I Reincarnated as Naruto Uzumaki With a System?

[ThierryScott]

The heavy brush tore apart. Three figures stumbled out of the darkness and collapsed onto the dirt road. The metallic scent of fresh blood hit the air instantly.

A young man in torn civilian clothes scrambled to his knees. He pulled a standard iron kunai from his belt. His hands shook violently. He pointed the weapon blindly into the shadows of the cart.

"Who is there?" the young man demanded. His voice cracked with sheer terror.

Two young women lay on the ground behind him. The older girl, perhaps twenty years old, was desperately pressing a wad of torn fabric against the youngest girl's shoulder. The youngest girl looked barely eighteen. Her right arm was completely gone just below the elbow. Dark blood soaked her clothes and pooled in the dirt. She was pale and completely unresponsive.

Itachi glanced at Naruto. Naruto sat perfectly still in the back of the cart. His face was a mask of total apathy. He looked completely disinterested in the bloody scene unfolding a few feet away.

Itachi raised his hands slowly and stepped out of the shadows. He kept his movements smooth and non-threatening.

"We are just travelers," Itachi said gently. "We did not start a fire. We were afraid the light would attract bandits."

Hideki peered over the edge of the wooden cart. The official turned completely white when he saw the severed arm and the pool of blood. He pressed his back against the wooden planks and covered his mouth, looking sick.

The young man lowered his kunai slightly. He looked at Itachi, then at Kinoe sitting quietly on the driver's bench. The tension in his shoulders finally dropped. He dropped the weapon and turned back to help the older girl apply pressure to the horrific wound.

"What happened to you?" Itachi asked. He walked closer and knelt beside them.

"Bandits," the older girl cried. Tears streamed down her dirt-streaked face. "They ambushed our camp a few miles east of here. We barely got away."

She looked up and locked eyes with Hideki in the back of the cart. She gave the official a desperate, pleading look. "Please. Are you the guardian of these boys? We need help."

Hideki swallowed hard. He looked at the girl's tearful eyes and completely dropped his guard. He felt a sudden surge of protective instinct.

"We can help you," Hideki said quickly. "We are heading north to the border of the Hot Water..."

Itachi stepped neatly between the girl and the cart. He cut Hideki off with a very polite bow.

"We are merchants returning from a long trade route," Itachi said smoothly. He completely ignored Hideki's slip. "We have a few basic medical supplies. We are heading in the same general direction."

The older girl let out a massive sigh of relief. She looked back at Hideki and offered a weak, grateful smile. Hideki blushed slightly and sat up straighter.

"Could we travel with you?" the girl asked Hideki directly. "My sister cannot walk. She will bleed to death if we carry her all the way to the next town."

Hideki looked at the amputated arm. He nodded firmly. "Of course. Put her in the back with the boys. We have enough room."

The young man and the older girl carefully lifted the unconscious teenager. They placed her gently on the wooden floorboards next to Naruto. The older girl climbed in and sat beside her. The young man took a seat on the edge of the cart near Kinoe.

Throughout the entire frantic exchange, Naruto did not say a single word. He rested his chin on his palm and stared directly at the severely wounded girl. His blue eyes were cold and analytical. He watched the way her chest rose and fell. He watched the blood seeping through the crude bandages.

Itachi climbed back onto the bench. He glanced over his shoulder. He noticed Naruto's intense, unwavering stare. Itachi wondered why the boy was so hyper-focused on an unconscious, dying civilian.

The group spent the rest of the night in total silence.

The sun rose a few hours later. Kinoe snapped the reins. The heavy wooden cart resumed its slow journey down the dirt road. The morning light made the forest feel less oppressive. The thick tension from the previous night slowly faded.

Even Itachi seemed to drop his guard. The young Uchiha slouched on the bench and watched the trees pass by with heavy eyelids.

The older girl wiped the dirt from her face. She looked much prettier in the daylight. She smiled at Hideki and engaged the official in light conversation. She talked about the weather, the poor state of the roads, and the high cost of silk. Hideki eagerly matched her energy. He was clearly smitten with her.

She turned her attention to the back of the cart. She noticed Naruto still staring blankly at her injured sister.

"Your boy is very quiet," the girl said to Hideki.

