As dawn broke the day following the invasion, Naruto opened his eyes, his face alight with a broad grin. He had spoken to his parents at length the previous day and had come to know what kind of awesome people they were. He hadn't felt so happy while waking up in ages. Nightmares from Kabuto's past did not plague him like he had feared. Meeting his parents had overpowered every other fear and misgiving he had in his mind, and shielded him against such negative thoughts.
Naruto surveyed his new surroundings, realizing he was far from his apartment. At Mito's request and with the Hokage's approval, he had relocated to the Senju clan compound. Time and conflict had reduced the once vast and bustling compound to a handful of deserted houses. The three shinobi wars had claimed a disproportionately large number of Senju lives. Mito explained that it seemed as though death lurked for any Senju who ventured beyond Konoha's walls. Though many whispered suspicions of targeted killings, no evidence ever definitively proved a campaign of systematic genocide. In fear, some abandoned the Senju name and the clan altogether. Tsunade was the sole survivor of the three wars who still remained to this day, though her survival had been facilitated by some narrow escapes. During these times of war, the unoccupied expanses of the Senju lands were repurposed as training grounds for the village.
Upon arriving at the main house of the Senju compound, Naruto, his parents, and Mito wasted no time in getting the place ready for the night. Mito needed a hideaway from prying eyes, and the secluded Senju compound allowed his parents to freely stay in their physical forms. Furthermore, the stringent security layers surrounding the ancient compound ensured that Naruto's newly discovered bloodline remained concealed.
As he sat up in his bed, Naruto was taken aback by a familiar yet distant aroma—the scent of breakfast cooking. This was a fragrance he hadn't experienced since his days at the orphanage. However, unlike the basic, often unappealing meals served there, the smells wafting into his room now were rich and even comforting.
Naruto grinned and rushed downstairs. As he rounded the corner into the kitchen, the inviting aroma of miso soup and grilled fish filled the air. His eyes widened as he watched his mother, Kushina, expertly flipping tamagoyaki on a small pan. Beside her, Minato skillfully arranged freshly steamed rice into bowls, while Mito attentively set out an assortment of pickled vegetables.
For a moment, Naruto stood transfixed, overwhelmed by the familial warmth that enveloped the room. This scene was something completely alien to him, and he realized that it was the family he had always longed for.
"Good morning, Naruto! You're just in time for breakfast," Kushina said with a bright smile.
"Morning, Mom! Dad! Granny!" Naruto greeted them with a cheerful smile, his eyes lighting up at the spread of food before him. However, he noticed that only one plate was set out.
"Aren't you guys eating?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"As a reanimation, I do not require sustenance," Mito explained gently. "And your parents, being shadow clones, don't need to eat either."
Naruto's smile faltered slightly. "So, I have to eat alone, huh?" he murmured, disappointment creeping into his tone.
Kushina, quick to sense his dismay, responded immediately. "Of course not, Naruto. We'll join you at the table and share the meal. We've prepared plenty, after all!" She shot a pointed look at Minato and Mito, prompting them to nod in agreement and gather around the table.
"Your cooking's great, Mom! I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's even better than Ichiraku's ramen!"
"Nothing is better than ramen," Kushina said automatically. "But we must respect the food of Gods and enjoy it only in moderation."
Minato nodded wisely. "Too true."
Mito shook her head. She was unsure what all this fuss was about since she had never tasted this food called ramen. Perhaps she should try it one day.
As they enjoyed their meal, Naruto cast a curious glance at Minato. "Dad, are you going to become the Hokage again?" He knew it was a long shot, but his curiosity got the better of him.
Minato shook his head with a small smile. "How can I protect the village as a shadow clone? A large amount of chakra is already used up to give a solid form to a shadow clone. The remaining chakra isn't enough for a serious fight. Besides, I've already served my time as Hokage. Now, my duty is to you."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you're going to train me?"
"Exactly," Minato replied, his smile broadening. "We'll put together a training plan once I assess your current skills."
"Awesome!" Naruto punched the air in excitement, unable to contain his joy. Kushina smiled at his enthusiasm.
"I'll also assist Lady Mito in teaching you sealing, Naruto," Kushina announced happily. "You'll love it, I'm sure! I can disguise myself as a sealing core member when your friends are around."
