I've been stuck on the next chapter for a while. For some reason, despite knowing what I wanted to write, it wouldn't flow. Tried focusing on side-projects and even starting new stories but... no deal.

Then I finally think I figured out the problem...

This small semi-chapter is me explaining what I think the problem may be, in-story (although it may not be as clear with what already happened, it may have been more of a problem with my mindset when writing what was supposed to already be this chapter), and an attempt to fix it and move back on track soon, hopefully.

As thus, sorry it is short, but hopefully it'll make my mind work again for next chapters to return soon.

IIIII

Naruto resisted the urge to sigh, as the group hug extended. No one seemed to want to let go.

He kind of liked it. He had been starved for positive atention for long, so he liked to bask in any that he got even nowadays.

But for some reason it also irked him.

"So you noticed," came the voice of Kurama in his mind. "Finally."

While his face was still holding a small smile, Naruto send to Kurama an image of him frowning in confusion.

"Are you tired of playing 'God' yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"This felt good at first, didn't it? The people treating you well because of who you are. Even if you do not recall it, people calling you family, happy for you just being there.
You wanted it for a while, right?

But now you noticed... it feels wrong. Not fitting.

Undeserved.

Like empty praise."

Naruto resisted the urge to frown at that.

"And there we go, the second problem. Or, well, kind of the result."

A second problem...

As if a switch had been turned on, Naruto understood.

"I see..." Naruto said back. "I spent so long working for being accepted, losing sweat, tears, blood, an arm... To be accepted. To have someone tell me they are happy to see me. To prove to the village I was worthy, until I finally saw that the people that deserved that work were those that I thought so back. And then I fought hard to prove myself deserving of the respect they gave me back, not to them now but to myself.

Even the Oiroke, at first an attempt of imagining an older sister, then turned into a prank, then I made it a fighting technique that was good enough to give us the opening we needed to fight back against Kaguya!"

"Yes, that... actually happened. No one would believe it coming from anyone else, but Uzumaki Naruto was able to do it."

"Now I got it from these people, this worship... but just for being the reincarnation of someone... It is not something I worked for. Empty praise, it is for someone else. It is being given through me, not for me. It is the opposite of what I worked for. It is something I despised, seeing it happen to others, how they were praised for things outside their control instead of for what they worked for and deserved.

And... I think I've been trying to change myself to deserve it."

"Yes. You've been trying to be this 'God' for them, because you are his reincarnation.

Naruto... you are the transmigrant of Ashura, but I barely gave him the time of the day, and he did the same to all of us as far as I recall. Hashirama was the transmigrant of Ashura too, but none of us saw him with good eyes after his actions. We did not become your friends because of who you were in another life. We became your friends because of who you are in this one.

These people... they do not know Uzumaki Naruto. Some of them do, but of those, the only ones that did not change their behavior once you were revealed as the reincarnation of their god were the Devils, as far as I can tell they treat you differently just because they don't know how much they knew was the real you yet, Metatron and Dohnaseek, who already knew and took the time to know Naruto before the other knew, Asia, who already looked up to you anyway, and Irina, who... judging from how she treated Metatron during breakfast..."

"And I liked so much being treated well by them because of that, I started acting more like I thought he would do instead of as myself," Naruto understood.

He wasn't acting like himself. They were not treating him like himself either, but as their Father or God, and he was changing himself trying to match their expectations.

That wasn't right, to either side.

"I agree.

So, Uzumaki Naruto, I ask again. Are you ready to stop 'playing God'?

Are you ready to come back?"

Outside, he smiled, a large one. To most people watching, it gave no further thoughts.

Metatron and Sona shivered.

The other ninjas sighed, recognizing it.

"Try and stop me."