Double-Edged Sword

However, Naruto still used it.

He did not choose to seal away or abandon this power out of fear, locking it away in the deepest part of his heart and never touching it again.

He knew how sharp the knife was, what it could cut through, and how it could wipe things clean from the world—but he still held it in his hand.

It wasn't because he wanted that power, but because there were some things that only this knife could do.

First, he secretly changed the Earth's resources to a method of unlimited regeneration.

The truly, fundamentally changed, infinite rules.

Mineral resources will never run out, oil will never be depleted, forests will grow back at a much faster rate than before, and fish will swim back in droves the next season after the harvest is over.

He did it quietly, without telling anyone, without seeking credit, and without leaving any trace.

He simply transformed the planet's resources into something inexhaustible.

By eliminating the possibility of resource depletion, humanity loses one of its greatest, most fundamental, and most irreconcilable reasons for war.

One less reason means one less war; one less war means tens or hundreds of thousands less lives. Naruto understood this calculation very well.

Then, he established order in the Pure Land.

He went to the world the deceased had traveled to, a place that had always existed in the Ninja worldview but had never been taken care of—he took care of it.

He allows the dead to live again in another world, and they can also choose to be reincarnated.

But the most important thing is to continue living in the Pure Land in their own way, with their own memories, and their own identities.

There, the dead can see their long-deceased friends, but Naruto did not build that world into his own paradise.

He did not impose his own will upon it, nor did he regard himself as the god of that world, nor did he bind the existence of that world to his own life.

He established dinosaur guards to maintain order in that world. He asked the "shadows" of past generations to help manage it, and the shadows of each village and era continued to do what they had done in their previous lives in the Pure Land.

He asked the Sage of Six Paths to be the supreme guardian of that world. Even if Naruto himself were gone one day, that world would continue to exist.

It depends on no one, is not controlled by anyone's life or death, and will not collapse because of anyone's absence. This is Naruto's gift to the dead, a letter that needs no reply and no knowledge.

Naruto can only accomplish these two things by relying on his Star Eye.

... He wanted to obtain power to fight against the Otsutsuki, but instead encountered an existence beyond his comprehension.

Naruto sometimes wonders if this is ironic. When he was pursuing power, all he wanted was a sword that could stand up to the Ōtsutsuki Clan, but what he got wasn't a sword, but an entire armory.

It was something he had no idea how many weapons there were, how powerful each weapon was, or even how big the armory itself was.

But this double-edged sword—he will never reveal the other side.

He carefully put it away, placing it where he couldn't see it, where no one could touch it, where it would never be found no matter what happened.

He only uses this sword to do things that won't harm anyone, things that are good for the world, and things that no one will criticize even if others find out.

That side of him will never be revealed.

... We've gone a little off-topic.

As mentioned above, Naruto can grant others immense power.

He could give new Dojutsu to Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, just as he could give Uchiha Sasuke a pair of brand-new eyes, and he could also give it to Uchiha Satsuki, who had awakened the God's Eye, just as he had given it to Shisui without realizing it.

Naruto had long wanted to properly enhance Kurama.

Kurama has been with him for so many years, from acquaintance to acceptance, from sealing to symbiosis. He wanted to give Kurama the best.

"Don't be like that, Kurama."

Naruto continued speaking in his inner world, his tone carrying an almost coquettish quality.

"Of course I know you're very strong. But you wouldn't complain about having too much of this, would you? Are you really going to be polite to me?"

Kurama lowered its head and fell silent.

"That's right, Kurama."

Naruto's voice softened a bit, but his tone still carried an effort to maintain a lighthearted tone, not wanting the atmosphere to become heavy.

"If you agree, maybe even without me, you won't have to be afraid of being controlled by someone like Uchiha Madara anymore. Just agree."

"What's wrong? Still being so hesitant?"

"I thought that given our friendship, you would ask me to do this on your own initiative. All I had to do was say 'I agree.'"

He reached out, wanting to touch the Kurama's head resting on its front paws, wanting to feel the warmth of the fox's fur with his palm. But before his fingers could even touch the orange-red fur, the Kurama spoke.

"... If I were to say that I agree, I would be willing to accept the power of that eye."

"Will I no longer be controlled by Uchiha Madara or Hashirama Senju like before?"

It finally uttered those words. Its voice trembled slightly when it said the word "control," as if due to a lack of self-confidence.

"... Hmph, yeah, of course. Because we're friends."

"Agreed. Just agree honestly."

The Kurama raised its head.

The feigned insecurity that had been on that beastly face vanished completely, replaced by a pride welling up from the depths of its soul.

"But I refuse."