Mito nodded from her seat. "I shall join you tomorrow. I was asked to head to the Interrogation unit today, most likely to deal with Danzo." Mito told them.
"Hey, d'you think I can visit Gaara?" Naruto piped up. "I wanted to talk to him."
Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance. "It will be difficult to see him unless the Hokage allows it," Minato said thoughtfully. "What do you plan to say to him?"
"His past is... messed up. I just wanted to let him know that he's not alone, and not everybody hates him."
Kushina nodded understandingly and looked at Mito pleadingly. "That boy needs it. Could you ask Lord Hokage for a favor, Lady Mito?"
Mito considered Kushina's request. "I don't see any harm. The boy would likely be returned to Suna once they paid the reparations for the war. He will be used as a bargaining chip. Gaara will grow to be a powerful shinobi of Suna. It will be beneficial to us if his sanity is restored and he is on friendly terms with us. However," Mito looked at Naruto thoughtfully, "Do you truly think he can be reasoned with?" Naruto had told them the mentality Gaara was in before he attacked the village. It seemed like the jinchuuriki had completely surrendered to his inner demon.
"I'll try!" Naruto said with confidence. "It's the least I can do..."
Mito nodded, understanding Naruto's empathy. "Konoha has no other major allies, and even if they betrayed us once, Suna will probably be given a second chance. Before that happens, we should add some precautions to the Shukaku's seal so that Suna would not use it against us again. Send a clone with me when I visit the Hokage."
Grateful for the opportunity, Naruto grinned thankfully. He began to eat with renewed urgency, eager to get ready.
Kushina, disguised as a young brown-haired woman, accompanied one of Naruto's clones to the rendezvous point of Team Seven. Since Sakura did not sustain any injuries, she was discharged yesterday. Kakashi had called for their first post-war team meeting, and she decided to sub for Mito and teach them some of the basics of sealing. She would be hijacking Kakashi's students, but he would surely understand. He was a lazy ass teacher anyway.
Kushina grinned when she saw Mikoto's son and Sakura, waiting for them and Kakashi. She was quite proud of the form distortion seal she had applied on herself to hide her most distinctive features. A normal henge would be instantly seen through with Sasuke's Sharingan, so she had resorted to more... drastic measures to hide her appearance.
"How's it going?" Kushina waved cheerily at the two confused Genin. "I'm Suchiko, from the sealing corps! I'll be teaching you guys the basics of sealing today since Lady Mito has some pressing business to attend to!"
Sasuke looked up, a gleam of interest entering his eyes. "We'll be in your care then," He said, bowing slightly. Sakura hurriedly imitated her teammate. 'Sasuke-kun is so well mannered!' she squealed internally. dhe hadn't seen this side of Sasuke. Maybe he hadn't felt the need with Kakashi.
"Such a polite gentleman!" Kushina beamed. "You must be Sasuke? And you're Sakura." She smiled towards the two genin, who nodded back. Kushina glanced at the tree behind them, raising an eyebrow.
"Feeling a little shy, Kakashi?" She asked, with a hint of mischief in her tone.
With a sheepish grin, Kakashi emerged from behind the tree, causing a startled Sakura and Sasuke to snap their head towards him. Naruto snickered at their expense. The world held no secrets from him.
"Were you always hiding there, making us wait?" Sasuke asked the jonin in disbelief. He noted that Naruto was not surprised. Perhaps the Kunoichi told him, or Naruto's dojutsu revealed Kakashi. He didn't see any visible signs of a dojutsu in Naruto's eyes, but he was almost sure about his hypothesis. It looked like he may not get a chance to ask Naruto about it today, since it looked like this Suchiko would be with them the whole day. They couldn't discuss Naruto's secrets when an outsider was present.
"Well, sometimes I do." Kakashi shrugged. "It's entertaining to listen to your opinions of me."
Sakura cringed in embarrassment when she heard that confession, while Sasuke twitched in annoyance. He really needed to improve his situational awareness.
"Sooo, Kakashi," Kushina grinned. "I'll borrow your genin for a while. You can go report to the Hokage. I'm sure he has no scarcity of missions to assign you."
