NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 3: Chapter 1
Prologue: The Birth of a Menace
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The Night of the Attack
A year before the world changed, a boy was born. His cries echoed through the halls of the hospital, but no celebration followed. No prophecy marked his arrival, no grand expectations were set upon his shoulders. He was simply Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, the firstborn of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. A child without significance.
Then, a year later, the world shifted.
On the night of his younger siblings' birth, the Hidden Leaf fell into chaos. The Masked Man struck without warning, ripping the Nine-Tails from Kushina's body. The beast roared with rage, its freedom returning only hatred and destruction. Minato, the Fourth Hokage, faced off against the masked intruder, pushing his abilities to the limit to protect his wife, children, and village. Meanwhile, Konoha's shinobi battled desperately to contain the rampaging fox, their efforts barely keeping it at bay.
Minato ultimately defeated the Masked Man, forcing him to retreat. But the battle was not over, Kurama remained, wild and unrestrained, tearing through the village.
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Blood stained the battlefield as the massive beast stood before them, its malice rolling off in waves. Kushina, despite her weakened state, used the last remnants of her strength to restrain the fox, her adamantine chains forcing it to its knees. Minato wasted no time, setting up the sealing altar.
"We don't have another choice," he murmured.
Kushina's grip tightened. "Then let's do it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, stepped forward. "I will give my life to ensure Konoha's future."
Minato hesitated for a brief moment but ultimately accepted the offer. Using the Reaper Death Seal, Hiruzen split Kurama's chakra into two halves, one inside Mito and the other inside Menma.To keep Kushina from dying due to the extraction, Hiruzen sealed a small portion of the fox's chakra back into her, stabilizing her body.
It was on that night that Naruto's fate was decided.
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The Beginning of Neglect
For the first four years of his life, Naruto was treated as any other child. His parents loved him. They played with him and gave him their time. Though the village looked at him with slight unease, being the Hokage's firstborn, he lived in a happy home.
Then Jiraiya arrived with the prophecy.
"A child of prophecy will rise and save the world or bring it to ruin."
Jiraiya's theory? It had to be Mito or Menma. Why? Because they held the power of the Nine-Tails.
From that day forward, Naruto became an afterthought.
Training sessions? They became private lessons for Mito and Menma.Naruto wasn't allowed in.
Family meals? They revolved around his siblings. Naruto's voice was drowned out by their stories.
Birthdays? His was a footnote. His siblings' birthdays were grand events attended by the entire village, while his own was little more than a passing mention.
Naruto would reach out "Mom! Dad!" but they wouldn't hear. Or rather, they didn't listen.
The villagers followed suit.
Why would they care for the forgotten child when the true heirs were right there? The future saviors of the world?
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Flashbacks
Naruto had been excited. Minato promised to train him. They were going to work on chakra control together.
But when he arrived at the training grounds, he saw Minato already there, with Mito and Menma.
"Dad!" Naruto ran up with a smile.
Minato barely glanced at him. "Naruto, not now. Your siblings need to focus."
Naruto blinked. "But you said"
"Not now."
He stood there for a moment, waiting, hoping. But they never looked at him again.
That was the first time he realized he was no longer part of their world.
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The village held a festival to celebrate the Hokage's children, Mito and Menma. They were paraded through the streets, the people showering them with praise.
Naruto, the eldest son, was left in the crowd. Alone.
He tried to push through, to reach his family, to remind them he existed. But they didn't even glance his way.
He felt it then, that sickening churn in his gut. That creeping sensation of something dark festering inside him.
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Jiraiya arrived in Konoha, officially taking Mito and Menma under his wing.
Naruto, desperate for guidance, approached him. "Ero-sennin! Can you train me too?"
Jiraiya frowned. "Sorry, kid. You wouldn't get it. You're not like them."
He turned his back and walked away.
---
Minato and Kushina sat him down one night. He hoped, God, he hoped, that they finally saw him.
"Naruto, we know we haven't spent much time with you," Minato said, offering a small, regretful smile.
Naruto's heart leapt. Finally. Finally.
But then Kushina continued, "You're strong, Naruto. You don't need us like Mito and Menma do."
A cold realization settled in.
They weren't apologizing. They were justifying their behavior.
Naruto didn't matter enough to fight for.
---
The years passed, and Naruto learned to stop reaching out.
He watched from the shadows, his hatred growing like a tumor inside him.
Why should he be the one suffering? Why did they get everything? Why did they get to be the center of the world while he was discarded?
Why should he love them when they had never loved him?
One day, as he sat alone on a rooftop, staring down at the village that ignored him, he felt something shift inside him.
A surge of unnatural energy pulsed through his veins, cold and electric. A crimson glow crackled around his body.
The Negative Speed Force had awakened.
And with it, so did his purpose.
He wouldn't cry for them.
He wouldn't beg for their attention.
He wouldn't seek their approval.
Instead, he would become their nightmare.
To Konoha, he was worthless.
To the world, he would become a menace.
From that moment on, he was no longer Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze
He was the Reverse-Flash.
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Chapter 1 : A Prophecy of Ruin
The Great Toad Sage's Regret
Deep within the sacred halls of Mount Myōboku, an unsettling silence hung in the air. The normally tranquil landscape, filled with the sounds of croaking toads and rustling leaves, felt eerily still, as if nature itself recoiled from an unseen force.
