How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

Sasuke's mindset was a bit better than Naruto's. After all, the sky had cleared, the rain had stopped, and Sasuke felt like he was back on top of his game. So, he was the first to react.

He clenched his teeth tightly, forcing himself to stay calm. His Sharingan glowed with an unusual light as he stared at Hagoromo: "Kurama said you could help me and Naruto become stronger, to gain power far beyond what we have now."

"I can," Hagoromo nodded in response, then shifted the conversation. "But before that, I want you to answer me one question."

"Ask away!" Hearing the confirmation, Sasuke got excited and nodded without hesitation.

Hagoromo looked at Sasuke in silence for a moment, waiting until Sasuke started to get impatient before finally speaking in a calm tone: "I can sense a strong wave of negative emotions buried deep within you. So, I want to ask, why do you want this power?"

"Revenge!" Sasuke answered firmly, his eyes unwavering.

But the next second, a smile suddenly appeared on his face: "If this were in the past, I would've answered without hesitation. No matter who I was talking to, even if it were you, the legendary Rikudo Sennin, I would've said the same thing."

A faint glimmer of joy flashed in Hagoromo's eyes: "And now?"

"For the name of Uchiha," Sasuke replied with a smile.

Hagoromo was stunned. Not just him, but even Naruto and Kurama, who was behind the cell bars, were left speechless.

Ignoring their shocked expressions, Sasuke turned to Naruto and said: "Naruto asked me for a favor. He said that if he could no longer be a ninja, or if he couldn't protect the village in the future, he wanted me to become Hokage in his place. To protect the village and the people he cares about."

"I agreed. I swore on the name of Uchiha that I would do it." Sasuke took a deep breath and, under Naruto's increasingly stunned gaze, looked back at Hagoromo. "A promise is a promise. Even if Naruto can still be a ninja and protect the people he cares about now, I swore on the name of Uchiha, and I won't break that oath."

"Naruto wants to protect the village and the people he cares about. And I… will step in when he can't. I'll protect him when he can't protect himself."

"This is the Uchiha's oath."

"For that, I need power. Power that will let me survive after I've taken my revenge. Power that surpasses Naruto's, because only then can I protect this idiot in the future."

The Uchiha's oath is never broken.

Kurama, with tears in his eyes, covered his mouth, visibly moved: "This is too good, oh my god~ What an amazing pair!"

Rikudo Sennin gave Kurama a strange look, but now wasn't the time to address that. The satisfaction in his eyes became even more apparent, and he even smiled—happy, content.

"Sasuke…" Naruto murmured, his voice filled with emotion.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, completely stunned. He never expected Sasuke to still remember their old promise. Even though Naruto could continue being a ninja, Sasuke was still determined to fulfill that vow.

Even if it was in a different way, how could Naruto not be moved?

A fire burned in Naruto's chest as he clenched his fist and stretched out his right hand, his expression firm and unwavering. "Sasuke, I won't let you surpass me. Because you're also someone I want to protect. And for that, I need to become even stronger."

Sasuke smirked, pretending to look indifferent but clearly pleased. He raised his right hand, forming a fist, and bumped it against Naruto's. "Who do you think you're talking to? Uchiha Sasuke doesn't need someone weaker than him to protect him."

"Don't be so sure about that," Naruto grinned.

Their fists met, and it was as if two lights ignited behind them—an orange blaze and a blue lightning, testing and colliding with each other, yet also circling around one another.

Kurama dropped his usual pretentious expression and leaned closer to Hagoromo, his smile turning wild. "Hey, old man, Naruto isn't Ashura, and Sasuke isn't Indra. But after seeing this, you're not still planning to hold onto that chakra of yours, are you?"

Hagoromo turned to look at him. "I won't interfere with the affairs of the future. I belong to this era."

Then, he suddenly smiled—not the faint smile he usually wore in his serious demeanor, but the kind, tearful smile of a proud grandfather. "But Kurama, you're right. Compared to sealing away my mother, isn't the bond between these two more deserving of that power?"

For the first time, Hagoromo looked like a gentle, ordinary old man. "If it's them, even if my mother were to revive, they could handle it, right? I believe that with this bond, they won't follow the same path as Indra and Ashura."

Chakra was originally meant to be a bridge connecting people's hearts, something Hagoromo passed on to others.

But later generations twisted its true purpose, using it for war.

Do you know how heartbroken Hagoromo was when he saw this? Do you know how many times he doubted whether he should have passed on this power? Do you know why he left his chakra behind to watch over the world even after his death?

Just like his mother.

He had thought countless times about taking this power back. He had thought countless times about following Kaguya's path, letting this world live on as an ordinary one. To counter the Otsutsuki clan's attacks, his mother chose to create the White Zetsu, while he chose to believe in this world.

He had been disappointed, but he never regretted it, because he believed in the potential of humanity.

And now, standing before him, weren't these two the very embodiment of that potential he had always believed in?

"Kurama…" Hagoromo called out, his eyes misty.

Kurama's ears twitched, signaling he was listening intently.

Hagoromo smiled and said,

This world might not seem so beautiful, but that's only because you've never actively looked for that beauty. When you truly start searching, you'll be surprised to find that beauty has always been right in front of you.

"It might be a cloud on a sunny day, a breeze on a scorching summer afternoon, a single blade of grass in a dry desert, or perhaps someone you love, someone you care about, someone who can make you smile from the bottom of your heart."

"Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke—these are names I will always remember. Thank you for showing me the potential of humanity, for showing me that the future of chakra isn't all cruelty."

Hagoromo—no, Rikudou Sennin—reached out his right hand and placed it on Kurama's head. Even though Kurama's body was hundreds, even thousands of times larger than his, Rikudou Sennin treated him like a child who had just grown up, with gentle care.

Rikudou Sennin softly stroked Kurama's fur, just as he had done in the past or would in the future: "Kurama, I'm willing to give them this power, not because they're the reincarnations of Indra or Asura's chakra, but because they are Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

"I believe you knew this too, which is why you brought them back to this era to find me, right? Otherwise, given my nature, I would have passed this power to them at the very last moment anyway."

Kurama obediently lay there, letting the old man pet him: 

"But back then, you wouldn't have been able to tell whether you were giving them this power because of who they were or because of Asura and Indra, right?"

Kurama looked deeply at Rikudou Sennin, as if waiting for an answer.

Rikudou Sennin nodded gently: "Yes, because back then, I didn't have a choice, did I?"

Who says the future is set in stone? Who says the future can't be changed? In fact, the same choice you make now or in the future might lead to completely different outcomes.

At this moment, what Rikudou Sennin believed in wasn't the reincarnations of Asura and Indra's chakra, but the potential of Naruto and Sasuke, these two children.

Asura was foolish, with a passionate heart but no talent. Indra was brilliant, with immense talent but obsessed with power.

Naruto is foolish, with a passionate heart and an unstoppable drive. Sasuke is brilliant, with immense talent and an equally strong passion.

Rikudou Sennin suddenly looked at Kurama and smiled, finally concluding: "How does that saying go again? Let me think…"

"A heart full of passion can never be extinguished."

Kurama: "Huh?"

Wait a minute!

You old man with the thick eyebrows! You've been snooping through my memories!

Kurama swore he had never said that to Naruto or Sasuke! And he never muttered it to himself either! Even if this old man had retrieved the chakra memories hidden within Naruto, there's no way he could've known about this!

Kurama's nose practically twisted in anger: "You old geezer! Give me back my emotional moment! Drop dead!"

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