"I don't understand!" Naruto said in frustration, pacing in restless circles in the street outside the Hokage Residence. "How could Pervy Sage even think of talking things out with Orochimaru after everything he's done to the village? We even caught him trying to take Sakura-chan's eyes!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had been kicked out of the building so the adults could settle matters amongst themselves, free from further adolescent outbursts. Sasuke and Sakura had quietly accepted this turn of events, each more preoccupied with other matters, so Naruto decided he would act out enough indignation for all three of them all by himself.
But before long, Naruto could no longer ignore the gravelly voice whispering at the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and entered his inner world, confronting the Nine‑Tails outside its prison before the Eight Trigrams Seal, represented in his psyche as a set of metal bars separating them.
'What is it now?' Naruto said in annoyance. 'Yakking away in my ear, are you feeling lonely or something, ya know?'
'Don't tell me you haven't noticed,' the Demon Fox said, baring his fangs in a self-satisfied manner. 'And you call yourself their teammate?'
How could Naruto have failed to notice something strange about those two? Of course he had. The thought of never seeing Granny Tsunade again left a dull ache in his chest. She had been as close to a mother as he'd ever known, just as Pervy Sage was something of a father to him. They all carried that loss, he was sure of it, but deep down, he knew Sakura's grief must cut deeper still than his own.
Tsunade had been Sakura's teacher, after all… and from his viewpoint as an orphan, teachers were family too, every bit as much as those bound by blood. So, he'd gone on babbling and yapping in her ears, doing whatever he could to keep her from sinking into her own sorrow…
'Wrong, your little friends are far past grief.' the Demon Fox said, grinning toothily. 'They aren't drowning in sorrow, but rather in hatred … and I would know, I'm the incarnation of hate! I can feel their fury quite keenly, hehe…'
Naruto glared at the gigantic, orange fox.
'What's the matter, Naruto?' said the Demon Fox snidely. 'Got nothing to say back to me? Aren't you going to tell me I'm wrong?'
Naruto knew the Nine-Tails was just trying to trip him up again, trying to trick him into accepting his malice-tinged chakra, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the fox was right. It was as if an impassable gulf had opened between himself, Sakura and Sasuke ever since their return…
'Oh, but I wouldn't worry about feeling lonely just yet,' said the Demon Fox mirthfully. 'You'll be just like them in no time; war has a way of bringing out hatred in you humans… as soon as the killing starts, you'll be drowning in it too… Mark my words, you'll beg me to come out and fight your battles, if only for a brief respite from the pain…!'
Humans were all the same. Kurama had been watching them for a long, long time; at first glance, Naruto might seem different, but at the end of the day, put him under a little pain, and he'd turn out just like the rest of them.
It was a shame, really. Deep down, he had been hoping to be proven wro…
'Are you almost done?' Naruto said defiantly.
'Listen to what I'm trying to tell you, Naruto,' said the Demon Fox irritably. 'Hatred is synonymous with humanity. The day the last embers of hatred are snuffed out is the day the last human has died out. So, you might as well give up now and hand me your body to spare yourself the pain…!'
If Naruto didn't know any better, he would have thought the Nine-Tails was actually trying to look out for him. But if the fox was telling the truth, and that his friends were losing themselves in hatred, then how was he supposed to make them feel better without knowing exactly how they felt? Anything he might say otherwise would sound hollow…
"Naruto."
Startled, Naruto looked up and saw that Sakura looking at him.
"Sakura-chan…?"
"Can you promise me something?" she said tremulously, "It might not make sense to you now, but it's important all the same…"
Naruto's mouth went dry. He nodded stiffly.
"Promise me that, no matter what happens, you'll never change," Sakura said softly. "Even if I, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, or however many of our comrades die, you'll always be the same Naruto we all know and love. I know this might sound hypocritical, given that even I don't know what I would do if something happened to any of you… but you mustn't ever give in to your anger. You're the best out of all of us, so if you give in, it's all over… for everyone."
Even though Naruto couldn't completely understand what Sakura was going through, there was more to empathy than shared pain. Unlike Sasuke, who liked stewing in his own misery, Naruto had actually made an effort to make her feel better, and to Sakura, that was something that mattered.
"Y-Yeah, okay," he stammered. "I don't really get it, ya know, but I promise, Sakura-chan."
"Ah, but I know you'd have stayed the same old Naruto even if I hadn't said anything!" Sakura babbled, her face flushing as she suddenly felt a little self-conscious. "I believe in you!"
The Nine-Tails was stunned.
Somehow, even if only by a little, just hearing a few words from Naruto had calmed the hatred raging in his pink‑haired teammate… and amazingly, the hatred in Sasuke's heart seemed to ease as well. Everyone on Team 7 had gone through trials and tribulations together, and each of them affected the others in turn. Naruto's determination inspired Sakura, whose love in turn inspired Sasuke, whose rivalry at last inspired Naruto again, closing the loop.
Seeing Sakura make a conscious effort to let go of some of her own hatred, knowing she felt the same emotions he did, had resonated with Sasuke on a deep level. He still couldn't forgive Danzō, and he suspected Sakura couldn't either, after everything he'd heard about the Gokage Summit… but in that moment, he couldn't help thinking of the First Hokage's words:
'It sounds like you have great friends and a great brother,' Hashirama had told him. 'Very well, I'll tell you what makes the Hidden Leaf the best village in the entire world. I can't speak for your brother or your girlfriend, but what makes the village worth all the trouble is the way it unites our hearts as one. Just think about it— thousands of people gathered together in one place, chasing a single dream: a hope for a better future... though to different people, it might take on a different shape.'
The first Hokage had then smiled.
'Isn't that just the very best?' he said. 'In my lifetime, I did everything to protect that dream… including striking down my very best friend.'
"Was it worth it? Maybe if you're callous enough to look past the tragedies the Hidden Leaf has caused," Sasuke scoffed to himself, watching enviously as Sakura stood on the tip of her toes to kiss Naruto's forehead. "Hrngh…"