Little Naruto

Little Naruto stood not far away, his face full of worry, looking at the vulnerable Sasuke he had never seen before.

In his mind, Sasuke was always strong, reliable, and proud.

He really liked Sasuke like that.

Just thinking about how powerful and reliable Sasuke was his comrade filled Little Naruto with indescribable joy and pride.

But now— Sasuke is trembling.

Sasuke was choking back tears.

Sasuke is crying.

Little Naruto cried when he first saw Sasuke.

The anger that had been burning within them because Sasuke was leaving Konoha and abandoning them had vanished without a trace.

All that's left is uncontrollable heartache.

Seeing Sasuke so heartbroken, Little Naruto felt really bad.

He took a deep breath, strode forward, and slowly walked up to Little Sasuke.

"Sasuke..."

After confirming that Sasuke wouldn't leave Konoha, and that the things that angered him wouldn't happen, Little Naruto's voice naturally softened, no longer the roar and shout from before.

Little Sasuke didn't respond, remaining standing there with a blank stare into some unknown place.

I don't know what to say.

Little Naruto continued speaking.

"I don't know how much pain you're in. I don't know how heavy those things are. I don't know... how the survivors can face those who have died..."

"Because I've always been all alone."

These words were spoken so softly that they seemed almost blown away by the night breeze.

But Little Naruto quickly raised his head again, his eyes fixed on Little Sasuke.

"But I know one thing."

His voice became firm.

"You are my companion."

"Furthermore, you are still alive, you didn't go to Orochimaru, and your body wasn't taken away."

"As long as you stay by my side, I am not alone."

"And I won't leave you alone."

He scratched his head, a slightly embarrassed smile appearing on his face. "Sorry, I'm really bad at comforting people."

His voice became clumsy again, "But... you don't need to figure it out right now."

"You don't have to pull yourself together right now, you don't have to decide how to live right now."

His gaze became incredibly serious.

"You can do nothing until you figure those things out."

"And here I am."

"Turn around, and I'll be there."

Even if you don't turn around, I'll still be here.

Those words were simple and clumsy, without any fancy words or profound philosophy.

But these thoughts flowed into Little Sasuke's ears and into his heart, and some things that had been ignored began to resurface.

companion.

Those days spent on missions together, those times we ate together, that Dead Last who always followed behind me calling "Sasuke"...

Was I truly alone in the end?

If I truly never considered Naruto a comrade—why did my heart ache so much when I decided to leave Konoha and abandon everything?

It felt like his body was being ripped apart, the pain making it hard for him to breathe.

Little Sasuke's gaze remained unfocused, but the thought that would have crossed his mind—"Why am I the only one who survived?"—was temporarily suppressed and sank deep into his heart.

But the problem remains.

What should I do?

Who can truly help me understand how to live?

All that pain, all that confusion, all that bewilderment about who to hate, who to forgive, and where to go—who knows the answers?

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes, still streaked with tears, looking at the adult man who had been standing beside him.

Naruto from another world.

That person who possessed unimaginable power, yet was willing to patiently listen to everything he had to say.

He spoke, his voice hoarse and strained, tinged with uncertainty.

"Can I... can I talk to my future self?"

(My drafts folder is completely empty. I'm asking for gifts! Dear readers, please give me some support; my recent data is really low...)