Naruto: Set a goal, conquer the universe.

Page 81

Gaara's eyes flickered slightly.

Although he knew that Naruto was also a Jinchūriki, his account of what Naruto had experienced made his words all the more real.

Kakashi stood quietly to the side, listening to Naruto's recollections, his eyes filled with an indescribable complexity.

"They call me a 'demon fox'." Naruto's words carried a hint of bitterness. "They don't call me something like 'Nine-Tails Jinchuriki,' which sounds impressive, they just call me 'demon fox'!"

"When I walk down the street, adults hurriedly pull their children away, avoiding me like the plague. Shop owners, seeing me, will hide their goods or simply kick me out..."

Kakashi's gaze fell on Naruto's seemingly calm profile. He knew what these experiences meant for young Naruto—that deep-seated pain.

"At that time, I saw a mask that I really liked and wanted to buy it, but the shop owner would rather smash the mask than sell it to me!"

Gaara unconsciously held his breath as he listened to these descriptions.

He thought his experiences of being assassinated by his father, feared by the villagers, and betrayed by his closest relatives were dark and lonely enough.

But now, listening to Naruto's story, he understands how similar it is to the feeling of being collectively rejected, scorned, and subjected to passive-aggressive treatment by the entire environment.

What Naruto was referring to was a different kind of coldness, the icy gazes and malice from the crowd, rather than the bloody betrayal meticulously planned by the Sand Village's higher-ups.

He seemed to see another child abandoned by the world, his green eyes reflecting the equally dark past hidden beneath Naruto's blond hair.

"You..." Gaara opened his mouth, wanting to ask Naruto how he managed to endure all that malice.

This is a stark contrast to the feeling Naruto gives him now—warm, steadfast, like the sun.

Naruto understood the questioning look in Gaara's eyes, and gently patted Gaara's head with the hand he had placed there, as if trying to transfer power to him: "Isn't it strange that I've become like this?"

Chapter 12 Naruto's Past

He looked at Gaara, the heaviness in his eyes gradually replaced by a bright light, the light that shone when he recalled the warmth of the past: "Yes. Because I later met those who were good to me."

"At first, only my grandfather from three generations would come to see me regularly, give me living expenses, and bring me the supplies I needed. He could also spend more time with me when he had free time."

"And what I'm most grateful for is that I met the most important mentor in my life, Teacher Kai!"

Naruto seemed to see the youthful and passionate Might Guy in his mind's eye, and he gave him a thumbs up, revealing his white teeth!

"Regardless of what others think, Coach Kai only believes that I am a promising young man! He trains me with his physical skills, but more importantly, he always inspires me with his burning youth and tells me never to give up! He gave me my first decent goal and confidence in myself!"

He paused, his eyes growing warmer: "And then there was Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, and the others!"

"They didn't reject me because I was a 'fox spirit.' Instead, they treated me sincerely, which made me realize that the world is not only cold and dark, but also warm and bright. We just need to work hard to find it."

He looked at Gaara, his gaze becoming incredibly serious once more, filled with deep empathy: "I might also feel like the whole world is my enemy."

“Completely shut yourself off, and even become like you used to be, using hurting others to prove your existence or protect yourself.”

"Because no one teaches us how to be loved or how to love others, that kind of profound loneliness is like falling into a cold, deep well. I truly understand that feeling."

Kakashi raised his head and looked up at the sky. He thought of his father, his teacher and his teacher's wife, Obito and Rin.

He missed them terribly, and for some reason felt like crying, but he couldn't.

His tears had long since dried up.

He felt the same way Naruto described, and in fact, he felt it even more deeply than Naruto.

He watched his family, teachers, and friends die one by one before his eyes!

He was powerless to do anything about it. At that time, he felt that the whole world was dark and he could not see a single ray of light.

But a guy in green clothes pulled him out of the darkness.

With his thick skin and shameless spirit, he preserved his only light.

You not only saved me, but you also saved Naruto!

Gaara's pupils contracted. Naruto's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Gaara's heart.

The feeling he described was exactly how Gaara had described his own heart in the past.

