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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…
     
    Adamos_Amet said:
    1. Swordsmanship Training:
    I really wanted to bring some realism into the sword training—grips, stances, centerline control, tempo, etc. This part was the trickiest for me, and I rewrote it 3-4 times because I didn't want it to feel like a word salad or an info dump. How did I do? Was it well-paced? Did it make sense and flow naturally? If you have suggestions or ways the training could've been more immersive, I'd love to hear them!
    Click to expand...
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    I know I'm replying to a months old post here, but I was honestly expecting a lecture on the concepts like go-no-sen and sen-sen-no-sen to show up at some point lol, considering from what I understand they're pretty common concepts amongst many Japanese martial arts (including kenjutsu and kendo)
     
    That would make sense if Naruto was learning Japanese swordmanship, but the blade and the "teachers" are more European
     
    Chapter no.44 Dark Souls New
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    • Chapter no.44 The Crucible of Lordran

    Naruto opened his eyes to the flickering light of the Firelink bonfire. The warm glow wrapped around him like a familiar blanket, but something felt off.

    A weak chirp broke the silence.

    He looked down to see Oscar trembling near his side. The crystal lizard was curled in on himself, tiny limbs drawn tight to his body. The usually vibrant gleam of his crystalline scales was dulled, his tail twitching erratically like a frightened bird. His eyes, normally bright and curious, were wide and unfocused, reflecting the firelight in jagged shards.

    Naruto's expression softened as he reached out and gently placed a hand on Oscar's head. For a long, quiet moment, he simply watched the little lizard, a twinge of guilt tightening in his chest. Lordran had been harsh and brutal for the little guy, who endured it alone. Coming back here… it could not have been easy. Not when he had finally known what warmth and safety felt like back home.

    "Hey," he said quietly. "We are here to get stronger. But do not worry, as long as I am here, nothing is gonna happen to you. Promise. But… I am gonna need someone to guard my back. Can you do that?"

    Oscar blinked, then squirmed out of Naruto's hand. He scuttled in front of him, puffing his tiny chest out with as much bravery as a lizard the size of a loaf of bread could muster. His tail stopped trembling. He looked up with a determined chirp.

    Naruto chuckled. "That's the spirit. Let's go."

    They descended into Andre's forge where the old blacksmith was snoring on his workbench, head tilted back and arms crossed.

    Naruto raised a finger to his lips and glanced at Oscar. "Shhh."

    The two decided to turn back when...
    "What are you doing, making noise this early?"

    Naruto turned sheepish. "Oh, you're awake."

    "Could not exactly sleep through your pep talk upstairs." Andre sat up, rubbing his neck. "Go on then, train in the hall if you are gonna. Just do not die."

    "You got it, old man."

    Down in the church's shadowed interior, Naruto took a breath and bit lightly into Oscar's tail, forming the connection. Dozens of clones popped into existence, each accompanied by a clone of Oscar. The real lizard's eyes lit up with joy at the sight of so many of himself.

    "No, you cannot play with your clones," Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes. "We are training."

    Oscar's tail drooped.

    Naruto sighed, made a separate clone just for Oscar to chase, and the little lizard bounded off, delighted.

    Naruto pulled out a scroll Kakashi had given him on ninchu training. A single kunai was nestled in the center crease. He squinted at it. "Kakashi sensei must have left this by mistake."

    He flicked it into his inventory and returned to the scroll. "Alright. Let's do this."

    For the next hour, the training was brutal. The chakra control drills were harsh on Naruto's clones and harder on Oscar. One by one, each clone exploded in a puff of smoke, and each time, Oscar twitched violently as the memory hit him. By the end, he was curled up again, biting his tail, overwhelmed by the sensation of dozens of painful, jarring deaths.

    Naruto called off the training immediately.

    "Hey, hey... it is okay," he whispered, holding the trembling lizard close. "It is okay, Oscar. You did good. We are done for today."

    Oscar whimpered and buried himself in Naruto's chest.

    A few minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs. Andre appeared with a wooden mug, filled to the brim with water, and passed it over without a word.

    Naruto took it with a nod of thanks.

    "What happened to that big bad Gato?" Andre asked, casually scratching his beard.

    "Still has not made his move," Naruto muttered. "But that just means more time for me to prepare. Every day he waits… I get stronger."

    Andre raised a brow and glanced down at Oscar, who was still huddled against Naruto's chest. "And dragging the little one into it too?"

    Naruto looked down and scratched Oscar under the chin. "Yeah. I am training him in chakra. Problem is… chakra and crystallized soul do not mix cleanly. It is volatile. Like dumping oil into a forge fire."

    Andre clicked his tongue. "So… he is a bomb?"

    "Not exactly," Naruto said. "More like… a conduit with no fuse. If we do not figure out how to control the flow, he could rupture from the inside out."

    "Then you better figure it out fast," Andre said as he eyed the trembling crystal lizard curled against Naruto's chest. "But let this old man give you a suggestion."

    Naruto straightened, giving the blacksmith his full attention. "I am listening."

    Andre jabbed a thick finger at Oscar. "He is not undead. He has one life and when it is gone, it is gone. That makes him special. But it also makes him vulnerable."

    Naruto swallowed hard. That was the truth he had been avoiding. "So… what kind of precautions are we talking?"

    "Armor. You are a shinobi, ain't you? Even your world knows how important it is. Now imagine what a good set of plate could do for this little beastie."

    Oscar perked up at that, tilting his head.

    Naruto blinked, stunned. "Wait, you are saying we can actually forge armor for him?"

    "Of course we can," Andre said, nodding. "It is not that different from barding."

    "Barding?"

    "Armor for horses, lad. Or wolves, or drakes, or whatever else you plan to ride into battle screaming your lungs out. If it has a spine and spirit, I can plate it in steel."

    Oscar let out a chirp that sounded suspiciously like Dattebayo.

    Naruto grinned. "Alright then. I actually found this Elite Knight set in Darkroot Garden. I was gonna keep it for emergency or something, but… I think Oscar would look way cooler in it."