"Of course, Suchiko-senpai," Kakashi nodded and vanished in a swirl of leaves. Sasuke's eyebrow shot up at Kakashi's obvious respect. Suchiko did not look much older than Kakashi, and he had thought Kakashi was high up in the pecking order. Maybe he was mistaken. He quickly checked the older kunoichi with his Sharingan, and was satisfied when he did not detect any signs of a transformation jutsu.
"Ooh, you have the Sharingan," Kushina observed. "But it's better not to use it while mastering the basics. It takes all the fun out of learning." She glanced at Naruto, who was smirking at Sasuke's predicament. "And no shadow clones for you either. You're both free to use your techniques outside of my lessons, but here, I want you to listen, watch, and understand."
Sasuke's expression turned into a frown, but he nodded, silently relieved she hadn't questioned his use of the Sharingan. After witnessing Lady Mito's disguise, he was feeling a bit overly cautious. Without his Sharingan, he wouldn't have been able to tell that it was a disguise. Naruto made a face, considering the restrictions a bit harsh.
Kushina sat down on the grassy ground and motioned the three genin to sit. "Huddle round! We'll go over the basics today," she said, unfurling a large blank scroll she was carrying. She took out an inkpot and a brush and scribbled five characters into it. They did not have any special meaning in the common language and seemed like nonsensical symbols.
"Sealing might seem easy to get the hang of at first, but the real trouble starts when you jumble up the symbols or mess up the order. Today, we'll start with the basics—seals like these symbols right here," Kushina said, tracing her finger over each symbol carefully, "-are what we use in sealing. They change the chakra you pour into the seal in various ways, allowing you to accomplish nearly anything you can do with ninjutsu, and sometimes even more. What we have here are the elemental seals for fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning." She said, pointing to each. "In addition to this, other important basic seals include the yin, yang, time, and space." She drew the four new seals below the first five.
"Imagine that creating a sealing technique is like... baking a cake! Yes, a cake! You've got your basic ingredients—flour, eggs, sugar—that's like our elemental seals. Now, depending on how you mix 'em and what extras you toss in, you can end up with a simple pound cake or a fancy layered cake with all sorts of fillings and frostings!" She explained, feeling proud of her analogy.
Naruto nods, his eyes widening as he tries to keep up, "So, the different seals are like ingredients? They're like hand seals when we perform a jutsu?"
"Exactly, Naruto!" Kushina clapped her hands, pleased. "Hand seals affect the flow of chakra in your body directly, while these seals become a conduit, or a specific path, for the chakra to flow. We draw the seals with chakra conductive ink to show where and how the chakra is supposed to flow. The thickness of the lines, the size of the characters, repetition of characters-everything is important!" She paused for a moment, making sure that they were following the explanation so far. "Now, think about how we can modify these seals. If you want your cake to be sweeter, you add more sugar, right? In sealing, that's like adding a modifier to make a fire into a blazing inferno or just a tiny spark. There are lots of modifiers and each elements have modifiers specific to that alone. For example, you can control the heat of the fire, the force of water, the speed of the wind, the hardness of the earth, and the shock from lightning. These modifiers also decide how much of your chakra needs to go into the seal to make it work."
The genin nodded, following the explanation so far.
"How can we direct a jutsu towards someone through sealing?" Sasuke asked.
"That's where space comes in." Kushina said, tapping the seal in question. "Space can be expanded, compressed, shifted, bent, or folded. You can also specify directions using it. You can sort of map the trajectory of the attack using these modifiers."
"What does the time seal do?" Sakura asked curiously.
"These are a bit complicated, but fundamentally, they can be used to time the attacks. Like you can set a timer to decide when the cake should start baking, and how long it will bake! You can have an explosive seal timed to go off ten seconds after you pour your chakra into it, for example. Or they can be used to activate different seals at different times, making some executions sequential rather than parallel."
Seeing their lost expressions, Kushina decided to resort to her analogy once again. "When serving a large dinner, for example, each course has to be served one after the other for the best effect. Similarly, we may need the fire nature chakra to take effect first before boosting it with wind chakra. That's what I mean by sequential execution. With me so far?"
The three genin nodded. Kushina grinned. "Now comes the fun part. You need to learn to draw these symbols exactly as I show you. We'll start with these," she gestured to the nine seals shown in the scroll "and work our way up from there."
"How many of these are there?" Naruto asked, taking the ink and paper Kushina handed out.
"Oh, lots. Lots." Kushina grinned. "You'll be busy for a while!"
"And I can't use a Sharingan for this because…?" Sasuke asked.
"Because I said so!" Kushina said cheerily. "Nothing beats good ol' fashioned hard work! If you just copy me while I draw the seals, it will hamper your understanding of the basic structures that make up the seal. When it's time for you to create your own designs or custom seals, things will be difficult for you."
Another clone of Naruto accompanied Mito, now disguised as Tomi, to the Hokage tower. He was told to wait outside while Tomi conversed with the Hokage.
Naruto leaned on the receptionist's desk, much to the said receptionist's annoyance, while contemplating the events of the previous day. Absently, he took out a needle to perform the chakra control exercise that Mito demonstrated. He wondered if he would ever be able to gain Kabuto's level of expertise in medical ninjutsu. He noticed that he was having an easier time channeling a smaller amount of chakra into the needle. The least amount of chakra he could channel seemed to be about a third of what he could before.
'Hey, is it because I'm a clone?' Naruto wondered. He created another clone to test the theory. Sure enough, he could channel an even smaller quantity of chakra into the needle now. He could even balance a second needle on top of the first without it shooting off!
'So that's it! The more clones I have, the better I can control the chakra. Maybe I can start with this and slowly reduce the number of clones to work on managing more chakra. Yatta!'
Psyched that he now had a method to improve his chakra control, he sent away the clone to work on control using the new method.
The door to the Hokage's office opened, and Mito emerged with Hiruzen in tow. She nodded towards Naruto with a smile.
"You can join us and visit Gaara, Naruto." She confirmed, causing Naruto to grin widely.
"That's great!" He exclaimed. Hiruzen smiled at his enthusiasm.
"You may talk to Gaara while we go to meet Danzo," Hiruzen told him as they headed to the interrogation unit. "Your intel was extremely helpful in finding evidence against him, Naruto. You have the village's gratitude. I will classify your actions during the invasion as being equivalent to an S-ranked mission, as the information you gained is at least worthy of that. You will receive a commensurate compensation for your efforts." Hiruzen smiled.
"Woohoo!" Naruto cheered. It felt great to earn independently, even though money was no longer a problem for him. The Third Hokage had given them access to the Fourth Hokage's assets yesterday. Those assets were frozen in a trust fund until the time Naruto became a Chuunin. This was apparently a decision forced by Danzo and the two elders, who feared that Naruto gaining access to those assets would alert foreign intelligence on his heritage and hence trigger a blood feud. The Third had reluctantly agreed with them after deciding on a monthly stipend to be released for his expenses. The stipend was always sufficient for his expenses, but he had screwed up multiple times by going overboard with his pranks and having to pay hefty fines as a result.
Now, since the actual owner of all that money, Minato, was now back in action albeit as a clone, the assets could now be accessed by him. With the elders out of the picture, Hiruzen could give them access with no one being the wiser. Naruto almost passed out when he learned the ridiculous amount of money his father had made. It included bounty from the innumerable shinobi he defeated, the missions he had completed, and the salary he had accrued as Hokage. His mother had also earned quite well, but she was rarely sent out on missions.
Soon, they reached the interrogation unit. Naruto noted that the place was under heavy security. He could see at least four dozen ANBU patrolling the area. Perhaps they expected an attack from the ROOT operatives who returned from various missions only to realize that their leader had been captured. Fortunately, Jiraiya was already busy tracking down the shinobi of the currently rogue organization.
The two ANBU who stood at the entrance bowed deeply as they saw the Hokage. The doors wordlessly opened, and Morino Ibiki stepped out to greet the village leader. Inoichi Yamanaka also followed him.
"Lord Hokage, the traitor is still under heavy sedation and has not been allowed to gain consciousness since his incarceration. His abnormal hand and eye have been surgically removed, as instructed." Ibiki reported. He eyed Naruto and Tomi curiously but knew that he should not ask questions.
"Good. What of Gaara and his siblings?"
"They are under independent confinement, as instructed. The Jinchuuriki has woken up but is restrained by multiple suppression seals. He does not pose a threat. I left his interrogation to Inoichi-san."
Inoichi stepped forward. "Gaara and his siblings were minimally informed on the cause of the invasion, but it is clear that they did not suspect their father to be an imposter. However, discontent has been brewing in Suna for the past few months. It is likely that Orochimaru took advantage of the situation and assassinated the Kazekage sometime before the exams started."
Hiruzen nodded. "Naruto here has requested to meet with Gaara, and I have granted his request. I hope it will be safe to do so?"
Ibiki and Inoichi looked at each other, clearly surprised.
"He will not pose a threat, Lord Hokage," Ibiki informed.
"Then kindly escort Naruto to Gaara while Tomi and I visit Danzo." Hiruzen instructed.
Ibiki nodded. "Please follow me, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto followed the scarred Jonin while the Hokage and Mito followed Inoichi.
"I saw your answers to the first test, kid," Ibiki said conversationally. "They were… interesting."
Naruto winced. "Well… better to stay safe and not cheat than to cheat and get caught, right?" He asked weakly. Now that he knew the meaning of the test from Kabuto, he couldn't help but cringe at his naivety.
"Right you are," Ibiki agreed. "Getting caught has consequences. But the safe path isn't always the best."
"I know, but the best option depends on what the stakes are." Naruto countered.
"So the allure of becoming a chuunin isn't enough for you to deviate from the safe path? How would you be able to take on risks, then?"
Naruto shrugged. "I didn't kid myself -nothing I did would get past a jonin and a couple of chuunin. But you did give a lot of leeway."
"Of course we did." Ibiki barked out a laugh. "You seriously didn't think the intent was for you to outsmart us all?"
"I have enough information to make a choice," Naruto said, deciding to play it safe.
"Not enough intel, huh?" Ibiki said thoughtfully. "I guess I can accept that. You're not as idiotic as you look."
"Thanks! Wait… Hey!"
"Or maybe you are. Hard to tell these days." Ibiki snorted. He stopped in front of a cell. Naruto eyed the two hidden ANBU overhead curiously. Ibiki's eyes widened, indicating that he did not miss that action.
He looked at Naruto. "You want to talk to him alone, or shall I accompany you? As you know, he's dangerous and now desperate. It's a dangerous combination."
"I'll go in myself," Naruto said resolutely.
"Choosing to risk it, huh?" Ibiki smirked. "So you're not risk-averse now."
"Let's just say that I have enough intel," Naruto said stubbornly.
"The two of you are not the same, no matter how much you may feel… connected to him," Ibiki warned. "I have seen a lot of nutcases and psychopaths. Hell, even Orochimaru is more reasonable than him."
"That just means that you know neither him nor Orochimaru," Naruto muttered darkly.
Ibiki exhaled. "Be my guest." Focusing a trace of chakra into the seal on the door, he watched it pulse briefly. Retrieving a key, he unlocked the door and gestured for Naruto to follow him inside. Once Naruto entered, Ibiki promptly shut the door behind them, which glowed momentarily under the influence of its seals. Ahead lay a more formidable door, marked with a complex array of seals pulsating rhythmically. Ibiki laid his hand against the heavy door, prompting it to slide open seamlessly.
"He's all yours, kid. We'll secure the door from the outside once you're in, just as a precaution," he instructed. "When you're finished, just press the button on the other side of this door."
Naruto nodded and entered the room. As the door locked behind him, he saw that the room he was currently in was partitioned in two by a heavy glass barrier. He could see another vast array of glowing seals all over the surface of the glass. On the other side, he could see Gaara's form. The Jinchuuriki was sitting with his face buried in his knees, almost curled up into a fetal position.
Naruto saw a speaker with a red button affixed to the glass barrier. He took a deep breath and pressed it. 'They sure aren't taking any chances. I thought I would be meeting him directly,' he thought.
A shrill alarm rang inside the room, and Gaara's head snapped up. His gaze snapped to Naruto, a mix of surprise and irritation flickering across his face at the unexpected intrusion.
"You're probably wondering why I'm here," Naruto started, his voice steady despite the tension. "I know you're not thrilled to see me, but I'm asking you to listen."
Gaara's reply came with a hint of sarcasm, his raspy voice issuing through the speaker. "How thoughtful of you to presume I have a choice."
Taking a deep breath, Naruto rushed into his explanation. "The Nine Tails is sealed inside me," he said quickly, "just like the Shukaku is sealed inside you."
"You're saying you're like me?" Gaara's voice echoed with disbelief.
"I didn't have it as bad as you, I won't deny it," Naruto replied. "Growing up, I felt the distance people kept. They didn't like me, and I never understood why. They warned their children away from me and whispered that I was a demon. But unlike you, they never tried to kill me. Aside from the glares and harsh words, I was mostly ignored, as if I didn't exist."
Naruto met Gaara's gaze firmly. "I understand why you want to prove you exist. That's why I aim to become Hokage, to earn everyone's recognition. But why do you want to prove your existence just by killing people?"
Gaara listened silently to the story of his fellow jinchuuriki. Whatever the leaf ninja had done, he could no longer hear the constant maddening screams of the Shukaku and his cries for blood. He had slept soundly yesterday for the first time in a long time. He had never had the peace of mind to think clearly, as he only heard the mindless screams of blood from Shukaku. Why did he seek to kill people? It was an interesting question to consider. The first answer was that it was to appease the beast and keep it silent for some time. However, he had another reason as well.
"When I kill them, they can no longer harm me," Gaara answered truthfully.
"Then there will be someone else that tries to harm you. When you kill people, more and more people will hate you. You can't kill everyone, no matter how strong you are," Naruto reasoned.
"My father would never let me live in peace. Suna is unlike Konoha if isolation is the worst thing you face," Gaara said darkly.
"Your father is dead," Naruto revealed, much to Gaara's shock. "He was killed weeks ago by Orochimaru, and he disguised himself as the Kazekage during the invasion."
"No, you're lying," Gaara clutched his head, unable to comprehend that his greatest nightmare is no more. "You're just here to toy with me, give me hope."
"You can see for yourself, once you get back to Suna," Naruto told him. "Orochimaru is someone who wants full control over anything. He wouldn't be subservient to anyone unless it's to stab them in the back."
"Even if you speak the truth, the elders will not let me be." Gaara challenged. "No one will let me be. I am just a tool to the village. Just a weapon."
"You're already one of Suna's strongest shinobi," Naruto reasoned. "You can make jonin in no time. With the Kazekage gone, no one there can actually control you. Focus on getting stronger and protecting your precious people. You could even be Kazekage someday!"
Gaara snorted a laugh of derision. "Precious people? I have none. Only those who fear me."
"People fear you because you murder people for looking at you the wrong way," Naruto said plainly. "Your siblings are protective of you, and so is your sensei. I saw it myself. Please, Gaara, give them a chance. Give this world another chance."
Gaara looked at Naruto as if he were viewing a strange animal. "You are foolish and naive, Naruto Uzumaki. You underestimate the darkness of this world."
Naruto sighed. "With the Kazekage gone, this is the only chance you'll get to change. If you continue the same way, the elders will think that they can't control you. Then they'll try to assassinate you for real. Even though your father was a piece of shit, he didn't send his most elite shinobi to kill you, as he saw it as a chance for you to grow stronger if you survived. You can't expect that lenience from others. So it'll be better for your future if you don't continue as you did before. If you can promise me that you'll try to improve, I'll ask the sealing corps member who restrained you to put a seal on top of yours so that he's not always tormenting you."
Gaara's eyes widened at the offer. Killing people was one of the ways he pacified the Shukaku, so that he could get some peace of mind for a while. If Naruto could find a way around that, then there may be some hope.
"If that is so, what you ask may not be impossible," Gaara said softly, contemplating his future.
"Thank you. That's all I ask." Naruto said, breathing a sigh of relief."
"What do you gain from this?" Gaara asked. "What does Konoha gain from this?"
"I don't know about Konoha, but I wanted to meet you because you reminded me of me. When I left the orphanage and started living by myself, I saw how cruel people can be. Except when I met Hokage-jiji or Teuchi-san or Ayame-nee-chan, no one even looked me in the eye. It was as if I didn't exist. It was maddening. I know what that feels like, at least. That's why I don't want that to happen, even to someone who was an enemy."
Gaara looked at Naruto, still deep in thought. "Then you have my thanks, Naruto Uzumaki, if all that you say is true."
"You're welcome, Gaara." Naruto smiled brightly. "And all the best. I hope that, when you're the Kazekage and when I'm the Hokage, we can talk to each other once again." With that, he nodded and turned around. Gaara watched Naruto walk off, and closed his eyes to reassess his worldview.