He thought he was already desperate and unfortunate enough, never imagining that the blond boy in front of him, who was as warm as the sun, who shattered the Akatsuki organization and saved him from the brink of death, had such a dark past that he shared the same origin as him.

The warm sunlight shone on Gaara's face. His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded gently.

That wasn't agreement, it was more like understanding.

For the first time, my cold and hardened heart was touched by such a profound resonance.

“But this time I see the change in you, Gaara!” Naruto looked at Gaara with a joyful gaze.

"You've found someone important to you again, just like I have, and those people love and value you just as much!"

Gaara was stunned again; he didn't know who would value him.

If anyone truly values ​​him, it's probably Naruto, who is like the sun in his heart.

"It's not just me, your sister and your brother both care about you very much and love you dearly," Naruto said with a gentle smile, understanding his confusion.

"You don't know this yet, do you? Kankuro chased after two Akatsuki members because he wanted to save you, but unfortunately he was defeated by Sasori and couldn't save you."

"Your sister rushed back from Konoha overnight, without even having a chance to rest, just to come with us to rescue you."

"Don't you see their true intentions from this behavior? Gaara, you've found someone like that!" Naruto said, patting Gaara's hair.

"Temari, and Kankuro?" Gaara murmured to himself, a hint of tenderness and warmth appearing in his eyes.

Really? Now I have people I value, and people who value me too?

"Actually, this is all thanks to you, Naruto," Gaara said, looking deeply at Naruto.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"It's because I met you, and saw what you look like, that I want to be like you, so I'm working hard to change myself," Gaara said.

"Perhaps that's why I still yearn for light, which is why I was able to find warmth and light in this world."

Upon hearing Gaara's words, Kakashi glanced at Naruto.

Naruto, you may not know it yourself, but you actually possess the power to change others.

Sasuke was about to fall into the abyss of darkness, but you pulled him back to the light.

Even Hinata, the Third Hokage, and Tsunade all made changes because of you, because they chose to believe in you and entrusted their future to you.

Even I am the same.

Seeing that Hinata had exited Sage Mode, he slowly walked back.

Naruto helped Gaara up. "Alright, now let's wait for Sasuke to come back, and then we'll go back to Sunagakure together!"

“Uchiha, Sasuke? He’s here too?” Gaara asked.

“Yeah, that guy is having a heart-to-heart talk with Itachi. Let’s wait for him for a bit.” Naruto nodded.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Itachi arrived at a valley.

"Wind Release: Wind Barrier!" Sasuke raised his sword finger with one hand, using the air to isolate the surrounding sound.

Itachi calmly looked at Sasuke and said, "It's a pity, Sasuke. You failed to kill me last time, but you won't be so lucky this time. After all, I already know all about you."

"Stop acting, Itachi Uchiha!" Sasuke shouted through gritted teeth as he looked at Itachi.

A slight tremor appeared in Itachi's calm eyes.

"You're a spy who infiltrated the Akatsuki organization, aren't you!" Sasuke dropped a bombshell, causing Itachi's eyes to widen in disbelief.

“Sasuke, you…” Itachi’s feelings suddenly became complicated.

"I have learned the truth about everything from the Third Hokage!"

"The Uchiha clan's attempt to stage a coup, and the details of why you destroyed the Uchiha clan!" Sasuke interrupted Itachi before he could finish speaking, shouting loudly.

"You bastard!"

Chapter 13 Itachi's Autobiography

"Why do you bear the burden of everything on your own shoulders?"

"What gives you the right to manipulate my thoughts so brazenly?"

"Why should you play the role of the older brother who would do anything to protect me?"

Sasuke hysterically questioned Itachi, not even giving Itachi a chance to answer.

Itachi's initial shock at Sasuke knowing this secret gradually subsided as Sasuke asked him questions.

He watched silently as Sasuke vented his anger, a hint of guilt in his eyes.

After Sasuke calmed down, Itachi spoke up, "Although I don't know why the Third Hokage would tell you such top-secret information, he must have had his reasons."

“Sasuke!” Itachi said in a solemn tone.

"What?" Sasuke looked at him.

