"Mm, this tastes good."
Leo set down his empty bowl and chopsticks with a faint smile, having just finished a large serving of Ichiraku Ramen.
Across the counter, Uchiha Sasuke noticed Leo had finished and quickly scarfed down the rest of his ramen in a few quick bites.
"Hmph, you're the one who put Naruto in the hospital and killed so many people in Konoha."
Standing nearby, Changpu glared at Leo with undisguised anger and resentment.
Leo simply looked at her, unfazed.
"You're very brave," he remarked casually, as if complimenting her spirit.
"Huh?! Are you mocking me?" Changpu pouted, crossing her arms.
"Acorus, shut up!" Uncle Ichiraku shouted, picking up a wooden ladle and waving it threateningly at his daughter. "Don't be rude to customers!"
"Wait a second," Leo interjected suddenly. "Naruto… Is he that blond brat who used to be the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Uncle Ichiraku stopped mid-motion, his expression stiffening.
"Yes, Madara-senpai," Sasuke spoke up respectfully. "He was my teammate."
Leo already knew all about Uzumaki Naruto, of course. But now, he looked puzzled.
"That kid is still alive?" Leo asked, a hint of genuine surprise in his voice.
After all, he had forcibly extracted the Nine-Tails from Naruto. Logically, the boy should be dead.
Could it be… had Naruto already come into contact with the soul of the Sage of Six Paths? Had he somehow survived due to the so-called "protagonist's halo"?
Leo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Sasuke, take me to him. I want to see this brat for myself."
Then he paused and glanced at Uncle Ichiraku.
"One more thing… pay for the ramen."
---
Konoha Hospital – One of the Wards
Knock knock knock—
Uchiha Sasuke hesitated briefly in front of the door, then knocked.
Moments later, the door creaked open.
"Sasuke?!"
It was Haruno Sakura. When she saw Sasuke standing there, her expression lit up in surprise.
But the next second, her face turned pale.
"Uchiha Madara… Uchiha…"
She staggered backward, her face filled with fear as if she had just seen a demon from her worst nightmares.
"What's wrong, Sakura?" came the voice of Tsunade from inside the room.
"Hokage… it's… Uchiha Madara." Sakura stammered, pointing toward the hallway with a trembling hand.
"What?!" ×3
Three stunned voices rang out from inside the ward—Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Tsunade—all reacting simultaneously in disbelief.
Footsteps echoed as a tall figure in crimson armor with long waist-length hair strode into the ward.
"Uchiha Madara!!" the three veterans shouted in alarm.
Their bodies tensed up instinctively. Even Haruno Sakura was frozen in place, utterly speechless with terror.
"What are you doing here, Madara?" Jiraiya asked, his body wrapped in heavy bandages. He stood on guard, his one usable arm raised slightly.
At his side, both Tsunade and Kakashi were already preparing themselves for battle.
But Leo only scoffed.
"Don't waste your energy," he said with cool contempt. "If I really wanted to kill you, do you think you could stop me?"
The sheer arrogance in his voice enraged them—but deep down, they knew he wasn't wrong.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were two of the legendary Sannin. Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, was no less formidable. Yet even together, they knew the truth:
They were powerless before this man.
Even resisting him seemed absurd.
"Damn it," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, clenching his teeth in frustration.
"Madara…" Tsunade's voice trailed off as she started to speak.
But Leo waved them off.
"Relax. I'm just here to see how a Jinchūriki can still be alive after losing their tailed beast."
Without waiting for a response, Leo strode forward, toward the hospital bed behind the three defenders.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi moved to block his path—
BOOM—
Leo didn't utter a word, but an explosive surge of chakra burst forth from his body.
The sheer force pressed down on the trio like a mountain.
Haruno Sakura, standing at the back, was practically ignored—Leo didn't even spare her a glance.
"Urgh…" The three elite shinobi grunted in pain as the crushing weight of Leo's chakra rendered them immobile.
In those few seconds, Leo had already passed them and arrived at Naruto's bedside.
Zheng—
Leo's Sharingan activated instantly, shifting directly into the form of the Eternal Mangekyō.
With it, he invoked his insight and minor clairvoyance abilities, peering deep into Naruto's body and soul.
His eyes glimmered faintly as he analyzed Naruto's condition in detail.
"…There's still hope."
Leo deactivated his Mangekyō after a moment, a flicker of astonishment passing across his face.
Naruto was indeed still alive—his life force intact, his soul stable.
Was this… truly the power of a protagonist?
As this realization settled in, Leo withdrew his chakra suppression.
The heavy weight lifted from Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi's bodies all at once.
The three of them exhaled in relief, drenched in cold sweat.
They stared at Leo, still unsure what he had done or why he was here, but one thought rang clearly in each of their minds:
His power… it's grown even stronger!
Leo now possessed the power of both Ōtsutsuki Asura and Senju Hashirama.
And most terrifying of all—he had awakened the Rinnegan!
The gap between him and the rest of them was now immeasurable.
If Leo had wanted to, he could have ended their lives in an instant.
---
"Madara-senpai…"
Sasuke spoke up hesitantly, watching as Leo stood beside Naruto.
Leo turned his head slightly, glancing at Naruto and then back at Sasuke.
"…You're worried about him?" he asked flatly.
"I…" Sasuke didn't respond. His pride wouldn't let him admit it aloud.
Leo's gaze shifted back to Naruto.
Then, silently, he activated the system in his mind.
'System, what happens if I kill the protagonist Uzumaki Naruto right now?'
The system responded coldly:
> [Warning: Killing the world's protagonist may lead to unpredictable consequences. If you don't want to be expelled from this world, it is recommended that you keep him alive—for now.]
"Hmph… is that so?"
Leo cast one final glance at Naruto's unconscious form.
'I hope you won't stand in my way next time. Otherwise, I won't care whether you're the world's hero or not.'
Then, without another word, Leo turned and walked toward the exit of the ward.
Everyone present—Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sakura, and even Sasuke—watched in silence as the crimson-clad figure left.
The atmosphere in the room seemed to lighten instantly.
"Phew…"
They all exhaled deeply at once.
It wasn't just relief—it was survival.
While Leo had been in the room, the very act of breathing had felt suffocating.
Especially Haruno Sakura, who lacked the strength of the others. Her heart still raced in fear.
The terror she felt from Leo's overwhelming presence… was something she would never forget.
---