    Andre chuckled. "Elite Knight Armor, eh? That is a fine foundation. You are thinking full miniature plating?"

    "I was thinking we scale down the pauldron layout, maybe reinforce the ventral plates with enchanted steel mesh, keep the tail unrestricted for balance, and oh, maybe add smoke vents around the mouth to channel his crystal laser better."

    Andre blinked at him. "Huh… so you have been paying attention to this old man's lessons after all."

    "I multitask," Naruto said with a proud grin.

    "Well, you are gonna need Rickert's help with this. He is the one who understands magical stuff better than I do."

    Naruto's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I can ask him about the conduit issue too."

    Naruto summoned a clone. "You and him can get started on the draft for a model. Oscar, come with me. We have stuff to do."

    As the clone rolled up his sleeves and got to work with Andre, Naruto gently lifted Oscar onto his shoulder. The lizard hesitated, his claws tightening slightly on Naruto's armor.

    Naruto could feel it—the tremble. Not of fear, but doubt. He knelt down and looked Oscar in the eye. "Hey. I know it has been a lot. And I know Lordran still scares you."

    Oscar looked away, ashamed.

    "But I am not asking you to be fearless," Naruto said softly. "I am asking you to be brave. That means showing up, even when your claws are shaking."

    Oscar turned back, eyes wide and unblinking.

    Naruto smiled. "We are a team, remember? You do not have to blast everything to be useful. Sometimes, just being there... just being you is enough."

    Oscar blinked. Then he gave a tiny, firm chirp.

    "Good," Naruto said. "Now let us see how good of a distraction you can be."

    Dappled sunlight cut through the ruined ceiling of the Undead Church as Naruto crouched beside a pillar, eyeing the trio of Hollows loitering near the entrance.

    "Alright, buddy," he whispered, lowering Oscar gently to the ground. "You're up. Go out there, be loud, and lead them around."

    Oscar chirped with uncertainty.

    "You're not fighting this time," Naruto added. "Just a good old fashioned bait and dash. Flash and run. Sparkle and spin."

    Oscar gave him a skeptical look.

    "Trust me," Naruto said with a wink.

    Oscar hesitated, then puffed his little chest out and dashed into the open.

    The sun caught his crystal spine at just the right angle. Light refracted in brilliant, flashing shards like miniature fireworks. The effect was immediate. Three Hollows turned, groaning with mechanical urgency as they shambled toward the flickering movement.

    Naruto struck.

    A kunai flew, embedding into the crossbow Hollow's skull. It dropped.

    Oscar darted between the legs of the second Hollow, drawing a wild swing that missed entirely. The movement left it wide open. Naruto appeared behind it in a flicker and drove his Zweihander straight through its back.

    The last Hollow shrieked and charged, blade raised high.

    Oscar skidded to a halt. His whole body tensed. The crystal on his back hummed faintly, then sputtered.

    No laser.

    Oscar froze.

    "Get down!" Naruto shouted.

    The Hollow's blade came crashing down, only to meet steel as Naruto intercepted it. He gritted his teeth, gave ground slowly, then twisted, baiting the Hollow forward. The sunlight bounced off Oscar's back again. One blinding beam of refracted light caught the Hollow right in the eyes.

    It flinched.

    Naruto did not.

    He spun and cleaved through the creature in a single strike, scattering ash and bone across the flagstones.

    Silence fell then a chirp.

    Oscar's tail was wagging. Slowly at first. Then faster. He looked up at Naruto, trembling slightly, but this time not with fear.

    "Dude," Naruto said, scooping him up, "you were awesome out there. That flash move? That was perfect."

    Oscar trilled proudly, nudging Naruto's cheek with his nose.

    "You're learning," Naruto said, walking toward the elevator. "And next time? That laser's gonna scorch."

    The platform clanked beneath them, the elevator descending with a rusty groan toward Firelink Shrine.

    Oscar nestled against Naruto's collar, his heartbeat finally calm.

    He had not fired a laser. He had not tanked a hit. But for the first time, Oscar had walked into a fight, chosen to act, and come out standing.

    For the first time, he felt like a warrior too.

    As the elevator clanked back into its slot, Naruto stepped off, humming under his breath. The absence of Petrus was a welcome relief. Just the wind, the ashes, and a strange stillness. He skipped lightly down the path, thinking about Anastacia, wondering with a sheepish grin what his clone might have been doing.

    But the moment he reached the edge of the stairs, near the blackened roots of the dead Firelink tree, his steps halted.

    The clone was standing there motionless, in a dreamlike trance. Its expression was one of eerie peace. Soft eyes gazing toward the sky, a faint smile on its lips.

    But Naruto's stomach twisted. That look was not natural.

    He moved slowly, heart rising to his throat. A chill danced down his spine as he edged closer.

    Then he saw it.

    Anastacia lay curled in the cage, barely moving, her breath shallow and erratic. Not peaceful. Not sleeping.

    Suffering.

    Naruto's eyes scanned the area with a shinobi's precision. A blood-stained kunai lay discarded in the dirt, its edge caked with dark red. A trail of crimson smeared the stone between it and Anastacia. Her lips were stained and cracked, and in the soil beside her mouth... her tongue was cut clean and left to rot.

    His hands trembled.

    The clone had not moved.

    "Oi," Naruto said softly, walking over. "Wake up."

    No response. His chakra flared, attempting to disrupt the flow of illusion like Sakura taught him. No reaction.

    Naruto frowned. He used soul sight and saw that the clone was under the effects of some kind of spell that projected a weird cloud over its aura.

    His hand tightened around his kunai. With a sharp breath, he stabbed the clone in the chest.

    White smoke dispersed into the wind.

    Memories flooded in, but they were scattered and dull. Hours of standing. Staring at the sky. No alarm. No awareness. Just stillness, as if the clone had forgotten its purpose. Forgotten her.

    Naruto clenched his fists.

