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Naruto: The Chosen Undead

Reader mode
I think Naruto and Beatrice have respect and admiration towards each other, Beatrice had more time (comparatively) to dwell on it so she may consider him as a childhood crush developed after she met him. In that case it makes sense she'd blurt out some things as she's travelling to some agreeable folks, and those obsessed with her would pick those up and try something ill thought out like pretending to be Naruto from what little tidbits they know.

The way I see she's not looking for him out love, but sees him as someone she cares about an wants to reconnect with. Whether it can become love depends on Naruto maturing a whole lot and being older before it can even happen so... Probably not happening.
 
Adamos_Amet said:
The water.

It wasn't just water. It was a veil.

A second skin stretched over a wound so deep it hummed. And under that veil… something stirred. A darkness that had mass. Weight. Hunger. It wasn't sleeping. It was drowning. It was holding something back.

A god? A curse? Something worse?

He didn't want to know. And yet… he couldn't look away.

"Boy." Rickert's voice sliced through the silence. "You're viewing the world as a soul."

Naruto blinked, if blinking was still a thing, and turned toward his echo in the lattice.

"Don't try to understand it," Rickert warned. "Soul sorcery comes from within. Focus on yourself. On the catalyst. Not the world. The more you try to comprehend what isn't yours to grasp, the more you invite madness."

His voice dropped.

"Everything in Lordran has a cost. For magic? It's the mind. The soul starts to see, and seeing becomes yearning. And yearning becomes obsession. That's the beginning of Hollowing, boy. The mind tries to understand the gods' language… and breaks."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

And there it is. Insight. Bloodborne is calling from the future.

"I wonder, sweet vessel… should I show thee what becometh of such knights when their minds unravel? Wouldst he still remain gentle? Or would the spiral claim his soul entire?"

Anastacia's hands flew to her mouth. "Please… don't."

The crow's head snapped toward her. Its eyes burned with cruel light. "Then do it."

Her breath hitched.

"Take thy blade. Cleanse thy blasphemy. Restore thy silence. Let not the defiled tongue twist once more within thy flesh."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Me:
View: https://youtu.be/DDbz_2tDpjk?t=1[/QUOTE]

Raven explodes
 
Adamos_Amet said:
Alright, here is a fun one. Naruto has spent fifteen days in Lordran. Training hard. Experimenting with soul sorcery. Amplifying magic with chakra. Defeating an Undead Dragon. And learning from masters.

How strong do you think he is right now?

Let me know. A big fight is coming soon, and I would love to see what you expect of him now.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This is an interesting question that doesn't have an easy answer, in terms of raw offence, Naruto is barely Jonin on his own, he hits super hard and probably is at high jonin in terms of strength with his cleaver matching a known, powerful, missing nin if not exceeding it, but hasn't the speed he needs to actually compete with a Jonin who isn't underestimating him.

This is all assuming that his spells don't interact weirdly with chakra, given how his soul arrow kept exploding it's not implausible that if he hits something with an active chakra network it'll just go boom and murder them, or that he could do a Hidden Palm rip-off and inject his magic into enemy chakra causing them to go boom if they try and force chakra through their system. He's shown no signs of considering this and it doesn't feel like something you'd do but the thought did occur to me when I saw how volatile the experimental mix was.

All the above being said, whilst Naruto alone isn't a threat directly, his real skill is endurance and numbers. He's not a lone Jonin he's literally an army of them, between his nearly endless clones, self healing spells, multiple estus uses and potentially free refills from his herbs/humanities/items if he really cut loose I don't think there are many sub S ranks that pose a legitimate threat to him. He can pretty much just win through endurance. Even a lot of S ranks that lack indiscriminate, mass, destruction abilities would likely fall just from being worn down.

Now he has the intelligence to go with his brute force he's a monster, there's not a lot that can single handedly withstand an almost literally endless army of low Jonin ninja and there's no reason the real Naruto has to even take to the field at all outside of his ideas of honour and that 'I killed them from 5 miles away by spamming clones whilst mainlining Estuts to refill chakra' makes for a shitty narrative.

So yeah my estimate would be something like;
Attack: Jonin
Defence: High Jonin
Speed: High Chunin
Stamina: Kage +
 
Im a little confused with the Beatrice thing, how long have they been apart? Has it been longer for her? Did this whole city drowning thing happen after they met? Dark souls is like the only fromsoft game i haven't touched much of. So if this is lore related, i prolly dont know it.
 
Chapter no.43 Naruto New
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter no.43 When the Mirror Smiles Back

    Kakashi was stressed. More than usual.

    Naruto had been missing for five days.

    Five days of silence.

    Five days without answers.

    Five days of fear that he could no longer ignore.

    They had exhausted every option.

    Team 8 had tracked Naruto's path until the trail simply vanished, as if he had been swallowed by the earth itself. Hinata had scoured the surrounding area with her Byakugan, but found no lingering chakra. Kiba and Akamaru had hunted through the woods, their noses pressed to the soil, but they caught no scent. Not even the faintest trace of Naruto. Shino had sent his insects into every crevice, every hollow, every corner of the forest.

    There was nothing. It was as if Naruto had never existed at all.

    Kakashi had even summoned his pack of ninken. If they could not find the boy, no one could. But even they returned empty-pawed, ears low, eyes solemn. No evidence. No struggle. No signs of battle. Just… gone.

    The possibility of assassination by Zabuza loomed in the back of Kakashi's mind, grim and ever-present, but he refused to accept it. Not yet. Sasuke had told him Naruto had gone off to train alone. That stubborn streak of Naruto's was enough to believe he had truly done it. The boy was reckless, but not weak. If someone had come for him, he would have fought. He would have made noise. He would have left a mark.

    So Kakashi held onto that belief, unwilling to let go of the boy's defiant spirit and strength.

    In the meantime, the rest of the group pushed themselves harder than ever. Training consumed every waking hour.
    Kiba had begun learning a fire-style technique. Sasuke, unsurprisingly, was getting stronger with lightning chakra. Kakashi had started easing him into the first stages of Chidori.

    Sakura had made perhaps the most dramatic improvement. Under Kurenai's careful eye and with Hinata's support, her chakra control had improved to the point where she could now regulate her new strength. No more exploding training logs from accidental punches.

    Hinata's Gentle Fist had evolved from a purely defensive form into a more assertive, offensive style. Kurenai was pleased to see the change, not just in Hinata's technique, but in her demeanor. The once-shy girl was growing more confident, more at ease around others, and was finally beginning to step beyond the safety of her comfort zone.

    Shino remained quiet, composed, and unnervingly efficient. He trained harder than anyone and said less than everyone. Kakashi did not worry about him. Shino would be ready.

    And yet, all the while, there was silence from Gato's side. It was the kind of quiet that promised violence just beyond the horizon.

    Kakashi stood outside the washroom, listening to the sound of water sloshing. Sasuke was inside, gently cleaning Oscar, who sat motionless in a shallow basin of warm water. The small crystal lizard looked… depressed. Its normally alert eyes had dulled. Its posture was low. Slack. Even animals, it seemed, missed Naruto.

    Kakashi opened his mouth to check on Sasuke, but stopped as Oscar suddenly perked up. The lizard blinked and started chirping.

    A moment later, a scream echoed from downstairs.

    Tsunami.

    Kakashi's instincts roared. He moved in a blur, vanishing down the hallway and materializing in the main room with a kunai already half-drawn.

    What he saw stopped him cold.

    Naruto stood on the dining table, grinning with both arms stretched wide like he had just taken a bow on stage. He struck a ridiculous pose, his face lit with mischief.

    Kakashi stared. "…What in the world?"

    Everyone else was frozen.

    "Uh… Naruto?" Kiba asked, his voice almost hesitant. "What are you doing?"

    Naruto blinked. "Cool entrance?" He hopped off the table, rubbing the back of his neck as Tsunami slowly lowered herself into a chair, hand over her heart. "Sorry, Tsunami-san. Didn't mean to scare you."

    Sakura had not moved. Then, suddenly, she did. She stormed forward, grabbed Naruto by the front of his armour, and pulled him close.

    "Where have you been?!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "You disappeared! You didn't leave a note, you didn't say anything! We thought..."

    "Huh? Didn't Sasuke tell you? I said I was going to train."

    From the hallway, Sasuke grunted. "I did. I just… didn't expect you to vanish for five days."

    Naruto gave an easy shrug. "Well, I did say I was gonna come back stronger."

    With a grin, he brought his hands together into a seal.

    There was a puff of smoke and the room was suddenly packed with shadow clones. They stood on the walls, the ceiling, the floor. Some were upside down, others mid-flip, all of them beaming. Each began cycling through different techniques.

    "What the hell…?" Kiba muttered, a bead of sweat sliding down his neck as he realized just how much Naruto held back when they fought.

    Hinata clapped softly, pride blooming in her chest.

    Shino's gaze drifted toward the drake sword at Naruto's side. His insects, normally calm and obedient, were unsettled. Several buzzed furiously inside his jacket, trying to avoid the faint aura that blade gave off.

    Predatory.

    Kurenai chuckled as she watched Naruto cycle through hand seals with one hand, effortlessly. "So he's the quiet prodigy hiding in plain sight," she said under her breath. "Who would've guessed?"

    Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami stared, speechless.

