Naruto: Descent into Determination

Pain

Naruto looked around and found himself standing alone in Konoha, but it wasn’t the village he knew. The skies above were a sickly gray, and the once vibrant streets were deserted and eerily silent. The Hokage monument loomed in the distance, its faces cracked and weathered, as if forgotten by time. The air was thick, oppressive, as if the village itself was suffocating under the weight of something unseen.

He walked through the empty streets, his footsteps echoing loudly in the unnatural quiet. The familiar warmth of the village was gone, replaced by a cold emptiness that gnawed at him. He called out, but his voice seemed to be swallowed by the silence, fading into nothingness.

As he wandered through the desolate village, shadows began to form around him, vague shapes of people he once knew. Their faces were twisted in anger and disgust, and they began to whisper, their voices growing louder and more venomous with each passing second.

“Demon...”

“Monster...”

“You’re the reason everything’s gone wrong...”

Naruto’s heart pounded as the voices grew louder, more intense, surrounding him from all sides. He turned around, but no matter where he looked, all he saw were those twisted, hateful faces, glaring at him with pure contempt.

“You killed the Fourth Hokage!” someone screamed, and Naruto’s breath caught in his throat as he saw Iruka standing among the crowd, his eyes filled with betrayal and anger. “He gave his life to protect the village from you, and you repay him by being a disgrace to his legacy!”

Naruto’s legs wobbled, the weight of the accusation hitting him like a ton of bricks. “No… that’s not true…”

“You’re less than scum!” shouted Kiba, his eyes blazing with fury. “You’re a curse on this village!”

“You should’ve died instead of him!” Neji added, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’re nothing but a mistake!”

Naruto tried to back away, but the crowd pressed closer, their faces twisted with hatred. He saw Hinata, normally so kind and gentle, staring at him with cold, unfeeling eyes. “I always believed in you, Naruto-san, but now… I see that you’re nothing more than a monster.”

“No… Hinata, don’t say that…”

Then he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, standing at the front of the crowd. But instead of the warm, wise gaze Naruto remembered, the old man’s face was filled with disappointment and contempt. “You’ve disgraced the Will of Fire, Naruto. I should never have let you live. I should have let you starve to death. You’ve ruined everything the village stands for.”

Naruto’s eyes widened in horror. “No… old man… you don’t mean that…”

“You’ve destroyed everything,” Hiruzen continued, his voice cold and final. “You’re a stain on this village, and the Will of Fire is dead because of you.”

The crowd’s voices grew louder, their accusations turning into a cacophony that drowned out Naruto’s thoughts.

“You should’ve never been born!”

“You’re a demon, not a human!”

“You’re a disgrace to the Fourth Hokage’s name!”

Then, amidst the crowd, Naruto saw the last people he thought would turn on him—Teuchi and Ayame from the ramen stand. They had always been kind to him, always welcomed him with smiles and warmth. But now, their faces were twisted with anger and disgust.