At the heart of the Great Toad Sage's chamber, Gamamaru sat atop his stone throne, his ancient eyes staring into the void. His breathing was slow, labored, as though the weight of a thousand mistakes pressed down upon him.
Before him stood Fukasaku and Shima, two of his most trusted followers, their concerned gazes locked onto their elder.
"You look troubled, Elder," Fukasaku croaked, stepping forward. "Did something happen?"
For a long moment, the Great Toad Sage said nothing. Then, with a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and murmured, "...I have made a terrible mistake."
Shima frowned. "Mistake? What are ya talking about, Elder?"
Slowly, Gamamaru's eyes opened, and a deep sorrow reflected within them. "I should have never spoken of the prophecy."
The words struck like a hammer.
Fukasaku and Shima exchanged stunned glances. "You mean... the prophecy about the Child of Destiny?" Fukasaku asked hesitantly.
Gamamaru's wrinkled face twisted in grief. "Yes... that very prophecy. I believed it was a revelation meant to guide the world toward salvation... but in my arrogance, I failed to see the shadow it would cast." His gaze darkened. "I have witnessed the consequences of my actions. The path I revealed... it has led to the birth of something far worse than I ever imagined."
A sudden gust of wind swept through the chamber, and for a brief moment, the torches flickered, casting dancing shadows against the walls.
"...The birth of a nightmare."
The words sent a chill down the spines of both elder toads.
"What do ya mean, Elder?" Shima pressed, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Gamamaru's gaze drifted, as if looking beyond the present moment, as if he could see the very fabric of fate unraveling before his eyes.
"I have seen him," he whispered, his voice barely above a breath. "The child whose existence should have been a blessing... but instead, he has embraced hatred, vengeance, and something far darker than anything this world has ever known."
Shima took a step back. "You mean..."
"Yes." The Great Toad Sage closed his eyes. "Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. He has awakened."
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The Nightmare Unleashed
The toads knew of Naruto. The firstborn son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, overshadowed, ignored, forgotten. The elder toads had heard tales of his quiet suffering, of his family's growing neglect, of the village's failure to recognize his existence.
But none of them had foreseen this.
"What did you see, Elder?" Fukasaku asked cautiously.
For a long time, the Great Toad Sage did not answer.
Then, with a voice that carried the weight of undeniable dread, he spoke.
"I saw a man standing alone in the darkness... lightning coursing through his body like veins of pure hatred."
Fukasaku and Shima stiffened.
Gamamaru continued, his tone a whisper of prophecy, not of salvation, but of doom.
"I saw him laughing as he ran, his footsteps tearing through time itself. The very world bent and cracked beneath his speed.
I saw him tormenting those who had wronged him, not simply killing them... but making them suffer, again and again, caught in an unending cycle of misery.
I saw a shadow racing through history, twisting the past, rewriting the future, playing with the lives of men as if they were mere toys.
I saw the birth of a force that will never be stopped."
Silence consumed the room.
"...Are you sayin' that Naruto's become a monster?" Shima whispered, horror creeping into her voice.
Gamamaru's expression did not change.
"No," he murmured.
"Not a monster. A nightmare."
---
A heavy silence settled between the three toads. Fukasaku was the first to break the tension.
"If this is true," he said slowly, "then we have to tell Jiraiya."
Shima nodded, her face grave. "He needs to know what's happenin'."
But before either of them could move, Gamamaru's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"No."
Fukasaku and Shima froze
"...What?"
Gamamaru's old eyes hardened, the sorrow in them replaced with grim finality.
"You will tell no one," he commanded. "Especially not Jiraiya."
The two elder toads exchanged shocked glances. "But why?!" Shima croaked. "Jiraiya needs to know! If Naruto's really this dangerous"
"No." Gamamaru's voice was firm. "Jiraiya was the one who planted this seed. It was his blind devotion to the prophecy that led Minato and Kushina to focus solely on the twins. That led the village to turn its back on their eldest son."
His gaze darkened. "It is because of Jiraiya's belief in the prophecy... that Naruto was left alone to fester in the darkness."
Fukasaku's expression twisted. "Then all the more reason to tell him! Maybe Jiraiya can fix this...."
"Fix it?" Gamamaru chuckled, but it was a hollow, mirthless sound. "No, Fukasaku... there is no fixing what has been done. Not anymore."
He closed his eyes, as though the weight of his foresight crushed him. "Naruto has already been consumed by the Negative Speed Force. He is no longer a boy seeking love... he is a force seeking vengeance."
The torches flickered once more, and for the briefest of moments, the shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally across the walls.
"There is no stopping him now."
---
Fukasaku and Shima were shaken.
For the first time in their lives, they saw true fear in the Great Toad Sage's eyes. A fear not of death, but of something worse.
Something inevitable.
"...So we do nothing?" Fukasaku muttered, his hands clenched.
Gamamaru sighed. "No. We watch. We wait. And we pray."
Shima shivered. "Pray for what?"
The old toad closed his eyes.
"...That when the time comes, there will still be something left of Naruto Uzumaki to save."
And deep within the sacred halls of Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage wept,for the nightmare that he himself had set into motion.