She leaned closer to Naruto. "Are you worried about her? Do not worry. She is strong. She will not die as long as we reach the next town."

Naruto completely ignored her. He did not blink. He just kept his eyes fixed on the severed stump wrapped in bloody cloth. The girl gave a nervous little laugh and went back to talking to Hideki.

***

Late in the afternoon, the road narrowed significantly. Kinoe pulled back on the reins, bringing the horses to a sudden halt.

A massive, fallen tree blocked the path completely.

Five men stepped out from the dense brush. They carried rusted swords and heavy iron clubs. They wore mismatched armor and leather vests: Bandits.

Hideki gasped loudly. He shrank back into the cart and clenched his leather briefcase tightly against his chest. His knuckles turned completely white.

The older girl gasped as well. She threw her hands over her mouth in fear. She shrank back next to Hideki.

Naruto watched her carefully. He saw her eyes dart down to the leather briefcase in Hideki's lap. The sheer terror on her face vanished for a fraction of a second. A very faint, highly satisfied smile pulled at the corner of her lips. She masked it instantly, returning to her frightened act.

Naruto memorized the micro-expression.

Kinoe stood up on the driver's bench. He hunched his shoulders and bowed repeatedly.

"Please, good sirs," Kinoe begged. His voice was perfectly pitched to sound pathetic and weak. "We are just humble travelers. We have a severely wounded girl in the back. We need to reach a doctor. Please let us pass."

The lead bandit sneered. He walked up to the side of the cart and peered into the back. He looked at the bloody bandages, then his eyes landed on the older girl. He licked his lips.

He gave a sharp hand signal to his boss standing near the fallen tree.

The boss stepped forward. He tapped his iron club against the wooden wheel. "The road is closed. You want to pass, you pay a toll. Everything you have."

Itachi stood up. He reached into his gray cloak with violently shaking hands. He pulled out a heavy pouch of coins. He kept his head down and handed it to the boss. He played the role of a terrified teenager perfectly.

The boss weighed the pouch in his hand. He laughed loudly. "Smart kid."

He looked at the older girl in the back. "Shame we are in a hurry. That one in the back looks hot enough to warm my bed for a week."

Hideki looked horrified. The bandits laughed again. They grabbed the ropes tied to the fallen tree and dragged it off the dirt path. Kinoe whipped the reins, and the cart hurried away from the thieves.

***

The sun vanished behind the trees a few hours later. They pulled the cart off the road and set up camp. They did not start a fire.

The young man sat on the grass near the horses. He looked at Kinoe. "We cross the border tomorrow. We will officially be in the Land of Hot Water. It should be safer there."

He waited for a response. Kinoe mirrored Naruto's behavior perfectly. He stared blankly into the dark woods and stayed completely silent. The young man gave up and joined Hideki and Itachi on the other side of the cart.

The older girl sat next to Hideki. She offered him a piece of dried fruit.

"You held onto that bag so tightly today," she said smoothly. She pointed to the leather briefcase resting near his boots. "What is inside? It must be very valuable."

Hideki rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Just contracts. Trade contracts for the merchant guild. Nothing a bandit would find useful."

It was a terrible lie. His voice pitched up, and he avoided her gaze. The girl smiled sweetly and nodded. She did not push the subject.

The next day passed without incident. They crossed the border marker at noon. The thick forests of the Fire Country gave way to the rocky, humid terrain of the Land of Hot Water. They were exactly two days away from the capital.

Night fell rapidly over the rocky landscape. They parked the cart near a small cluster of boulders. The air was thick and warm.

The young man stood up from the grass. He picked up an empty wooden canteen.

"I am going to find a stream," the young man announced to the group. "My sister needs fresh water to fight the fever."

He took a step toward the dark tree line.

"The Jashin cult, was it?"

The voice was perfectly calm and cold. It cut through the quiet camp like a physical blade.

Everyone froze.

The young man stopped mid-step. The older girl's hand hovered over her bag of dried fruit. Hideki looked around in total confusion. Even Itachi shifted his eyes slightly.

Naruto stood up in the back of the cart. He stepped over the unconscious girl and stood near the edge of the wooden planks. He looked directly at the young man holding the canteen. His blue eyes held absolutely zero emotion.

