The ANBU ninja felt like his scalp had exploded.
The other ANBU responsible for guarding the Hokage Tower were equally stunned.
They had stationed guards in every corner of the building, patrolling diligently. Forget a person—not even a mosquito should have been able to slip through.
And yet… the Hokage Tower had practically been emptied, and not one of them noticed a thing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As doors were flung open one by one, the ANBU's hearts sank to rock bottom.
It was too clean.
It looked like someone had moved out.
Forget valuable equipment—even the cabinets and chairs were gone.
"Wait… don't tell me that was stolen too…"
One of the ANBU suddenly thought of something, his face going deathly pale as he scrambled toward the deepest room in the tower.
When he reached it and saw the empty wooden desk, his expression turned ghost-white:
"It's gone. The Scroll of Seals is gone…"
An ear-piercing alarm blared.
Its shriek echoed through the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
Every ninja, whether asleep or awake, was jolted into full alert.
"This is… a top-level emergency alert!?"
In the Yamanaka Clan compound, clan head Yamanaka Inoichi shot up from bed in shock, staring toward the Hokage Tower.
"…What happened? What could possibly trigger such a high-level alarm?"
In the Hyūga compound, Hyūga Hiashi was so stunned he activated his Byakugan on the spot and raced for the tower.
"…"
"A top-level alarm… those are only used for invasions or war. The last time we had one was during the Nine-Tails' attack…"
At the Nara residence, Nara Shikaku wiped cold sweat from his brow, murmuring before suddenly turning to his wife and son:
"Get Shikamaru to the shelter. I'm going to the tower—now."
…
Panic swept through the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
Ninjas from all major clans dashed across rooftops at lightning speed, racing toward the Hokage Tower.
Even ordinary, unaffiliated ninja didn't dare hesitate, darting through alleys and streets at full speed.
Looking around, the village was ablaze with movement—ninja silhouettes flickered across streets and roofs like it was midday.
"Damn it… what happened…" Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered as he threw on his robes, rushing to the Hokage Tower with an increasingly grim expression.
He combed through recent developments in the shinobi world but couldn't think of anything that would justify this level of emergency.
Still burdened with confusion, Hiruzen arrived at the tower.
"Lord Hokage! It's terrible—" an ANBU rushed up to him, voice shaking as he explained what had happened.
Hiruzen's face changed instantly. He stormed into the building.
Room after room, he saw opened doors—and the further in he went, the more panicked he became. Eventually, he reached his own office.
"…Where's everything?"
He stared at the empty room in shock.
Not only were the documents gone—even his Hokage desk had vanished.
"…"
The entire building was filled with dumbfounded ninja.
They simply couldn't fathom what kind of person had the ability to steal so much right under their noses.
And at that very moment, Naruto—now fully loaded with supplies—walked right past them with a cold expression.
The blond boy's footsteps were steady, calm, as if nothing had happened, casually walking out the front entrance of the Hokage Tower.
As he passed by one particular ninja outside, Naruto's pace paused slightly. Staring at the man's eyes, he muttered to himself:
"Hyūga ninja… truly a troublesome lot…"
Had it not been for that Hyūga's warning, Naruto might have looted every single room in the tower.
…
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Naruto headed to the village's main commercial street—and turned his sights on the rows of stores.
Rice, flour, milk, bread, ramen, sushi… if it was food, Naruto snatched it all into his door-space.
One shop after another was emptied—only after dozens of them were looted did the Konoha ninja realize something was wrong.
"Damn it! Where the hell's all my barbecue?!"
Two extremely overweight Akimichi clan members stood in shock, staring at their gutted restaurant.
That single outburst drew the attention of the ninjas at the Hokage Tower, who rushed over with grim expressions and launched a full-scale search.
But by then, Naruto had already left the streets.
The blond boy now stood atop the Hokage Rock—on the head of the Fourth Hokage's statue.
From that vantage, he could overlook all of Konoha. He saw the chaos, heard the shouts of panic echoing below.
Though it was nighttime, the entire village was lit up. The streets were full of panicked civilians fleeing through the dark.
"Serves you right…" Naruto sneered coldly, stepping out from the door-space and immersing himself in his consciousness.
"Go ahead and search all you want—I'm done playing with you."
In his mental realm, the towering, oceanic World Gate stood before him.
Naruto's consciousness approached without hesitation.
Using his small body—
He squeezed through the narrow gap.
In an instant, the world spun wildly. His body stretched infinitely, as though submerged in seawater, crossing endless space and time.
His form—his being—seemed to shift and transform as he passed through the gate.
Timeless void, eternal passage.
Though he had merely stepped into the World Gate, Naruto felt as though millennia had passed.
When he finally opened his eyes again—
What he saw was no longer Konoha.
But an endless, raging ocean.
The morning sun cast golden light across the waves, where sky and sea met in brilliant splendor.
The entire ocean shimmered like gold. Waves rolled endlessly, and fish occasionally leapt from the surf.
"This is… the One Piece world…"
Naruto's eyes sparkled with joy. He stepped into the tide, feeling the ocean water wash over his ankles.
"Hahahahaha!!"
The blond boy couldn't help but laugh wildly.
Breathing in the salty air and staring into the endless horizon, he felt true freedom for the first time.
No more hiding. No more pretending.
In the One Piece world—he was free.
Naruto dashed wildly across the beach, laughing like a madman. Every now and then, he picked up seashells and tossed them into the waves.
Finally tired, he stopped running, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted at the sea with all his might:
"Sarutobi Hiruzen!! Shimura Danzō!! Kakashi!! Uchiha Obito!! And all you damn villagers of Konoha…"
"I forgive everything about that world—BECAUSE WE'LL NEVER MEET AGAIN IN THIS ONE!!"
"I… WILL BE TRULY FREE!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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