    It was the crow. It had to be. That damn bird. Something more than a messenger. Something wrong. It must have cast the spell, slipped reality over the clone's eyes like a blanket, while it forced Anastacia to silence herself again. A cruel mockery of choice.

    He flickered into the cage.

    Anastacia stirred faintly, caught in half-conscious spasms, murmuring in broken gasps.

    "Shhh," Naruto whispered, fingers glowing as he pressed two against the base of her neck. A soft pulse of chakra spread out, carefully calming her nervous system. She slumped back, unconscious now, but safe in sleep.

    He crouched beside her, gently wiping the blood from her face with a soft cloth from his pouch. His gaze settled on her mouth. The wound was deep and ragged.

    She had done it to herself.

    "Damn it…" he whispered.

    He bit the inside of his cheek, hard enough to taste blood.

    "I am not strong enough yet. Not to fix this. Not to help you. But I can make sure you live without pain. I swear it."

    From his storage seal, he drew out folded quilts, a feather pillow, and a thin mattress pad. One by one, he laid them down carefully, crafting a bed where there had only been stone and rusted bars. He wrapped her in a warm blanket, tucking her in as gently as he could.

    Then he sat for a long time, watching her breathing ease.

    "I will find a way," he said quietly. "Even if I have to kill the gods of this world."

    His voice held no anger.

    Only resolve.

    Oscar chirped from the ledge as Naruto emerged into the open.

    "You asking if we should take her back to Konoha?"

    Oscar answered with a soft, hesitant chirp. More like a question than a suggestion.

    "I was planning to," Naruto admitted. "I really was. I thought maybe... she could live in peace there. Sleep safely. Maybe even talk again someday."

    He scooped Oscar up in his arms as they stepped onto the elevator platform.

    "But now…" he trailed off, gaze darkening. "I don't think I can. Not yet. Not until I understand what's happening to her."

    A puzzled warble escaped the lizard's throat.

    Naruto looked out at Firelink Shrine as it slowly shrank above them, the earth falling away like a dream turning distant. "Anastacia isn't just some poor prisoner anymore. She's bound to the bonfire. I don't think she's even allowed to leave. And her silence, it's not just trauma. It's enforced. Like a brand..."

    He swallowed hard, voice thickening. "If I take her back with me, if I rip her out of this world, I could be dragging something else with her. Something ancient. Something watching. And if that thing follows her to Konoha…"

    Naruto's grip around Oscar tightened. "…then it's not just her life I'm gambling with. It's everyone's. My friends. My world."

    Oscar gave a small, uncertain chirp and nudged Naruto's chest.

    "I know," Naruto whispered. "It's not fair. She deserves better. She deserves the choice. But right now, I can't give it to her. I won't risk opening a door to some goddamn god who treats humans like dirt and tongues like leashes."

    The elevator rattled as it neared the bottom, steel groaning against stone.

    Naruto exhaled slowly, voice low and bitter. "Damn it. Ever since my intelligence stat levelled up, I've been thinking clearer. Strategizing better. And that's the worst part, Oscar… because now I see what I shouldn't do."

    The elevator shuddered to a stop.

    The New Londo Ruins stretched before them. Gray fog veiled crumbled towers and black waters whispered beneath the stones. A cold wind coiled between the ruins, dragging whispers through cracks in the earth.

    Naruto glanced down at the tiny lizard in his arms.

    Oscar gave a chirp.

    Louder this time. Confident.

    Naruto gave a weary smile and nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

    He stepped off the elevator, boots hitting the stone with quiet resolve.

    "For now… we train. We prepare. And when the time comes… we'll take everything back from the monsters who think they're gods."

    Together, they vanished into the fog.

    Despite all his fury toward the gods, Naruto could not shake the gnawing urge to do something for Anastacia, now. The idea of waiting, of training while she lay silent in a cage, twisted in his chest like a splinter. So the moment he reached Rickert's watery prison, with the cavern echoing faint drips and quiet forge hums, he did not waste time.

    He launched straight into what happened and ended with a desperate question. "Is there anything I can do to help her?"

    After a beat of silence, Rickert let out a low, thoughtful hum. "You'll probably need to get the girl's sin absolved."

    "Sin?" Naruto blinked. "What sin? She's been imprisoned."

    "Sin's not always about right or wrong, boy. In this world, sin is about breaking the natural order. Messing with the gods' rules. You're looking for absolution? You'll need a bishop. Preferably one from the Church of Sin."

    Naruto squinted. "Wait, that's not the Way of White?"

    Rickert shook his head. "Different god. Different dogma. The Way of White worships Gwyn. But the Church of Sin followed Velka, the goddess of punishment, vengeance, and… selective forgiveness."

    Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So you're telling me if I find the goddess of sin, she can help me?"

    "More like could have helped you." Rickert tapped the anvil with his finger, a flat clang echoing through the chamber. "Velka's covenant was shattered. Other gods feared her. Said she went mad, started hoarding sins, blackmailing kings, stirring revolutions with whispers of freedom. Last I heard, they wiped her shrines off the map."

    Naruto crossed his arms. "So why the hell are you telling me this if it's impossible?"

    Rickert gave a faint smirk. "Because you asked for a solution. I gave you one. I didn't say it would be easy. Besides… Velka's not dead. Just rogue. Forgotten. But if anyone could untie the knot binding that Fire Keeper, it's her."

    "So, what exactly does she do?"

    Rickert leaned back against the stone wall, crossing his arms. "Sin in this world isn't just guilt. It's a metaphysical weight. Something real. It stains your soul. Makes enemies out of allies. Warps fate itself. But Velka? When she absolves sin, it's gone. Not forgiven. Erased. Like the act never happened. That's the kind of power you're chasing."

    Naruto gulped. "That's… honestly kind of terrifying."

    "Yup." Rickert smirked without looking up. "Bet you're wishing she was still holding mass, huh?"

    "Yeah, no kidding. Guess I'll be digging through the ashes of a dead religion. Great."

    "Well… the things you do for love."