 

[ThierryScott]

"The Jashin cult, was it?"

The words hung in the warm, heavy air. The young man holding the wooden canteen stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly. Confusion washed over his dirt-streaked face. He blinked several times, looking at Naruto with wide, innocent eyes.

"I do not know what you are talking about," the young man said. His voice trembled slightly. "What cult? I am just going to get water for my sister."

Naruto did not blink: He did not say another word. His right hand moved in a sudden, violent blur. He reached beneath his baggy brown tunic and gripped the hilt of his hidden Kanto blade. The steel flashed brightly under the moonlight as he drew the weapon. He stepped over the wooden bench and swung the blade downward in a single, brutal arc.

The blade cut clean through the unconscious girl's neck.

Her head detached from her shoulders instantly. It hit the wooden floorboards of the cart with a heavy, wet thud and rolled to a stop right next to Hideki's boots. A massive fountain of dark blood erupted from the severed stump, spraying across the side of the cart and soaking the luggage.

Hideki scrambled backward in pure terror. He slammed his back against the wooden siding of the wagon. He stared at the decapitated head resting near his feet, his eyes bulging out of his skull.

"What did you do!" Hideki screamed. His voice cracked, completely broken by the sheer horror of the sudden execution.

The older girl sitting nearby shrieked. The sound tore through the quiet camp. Her face twisted into a mask of absolute rage and devastating grief.

"My sister!" she yelled. "You monster!"

She lunged forward, throwing her hands out to grab Naruto by the throat.

Naruto did not even raise his blade to defend himself. He simply shifted his gaze. He gave Kinoe a single, cold glance.

Kinoe moved without a fraction of hesitation. The Root operative drew his standard tantō from his back and leaped onto the edge of the cart. The older girl did not even see the strike coming. Kinoe swung his short blade with perfect, lethal precision. The blade sliced through her neck cleanly. Her head flew off her shoulders and bounced off the wooden side of the cart. Her headless body collapsed onto the floorboards right next to her sister. Blood pooled rapidly around Hideki, soaking the bottom of his silk robes.

Itachi snapped.

The young Uchiha drew his short sword instantly and pointed the sharp tip directly at Naruto's chest. His dark eyes were wide with shock and fury.

"What are you guys doing!" Itachi yelled loudly. He was genuinely angered. He looked at the two headless bodies bleeding out in the cart. He had sworn a shinobi oath to protect civilians. He had agreed to let these wounded people travel with them, and his own teammates had just slaughtered them in cold blood.

Naruto stood perfectly still amidst the carnage. He pulled a small piece of cloth from his pocket and calmly wiped the thick blood from his Kanto blade.

"I thought you were smarter than that," Naruto said simply. His blue eyes locked onto Itachi. They were entirely cold and completely devoid of emotion.

A low chuckle started near the tree line.

The young man holding the canteen dropped the wooden container to the rocky ground. The chuckle grew louder. It quickly escalated into a full, chest-heaving laugh. It was a diabolical, hysterical sound that did not belong to a terrified civilian. The young man threw his head back and laughed at the dark sky, his shoulders shaking violently.

***

To understand the cold apathy in Naruto's eyes, one had to look back to the exact moment the three bleeding travelers had stumbled out of the heavy brush two nights ago.

When the bloody trio had first appeared on the dirt road, Itachi had immediately dropped his guard to help them. Hideki had fallen for the older girl's sweet words and desperate tears. Kinoe had remained neutral, waiting for his lord to issue an order. Naruto had seen something else entirely.

The exact second the three strangers had entered the fifty-yard radius of their hidden camp, the transparent blue screen of the system had flashed violently inside Naruto's mind. The sterile grid had turned bright red, bathing his vision in a digital warning.

[System Alert: Three Hostile Presences Detected.]

[Target Identification: Priests of the Cult of Jashin.]

[Warning: Extreme Danger. Targets possess anomalous vitality and dark chakra signatures.]

Naruto had known the absolute truth from the very beginning. He had known the missing arm was a self-inflicted wound designed purely to sell their desperate act. He had sat in the back of the cart for two entire days, silently watching the cultists play their twisted game. He had watched the older girl eye the leather briefcase containing the map to their strongholds. He had watched them expertly manipulate Hideki. He had watched them fool a certified genius of the Uchiha clan.

