Dark Naruto's words carried a dangerous logic. If he gave in, if he stopped resisting, then all the hatred would end.
Just as Naruto's trembling hand was about to reach out and accept this darker self, two figures suddenly tore through the gray, oppressive world. They appeared like cracks of light splitting open the darkness.
It was his childhood companions young Sasuke and little Hinata.
"Naruto!" shouted Sasuke, his childlike voice sharp and urgent.
"Don't listen to him, Naruto!" Hinata cried out, her voice trembling but firm.
Naruto froze in shock, his breath catching as he stared at them. "Sasuke? Hinata? How… how are you here?"
Dark Naruto's face twisted with rage, his scarlet glow flaring brighter. "Shut up! This is our inner world. Do not interfere!"
But little Hinata did not flinch. She glared back at the crimson-eyed shadow and rushed to Naruto's side. Her small hands reached for his, holding on tightly. "Naruto, don't let these dark feelings take over your heart. To me, you've always been the boy who never gave up. Positive, stubborn, full of youth and effort that is your true self."
Her words poured into Naruto's hollow chest like a warm spring, thawing the ice of despair.
Dark Naruto snarled, his face contorting. "Don't listen! Let go of your restraint, unleash everything, destroy it all!"
Sasuke stepped forward, his child-self locking eyes with Naruto. "You idiot. Didn't you always say you'd be Hokage? A beast can't become Hokage. These voices are nothing but shadows of the past. We'll face them together. Come back to us."
"But why should the past only be treated as shadows?" Dark Naruto spat, his voice cutting like venom. "They wronged us. They cursed us. Shouldn't they be judged? Shouldn't they pay?"
Hinata's eyes blazed with rare ferocity. "If a person is forever chained to the past, how can they ever have a future? Maybe people wronged you when you were a child, Naruto, but to me you are always bright and full of hope. That spirit of yours that's what gave me the courage to stand tall."
Her voice rose, fierce and unwavering. "Not just me. Others too. Shikamaru, Choji, even Sasuke here… they're your friends, your brothers. Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei they all care for you deeply. You've never been alone."
Sasuke nodded, his voice low but filled with conviction. "That's right. I was supposed to be consumed by darkness after my clan was destroyed. But you Naruto you pulled me back toward the light. And now you're ready to walk into the shadows yourself? Are you really going to abandon what you gave me?"
Naruto stood frozen. His wavering thoughts were suddenly anchored. Hinata's unwavering warmth, Sasuke's trust together they carved color into his black-and-white world.
Behind him, more figures began to emerge from the void. Shikamaru, Choji, Kakashi, Guy, Jiraiya, the Third Hokage… All of them stood silently, their presence radiating support.
Naruto's lips trembled, his voice almost a whisper. "That's right… I do have precious things. I'm not empty. I'm not just hate."
The crimson glow in his eyes began to fade, replaced with the vibrant blue of his true self. Color spread across half of the world behind him, painting life where once there was only gray.
Across from him, Dark Naruto remained in a bleak, colorless wasteland.
"Only beasts let their emotions rule them," Naruto said, his voice regaining its steady fire. "But I am Uzumaki Naruto. I'm no beast I'm human. A living, breathing person."
Dark Naruto roared in fury, his body unraveling into smoke and ash. "You can't escape me! Hatred never dies!"
Naruto didn't flinch. He turned instead to Sasuke and Hinata, his lips curving into a gentle smile. "Thank you… If you two hadn't come, I really might have fallen into the dark."
"Tch. You idiot. Always making people worry," Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms though relief softened his tone.
Hinata giggled softly, her cheeks flushed. "This is the Naruto I love seeing the real one. You're the most adorable when you're like this."
"A-adorable?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, embarrassed but grinning. "Man… that's embarrassing."
"Come on. Let's go back." He reached out his hands.
Both Sasuke and Hinata nodded, and the three of them vanished from the inner world.
Back in Naruto's room, a tense silence gripped the gathering of elders and mentors. Kakashi, Guy, the Third Hokage, Hiashi Hyuga, and Jiraiya were all waiting anxiously.
They knew exactly what Sasuke and Hinata had attempted to dive into Naruto's consciousness.
"Why did this happen?" Hiashi demanded, his brow furrowed. "Why did the Nine-Tails suddenly invade Naruto's mind?"
"With Naruto's current strength, he should have confronted the Nine-Tails long ago," Jiraiya said, turning toward the Third Hokage.
The old man nodded grimly.
"Then perhaps the seal weakened, letting too much chakra spill out?" Jiraiya guessed.
Kakashi shook his head. "No. Naruto's been studying sealing arts himself. If something went wrong with the seal, he'd be the first to notice."
"Then the Nine-Tails must have used some trick to tempt him," Jiraiya muttered, though even he sounded unsure.
None of them imagined the truth that Naruto had willingly tried to cooperate with the beast, to create a bond. And that attempt had dragged him into a whirlpool of the Nine-Tails' malice. To them, tailed beasts were nothing more than raw, destructive power. No one had ever thought to speak with them.
"Either way, we need to be ready," the Third Hokage said solemnly. "Kakashi, are the civilians evacuated?"
"Yes. I already had them moved," Kakashi confirmed. "Luckily this is the edge of the village. Not many lived here."
"Look!" Guy suddenly shouted, his sharp eyes fixed on Naruto's still body.
Everyone leaned in at once.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra… it's gone," Jiraiya breathed, surprise breaking across his face.
"They did it!" Guy cheered, punching his fist into his palm in excitement.
Kakashi lowered his headband to cover his Sharingan, finally relaxing. The Hokage and Hiashi both exhaled in relief.
And then, Naruto's eyes fluttered open. Sasuke and Hinata stirred beside him.
When they saw the room filled with mentors and leaders, their jaws dropped.
"You guys…" Naruto started, only for Guy to lunge forward and wrap him in a crushing embrace.
"Naruto! Thank goodness!" Guy's tears streamed freely.
He had taken Naruto as a disciple when the boy was small, raising him almost like his own son. During the silence earlier, he had been too terrified to speak, too afraid of losing him. Now, relief poured from his chest like a flood, heavy and overwhelming.
"Sensei…" Naruto murmured, caught in Guy's arms but smiling, radiant. For the first time, he truly understood he wasn't alone anymore. He had people who cared, people who worried. People who gave his life meaning.
And with that, Naruto's heart grew lighter. He knew people weren't meant to be trapped in the past. They were meant to step forward, toward the future.
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