A question, from Sakura. It was during a random and perhaps inane meal.

"I don't understand, Naruto. You can make thousands of shadow clones a day, and yet you never bother to train with them outside of dedicating them all to a singular, monotonous task. You could do so much with it, with them. I just don't understand why you don't."

The blond slowly placed his chopsticks down onto the plate, brought a hand to his head and then leaned back into the chair. And then he sighed. It was a deep sigh, filled with weariness and exasperation.

"Perhaps I could. In fact, I could do everything, couldn't I. Everything, everywhere, all at once.

I could continue this meal with you. I could drink tea with Iruka. I could eat dango with Anko. I could read smut with Kakashi.

I could be training in a thousand different techniques. I could develop new techniques. I could work on furthering my chakra control or mastery over nature transformation or shape manipulation. I could learn a new skill, a new hobby. I could learn more about fuinjutsu or genjutsu or even taijutsu.

I could become a better medic than you, a better interrogator than Ibiki, or a better therapist than Ino.

I could fill in the roll of that weatherman who got sick, or run an entire construction crew, filled only with me. I could be the person who you ask to watch your child for the night.

I could spend each and every day, each and every moment, drowning in women and drugs and alcohol in the red-light district.

I could live ten thousand lives a day, each day, every day, until I die. I could experience more, do more, see more in a single day than you will throughout your entire lifetime.

I could do everything, be everywhere, anytime and all the time. Live a life of madness and cacophony and dissonance and insanity and pleasure and love and heartbreak and sorrow and absurdity and lunacy and hysteria and delusion. I could be everyone, everything, everywhere, all at once, and nothing could stop me.

I could become omniscient of nearly all things, not merely knowledgeable, but a true master of it all. I could be so terribly powerful that I might warp reality as I choose. I could become a true god, with but one face and innumerable souls. Eldritch and distant from humanity, as you people become paper thin facades before the breadth of my being.

I could certainly abuse this forbidden technique of mine. This technique that promises to slowly, but surely, rip and squeeze and warp the humanity of the user, the psyche of the user, until it breaks. This technique that could oh so easily shatter a person into oblivion.

But I don't. I am not so desperate."

Naruto paused, breaking into a yawn. Thereafter he stood, placing a number of bills onto the table.

"I enjoyed the meal, Sakura, but I have something to do right now, so I'll see you around. Please, keep the change."