He had simply waited for the perfect moment to strike. He waited until they were deep inside the Hot Water Country, far away from any public roads or Anbu border patrols, to eliminate the immediate threats inside the cart.

***

Back in the present, the hysterical laughter continued to ring out across the rocky terrain.

Itachi stared at the young man. The realization hit the Uchiha prodigy like a physical blow to the stomach. He slowly lowered his short sword. He had been completely fooled. He had let enemy combatants sleep inside their defensive perimeter. He had allowed them to sit inches away from the very client they were sworn to protect. He gritted his teeth, intensely angry at his own foolishness and lack of perception.

The young man finally stopped laughing. He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye, leaving a streak of dirt across his pale face.

He raised his right hand and placed two fingers into his mouth. He blew hard. A massive, piercing whistle erupted from his lips. The shrill noise reverberated through the rocks, echoing far into the dark distance. It was a clear, undeniable signal to anyone waiting in the surrounding wilderness.

Hideki realized the absolute horror of the situation. The people he had pitied were actual monsters. The cultists had been riding in his cart the entire time, waiting for the right moment to slaughter them all. He clutched his leather briefcase and curled into a tight ball in the corner of the wagon. He was completely trapped. He was deep in enemy territory, and his only line of defense was three young boys. Panic completely consumed his mind. He began to hyperventilate.

"For the youngest, you are quite clever," the young man said. He looked directly at Naruto and grinned widely. His teeth looked unnaturally sharp in the pale moonlight. "You saw through our act completely. You are much sharper than the Uchiha kid. You did well."

The cultist spread his arms wide, welcoming the dark night. "Though, it is too late. In a few minutes, hundreds of armed mercenaries and my fellow cultists will surround this entire place. You have nowhere to run. Lord Jashin demands a massive sacrifice tonight."

Naruto did not react to the massive threat. He sheathed his Kanto blade slowly. His heart rate did not increase. He stood in the blood-soaked cart with perfect posture, completely unbothered by the promise of an approaching army.

A sickening, wet sound suddenly came from the floorboards.

Itachi snapped his head around. Hideki froze entirely, stopping his frantic breathing. Kinoe gripped his tantō tighter, stepping back defensively.

The severed head of the older girl twitched violently. Her dead eyes rolled back into her skull, then snapped forward to look directly at Itachi. Her pale lips curled into a massive, unnatural smile.

"He is smart indeed," the severed head spoke. The voice was raspy, wet, and heavily gurgling with thick blood.

The head of the youngest girl, resting near Hideki's boots, also began to move. Her jaw unhinged slightly, exposing bloody teeth. She started to giggle. The sound was high-pitched, echoing, and completely terrifying.

Hideki let out a whimpering sob and covered his ears. Itachi felt a terrible, freezing chill run straight down his spine. He had studied anatomy and lethal strikes for years. He had never seen a human survive a clean decapitation. This completely defied all logic, nature, and medical science. It was pure, twisted dark arts. Kinoe took a slow step backward, keeping his blade raised toward the laughing heads.

Only Naruto remained entirely unfazed. He looked down at the two severed heads laughing hysterically in the pool of blood. He wore the exact same detached, analytical expression he had worn for the last two days.

 

[ThierryScott]

A few miles away from the dirt road, a massive group of men waited in a dry, rocky canyon.

The heat of the day had finally broken, but the night air remained thick and uncomfortable. Over sixty armed mercenaries sat scattered across the canyon floor. They rested against large boulders and sharpened their weapons. They were a rough, violent group. They wore mismatched armor, chainmail, and heavy leather boots. They carried broadswords, axes, and heavy iron maces.

Koji, the leader of the mercenary company, sat on a wooden crate near the center of the camp. He was a massive man with a thick beard and a deep scar running down his cheek. He aggressively ran a whetstone down the blade of his massive battleaxe. The metallic scraping sound echoed through the quiet canyon.

Koji stopped sharpening and looked to his right. A single cultist sat perfectly still on a flat rock nearby. The cultist wore a dark, heavy cloak that completely hid his features. A silver necklace hung over his chest. The pendant was a perfect triangle set inside a circular ring.