    Then Naruto turned and met Sakura's gaze. Her eyes shimmered, brimming with emotion. Equal parts fury, relief, and something she couldn't quite name. She took a sharp step forward, fists clenched at her sides. But before she could say anything, Naruto closed the distance and pulled her into a lopsided hug with his one good arm.

    "Tch. Come on, Sakura," he said, smirking. "It wasn't that long."

    "Five. Freaking. Days," she growled into his shoulder. "I nearly punched a tree thinking you were dead!"

    "Relax. For me, it felt longer. Trust me, time flows weird when you're on a magical training arc."

    "You could've left a note!"

    "I left Sasuke!"

    "That's worse!"

    Naruto chuckled, still not letting go. "Speaking of getting stronger..." He eyed her arms and smirked. "You've been working out."

    She blinked. "Wait, don't..."

    Too late.

    Naruto gave her a hearty squeeze and lifted her clean off the ground, holding her like a kettlebell with legs.

    "Put me down!" she shrieked, flailing. "You orange loving ape!"

    "Wow. Look at you!" he said, voice exaggerated. "You've got biceps now! Kinda."

    When he finally set her down, she staggered, red-faced, and immediately smacked his shoulder—not hard, but hard enough to feel. "Idiot," she muttered, huffing.

    "Good to see you too," he replied, grinning wide. Then his gaze landed on Sasuke. "Well, looks like someone's been slacking," Naruto said. "You might actually be the weakest on the team now."

    "Hn," Sasuke said, utterly unimpressed. "Physically, maybe. But I don't need to bench press trees to beat you."

    "Oh really?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like someone compensating for twig arms."

    "At least I didn't disappear for five days and make everyone cry."

    "I didn't cry!" Sakura said.

    "Yes you did," Sasuke said as he placed Oscar on the floor.

    Naruto knelt down and opened his arms. "Oscar, come here, buddy."

    The little crystal lizard didn't move. In fact, he turned away, his tail twitching in annoyance.

    "What's wrong...?"

    Kakashi stepped forward. "Naruto... while you were gone, Oscar was a mess. He curled up into a ball and bit his tail. Wouldn't eat. Wouldn't play. Just... waited."

    Sasuke added, "He wouldn't even look at anyone. Just kept climbing to the highest point in the safehouse to stare out at the woods."

    Naruto lowered his head, guilt flooding through him. "Oscar..."

    Slowly, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a longsword, gently placing it on the ground between them. "I got this for you."

    Oscar didn't move.

    Naruto inhaled, steadying himself. Then he spoke. "When I named you Oscar, I wasn't just being cute. I gave you that name because I wanted a partner. Not a pet. A partner. Someone who'd fight beside me, walk with me through all this madness."

    Oscar looked up.

    "I should've taken you with me. I should've trusted you to come with me, even if it was dangerous. But I didn't, and I'm sorry."

    He held out his hand again, palm up. "But I'm back now. And I've got my ninjutsu again. Which means we can really start training. You and me... what do you say?"

    There was a long silence. Then, slowly, Oscar padded forward. His little feet tapped against the floor. He reached Naruto's hand and gently pressed his chin into the palm, nuzzling it with a soft trill. Naruto smiled through the burn in his eyes and scratched along the side of Oscar's jaw the way the lizard liked.

    "I missed you, too," he whispered. "Let's never do that again."

    Oscar chirped softly, curling his tail around Naruto's wrist.

    Kakashi folded his arms and gave Naruto a long look. "So... where exactly did you go off to train?"

    "Oh, you know. After I mopped the floor with Sasuke..."

    "Lies," Sasuke coughed, deadpan.

    "I headed to the Darkroot Garden and fought this giant, glowing butterfly alongside the smartest girl I've ever met."

    "Giant butterfly?" Shino asked, brow twitching.

    "Girl?" Sakura and Hinata echoed in unison, then glanced at each other.

    "Yep," Naruto said proudly. "She was a time traveler. Helped me understand how to use magic and then disappeared back to her era."

    He waved his hand like it was no big deal.

    "Then I got a blacksmith to teach me his secret taijutsu. After that, I found this underground, flooded city. Learned magic from a guy stuck in a cage hanging off a cliff. Fought an undead dragon. Trained for fifteen days straight. And now I'm back."

    Silence fell across the room like a thick fog. No one spoke. Most of them assumed Naruto was either exaggerating, delirious... or straight-up bullshitting. His story didn't just sound insane, it also didn't add up. Fifteen days of training crammed into five? A time-traveling witch? A dragon? It was easier to believe he'd just hit his head.

    "He truly is your student," Kurenai murmured, glancing at Kakashi.

    "Oh, please," Kakashi scoffed. "At least my excuses are grounded in reality."

    "You said yesterday that you met a red-haired girl who was half-fish," Kurenai said, arching a brow. "She fell in love with you, gave up her voice to become human, and now you're trying to help her turn back into a mermaid because you, quote, weren't ready for that kind of emotional commitment, which is why you needed to sleep in until the afternoon."

    "You can't disprove any of that," Kakashi said smoothly, flipping a page in his orange book.

    "Back to Naruto. If what he said is even half true, that place he mentioned... the Darkroot Garden... sounds like a summoning realm."

    Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly as his mind raced.

    If Naruto had made a contract with some unknown summoning clan, then maybe... that would explain everything. The equipment that made no sense. The strange rings. The jutsus that should've taken years of careful control and bloodline talent to master. Unknown individuals that influenced Naruto's life and his ideology.

    It would also explain Oscar.

    It was certainly more believable than the absurd idea that Naruto had been a secret genius all along, manipulating everyone for years, only to suddenly start making careless mistakes. Or the even wilder theory that he'd been secretly trained by someone like Danzo, hidden in the shadows until now. Summoning clans were rare—rarer than Kekkei Genkai. And if Naruto had made a contract, it might finally explain the impossible.

    Across the room, Kurenai leaned forward and asked the question Kakashi had been dancing around. "Tell me, Naruto... can you summon anything?"

    "Yes," Naruto said, thinking Kurenai was referring to Solaire's white sign soapstone rather than an actual summoning jutsu.

    Kakashi's jaw nearly unhinged. It was that easy?

    Kurenai frowned slightly. "And... do you know what kind of clan it belongs to?"

    Naruto shook his head, confused by the question.

    Meanwhile, Kakashi wasn't sure what alarmed him more—the fact that Naruto might be lying, or the fact that he might be telling the truth. Because if Naruto had gone to a summoning realm and still claimed he didn't know, that meant he was hiding something. And given the stuff he'd been using, that was unsettling.

    Kakashi needed to investigate more, as he finally had a solid lead in solving Naruto's mysteries.

    Inside a hideout tucked away in the misty forests of the Wave, Zabuza sat cross-legged against the wall, the report Haku had compiled spread out in front of him like a battlefield map. Candles flickered, casting jagged shadows across his face as he scowled.

    "This isn't good," he muttered, his voice gravel rough. "Kakashi alone was bad enough. But now a second team? A Hyūga?" He spat to the side. "That brat's eyes cut through my mist like paper."

    Across the room, Haku sat quietly, legs tucked beneath him, delicately holding a small hand-sewn doll in the shape of a hooded figure with a bow.

    Zabuza raised a brow. "What the hell is that?"

    Haku smiled softly, twirling the little doll in his fingers. "It's the Archer of Providence. They're everywhere now. The people are calling him a savior."

    "Another damn symbol to rally behind."

    "You know..." Haku's voice was gentle, thoughtful. "He kind of reminds me of you."

    "Don't be stupid."

    "No, really. You both fight from the shadows. You both aim to strike down tyrants. You want to return to the Mist and take Yagura's head. Isn't that the same kind of hope the people are putting in this... archer?"

    Zabuza snorted and turned away. "I don't care if he's my long-lost twin brother. He's just another threat. And right now, we're outnumbered and outclassed."

    "There are too many to face directly. Even if we take Kakashi out, the Hyūga girl alone has shattered half of our strategy. And there are other stronger fighters like Uchiha and Naruto."

    "Then we even the field."

    Haku tilted his head. "You mean... hire more mercenaries?"

    "Not us," Zabuza said with a smirk. "Gatō."

    "You want him to bring in more shinobi?"

    "In a sense," Zabuza said. "I want Gato to help us bring in a jonin-level shinobi. Someone strong enough to stall the Hyūga's team while we deal with Kakashi."

    Haku frowned, folding his hands in his lap. "And you think he'll agree to that?"

    Zabuza gave a cold smile. "We'll make it sound cheap. Just one jonin. Tell him it's cost-effective. Either this shinobi dies fighting Konoha, or if they survive, we kill them afterward. No loose ends."

    Haku didn't reply at first. His gaze dropped to the floor, uncertain. He didn't like it. But after a long pause, he nodded. "Understood."

    Zabuza's voice was quiet as he turned away. "We play smart, Haku. That's how we win. No honor in death... only victory."

    Gatō poured himself a glass of expensive Earth Country whiskey, the kind meant to be sipped under chandeliers and false laughter. The bunker he sat in was no less decadent: steel walls masked behind imported silk, a floor of polished obsidian tiles, and guards posted at every entry point like statues of death.

    It was the safest place in the Land of Waves.

    Because Gatō didn't trust anyone. Not his soldiers. Not his captains. Not even the whore who'd just left his bed.

    Especially not Zabuza.

