"There's no need to blame Sakumo-san… In my timeline, Kakashi-sensei didn't exactly have a father to teach him anything."

Expressionless, Sasuke said flatly: "Sakumo-san, several years before the Third Shinobi World War, was condemned by parts of the village for rescuing his comrades. In the end, unable to bear the psychological pressure, he took his own life."

Kakuzu silently nodded.

He knew about that…

"Well, it really was me then…"

Hatake Sakumo finally spoke, his expression complicated as he fixed his eyes on Sasuke. "So it seems you aren't lying… The fact that I once committed suicide is known only to Kazuki, Kakashi, and Kakuzu."

"In truth, I really did kill myself. But Kazuki revived me… It seems the divergence between our two timelines truly comes down to him."

Whether it was for better or worse…

In the hearts of Sakumo, Kakuzu, Kakashi, and the other Konoha shinobi, the answer was already clear.

Two Kage-level powerhouses—in a world without Kazuki, one became an enemy of Konoha, and the other took his own life because of rumors…

That alone was fatal.

"The Third Shinobi World War… Konoha's situation must have been brutal, wasn't it?" Senju Tobirama asked in a low voice.

"It was brutal—so much so that even academy students were forced to graduate early and sent to the front lines. Based on analysis, if not for Ōnoki suddenly leading ten thousand Iwa-nin in a surprise attack against the Third Raikage, which forced him to cover for his comrades, fighting for three days and nights until he died of exhaustion… Iwa and Kumo would not have both suffered heavy losses."

Sasuke continued: "Had that not happened, Konoha might well have faced destruction."

Tobirama slammed the table heavily, casting a sharp glare at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Monkey, this is the Konoha under your leadership!

Hiruzen could only give an awkward smile, waving his hands just as Kakashi had. "Sensei, that wasn't me… It was another timeline. It has nothing to do with me."

The Third Raikage tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at Ōnoki. "Shorty, that does sound exactly like something you'd pull off."

"Savage, are you dissatisfied?" Ōnoki shot back forcefully.

"But you? Holding off ten thousand of our Iwa-nin for three days and nights? One hit from my Particle Release to that lump of dead muscle of yours, and you'd be disintegrated on the spot!"

"With just you? One punch from me would shatter your spine to dust!" the Third Raikage retorted without hesitation.

"You two really don't need to quarrel…"

Sasuke mused aloud, "Actually, while your wars here seem fierce on the surface, the truth is that hardly any shinobi have actually died…"

"For example, the Third Raikage… and the Iwa-nin who ambushed him—they should normally have died. Yet now they're both alive. Overall, I suppose that counts as an improvement? Even if you're not shinobi of Konoha…"

The Third Raikage and Ōnoki fell silent.

So did the leaders of the other hidden villages.

Had Kazuki never appeared, the wars of the shinobi world would have naturally claimed the lives of countless shinobi from their own villages…

But now they were all alive.

Because, in order to meet Kazuki's demand for unity, the Sage of Six Paths had resurrected every shinobi who had perished in war from the Pure Land, doing everything in his power to satisfy Kazuki.

Without Kazuki, they would be dead…

With Kazuki, they were alive…

Damn—even they, as outsiders, had ended up better off!

"You mentioned someone named Naruto. Who is that?"

Senju Tobirama sharply caught the unfamiliar name Sasuke had spoken and asked. "He's the son of Namikaze Minato, the disciple of Jiraiya. In our timeline's Konoha, he became the Seventh Hokage—and he's my greatest partner."

Sasuke gave a faint smile as he answered.

"So Naruto became Hokage? My son?" Namikaze Minato's face broke into a wide smile.

"That makes me truly proud… In your timeline, we must have been a happy family, right?"

Beside him, Uzumaki Kushina nodded vigorously. "Yes, exactly! That must be it… With such an excellent mother like me to guide him, of course Naruto would become the Seventh Hokage!"

The Konoha shinobi present all smiled kindly at the thought.

Without Kazuki, during that period of time, Namikaze Minato had indeed been the most outstanding shinobi of Konoha.

For Naruto, as his son, to have been carefully nurtured from childhood and to rise as Hokage—it made perfect sense.

"A happy family?"

Sasuke's lips twitched. He felt like a villain, always the one to bring up the harsh truths.

"Uh… On the day Naruto was born, Uchiha Obito invaded Konoha, releasing the Nine-Tails from Kushina's body. The village suffered a terrible calamity, with countless casualties."

"Among them, Kushina, as the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, lost her life. And the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, in order to seal the beast, used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal—half of the Nine-Tails was dragged into the Shinigami's stomach, and the other half was sealed inside Naruto…"

"So, actually… uh… Naruto's childhood wasn't exactly a happy one, because he was a jinchūriki. But he endured it all, and in the end won everyone's recognition, becoming Hokage."

Namikaze Minato and Kushina's eyes turned sharply toward Obito, dangerous glints in them.

