The Longing in My Heart

After repeated experiments, Naruto found no signs of rejection between his blood and Sasuke's. He picked up a syringe filled with Sasuke's blood and injected it into his own body.

Doing this carried immense risk, as no one knew what changes might occur. Although there was the precedent of Madara Uchiha and the theory held up, who knew how he had actually managed it?

Furthermore, Naruto and Sasuke were not Madara and Asura; heaven only knew what would happen.

But if he succeeded, Naruto would possess his own Rinnegan without any rejection, as they would be his own eyes. After deep deliberation, Naruto concluded this was the best way to fuse Sasuke's cells with his own to obtain the Sage Eyes.

Shortly after the injection, Naruto felt an extremely cold chakra emerge within him, intertwining with his own. The process of fusion was agonizing; Naruto felt as if his entire being were being torn apart. He collapsed onto his bed, biting into his quilt and sheets to stifle his cries, fearing he might draw unwanted attention.

Eventually, unable to bear the pain any longer, Naruto gritted his teeth. Seeing a wooden rod by the bed, a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes. He grabbed the rod and struck his own head with all his might, instantly losing consciousness. Before he blacked out, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

After losing sensation in his physical body, Naruto discovered that his consciousness had not faded. Instead, he found himself in a dim, enclosed space.

Naruto scanned his surroundings, thinking, I haven't ended up in the Nine-Tails' seal, have I? But that's not right; it doesn't look like the seal in my memories.

In his memories, the seal was located in a place resembling a sewer, but here, everything was shrouded in darkness, and there was no water. Could this be a butterfly effect from his transmigration? Where was the Nine-Tails? He couldn't see it anywhere.

Just as Naruto was struggling to figure out where he was, two figures suddenly appeared before him. One was filled with malevolence, clearly an evil person. The other was the exact opposite, radiating upright righteousness with kindness in his eyes.

More importantly, both of these people looked exactly like Naruto. Naruto stared at these two sudden arrivals with vigilance.

They, in turn, scrutinized Naruto with a measuring gaze.

Naruto stepped back slightly, observing them while asking warily, "Who are you? Where is this? Did you bring me here?"

The kind-faced one smiled and replied, "You don't need to be so tense. This is your soul space, and it is true that I pulled your consciousness in here. As for who we are—heh, simply put, both I and this guy full of malice are you. Don't believe me? Look closely; is there any difference between us and you?"

Naruto became even more guarded upon hearing this. He replied coldly, "You are me? Heh, what kind of joke is that? Let me out immediately, or I won't be polite." With that, he took a stance, ready to fight.

"Sigh, it seems you won't believe me unless I explain it clearly."

The kind Naruto said, "You have the memories of three lifetimes and have reincarnated three times. You devoured the soul fragments of Otsutsuki Koshiki and fused them with the original Naruto's soul. You have a White Eye on your forehead inherited from Otsutsuki Koshiki, and you wish to resurrect your parents, going so far as to inject Sasuke's blood to obtain Indra's chakra. Tell me, am I right or wrong?"

Naruto was filled with astonishment. These were his greatest secrets, known to no one, yet this person who looked exactly like him knew them perfectly. After calming down, Naruto believed what they said, but he still had doubts that needed to be resolved.

Naruto lowered his guard and asked calmly, "If you are me, why have I never known about you? When did you appear?"

The Good Naruto paused for a moment before saying, "You believed me so quickly? But that's not strange; I am you, and I know exactly what you are thinking, so there is nothing to be surprised about."

Naruto said impatiently, "Stop the nonsense. Tell me everything I want to know, quickly."

Seeing Naruto's impatience, the Good Naruto replied tactfully, "Simply put, when you were fusing the soul fragments of Otsutsuki Koshiki and Asura, you were still a fetus. Your development was incomplete and too fragile, and the emotions carried by the memory fragments were far too vast."

"They far exceeded your capacity to bear; forcing a fusion would have caused devastating damage to your brain. Instinctively, you used the power of the White Eye to strip away those emotions, allowing you to see the memories without feeling the emotional weight. Those stripped-away emotions—the seven emotions and six desires—instinctively rejected the 'desires' that stood in opposition to them."

"Just like Yin and Yang, they repelled each other, forming two opposites. These two clusters of emotion simultaneously absorbed the residual intent of Otsutsuki Koshiki and Asura, giving birth to consciousness."

