S
Naruto remained silent for a long time. Only when Shikamaru came up behind him did he snap out of his daze. Shikamaru said, "What are you spacing out here for? Everything's ready over there. We're just waiting for you."
Seeing Naruto's blank expression, Shikamaru walked over to him and asked with concern, "What's wrong with you?"
Naruto fell silent again for a moment before saying, "Hey, Shikamaru, do you think people really reincarnate after they die?"
Shikamaru asked in confusion, "Why do you ask?"
Shikamaru looked at Naruto and found his expression rather strange. There was hope in it, but also fear, which puzzled him. Naruto had always seemed unfathomable to Shikamaru. Whatever he did, whatever difficulties he faced, he always looked confident and unconcerned, with a mysterious certainty that nothing could stump him. But the Naruto before him now gave him a feeling he had never encountered before.
Fear, confusion, and a little hope-Shikamaru had never seen those expressions on Naruto's face in all the years they had known each other. Yet he felt that this Naruto was more real, more like an ordinary person. Usually, Naruto seemed like a perfect character who existed only in books. Now, he felt real.
After a moment of stunned silence, Shikamaru smiled. "Naruto, I don't know what happened to you, but if you're asking me whether reincarnation exists in this world, shouldn't you know better than I do? Aren't your eyes the Rinnegan? Why would you doubt reincarnation?"
Shikamaru's words instantly gave Naruto a fresh perspective. *That's right. I have the Rinnegan myself, so why would I question whether reincarnation exists? Without reincarnation, where would the Rinnegan come from? Heh, I guess I really was too caught up in it to see clearly. Sasuke must have noticed already, but I was