Naruto opened his eyes, and standing before him was none other than Kakashi Hatake.
"Kakashi… sensei?"
"Yeah, it's me. I'm back." Kakashi had already put his black eye cover back on, just like before, slanted over his left eye.
His severed right arm had been restored, though the skin was noticeably paler than before.
Both of his lost eyes had clearly been transplanted anew, but the exposed right eye looked completely ordinary. As for why the left eye was specifically covered again, it wasn't clear.
Naruto had no state of mind to dwell on such details. After a brief pause, he spoke in a low, hoarse voice. "I see… so that's why Orochimaru took you. If that was the reason, he could've just said it outright. Why go through all that trouble?"
Saying it outright would have been meaningless. At the time, Sasuke's goal had been to buy time.
"So… you already know everything, right? Kakashi-sensei."
"…Yeah, I know." Kakashi's voice was heavy. "Sorry. I didn't make it in time for anything."
Naruto gave a faint smile. "Even if you had, you'd just be another corpse… or one of those Divine Tree monsters."
The smile faded. His expression turned serious. "Kakashi-sensei… from now on, the burden of Hokage… falls back onto your shoulders."
Even someone as slow to realize things as him understood.
What shattered tonight wasn't just his life.
It was his dream of becoming Hokage.
"…Yeah. I'm prepared for that," Kakashi replied quietly.
"I'm sorry, sensei… When you handed the village to me, it was at its peak. And now… it's…" Naruto's voice broke before he could finish. Tears streamed uncontrollably.
Kakashi said nothing. There were no words that could cover something this heavy. Anything he said would be irresponsible—not just to Naruto, but to the dead.
All he could do was offer his shoulder, letting Naruto's tears soak into it, easing his regret just a little.
"What… are you planning to do next?" Kakashi asked, his tone low and solemn.
Naruto lowered his gaze, fists clenched tight. "I… I don't have the face to stay with everyone anymore. The only thing I can do now… is take responsibility with my actions. Pay for my arrogance."
"…Is that really the right choice?" Kakashi asked.
"There's nothing wrong with it. Isshiki spared me and the others because he no longer saw any value in killing us. Kawaki is gone. There's no reason for him to come back."
Kakashi's eyes shifted slightly. "Naruto… what do you think about Uchiha Akira now?"
The moment Akira's name was mentioned, Naruto's face turned cold.
The resentment buried deep inside him found an outlet and erupted like a volcano.
"What do I think? He said all the right things, took all the easy fights! Just like he said—he only does what's within his ability! Momoshiki, Delta—he rushed in for those. But when it came to Isshiki, the real fight? He vanished!"
"Didn't he say he took the Tailed Beasts' power to fight Isshiki?! Isshiki destroyed the village—and where was he?!"
"All talk, no responsibility! A coward who avoids risk!"
"Not only did he fail to show up… he even secretly revived Kaguya—the same Kaguya we sacrificed countless lives to seal during the Fourth Great Ninja War, with the help of the Sage of Six Paths!"
"That stubborn bastard… does he even know what he's doing?!"
Kakashi frowned deeply. "Naruto… at this point, do you really think this is Akira's fault?"
Naruto shook his head in pain. "No… it's not entirely his fault. And that's exactly why it hurts so much!"
"At least half of it is his responsibility! If he hadn't revived Kaguya on his own, the Sage wouldn't have hesitated when we had the chance to kill Isshiki! We wouldn't have let him escape!"
"Isshiki wouldn't have gained overwhelming power, come back, and catch everyone off guard! Sasuke… Sasuke wouldn't have died! Hinata wouldn't have lost herself! Iruka-sensei wouldn't have died!"
Naruto squeezed his eyes shut again, tears pouring down.
"Sasuke… he even defended Akira! Said maybe Akira revived Kaguya to gain her help against Isshiki!"
"And this is how Akira repaid that trust?! Sasuke believed in him… and for what?!"
Inside, the Sage of Six Paths felt a sense of relief. Naruto… good. I was worried you'd lose yourself after this defeat. But seeing you still able to judge right from wrong… that's good. I'm proud of you.
Kakashi sighed inwardly, closing his eyes.
Naruto wiped his tears fiercely and spoke with determination. "Kakashi-sensei, don't misunderstand! I'm not denying my own responsibility!"
"I've realized it completely! Keeping Kawaki by my side when I didn't have the strength to protect him… was the stupidest decision I've ever made!"
"I'll own my mistakes! I'll pay for them!"
"Kawaki has been marked again by Isshiki. I will find him!"
"When I do, I'll protect him—but this time, I won't drag the village into it. I'll do it alone. I'll protect him while searching for a way to remove the Kāma!"
"And if… if after everything, I still can't remove it…" Naruto shut his eyes, his body trembling as he forced himself to say it. "Then… I'll kill Kawaki myself!"
"And Hinata… whatever that mind-altering technique is, there has to be a way to undo it. I'll find her, defeat her, and wake her up! I believe it—I have to believe it!"
"I'll learn from my past mistakes. This time, before I act, I'll measure myself properly. I won't charge in blindly anymore. Until I'm absolutely certain… I won't act!"
"Kakashi-sensei… I'm sorry for leaving you with this mess. The village… I'm counting on you."
Kakashi didn't know what to feel.
A suffocating helplessness coiled around his heart like a serpent.
Naruto… after thirty-two years of charging forward down a one-way path, that momentum… is it really this hard to stop?
He wasn't satisfied with Naruto's answer.
But all he could do was sigh.
Naruto had learned something from his failure, but his core nature remained unchanged. He had always been the one changing others, never someone shaken at his core.
The threshold for his true awakening was far higher than Sasuke's.
And now… Kakashi no longer had the authority—or the strength—to lecture him.
"…Do you want to say goodbye to everyone?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto looked at the distant villagers avoiding him. The distance between them was painfully clear.
He clenched his fists and said firmly, "I don't have the face to face them right now."
"So I'll prove it with my actions! I'll earn their trust again! And one day… I'll be recognized again! I'll become the Hokage they believe in!"
Naruto left.
He walked through the mountain path as rain fell against his face.
Silent. Heavy.
In truth, only he knew—
What he said about Akira earlier… more than half of it had been anger, words spoken in a moment of emotional overflow.
Deep down, he blamed himself far more than he blamed Akira.
He regretted it… regretted ignoring Akira's warnings before.
Regretted not taking Isshiki seriously.
Even though he was angry at Akira's absence… he couldn't truly see him as an enemy.
"…Sage of Six Paths."
"Yes, Naruto. Say what's on your mind."
"About Kaguya… I want to wait and observe a little longer…"
"Say it clearly. No need to hold back."
"I know Sasuke… he doesn't trust people easily. But he made an exception this time. So… I want to try trusting what Sasuke believes in. Is that okay?"
Afraid of displeasing him, Naruto hurried to add, "It's not just that. Kaguya has been revived for at least two days now… and she hasn't done anything bad."
"And… my mind is a mess right now. A complete mess. I don't even know what to deal with first."
"Just… give me some time. Let me sort things out, okay?"
The Sage sighed softly. After everything that had happened… he couldn't bring himself to push Naruto further.
"…Do as you wish, this time."
"Gero, gero~!"
Ripples spread across the water as a toad leapt onto a lotus leaf.
Naruto stopped, extending his hand. The toad hopped onto his palm.
"Gero, gero~!"
"Toad message!?"
It was a message from Mount Myoboku—something he hadn't received in a long time.
"—Naruto, the Great Toad Sage has a new prophecy. Come at once!"
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