Neji Hyūga's words caused Sasuke to instinctively release the collar he had been gripping.
He staggered backward several steps blankly.
"Do you understand now, Sasuke Uchiha?"
Neji quietly looked at him.
"We both experienced loss."
"So I understand you."
"The reason I said you're luckier than …"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Is because back then, I didn't even have the possibility of revenge."
Those words contained the deepest secret hidden within Neji's heart.
And at this mont—
Sasuke understood the crushing weight behind them completely.
"I…"
"I didn't kno—"
Sasuke suddenly froze.
Then sharply caught the key word hidden within Neji's sentence.
"Back then?"
"Yes."
Neji slowly rewrapped the bandages across his forehead, covering the Caged Bird Seal once more.
"That was before I t Naruto Uzumaki."
Then he softly continued:
"The first ti I fought him at the Academy…"
"Or rather…"
Neji's face darkened slightly.
"The first ti he completely beat one-sidedly."
"Afterward, while I was still in the hospital, that idiot actually ca to apologize."
"What kind of person beats soone half to death and then imdiately acts like your friend afterward while chatting casually?"
Neji clicked his tongue lightly.
"Anyway…"
"He asked why I hated Hinata-sama."
"Why I hated the main family."
"Then he learned about the Caged Bird Seal."
Neji looked directly at Sasuke.
"Do you know what he said to ?"
"What?"
"'That's it?'"
Neji directly repeated Naruto's exact words from back then.
"'It's just a really complicated sealing technique.'"
"'I still don't fully understand the principles behind it yet.'"
"'But that's fine.'"
"'As long as I beco strong enough, I'll eventually find a way to break it!'"
The mont Neji spoke those words—
Sasuke could practically see Naruto's face in front of him.
That narcissistic, smug expression.
Annoying.
Yet sohow strangely reliable.
"The 'fate' I believed impossible to escape…"
Neji slowly clenched his fists.
"To him, it was rely a seal that could eventually be broken."
"Then suddenly…"
"I started wondering…"
"If I worked hard enough…"
"If I also beca as strong as him…"
"Then maybe…"
"Maybe my future could change too."
"As long as soone becos strong enough…"
"They can accomplish what they truly want."
"Even so-called fate…"
"Can be rewritten."
Sasuke fell completely silent listening to Neji's words.
He vaguely understood what Neji was trying to say.
Yet part of him stubbornly refused to admit he had actually been moved by it.
After remaining quiet for a long while, he finally muttered awkwardly:
"I think…"
"You probably just got beaten by him too many tis…"
"Oh?"
Neji's Byakugan instantly widened in irritation.
"As though you haven't?"
The two stared at each other.
Then suddenly—
Both gave bitter smiles at the sa ti.
The atmosphere beca slightly awkward.
Neji lifted the fruit basket hanging from his arm.
Inside, only a single apple remained stubbornly rolling around alone at the bottom.
Clearly, all its other fruit companions had already been launched out sowhere during the earlier endurance chase.
"This was supposed to be a get-well gift for you."
Neji pulled out the apple and handed it toward Sasuke.
"You need to eat properly before you'll have the strength to train."
"And after that…"
"Whether you want revenge…"
"Or whatever else…"
"At the very least, start with a small goal first."
Neji looked directly into Sasuke's eyes.
"Beco strong enough to defeat Naruto Uzumaki."
Sasuke accepted the apple.
Staring at it silently, he eventually seed to make so kind of decision.
Then he broke the apple cleanly in half and handed one piece back.
"You too."
Crunch.
The crisp apple burst with juice inside their mouths.
Not far away atop a tree branch, Naruto leaned lazily against the trunk while eating fruit he picked up along the way.
Watching the scene below, he muttered:
"Though the ending turned out pretty good…"
"Their 'small goal' sounds insanely difficult…"
"No, actually…"
"There's basically zero chance they'll ever pull it off."
"Naruto-kun…"
Beside him, Hinata smiled in relief while quietly placing a hand against her chest.
"Sasuke-kun…"
"Neji-niisan…"
"Do your best…"
Then she nervously glanced toward Naruto, who continued casually eating fruit beside her.
In an almost inaudible voice, she added:
"I also think Naruto-kun definitely won't lose…"
"Hm?"
Naruto turned toward her curiously.
"Hinata, did you say sothing?"
"N-No…"
As the setting sun dipped below the horizon—
Konoha's new sprouts continued growing steadily stronger.
anwhile—
Inside Naruto's ntal world—
"Haa…"
Kurama let out a long breath.
"Finally finished."
Before him, the previously cramped, gloomy, sewer-like darkness had vanished completely.
In its place stretched a pure white world overflowing with flowers, grass, lush greenery, and vibrant life.
Kurama felt extrely satisfied with his masterpiece.
Although this version of Naruto no longer carried the sa darkness within his heart as before, the seal still existed between them.
Transforming Naruto's ntal world into sothing like this had still required considerable effort from the Nine-Tails.
"Minato."
Kurama instinctively turned around, preparing to speak.
"How about it? Give this old man a review—"
But midway through speaking, he suddenly stopped himself.
Wrapped in crimson chakra nearby floated the sleeping chakra mass that was Minato Namikaze.
"You idiot…"
Kurama clicked his tongue softly.
"Forget it."
"Just sleep."
The Nine-Tails couldn't help recalling those long years spent alongside Minato within the Dead Demon Consuming Seal during his previous life.
Naruto wasn't the only person with whom Kurama's relationship evolved from hatred into mutual understanding.
Minato Namikaze had as well.
Souls sealed by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal were destined to endlessly struggle against one another.
But Kurama's Yin half was ultimately just condensed chakra.
In essence, it had rely been sealed inside the Shinigami.
After fighting with Minato for countless years, even Kurama eventually grew tired of it.
Gradually—
The two simply started talking instead.
Most of the ti, they actually remained silent exactly like now.
Yet within Kurama's mories, no one understood Minato Namikaze better than himself aside from Naruto.
Even if he never admitted it aloud—
Kurama already considered Minato one of his companions.
Which was precisely why—
Despite the risks—
Kurama preserved Minato's remaining chakra imdiately in this new life.
Though Kurama constantly claid he wasn't sentintal like humans—
After experiencing companionship once, loneliness felt especially empty afterward.
As the image of the Seventh Hokage wearing his white cloak surfaced within Kurama's mind once more—
Even he had to admit it.
In so ways—
He understood the aning of "loss" even more deeply than Sasuke and Neji currently did.
And because of that—
What Kurama intended to accomplish in this new life…
Was ensuring Naruto would never lose anything ever again.
And also ensuring that Kurama himself would never lose anything again either.
For that reason—
There were still many things he absolutely had to accomplish.
Including certain secrets that could never be revealed before completion.
That was why Kurama never once considered using the fist-bump thod to show Minato or Naruto everything.
Because deep within his heart—
Kurama already carried a secret.
A secret that absolutely nobody else could learn.
Thus, during these past few days, besides remodeling Naruto's ntal world—
Kurama had also been considering exactly how much truth he should reveal to Naruto.
"Whatever."
Kurama flicked his tails dismissively.
"I'll pull him in first and figure the rest out later."
After confirming Naruto had already escorted Hinata ho safely—
Kurama locked onto Naruto's consciousness.
Then—
A completely bewildered Naruto suddenly appeared before him.
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