Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 411 The Strongest Illusion

"The difference in strength... is it really that big...?"

Shizuka bit her lower lip. In that instant, all the hard training and confidence and strength she had honed through countless life-and-death battles were as fragile as a sandcastle built by a child in front of this man. With a surge of tide, it crumbled without a trace.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her eyes were filled with a deathly stillness.

"Fine," she said softly, her voice devoid of resentment, only a weary resignation. "Please give me an end to this."

She didn't close her eyes, nor did she lower her head; she just stared straight at Naruto—waiting for the inevitable end to come.

But Naruto simply flipped his wrist. "Clang." The kunai was casually tossed to the ground.

"I already said..." Naruto's voice lacked the arrogance of a victor, only a helpless seriousness. "I never wanted to fight you—let alone kill you."

Shizuka was stunned. "...Why? Why didn't you give me a proper ending? I lost... The loser should accept the fate that comes with being a loser."

"—That's not destiny!" Naruto's voice suddenly rose. "That's just a rule your village set for itself!"

He looked directly into her eyes. "Using a marriage contract as a gamble? You clearly have someone you like—and I have someone I love! A marriage contract… should only be between people who like each other!"

"...What?" Shizuka seemed to be stabbed by these words, and her calm mask suddenly shattered.

She, who could calmly accept death, suddenly stood up abruptly, her voice exploding with long-suppressed anger and pain—"What do you know about me?! That it can only happen between people you love?!"

"You—whose loved ones are right beside him, within reach—don't spout nonsense here!!"

She was trembling all over, her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "No matter how strong you are... can you guarantee—that fate won't take away the person you love?!"

Naruto paused for a moment. "I can't give you a 100% guarantee."

"But I will risk my life to protect her."

"Anyone can say that—!! Risk your life?! You make it sound so easy! You deny my destiny, saying it's just an insignificant rule—!"

She stared intently at him. "But what if one day... this world really takes away the person you love?! Will you still have this arrogant attitude?! Will you still be able to so casually say 'rules can be broken'?!"

"I won't let that happen."

"Promises can't change reality—! If you really can't save her... if you really..."

"I'll die with her."

A few words, calm, clear, without any hesitation, but they left Shizuka frozen in place.

"...!!!"

She couldn't make a sound for a moment. After several seconds, she seemed to regain her breath, "...Are you an idiot?"

She stared intently at Naruto's face, trying to find even the slightest trace of guilt, bravado, or naivety.

But there was none; only a quiet, devout earnestness.

Naruto's cheeks flushed slightly, but he didn't look away. Instead, he met Shizuka's stunned gaze and slowly spoke.

"When I was a child... I was always alone."

His voice was soft, carrying a dull ache of reminiscence. "I had no friends. Everyone in the village... for various reasons, disliked me. Back then, I couldn't find anyone to talk to."

He paused, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. "But then, she suddenly appeared—Uchiha Satsuki. She was different from others… Satsuki's personality was quite interesting when she was young."

"Despite being kind and gentle, she always chooses the most awkward way of speaking and uses particularly lame reasons to show concern for others."

His smile deepened as he recalled certain specific moments. "Back then, I thought...she was really adorable."

Shizuka listened quietly, her tightly clenched fingers loosening slightly at some point. Naruto took a deep breath, his gaze becoming serious again.

"Sorry. I've said a lot, even though I'm not good at talking about these things... Also..."

"You're right... I may not really understand what it feels like to lose the most important person in your life."

"But you say it's 'fate'—"

His voice turned somber. "I've seen what true 'destiny' looks like. Some people, because of so-called 'destiny,' decide to kill their parents with their own hands, slaughter their entire clan, and even arbitrarily decide their sister's life and path."

"Some people, because of 'fate,' lock themselves in darkness for ten years, not even daring to open their eyes."

"She thought...that was the only way. But that wasn't 'destiny'—it was the despair she imposed on others."

Shizuka was stunned. Naruto continued, his voice clear and firm. "Your village tells you—after losing your lover, you can only live for the village, marrying a powerful but emotionless stranger you can defeat."

"But that's not the rule. That's a cage."

He turned around, raised his arm, and pointed to the audience—Zuo Yue was staring intently into the arena, her fingers unconsciously gripping the railing, her dark eyes unblinking, as if she were ready to rush down at any moment.

"The real rules should be—"

"Unless you're a fool like me, if you truly love someone, even if they're gone, you'll do anything to make the world they lived in a better place."

"Instead of turning yourself into a sacrifice to a 'victor' you don't even know."

Shizuka's breathing trembled slightly.

"I don't know the person you love..." Naruto's tone softened, "but I think if he truly loves you—he would never want you to spend the rest of your life as an empty shell."

"I certainly don't want you to treat me as a 'trophy' to be given away to others."

Naruto's voice slowly seeped into her frozen heart. "He would want you... to see the sky he saw, and to eat the food he liked."

"Including his share—"

"Live well."

Naruto looked at her and finally said, "If you truly want to fulfill your 'destiny'—"

"Then become the first village chief in Nadeshiko Village... who can bring prosperity to the village without having to 'marry a man of equal strength'."

"Break that ridiculous rule. So that future girls... won't have to go through your pain. That's the true destiny he left you with."

"!!!"

Shizuka's eyes widened suddenly.

Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

She suddenly squatted down, curled up, buried her face in her knees, and made no sound, but her trembling back was more deafening than any cry.

Naruto didn't go forward; he simply stood quietly in place, leaving this broken space to her.