Naruto: I Am Crazy with the Simulation System!

A chaotic battle.

You slaughtered the toads of Mount Myōboku who dared come knocking on your door, effectively avenging Boss Black Cat from your previous simulation.

And yet, aside from a field of worthless toad corpses, you gained absolutely nothing.

Well, except maybe the death of the Toad Sage. If he's considered a lackey of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, then even though he perished, he still succeeded in halting your entrance into the Shinobi World.

What about Nagato? How's it going on his end?

Still, for now, your top priority is to recover.

You turn on the phone left behind by Amado, switch it to speaker mode, and place it to the side. Then you begin absorbing energy from the Dragon Vein to heal and regenerate your Sage Truth-Seeking Orbs.

...

Elsewhere

While you were locked in fierce battle with the Toad Sage, a major war was brewing in the Shinobi World.

On one side stood Nagato, the executor of peace, leading nearly the entire Shinobi World's combined forces and carrying the will of the majority.

And on the other… was a coalition of thugs, bullies, corrupt merchants, nobles, and even daimyō—those who had been driven out by the Mask Organization during the unification process and had fled to Konohagakure, ready to make their last stand.

At the head of this ragtag group stood Naruto, bathed in golden light.

In this moment, as the so-called Child of Prophecy, he would fight for justice!

It was also the first time Nagato had stepped forward in person.

Naturally, Jiraiya now knew Nagato's identity. But even as his master, the words he tried to use to dissuade Nagato from striking at Konoha sounded unbearably hollow.

After all, it was Jiraiya who raised Nagato as the Child of Prophecy. It was Jiraiya who had once affirmed Nagato's dreams of peace, who had protected him at his weakest.

Now, Nagato was merely carrying out that dream.

There was no question: the villages and countries unified by the Akatsuki had all undergone a nearly identical process of peace.

Either the villagers voted to join the Union wholeheartedly, or after some time in contact, they began to see the benefits and gradually integrated.

Even the largest conflicts amounted to nothing more than highly restrained skirmishes between the higher-ups—or targeted purges against the most stubborn factions.

At first, Jiraiya hadn't believed it. But once he disguised himself and visited these places as a traveler, he saw it firsthand: the so-called Mask Organization that Konoha condemned was known by another name in those regions—

Akatsuki.

The nations and villages that had joined Akatsuki were all living in peace and prosperity.

Stubborn nobles and merchant cartels were swiftly removed. Order was maintained by tested elites from Akatsuki working alongside well-trained local youths.

Basic ninjutsu had been made accessible to ordinary people—not as tools of war, but as everyday conveniences for production and life.

After just four or five years without war, without crippling noble taxes or predatory merchants, the people under Akatsuki's rule had no desire to return to the past.

This wasn't genjutsu.

It was more powerful than any illusion.

Aside from a few entertainment bars offering "special services" that had quietly disappeared, even Jiraiya—if he were being honest—could find no fault in Nagato's actions.

And yet, Jiraiya was still a shinobi of Konoha. He represented its justice.

Konoha… was his root.

Even if Nagato was the one the Shinobi World now looked to, Jiraiya couldn't retreat.

Yes, Konoha had now become a haven for all the strays cast out by Akatsuki—chaotic and full of shady elements.

But they still represented a kind of power.

When Jiraiya looked at the radiant Naruto, a part of him truly believed: this is what the Child of Prophecy should be.

If Nagato could do all this… maybe Naruto could do even better!

And so, Jiraiya stepped forward, intending to persuade Nagato to hand over Akatsuki to Konoha.

But he quickly discovered he couldn't use his Summoning Jutsu. And although Nagato, out of respect for their bond, allowed him time to enter Sage Mode, it was ultimately a futile effort.

Nagato didn't even use his Truth-Seeking Orbs or his Faith Power. Just ordinary elemental ninjutsu alone was enough to subdue Jiraiya.

Even after defeating him, Nagato didn't try to kill him—he simply sealed him and left him in the custody of subordinates.

With the Shinobi World on the verge of unification, Nagato had no desire to spill more blood.

That was also why, despite possessing the power of a god, he didn't obliterate Konoha directly, but instead offered them a chance to negotiate on neutral ground.

Still, seeing Jiraiya captured… Naruto couldn't accept it.

If he just sat by while his teacher was taken, how would the rest of the village see him?

Wouldn't that make his dream of becoming Hokage a joke?

What's more, Nagato was the leader of an enemy faction—the one responsible for disrupting the peace of the Shinobi World!

If Naruto eliminated him, it wouldn't bring backlash—it would increase his reputation.

Raised under the pampering of the Third Hokage, Naruto had always been passionate. But after everything that happened with Konohamaru's return, he'd learned to weigh pros and cons more carefully.

To become the Hokage everyone believed in, he couldn't afford to let anyone down. And that had changed how he thought and acted.

So—Naruto burst into golden light and leapt into the sky.

Behind him, nine Truth-Seeking Orbs danced at will. Two black rods appeared in his hands.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

But just when Naruto assumed that Nagato would crumble like all the enemies before him under the power of the black rods—Nagato responded with overwhelming strength.

The power of the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki was nothing to scoff at. Combined with years of mastery and a physical boost from Boil Release, Nagato had long returned to his peak—mastery over all five elements, no weaknesses.

In fact, the disabilities he once endured had only driven him to hone his taijutsu to terrifying levels.

To him, Naruto's moves were hardly any stronger than the common street thug.

Just pure speed and power—nothing more.

Boom!

Smack!

Nagato swatted aside the black rods transformed from Truth-Seeking Orbs with a single sweep of his hand, then thrust his palm forward—blasting Naruto hundreds of meters away.

"You—how?!" Naruto clutched his aching chest. The Nine-Tails' chakra surged inside him, healing the damage.

But what truly stunned him… was that Nagato had caught an attack empowered by Truth-Seeking Orbs with his bare hands.

Ever since the Sage of Dreams had bestowed upon him power far beyond ordinary shinobi, no opponent had ever withstood the force of a Truth-Seeking Orb.

Even the strongest he had faced had only caught him off guard with endless chakra and the regenerative power of Wood Release. But in the end, he'd still cut them down with the orbs.

So how—how was Nagato able to do it? What secret did he hold?

At that moment, the answer revealed itself—behind Nagato floated his own nine Truth-Seeking Orbs.

Naruto turned to look again—it was identical to what the Sage of the Six Paths had once granted him in the dream.

How could someone else also possess this power?

Could it be… that he wasn't the true Child of Destiny after all?

The realization hit hard.

This feeling—it was all too familiar.

He'd spent his childhood under the scorn of others. Then, by a twist of fate, he'd been taken in by the Third Hokage and nurtured like a grandson.

He'd always remained kind-hearted, but the feeling of being admired by everyone—that was intoxicating.

And now… someone else had reached the same realm as the Sage.

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