    He took a long sip, let the burn remind him he was still alive, and glanced at the blinking red light on the far wall: an incoming call.

    He didn't answer right away.

    His eyes drifted toward the far wall of the room, where a large map of the Land of Waves was pinned. It had been drawn by his own cartographers, updated monthly to reflect the ever-shrinking free territory left in the hands of the locals. Entire villages erased. Ports absorbed. Trade routes choked off until there was only one source of power left.

    Him.

    He hadn't just wanted to conquer the Land of Waves. That would be too crude, too easy. No. He wanted to own it. Own its people, its air, its future. Its despair. He wanted to be the god of this land, the only name the children whispered when they cried.

    That was the point. That had always been the point. And now, some old man and a few shinobi were trying to rewrite his story.

    He set the glass down. Hit the call.

    Haku's voice came through, calm and formal as always. "Zabuza-sama has a proposal. He wants a jonin-level shinobi to stall the second Konoha team while he handles Hatake."

    Gatō said nothing for a moment, swirling the amber in his glass.

    "I'll think about it," Gatō said, voice smooth and cool. "Tell him I'll give him my answer by tomorrow."

    "Understood," Haku said.

    The line went dead.

    Gatō chuckled softly and drained his glass. As if Zabuza had any say in the matter.

    The truth was, Gatō had lost faith in the so-called Demon of the Mist the moment his blade failed to kill a single Konoha shinobi. Not even a child. Not even a bridge builder. All that money... for what? Injuries and excuses.

    So Gatō had taken matters into his own hands.

    He had sent a letter.

    A single letter, sealed with the last favor he would ever dare call in.

    To one of the most terrifying men he had ever met.

    Orochimaru.

    Even thinking the name made the back of his neck crawl. But power was power, and right now, he needed it. Because if there was one thing Gatō understood, it was that monsters didn't fight out of loyalty.

    They fought for purpose.

    And Orochimaru's monsters? They didn't need gold. They needed blood. The letter was gone now. Hand-delivered, no trail. And all Gatō had to do was wait. Wait for the monsters to come. And when they arrived?

    Zabuza would die. So would the Konoha shinobi. And the bridge would burn.

    Let Zabuza believe he was still calling the shots. Let him think Gatō was generously offering reinforcements. Let him scheme and plot and whisper with his masked apprentice. None of it mattered. Because Gatō already had his answer. Already had his final play.

    He poured himself another drink, the whiskey sloshing into his glass like liquid gold, and leaned back in his chair, the warm lamplight gleaming off his tailored cuffs and jeweled rings.

    His gaze drifted to the far corner of the room, where a crude sketch of a figure stood pinned to the wall.

    A hooded archer.

    The Archer of Providence.

    The people's hero. The mask. The myth.

    It made his lip curl.

    "I'll love breaking you the most."

    As he stepped out of the chamber, a maid passed by—head bowed, trembling. Gatō paused. Let his gaze linger.

    Hungry. Ugly. Cruel.

    "Maybe I'll indulge tonight," he said under his breath, before moving on, silk shoes tapping against the floor like clockwork counting down the end of Wave.

    But his mind wasn't on her.

    His thoughts were fixed on the coast, on the tide, on the shore where the monsters would land.

    Who would Orochimaru send?

    Night had settled gently over Tazuna's house. The crickets outside hummed low and steady, the kind of sound that seemed to lull the world into calm. Inside, Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor, his gaze fixed on Sakura as she spoke.

    "Humanity," she said, holding up her palm as if to catch the weight of her words. "It didn't just boost my strength. My chakra pool is deeper now, denser. I think... it changed something inside me." She smiled, soft and grateful. "So... thank you, Naruto. For saving my life."

    Naruto gave a quiet nod, his thoughts distant, distracted. Without a word, he reached into his inventory and drew out a fragment of liquid darkness. The moment the oily black essence touched the air, both Sakura and Sasuke stiffened as Naruto could see with numbers what humanity does to a body.

    He absorbed it and opened his status screen instinctively, watching as small changes flickered to life: increased physical and elemental resistances, higher item discovery, increased physical attack power, and increased curse resistance.

    "Item discovery and Curse?" he muttered. How were these two affected by something like humanity? Unless... unless humanity touched more than the body.

    He sat still.

    And then, he looked.

    The room dimmed not in light, but in perception as Naruto activated his soul sense. Reality peeled away in thin layers, revealing the world in its purest form. Everything, everyone, was reduced to essence and outline. The floor, the walls, the people were interwoven with faint lines of energy, threads of meaning and identity.

    His own soul was wrapped in a shimmering film of liquid humanity.

    Naruto turned his soul-sense outward and froze.

    Sakura's soul shimmered pink, a gentle, familiar hue. But something was wrong. The left side of her face... it looked like it was melting. Skin sloughing off in ghostly ribbons, reshaping into a second face. A mirror Sakura, twisted and newborn, forming from her neck and shoulder like a parasite of self. It grinned with silent teeth.

    He recoiled, only for his eyes to land on Sasuke.

    Sasuke's soul was a deep violet flame. Controlled. Compressed. But he wasn't alone. Behind him stood someone.

    Not a soul silhouette, but a person.

    The man had brown hair cropped short, two long locks wrapped in bandages framing his pale face. Eyes like carved obsidian, cold and commanding. His robes were formal, ancient, adorned with magatama and rich fabric that seemed to hum with myth. A faint aura of judgement clung to him.

    He looked straight at Naruto and, with lips unmoving, mouthed words that struck like a blade to the chest.

    You killed Ashura.

    Naruto gasped.

    Reality snapped back. He was on the floor, Sakura clutching his shoulders, her voice laced with panic. "Naruto! What's wrong? Say something!"

    "I'm fine," he managed, his throat dry.

    Sweat clung to his temples. He turned, found Oscar curled beside him, and pulled the lizard into his arms. He ran his fingers along Oscar's head to steady himself.

    Rickert's voice echoed like a warning: Everything in Lordran has a cost. For magic? It's the mind. The soul starts to see, and seeing becomes yearning. And yearning becomes obsession. That's the beginning of Hollowing, boy.

    Naruto took a long breath. Pull back. Look to your hand. He glanced down. Oscar blinked up at him, chirped softly, and nudged his hand. Naruto smiled faintly, grounding himself in the moment.

    "Hey," Sasuke's voice cut through, cautious. "You good?"

    Naruto nodded too fast. "Yeah, yeah. Totally. Just... chakra backlash."

    Sakura didn't look convinced. Sasuke narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

    Naruto forced a grin. "So, uh... we didn't finish our swordsmanship trade. Still wanna go over that, teme?"

    Sasuke raised a brow, caught off guard by the sudden shift. "Now?"

    "Why not?" Naruto said, shrugging with one arm still around Oscar.

    Sasuke glanced at Sakura, who looked unsure, but nodded.

    "Fine," Sasuke said, folding his arms. "But only because you actually look like you need a distraction."

    As Sasuke began explaining the trade they'd made days ago, Naruto let his mind slip into stillness, tuning out everything except his teammate's voice and the comforting weight of Oscar nestled in his arms.

    But his thoughts churned beneath the surface. Why was there a soul bound to Sasuke? And who the hell was Ashura?

    The world he thought he understood was starting to feel just as strange, dangerous, and unknowable as Lordran. But Sasuke's calm tone kept him anchored, and when Sakura leaned forward, her interest clearly piqued, he found himself pulled back into the moment.

    "Can I join?" she asked.

    Sasuke and Naruto turned to her in unison. "You wanna learn swordsmanship?" they asked, almost identically.

    "No, but I think we can make this a team thing. An exchange of skills. You two already made your trade, so I'll make a proposal too. I can teach you how to break out of genjutsu. And I've been working on explosive tag formulas. I can show you how to make custom ones."

    Sasuke's eyes narrowed in thought, then gave a rare nod. "That's useful. From the Uchiha library, I've studied several taijutsu forms. Aikido does suit your style. I'll teach you that."

    Naruto raised his hand. "I'll give you a weapon."

    "A weapon?"

    He grinned. "Something cool. Trust me."

    She smiled with genuine excitement. "I can't wait for tomorrow."

    And for a moment, the world felt normal again. Just three kids, talking about training and growth, building something stronger together. Even if none of the three were normal by any stretch of the word.

    Naruto could barely sleep.

    No matter how long he lay still, eyes closed and breathing slow, his mind kept drifting back to what he saw when he looked at the world through his soul. Sakura's warped second face. The figure behind Sasuke. The accusation whispered without voice: You killed Ashura.

    The images wouldn't leave him. They clung to the edges of his thoughts like wet cloth.

    Finally, with a low sigh, Naruto sat up and pulled on his jacket. If he couldn't sleep, he might as well do something useful.

    He stepped outside into the cool night air and found Kiba leaning against the wooden fence, Akamaru curled at his feet. It was just past 1 a.m.

    "Yo," Naruto said quietly.

    Kiba looked over and raised a brow. "You're up early."

    Naruto shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Thought I'd start Oscar's training. Gonna turn him into a ninchū partner."

    Kiba blinked, then gave a short nod. "Huh. You know, I've got nothing better to do."

    They moved to the clearing behind the house, where the moonlight cut clean shadows into the grass. Akamaru followed with a lazy yawn.

