Uzumaki Naruto -v.2- Nzc Apr 2026

Sasuke grunted. "The village won't survive."

Naruto's expression softened. He'd heard those words before—from a lonely boy in a mask, from a prisoner inside a seal, from himself, screaming at a village that wouldn't look at him. Uzumaki Naruto -V.2- NZC

Shikamaru pulled up combat footage. V-2 moved like liquid shadow—no hand signs, no wasted motion. Their fighting style mirrored Naruto's own: shadow clones, taijutsu feints, even a crude version of the Rasengan. But there was something else. Sasuke grunted

Naruto's smile faded. "They built someone to kill me." Shikamaru pulled up combat footage

"Shikamaru, I've been fighting that fight since I was twelve." Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Where do I find V-2?" The trail led to the ruins of Amegakure. Rain still fell there—eternal, artificial, mournful. Naruto came alone, despite Sakura's protests and Sasuke's cold glare (he'd returned, of course, and immediately become insufferable again).

The rain fell harder. Naruto didn't answer right away. Instead, he sat down on the wet stone, ignoring the cold. V-2 hesitated, then sat across from him.