Unwind - A rhetorical light

“It was your sword I used to seal the Yondaime.  Yet you are here with me.  The same age.  The same timeline as Naruto.  Is it enough if we were sent back?  If you fused your blade with his maybe we could-“

A hand on my shoulder stopped me, and a belly full of laugher shocked me.

“You’re still fixated on that kid?  Look ~,” Ago frowned and corrected himself, “Brother, you won’t be rid of me that easily.  You have the power in hand to shape the world around you.  If you keep looking back like this, you’ll miss what is right next to you.”

“But what if I’ve surrounded myself with things I hate?”  I flinch at the appearance of Ago’s aura / chakra cloak.

“That’s what I’m here for.  To sweep the dust and sweat the small stuff.  You don’t even have to ask.” He grips my chin, “And~ hey~ if something in that pile of rubble calls out to you, we’ll all pitch in to do right by you.  I may not be perfect, but nor are your mistakes.”

“Ago, stop talking to me like a father and start talking to me like my mortal nemesis.  If you don't… how am I supposed to fight?” - Joseph

“Let the fight be brought to you.  Never move toward an enemy.  I’ve seen you fight.  You’ve got too much strength to be led around by the nose.” - Ago

“So about Konoha~” - Joseph

Ago laughed, “Again, why that place?  If you could be anywhere in the world, where would you be?  Where would you start?  Where would you play the game your heart is giving you?”

I rub my chin in thought.