The Forest of Konoha.
After the fierce battle, the once-tranquil woods were now littered with poisoned needles, giving off a deadly aura like a battlefield straight out of hell.
Fatty, ever-loyal, silently returned to Yuuta's side like a steadfast guardian deity, standing ready to defend his master to the death.
With Fatty there, Yuuta finally relaxed.
He had to admit, Mizuki's sneak attack had rattled him more than he cared to show.
And that was only because Mizuki was a low-tier Chūnin with no access to serious jutsu. Had he used something like Fire Style, even the puppet might've been toast.
To be safe, Yuuta cautiously approached Mizuki's twitching body.
"W-Why…?"
Mizuki hadn't died yet. He was barely hanging on, his battered face twisted in disbelief as he looked up at Yuuta standing over him.
Yuuta sighed.
"Sorry, but I'm not a Sunagakure spy."
To be honest, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy's IQ.
Just because someone uses puppets doesn't automatically make them a Sand ninja, right?
Although… now that he thought about it, in this world, other than himself, that probably was true.
Mizuki's eyes widened, filled with shock, confusion, and… relief.
So he'd been wrong all along.
With a bitter grimace, Mizuki took his final breath and passed.
He died with his eyes open, still staring toward the sky.
In his pursuit of power, he'd been outwitted, and he died filled with regret.
"If there's a next life… try being a little smarter."
Yuuta knelt down, closing Mizuki's eyes with a rare moment of respect.
A gesture from one underdog to another.
Any other ninja might've hesitated, afraid of traps or death curses, but Yuuta wasn't a shinobi.
He was just a chef.
With the danger handled, Yuuta turned his gaze inward.
"System, Mizuki's dead, why isn't the mission complete?"
[Host, maybe try reading the mission description properly before complaining.]
The system's tone was, as always, serious and deadpan.
Hidden Mission: Save Naruto
Description: At this very moment, Naruto is suffering both physically and emotionally. As his big brother, it's your job to step up and bring him back!
Yuuta twitched.
"So killing Mizuki only saved his body… and now I have to fix his soul?"
[Congratulations, Host. Your intelligence exceeds Mizuki's.]
"...System, can't you just say I'm above average?"
[As your system, I am obligated to protect your dignity.]
"You mean lie to me."
[I said what I said.]
Yuuta rubbed his temples. There was no point arguing. In this world, the system was god.
So rather than risk blowing a gasket, he turned and walked over to Naruto.
The boy looked utterly broken.
Despite everything that had just happened, the chaos, the battle, even Mizuki's death, Naruto sat hunched over, silent and lifeless, surrounded by a heavy, suffocating aura.
"Naruto. Look up."
Something about the kid's defeated posture ignited Yuuta's frustration. His voice sharpened into a command.
Naruto flinched instinctively and slowly raised his head.
His eyes were blank, his expression hollow.
He looked like someone who'd been mentally wrecked, like a prisoner girl who'd been subjected to too many "experimental scenarios" in some unspeakable doujin.
Those eyes, vacant, dead, stared up at him.
But somehow, despite it all, there was still a trace of recognition in Naruto's gaze as he looked at his "big brother." A faint flicker of comfort. And so, the boy spoke his heart aloud:
"Big bro… do you think maybe I shouldn't have been born?"
Yuuta's expression hardened.
"Who told you that?"
Naruto hesitated. The struggle was written all over his face.
But in the end, perhaps just needing someone to confide in, he opened up.
"Mizuki-sensei… he told me I'm the Nine-Tails itself."
"That it's my fault so many people died. Even Iruka-sensei's parents…"
"He said… that's why everyone hates me, why they push me away…"
"So tell me, big bro… should I even be alive?"
His voice cracked as he spoke, building in emotion.
He wasn't stupid.
He'd noticed the way people looked at him for years, how the other kids avoided him. He just… didn't want to believe it.
He thought if he became Hokage, they'd finally accept him.
But Mizuki… had torn away the illusion and shoved the truth in his face.
The belief he'd clung to, the very dream that had carried him this far, was crumbling before his eyes.
Yuuta sighed heavily.
He remembered his own school days, how he'd been the lowest-ranking student, how he'd go out of his way to stir trouble just to get noticed by the girl he liked.
Instead, he became the class pariah.
Even the teacher had stopped bothering with him.
That kind of emotional isolation had nearly broken him. And Naruto… had endured far worse.
Yet despite everything, Naruto had still kept chasing his dream, with focus, with sincerity. He just wasn't clever enough to dodge the pain that came with it.
But now… his heart had cracked wide open.
So Yuuta reached out, placed a firm hand on Naruto's golden head, and gave a gentle, comforting rub.
His face lit up with a warm smile.
"Even if the world turns its back on you… Naruto, don't forget, you still have me. I'm your big brother now."
"Big bro…"
Naruto's vision blurred. His tears overflowed, streaming down his cheeks.
Yuuta chuckled.
"Look at you, crybaby. You really think you're gonna be Hokage like that?"
"Get up. Puff out that chest like a man!"
He gave Naruto a light punch to the chest, smiling as he said:
"Listen closely, you are no longer some demon fox. You are Uzumaki Naruto, of the Hidden Leaf Village."
"Got it?"
Naruto broke down completely.
For the first time in his life, that cold, lonely heart… felt warm.
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