    Naruto rolled his eyes. "Anastacia isn't the love of my life."

    "Oh? So you're doing all this from the bottom of your heart?"

    "Yes," Naruto said firmly, not even blinking. "Because I can. And more importantly, because I want to. Why would I need some grand reason to help someone who's suffering?"

    The area went quiet for a beat. Even the screams of the distant hollows seemed to pause.

    Rickert actually stopped moving. The man from Vinheim just stared at Naruto, genuinely stunned. It was not often he met people like this. People who helped not for power, penance, or pride, but because it felt right.

    After a moment, Rickert snorted. "That's lame."

    Naruto twitched.

    "I mean, what am I supposed to do with that?" Rickert went on, gesturing lazily. "No prophecy? No tragic backstory? Not even a doomed love triangle?"

    "You're enjoying this."

    "Oh, immensely."

    Naruto clenched his fist. "You're lucky there are cage bars between us."

    Rickert just grinned wider. "You feel mad?"

    "A little."

    "Here's a solution," Rickert said casually. "Don't be."

    Naruto exhaled hard through his nose, trying to force the irritation down. "Let's just move on to what I actually came here for, you ugly, self satisfied spark plug."

    "Fair enough," Rickert said with a smirk, entirely unfazed. "Ugly, sure. But still prettier than your haircut."

    Naruto pointed a finger, barely holding back a comeback, then let it drop with a groan. "Why do I talk to you."

    "Because you don't have any other magic blacksmiths with cursed lore and antisocial tendencies to consult."

    "…Fair."

    Naruto reached into his cloak and gently lifted the sleeping Oscar, who blinked at Rickert with wide, curious eyes.

    "This is Oscar," Naruto said. "I want to know what you can tell me about him. Anything weird, anything dangerous—whatever you know."

    "For starters," Rickert said, leaning back against the cool stone, "crystal lizards have only been recorded in recent history about two to three hundred years ago, give or take."

    "How is that recent?"

    Rickert gave him a crooked look. "Well, by Lordran's standards, yes. Some of the oldest beings here were alive when fire first appeared in the world. A few still walk around. Two or three centuries? That's a nap."

    Naruto tried to imagine that. Konoha wasn't even a quarter that old. Their proud Hokage monuments, the ancient clan traditions, the stories passed down through generations—by Lordran's measure, it was all brand new, barely a scratch on the surface of time. And him… he was now undead. Functionally immortal. Barring hollowing, he could live far longer than he was ever meant to.

    His heart dipped a little.

    Would I outlive everyone back home? Iruka sensei… Kakashi… even Teuchi and Ayame at the ramen stand? Would Ichiraku become rubble? Would the taste of miso pork become just a memory? Would the places I love vanish?

    The world he came from suddenly felt fragile. Ephemeral.

    Rickert kept talking, unaware of the storm behind Naruto's eyes. "There's a lot of debate about crystal lizards. Among the blacksmiths of Vinheim some believe they're fragments. Living remnants of the Nameless Blacksmith Deity. Creatures born from the scattered sparks of his forge, wandering the world, hoarding smithing materials like lost children searching for a father they never met."

    Naruto blinked out of his thoughts. "So… is this guy anything like the Nameless King?"

    Rickert gave him a sharp look. Naruto quickly explained what he knew, and the blacksmith's eyes widened in shock.

    "Well, that's a heavy secret to carry," Rickert muttered. "But no, different story. The Blacksmith Deity never had a name to lose. Born broken with a twisted spine and one leg. His own kind cast him out. But instead of dying, he built. He did more than survive," the man continued. "He shaped the first great forges. Made weapons for gods, reforged ruins, taught the flame to behave. He turned his broken body into a tool of creation."

    Naruto let out a low breath, the weight of the story settling in. "But… no name?"

    "Why name something you never plan to acknowledge?"

    Naruto's jaw clenched. "That's stupid."

    "Perhaps," Rickert said, "but legacy doesn't need a name. The legend lives whether anyone remembers his face."

    Naruto glanced at Oscar, who was happily nibbling on a titanite shard like it was candy. "So you think he made these guys?"

    "One theory," Rickert said. "They're small, fragile, no real offensive ability. But inside? Titanite. Twinkling, rare, and powerful. Some say if you gather enough, you can forge a weapon fit for the gods."

    "Sounds like a rumor."

    "It is. We've never seen anyone do it. But the fact that they exist at all? That's something."

    Oscar chirped, lifting his head as if to say I am something, thank you very much.

    "But," Rickert continued, "not everyone agrees. The scholars of Vinheim have a different theory. They say crystal lizards are the work of Seath the Scaleless."

    Naruto's eyes narrowed as he followed the logic behind the theory. Oscar was made of crystallized soul, the highest form of magic, and he was a lizard. That alone made the connection to Seath almost too easy.

    "Some argue these creatures were either failed experiments," Rickert continued, "or lesser beings Seath allowed to exist either out of boredom or as a byproduct of his work."

    Naruto frowned. "So… they're either descendants of a forgotten god's legacy or the cast off glitter poop of a dragon."

    "Succinctly put," Rickert said, nodding. "History's like that—muddy, inconsistent, and half the time written by people who weren't there. But if you ask me?" He leaned forward, meeting Naruto's gaze. "It doesn't really matter where they came from. What matters is what they become. Especially that one."

    Oscar paused mid nibble, looking up with a curious chirp.

    Naruto smiled softly, scratching Oscar's head as he began explaining chakra to Rickert: how it flowed, how it mixed with magic, and how Oscar had begun developing his own reserves. The blacksmith listened in silence, eyes narrowed, occasionally jotting something down in a battered notebook, only to scowl and erase it seconds later.

    Naruto let the man think. He sat back down on the stone steps, staring out at the ghostly waters of New Londo. Mist clung to the surface like a veil hiding the drowned secrets below.

    "Do you know of any material that specifically reacts to chakra?" Rickert finally asked.

    "Yeah," Naruto replied, looking over. "Why?"