    Kiba began walking Naruto through the process—how the binding worked, what the seals meant, the importance of the sequence of hand signs.

    After a few rounds of practice, Naruto had the basics down.

    "Alright," Kiba said, stretching his arms. "Let's run it once or twice more before you go for the real thing."

    Naruto caught the shift in his tone. Just a faint hesitation. And Akamaru gave a soft bark, like a quiet reprimand.

    "Kiba," Naruto said. "You okay?"

    Kiba paused. For a moment, he didn't answer.

    Then, with a sigh, he muttered, "The binding's not hard to mess up."

    "What happens if I do?"

    "Normally, when the contract is perfect, a ninken gains the ability to speak... like a person. But if you mess up? Well... let's just say, things don't go as planned."

    Naruto blinked, then looked down at Akamaru.

    "Yeah. I... botched Akamaru's contract when I was a kid."

    Akamaru gave an irritated bark, then immediately jumped on Kiba, licking his face aggressively.

    Naruto watched the scene unfold with a soft smile. "Honestly? It's kinda cool how close you two are. You don't need words."

    Akamaru barked again, proud and smug.

    Kiba sat up, still wiping dog slobber off his cheek. "Thanks, man."

    Naruto gave a nod. "Let's try the real one."

    He turned to Oscar, who had been perched quietly on a log, watching with curious eyes.

    Naruto bit his thumb, drawing a line of blood, and channeled chakra into it. With slow precision, he sketched a binding seal across Oscar's forehead, his hand steady. Then he formed the hand seals as Kiba had taught him. He placed his palm to the seal, feeling his chakra surge.

    "Oscar," he said quietly. "You're more than just a companion. You're my partner. My blade. My shield. Will you walk this path with me?"

    Oscar's eyes gleamed. His voice rang out—not from his mouth, but from the soul.

    I SHALL.

    The seal flared. The glow surged outward like a sunburst, blindingly bright.

    Kiba stumbled back, shielding his face. "What the hell is happening?!"

    Oscar wasn't exactly a lizard.

    Yes, physically he looked like one. But when Naruto gazed at him through the lens of soul-sight, it became clear that Oscar was something else entirely.

    A crystal construct. A living, breathing creature made not of flesh or blood, but of crystallized soul. His body shimmered like carved diamond, smooth and jagged all at once.

    And beneath it all, Naruto could barely see a trace of any organic soul. If there was something soft beneath that crystalline shell, it was long since buried under layers of condensed essence.

    Then Naruto's breath hitched.

    His stomach dropped with the force of a falling boulder. I just gave chakra to a creature made of crystallized soul.

    His thoughts raced back to Lordran, to the magic hand axe, to the moment he added chakra and it exploded into brittle fragments.

    What had he just done?

    "Oscar!" Naruto barked, panic sharpening his voice. "Expel the energy! Push it out, NOW!"

    Oscar chirped, confused, his tiny head tilting as the glow around his body began to intensify. Light poured from his joints and mouth like a furnace about to crack. He didn't know what was happening.

    Naruto didn't wait.

    He lunged forward, pressed both palms to Oscar's back, and pushed his soul in sync, to redirect. He closed his eyes and visualized his Spiraling Soul Cannon technique—how the energy twisted and compressed, how it was shaped by will.

    Come on... just like before. You're not a weapon, Oscar. You're a partner. Move with me.

    And Oscar did.

    He squeaked low in his throat, body trembling, and then the pressure shifted. His crystalline body flexed and aligned with Naruto's intent.

    Then Oscar opened his tiny jaws.

    A beam of white light erupted as the lizard fired his laser.

    It hissed and cracked the air, warping the world around it as it cut across the clearing.

    Naruto's vision went white, then black.

    A sharp ringing filled his ears, like a thousand bells clanging at once. His body thudded to the ground. He couldn't tell if he was cold or hot. Couldn't tell up from down. His fingers were numb, and his lips tasted like iron.

    But as the world slowly steadied, as the colors returned, sound dimming as he opened his eyes—Oscar stood in front of him, blinking, his glow now calm and contained, no longer wild or unstable.

    Alive.

    Whole.

    Naruto smiled, shaky and slow, and let out a breath that rattled his ribs.

    "Good... job... partner," he mumbled, pulling Oscar into his arm. The little lizard chirped once, curling up against his chest.

    And Naruto finally let himself slip into sleep, heart steady, soul light, the two of them together under the stars.

    Meanwhile, Kiba trembled as he held Akamaru close, the pup whimpering and curling into his chest. He tried to be brave, tried to be composed like he was taught to be. But his hands were shaking. His eyes were wet.

    Two flickers of movement broke the edge of the trees, and Kiba turned to see Kakashi and Kurenai stepping into the clearing.

    "Kiba, report," Kurenai said quickly. Her voice was sharp and commanding, but her hands were gentle, steadying him by the shoulders. She wasn't just his superior right now.

    She was his sensei.

    Kiba gave his report as best he could, stumbling through what he saw—the binding ritual, the light, the beam, the blinding explosion.

    Kakashi barely responded.

    His full attention was locked on the scorched clearing ahead, on what remained.

    In the middle of the forest, a massive spire of crystal had erupted from the earth. Like a glacier frozen mid-burst, it rose in jagged veins of gleaming soul-glass, its surface laced with fractal patterns and pale, pulsing veins.

    At the top, a bird landed. It chirped once, then trembled.

    Kakashi activated his Sharingan just as it happened. The white-haired man watched, horrified, as the dark energy within the crystal surged upward. A web of dense Yin chakra spread through the spire like a sickness, infecting the bird. In seconds, its body turned gray. Then white. Then...

    Crack.

    It became a statue of itself, frozen in place and then it shattered, falling into dust and glitter.

    The forest beneath the spire began to rot.

    Grass curled and browned. Trees withered, bark flaking like ash. Bugs caught in the radius simply dropped, their bodies already hollow.

    Kurenai stepped forward after she had commanded Kiba to take Naruto back to the house and get some sleep. "Is that... crystal release?"

    Kakashi didn't respond.

    "What kind of summoning clan has a Kekkei Genkai?" she asked, more quietly now.

    Still, Kakashi said nothing.

    "I'll clean up this area, and you can make the report to the Hokage about all of this. Seriously, it feels like Naruto drops a new migraine every other day," Kurenai muttered.

    "You don't even know the half of it," Kakashi sighed, picking up a stray crystal beetle. It shimmered for a moment in his palm before dissolving into glittering dust.

    One thing was certain, Naruto's summoning clan held answers Kakashi needed. If he didn't uncover the truth before this mission ended, the danger surrounding Naruto would only grow. And Kakashi had already lost too much to let that happen again.

    Morning in Tazuna's house was chaos incarnate.

    The scent of breakfast filled the air, but no one was eating peacefully.

    Kiba sat at the breakfast table, head nodding every few seconds as he fought a losing battle against sleep. His hair was wild, even by his standards, and there were visible claw marks on his cheek likely from Akamaru trying to wake him earlier. Meanwhile, Naruto was buzzing with energy, bouncing from one person to the next like a wind-up toy. He was glued to Hinata's side as she knelt beside Oscar, her Byakugan active, her expression patient yet slightly exasperated.

    "Naruto-kun, I promise he seems fine physically," Hinata said softly, repeating herself for what had to be the fifth time. "No injuries. No stress fractures in his crystal plating. All his joints are properly aligned."

    "And chakra?" Naruto asked quickly, brows furrowed.

    Hinata blinked and focused again, her eyes subtly shifting as she examined Oscar more deeply. "I... I don't see anything abnormal. His chakra flow is smooth. Slower than a human's, but... stable."

    Naruto's face lost all color. He stood still, eyes locked on the lizard.

    That didn't make sense.

    Oscar wasn't supposed to have a chakra network. The creatures of Lordran, as far as Naruto had learned, didn't run on chakra at all. Chakra was something native to the Elemental Nations. If Oscar had a chakra network... that meant one thing.

    The binding ritual had created one.

    "Hey, Kiba," Naruto said slowly, turning toward the Inuzuka. "Last time, you mentioned that regular dogs aren't born with chakra. How exactly does that work with a binding contract?"

    Kiba's head drooped. His eyes were closed. A faint snore escaped his lips.

    Naruto sighed.

    "Never mind." He turned to the adults. "Kakashi-sensei?"

    Kakashi lowered his copy of Icha Icha Tactics just enough to show his single, ever-watchful eye. "Kiba's half right. Regular animals aren't born with accessible chakra. But that doesn't mean they don't have chakra at all. Every living organism has chakra, it's just a matter of scale and potential."

    Naruto squinted. "So then what creates a chakra network?"

    "That's a good question," Kakashi said, sitting up a bit straighter. "A chakra network forms as an organism grows. The more chakra it contains, the more refined the pathways become. Think of it like water paths developing in response to water flow. A baby in the womb doesn't have an active network at first. It borrows chakra from the mother. But over time, the fetus generates its own."

    "That means the chakra I pushed into Oscar created a network," Naruto muttered, horrified.

    The younbg knight's mind spun. A chakra network meant Oscar would start generating chakra on his own. And with a body made entirely of crystallized soul, that was dangerous. Incredibly dangerous. Chakra and soul magic didn't mix cleanly. If too much built up inside him, Oscar could shatter from within.

    I can't let that happen, Naruto thought, panic tightening his chest. Come on. Think. There has to be a way to protect him.

