Sky Screen Exposes Naruto’s Confession

"See, Kakashi-sensei! I'll definitely become stronger than Sasuke—dattebayo!" Naruko exclaimed, waving her small fists with excitement. Her cheeks flushed with determination, as if she was gearing up for battle.

She wouldn't lose to Sasuke, not ever. That stubborn idiot. She'd prove herself and become a hundred times stronger than him.

"You? Keep dreaming, dead last," Sasuke scoffed mercilessly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Their playful banter made the office feel warm and lighthearted. Everyone smiled at their interaction, even Kakashi. But Itachi's gaze lingered a little longer, a faint softness glimmering in his usually stoic expression.

"Naruto-kun, thank you for being Sasuke's friend," Itachi thought silently, his eyes filled with gratitude.

[On Screen]

[As Rasengan and Chidori clashed, the screen blurred. A golden, radiant space appeared, shimmering like sunlight breaking through the storm.]

[In this glowing space, Naruto and Sasuke stood facing each other, the tension between them replaced by an unusual calm.]

["Sasuke," Naruto began softly, his voice steady but laced with pain. "You know, don't you? The people in the village used to hate me because of the Nine-Tails sealed inside me."]

["I hated them too. I even thought about taking revenge."]

[Naruto paused, his expression unreadable as he recounted his painful memories. "If things had gone just a little differently, I might have ended up just like you, wanting to destroy Konoha."]

[Sasuke listened quietly, his usual sharpness dulled by an unfamiliar stillness. For once, he was simply a listener.]

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured as she watched, her heart aching at the sight of Naruto's pained expression on the screen.

Iruka, too, was misty-eyed, unable to stop the tears welling up. The boy he'd watched grow up—his struggles were laid bare for the entire world to see.

Even across the Ninja World, there was an unusual silence. Everyone listened intently to Naruto's words, as if his pain had momentarily united them.

[The screen shifted, showing memories from Naruto's childhood. The scenes were vivid and raw.]

["Why leave that thing in the village? Why not lock him away? Doesn't the Third Hokage care about us?"]

["Get out, monster! My store will never welcome you, you freak!"]

["It's him. He's the one who caused…"]

The Jinchūriki watching the screen froze. Though Naruto's pain wasn't theirs, the scenes struck a deeply familiar chord.

The isolation. The blame. The suffocating loneliness.

They had all felt it before. The stares, the whispers, the weight of being hated for something they couldn't control.

["Why?" young Naruto had screamed at the villagers in his memory. "Why do you all treat me like this?"]

["Even the teacher gives me that look…" he muttered, his voice cracking with despair.]

["I'm not a germ, or a nuisance. I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"]

[But his cries went unanswered. Alone and misunderstood, he walked through the village, trying to figure out why he even existed.]

In the present, the Ninja World sighed collectively.

"That poor child… Growing up with no parents and no kindness. How did he even survive that?"

"Konoha villagers are heartless! How could they treat a kid like that? Do they have no shame?"

"I just want to give him a hug… He must've been so lonely."

For the first time, many hearts softened toward Naruto. Women across the Ninja World couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness toward the boy on screen.

[The scene shifted again.]

["I thought I'd never connect with anyone," Naruto admitted quietly, his voice breaking the stillness. Then he looked at Sasuke, his expression softening. "Until I met you and Iruka-sensei."]

In the Hokage's office, Sasuke stiffened. Naruto's words echoed in his mind: "Until I met you."

What did he mean? How could someone like Naruto find comfort in someone like him?

Despite himself, Sasuke's lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smile. He quickly masked it, but not before Naruko noticed.

"Ha! Sasuke, you just smiled!" Naruko teased, leaning closer to get a better look.

"I didn't," Sasuke replied, his face heating up.

"You totally did! And you're blushing!"

"Shut up, dead last. Back off!" Sasuke grumbled, shoving her away.

[On Screen]

[The scene showed young Naruto walking by a river, where he saw another lonely figure—Sasuke. Their eyes met briefly before they both looked away, their movements stiff and awkward.]

[Another memory played: their fight against Haku.]

["Why… Why did you save me?" Sasuke had asked weakly, blood staining the snow around him.]

["Shut up, dead last… My body just moved on its own…"]

["You have to survive, no matter what…"]

["Sasuke!"]

Both Sasuke and Naruko flinched at the memory. It was a battle neither of them could forget.

[The glowing space returned.]

["Sasuke," Naruto continued, his voice steady but filled with emotion. "When I saw you back then, I felt a strange sense of relief. Like I wasn't alone."]

["You carried the burden of the Uchiha name, and I carried the Nine-Tails. We were both carrying something heavy."]

["That day, when I saw you, I wanted to talk to you. I thought maybe you'd understand."]

["But I couldn't," Naruto admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "I envied you. You were good at everything."]

["So I made you my rival, my goal," he said, looking up with a determined smile. "From that day on, you were the person I wanted to catch up to."]

Outside the screen, Naruko's cheeks burned.

"Don't say it, don't say it," she muttered to herself, sneaking glances at Sasuke.

Sasuke, however, was focused entirely on the screen. He didn't even notice her nervousness.

Naruto's words felt familiar because… he had heard them before.