Naruto Uzumaki's life continued onward.
When his hand clasped that of the Fifth Kazekage, the strength carried in that gesture seemed to far surpass the power of any written agreement.
Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha.
Gaara of the Sunagakure ninja village.
Behind each of them stood their comrades, as well as villagers who had come to see them off.
Looking at the boy across from him, the one with the character "love" carved into his forehead, how could that gentle, restrained smile be compared to the twisted, bloodthirsty shura of three years ago?
At that moment, some of the young Uchiha even found themselves imagining a scene where they, too, stood shaking hands with ninja from other Konoha clans. Behind them would be their old Academy classmates, mission partners, and even Konoha's civilians…
If they had a choice, they never wanted to solve things through a coup.
Yet once the idea of a coup had been raised, their emotions were dragged along, growing increasingly volatile and extreme. Whenever they faced setbacks or the slightest dissatisfaction, instead of thinking about how to resolve the issue, they blamed everything on Konoha's prejudice, hoping to use a coup to fix all problems at once.
'If you really think about it, can a coup actually solve all of our problems?'
'Even if the coup succeeded, would the villagers truly welcome the Uchiha the way Sunagakure welcomed their Fifth Kazekage?'
Shisui thought that in this environment, there were probably already people who could see it clearly. The Uchiha's dissatisfaction with Konoha's attitude toward them was like that of a child who couldn't find friends, trying to snatch all the toys and force everyone else to play only with them.
Beneath that willful behavior was a nature that feared loneliness, yet was clumsy at expressing itself.
...
Tenchi Bridge, reunion with Orochimaru.
After three years of relentless training, Naruto Uzumaki's conviction had never wavered. No matter what, he would bring Sasuke back to Konoha.
Feeling Naruto's resolve, child Sasuke, through this strange experience, had already accumulated the life experiences of someone around fifteen years old.
"Give Sasuke back!!"
"Don't talk about him in front of me…"
"Like Sasuke is your personal property!!!"
Three tails of the fox cloak…
Four tails of the fox cloak…
The searing pain of his body burning, combined with the corrosive will of the Nine-Tails gnawing at his mind, left child Sasuke—who lacked real-life experience—suffering beyond measure.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke, having endured pain of the same magnitude before, possessed far greater mental endurance than most of the Uchiha Clan.
So while the others struggled with all their might just to endure the pain, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
—How much had that idiot sacrificed to pull someone like him back?
—All for the sake of a "friend."
—Was it really worth it?
—for someone like him?
Naruto…
"Because I'm too weak, Sasuke won't even look at me."
"Because I'm too weak, I couldn't stop Sasuke from leaving."
"So no matter what it costs, I have to become stronger…"
Watching Naruto lose control under the Nine-Tails' rage, unable to tell friend from foe, his skin and blood corroded by the beast's malice, then healed by tailed beast chakra, only to be corroded again and healed again, over and over—
Every single time Naruto Uzumaki tried to protect something, he paid a price that ordinary people could never imagine.
The Nine-Tails' poison alone had left Sakura Haruno, who had only suffered a light physical blow, severely injured, forcing her to stop and rest during the following mission.
What finally restrained him was Yamato's Wood Release seal, brutal enough to resemble torture.
When Naruto realized that he had injured Sakura himself, the fear in his heart transmitted directly into the consciousness of Sasuke, Obito, and the entire Uchiha Clan.
Even the Uchiha were filled with emotions they couldn't understand.
—Why?
—Why push yourself this far, all for Sasuke Uchiha?
—Why, even at this point, would you still refuse to give up?
"I used to…"
"…hate Sasuke the most."
Coincidentally, Sai, who had been assigned to the new Team 7 by Danzō himself, asked the same question.
Both the child Sasuke and the Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke froze at the same time.
Immersed in Naruto Uzumaki's consciousness, they heard him say:
"Sasuke and I are the same. We both don't have families. He's an elite genius, and I'm a hopeless dead last. But when I'm with him…"
The three versions of Sasuke Uchiha held their breath.
"When I'm with him, I don't feel like I'm alone."
"He's the most special person in the world to me, the one we mutually acknowledge."
"He is…"
"…the most important person to me."
Those simple words completely broke Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke.
His mind filled with the image of himself desperately chasing after Itachi, never able to catch up no matter how hard he tried.
This was the bond he had been so determined to sever.
And at this moment, Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke understood clearly that if Naruto Uzumaki were to die, he would never meet someone like him again in this lifetime.
Someone who would never give up on him, even until death.
Someone who would desperately strive to become stronger for his sake.
Someone who would keep chasing after him, no matter what.
"Sasuke is my most important friend, my most precious bond."
"No matter who the enemy is, if they try to hurt Sasuke, I won't forgive them!!"
Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, and Itachi listened quietly as the boy spoke.
—In his mind was the image of Sasuke awkwardly handing over a lunchbox.
"If my arms are broken, then I'll kick him to death!"
—The scene in the Land of Waves, where Sasuke was covered in senbon and said protecting Naruto was his instinct.
Child Sasuke slowly widened his eyes inside Naruto's consciousness.
"If my legs break too, I'll crawl over and bite him to death!"
