Lock's voice sounded again within the depths of Naruto's mind.
"I am the one who carries those memories for you."
His words were calm, but the chill beneath them was unmistakable.
"I bear the pain you refuse to face."
The moment the voice spoke, Naruto's breathing hitched.
That tone—cold, sharp, stripped of comfort—was one he knew too well. He had heard it in the voices of villagers who looked at him like filth. In the mutters behind his back. In the way adults spoke when they thought he wasn't listening.
His shoulders tensed. His fingers dug into his palms as he struggled to steady his breathing.
"I… I get it," Naruto said hoarsely.
Then, after a brief hesitation, his voice dropped.
"And I'm… I'm sorry."
The words came out before he fully understood them.
For as long as he could remember, Naruto had felt it—an unspoken certainty that something inside him took the worst of it. That was when the pain became unbearable, when the loneliness threatened to crush him completely, something unseen stepped in and carried the weight so he could keep moving forward.
He had never questioned it.
Now he finally understood why.
Naruto swallowed, guilt flooding his chest.
"I won't let you do this alone anymore," he said quickly, desperately. "I'll help you. I'll share it with you. I—"
"How?"
Lock cut him off without hesitation.
The question landed like a blade.
"How do you plan to help?" Lock asked coolly. "By letting me take over, while you hide away and let me drown in everything you don't want to feel?"
Naruto froze.
The words struck too close to the truth.
He didn't answer.
He couldn't.
The memories Lock had shown him were still fresh—raw, suffocating, endless. The thought of living inside that darkness constantly, of being submerged in it day after day without relief, made his stomach twist.
He recoiled instinctively.
And there was something else.
Fear.
Within those memories, Naruto had felt it clearly: resentment so deep it bordered on hatred, anger sharp enough to tear everything apart. That desire to destroy—to lash out at the entire world that had wronged him.
He had felt those emotions before, fleetingly.
But Lock carried them fully.
Could he really hand over his body to someone who felt that way?
Naruto clenched his teeth, head lowering.
If I hadn't felt those things… he thought weakly. If I hadn't been angry… maybe he wouldn't exist like this.
The guilt only deepened.
Maybe he could let Lock take control sometimes. Just for a little while. Maybe that would help.
But once he gave it up—could he take it back?
And during that time… would he be the one forced to endure all that pain instead?
The more he thought, the more tangled his emotions became. Relief, fear, gratitude, guilt—all of it churned together, leaving him unsure of what he should say or do.
Deep within the shared mind, Lock watched every thought form and dissolve.
He felt Naruto's hesitation.
His fear.
His guilt.
And he was satisfied.
Naruto had no way to shut him out now. No way to block what he felt or thought. That imbalance made everything simpler.
Still, brute pressure wouldn't work—not yet.
Trust had to come first.
Lock let the coldness in his tone fade, just slightly.
"Relax," he said quietly. "I'm not trying to take your body from you."
Naruto's head snapped up in surprise.
"R-really?"
"Really," Lock replied. "At least, not now."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"Do you remember what I said earlier? I am you, and you are me. We're two sides of the same existence. If we fight each other, this body suffers. If we work together, we both benefit."
Naruto listened intently, not daring to interrupt.
"You want your life to get better," Lock continued. "So do I. If you're crushed by pain, I drown in it. If you grow stronger, I suffer less. Cooperation isn't kindness—it's common sense."
Naruto hesitated. "But… if you take over, even for a little while…"
"You can take control back whenever you want," Lock said flatly. "You're still the dominant consciousness. That hasn't changed."
That much was true.
Naruto could feel it instinctively. Whatever Lock was, however heavy his presence felt, Naruto still occupied the surface. He still held the reins.
"And the reason I exist at all," Lock went on, "is because someone had to carry what you couldn't. That's how this began."
He didn't elaborate further.
He didn't mention inherited spiritual influence or the unnatural pressure that had shaped Naruto's path from birth. He didn't explain how forced suppression inevitably created a fracture.
He didn't need to.
As he spoke, Lock allowed Naruto to feel it—his intent, his thoughts, his sincerity. Not everything. Just enough.
Enough truth.
Naruto's unease melted away almost instantly.
His expression brightened, eyes widening with relief and excitement.
"So… that's how it is!" Naruto said, his voice lifting. "Then we can get along, right?"
A grin spread across his face.
"We'll be friends!"
Lock didn't respond immediately.
Naruto continued enthusiastically, unaware.
"I'll let you come out sometimes! We can switch places! As long as you don't hurt anyone, okay?"
Deep inside, Lock felt something shift.
A connection tightening.
A subtle but undeniable change in the structure of their shared consciousness.
The pressure that constantly weighed down on him eased slightly, just enough to notice. The darkness around him receded by a fraction, as if acknowledging his progress.
That was fast, Lock thought.
Too fast.
He recognized it for what it was—initial trust. Sudden, emotional, and fragile. The kind that could shatter instantly if mishandled.
Naruto tilted his head, confused.
"…Hey," he said. "Why did it feel like something just changed?"
Lock chose his words carefully.
"I was measuring something important," he said smoothly. "Something that helps us both."
Naruto nodded, accepting the answer without question.
Then frowned.
"Oh, right. What should I call you? I can't just say 'the other me' forever."
Lock considered it briefly.
"I've chosen a name," he said. "Lock."
Naruto blinked.
"…Lock?"
"Just a name," Lock replied. "It separates us. Makes things clearer."
Naruto grinned.
"Cool! Then you can call me Naruto, and I'll call you Lock!"
He paused, then leaned forward conspiratorially.
"So… Lock," Naruto asked eagerly, "you said something about things being 'beneficial' to us. Does that mean you can help me become Hokage?"
There it was.
Lock was silent for a moment.
"…No," he said bluntly.
Naruto deflated instantly.
"I can't make everyone like you," Lock continued. "And I can't hand you the Hokage's hat. That kind of thing doesn't work that way."
Naruto's shoulders slumped.
"But," Lock added, "I can help you pass the graduation exam."
Naruto's head shot up.
"What?"
"The academy exam," Lock said. "The Three Basic Techniques. Do you honestly think you'll pass on your own?"
Naruto opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
"…No."
He had failed twice already. Everyone knew it.
"I can help," Lock said. "I know exactly what you need to do."
Outside, Naruto practically jumped out of his skin.
"Really!?" he shouted, drawing a startled glance from a passing civilian. "You're serious!?"
"Yes," Lock replied calmly. "But we don't start by talking. We start by acting."
Naruto bounced on his heels, excitement bursting through him.
"Tell me! What do I do!?"
"First," Lock said, "go find the tools to clean the Hokage Rock."
Naruto blinked.
"…That's it?"
"For now," Lock answered. "Iruka will be looking for you soon. We don't need to give him another reason to be disappointed."
Naruto grinned.
"Cleaning's easy!"
He took off at a run, energy completely restored, mind buzzing with hope.
As Naruto moved, Lock settled back into the depths of consciousness, watching, thinking, calculating.
The trust was there.
Shallow, unstable—but real.
Enough to begin.
This is only the start, Lock thought.
From here on, every step forward belongs to both of us.
---
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