    "If we can fuse that metal into Oscar's internal chakra network," Rickert said, tapping his pen against the page, "he could potentially channel chakra more safely. With enough precision, it might act like scaffolding for his chakra."

    Naruto frowned. "Wouldn't that cause a reaction with the soul magic in his body?"

    "That depends entirely on the metal," Rickert replied. "Titanite can absorb nearly any energy, but it's indiscriminate. You'd need something attuned to chakra alone."

    Naruto reached into his inventory and pulled out a shimmering sliver of chakra metal, its surface pulsating faintly with life. Rickert took it, studying the stuff under the faint light.

    Rickert scraped off a few shavings of the chakra metal and began conducting small tests, channeling traces of magic toward it to observe any reaction. After several minutes of careful experimentation, he leaned back and shook his head. "Hm. It behaves like inert metal under magical influence," he muttered. "Doesn't absorb it, doesn't repel it. It just sits there."

    He looked over at Naruto. "That's actually a good thing. If chakra flows cleanly through this metal without reacting to magic, it means we can use it to line Oscar's chakra pathways. That way, his chakra and soul magic won't mix and more importantly, won't blow him up."

    "Great," Naruto grinned. "So how do we move forward?"

    For the next two days, Naruto and Rickert worked tirelessly. Shadow clones of Oscar acted as test subjects. Progress was slow, but with Rickert's deep knowledge of magical ore and Naruto's understanding of chakra—and a little help from the system:

    [ Name: Naruto Uzumaki ]
    [ Level: 30 → 34 ]
    [ Intelligence: 18 → 20 ]
    [ Faith: 12 → 14 ]

    Between chakra control, blacksmithing theory, and trial after painful trial, they finally devised a solution that held up under every test.

    They were ready.

    Oscar laid unconscious on the reinforced bench, his crystals faintly pulsing with residual firelight. The air inside Rickert's forge felt charged. Naruto stood just inside the blacksmith's work cage, eyes sharpened with focus as he molded hand seals. Clones poofed into existence around him in rapid bursts of smoke. By the end, the tight space was a hive of iron clad clones, each one primed with a specific task.

    Rickert, expression stern but calm, stood beside the forge as molten chakra metal shimmered like liquified lightning in his crucible. The blacksmith had removed every impurity with a precision honed by centuries of practice. What remained was a brilliant, almost sacred white.

    "Here we go," Rickert murmured, lifting the crucible with a flicker of gravity defying magic. "Hold him steady. This is either going to work... or it's going to kill him."

    One of Naruto's clones stepped forward, cradling Oscar's limp body with reverent care. Another clone took the crucible, tilting it forward with exacting slowness. The molten chakra metal flowed in a thin stream, directly into Oscar's open mouth. The crystal lizard didn't react yet.

    At that same moment, Rickert placed one hand gently on Oscar's crystal body and the other on his sorcerer's catalyst. Closing his eyes, he began to weave a delicate spell, channeling his magic not to cast, but to redirect. Threads of energy pulsed beneath his palm as he carefully siphoned and rerouted the overwhelming soul magic coursing through Oscar's core, guiding it away from the chakra pathways Naruto was about to forge. The goal was simple, yet precarious: prevent the volatile fusion of chakra and soul magic before it could ignite into something catastrophic.

    A third Naruto clone watched Oscar's status screen with soul sight active. The lizard's HP began to plummet almost immediately.

    "He's losing integrity!" the clone shouted. "We're burning his inner structure!"

    "Now!" Naruto ordered, voice sharp.

    A squad of clones surged forward, each already prepped with glowing miracle sigils. They began casting Heal miracles in rapid succession. Waves of warm golden light rolled over Oscar's body, knitting what fragments they could and buying precious seconds.

    Meanwhile, the original Naruto pressed his hand to Oscar's body and closed his eyes, drawing in chakra.

    He could feel it, the molten chakra metal flowing like lava inside a crystalline maze. With careful intent, Naruto began shaping it with chakra manipulation, forcing it to align with Oscar's developing chakra network. It was brutal. Exhausting. Like threading molten rods through the shattered bones of a patient without anesthetic. The metal scorched its way through, carving new channels of energy in a body never meant to host them.

    It helped that Oscar had no blood or organs, just condensed layers of soul crystal. But that didn't make the work any less harrowing. He was reshaping Oscar's very essence, cutting a second circulatory system into a being of pure crystal.

    A lot of clones encircled the forge, each with soul sight active, their eyes glowing faintly. As one clone popped, another replaced it instantly, whispering data into the original Naruto's mind.

    "Too much buildup near the first gate! Pull it left!"

    Naruto absorbed it all, adjusting in real time, guiding the molten metal like a weaver at a divine loom. Sweat poured down his face, dripping onto the floor of the forge. His arm trembled. His breath came in ragged gasps.

    And still, he held on.

    As the final traces of molten metal reached the end of Oscar's nascent chakra network, Naruto barked an order.

    "Cool him down. Now!"

    Two clones hefted large buckets and dumped ice water onto Oscar's body. Steam hissed violently, filling the room in a scalding cloud. The metal inside Oscar hissed, then snapped into a solid state, locked into place, fusing with the chakra network.

    Naruto didn't let go.

    He stayed there, hands pressed to Oscar's back, feeding gentle chakra into the system to stabilize the bond. Another clone moved beside him, placing a glowing hand on Oscar's shoulder.

    Great Heal Excerpt.

    A wave of white light enveloped both of them. Naruto exhaled sharply, eyes fluttering closed from sheer exhaustion. And then...

    Oscar stirred.

    His crystal eyes blinked open slowly, refracting the torchlight like a thousand stars. The gentle hum of chakra now pulsed beneath his crystal skin, no longer wild and erratic, but controlled. Harmonized.

    Oscar shifted his limbs slowly, like someone waking from a long sleep. He looked down at his claws. Flexed. Moved his tail. And then he looked up at Naruto.

    Naruto, still kneeling, gave a tired grin and wiped sweat from his eyes. "How do you feel, partner?"

