Chapter 608: So You Realized Nothing After All
"I—I was wrong? I meant well, but... I ended up doing something wrong!"
After hearing Obito's story, Naruto suddenly thought about what he had done. He stopped in his tracks and stood there alone, completely lost.
The stalking had effectively failed. Before long, the two of them had disappeared from sight, while Naruto remained standing there without moving.
But for the audience outside, their goal was to change Naruto, not to watch how bizarre the Engraved Tsukuyomi World's plot could get.
(Kakashi: No.)
So everyone was quite pleased with Naruto's current state.
"Great! That's it, Naruto! Hurry up and realize your mistake!"
Seeing Naruto talking to himself and apparently on the verge of enlightenment, Kushina looked full of anticipation.
Kushina often heard profound words of wisdom from Shiromo.
For example:
"Help both the good and the evil without distinction, and you become an accomplice to evil."
"Buddha will forgive him. My job is to send him to Buddha."
"Use thunderous methods while showing the compassion of a bodhisattva."
"If you repay kindness with resentment, then what will you use to repay kindness?"
Kushina found these sayings very reasonable, but she had never been able to explain them to Naruto.
Naruto's education level was simply too low. He was practically illiterate. Trying to explain such profound principles to him would be like playing music to a cow. There was no way he would understand.
But now, Naruto had finally managed to realize something on his own through the Engraved Tsukuyomi.
How could Kushina not be excited and moved?
"I was wrong! So terribly wrong! If neutering can extend a cat's lifespan, then the reverse must also be true. That means it consumes lifespan!"
"I spread the shortcut to Sage Mode throughout the shinobi world and encouraged everyone to cultivate Sage Mode. That means I've shortened the lifespan of the entire shinobi world!"
"I really did mean well but ended up doing something terrible... What should I do? What should I do?!"
Naruto fell to his knees and bitterly repented for what he had done.
"Why is that what you regret?"
The expectant expression on Kushina's face outside instantly froze.
Naruto was kneeling on the ground, regretting that he had reduced the average lifespan of the shinobi world.
But by now, he had already traveled all around the shinobi world and reached the Land of Water, the final stop. The spread of Sage Mode was almost complete.
At this point, was he supposed to go back and tell everyone not to use Sage Mode anymore?
That wouldn't work, would it?
Never mind anything else. Without the power of Sage Mode, if the Ōtsutsuki Clan invaded, then even if everyone theoretically had long lifespans, they probably wouldn't survive long enough to see that day.
Without power, people caught in a world-shattering battle could be killed or crippled simply by being caught in the crossfire.
Speaking of which, Naruto remembered Konohamaru.
When Konohamaru had first begun cultivating Sage Mode, Kakashi had kindly warned him that he was still young. Using such a technique too early could cause developmental problems and affect his future.
But Konohamaru had been extremely determined at the time. Clenching his fist, he had said that without power, he would never live to see the day the Ōtsutsuki Clan arrived. He and the people he cared about would merely be helpless fish on a chopping board.
Therefore, Konohamaru was willing to take the risk.
Thinking about this made Naruto feel a little better.
Having recovered some of his fighting spirit, Naruto looked into the distance. By then, the masked man had long since disappeared, leaving Naruto with no choice but to return to the village.
Naruto had only regained some of his motivation. As for what he should actually do, he still had a massive headache.
At that moment, Naruto thought of Shiromo.
Although this was the Shiromo of the Engraved Tsukuyomi World, what if...?
What if he could still become Naruto's life mentor and give him some confidence?
Naruto found Shiromo and told him about his dilemma.
What should he do in this situation?
If he told everyone the truth—that training Sage Mode would shorten their lifespans—and let everyone make their own choice, what if many people became afraid and stopped cultivating it?
If those people then died when the Ōtsutsuki arrived, whose fault would that be?
If Shiromo were answering this question, his answer would definitely be:
"Why the hell is that my problem?"
Giving them a chance was already more than enough. If someone chose not to cultivate and then died, were they planning to come back and morally blackmail him?
But Naruto didn't even need anyone else to morally blackmail him. He had already chained himself down with his own sense of responsibility.
"Give civilization to the years, rather than give years to civilization."
"It's the same with people. A person's life isn't about how long it lasts, but whether it was fulfilling and whether they have any regrets."
"If all that matters is living as long as possible, then an old tortoise that sits there without moving will live the longest."
"As for whether you should tell everyone the truth, that depends on how much responsibility you're willing to bear."
"If you're willing to shoulder it, then you can follow Uchiha Itachi's example. Even if others misunderstand you, you must still uphold your own sense of justice."
Shiromo gave Naruto a dose of inspirational wisdom.
Naruto listened, his blood boiling with excitement.
But he soon noticed a problem.
The Uchiha in the Engraved Tsukuyomi World were clearly a naturally kind and righteous clan, the embodiment of justice.
So what kind of justice had Uchiha Itachi upheld by helping wipe out the Uchiha Clan?
Naruto opened his mouth, wanting to ask.
But then he thought about it. Shiromo of this world had an affair with Kushina, so perhaps he naturally stood on a different side. That was probably why he considered Itachi righteous.
"You want to ask how Uchiha Itachi could possibly have done the right thing after cruelly killing the kind-hearted Uchiha Clan, right?"
"The reason is actually very simple."
"Kushina's rules are strict, but there is a way to live under strict rules, just as there is a way to live under loose rules."
"For a collective, the most frightening thing isn't strict rules. It's having no rules at all, with everything changing from one day to the next in complete chaos."
"You should understand that the Uchiha never wanted to become Hokage."
"They may be naturally kind and righteous, but they aren't willing to shoulder responsibility."
"They only put on a fake mask and play at being vigilantes, yet they can't even properly perform the actual duties of the Police Force."
"When the Fourth Hokage was being selected, almost everyone in the village lost their eligibility because Minato had left Flying Thunder God marks on them."
"Only Uchiha Fugaku remained unaffected, yet he voluntarily gave up his eligibility for the selection."
"People like that are the most troublesome. They oppose you simply for the sake of opposing you. But if you ask them for a solution, they have nothing to offer. All they can do is say that you're wrong."
"Don't become someone like that, Naruto."
By the end, Shiromo was even teaching Naruto a lesson.
Naruto fell into deep thought.
At the same time, the system interface that had remained completely unresponsive ever since he entered the Engraved Tsukuyomi World finally reacted.
Naruto made an excuse to use the bathroom and ran into the restroom of a supermarket. After locking the door, he opened the interface.
Several lines of text appeared.
[Prerequisite Mission: Choose one—1. Look after yourself alone; 2. Benefit the whole world.]
"This seems to be what Shiromo-nii was just telling me..."
Naruto was somewhat surprised, then chose the second option without hesitation.
And then...
[Obtained a special ability. You can now determine a person's Bullying Value by observing the color of their name above their head.]
[The Bullying Value of "Looking After Yourself Alone" is determined by the degree to which that person bullies you. The Bullying Value of "Benefit the Whole World" is determined by the total degree to which that person bullies others.]
[Main Story Mission—Stage One Unlocked: Based on Bullying Value, administer the appropriate punishment to at least ten people.]
What the hell? The forced tutorial has arrived.
The audience outside was completely stunned when they saw this.
(End of this chapter)