"..." Naruto's sincere words made Kaguya waver, a rare occurrence for her. But what followed was profound bewilderment.
She had trusted humans once before, only for them to repay her with merciless betrayal.
On one hand, Kaguya longed to connect with humans again. On the other, she feared opening her heart only to suffer another betrayal.
A frightened rabbit. The description could not have been more apt.
Naruto could see the knot in Kaguya's heart, too, but his background and experiences left him at a loss for words. As he grew anxious, a gentle female voice sounded in his mind.
"Naruto, shared interests might force Kaguya to compromise for now, but unless you touch her with warmth and untie that knot in her heart, she'll still waver and lose her way in the future."
Naruto said, "That's exactly what's troubling me, Mom... What do you think I should do?"
"Kaguya and I share one identity: we're both mothers."
"I'm someone who can truly empathize with her."
"So leave the rest to your mom, ya know~!"
Kushina appeared beside Naruto. With her hands behind her back, she walked toward Kaguya.
"Who are you...?" At the sight of the newcomer, Kaguya immediately raised her palm.
Kushina said calmly, "I'm Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki..."
Kaguya's gaze sharpened. She glanced at Naruto, then back at Kushina, slowly lowering her raised hand. "He's your child?"
"Yes~" Kushina's voice carried mixed emotions. "To tell you the truth, although I'm his mother, we've only spent a few brief moments together. I never got to watch him grow up. All I could do was go to great lengths to see him once after he'd grown."
Kushina stopped before Kaguya and looked up to meet her gaze. With heartfelt sincerity, she said, "Mother Kaguya, I'm actually very envious of