    The boy slammed his palm down on the table, shaking the plates and utensils. Everyone turned to stare.

    "I've got it," he said sharply, more to himself than anyone else.

    Hinata leaned in, concerned. "Got what?"

    Naruto's eyes darted to Sakura, who was drying her hands after helping Tsunami with the dishes. "Sakura! That seal you made before the Core Seal. Can you teach it to me?"

    "Uh, sure. Why?"

    "I need to place one on Oscar. To act like a buffer. Something that absorbs overflow so he doesn't overload."

    "Why is chakra overflow dangerous for Oscar?" Hinata asked softly, genuine curiosity in her voice.

    Naruto tapped his fingers on the table, choosing his words carefully. "Because... we don't fully understand what happens when chakra mixes with the crystallization of a soul."

    Most of the room just stared at him, blinking in confusion.

    Kiba, however, shivered slightly. "I'd take the idiot's word for it," he muttered. "Last night, his lizard nearly exploded. There was a flash, a sound like thunder, and then this giant spike of glowing crystal just grew out of nowhere."

    The realization clicked for everyone at once.

    So that was why Naruto had been so frantic this morning.

    Sakura tilted her head thoughtfully. "Okay, but... there are two problems. First, the Core Seal has a set limit. It won't absorb chakra forever. And second, it's passive. It doesn't pull chakra in, you have to manually fill it."

    Naruto frowned. "So I'd need to connect something to it to draw the excess chakra in?"

    "Exactly."

    Naruto turned to Kakashi again. "Sensei, you've studied fuinjutsu, right? You know any seal that can draw chakra from a host and feed it into another?"

    Kakashi raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed. "Not bad, Naruto. You're thinking of a Siphon Seal. It's a more advanced one. Forms a one-way connection between two seals. Chakra naturally flows from the higher-pressure point to the lower one. If you pair a Siphon Seal with the Core Seal, you could create a slow-draining buffer."

    "Perfect." Naruto beamed. "Can you teach us both?"

    Sakura's head whipped toward Kakashi. "When did you know fuinjutsu?"

    Kurenai, seated across from him sipping tea, smirked into her cup. "You didn't know? His teacher was the Fourth Hokage."

    "The Yellow Flash?" Kiba mumbled, still half-asleep.

    Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Alright then. After breakfast, we'll get started."

    After breakfast, Team 7 sat cross-legged in a circle around Kakashi on the wooden floor of Tazuna's home, the early sun streaming through the windows. It felt almost like being back at the Academy except the stakes were higher, and one of them was technically a hero in the making.

    "Well then," Kakashi said, flipping his orange book closed with a snap. "We're diving into the basics of fuinjutsu. Sakura already knows the fundamentals. Naruto wants to learn. And… why are you here, Sasuke?"

    "Hn."

    "Don't mind him, sensei," Naruto said with a grin. "He'd get lonely without us."

    Sakura stifled a laugh behind her hand.

    Kakashi sighed. "Right. Moving on."

    For the next hour, Kakashi gave a surprisingly structured lecture on the basics of sealing arts. Sakura chimed in constantly, eager to show off her progress and correct any simplifications Kakashi made for Naruto's sake. Naruto, however, wasn't struggling at all.

    In fact... it was kind of terrifying.

    By the time they reached the practical portion, crafting explosive tags, Sasuke complained.

    "This is hard," he muttered, staring at the smudged ink and crooked characters on his tag. His Sharingan activated instinctively, trying to decipher the structure.

    "This is easy," Naruto said, casually sealing an active tag into a slip of cloth with elegant brushstrokes.

    Even Kakashi had paused mid-step. Sakura leaned over Naruto's shoulder to inspect his work, her brow furrowing then rising. "This is amazing," she whispered. "Better than mine."

    Naruto grinned and shot a smug look at Sasuke, who only narrowed his eyes and began drawing another tag with grim determination.

    Sakura placed her brush down. "You really have a talent for fuinjutsu, Naruto."

    Naruto knew the real reason: his stats. His high Dexterity allowed him to be perfectly ambidextrous, while his high Intelligence stat helped him grasp theory and fuinjutsu logic like he was born to it. But still, he liked to believe it was something else.

    "That's because the Uzumaki clan were masters of fuinjutsu," he said. "Guess I've got some talent in my blood."

    "Then why don't you use more of it in your fighting style?"

    Naruto glanced at her, then at Oscar, who was curled up beside him. "Because Uzumaki fuinjutsu is... different from what's commonly taught. More advanced. More dangerous. It's not something I've really learned yet." He left out the part where Uzumaki fuinjutsu didn't even consider most modern sealing arts to be real techniques.

    "So why learn this version at all?" Sakura asked.

    Naruto didn't hesitate. "To protect Oscar."

    Kakashi looked up from the small array of sealing materials he'd been prepping beside Oscar. Naruto had asked him to perform the Core and Siphon Seal combo on Oscar's chest just as a temporary measure, until Naruto mastered it himself. Kakashi had silently agreed, though something about Naruto's knowledge unsettled him.

    "So," he asked casually, brushing the inkstone, "where did you learn about the Uzumaki clan?"

    "The Old Man told me," Naruto said quickly, his tone too flat to be convincing.

    Kakashi's single visible eye lingered on Naruto for a moment longer than necessary. The lie hadn't been blatant—but it was there. And that wasn't what bothered Kakashi most.

    It was the why.

    Why did Naruto so freely share some secrets and yet lie so easily about others? Why the selective honesty?

    Before he could press further, Naruto broke the silence with a cheerful grin. "Come on," he said. "Let's keep going. We still need to finish the Siphon Seal and the Core Seal."

    Sasuke stood, brushing off his hands. "Yeah, I'm done. Explosive tags are enough for one day."

    "Cool," Naruto said. "You can take a shadow clone with you to get started on your swordsmanship drills."

    A clone popped into existence beside Sasuke, saluting with exaggerated flair. "And what about the Fireball Technique?"

    "Later," Naruto replied with a casual wave.

    Sasuke vanished in a flicker, the clone keeping pace behind him.

    Naruto turned back to Sakura. "We can handle your weapon selection once we finish the sealwork."

    "Don't worry about it. I already know what I want."

    Naruto blinked. "Really? What are you thinking? Sword? Spear? Maybe a shield?"

    She smirked. "Axe. I want an axe."

    Naruto paused, clearly surprised. "An axe?"

    "Yep," she said with a shrug. "Strength-based, brutal, and surprisingly precise when used correctly. I've been thinking about it since the first time I cracked stone with my fist."

    Naruto let out a low whistle. "Did not see that coming. Alright... I think a battle axe should work for you."

    From the side, Kakashi finally spoke, half-lost in the conversation. "What... are you all talking about?"

    By evening, the sky was dyed a soft orange as Naruto sat cross-legged on the front lawn, scribbling furiously into a notebook. Oscar lay stretched beside him, tail twitching lazily as Naruto measured segments of the little lizard's body and jotted down numbers.

    "What are you doing?" came Sasuke's voice, breathless but curious.

    The Uchiha boy had just wrapped up an intense sword training session. Sweat glistened on his forehead as he trudged over, his claymore resting against his shoulder. Naruto casually tossed him a water bottle.

    "Trying to figure out what to do once the core seal on Oscar gets full," Naruto said.

    "Hn," Sasuke replied, wiping his brow. He took a swig, then glanced down at Naruto's notebook and nearly choked. "Is that... a gun?"

    "Yup. A cannon, technically."

    Sasuke blinked. "Why?"

    "I'm designing it to channel Oscar's excess chakra and fire it off as a focused projectile."

    "I don't know if that's even possible. Would it be better to just work on something more simple?"

    "It's absolutely possible," Naruto said with that maddening confidence. He wasn't just guessing. He'd sensed it—the chakra inside Oscar's core seal was different now, touched by soul energy. That meant it could be used the same way a sorcerer's catalyst channeled spells. If he could forge the cannon's inner frame from a similar material, Oscar now had a way to attack while also dealing with the issue of excess chakra. But he didn't say any of that out loud. He still needed Rickert's insight to make sure it wouldn't kill Oscar by accident.

    That's when the duo noticed Sakura across the field, laughing like a lunatic. A clone of Naruto charged at her with a dramatic overhead swing, and just before it landed, a pale blue barrier shimmered into place in front of her face.

    "How the hell did she do that?"

    "She's been working on some kind of new fuinjutsu," Sasuke explained, watching her reset the formation with careful precision.

    "Something her teacher gave her to study during the mission. She creates a barrier seal in advance, stores it, and can activate it instantly in emergencies. After what happened with the warship, she's not taking any chances anymore."

    Naruto watched, impressed, as Sakura ducked low and slashed upward, popping another clone with ease.

    "She's gotten stronger," he said quietly.

    "No," Sasuke replied. "We all have."

    Naruto nodded, his thoughts drifting to the flaws he'd uncovered during his own fifteen days of training, to the weaknesses he hadn't noticed.

    "I need to learn a long-range wind jutsu."

    The next day the sun was high in the sky, lazily warming the fields around Tazuna's home. Birds chirped. The breeze was light. And Kakashi Hatake was deep in a well-earned nap.

    Or at least, he was trying to be.

