After saying that, Naruto scratched the back of his head and let out an embarrassed laugh. "Sounds unrealistic, doesn't it?"
Konan stared at Naruto's silly grin. She listened to his words—so simple, yet so out of reach—and for some reason, she suddenly felt like crying.
To hide her tears, she smiled instead, a bright smile, just like the paper flower on her head.
She shook her head. "I'd say… it's a great dream."
"What's so great about it?" Naruto laced his hands behind his head, looking a little embarrassed but still smiling. "It's everyone's dream. Isn't a peaceful world supposed to be like that?"
He took a deep breath. "I want peace, just like everyone else. The only difference is, I'm actually walking toward that future. No matter how hard the road is, as long as I'm going the right way, even if it's rough, I'm still getting closer to happiness than if I just stood still."
Yahiko… this kid is really like you.
Konan's gaze softened. "And if you fail? If, for some reason, you die and can't keep moving forward? If… the future turns out different from what you imagined?"
"What will you do then?"
Naruto looked up, thought for a moment, then smiled casually. "If I fail, that just means I wasn't good enough. Even if I die, I have friends I can trust. If the future isn't what I imagined… that's okay too."
"I'd rather die halfway through than do nothing at all."
Rather die halfway through… than do nothing at all…?
Konan closed her eyes, forcing back her tears. She didn't dare open them. She didn't dare speak. She could only stay silent, lips trembling, as Yahiko's smiling face kept appearing in her mind.
You too… Yahiko…?
If failure means I wasn't good enough… but you didn't fail.
If you die, you have friends you can trust… but Nagato and I failed you.
Is the future how you imagined? Maybe not… but rather than doing nothing, you still chose to fight until the end.
Naruto didn't seem to notice Konan's emotions. He just kept talking, as if saying one final thing.
"Besides, I don't think a different future means failure. The world will always keep going. Even if I fail, even if I die, there will always be another 'me' who will stand up."
"Not for the world, maybe just for themselves—
but they'll still try to change that future."
"Maybe this is what others call the 'starting point of success,' who knows?" Naruto grinned brightly. Even in the darkness, his smile shone like the sun.
Kurama: "Could you turn off the high beams? Thanks."
Naruto: "..."
Could you not ruin the moment? You useless fox!
Kurama's one-liner completely shattered the mood, making Naruto instantly annoyed.
But because of that, his gaze fell back on Konan—and that's when he saw it.
A crying… smile.
Yes, even with tears streaming down her face, even with sorrow so deep that anyone could feel it without any special abilities, Naruto still saw the smile hidden beneath her tears.
A smile so bright, like a sky full of stars.
Naruto hesitated for a moment. "Uh… are you okay?"
Konan shook her head. She no longer tried to suppress her sadness or hold back her tears. She cried—crying with sorrow, yet at the same time, crying with joy.
Her tears fell onto Nagato's face, rolling down his lifeless features—the same face that had only managed a smile in his final moments. The droplets hit the ground, creating tiny ripples in the dust.
Naruto didn't know what to do, so he tried to comfort her. "Uh, sorry… Did I say something that upset you? But actually, that line wasn't mine. It was something Kur—uh, a friend told me. Apparently, it's from a really famous manga artist."
"I don't actually know what it really means… Maybe… it's not exactly what I was trying to say." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I just thought it sounded kinda cool, so I said it."
"No, it's a great line."
Konan wiped her tears, and for the first time, her smile was clear and complete.
"Naruto, thank you. Thank you for helping me understand what I need to do."
Naruto blinked in surprise. Facing the gratitude of such a beautiful woman, his cheeks turned a little red.
"Uh, no need to thank me. As long as you're not lost anymore, that's what matters. Your friends wouldn't want to see you stuck in sadness forever."
"Yeah." Konan nodded lightly.
Bathed in the light filtering through the cracks above, she gently spread her wings, as if ready to leave.
But then, as if remembering something, she reached out. Sheets of paper flew forward, wrapping around Nagato's body.
She flapped her white wings and floated down in front of Naruto. Before he could process what was happening, she leaned in.
A warm sensation touched his forehead. It wasn't his imagination.
Naruto froze. Completely.
Konan smiled, light as a swallow in flight. Spreading her wings, she carried Nagato's body away. The white sheets of paper fluttered behind her like drifting feathers.
Like an angel disappearing into the distance.
The paper covering the trees slowly scattered, revealing the sky above.
Naruto stood there, dazed, his hand unconsciously touching his forehead.
"Wait… Did that sister just kiss me?"
"Yep." Kurama nodded, then gave him a classic 'good bro' look.
"Don't worry. I'll be sure to tell Hinata about this, so you don't have to stress."
Naruto: "..."
Wow. Thanks a lot, Kurama.
Naruto lowered his hand in frustration, still staring blankly in the direction Konan had left.
"Why… did she kiss me?"
He couldn't figure it out.
Surely… she hadn't fallen for him, right?
"Couldn't you tell what that kiss meant?" Kurama leaned against the wall, watching with amusement.
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "It kind of felt like… when my mom kisses me."
"That's motherly love," Kurama nodded in agreement. "Konan probably saw Yahiko in you. And with everything you said—it wasn't just similar to Yahiko's words, it was exactly the same. That must have reminded her of him."
"And you!" Kurama pointed at Naruto. "She probably sees you as a second Yahiko. But she knows you're not Yahiko, you're Uzumaki Naruto. That's why the feelings she has for you are more like a mother's love."
"So there's only one truth!"
"She wants to be your mom!" Kurama shouted. "I'm telling Kushina! Someone's trying to steal her husband!"
Naruto's face darkened. "It's my fault for thinking you were making sense."
This dumb fox was getting more and more ridiculous… Wait a minute. Naruto suddenly realized something. "How do you know that lady's name is Konan? And how do you know about her past? Are you hiding something from me again?"
"Hah, there are tons of things I haven't told you." Kurama grinned. "For example… that 'beautiful lady' Konan you were just talking about? She's one of the people responsible for destroying Konoha. And not only did you let her go, you even gave her a whole speech about hope and dreams."
Naruto: "…"
Kurama, I swear—
——
PS: "Rather than doing nothing, I would choose to die halfway."
This is a quote from a Miyazaki Hayao interview. What it means… well, you can interpret it however you like. It feels both fitting and unfitting here, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.
Also, I really love Miyazaki Hayao. The first anime I ever watched—if you can call it that—was *Princess Mononoke*. I was still a clueless kid back then, didn't even remember how old I was, but for some reason, I never forgot the story. Pretty amazing, huh?
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You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman