Night had fallen on the Akatsuki lair. Naruto couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the face of the young Iwa ninja he had killed.
His fists trembled. "It was him or me… I had no choice." But a voice in his mind whispered, "You had a choice. And you chose the path of blood."
Kurama growled into his chakra cage. "What, you're already sorry? You've shown your true colors. Go on, become a demon everyone will fear."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "No… I don't want to be a demon. I want to be recognized."
The Conversation with Obito
The next day, Obito came to him. "You haven't slept. You're thinking about that boy, aren't you?"
Naruto looked up, surprised that Obito could read him so easily. "I did what you asked. But… why do I feel empty?"
Obito placed an icy hand on his shoulder. "It's normal. The world is a lie where only the strong survive. Pain is proof that you're growing." "So… should I keep killing?"
Obito smiled behind his mask. "If you want to build a new world, yes. Compassion is a weakness. Forget who you were. Become who you must be."
Naruto's Decision
Naruto stood up abruptly. "You don't understand! I want to be respected, not feared!"
Konan, who had been watching from afar, calmly intervened. "Naruto, if you refuse this path, you won't belong here. The Akatsuki is not a family." It's a weapon.
Naruto remained silent, rage boiling inside him. Deep down, he knew he was no longer Konoha's child... but he wasn't a true member of the Akatsuki either. He stood between two worlds.
The Nightmare of Nightmares
That night, Naruto had a nightmare. He saw Konoha again, its inhabitants, the children laughing together as he was rejected. Then the image of the Iwa ninja, his blood on his hands.
Behind him, a huge shadow appeared: a monstrous figure, half-human, half-fox.
Kurama's voice echoed: "You are me... and I am you. You will not escape what you are becoming."
Naruto woke up in a sweat, his heart pounding.