

Naruto's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling edge that pierced the soul: "This isn't a request. This is an order."

The cold words, like awls, sent a chill down Kawaki's spine.

This pure, unwelcoming sense of oppression was something he had never felt from the Seventh Hokage before.

Despite having the same appearance, the same chakra origin, and even the same voice.

But the being before him, and the warm, sun-like Seventh Generation whom he swore to protect, seemed to be the two poles of light and shadow.

"No...you're not him..."

Kawaki murmured softly, the confusion and wavering in his eyes quickly replaced by a stubborn determination.

Since it's not the "Naruto" he was willing to give everything to protect.

Therefore, even if they have the same appearance, it must not hinder his plan!

He gripped the black rod in his hand tightly, pointing it straight down at Naruto.

His voice rose slightly with excitement, carrying an almost frantic resolve: "Everything I've done! Is to protect the Seventh Generation!"

"Even if it means bearing a bad reputation and being hated, as long as the Seventh Hokage is safe—even if it means facing his past self!"

"I will never give up! I will never back down!"

Upon hearing this, Naruto merely twisted his neck very slightly, producing a crisp "click" sound.

His face showed no sign of anger, only a detached indifference of "I knew it."

"So……"

He calmly declared: "The talks simply broke down."

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office.

Ino's anxious voice rang directly in Nara Shikamaru's mind through the telepathic communication technique: "Shikamaru! That young Naruto easily defeated Delta!"

"Temperatures are high between us now, and a fight could break out at any moment! Are we really not going to stop them? The consequences could be..."

Shikamaru stood by the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of buildings, landing on the distant battlefield.

He rubbed his throbbing temples and calmly replied in his mind, "There's no need to stop it."

"Why? What if..."

"Ino, haven't you noticed yet?"

Shikamaru interrupted her: "Before, those doubts that contradicted 'common sense' and were derived solely from logic were like candles in the wind in my mind, which could be blown away and forgotten at any time."

"However, ever since that young Naruto appeared... those doubts and those inferences have become clearer and more solid than ever before!"

His gaze sharpened, as if he were playing a grand game of chess: "What does this mean? It means that his very existence, his every move, is like an alum thrown into a muddy pond, gradually revealing the truth that has been settling!"

"Let him make a scene! The bigger the better! Only by thoroughly muddying the waters will what's hidden underneath be forced to reveal itself!"

Ino remained silent for a moment, her worry not completely dissipating: "But... the Elders' Council... they've received the news and are putting pressure on us..."

A hint of impatience flashed across Shikamaru's face, and his tone became unusually firm: "Hmph, those two old fogies who are on their deathbeds and only know how to cling to the old rules?"

"Ignore it! I am now acting Hokage! I will take full responsibility for all consequences!"

On the battlefield, Boruto felt a tightness in his chest as he watched Naruto's chakra surge once more.

He hurriedly stepped forward to block his way: "Dad! Wait! You might not know, but that guy can use..."

Naruto turned to Boruto and said, "I'll handle this now."

Boruto was intimidated by the authority in that tone, and his movements involuntarily froze.

Naruto ignored him and looked up at Kawaki in the sky.

His voice carried clearly throughout the surroundings: "I admit that I am not as gentle as I was in this era, nor do I have his tolerance for everyone, even those who have hurt him."

He paused slightly, then his eyes sharpened: "But I can clearly feel the gentleness and resilience he possesses towards all things in the world deep within his heart!"

"That strong will to protect Konoha, to protect loved ones, and to protect all bonds!"

He pointed at Kawaki, his tone suddenly becoming harsher, as if declaring a sentence: "And you! You ignored his true thoughts and went your own way!"

"And your self-righteous 'protection' has wantonly damaged everything he was willing to risk his life to protect!"

"His children, the village he cherished!"

"You keep saying you're protecting him, but your actions are the deepest and most naked betrayal and hurt to his heart!"

"What do you know?!"

Kawaki, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly became agitated.

His face flushed red, and his voice was filled with uncontrollable rage: "Seventh Generation, you have never experienced the hell I went through!"

"You haven't seen how Cixian treated me! You haven't experienced that kind of despair!"

"What right do you have to stand here and criticize me so condescendingly?!"

“I certainly didn’t experience your past.” Naruto’s voice remained cold, but with a hint of sorrow. “But I do know about my experiences in this era.”

“He is different from me. He had no parents to teach or guide him during his childhood. He didn’t even know who his biological parents were until he was sixteen.”

His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing another version of himself walking alone.

"The path he took to become Hokage was probably more difficult and arduous than mine, and it carried more darkness and loneliness."

"But he did it! With his will and belief, he won everyone's approval and became the Seventh Hokage who illuminated the ninja world! He is greater than me!"

Naruto's voice suddenly rose, striking at Kawaki's core: "And what about you?! You used your narrow-minded, fear-filled 'protection' to trample his lifelong dream, everything he protected, under your feet!"

"You're not protecting him! You're insulting him! Insulting the peace and trust he gave everything for!"

"so what?!"

Kawaki practically roared, his eyes bloodshot, his obsession reaching its peak: "As long as the Seventh Hokage is safe! As long as he can be kept away from the threat of the Otsutsuki!"

"Everything else—dreams, the village, even the people he cherishes! They can all be abandoned! They're all bullshit!!"

Naruto cracked his knuckles, making a "crack" sound: "In that case, I will personally take action and free those two from your pathetic seal!"

"You can't do it!"

Kawaki retorted sharply, and strange chakra belonging to the Otsutsuki began to surge around his body, with black patterns faintly visible on his skin: "No one can save them!"

Naruto sneered and casually took out a very ordinary kunai from his ninja tool bag.

Without even looking at it, he casually tossed it onto the empty ground in front of him.

Kawaki frowned, puzzled: "...What are you trying to say?"

Naruto raised his hand and pointed at Kawaki, a cold smile on his face:

"Did you forget it?"

"The Seventh Hokage you speak of, the one you'd give everything to worship and protect..."

"His one and only principle, which he never wavered from, was the 'way of the ninja'!"

He took a deep breath and, as if making a declaration, uttered the words that carried countless memories and beliefs:

"I keep my word—that's my ninja way!"

Chapter 405 The Young Named Hikona

Kawaki hovered in mid-air, his black-gold eyes looking down indifferently.

Despite facing someone with the same appearance and chakra as the Seventh Hokage, his arrogance remained undiminished.

In his view, he possessed the power of Otsutsuki Isshiki and had been familiar with it for three years.

Facing an opponent who cannot freely soar in the sky, one is already in an invincible position.

Moreover, the other party seemed to be completely unaware of his abilities.

However, his conviction was shattered in the next second.

Naruto on the ground didn't even form hand seals; he simply bent his legs slightly, and the golden Nine-Tails chakra around him erupted like an engine!

A muffled sonic boom!

The ground beneath his feet instantly cracked and collapsed!

His body transformed into a straight golden comet, soaring into the sky with pure, extreme physical explosive force, heading straight for Kawaki!

That speed even surpassed most instantaneous movement techniques!

"So fast?!"