    Sprawled across a makeshift lawn chair with his orange book laid flat over his face, Kakashi looked perfectly at peace until a familiar voice shattered it. "Teach me ninja magic, old man!" Naruto's voice rang out with all the subtlety of a detonation tag.

    Kakashi groaned, the book sliding off his face. He cracked open a single eye and sighed. "Naruto, can't you bother Sasuke about this?"

    Naruto crossed his arms, grinning. "Nope. I want a wind-style jutsu. Teme's got fire and lightning and maybe water. And besides..." His grin widened. "You owe me. You never taught me my first jutsu properly."

    "Fine. My nap's ruined anyway." He sat up, stretching slightly before standing. "So. What kind of wind jutsu are we thinking?"

    "Long-range and lethal," Naruto said cheerfully.

    "Hm. Wind Style: Wind Bullet might suit you."

    Naruto tilted his head. "Was that one inspired by, like, a gun?"

    Kakashi gave a faint chuckle. "Yes and no. The shape was modeled after a bullet, but the inspiration came from watching smoke rings."

    "You're telling me people blowing smoke rings helped create a jutsu?"

    Kakashi nodded. "You'd be surprised how often casual habits lead to breakthroughs. Wind Bullet is about rapid compression and controlled release. Imagine compressing a high-pressure pocket of air in your lungs, then forcing it through a tight shape like pursed lips to create a concentrated, high-speed projectile."

    Naruto blinked. "That sounds more like physics than chakra."

    "It is. But the chakra manipulation is what amplifies it beyond physics." Kakashi explained, holding up a finger. "The three components are: compression, containment, and propulsion."

    He drew three symbols in the dirt as he spoke.

    "One: You strengthen your diaphragm and lungs with chakra to create the internal pressure.

    "Two: You learn to shape the escape path—your mouth, your tongue, even your teeth—so that the release of air maintains cohesion. Like firing a bullet from a barrel. The more shape control you have, the more accurate and faster the shot."

    Naruto leaned in, absorbing every word.

    "And three: Chakra-enhanced propulsion. The burst isn't just air, it's wind chakra. Razor-sharp. And that's what makes it deadly. Normal air disperses quickly. Wind chakra cuts."

    "So it's like... a precision cannonball?"

    "Exactly. It's a jutsu that mimics both the physics of projectile mechanics and the principles of cutting. The better you are with chakra shape and nature manipulation, the more devastating it becomes."

    Naruto whistled. "Good thing I've got two advantages then."

    Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Shadow clones?"

    "And Hinata," Naruto said, beaming. "She can monitor my chakra flow in real time and help me fine-tune the control part."

    "She's at the bridge with her team," Kakashi said, already knowing what was coming.

    Naruto grinned, grabbed his gear, and vanished in a flicker of speed. Kakashi followed a moment later.

    They arrived at the half-finished bridge, where Team 8 was wrapping up a patrol shift. Workers moved stone and iron around them, the clinking of tools echoing over the water.

    "Kurenai," Kakashi greeted. "Mind if we borrow Hinata?"

    The genjutsu specialist tilted her head, glancing at her student. "Of course. Hinata, go on."

    Hinata stepped forward with a respectful nod. "For what exactly?" she asked.

    "To help Naruto learn Wind Bullet," Kakashi said.

    "Oh, I'd be honored," she said quickly, cheeks already coloring faintly.

    Kakashi gave them a few more instructions, walking through the chakra flow, the breathing technique, and mouth shaping needed to start developing the technique. Naruto listened attentively, practicing how to pull in air, let it settle in his diaphragm, and then push it back up with force. Each motion was subtle, internal, but difficult.

    "Now, practice is everything," Kakashi said.

    "Got it," Naruto said with a grin. "Thanks, old man!"

    "Don't call me old," Kakashi muttered, flicking open his book again.

    Hinata opened her mouth to ask where they would be training but was immediately swept off her feet. Naruto had picked her up bridal style.

    "W-Wait, Naruto-kun!?" she squeaked, face bright red.

    He flashed a grin and shouted, "Training trip!" before leaping off the edge of the bridge.

    Her scream echoed through the air.

    Tazuna dropped a hammer. "Did that brat just jump off the bridge!?"

    "Should you not do something?" one of the workers asked.

    "I am doing something," Kakashi said casually, not lifting his eyes from the page as he turned it with deliberate calm.

    A split second later, the sound of an enormous splash echoed from below the bridge, followed by the unmistakable metallic clang of heavy armor hitting water.

    Several workers yelped, stepping back in alarm.

    "They'll be fine," Kurenai said, unfazed as she glanced over the edge.

    Down below, Naruto bobbed to the surface with a laugh, his waterlogged armor gleaming in the sunlight. Hinata floated beside him, flustered but unharmed, her chakra control keeping her steady atop the waves. The two began moving across the surface, Naruto gesturing animatedly as he explained something, Hinata nodding shyly and adjusting her stance.

    Kakashi finally looked up.

    He wasn't watching the two trainees, though. His gaze drifted instead to Kiba, who stood silently at the railing as a plan formed in the white-haired jonin's mind.

    By the time the orange hue of dusk blanketed the sky, Kiba and Naruto stood across from Kakashi and Pakkun in the open field. The air was heavy with the scent of salt and sweat.

    Kiba groaned. "Kakashi-sensei, is this really necessary? Naruto's been going nonstop since dawn."

    "Think of it as multitasking," Kakashi replied casually. "Naruto needs to learn how to coordinate with Oscar. And you," he pointed lazily at Kiba, "could use some polish on working with Akamaru. This is just a light spar. A practical evaluation."

    "Great," Pakkun muttered from the side, voice gruff and unimpressed. "Do I really have to train Ugly and Uglier?"

    "Oi! Who the hell are you calling ugly?"

    "The other one."

    Kiba smirked, turning to Naruto with a smug look. "Ha! Sucks to be you."

    Naruto shrugged, completely unfazed. "I concede. I'm the ugly one."

    "Damn right... wait, hold on!"

    Clang!

    Everyone looked down. Oscar had smacked his crystal head against Naruto's gauntlet, stubby limbs wriggling with anticipation. The sound echoed like a tiny war drum.

    "See? Oscar's ready," Naruto grinned, kissing the lizard's head affectionately.

    Kakashi gave a nod. "Good. Now fight."

    "Wait, you didn't even teach us anything!" Kiba protested.

    "I'm evaluating, not instructing."

    Naruto sighed but stepped forward, forming the Seal of Confrontation. "Let's get this over with."

    Kiba mirrored him. "Hajime."

    It was over in a blink.

    The flat edge of Naruto's Zweihander was at Kiba's throat before the Inuzuka could even shift his footing. The sheer weight of the black blade made the earth groan. Kakashi noted the weapon with a degree of caution, it was unlike anything he knew.

    "I win," Naruto said plainly.

    Kiba gritted his teeth. "This was supposed to be about working with our ninken, not just flexing your oversized butterknife."

    Naruto turned to Oscar, who was sitting with his legs curled underneath him like a well-mannered student, blinking up in confusion.

    "...Yeah, okay, fair point," Naruto admitted.

    "Also, why is it black?"

    "Because it's stronger," Naruto said as Kiba's questioning was cut off.

    "Restart," Kakashi said, tossing a kunai high into the air.

    This time, both teams had a moment to prepare. The kunai spun once, twice, then clattered to the ground.

    "Hajime."

    Kiba and Akamaru sprang forward like arrows loosed from a bow. Their synchronization was uncanny—Kiba darted left while Akamaru curved right, fangs gleaming with chakra.

    Naruto created a shadow clone, tossing Oscar toward it. The lizard chirped once in protest, then got scooped up and carried away to safety.

    "Don't worry, buddy. This is gonna get messy."

    "Fire Style: Fire Fang!"

    Both Kiba and Akamaru's jaws erupted in synchronized bursts of flame, tongues of fire licking their fangs as chakra surged through their limbs. With a sharp howl, the two launched forward, spinning violently around each other. Their bodies blurred into a twin helix of fire and fang, spiraling through the air like a living, flaming drill. The heat cracked the earth beneath their takeoff point, and every rotation howled with wind and combustion.

    Naruto, unfazed, pulled the Dragon Crest Shield from his inventory and braced.

    BOOM!

    The impact was thunderous. Flames exploded around him as the fire-spun vortex slammed into the shield with enough force to send tremors through the earth. Naruto grunted, digging his heels into the dirt. The Zweihander stayed sheathed; he held his ground with the shield alone.

    The force pushed him back, furrows forming beneath his feet, but he didn't stagger.

    Kiba and Akamaru bounced off, landing in a crouch, panting heavily.

    Then Akamaru yelped, a high-pitched panic, as Oscar reemerged, head popping from the dirt like a mischievous trapdoor spider. His crystal jaws clamped firmly on Akamaru's tail, and the poor pup began spinning wildly in place, kicking up dust.

    "Wh-What the hell?!" Kiba shouted.

    Naruto took the opening.

    One swift step forward and BAM!

    A heavy kick landed square in Kiba's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. In a flash, Naruto was on him, a crossbow drawn and aimed between Kiba's eyes.

    "That's game," Naruto said, smirking.

    Kiba groaned, winded and stunned. "Remind me... not to spar you again."

    "Remind me to train Oscar to aim for the throat next time," Naruto joked, lowering the crossbow and offering a hand.

    Kakashi turned to the small pug at his feet. "Thoughts?"

