ShuraZero
patreon
Chapter 65: A Talk in the Moonlight
🕑 Added 2025-08-22 00:56:17 +0000 UTCThe first thing wasn't a sound. It was a vibration that shook him to the bone, a seismic tremor that rumbled in the darkness of his dream. The image of Sakura's hand, small and delicate, striking the forest floor and unleashing an earthquake of pure will.
Then, the image fractured. A lavender blur moving with a speed that defied logic. The lethal dance of Hinata, a sequence of precise strikes that sealed both chakra and life, her pearly eyes burning with a cold fury that didn't seem to be her own.
And finally, the face. Pale skin, almost white. Golden eyes with vertical pupils and a serpentine smile that promised corruption and power. Orochimaru.
Naruto woke with a jolt.
There was no scream. Panic, a familiar sensation, threatened to close his throat. His breathing was ragged, a silent gasp that broke the stillness of the luxurious inn room, but he kept it under control. He remained motionless on the futon, his eyes wide open, fixed on the dark wooden ceiling he didn't recognize.
The dream faded, but the feeling of the battle remained. He could feel it, a residual hum in his nerves, the lingering sense of a danger happening hundreds of miles away. The fear sent a chill under his skin.
And then, in the midst of that fear, he felt something else.
It wasn't a thought. It was a physical sensation, a connection as real as the dull ache throbbing in his right shoulder. Through the invisible connection of the Falna, he felt his two "believers." It wasn't a vision or a voice. It was a pulse.
Faint, distant, but unmistakable. He felt the rhythmic, calm beat of Hinata's heart, the stability in her breathing. Then, he felt Sakura's, a little faster, more energetic, but just as steady. They were alive. They were safe.
The certainty was so absolute that the air escaped his lungs in a long, shaky sigh. An immense relief washed over him, dispelling the cold of his panic. Right after the relief came a fierce pride, so intense it almost made him smile.
They did it, he told himself, and that certainty grounded him. They followed the plan… They beat the Sound ninja. They faced him… and they survived.
His left hand instinctively went to the sling immobilizing his right arm. The pain, which had been a constant companion for days, seemed to lessen for a moment.
My arm… it was worth it. They're safe. That's all that matters.
He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. The residual adrenaline from the dream and the relief from the connection kept him wide awake. He got up carefully, each movement a negotiation with the stabbing pain in his shoulder. The night air was cool. He walked over to the large window overlooking the bustling streets of Tanzaku. The city, even in the middle of the night, had its own rhythm, a murmur of activity that never stopped.
But he wasn't looking at the city. He was looking at the moon, a perfect silver disc in the inky sky. His mind was hundreds of miles away, lost in the darkness of a place he knew all too well.
The Forest of Death.
The door to his room slid open with a soft whisper. Naruto didn't startle. He had felt her presence approaching down the hall, her steps light and filled with a quiet concern.
"Naruto-kun?"
It was Shizune. She had probably come to check on him, perhaps alerted by the slight noise he made when he got up. She found him there, his back to the door, a lonely silhouette against the moonlight.
"You can't sleep," she stated softly. "Does your arm hurt?"
Naruto didn't turn around. His eyes remained fixed on the moon. His reply was calm, with a maturity that caught her off guard.
"It's not my arm, Shizune-san. It's… everything else. I feel useless here."
Shizune moved closer, her concern growing at his serious tone. She saw the reflection of his face in the windowpane: his smile was gone, replaced by an expression of deep, heavy burden. She sat on the floor, at a respectful distance, giving him space but offering her presence.
"What do you mean?"
"My team is out there," Naruto continued, his voice a low murmur "Fighting for their lives. They're getting stronger, facing real dangers. And me? I'm here, trying to coax a Sannin out of hiding. It feels… like I'm running away."
"You're here for them, Naruto-kun," Shizune said gently. "What you're doing is just as important.."
Naruto let out a short, joyless laugh.
"If it even works. I know a lot of things, Shizune-san. Things that could change everything. But I'm afraid that if I were ever completely honest, you wouldn't believe me. Or worse, because of who I am, you'd think I was joking, that it's just another one of my stupid pranks. Sometimes, being me is the biggest obstacle."
He paused, the frustration in his voice palpable.
"But how do I stop being me? Being the loudmouthed idiot, the one who yells to be heard… it's all I've been for so long. It's hard to change, even when I know that every joke, every shout, undermines the truth I need you to hear."
Finally, he turned to face her. In the moonlight that flooded the room, his blue eyes no longer held their mischievous, childish spark.