"How long are we supposed to wait like this?" Koji grumbled. He spat on the dusty ground. "We have been sitting in this miserable canyon for two entire days. The bugs are eating my men alive. The rations are getting stale. We were told this would be a quick ambush."

The cultist did not turn his head. He kept his face hidden in the shadows of his hood.

"Patience is a virtue required by the divine," the cultist replied. His voice was completely flat and devoid of any emotion. "The bait has been planted. We simply wait for the trap to snap shut."

Koji let out a harsh, barking laugh. "Does it matter? You freaks are paying us extremely well. I have never seen a religious group with so much raw gold to throw around. You can buy all the patience you want."

Koji stood up and swung his heavy axe through the air. The massive blade cut through the wind with a heavy swoosh.

"That is true," Koji continued, rolling his thick shoulders. "But my body is itching for a good fight. My men are getting restless. We are killers. We get paid to kill people. Sitting around playing in the dirt is bad for morale. I hope this target of yours puts up a decent struggle."

The cultist finally turned his head. "The target is a coward running with a stolen map. He will die screaming like all the rest."

A loud, piercing whistle suddenly echoed through the dark night. The high-pitched sound carried perfectly over the rocky terrain. It bounced off the canyon walls, signaling the exact location of the target.

The cultist stood up slowly. He pulled a long, jagged blade from beneath his dark cloak. "Ah. You did not have to wait that long after all."

Koji grinned widely. He raised his heavy battleaxe high into the air.

"On your feet!" Koji roared at his men. "The signal is sounded! We move out and slaughter everything breathing! Leave the official for the priests!"

Sixty heavily armed mercenaries roared in response. They scrambled to their feet, grabbing their weapons and adjusting their armor. They surged out of the canyon like a violent tide, completely eager to earn their gold.

***

Deep in the northern forest, miles away from the canyon, a completely different scene unfolded.

An ancient, abandoned stone shrine sat hidden beneath the thick canopy of trees. The stone walls were heavily overgrown with dark green moss. The floor was paved with cracked stone blocks. The entire area smelled heavily of rust and rotting meat.

Thirteen cultists stood in a perfect circle inside the ruined shrine. They all wore the same heavy dark cloaks. They all wore the exact same silver pendant around their necks. They were chanting a low, guttural prayer in perfect unison.

A massive symbol was painted on the stone floor in the center of their circle. It was a triangle inside a ring. The symbol was painted entirely with fresh human blood.

The High Priest of Jashin stood directly in the center of the bloody triangle. He was a tall, incredibly thin man. He held a long, black spear in his right hand. The spear had three separate, wicked prongs at the tip.

Three men were bound and gagged on the floor at the Priest's feet. They were mercenaries. They wore the exact same armor as Koji's men. The cult had hired them just a week ago.

The High Priest looked down at the terrified mercenaries. He smiled gently.

"Lord Jashin does not discriminate," the High Priest said softly. "He does not care if you wear a headband, a crown, or standard armor. He only requires your suffering. Your blood is just as holy as the blood of our enemies. Be grateful. Your pain will feed the divine."

The Priest raised the black spear high above his head. He drove the weapon downward with extreme force. The three prongs pierced the chest of the first mercenary. The man screamed through his gag, thrashing violently against his thick ropes. Blood rapidly pooled on the stone floor, adding to the painted symbol.

The High Priest closed his eyes. He tilted his head back and took a deep, shaking breath. He looked completely ecstatic. He was absorbing the pain of the sacrifice.

Suddenly, a massive flash of white light exploded inside his mind.

The Priest gasped loudly. He dropped the black spear. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the bloody stone floor. He grabbed his head with both hands.

A vision forced its way into his consciousness. It was vivid and terrifying. He saw a massive wave of destruction. He saw endless fire and deep, black water. Standing perfectly still in the center of the chaos was a young boy. The boy had long, bright blond hair blowing wildly in a violent wind. The boy slowly turned his head. He looked directly at the Priest with cold, emotionless blue eyes.

The vision ended instantly.

The High Priest stayed on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with the blood on the floor.

"My Lord," the Priest whispered in sheer awe. "A divine revelation. He has shown me the ultimate sacrifice."

