Naruto: The Template System

Konoha.

Fighting Square.

"You..."

Sarutobi, who looked subconsciously towards his left, was stunned after spotting the red hair one-armed man.

Everyone followed him and looked but was left bewildered also.

"No... How...?"

Looking at the red man with a mask covering his face, Kurenai's mind was blank.

She kept looking at the red hair man, her hands trembling and her eyes full of shock.

"This can't be..."

Kakashi was full of emotion and couldn't believe this, but his mind also began to work.

Why was he left alive that day? He understood everything immediately.

Minato, Tsunade, Jiraya, and Sakumo were also looking at the masked man hoping to find something familiar.

"Sigh..."

On the silent battlefield, a sigh full of helplessness was heard by everyone.

The fast breeze blew the wet hair of Kozuki as he brought his hand near his mask.

In the unbelievable eyes of Kurenai and the rest, the mask began to move away, and a handsome mature face with a sad expression appeared in front of everyone.

"Ko...zu...ki..."

Kurenai said with a choking voice, and the beautiful face was filled with tears.

"It really is you..."

Kakashi looked at the face that had matured a lot, but he could still recognize it clearly.

"Sensei..."

Both Itachi and Shisui cried, their voice full of emotion.

"I still had to face it after all."

Looking at the tearful face of Kurenai, Kozuki said and thought, "maybe, he should have trusted others."

All he wanted to do was solve everything by himself and keep them safe and happy, but he failed miserably in both.

He underestimated his importance to them and only caused them pain and suffering.

His heart seemed to rip apart from the guilt and how much he blamed himself for making Kurenai desperate for revenge.

Kurenai, who heard his words, finally seemed to calm down and strode towards Kozuki and soon arrived in front of him.

Sensing Kurenai right in front, Kozuki didn't dare lift his head and look at her.

Boom...

Cough...

Kozuki suddenly coughed a mouthful of blood as a punch filled with infinite power slammed on his chest.

"Why...Why... didn't you come back? Why...!!!!"

Boom...Boom...

With tears falling continuously, Kurenai kept hitting Kozuki on his chest, who didn't seem to feel the pain.

Blood was constantly leaking from Kozuki's mouth, but he still stood straight, letting her hit him.

Finally, Kurenai brought her hand in front of her to deliver the strongest punch.

But seeing the bloody Kozuki, no matter how much she tried to end the life of this heartless bastard, her hands trembled, and her heart seemed to be tearing apart.

"I... regret loving you, but why!!!, just why can't I hate you!!!?."

"It would have been better if I had never met you that day, but now I can't stop this fast-beating heart"

Kurenai thought while looking at Kozuki and brought her hands forward, and began to wipe the blood from his mouth.

"Don't stop; I deserve far more than this"(hmm, weird)

Kozuki's eyes looked straight at Kurenai, and these words were squeezed out from his blood-stained mouth.

Kurenai, who absent-mindedly was wiping the blood from his mouth with her sleeve hearing his words, trembled as her thinking finally began to work.

He was betrayed by the village he fought for with his life on the line but still didn't hate it, and even took the blame on himself and became a rogue for the sake of the village; the pain he had to bear was far greater than her.

(Think from the Ninja World perspective to them if they were in his place, would they be able to refrain themselves from hating the village which betrayed them, e.g., Pakura)

And even now, he is protecting the village which betrayed him.

How can she still blame him when he did so much for them?

The confusion in the heart of Kurenai seemed to disappear entirely, and she hugged him with such force as if she would never let go of him.

Kozuki was shocked as he never expected her to hug him.

"You had to go through so much because of me; I don't deserve this."

Kozuki tried to break free from her arms but found her hands tightened.

"I'm so glad to see you alive."

Kurenai whispered in his ears and kept hugging him tightly and seemed to have never heard what he just said.

Sigh...

Kozuki, who saw her with no intention of letting him go, let out a sigh, and he also became a little emotional.

How much did she love him; when all he gave her was pain and suffering.

"Haha, I knew it; someone special like you can never die so easily."

At this moment, the silence on the battlefield was broken by the loud laughter of Orochimaru.

Orochimaru seemed to be happy after seeing Kozuki alive.

"Give me a minute, let me finish this disgusting snake."

Hearing his laughter, Kozuki said to Kurenai, who, a bit absent-minded, let go of him.

"I told you earlier, Orochimaru, you shouldn't have attacked this village, and now you'll pay for it."

Kozuki said while looking towards Orochimaru, whose expression suddenly changed after hearing his words.

"He's still the same"

A smile appeared under the mask of Kakashi, who knew Kozuki was still the same and never hated the village which betrayed him.

Orochimaru waved his hand, and all the Reanimated Shinobi came in front of him, trying to protect him.

"Today, I'll let you see what despair is, Orochimaru."

Kozuki said while looking at Orochimaru as the space around him suddenly fluctuated, and a red shade appeared around the eyes of Kozuki.

"Sage mode"

Jiraya recognized it but immediately remembered that he once gave Kozuki a scroll of Mount Myoboku.

"This guy didn't use his full strength fighting big brother."

Tobirama was a bit emotional as he never expected his big brother to lose to someone who didn't go all out.

The expression on the face of Orochimaru became even more ugly. However, he still believed reanimated Shinobi should provide him enough time to retreat.

"I still can't see the despair on your face, Orochimaru?"

Kozuki's toad-like red pupils looked at Orochimaru with interest.

"This still isn't his full strength."

Minato and the rest were surprised by the words of Kozuki as they didn't expect him to still retain his strength.

"Orochimaru, have you ever seen a Shinigami?"

Kozuki said to Orochimaru, and the next moment, a terrifying pressure enveloped the whole village, and deathly feeling spread around.

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