"I'm sorry!" Itachi's voice was deep and clear, carrying a calmness as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Sasuke clenched his fist tightly, staring intently at Itachi, waiting for his next words.

Itachi looked at Sasuke, his eyes showing no regret, only deep weariness and relief.

"You ask me why I have the right? I can only say that I was too arrogant back then."

He paused slightly, as if carefully choosing his words: "I arrogantly believed that only I had the capacity to bear that heavy truth, that despair caught between family and village."

"I've absurdly tied protecting Konoha to protecting you, making it a mission that only I can bear. I refuse to consider any other possibilities, and I refuse any help from others!"

“I was too confident, and too desperate.” Itachi looked directly into Sasuke’s eyes, no longer avoiding them. “I believe that with my own strength, I can break the chains of fate.”

"I saw the seemingly irreconcilable abyss between the Uchiha and Konoha, and I believed that there was no other way to save my life except by cutting off my own flesh. I did not believe that anyone else could find a third way."

"So you chose the most extreme path? And took everything upon yourself?" Sasuke's voice trembled, filled with both anger and heartache.

“Yes,” Itachi readily admitted. “Back then, I only believed in myself, and I was only willing to believe that my final decision would achieve my goal.”

"Destroy your clan to prevent internal strife in Konoha, and in exchange for your future."

"The mistakes of the Uchiha clan will vanish with my death, and the glory of the Uchiha clan will be inherited by you. This is the only clean path I believe I can leave for you."

"To manipulate your thoughts is the deepest sin I have ever committed against you."

"It was my selfishness and arrogance that made me believe that only hatred for me and that deep-seated revenge could become your sole motivation to live and become stronger."

“I used illusions and lies to erase your right to know the truth and twisted the bond between us, because I stubbornly believed that carrying hatred for me and ultimately killing me was the only way for you to gain the power to protect yourself.”

"I deny your possibility, Sasuke."

Itachi paused, his tone becoming even more somber: "But I was wrong, Sasuke. This dark path, chosen unilaterally by me, will not bring you a clean future, but rather a labyrinth of deeper pain and hatred."

“I underestimated the destructive power of losing everything on the soul, and I underestimated you even more. I treated you like a child and unilaterally decided what to carry and what to let go of for you. This is the greatest arrogance and also a lack of trust in you.”

Sasuke's chest heaved as Itachi's analysis, precise like a scalpel, struck at the deepest part of his heart.

Itachi not only carried the darkness of the Uchiha clan, but also tried to shield Sasuke from that darkness, only to push Sasuke into an even deeper vortex.

Sasuke recalled that day. He had happily returned home, wanting to share his training progress with his parents and Itachi. But what he found instead was a scene of carnage: the deaths of his parents and Itachi's cold gaze!

Thinking back to my dazed state in the hospital, that slap that wasn't too hard or too soft, and Naruto's face.

"If it weren't for Naruto, I might have already completely fallen into darkness, becoming a complete avenger, without light, without a future, without comrades."

"Even if I do manage to get my revenge and kill you, but!" Sasuke said earnestly to Itachi, "that's definitely not the path I want to take!"

"Sasuke, you are lucky because you have trustworthy companions by your side and don't have to rely on yourself to go alone."

"I'm so glad you found a brother who can pull you out of the darkness!"

“You’ve grown up now, and I’m no longer in a position to decide anything for you, Sasuke.” Itachi’s gaze softened. “The future of the Uchiha clan, and the choices you make for your future, are all things you must create yourself.”

“I shouldn’t treat you like a child anymore, carrying all the burdens on my own shoulders.”

After listening to everything Itachi said—his self-denial and entrusting the future of the Uchiha clan to him—Sasuke looked at Itachi with a complicated expression.

“The souls of the Uchiha clan must be taken up by someone. I am ready. If you are ready, you can come to me at any time.”

"With your current strength and the companions around you, I have nothing to worry about anymore. My eyes are ready for you to take at any time."

Sasuke clenched his fists; his Mangekyou Sharingan was indeed showing signs of vision loss.

Even with Sage Mode, the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan inevitably began to deplete.

"Let's talk about that later!"