"Tell me, Shizune-san. If you had the power to change the future, to save everyone you care about, but you didn't have the maturity or the intelligence to use that power perfectly, what would you do? How do you choose which piece to move when you know a single mistake could lead to a disaster even worse than the one you're trying to prevent?"
The question, so complex and desperate, left her speechless. She saw vulnerability in its purest form. The boy who screamed about becoming Hokage wasn't seeking power; he was looking for a way to handle a responsibility that was crushing him.
On the other side of the thin paper door, in the gloom of the hallway, someone else was listening.
It was Tsunade.
She wasn't drunk. There was no trace of an alcoholic stupor on her face. She was completely awake, completely lucid. Her amber eyes were fixed on the door; she had heard every word.
Her face was expressionless, but her thoughts were chaotic, threatening the apathy she had maintained for years with sake and losing bets.
Change the future? she thought. The idea, which she would have dismissed as childish nonsense, now clicked into place with terrifying precision. So that's it… What happened to his arm… it wasn't an accident. It wasn't stupidity. There was a reason. A purpose I don't understand.
She remembered the scene in the courtyard. The burst of chakra, the controlled self-destruction, the smile of pain and triumph on his face just before he passed out. It wasn't the act of an idiot who had lost control. It was a sacrifice. A calculated move in a game she didn't even know was being played.
Naruto's words about his personality, about his fear of not being taken seriously, reminded her painfully of the past.
She remembered the face of Nawaki, her little brother, with that same bright light in his eyes, telling her enthusiastically how he would become Hokage and bring peace. She remembered how the village elders had smiled condescendingly, treating him like a child with an unrealistic dream.
She remembered Dan. His calm demeanor, explaining his plans to put a medical-nin in every squad, an idea everyone considered a waste of resources. She remembered how people mistook his idealism for naivety.
They're the same… she thought, and a familiar ache tightened in her chest. All of them who dream of changing things. They put the world on their shoulders and burn themselves out trying to fix it all for everyone else.
This kid, this loudmouthed idiot, wasn't just a dreamer. And she had treated him with the same disdain the world always shows those who dare to dream.
The irritation she had felt toward him transformed into something far more complex. Something that felt dangerously like empathy.
Back in the room, Shizune considered Naruto's question. She looked at him, not as a child, but as a comrade in a lonely war. Her answer didn't come from a manual. It came from someone who, after years of caring for Tsunade, had learned that faith was often the only medicine.
"I don't think anyone has the maturity or intelligence to play god, Naruto-kun," she said quietly. "Maybe… maybe it's not about having all the answers. It's about having faith. Faith in the pieces you've already moved."
Her gaze was gentle, but her words were firm.
"You trust your teammates, don't you? You trust that they're strong."
Naruto looked at her. The simplicity of the question disarmed him. He thought of Sakura, of her sharp mind and her devastating new strength. He thought of Hinata, of her ghostly speed and her unwavering loyalty. Yes. He trusted them more than he trusted himself.
He nodded silently.
"Then your job isn't to control everything," Shizune continued. "It's to do your part as best you can and trust that they'll do theirs. The trust you've given them… that was your move. Now it's their turn. You're not alone in this, Naruto-kun. Even if it feels like it right now."
Shizune's words calmed him. The idea that he didn't have to be perfect, that he could allow himself to trust… it was liberating. Naruto exhaled, and a tension he didn't know he was holding left his body. The weight on his shoulders didn't disappear, but suddenly, it felt a little less heavy.
"Thank you, Shizune-san. Really."
"Try to get some sleep," she said, rising with an understanding smile. "Tomorrow is a big day."
Shizune left, closing the door as carefully as she had entered. Naruto stayed at the window a while longer, watching the moon, feeling calmer. The turmoil inside him had settled, leaving a cool, resolute clarity in its wake.
In the hallway, Tsunade moved away from the door without a sound. She walked down the dark corridor, her footsteps silent. Her face no longer showed cynicism or irritation, but a deep melancholy. The apathy she had built for years was beginning to crack.
I won't push him, she thought, the decision firm. People like him break if you push them. I know that all too well.
She stopped in front of her own door, her hand on the knob.
But a world where someone like Naruto could become Hokage… Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad world, after all.
She opened the door and disappeared into the darkness. Behind her, in the silent hallway, lingered a hope she had thought long dead. A hope that, to her own absolute surprise, she wanted to see come true.
Comments
travis btmb
Tftc
