I'm Sorry That Warmth Didn't Reach You Sooner

In the mirror image.

Naruto slowly waded across the lake to the center, looking around with a surprised expression.

"What? Didn't the teacher say that coming in meant the spell was being activated? How come I didn't see anything?"

Before he finished speaking, the lake water beneath Naruto's feet instantly froze, becoming like a giant mirror.

"Um?"

Naruto looked down at his feet and saw his reflection begin to distort and separate.

Then a reflection that matched his appearance but looked like just a black shadow slowly rose from the lake.

As the mirror image slowly opened its eyes, Naruto felt an unprecedented chill erupt from within him.

"Is this my mirror image?"

After a long while, Naruto slowly opened his mouth and murmured something.

It was as if it were asking a question, or perhaps it was doubting, after all, the mirror image before them contained only the outline of the body and the pair of open eyes.

There is nothing exactly like him.

Whoosh--!

The mirrored black figure suddenly unleashed a massive Chakra, hurtling towards Naruto at incredible speed.

In his right hand, there was a Rasengan that was different from Naruto's azure blue, but it carried a cold Chakra fluctuation.

"Hey! You bastard! How could you possibly be like me!"

Seeing this, Naruto instantly became enraged and attacked without warning.

This doesn't look like a mirror image at all!

He immediately clenched his right fist, instantly covering it with Yang Release Armament, and rushed forward to smash it down on the black shadow.

What?!

However, as Naruto's fist landed first, it strangely passed through the opponent's body, as if the opponent did not exist at all.

However, the Rasengan from the shadowy mirror image slammed into him, and an invisible shockwave knocked Naruto's body back.

Boom--

Naruto's figure was thrown backward, rolling dozens of meters before coming to a stop.

Naruto, gritting his teeth and pushing himself up, looked at the dark figure and roared, "You bastard! You've completely enraged me!"

Why do you smile at everyone?

The shadowy figure's whisper startled Naruto, and the anger on his face slowly dissipated.

"What?" Naruto opened his mouth, puzzled.

"Here we go again. Even though you heard it clearly, you ask it again with this attitude."

A dark figure stood on the lake's surface, a smirk slowly appearing beneath his eyes, filled with mockery.

"You are who you truly are now!"

"We are one, the monster hated and loathed by everyone!"

The sound, seemingly tangible, surged towards Naruto from where the shadowy figure was, carrying waves and sonic impact.

As his hair fluttered in the wind, the shadowy figure's words reminded Naruto of everything he had experienced before attending the Ninja Academy.

The word "monster" was like a nail, deeply embedded in his being.

But then Naruto suddenly looked up and shouted, "I'm not a monster!"

"Heh... heh hahaha!"

The shadowy figure chuckled softly at first, then burst into wild laughter, its entire body swaying with the sound.

He clutched his stomach with both hands, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Isn't that right?"

"Think about the looks those people gave you, filled with disgust and fear. Haven't you heard about it?"

"You, you monster."

As the shadowy figure spoke, it moved continuously across the entire lake surface.

The effect was that these words were like poisoned knives, piercing Naruto's heart again and again.

He gritted his teeth, trying to block out the fluctuations, but he couldn't avoid them no matter what he did.

"Admit it, you're nothing. If you weren't the Nine-Tails..."

Do you think Sawada Hagoromo would accept you as a disciple? The only reason he would take a liking to you is because of your status.

"Shut up! You're not allowed to talk about your teacher like that!"

Naruto roared, and his figure instantly appeared in front of the shadowy figure, throwing a punch directly at it.

Bang--

As if he had foreseen this, the shadowy figure easily caught Naruto's punch with a simple movement.

The moment their Chakra clashed, an invisible wave spread outwards.

Then, fragments of memories pierced Naruto's mind like needles.

The way the villagers looked at him before he was six years old, their words, and the twilight when he sat alone atop the Hokage Rock.

Look at these memories; these are your most authentic experiences. Everything you have now is nothing but a dream!

A cruel smile crept across the shadowy figure's face.

"You should be angry! Hateful! That's how you should be, not pretending to be a fool."

"I beg for even the smallest bit of concern!"

"Your appearance is truly disgusting!"

"Ho--Ho--!"

Naruto slid down in front of the shadowy figure, kneeling on the ground as if he had no strength left, panting heavily.

Tick-tock...

Tears mingled with sweat on his face, dripping onto the lake's surface and creating ripples.

Even so, all these years.

He trained with Master Hagoromo, but his memories from before the age of six were genuine.

He was indeed angry and hateful at that time.

Why is he the only one being treated this way, even though he hasn't done anything wrong?

The shadows of his childhood were simply something he deliberately suppressed in his heart.

"What? You're finally admitting it? This is the real you!"

The shadowy figure seemed quite pleased with Naruto's breakdown, and spoke with a sarcastic tone.

"Don't joke around."

Naruto, with his head down, spoke lightly, startling the previously pleased shadowy figure.

At that moment, Naruto raised his head, his azure eyes flashing with a light that did not belong to the shadowy figure.

"While you're absolutely right, these memories are indeed mine."

"I have been angry and hateful before, and I felt very helpless."

As he spoke, Naruto slowly stood up straight, his bright eyes staring directly into the eyes of the dark figure.

"My teacher once said that childhood trauma might take a lifetime to heal, but I'm different because I've already been healed."

"All your memories end before I became Master Hagoromo's disciple, which means it all started from that time..."

"You have already stopped accepting my existence and have hidden yourself away."

Naruto took a step forward, and ripples spread across the lake, while the dark figure retreated step by step.

"I'm sorry, I passed on all these painful memories to you when I was a child."

"I feel like a child who never grew up, only thinking about the warmth in front of me. In fact, I should face the pain of loneliness."

Naruto said, extending his hand, and this time he did not attack.

Only by facing this pain can we understand it, and only then can we truly cherish every bit of warmth.

"Before the swing, the teacher told me to be strong and not to cry, because a ninja cannot be weak, and the process itself is full of thorns."

"The bowl of ramen the teacher ate, the teacher's trust in me, the teacher's expectations for me."

"Sasuke, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Karin, and my father—each of them gave me warmth."

I'm sorry I couldn't convey that warmth to you right away.