Naruto: Born Evil?

The pitch-black night blanketed the land. Thick mist shrouded the Valley of Judgment, and massive boulders had been piled up to block its exit.

Inside the valley—

One kilometer away.

Within the haze, the elite Iwagakure forces stood ready. When the intel unit first reached the exit, they were just as stunned as Konoha's northwest defense forces had been—staring at the devastated mouth of the valley.

The cliff at the exit—

Half of it had been smoothly sliced off by some kind of terrifyingly sharp force, standing as a silent warning to any ninja arriving: an unimaginable battle had taken place here.

"I understand now... why you wanted to befriend the Uchiha," one burly Iwa-nin said, sweat beading on his forehead after reading the frontline intel that Ōnoki handed him. He wiped his brow, face grim.

The intelligence report was brief:

"Valley exit collapsed. Corpses everywhere. Ninja from various factions died from extreme chakra depletion and exhaustion. Konoha's northwest border defense forces are currently stationed near the valley exit."

Ōnoki let out a grunt.

He recalled the past, and gave a bitter smile.

"This is nothing yet. You haven't lived through the era when the Uchiha's Susanoo reigned over us all. In short, in times like these—you either befriend the Uchiha or stay far away from them. Just don't provoke those lunatics."

"Are they really that terrifying? Over the years, aside from Shisui, who was indeed a genius known across the ninja world, the Uchiha haven't exactly been dominant on the battlefield. During the Third Great Ninja War, our Iwa-nin even pushed them back."

The burly Iwa-nin asked cautiously.

Inwardly, he grumbled:

"Also, Lord Tsuchikage... you sound almost proud that you were once dominated by the Uchiha. What's that about?"

Ōnoki huffed and glared:

"Hmph! A pack of wolves only becomes savage when led by a true wolf king.

It's not that I look down on Fugaku…

But ever since Madara Uchiha left Konoha, every Uchiha clan leader since has been trash—sheep! A flock of wolves led by a sheep.

The fact that their clan wasn't wiped out sooner is the real miracle. Now though, there are only a dozen or so Uchiha left—but they've finally found a true leader!

If this war ends and you're still alive, keep your eyes open.

The sky of the ninja world is about to change!"

The Iwa-nin was left stunned by the speech, but then asked the most crucial question:

"Lord Tsuchikage, I agree—but we've been here for a full day now. When are we going to attack?"

Their army had already reached Konoha's borders. They were just one step away from launching an all-out assault. The Iwa-nin were getting restless, itching to invade.

"Wait," Ōnoki said gruffly.

Since Yu had promised him a "gift" and specifically asked him to wait, Ōnoki wouldn't move until he confirmed no abnormalities near the battlefield.

Looking back on his life—Ōnoki had survived the Warring States Era as a youth, fought in all three Great Ninja Wars, and lived this long for one reason: caution.

Even if the enemy won a battle, Iwagakure would never suffer a loss—because he always survived.

And now, having lived to this day…

Ōnoki sighed, thinking of all those once-mighty figures of the ninja world—many stronger than him.

Where were they now?

Nothing but dust beneath the earth.

A shinobi is one who endures.

Ōnoki understood that better than anyone.

Seeing that their Tsuchikage wasn't budging, the Iwa-nin had no choice but to go pacify the restless troops.

That night, no one in the valley would sleep.

By midnight, the Iwa intel team returned with updates on Konoha's defenses. Still, Ōnoki made no move. The Iwa-nin grew more anxious.

In the latter half of the night, more intel came in—Konoha's guard posts had reduced their numbers.

Ōnoki remained silent.

Frustration and impatience swept through the Iwa army.

Then at dawn—the intel unit returned to camp in a frenzy, as if they had just secured a major victory. They excitedly reported to command:

"An upheaval has occurred inside Konoha's northwest border defenses! The remaining troops have retreated in disarray!"

The moment had finally come.

Ōnoki's eyes lit up with joy.

He gave the order—attack!

The horizon brightened with the first fish-belly white of dawn. The sun rose, casting its golden rays across the entrance of the Valley of Sanction.

The once thick white mist was now laced with tendrils of rising purple toxic smoke.

"..."

The Iwa-nin stood around, pale-faced and horrified, gathered near the forest where the Konoha troops had once camped, all of them staring at the valley's exit.

Outside the valley, countless shinobi from Konoha's northwest border defense corps lay sprawled in mud pits and on the ground. Their faces had turned purple, blood seeping from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—death had come for them in the most gruesome fashion.

Just moments ago—

The Iwa-nin had prepared to break through the valley exit. Before the bulk of the army could pass through the fog, the vanguard collapsed en masse.

Realizing that the mist was filled with lethal poison, the Iwa-nin immediately retreated.

Ōnoki had initially believed it was a trap set by Konoha, but not a single Konoha ninja had launched an ambush from the valley exit.

Once the Iwa-nin climbed over the ridges without resistance and reached the back of the valley exit, into the Xu Mountain Forest—

As daylight grew brighter—

Ōnoki finally got a clear look at the chilling scene at the mouth of the valley and understood. The "gift" Uchiha Yu had left behind was poison, and over 70% of the Konoha northwest border defense force had been wiped out while stationed here.

The Valley of Sanction had now become a Poison Valley—a future forbidden zone of the ninja world.

Ōnoki couldn't comprehend what kind of contingency Uchiha Yu had set in place here.

But one thing was certain:

The northwestern border of the Land of Fire had fallen. The Iwa-nin army could now push straight through to Kikyo Castle. At this point, over half of the Fire Nation's territory was lost.

A generous gift indeed.

"Reorganize ranks—advance on Konoha!" Ōnoki flew into the air, staring toward Konoha as he gave the order, sighing to himself, "Konoha… this old man has returned!!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Iwa-nin army vanished into the forest, beginning their pursuit of the fleeing remnants of Konoha's northwest defensive forces.

---

Xu Mountain Forest

"Cough, cough, cough—damn it, why is Aburame Torune's corpse in the middle of the camp!?"

A Konoha shinobi, face purple and coughing blood, stumbled forward, followed by numerous others clearly suffering from poisoning.

They leapt from tree to tree, fleeing in panic.

Knowing they wouldn't last much longer, their only goal now was to deliver the news of the border's fall to Kikyo Castle before the toxin fully consumed them.

None of the surviving Konoha shinobi could understand it—they had Inuzuka clan members and their ninken.

So why didn't anyone notice the poisonous corpse suddenly appearing in the heart of their base?

Even if Iwa-nin had used Wind Release to disperse poison in the valley, Konoha's scouts at the Valley of Sanction's exit should've sensed it at once.

But somehow, Aburame Torune's corpse had inexplicably appeared right at the center of the camp, and it had completely blindsided the Konoha northwest defense force.

After Torune's death, the nano-level venomous insects within his body multiplied uncontrollably.

The moment the corpse was exposed to open air, the insects—nurtured by the moisture in the mist—began multiplying at a terrifying speed. Carried by the wind, they infiltrated the respiratory systems of the Konoha shinobi.

Before the ninken could even issue a warning, they were poisoned and killed. One after another, Konoha shinobi fell in droves.

In the end, this elite border defense force of Konoha didn't even throw a single kunai—they were completely paralyzed and forced into a helpless retreat.

°°°

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