Deep within Naruto's consciousness, there was no color only endless black and white.
He found himself transported back to his childhood, the lonely years before he met Guy, before his training truly began. Once again, he was that small boy standing all alone.
Around him loomed shadowy figures, the villagers of his past. Their faces were blurred, indistinct, yet their eyes burned crimson with hatred. Their voices cut through him like knives, dripping with venom and curses.
"It's all because of him! That's why the village suffered such a disaster."
"Get out, you cursed fox! You're nothing but a bringer of misfortune!"
"My family died that night because of you! Go to hell!"
"Monsters like you belong in cages. You have no right to walk freely among us!"
"Stop staring at us with those disgusting eyes! Stay away!"
"The Third Hokage is a fool for protecting this walking disaster!"
"Daddy and Mommy said you're a man-eating demon… Please, go away!"
"Leave the village! We don't want you here!"
"The world would be better if this fox was dead!"
Each accusation was sharper than steel, laced not just with rejection but with pure, unfiltered malice. The words struck straight into Naruto's deepest scars, reopening every wound he thought had long since healed.
Fueled by the Nine-Tails' corrosive emotions, these fragments of memory grew larger, darker, twisted into an impenetrable net of hate that smothered him.
Naruto felt the world dim around him. The black-and-white realm was being devoured by a slow tide of thick, blood-red shadows.
"Why? Why does everyone hate me so much?" The young Naruto clutched his head, trembling.
As he lifted his gaze, a dangerous gleam of crimson seeped into his pupils. His voice quivered but carried a sinister weight. "Maybe it's better if I just destroy everything. If I kill them all, then no one will say these things ever again."
"If they insist I'm a demon fox… then maybe I should show them what a demon fox truly is."
He staggered back, shaking his head violently. "No… No! That's not who I am! I'm not the fox. I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
Only beasts lash out blindly, he told himself. Humans are different. Humans endure.
"I refuse to become a beast! Damn it, I won't!"
With grit in his teeth, the younger Naruto forced himself upright and ran. He barreled through the crowd of faceless villagers, sprinting as fast as he could. In this distorted inner world, he had no strength, no heroic aura. He was just a boy again helpless, desperate.
The entire landscape remained drained of color. Everywhere he looked, villagers with crimson eyes swarmed, spitting curses that echoed endlessly, each word threatening to drag him deeper into the abyss.
Naruto resisted with all he had. But the negativity was overwhelming, each wave heavier than the last. It felt impossible to escape. He could sense himself unraveling, piece by piece.
In the real world, Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He could see that the crimson chakra, which had engulfed only half of Naruto's body, was now spreading, creeping to overtake the other half.
"His condition is worsening," Sasuke muttered grimly.
"What should we do?" Hinata asked, her lips trembling. Her panic was palpable. She had never seen Naruto like this, and the thought of losing him sent terror rippling through her heart.
"We need to enter his inner world," Sasuke decided. "We'll go inside his consciousness and pull him back before it's too late."
Hinata's eyes widened. "Enter his inner world? How?"
"With my eyes."
His Sharingan spun, no longer the simple tomoe pattern but a blazing six-pointed star the Eternal Mangekyo.
Hinata gasped. "Sasuke… your eyes, are those the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Yes," Sasuke confirmed, voice firm. "I awakened a new ability: Heart's Reflection. With it, we can enter Naruto's mind together."
Hinata nodded immediately, no hesitation. "Then let's do it."
Sasuke rested his hand on both Naruto's and Hinata's shoulders. His left eye rotated furiously, the six-pointed star whirling until blood tears streaked down his cheek.
All the while, the Nine-Tails watched silently from its cage. Its massive eyes reflected nothing but a deep, unknowable thought.
Back inside Naruto's mindscape, he continued to run blindly. His legs felt heavy, his breath ragged, as though he were reliving the exhaustion of his younger self. Every step drained his strength, but he dared not stop.
He knew that if he slowed, the villagers would close in. Their voices would corrode what little sanity he had left.
"Still running? How long will you keep this up?"
A voice whispered suddenly at his ear.
Naruto froze, glancing sideways. From his own shoulder emerged a second head identical to his, but with glowing scarlet eyes.
"What… what are you?" Naruto demanded.
The other smirked. "What am I? I'm you, of course."
Slowly, the figure peeled itself free, stepping into view. It was Naruto in every detail, except its aura pulsed with a chilling darkness.
"Why keep running?" the dark Naruto asked. "Why not face what you really feel?"
"These are just the Nine-Tails' negative emotions," Naruto argued, trying to sound steady. "I can't let them consume me."
The shadow's grin widened. "How naive. Look closely this isn't the fox. This is you."
Naruto froze.
"I'm the emotions you buried, the anger you never let out, the hatred you never admitted. You didn't ignore their words you endured them. But deep down, you hated every second."
"Why keep suppressing it? Why not release it? Why not finally do what feels right?"
The dark Naruto placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"My very existence proves it. This is who you are."
"Kill them all. End it. No more whispers, no more curses. Just silence. You have the power, so why keep suffering?"
His twin's eyes blazed with temptation. The words slithered like poison into his ear.
Naruto's breath came faster, his chest heaving. Crimson light flickered across his irises. His trembling hand twitched forward, as if to accept the offer.
The villagers' voices rose again, echoing like a chorus of demons.
"Get out of the village!"
"Die, monster!"
Every syllable seemed more real than the last.
And in that moment, Naruto realized the shadow wasn't lying. This was the resentment he had locked deep inside the pain he had never shown anyone.
"Maybe… maybe I really should…" His voice broke, uncertain.
Scarlet chakra threads wrapped around his body, seeping into his flesh, threatening to tear his humanity apart. The black-and-white world around him trembled, collapsing into rivers of crimson.
The boundary between human and beast was thinning, fraying with each heartbeat.
Naruto wavered, caught in the tug-of-war between the fragile boy who longed for acceptance… and the beast that craved release.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Already hooked by this cosmic shinobi journey? Share what drew you in your words and reviews keep the flames of youth burning bright. And every 300 Power Stones will unlock a bonus chapter, pushing Naruto's path to the stars even faster!
Naruto's dream has only just begun, and the Unbound Evolution of his destiny is far from over. Stay with Naruto: Set a Goal, Conquer the Universe and reach beyond the horizon together!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a