    Oscar blinked then he chirped.

    Not a weak, tremulous sound, but a deep, reverberating note that echoed across the chamber. A clear, crystalline tone filled with awareness, strength, and a strange new energy. It wasn't just magic anymore. It was chakra.

    Naruto laughed softly, his voice cracking from fatigue. "That's what I wanted to hear."

    Naruto stood at the threshold of the New Londo Ruins, watching with mild unease as hollows shuffled aimlessly through the gloom. Most were locked in looping motions: sweeping, reaching, twitching in place. But a few stopped and stared at him. Or more accurately, at the sparkling ring of light that circled him like a living halo.

    "Calm down, Oscar," Naruto muttered, sweat beading down the side of his face as the crystal lizard zipped around him in tight, glowing arcs. "You're going to make yourself dizzy."

    Oscar ignored him, his body a blur as he used chakra-enhanced bursts of speed to rocket around the room. His movements were smooth, agile—almost supernatural. Which made sense. With a chakra network built from purified chakra metal, Oscar did not just channel energy, he embodied it.

    "Didn't even need shadow clones to get him to this level. Little guy is practically born for it."

    Oscar skidded to a halt, panting excitedly, his scales glimmering in the low light. Naruto reached down and grabbed him gently by the tail, giving a soft tap on the lizard's forehead crystal. Oscar chirped once and calmed immediately.

    "That's enough showing off. Come on."

    They made their way down the steps to Rickert's hidden forge. The magic blacksmith had just finished scrubbing down the stone floor and was wiping soot from his hands when Naruto appeared.

    "Rickert," Naruto called out, grin wide. "Good news! Oscar's new chakra network is working like a charm."

    "Fantastic," Rickert said, voice dry as ever. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to preserve what little beauty I have left and get some sleep."

    "Not sure there's much to preserve," Naruto muttered with a smirk. "But I've got one more question before you drift off into the void."

    Rickert gave a long, dramatic sigh as he climbed into his makeshift bed. "Fine. Go on then."

    Naruto held up Oscar, who blinked curiously. "How do I teach him magic? I mean, real magic. He's a crystallized soul, right? So there's gotta be a way."

    Rickert did not even open his eyes. "Feed it souls."

    "...I'm sorry, what?"

    "Souls," Rickert repeated. "Crystal lizards consume souls to grow. That's their nature. It's why they run, hoard, and hide. Survival instinct. Eat or be eaten."

    Naruto frowned, remembering the hollow that had absorbed a soul drop in the Undead Burg. It had gotten smarter.

    Rickert reached under his bench and pulled out a rough sketch, handing it over without fanfare. Naruto unfolded it and stared. The creature drawn on the page made his breath catch.

    It was hunched, feral, its humanoid shape warped and monstrous. Long, thin limbs clawed the ground. Spines of jagged crystal erupted from its back and head like a crown of thorns. Its mouth stretched wide in a permanent snarl, filled with rows of teeth far too sharp and far too many. Its thick tail bristled with razor-sharp spikes, fanned out like a weaponized fan.

    Oscar chirped, excited, trying to climb the page.

    "That," Rickert said with a chuckle, "is a Ravenous Crystal Lizard. That's what your little friend becomes if he keeps eating souls. That's his adult form."

    Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So he'll evolve... into that?"

    "If he survives the transition," Rickert said. "Or maybe he'll become something entirely new. Chakra's never been part of the equation before. Neither has chakra metal. You've basically turned him into a walking contradiction. Congratulations."

    Naruto looked down at Oscar, who was still trying to bite the corner of the drawing. "Think you'll get that scary, buddy?"

    Oscar gave a proud little trill.

    Naruto chuckled. "Let's hope it's the badass kind of scary, not the 'eats me in my sleep' kind."

    He folded the sketch and tucked it into his pouch, his mind already turning. "Can I still find more dragon scales in the Valley of Drakes?"

    "Probably," Rickert said. "Though you'll have to earn them. And don't go thinking those drakes are just big lizards. They're not real dragons, but they're still nasty."

    "I need the scales to reinforce the Drake Sword," Naruto replied, "but I'm also thinking..." He paused, petting Oscar's head thoughtfully. "If Oscar grows by eating souls, what happens if I feed him the soul of a drake?"

    Rickert raised an eyebrow. "That's a dangerous experiment."

    Naruto grinned. "I'm in the mood for dangerous."

    "Well, at least you're consistent."

    Naruto turned to leave, Oscar curled around his neck like a sentient scarf. "Thanks, Rickert. For everything."

    "Don't thank me yet," Rickert mumbled as he pulled the covers over his head. "Just try not to break reality with that thing."

    "No promises."

    And with that, Naruto disappeared up the steps, one step closer to whatever mad evolution lay ahead.

    Naruto strode through the Valley of Drakes, the wind shrieking between jagged cliffs. The air was cold, damp with the breath of ancient stone and the lingering stench of stagnant water, an oppressive contrast to the sunlit cliffs above.

    Beside him, Oscar scurried forward, his crystals shimmering faintly in the low light. Each step he took sent refracted glints dancing across the dark rock. Naruto reached down and idly ruffled the little lizard's head, his thoughts drifting toward the training he'd left behind.

    Andre had his hands full. Hundreds of Naruto's clones were working alongside the old blacksmith, inscribing fuinjutsu seals, refining wind bullet, and sharpening every edge of his arsenal.

    Naruto exhaled through his nose as he stopped at the edge of the bridge.

    Without a word, he formed a shadow clone with a flick of his fingers. "Go bury him," he said quietly, nodding toward the rotted armor of the fallen Astoran knight.

    While the clone moved toward the broken body, Naruto glanced toward his partner.

    Oscar had wandered to the cliff's edge, peering over the chasm with his head cocked in curiosity.