    Pakkun gave the two boys a long, slow look, his beady eyes narrowing. "Alright, let's break it down." He jerked his snout toward Kiba. "Dog Boy over there has solid instincts and some decent synergy, but his pup can't do jack without him."

    "Oi!" Kiba barked.

    Pakkun didn't even flinch. "You fight like you're two people with one brain and all the subtlety of a headbutt. No finesse. No layers. You expect Akamaru to follow your lead, but you haven't taught him what to do when things go sideways."

    Kiba's jaw clenched, but his eyes flicked to Akamaru.

    "Think. Why didn't your mutt bite back when that lizard of Blondie's nipped him?"

    Kiba stiffened.

    "You trained him to follow. Not to think. And that's a problem. You want a partner, not a pawn. You wanna win against smarter enemies? Start letting Akamaru make his own decisions. Give him space to grow."

    Akamaru gave a quiet whine and nudged his partner's leg. Kiba lowered a hand to ruffle his fur, silent but thoughtful.

    Then Pakkun turned to Naruto, sizing him up like a tailor measuring a restless client. "And you. Blondie. You look marginally less stupid than before. That's something, I guess."

    "Uh... thanks?"

    "Don't thank me yet. Tell me, how do you think you did?"

    "Not great. I fought solo. Oscar fought solo. No coordination, no plan. I was just swinging around, and he was biting stuff. We need actual teamwork."

    Pakkun gave a small grunt of approval. "Self-awareness. Finally." He stepped forward. "But that's not the real question. The real question is: what kind of partnership do you want?"

    "Huh?"

    "Look at Kakashi," Pakkun said, nodding toward the silver-haired jonin. "He uses summons as tools: support, tracking, flankers. Kiba's the opposite. His fighting style revolves entirely around Akamaru. So what do you want to be?"

    Naruto went quiet for a moment. Then his eyes lit up. "Both."

    Pakkun blinked. "Both?"

    Naruto grinned wide. "I wanna fight on my own if I need to. But I also wanna fight with Oscar, like Kiba and Akamaru. I want us to cover each other's backs. To be partners."

    There was a moment of silence.

    Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in quiet approval.

    Pakkun let out a rough bark of laughter. "That's ambitious. Not easy, but not impossible. It'll take time, trust, and a whole lotta trial and error."

    "I'm good at failing forward," Naruto said, grinning. "Now I just need to teach him how to use chakra."

    Oscar, currently trying to gnaw on a bent kunai, chirped in response.

    Kakashi pulled a small scroll from his vest and tossed it to Naruto. "This has the base method for chakra-beast transference and training. Basic steps for sensing, synchronizing, and shaping chakra in non-human companions."

    Naruto caught the scroll and carefully stored it in his inventory pouch.

    "Alright!" Pakkun snapped. "Since you're both so eager to fail your way into greatness, let's go through some drills."

    "Yes, sir," Naruto and Kiba said in unison.

    Pakkun narrowed his eyes. "Next time I want to hear that with spine. Or I'm going to bite your balls off."

    "YES, SIR!" both boys yelled.

    Hours later, as night fell over the Land of Waves, the stars scattered across the sky like distant fires. A quiet peace settled over the town, but Naruto's heart was anything but still.

    Training had gone well. Oscar was adapting. Wind Bullet was beginning to take shape. And Hinata's guidance had helped him unlock new levels of control. But deep inside, there was a pull. A familiar one.

    Lordran called to him.

    It wasn't just curiosity anymore. He needed to test how chakra and soul truly interacted within Oscar. He needed to refine Oscar's transformation into a proper ninchū companion. Wind-style jutsu, fuinjutsu, and more—it was all theory until he had a place where time moved differently and danger sharpened his instincts.

    And Lordran gave him exactly that.

    So, when the house fell quiet and the others were deep in sleep, Naruto stepped outside under the moonlight. He pulled out the Homeward Bone from his inventory. "Let's get to work," he muttered to himself.

    A swirl of light enveloped him and in an instant, Naruto was gone.

    Back to the land of fading fire and undead dreams.

    Back to Lordran.

    A few minutes went by as the air slightly shimmered from where Naruto had vanished. The faint shimmer lingered, distorting the light like heat rising from stone. Kakashi stepped out from the shadows of the trees, exhaling slowly. The forest around him was quiet... too quiet for comfort. He glanced toward the fading sigils etched into the earth, the remnants of whatever reverse summoning method Naruto had used.

    "That's some fuinjutsu," Pakkun murmured, padding beside him with his usual frown.

    Kakashi didn't respond immediately. His single visible eye was fixed on the ground, tracing the ghostly afterimages of the glowing symbols. They weren't just advanced, they were alien. Even with the knowledge passed down from Minato, even with decades of field experience, Kakashi didn't recognize a single stroke.

    It made his skin crawl.

    "You sure about this?" Pakkun asked, ears twitching. "You know how summoning clans treat trespassers."

    Kakashi gave a stiff nod. "I know. Intrude on the wrong clan, and you're lucky if trials are all you face. Some... won't even let you finish your first step."

    "And you still wanna go through with it?"

    "I need answers, Pakkun."

    Kakashi had tried to rationalize it. But with every new piece of evidence, the rational explanations thinned. He needed to know where Naruto was going. Who he was dealing with. What kind of summoning clan had accepted him.

    And so he set his plan into motion.

    All of it.

    The Wind Bullet training. The ninchū ritual with Pakkun and Kiba. The overwhelming schedule. Kakashi had loaded Naruto down with just enough to force a retreat—just enough pressure to make returning to his clan the most logical option.

    And now, all Kakashi needed was to follow.

    The scroll he had given Naruto for Oscar's training wasn't just a training tool. Hidden inside was a sealed kunai etched with a reverse summoning sign, one linked directly to Pakkun. As soon as Naruto entered the summoning realm again, the sign would activate after a few minutes, and Pakkun would be drawn in after him. Then Pakkun would reverse summon Kakashi in.

    That was the plan.

    "Okay," Kakashi said. "We're close. The reverse summoning sign should go off in a few minutes."

    Pakkun gave a resigned grunt, closed his eyes, and waited.

    A minute passed. Then two.

    Then fifteen.

    Nothing.

    Pakkun blinked. "Uh. Is something supposed to happen?"

    Kakashi's silence was immediate. He didn't move. He didn't breathe. His eye widened, only slightly, but in that single motion, it was obvious: something was wrong. Very wrong. The reverse summoning seal... had been nullified.

    That wasn't supposed to be possible.

    "Pakkun," Kakashi said slowly, voice dry. "Are you sensing anything at all? Even a pull?"

    "Nothing. Not even a tug. It's like the space doesn't exist to me."

    "Do you know of any summoning clan that can block reverse summoning from the inside?"

    Pakkun hesitated. "Maybe one or two of the Old Clans. The ones who signed their pacts before even the Sage of Six Paths came down the mountain. But I've never seen it. Never heard of it being done like this."

    Kakashi turned, walking a slow circle before driving his fist into the bark of a tree.

    The thud echoed in the woods.

    "This isn't like you," Pakkun said softly.

    "I know." Kakashi let his hand drop. "I just... I staked everything on this one move. If I could get in, just once, I could get answers."

    "So again," Pakkun asked, voice gentler this time, "why? Why go through all this trouble?"

    Kakashi closed his eye and breathed deeply. "Because I'm scared, Pakkun."

    They sat beneath a tree on the edge of the forest. The wind rustled the leaves gently, but Kakashi's voice carried low and clear, stripped of his usual aloofness.

    "I'm scared of where Naruto's path is leading him," he continued, fingers idly brushing over the hidden pouch strapped to his thigh. "The things he's done in the Wave... the way he fights, the things he says, the ideals he has. For heaven's sake, the boy thinks that being a shinobi is a hobby."

    Pakkun blinked his small eyes and listened, his ears twitching.

    Kakashi's visible eye darkened. "He's kind. Relentlessly so. And yet, I've seen that same kid cleave men in half with a straight face. I've seen him come back soaked in blood and guts with no regret. That kind of contradiction, it's not natural. It's not sustainable. And the worst part?"

    He paused.

    "I can't tell if I should be proud or afraid."

    Pakkun let out a low, thoughtful grunt. "You're not afraid of him. You're afraid for him."

    Kakashi gave a slow nod. "Naruto's ideals, whatever they are, they don't align with the shinobi world. He doesn't kill like a tool. He doesn't obey orders like a soldier. He's not chasing rank or prestige. And because of that... I can already see how the others will look at him someday. Not like a comrade. Not even like a weapon. But like an anomaly. Something they can't control, so they'll try to isolate him. Or worse."

    His voice lowered.

    "The way they did with my father."

    Pakkun said nothing.

    "He died a hero, but they treated him like a traitor first. I still remember how quiet the village got when they talked about the White Fang. All those years, and they still don't say his name with honor. If Naruto keeps growing like this, if he keeps breaking the rules the way he does..."

    "You think the shinobi will turn on him?" Pakkun asked.

    Kakashi nodded once. "And not just us. The other villages... the moment they learn what Naruto's carrying: the jutsu, the items, the bloodline. He'll be a target. Not just as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. But as a threat to their balance."

    "And what happens," Pakkun said slowly, "when Naruto realizes that?"

    Kakashi didn't answer.