—The moment during the Chūnin Exams when, facing an unbeatable Gaara, Sasuke turned back and said he would never again let someone important die in front of his eyes.
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke clenched his teeth hard inside Naruto's consciousness.
"If my neck breaks too!"
"I'll glare him to death!!! And if my eyes are gone too, I'll curse him to death!!"
The entire Uchiha Clan felt Naruto Uzumaki's unwavering resolve at that moment.
"Even if I'm torn apart, I'll still rescue Sasuke from Orochimaru!!"
As if stripped of all armor, Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke finally realized that the idiot, that fool, had once said words like these.
'This…'
'Are they really friends?'
'Have I misunderstood what friendship even means?'
'The Second Hokage said the Uchiha sealed away their emotions, but when you're dealing with someone like Naruto Uzumaki… how could you not unseal them?!'
'Damn it, I kind of want a friend like that too.'
'I honestly don't know whether to feel happy for Sasuke Uchiha or pity him.'
'Is this illusion being shown to the whole world again? Please don't. I've got a bad feeling other villages will start thinking all Konoha ninja are weird…'
Having existed inside Naruto Uzumaki's consciousness for more than ten years, they still remembered who they were, yet they had long since stopped saying things like, "The honor of the Uchiha Clan."
Instead, without realizing it, their thinking had shifted along with Naruto's, into something like:
"We Konoha ninja all…"
Unlike those young Uchiha ninja, the different versions of Obito were thinking about how Sasuke and Naruto felt strangely similar to himself and Kakashi. That realization alone made him feel a sudden, aching sympathy for Naruto.
"You're a lot like my brother."
Child Sasuke: That substitute named Sai?! What kind of cheesy opening line is that?!!
"Always nagging, reckless with everything you do, and zero taste."
Child Sasuke: Hah—ptoo!
…
"Even your… never mind. That's something you can't compete in."
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke: …
His fist slowly clenched.
Child Sasuke: I want that guy Sai dead!! I'll bite him to death!!
Among the Uchiha Clan, some stayed silent, while others laughed.
Shisui Uchiha, for example, wore a classic schadenfreude smile.
Obito: Damn it, that just reminded me of that bastard Might Guy!
Sai: "I remember now! The drawing I wanted to show my brother!"
'Another one…'
'How many is this now? Ever since the Kazekage…'
'Yet another person saved by Naruto.'
'Honestly, this feeling of saving someone isn't so bad.'
Aside from the few versions of Sasuke Uchiha, the rest of the Uchiha within Naruto's consciousness showed genuine smiles.
'As long as we bring Sasuke back, the mission should be finished.'
'We've already infiltrated the enemy's base. Finding Sasuke Uchiha shouldn't be too difficult.'
'I don't even know how long it's been outside the illusion. It feels like I lived through Naruto Uzumaki's entire life… but honestly, it wasn't bad.'
Boom—!!
Three years later.
Standing from Naruto's perspective, Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke looked at the version of himself from one year earlier.
…
Saying those naïve words, Naruto… when in truth, I was the most naïve fool of all.
I stupidly believed that as long as I cut off my bonds, I'd never have to fear losing anything again.
"Isn't your dream to become Hokage? Instead of wasting time chasing after me, you should hurry up and train, right, Naruto?"
"How could someone who can't even save a single comrade ever become Hokage? Isn't that right, Sasuke?"
The instant Sasuke drew his blade and attacked Naruto, all the Uchiha existing within Naruto's consciousness gasped in shock.
Fortunately, Sai stopped him.
These were scenes that Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke had already lived through…
["One last piece of advice…"]
["Don't kill Naruto."]
["Otherwise, you'll regret it."]
The Nine-Tails' warning resurfaced much later. He didn't know whether Naruto in the other world was still safe.
Existing within the consciousness of Naruto from the past, Sasuke Uchiha from the Fourth Shinobi War era heard Naruto's grief-stricken voice echoing in his mind.
Once again, he failed to stop Sasuke.
I…
…am too weak.
"Ugh… ngh…"
!!!!
Fourth Shinobi War Sasuke's expression shifted.
That guy Naruto… he's crying?
Within Naruto's consciousness, he could even feel the coldness of the floor, the bitterness and unwillingness in his heart as his forehead pressed against the ground.
That idiot…
Was he really crying this hard?
Mission failed.
Train even harder.
The death of Asuma Sarutobi surprised the Uchiha somewhat. After all, he was the Third Hokage's biological son, one of the pillars of the Sarutobi Clan, and his strength was unquestionably formidable.
News soon spread of the Akatsuki attacking Jinchūriki across the ninja world, succeeding one after another.
Wind Release: Rasenshuriken shocked everyone, but the price was an arm injury that refused to heal.
The S-rank jutsu he had painstakingly developed was forced to become a forbidden technique.
That bitterness was something perhaps only the Second Hokage could truly understand.
Konoha soon received news that Sasuke Uchiha had killed Orochimaru and taken over his forces. When the Fifth Hokage told Naruto, he believed Sasuke was finally coming back, and he was so happy he didn't know what to do with himself.
However, almost immediately…
Many members of the Uchiha Clan felt their hearts sink after hearing Tsunade's next words.
"He's rushing toward Itachi Uchiha's location."
"His objective is…"
"To kill him, at any cost."