    Through the veil of mist, a massive stone bridge emerged, half-swallowed by fog, stretching between two titanic mountain faces. At the far end, etched into the rock itself, stood a colossally carved doorway. It wasn't just big. It was inhuman. Monumental. The arch alone towered over the surrounding cliffs, framed by ancient, finger-like pillars that climbed skyward like a hand reaching from the earth.

    Naruto pulled out his binoculars, jaw tightening. "What the hell is that...?"

    Through the lenses, the image sharpened. The doorway was real and ancient. Worn by time but untouched by decay. No vines grew across its surface. No cracks marred its face. It was like the mountain itself had parted to make way for it. The bridge leading to it, while massive, looked like an afterthought compared to the gateway it served.

    A slow chill crept up Naruto's spine. His instincts screamed caution, but his curiosity burned brighter. He opened his mouth to call out to Oscar and the air cracked.

    A sharp, splitting noise echoed through the valley like lightning against steel. The cliffs vibrated with the sound. Oscar bolted back from the ledge, his eyes wide, his tail spiked with panic.

    Naruto's hand was already on his sword.

    A faint blue flicker pulsed against the sheer stone of the valley walls.

    Naruto tensed, his gaze sweeping the fog-drenched horizon until something moved.

    A shape glided through the mist, its outline barely visible. At first, Naruto's heart seized at the thought of the Hellkite Wyvern but this was different.

    As it drifted closer, the mist peeled away to reveal the full horror of its form.

    Its wings were tattered like battle-torn banners, frayed and skeletal at the edges. The body was gaunt, almost corpse-like, with jutting spines that rose like jagged thorns from its back and shoulders. Each beat of its wings stirred the wind like thunder.

    And its scales were blue, cold and shimmering with an unnatural light like frost-kissed steel.

    Naruto's stomach dropped.

    Then the drake's maw cracked open, and a corona of flickering yellow light began to bloom from its throat.

    "It can use Lightning?!"

    His instincts roared. He didn't wait.

    "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

    In a burst of chakra, a dozen copies appeared around him, weapons already drawn, eyes locked onto the growing storm in the drake's jaws.

    "Fan out! Suppression fire, now!"

    The clones launched immediately, flinging shuriken wrapped in wind chakra. Razor-thin arcs of slicing air screamed as they carved through the valley. Naruto's own hands moved in a blur.

    "Wind Style: Wind Bullet!"

    He exhaled hard, chakra condensing in his lungs before he fired. A tight sphere of compressed wind rocketed upward, trailing spiraling wisps like a comet. The sheer speed of it split the air with a sharp crack.

    But the drake responded with terrifying speed. It climbed, wings straining, twisting through the air as the wind-laced barrage shredded the mist below.

    Then it fired.

    A jagged bolt of lightning exploded from its throat. No, dozens of them, like wild, flailing spears of yellow death. The arcs split and splintered in midair, searching for targets with mindless fury.

    One clone vanished instantly. Then two. Then six more. Each one blinking out in bursts of white smoke as the lightning danced through the canyon like a living storm.

    Naruto dove sideways, just in time to avoid a sizzling arc that tore a trench through the ground beside him.

    The young knight surged forward, chakra flowing into his feet as he dashed up the side of the valley wall, boots skimming over the near-vertical slope.

    "Let's test your altitude advantage."

    From his elevated perch, he weaved another set of one handed hand signs.

    "Wind Style: Wind Bullet!"

    This time, he layered the jutsu, shaping multiple wind bullets in his throat. With a forceful exhale, he unleashed them like a barrage from a chakra cannon. Four bullets compressed tighter than steel, hurtling forward in staggered intervals, each aimed for the drake's wing joints.

    The drake screeched and twisted midair. Two bullets skimmed past, whistling through the valley. The third hit square on the shoulder but the drake didn't falter.

    "Still not enough," Naruto muttered, even as he formed six more clones in the blink of an eye.

    "Coordinate. Aim for the left wing!"

    The drake screamed as wind chakra penetrated against scale. It faltered in the air, one wing sagging slightly, its balance momentarily thrown.

    Naruto's heart pounded as he leapt.

    Chakra surged to his legs as he sprang from the cliff face like a missile. Midair, he rotated, twisting his body with the momentum of the drop, a soul arrow forming in his left.

    He closed the distance in seconds.

    The drake snapped its head around, but it was too slow.

    With a yell, Naruto slammed the soul arrow point-blank into the side of the drake's eye.

    The explosion lit the air in blue flame.

    It shrieked and thrashed, lashing out blindly as its flight path spiraled. Naruto hit the ground hard, rolling out of the way as the massive beast crashed against the rocks, trailing smoke.

    Chunks of shattered stone fell around him, and the valley rumbled under the weight of the beast.

    Naruto wiped a streak of sweat from his brow, chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. His muscles were tight, heart pounding, but his grip on the drake sword remained firm.

    "Not so fun when you're the one on the ground, huh?" he muttered, watching the massive beast lying in a crumpled heap.

    But he didn't lower his guard.

    "I've seen enough corpses lunge back to life in this world to know better."

    With a flick of his fingers, half a dozen clones shimmered into existence, darting toward the unmoving drake. Another two stayed back, forming hand seals to prepare long-range attacks.

    BOOM.

    A dense surge of ozone exploded outward.

    The drake's body jerked upright as a ring of raw golden lightning erupted around it like a halo of wrath. The clones didn't even have time to think, just flared out of existence in puffs of white smoke.

    Naruto barely had time to raise his sword.

    The drake's maw cracked wide. Electricity surged, hotter than any fire, brighter than any sun. A dome of condensed lightning, sharp and screaming through the air.

    Naruto didn't try to dodge. Even he knew that he wasn't faster than lightning.

    Instead, he brought the drake sword up, chakra flooding the blade as a massive arc of wind chakra roared out in front of him, slicing through the air like a crescent blade.

    Lightning met Wind.

    The impact was immediate and blinding. The explosion cracked the sky itself. A shockwave split across the valley with a scream like the world tearing in half. Sparks and compressed air detonated outward. Pebbles became bullets. Stone split in deep, jagged lines. The cliffside quaked.

