The morning came too fast.
BANG BANG BANG
Someone pounding on my door. Hard. Impatient.
I opened my eyes. The ceiling was cracked. Water stain in the corner. My apartment smelled like old rice and regret.
BANG
I'm coming.
I opened the door. Naruto stood there. His hair was wild. His eyes were bright. Too bright.
Get dressed! The ceremony is in an hour!
I looked down at my clothes. Same ones from the battle. Dried blood. Burn marks. Ash.
These are all I have.
Naruto's face fell. His shoulders dropped.
Oh.
Hah. A soft laugh from behind him. Kakashi leaned against the wall. His mask was clean. His hair was brushed. His empty sleeve was pinned neatly.
Don't worry. Tsunade prepared something.
He tossed a bundle at me. Black fabric. Soft.
Wear that.
I caught it. A cloak. Black with red clouds.
My stomach turned.
This is...
Akatsuki. Yes. She had it made special. To remind everyone what you fought against.
I stared at the cloak. The red clouds looked like blood on snow.
I can't wear this.
Naruto grabbed my shoulder. His fingers were warm.
It's not about the cloak, Shin. It's about what you did. Wear it. Or don't. Just come.
He walked away. His sandals slapped the floor.
SLAP SLAP SLAP
Kakashi looked at me. His visible eye crinkled.
You know. The village threw me a ceremony once. After the war. After Obito died.
What did you wear?
My uniform. Same one I wore when I watched him die.
He turned. Walked away.
SLAP SLAP SLAP
I put on the cloak.
The ceremony was in the main square. Thousands of people. Faces pressed against windows. Children on shoulders.
A stage stood in the middle. Wooden. New. Built overnight.
Tsunade stood at the podium. Her voice boomed across the crowd.
TODAY WE HONOR THOSE WHO SAVED OUR WORLD!
CHEERING
Loud. So loud.
Naruto stood to her left. Sasuke to her right. Kakashi behind them.
I stood at the edge. Behind everyone. Where ghosts belong.
Tsunade called names. One by one.
NARUTO UZUMAKI!
He stepped forward. The crowd screamed. He raised his hand. Waved. His smile was wide. But I saw his other hand. Clenched at his side. Shaking.
SASUKE UCHIHA!
Silence.
Then slow claps. A few cheers. Mostly quiet.
Sasuke's face did not change. His eyes scanned the crowd. Cold. Distant.
Tch. He stepped back.
KAKASHI HATAKE!
Kakashi limped forward. Raised his one hand.
CHEERING
He waved. His eye smiled. Then he stepped back.
AND... SHIN ANARO!
The crowd went quiet.
I stepped forward. The black cloak moved in the wind. The red clouds flashed in the sun.
Whispers. Thousands of whispers.
Who is he?
I've never seen him.
He killed Kaguya?
Look at his cloak...
I stopped next to Tsunade. Looked at the crowd. All those faces. All those eyes.
My mouth opened. No sound came.
Naruto elbowed me. Soft.
Say something, ghost.
I looked at the sky. Blue. Normal. Then at the people.
I am Shin Anaro.
Silence.
I was a genin. Never passed the exam. Never mattered.
Someone coughed.
Then I died. Madara killed me.
A child whispered. Mommy?
I woke up. With power. Power I did not earn. Power I took from the dead.
Sasuke shifted behind me. His voice low.
What is he doing?
Let him speak. Kakashi's voice.
I used that power to kill Kaguya. To save the world.
I looked at my hands. The cloak sleeves hung over my wrists.
But I am not a hero.
GASP
The crowd gasped. Tsunade's eyes widened.
Naruto stepped forward. His voice was sharp.
Shin...
I raised my hand. Stopped him.
Heroes are people who choose to be good. I did not choose this power. It chose me.
I looked at the crowd. At the children. At the old woman crying in the front row.
I will fight for you. I will die for you. Again if I have to.
My voice dropped. Low. Raw.
But do not worship me. Worship the dead. They are the real heroes.
Silence.
Then. One pair of hands clapping.
CLAP
Kakashi.
CLAP CLAP
Naruto.
CLAP CLAP CLAP
Sasuke.
Then the crowd. Thunder. Like rain on a roof.
CLAPPING SCREAMING CHEERING
I stepped back. My legs were shaking.
Naruto grabbed my arm. Pulled me close. His voice was a whisper in my ear.
That was stupid. And brave. And completely insane.
I know.
HAHAHA
He laughed. A real laugh. Loud. His laugh.
You really are one of us, ghost.
Sasuke walked past. His shoulder hit mine. Not hard. Not soft.
Hn. Not bad.
Kakashi appeared on my other side. His eye was soft.
Your father would be proud.
I blinked.
My father?
The nameless soldier who raised a son who saves worlds.
He walked away.
The ceremony ended. The crowd dispersed. The sun was high. Hot.
I stood alone on the stage. The black cloak felt heavy.
CRY
A baby somewhere. Crying.
LAUGHTER
Children playing.
SLAM
A door closing.
Normal sounds. Living sounds.
I touched my chest. The system hummed. Quiet. Waiting.
The voice inside my head. My voice.
You are not a hero. But maybe... maybe you can become one.
I stepped off the stage. Walked into the village.
The people nodded at me. Smiled. Moved aside.
I did not feel like a hero.
But for the first time.
I did not feel like a ghost either.