Chapter 72

Back at the base, Naruto sat in his room with Kara, Raven, and Veritas.

It was time to settle things once and for all.

Standing in the center of the room while the three girls sat on the sofa, he took a deep breath and spoke.

"I need to get this out of the way before something else happens. I like you all."

Veritas raised an eyebrow. "I mean, we already know that."

Kara smirked. "He means love."

"Yeah, that."

Veritas leaned forward. "What did she say?"

Naruto inhaled and exhaled slowly before looking at each of them.

"I love all of you."

Silence.

Then—

"Better," Veritas chuckled, clear happiness in her voice.

She had never expected her feelings to be returned. This moment felt surreal. A dream come true.

"You expect all of us to just agree with that?" Raven asked, her tone measured.

Naruto nodded. "That would be great."

"Isn't that kind of selfish?"

"It is," Naruto admitted with a grin, "but someone here punched the idea into my head that sometimes, selfishness is okay. And I was convinced."

Kara smirked at that.

Veritas walked up to him and hugged him tightly. "I love you too, and I have no problem with this… harem setting of yours," she said softly. "I'm just happy that you accept me. I trust you will take care of us and love us properly."

Hearing those words made Naruto's heart swell.

Love really was something incredible—it brightened everything.

But his gaze soon settled on Raven.

She was the delicate one.

Her emotions were in turmoil.

"What about you, Raven?" Kara asked gently.

Raven had been silent this whole time, lost in thought.

She already knew her feelings for Naruto.

She had already noticed his feelings for all of them.

For a long time, she thought he would make a choice.

But now, it was clear that he wasn't going to.

And maybe…

Maybe that was better.

It was selfish of her to want to monopolize him.

But love was selfish—someone always had to lose.

And Naruto?

He was too selfless.

If forced to choose, he probably would have chosen no one.

"He wouldn't have chosen anyone." Raven realized.

She couldn't ignore this situation.

Love wasn't easy to find.

And even harder to let go.

True love didn't just disappear when things got complicated.

It was what made betrayal hurt so much. The pain, the frustration, the anger—and yet, you still loved the other person.

Naruto's feelings weren't entirely selfish.

He didn't want to hurt them.

This was a mix of love and responsibility.

And he was someone who feared hurting others more than anything.

Raven sighed.

"Can you really handle all of us?"

"I will try my best."

"You know this is only the beginning. Relationships can fall apart."

"I'm aware. And I will never let that happen."

Raven closed her eyes for a moment before opening them.

"You know… I want to monopolize you so badly," she admitted, stepping closer.

Naruto's breath caught as she reached out and gently held his hand.

"But I'll give it a chance. Because I trust you."

"And because I love you that much."

"You were honest. You didn't hide anything. And… if it weren't for Kara, maybe you never would have said anything."

Naruto felt a wave of relief and overwhelming happiness crash over him.

His happiness meter had officially broken.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Then louder.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know what will happen in the future, but I swear—I will make you all the happiest. We will be the best lovers ever, and I would die before I let anything happen to you."

He hugged all three of them tightly, unable to keep the uncontrollable joy from his voice.

Kara suddenly blocked his mouth with her hand.

"Never say those words again. No dying here, okay?" She glared at him.

Veritas nodded. "Yeah, I know people say stuff like that all the time, but when you say it, we can't help but take it seriously. So I'd appreciate never hearing those words again since I'm dreaming of a long life with you."

Raven smirked. "See? Now you can't even make dramatic declarations without getting shut down."

Naruto laughed, truly laughed, from the bottom of his heart.

"Hahaha, I don't mind. And I won't say something like that again."

He looked at them with nothing but love.

"I love you all so much that nothing could ever change that.

"I am yours. And you are mine."

Kara watched him carefully at those words.

And she remembered something.

'Remember that he is obsessed.'

A warning she had once been given.

But instead of worry, she felt…

Happiness.

She didn't want someone who could give up on them.

She wanted someone who would fight for them.

Even if they themselves fell into despair.

Even if they pushed him away.

She wanted someone who would drag them back into the light.

And that was Naruto.

There was no way anything could go wrong.

Silent Hill was never silent.

It breathed. It whispered. It watched.

Naruto walked through the empty streets, his every step echoing in the fog. He had returned to find her, to save her, but more importantly—to change her future.

Alessa Gillespie stood at the center of it all, her arms crossed, watching him with an unreadable expression.

She knew why he was here.

"You're persistent," she said, her voice soft yet carrying the weight of something ancient.

Naruto stopped a few feet away. "Of course. Someone has to be."

Alessa chuckled, tilting her head. "And you think that person is you?"

"It is," Naruto replied without hesitation. "Because you want something, Alessa. And I'm the only one who can give it to you."

The air shivered around them as reality wavered.

The buildings melted, twisting into nightmarish shapes. The sky flickered, shifting between endless blackness and burning light.

Naruto didn't flinch.

This was Alessa's world.

And she was its immortal.

"…You want your mother back." Naruto's voice was steady, cutting through the shifting reality like a blade. "But she's still trapped in the Alternate USA, isn't she?"

Alessa's expression hardened.

"She's safe there."

"She's alone."

Alessa's hands clenched at her sides, and the world rippled in response.

"She's terrified of you, isn't she?" Naruto continued, watching her closely. "That's why you keep her away. But she won't last forever. People go insane when they're trapped alone. She's already starting to break, isn't she?"

Alessa's eyes flickered with something dangerous.

"I won't let her die."

Naruto stepped closer.

"But you will, if you keep her there."

A cold wind swept through the town, carrying the distant sound of sobbing.

Alessa's gaze wavered.

"…I don't want her to hate me," she admitted. "I don't want her to be afraid of me."

Naruto sighed.

"She won't be, if you change."

Alessa blinked, looking at him with something close to hope, yet laced with doubt.

"You're powerful," Naruto continued. "Too powerful, honestly. But that doesn't mean you have to be a monster. You're more than what they made you. And if you come with me, I promise you—I'll help you fix this."

The world around them shook.

The fog thinned for the first time in years.

Alessa exhaled, a deep, shuddering breath.

"…If I leave, what happens to this place?"

"It doesn't have to be your prison anymore."

She was silent for a long time.

Then—

"…Okay," Alessa whispered.

Naruto smiled. Genuinely.

"Then let's go."

And for the first time, Silent Hill let her go.