Naruto: With Favorabiltity System

Chapter 204: The Bright World Promised by the Gods

"Testing me with something like this?"

Haneda suppressed his unruly salivary glands and waved his hand, setting the entire garden ablaze with a great fire.

The scene shifted once again.

He now stood in a vast, empty world shrouded in darkness, with nothing before him but a glowing door.

Haneda smiled and walked toward the door of light.

On the door, he saw only two things: **hope** and **perseverance**.

**What is hope?**

When there seems to be no way out, the road reveals itself as long as you choose to walk forward. That is hope!

**What is perseverance?**

The deaths of mentors, the fall of friends, the farewells of comrades...

Haneda endured it all.

He had felt lost, even despairing at times.

But by his side, behind him, there were always friends and elders who stood by him!

Even when they were gone, Haneda continued to persevere on his own.

The door of light drew closer, and his steps grew lighter.

Suddenly, six figures appeared around him, blocking his path.

**Obito, Kakashi, Sakumo, Fugaku, Asuma, and Guy.**

At that moment, Obito, wearing a mask and clad in a red-cloud cloak, sneered:

"I understand that everything you've done so far has been for me, but what do you take me for?"

"On the night of the Nine-Tails, I lured you to the Valley of the End. I summoned the Nine-Tails, leading to Minato-sensei's sacrifice and ruining the great situation you'd built."

"Do you not regret it? Do you not hate me?"

Without hesitation, Haneda replied:

"Because we're friends. I've always felt guilty for failing to save you."

Kakashi spoke next:

"Then shouldn't you also think about those around you?"

"I see you as my sun, a sun that illuminates everything for me."

"In chasing after you, I've met others, found new suns..."

"But in the end, I lost everything because of my pursuit of you. My only sun is you now."

Haneda fell silent.

Sakumo followed up:

"I sacrificed myself for you."

"I upheld my ninja way, upheld the Will of Fire."

"I taught you swordsmanship and guided your training."

"But you changed nothing. Even my son was abandoned by you. Do you think my sacrifice was worth it?"

Fugaku added:

"My father entrusted me to you, hoping you would take care of the Uchiha clan."

"Yet after that night, you left Konoha without hesitation."

"Do you know what the Uchiha are enduring now in Konoha?"

"Danzo oppresses us without restraint. My son and even my best clansmen have turned against me because of it."

"Do you deserve the clan that nurtured and protected you?"

Asuma chimed in:

"I saw you as an older brother, someone I deeply respected and admired."

"But you abandoned me without a second thought."

"Do you think you did right by me?"

Guy concluded:

"In every youthful duel, you always left me to Kakashi."

"Knowing Orochimaru-sensei's fate was sealed, you never tried to change it, instead trading benefits and letting Orochimaru go."

"Do you truly deserve my trust?"

When Guy finished, all six of them demanded in unison:

"Haneda, do you truly deserve us?"

Their voices of accusation left Haneda in silence time and time again.

He had indeed allowed many things to happen, and he had tried to change them.

But in the end, what had he achieved? What had really changed?

The door of light, once bright, dimmed. The world around Haneda became enshrouded in fog, growing increasingly gloomy.

At that moment, Obito suddenly said:

"Have you forgotten your promise, Haneda?"

"We're friends, aren't we?"

Obito's words dispersed the fog, revealing one person after another emerging from behind it.

Zabuza, Haku, Kimimaro, Yagura... and the villagers of Konoha whom Haneda had once protected.

"Yo, I'm still alive, Haneda."

"Haneda-sama, I'll protect you as your tool."

"Only I can protect Haneda-sama, idiot!"

"Don't forget the bright world you promised."

"You said you'd change this world and bring eternal peace. That's what you told us, Haneda-sama."

"We all survived under your protection, Haneda-sama!"

One voice after another called out, and the distant door of light began to shine once more with the brilliance of hope and perseverance.

Haneda looked at his subordinates and the people he had once protected. Finally, he smiled:

"As long as I want to walk, the road will always be there!"

With that, he walked past Kakashi and the others. At Obito's approving nod, he reached the door of light.

Standing before the door, he made a promise:

"In three years, I will return to Konoha."

"I will lead the world toward the path of light."

Pushing open the door, sunlight poured through, illuminating the dark world hidden beneath the fog.

"Welcome to the bright world promised by the gods!"

…

The White Snake Sage watched as Haneda nearly succumbed to despair. Just as she was about to call in Tensen Hime and the others to devour him...

A pattern of the sun appeared in Haneda's eyes.

"Such power is insignificant," Haneda declared.

Two horns grew from his head, and shadows of eye makeup framed his face as he entered Sage Mode.

Haneda stood up, looking at the visibly surprised White Snake Sage. He asked:

"What are you afraid of?"

"Interesting," the White Snake Sage remarked, switching to a new pipe and taking a drag.

Blowing out a smoke ring, she said:

"You're the only human who has mastered Sage Mode upon arriving here."

"You carry the powers of Indra and Asura within you."

"Perhaps that's the key to your success—especially your Sharingan."

"So what?" Haneda replied, gripping the hilt of his sword, *Dawn*.

"The greatest power I possess has never been those things."

"What has brought me this far wasn't merely what you mentioned."

Suddenly, Haneda smiled and thanked the sage:

"For a long time, I've carried guilt in my heart."

"But thinking about it now, I've always had someone I could truly face without shame."

"I've tried to change the fate of so many people."

"Though I failed in many ways, I've also saved many lives along the way."

"These people hold a place in my heart as well."

"Thank you for helping me see that."

"It seems you've had a profound journey," the White Snake Sage observed, puffing on her pipe.

Though she didn't know exactly what Haneda had experienced in the illusion, his transformation intrigued her.

"No, my journey isn't over yet," Haneda said, shaking his head.

For him, the journey would end in his homeland, where countless memories were buried.

It was also the place where he made his final promise before departing.

"Next, I'll need your guidance in mastering Sage Mode," Haneda requested.

"Very well. Remember to keep your promise," the White Snake Sage said, leading him to the true heart of Ryūchi Cave, where the art of Sage Mode was passed down.