Naruto: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 265: The Death of Naruto

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

Naruto instinctively thought upon hearing the strange words from the Great Toad Sage and was about to ask.

Splurt!

Hot blood sprayed forward.

Naruto froze, slowly lowered his head, and saw.

A warty toad tongue had pierced through his chest, shredding his heart completely.

"Is this... me?"

As the words left his mouth, Naruto realized what was happening, and his face turned deathly pale.

At the same time.

Hagoromo Gengetsu paused in his steps, staring blankly at the scene before him.

He immediately suspected he was under some kind of illusion.

Similarly.

Naruto, the victim, never dreamed that the Great Toad Sage would kill him.

He had always been unguarded around the Sage, and now, gritting his teeth against the pain, he turned his head in disbelief to confirm it was the Great Toad Sage and asked heartbrokenly:

"Why... why?"

The Great Toad Sage lowered his eyelids:

"For the future."

"Why?"

Despite the raging fire in his heart and the furious Nine-Tails sealed inside him, Naruto's cross-shaped pupils glared at the Great Toad Sage, ignoring his impending death, and continued to ask.

The Great Toad Sage looked directly at Naruto, speaking calmly:

"The battle is over, Naruto. Rather than having the Nine-Tails within you strengthen Hagoromo Gengetsu, causing your death by extracting the tailed beast, it's better if I kill you now, taking the Nine-Tails with you, thwarting Hagoromo Gengetsu's plan."

"The battle isn't over! I still have..."

Naruto, panicking, was about to reveal his preparations.

Suddenly, a flash of memory made him realize and bitterly smile:

"Great Toad Grandpa, from the beginning, you planned to take my life, didn't you?"

Naruto thought of how he couldn't return to Konoha after mastering Sage Mode; how Shima and Fukasaku dragged him to the Great Toad Sage when Hagoromo Gengetsu attacked; how the Sage sealed him in the Cat's Eye Stone to prevent him from fighting Gengetsu.

Everything had been orchestrated by the Great Toad Sage to keep Naruto within arm's reach.

Hearing this, the Great Toad Sage did not deny it, just sighed:

"Sorry, Naruto, I tried to change it."

This battle on Mount Myoboku was its attempt to alter destiny.

It hadn't foreseen Hagoromo Gengetsu coming to Mount Myoboku, but had seen in a dream that Gengetsu would gather the power of the nine tailed beasts, knowing Naruto's fate.

Understanding that Konoha couldn't protect Naruto, the Great Toad Sage brought him to Mount Myoboku to keep him safe.

This way, Gengetsu would inevitably come.

The Great Toad Sage had prepared two plans.

One was to try and change the future single-handedly, the other was to delay Gengetsu's plan at the cost of the Nine-Tails' death.

Ultimately, it overestimated itself and had to choose the second plan.

Naruto, now in his final moments, somewhat understood the Great Toad Sage's intentions. Though he was unwilling and regretted many unfinished things, many unrealized dreams, many people yet to bid farewell to.

Like Sasuke; becoming Hokage; Sakura, and Hinata.

But in his dying moments, he still smiled, giving the world his radiant last concern:

"So... after my death, will everything be better?"

Seeing Naruto's brilliant smile, the Great Toad Sage was silent for a few seconds before replying:

"Perhaps. But I won't see it either."

"Is that so... I'd really like to see what the world will be like."

As the words fell, Naruto closed his eyes and slowly fell.

The once prophesied Child of Destiny, the reincarnation of Asura, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a Konoha Genin, forever closed his eyes.

Simultaneously.

The Nine-Tails inside the sealed space let out an unwilling roar and perished along with him.

Hagoromo Gengetsu, now clear that he wasn't under an illusion, was full of surprise and shock at everything happening before him.

The Great Toad Sage acted too quickly for him to intervene, helplessly watching Naruto's heart get pierced, beyond saving unless one possessed the power of the Six Paths.

"So ruthless!"

Hagoromo Gengetsu fixed his gaze on the Great Toad Sage, slowly uttering two words.

The protagonist of Konoha, the Child of Destiny, fell casually to a backstab from the very sage who had once bestowed him that title.

How ironic.

Noticing Naruto falling slowly.

Having read the original story, knowing Naruto's future achievements and countless miracles, Hagoromo Gengetsu still found it hard to believe.

Naruto just died like that?

Wouldn't there be some twist?

However, whether it was the Rinnegan or his own senses, everything confirmed Naruto's complete death.

After a brief silence, Hagoromo Gengetsu remembered his goal.

With Naruto's death, the Nine-Tails perished as well.

Though tailed beasts don't truly die, it would take years for the Nine-Tails to revive.

Moreover, with Naruto dead, what would he do if his system missions involved Naruto in the future?

Thinking of this, Hagoromo Gengetsu's eyes turned cold as he looked at the instigator, the Great Toad Sage.

"You deserve to die!"

Boom!

A series of explosions rang out.

Soon after.

Just as a Truth-Seeking Ball was about to hit the calm Great Toad Sage's forehead.

Hagoromo Gengetsu squinted, and the Truth-Seeking Ball swiftly adjusted its direction, striking the Sage's right arm, rendering him armless.

Splurt!

A long black rod then pierced the Great Toad Sage's chest, lifting him up and bringing him closer.

Looking at the close and utterly defeated Great Toad Sage, Hagoromo Gengetsu temporarily suppressed his killing intent, wanting to know the answer:

"I want to know, why did Mount Myoboku, or rather you, Great Toad Sage, insist on interfering?"

When Kaguya Otsutsuki engulfed the entire ninja world in the light of Infinite Tsukuyomi, the toads were still alive and well, and the Great Toad Sage, then just a toad, even had the leisure to teach Hagoromo Otsutsuki Senjutsu.

It made no sense for them to fight tooth and nail to stop him now, even going as far as killing the once Child of Destiny, Naruto.

Hagoromo Gengetsu didn't understand.

Were the toads doing this for the ninja world, for millions of humans?

So noble?

He didn't believe it.

Hearing this, the Great Toad Sage, resigned to his fate, looked at Hagoromo Gengetsu and after some thought, answered:

"I've already explained the reason before."

Hagoromo Gengetsu, with a good memory, thought for a moment and said:

"If the skin is gone, what will the hair attach to?"

The Great Toad Sage nodded, lifting his head with a complicated look towards the sky.

Though it was daytime, and the full moon wasn't visible.

He could still sense its location, his voice trembling:

"She's coming back."

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