The shadows

ch4

Naruto wasn't naive anymore. He knew that he couldn't save everyone. He knew that for the sake of peace, sacrifices should be made. He went through a war and the death of his allies, but he learned his lesson.

Sometimes he wished he could be as naive as he was when he was younger. Thinking that he could save everyone and that all he needed to do was talk to his enemies, and they would become friends.

He wanted to make his godfather's dream of peace a reality, and he wanted the peace to include everyone. But peace was a fragile thing. To have peace, everyone must give up their selfish desires and try to coexist.

However, it is in human nature to be selfish. Whether it was because people refused to acknowledge others' sacrifices or just trying to achieve their desires, most people didn't like the idea of making sacrifices.

You could ask them to forgive, but they would never forget. This would cause a conflict within them. They would think about revenge whenever they were reminded of this choice.

This state of conflict would often cause turmoil within them. And with time, it would fill them like a balloon ready to pop. This was not a solution for lasting peace.

What they needed was not peace but coexistence. Everyone is good at something. They needed to create harmony based on this mutual need. People needed to consider what they would gain from this state and decide on keeping the balance.

While there would still be individuals who would act on their negative emotions, as long as most people were fond of coexistence, they could either pacify them or by cutting ties with that individual or trying to stop them, they would minimalize the effect of that person's activities on the community.

The difference between coexistence and peace was not only their names. Peace would imply a lack of conflicts but in the latter lies balance. There would still be those who would oppose the majority, but since they lacked enough power, they could be dealt with.

Another major difference was that peace was a goal, a shared dream. However, in coexistence, you could have many groups with different objectives. They just needed to have an acceptance between them, and using their needs was one of the best ways to create it.

Naruto knew that he had to find a way for this to happen. Last time a great war against Madara was the solution, but he wasn't planning on letting him get revived.

He wasn't letting any of the tailed beasts get captured as well. They didn't deserve what happened to them. His options for plans were getting more limited the more he thought about it.

It was a normal day of his root training when he got called to Danzo's office. He had no idea what he wanted, but he had to keep his perfect soldier facade.

It wasn't his birthday so that it couldn't be the formal visit with the Sandaime. he also couldn't sense anyone else in the office. He was sure he also didn't make abnormal progress in his training to cause questioning.

He followed the agent sent to fetch him and entered after the agent opened the door for him. he went in front of Danzo, sitting at his desk, and kneeled, fixing his gaze on the ground.

Danzo simply stared at him for a while before ordering him to get up. "You are here for the new order from the Hokage. he wants you to socialize with people outside the base to have a normal childhood. You are a weapon for this village, not a mere worthless civilian. Since it is not time to defy Hokage's orders yet, we are making this into a mission."

"I refuse to waste time by letting you join the academy. However, from tomorrow, you will spend the weekends in the village. An agent will follow you for the first time in case you need assistance."