The shrill, echoing sound of a loud whistle reached the ruined shrine. The signal cut through the guttural chanting of the thirteen zealots.

The High Priest stood up. He picked up his black spear. His eyes were wide with completely absolute fanaticism.

"The harvest is ready," the Priest announced to the circle. "Bring the holy weapons. We march to the signal. We will bathe this entire forest in divine blood."

The thirteen cultists stopped chanting. They drew a variety of strange, jagged weapons from their cloaks. They followed their Priest out of the ruined shrine and sprinted toward the dirt road.

*

*

*

Back at the wooden wagon, the situation had descended into absolute madness.

The severed head of the older girl rested in the pooling blood near Hideki's boots. The head of the youngest girl sat a few feet away. Both heads were laughing hysterically. The wet, gurgling sound of their twisted mirth filled the quiet camp.

The young man standing on the rocky ground dropped to both knees. He did not look at Naruto or Itachi. He pulled the silver pendant of Jashin from his pocket and pressed it tightly between his palms. He bowed his head and began to pray loudly.

"Lord Jashin," the young man shouted into the night sky. "We offer you these souls. We embrace the agony of the mortal flesh. We deliver the ultimate suffering to feed your eternal glory. Let thy bloody will be done upon this earth!"

The two severed heads stopped laughing. Their dead, pale lips began to move in perfect synchronization with the young man.

"We embrace the agony," the heads chanted from the floorboards. "Let thy bloody will be done."

Hideki squeezed his eyes shut. He curled into a tighter ball, desperately pressing his hands over his ears. He was a civilian official. He dealt with trade disputes and tax collection. The sight of decapitated, talking heads reciting religious prayers was completely shattering his mind.

Itachi stared at the kneeling cultist. He gripped the hilt of his short sword so tightly his knuckles turned entirely white. He had trained his entire life to kill normal humans. You cut the throat, you pierce the heart, or you sever the spine. The enemy dies. This was different. This was an enemy that ignored the fundamental rules of life and death. He needed a completely new strategy.

Naruto stood calmly in the blood. He looked over his shoulder at Kinoe. The Root operative was standing defensively on the driver's bench.

"Protect the client," Naruto ordered. His voice was calm and commanding.

Kinoe did not hesitate or ask questions. He understood the tactical priority. He dropped his tantō and slammed his hands together. He channeled his chakra rapidly.

"Wood Release: Wood Dome," Kinoe whispered.

Thick, heavy wooden pillars erupted directly from the floorboards of the wagon. They shot upward and curved inward, rapidly forming a solid wooden shell over the back half of the cart. The dome completely enclosed Kinoe and Hideki. Kinoe purposefully left thin, horizontal slits between the thick wooden planks. They were safely sealed inside an armored bunker, but they still had a clear view of the battlefield outside.

Naruto turned his attention back to Itachi. The young Uchiha was breathing steadily, preparing to launch a rapid assault against the kneeling cultist.

"Do not engage him in close combat," Naruto said clearly.

Itachi paused. He looked at Naruto. "He is distracted. I can end this quickly."

"You cannot kill him with a simple blade," Naruto explained. His tone was perfectly flat, completely devoid of the panic Itachi felt. "They use a specific blood ritual. If they cut you, even a minor scratch, they will ingest your blood. Once they taste your blood, their body becomes a living voodoo doll. Any damage they take is instantly transferred directly to you. They are immortal zealots. If he stabs himself in the heart, you will die instantly."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. He looked down at the young man praying on the dirt. The cultist was carrying a concealed weapon. The entire act of playing a helpless civilian was designed to let them get close enough to secure a single drop of blood. It was a flawless assassination method.

The loud chanting abruptly stopped.

The young man on his knees stopped praying. He slowly lowered his hands. The severed head of the older girl stopped moving her lips. The head of the youngest girl went completely still.

The silence was sudden and heavy.

The young man tilted his head up. He looked directly at Naruto. The severed head near the boots rolled its eyes to look up at Naruto. The second head turned its face toward Naruto.

All three entities spoke at the exact same time. The voices blended together into a deeply unsettling, overlapping chorus of the living and the dead.

"Who are you?"

****A/N***
this is the last chapter of the mass release.
You can read one extra chapter for free on my Patreon
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