"With consciousness, we could contain these emotions so they wouldn't harm you. Therefore, we are a part of you—your seven emotions and six desires. You fused Sasuke's blood for the Rinnegan, but awakening the Rinnegan requires intense emotional fluctuation. Do you understand now?"

Naruto nodded. "I understand. You are my emotions, and to awaken the eyes, I must have complete emotions—or rather, a complete soul. According to Taoist teachings, a person has three souls and seven spirits, and these emotions are the seven spirits, the seven emotions and six desires of the master."

"My seven spirits were incomplete, and you two are the missing parts, right? Then come. Only by fusing with you can I be whole, and only then can I awaken the Rinnegan to resurrect my parents."

The Good Naruto looked at Naruto and said, "I must warn you: although we are a part of you, we have developed independent consciousnesses. Even after we fuse, our consciousnesses will not disappear. While you will remain the dominant one, you will be influenced by me and him. In other words, you will develop two extra personalities. Do you still want to fuse with us?"

Naruto replied calmly, "Without fusing, I cannot awaken the eyes. Besides, with your help, my chances of resurrecting my parents will be greater. Furthermore, you are me, aren't you?" The Good Naruto paused and said, "That's true."

At this moment, the Dark Naruto, who had been silent, looked at the Good Naruto and said, "Idiot. And those aren't just your parents; they are our parents." The last sentence was directed at Naruto. The Good Naruto stared at the Dark Naruto in surprise. "Even a cold guy like you has family affection."

The Dark Naruto replied flatly, "Although I am the embodiment of evil, I have consciousness; I am not a machine." With that, he turned into a dark light and dove into Naruto's soul. The Good Naruto's mouth curled into a slight smile, and he turned into a white light, following him into Naruto's soul.

Naruto was suddenly flooded with emotional fluctuations he had never felt before. As time passed, these fluctuations grew increasingly intense. Naruto's soul was subjected to a massive shock; these emotions were a mix of joy and sorrow, bitterness and sweetness.

Naruto gradually felt his personality and temperament becoming less cold than before. With the completion of his seven spirits, his longing for his parents and his hatred for the masked man grew stronger. Finally, it felt as if Naruto had broken through a certain limit, and his emotions slowly began to settle.

When Naruto woke from his coma, it was already night. He turned on the light and walked to the mirror, but seeing that his eyes remained unchanged, he said disappointedly, "Did I fail? Sigh." Just as he was feeling dejected, the voice of his dark personality echoed in his mind.

"Idiot, have you been blinded by too many emotions? Try condensing chakra into your eyes and see what happens."

Hearing this, Naruto hurriedly condensed chakra into his eyes. Suddenly, he noticed a change in his vision. Looking into the mirror, he saw that his ocean-blue eyes had transformed into a Sharingan with a single tomoe.

Looking at the spinning tomoe in his pupils, Naruto wanted to scream with excitement. Five years had passed—five whole years. For these five years, every moment, he had fantasized about these eyes that would allow him to see his parents and resurrect them.

Every day, Naruto could only see the loving faces of Minato and Kushina in his dreams, and only there could he receive their affection. Three lifetimes—three whole lifetimes. Only in this one had he felt his parents' love, and though it was brief, it was unforgettable.

Naruto thought to himself, Father, Mother, I have found the hope to resurrect you. Soon, our family will be able to meet again.

The next morning, just as Naruto was about to head out to train with Sasuke, he opened the door to find the Third Hokage. The Third smiled and greeted him, "Morning, Naruto." Naruto paused, then replied, "Morning, Third Hokage-sama. Is something the matter so early? Please, come in and sit."

Naruto stepped aside. After the Third entered, he asked, "Why are you up so early? Where are you planning to go, Naruto?" "Oh, I was going to find Sasuke to train. I'm going to become a man who can protect the people he cherishes," Naruto said, clenching his fists in front of his chest.

"Oh, so Naruto knows he wants to protect the people he cherishes now? Come, tell me, who are they?" the Third asked, feigning surprise. "There's Sasuke, Hinata, Brother Itachi, Aunt Mikoto, Uncle Fugaku, and you, Third Hokage-sama."

The Third laughed heartily, feeling gratified. At the same time, he thought to Minato, Minato, did you hear that? Your child has inherited the Will of Fire well. You would be very proud to know this, wouldn't you?