    "Or worse," Pakkun went on, "what happens if he decides he doesn't need the Leaf anymore?"

    "...Then the hunt begins," Kakashi said softly. "We'll brand him a missing-nin. We'll send hunter-nin after him. ANBU. Teams of his friends. And eventually... someone will kill him or he'll burn Konoha to the ground."

    He bowed his head, the weight of the words settling like iron on his shoulders.

    "And I'll have helped it happen."

    Pakkun tilted his head. "So you think sneaking into the summoning clan's territory will prevent that future?"

    Kakashi closed his eye, torn. "I don't know. But if I can learn something... anything about what's behind all this, maybe I can help guide him. Maybe I can protect him from what's coming."

    "And you don't think telling Naruto the truth is the better option?"

    "I can't risk it," Kakashi murmured, his voice barely audible over the wind. "If I dig too deep, ask too soon... he'll know. Naruto might act like a simple kid, but I've seen the signs. That kid's sharp. Dangerously sharp. And if he starts connecting dots, if he begins to suspect me, or the Third..."

    He didn't finish the thought.

    Pakkun sat beside him, tail still, small eyes unreadable. "So you want to protect the cake while stealing a bite."

    Kakashi sighed, lips twitching bitterly. "I don't want him to feel used," he said quietly. "Everyone's been waiting for him to become a weapon. I just want him to feel... trusted."

    "But you are breaking his trust," Pakkun said, flat and unflinching.

    Kakashi flinched.

    "I'm not trying to be cruel," Pakkun went on. "But you're dancing the same dance, Kakashi. The one that left Obito under a boulder. The one that left Rin bleeding out by your hand. You think caution makes you safe. But maybe it just makes you alone."

    Silence.

    "I'm not doing this for control," Kakashi finally said, jaw tight. "I want to be ready. I want to be prepared. I want to be the one who steps in when it all falls apart again. So maybe this time... no one dies."

    "Even if it means becoming the one who breaks him?"

    Kakashi said nothing.

    "If that territory he vanished into really blocked a reverse summoning," Pakkun continued, "then whatever's out there already knows more than you do. If they tell Naruto what you're planning—about the kunai, the seal—what do you think he'll feel?"

    The question lingered like a blade just shy of his neck.

    "That you're waiting for him to fail?" Pakkun asked softly. "That you don't trust him? That you see him as a danger?"

    Kakashi's mouth was a hard line. "I didn't want it to come to this. I just wanted answers," he whispered.

    "Then you shouldn't have gambled," Pakkun said. "Because now you're not chasing the truth. You're betting against trust."

    Kakashi felt something crack inside him. And Pakkun, the pug who had seen him through blood and loss and silence, didn't raise his voice. He simply looked him in the eye. "You can't protect him by controlling him, Kakashi. And if you keep walking this line, be ready. Because when it breaks and it will, the only thing waiting on the other side will be regret."

    Then, without another word, Pakkun padded off into the night.

    Leaving Kakashi alone with the weight of what he had done, as he felt the old curse return again.

    The same curse that had haunted him at the death of Obito. At the grave of Rin. At the fall of Minato.

    The curse of too little, too late.

    Of good intentions turned to ruin.

    Of choosing wrong when it mattered most.

    And now?

    Now it might be happening all over again.

    Kakashi didn't speak.

    He didn't need to.

    Because in his silence, he finally understood what he'd done. And a part of him already knew, Naruto would find out. And he was scared of what would happen next.

    Author Note:

    1 – Naruto's Soul Vision of Sakura and Sasuke:

    Let's not beat around the bush: What Naruto saw latched onto Sasuke's soul was Indra's soul.

    This decision was my way of making some sense out of Kishimoto's bullshit. Excuse my language, I love Kishimoto and deeply respect his work but I still don't know what he was thinking with the whole reincarnation concept.

    By definition, reincarnation means: "The rebirth of a soul in a new body after biological death."

    So technically, Indra and Ashura should've been reborn with new souls and new identities. But canon tells us otherwise. Hashirama and Madara had their own souls. Naruto and Sasuke have theirs. So… what gives?

    That's why I'm going with a more popular fan theory: Ashura and Indra's chakra didn't reincarnate in the true sense, it latched on. And that, to me, sounds more like soul-parasitism than true reincarnation.

    Which brings us to Dark Souls Naruto—he's already messed with the laws of life and death. Because of that, Ashura's soul (or what was left of it) has basically been obliterated inside him. It's gone. No more "destiny cycle" nonsense. Just Naruto.

    As for Sakura's soul… If you want a visual, think Junji Ito's Tomie Kawakami and her iconic double face. Yeah. That's the vibe. (Look her up if you don't know—creepy,

    2 – Oscar's Crystal Breath:

    Oscar's finally done it—he showed off his Crystal Release breath attack. If you've played DS3, you'll recognize it from the Ravenous Crystal Lizard—which, by the way, is Oscar's adult form.

    In Dark Souls 1, crystal attacks often carry a curse effect which is essentially instant death, ignoring most forms of resistance. So yeah. Oscar's not just the adorable pet anymore—he's a walking death ray who can bypass durability and erase you from existence if you mess with Naruto.

    And that's exactly why he's Naruto's partner.

    3- The Villain Subplot: The Cubicle Gun Meme in Action

    You ever seen that meme? The one with a bunch of office workers all sitting in cubicles, each pointing a gun at the person in front of them, and the person behind them aiming too? That's basically how the villain subplot in this arc is shaping up.

    Zabuza is considering hiring another jonin-level merc to stall Team Kurenai—fully intending to kill them once their usefulness ends.

    Meanwhile, Gato is scheming behind Zabuza's back, reaching out to Orochimaru.

    And you can bet Orochimaru isn't just playing along.

    This subplot is going to drastically change the Chūnin Exams arc from canon. So here's my question for you: Who do you think Zabuza will bring in? Will Orochimaru send someone or show up himself?

    I'm curious what theories you all have, because your guesses might shape how this turns out.

    2 – Why I Give Scientific Explanations for Jutsu

    You might've noticed: I've started explaining jutsu using real-world science.

    The Transformation Jutsu as refraction and light-bending.

    Wind Bullets as compressed smoke rings and shockwave propulsion.

    Soon, more jutsu will get a similar treatment.

    Why? Two big reasons:

    First    , I just love science-based power systems. They're easier to flesh out, more grounded, and they give me room to scale power in consistent, creative ways.

    Second, I wanted to draw a contrast between the Shinobi World and Lordran.

    The ninja techniques in Naruto's world are being grounded in logic and experimentation. Meanwhile, Lordran's skills are steeped in esoteric mystery and forgotten magic—faith, miracles, soul manipulation.

    That contrast lets both worlds shine in their own ways. But don't worry—Lordran's got its science, and Konoha's got its myths. You'll see that blend more as the story unfolds.

    3 – Kakashi's Dilemma and the Lordran Mystery

    You know, this Kakashi plot was something I've been thinking about since the start. I love the funny moments where Naruto tells the truth about Lordran, but everyone interprets his words differently. Still, that can't and shouldn't, become just a running gag. So I started thinking: what would Kakashi really do?

    It feels in character for Kakashi to want answers but not risk damaging his relationship with Naruto by overstepping. So instead, he'd go behind Naruto's back to find the truth. The problem? Lordran doesn't give up its secrets so easily.

    That choice is going to lead to a shift in Naruto and Kakashi's dynamic. Let me know what you think of this plot point, because it's going to set up one of the biggest twists later in the story. Do you think Kakashi's plan could have worked or should he have handled it differently?

    Also, what do you think will happen when Naruto looks into his inventory and reads the description of the kunai?

    PS: New Cover Art Drop!

    I commissioned a new cover illustration for the story with feedback from a few of you on the title and composition. The artist did a phenomenal job blending Naruto's new aesthetic with the grim tone of Lordran. Go check it out and let me know what you think—your thoughts mean a lot to me.

    That's it for now!

    And if you can't wait for the next update, the next chapter drops on May 27th! You can read ahead to Chapter 90 on Patreon.

    Thank you all for your support—you make writing this story such an incredible journey! As always, thanks for reading.

    —Adam
     
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    • Adamos_Amet said:
    Will Orochimaru send someone or show up himself?
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    Orochimaru may come himself, i mean there is enough weird things here to make it happen, also there is an Uchiha, and he does desire the eyes and blood, so long as Gato's info contains enough of both it can happen

    Adamos_Amet said:
    2 – Why I Give Scientific Explanations for Jutsu
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    Everything should have some logic behind it, even if it is not scientific, there are rules to everything, such rules may not be explained to readers or viewers, but should be there.

    As for using scientific terms... It makes some sense, it helps gives some realism to things, but you are better not explaining all the jutsus, some may be a little too esotericals to try to give an explanation.

    Adamos_Amet said:
    3 – Kakashi's Dilemma and the Lordran Mystery
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    I find it funny that he has not considered to ask Naruto to bring him there, it is something that came to my mind a lot sooner, and though that when Naruto said he had a contract, Kakashi woul ask for more details or even ask to go with him
     
    Consdering his mind set it's almost a given he will become a missing nin he just doesn't have the mind set be a ninja hell he didn't even in canon it only worked out for him because he wantted to be hokaga and everyone covered for him.

    That said consdering he has access to dark souls and the path he's on there's a very real chance he could become a legitimate god…
     
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