Obito, helpless, spread his hands.

"Hey, hey, what are you looking at me for! That wasn't me! Your Konoha was that dark in your timeline. Without Kazuki to guide me, and with Uchiha Madara watching over me from the shadows…"

Minato gave a cold snort, then turned his gaze on Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Third Hokage, why would being a jinchūriki mean a child had to suffer an unhappy childhood?"

"I was the Fourth Hokage. Naruto was my son…"

"Uh, uh… Minato, there's a misunderstanding here. I believe Shimura Danzō was the one meddling behind the scenes. I would never mistreat any shinobi who had given their all for Konoha!"

Hiruzen quickly dumped the blame onto the already long-dead Shimura Danzō, silently muttering to himself: 'Old friend, I'll have to rely on you to take the fall one more time…'

Kushina gave a doubtful snort.

What good was Minato becoming the Fourth, and their son the Seventh Hokage, if the three of them had never shared even a single day of warm family life?

At that moment—

Uchiha Madara fixed his gaze on Sasuke and spoke in a low, heavy voice: "In your body, I sense the Indra chakra I once possessed… If I'm not mistaken, then that Naruto must be the reincarnation of Asura, right?"

Sasuke looked at the man who had once been his most overwhelming enemy and gave a small nod. "That's right…"

"I'm curious then—whose descendant are you? You look so much like Izuna. Could it be…" Madara stroked his chin, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"And with eyes like those… That means that even without Kazuki, the Uchiha still reclaimed their rightful place in Konoha, didn't they?"

"Tell me—are you of Tajima's line? In a world without Kazuki, how did the Uchiha… how did I… develop?"

Madara folded his arms across his chest, a trace of pride and arrogance flashing across his face.

Even without Kazuki, the Uchiha had their foundation. They would still accomplish great things!

But when Sasuke met his gaze, his eyes flicked briefly toward Itachi—who, under Fugaku's relentless pressure, had taken to overeating and grown chubby—and then he let out a sigh.

"They're dead. All of them."

"Ah?"

Even the Shura of the Shinobi World, upon learning that in another timeline an Uchiha with the Rinnegan would appear, only for the clan to still be annihilated, couldn't help but show a look of confusion on his face.

Even for someone of Senju Tobirama's level of birth and strategy, all he ever did was divide and pull apart the Uchiha internally, trying to tame these former enemies. But extermination? That seemed utterly unnecessary.

"What do you mean, all dead?"

Uchiha Izuna fixed his gaze on Sasuke, whose face bore such a striking resemblance to his own. This man, who even on the brink of death had still exhorted Uchiha Madara to take good care of their clan, now spoke in a low, commanding voice: "Explain yourself clearly!"

Sasuke let out a helpless sigh and shook his head. "Alright then. I'll start from the point when Kazuki first appeared, and tell you the history of our timeline…"

"Otherwise, if you all start asking me questions one by one, it'll just be too troublesome."

As Sasuke swept his eyes across the gathered shinobi, the corner of his mouth twitched.

In his timeline, not a single one of these people had met a good end… Better to lay it all out at once, and let them stew on it.

"Although it's a different timeline… you've already heard the history I mentioned before—it's exactly the same as yours, right up until the point when Kazuki began to influence the shinobi world."

Senju Tobirama spoke: "Then let us see what the shinobi world becomes without Kazuki!"

"Go ahead, Sasuke…"

Sasuke nodded, gathering his thoughts.

"Let's mark it from the time when Hatake Sakumo took his own life—that was precisely when Kazuki first began to emerge."

"In our timeline, just like in yours, a Shinobi World War broke out. The four great hidden villages joined forces to attack Konoha. The village was driven to such desperation that even academy students had to graduate early and be thrown onto the battlefield. The casualties were staggering…"

"After that, the four great villages besides Konoha all fell into internal strife."

"Iwagakure sacrificed the lives of several thousand shinobi to bring down the Third Raikage. Sunagakure, on the other hand, was shackled by financial constraints imposed by the daimyō's court. And in order to compete for the position of Third Kazekage, Rasa struck a deal with Kirigakure, which ultimately led to the death of Pakura, a key force at the time…"

"As a result, Sunagakure also withdrew from the stage of battle."

Rasa lowered his gaze, avoiding the knife-sharp stares of the Third Kazekage, Pakura, Ebizō, and Chiyo. He gave a cold snort, feigning disdain.

But his unnatural expression and movements betrayed his heart.

Although similar events had unfolded in the timeline where Kazuki existed, no one there had blamed Rasa—because with Isshiki's presence, all five Kage were under the control of the Rinnegan.

Only Rasa himself knew the truth.

The killing of Pakura had long been part of his scheme… If not for Kazuki's overwhelming power, which shattered the framework of the Shinobi World War until the title of Kazekage itself became almost meaningless—

Then Rasa would have done it without hesitation.

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