    And Naruto, caught in the middle, took the full brunt of it.

    The elite knight armor held for half a second too short. Then the lightning broke through.

    CRACK.

    The bolt struck him square in the chest, slamming into him like a hammer from heaven. Pain exploded through his body. Every nerve lit with fire. Every muscle locked in screaming resistance. His back arched as arcs of gold raced down his limbs. His skin smoked. The world spun.

    He hit the ground hard, skidding across stone and dirt.

    Everything went dark.

    A moment passed.

    Crack. A sharp burst of sound echoed as something small broke from the earth.

    Oscar burst free from a pile of rubble, dirt and grit tumbling from his shimmering scales. The young crystal lizard shook himself off, heart hammering in his tiny chest.

    He saw it.

    The battlefield was a ruin of torn rock and scorched ground. But that did not matter. Because there, sprawled in a smoldering crater, steam rising from his armor, lay Naruto.

    His partner.

    Still breathing.

    Barely.

    Oscar's body trembled. He chirped low—a sound full of fear. Of helplessness. His gaze flicked forward. The Lightning Drake dragged itself toward Naruto, its steps ragged, broken but determined. One wing hung in tatters. The other was gone entirely. Blood poured from a deep gouge along its side.

    Yet it still came.

    It would finish what it started.

    Oscar felt fear coil in his belly. A primal scream in his instincts told him to run. Hide. Survive. But then he looked at Naruto. His friend. His partner.

    Oscar's claws dug into the earth.

    No.

    Not this time.

    Not again.

    With a screech of defiance, Oscar surged forward. Chakra pulsed through his body, flowing like fire along the metal-etched pathways Naruto had built inside him. His back crystal flared—a brilliant white glow pulsing with power.

    He planted his feet and let it loose.

    FWOOOOOSH.

    A beam of pure light blasted from Oscar's mouth in a straight line. It was raw, wild chakra refined through crystalline soul. It cut through the air like a divine lance. At the same moment, the Lightning Drake opened its maw.

    Lightning met light.

    Two forces collided midair, searing against each other, warping the very air as the ground shook beneath them. Oscar held firm, digging into the ground as the feedback from the clash nearly knocked him off his feet.

    THUNK.

    The sound broke the stalemate between the two lizards. Three massive prongs burst out from the drake's neck.

    The beast choked, its attack faltering.

    Naruto's muscles screamed, but he held on. The prongs of the Channeler's trident spun, rotating with brutal force, tearing through cartilage, sinew, and bone. The drake gave a final, guttural screech as Naruto tore his head free.

    Its body collapsed.

    Blood flooded the ground.

    Silence.

    Naruto slumped, breathing hard, coated in blood and scorched armor.

    Oscar stumbled forward, chest heaving, his crystal dimming. The only sound was the crackle of dying lightning and the drip of blood from stone. A soul drop floated above the drake's corpse.

    Naruto reached up, fingers shaking, and pulled it into his hand. He looked at Oscar, who flopped beside him, panting like a dog after a sprint.

    "...That," Naruto wheezed, smiling through the pain, "was some damn good timing."

    Oscar chirped, exhausted but proud.

    But in Lordran, even victory was a lie.

    Naruto barely had time to breathe before his instincts screamed. Beside him, Oscar stiffened, the crystalline ridges along his back humming with nervous tension. They both turned their eyes skyward and froze.

    The sky was alive.

    A stormfront surged over the horizon... not made of clouds, but wings. Dozens of them, each one crackling with raw voltage, flying in formation like a phalanx of death. Each one a monster. Each one a nightmare.

    But none of the lightning drakes, none, compared to it.

    [ Name: Stormrend Wyvern ]
    [ HP: 5,520 / 5,520 ]

    Naruto could not find words. They would not come.

    Stormrend was a force made flesh. A titan cloaked in deep blue, battered scales that looked carved by the storm itself. His body was sleek and deadly, balanced perfectly between raw strength and aerial grace. His wings stretched wide across the heavens, ragged at the edges but immense, lined with lightning that slithered along them like serpents—alive and waiting.

    His head bore curling horns like hooked lightning rods, humming with energy too old to name. His eyes burned red beneath his brow, watching the world not as a creature... but as a god staring down insects. His chest and throat were ringed in jagged, thunder-forged armor—rough, old, real.

    Stormrend did not fly through the storm. He was the storm.

    Clouds did not part for him. They knelt.

    Lightning did not strike at random. It struck where he pointed.

    Thunder did not follow. It announced him.

    Naruto stood rooted in place, Oscar trembling at his side. He had barely survived one lightning drake. Now, a swarm was coming. And at their heart… this.

    A king. A god. A storm given shape.

    And yet… Naruto felt something stir. Not fear.

    Awe.

    So beautiful,     he thought, even as death fell from the heavens.

    The sky split.

    A white pillar of light crashed downward—divine and merciless. It was not an attack. It was judgment. And in that instant, Naruto knew.

    He had been playing. Every battle until now? A rehearsal.

    This... was Lordran.

    Not a land of the dead. Not a realm of curses. A world ruled by monsters. Creatures that killed without thought, ruled without mercy, and existed beyond reason. A world that had no place for the righteous.

    It was a crucible. A forge.

    Only the terrifyingly strong survived.

    And as the thunder swallowed him whole, Naruto understood. Deeply. Instinctively.

    If he truly wanted power—Lordran's power…

    If he ever hoped to rise above the beasts, the kings, the gods...

    Then he could not walk forward.

    He would have to crawl. To suffer. To change.

    He would have to become something twisted. Something feared. Something that survives not through hope… but through horror.

    Let's see if he can pay the price for what he wants to protect.

    Hahahaha...

    Let's see if he still smiles... when the monster in the mirror smiles back.

    A golden aura erupted at Firelink Shrine as Naruto and Oscar reappeared in a shimmer of fading light, their bodies pulled through space by the magic of the Homeward Bone. The moment they landed near the bonfire, Naruto collapsed onto the stone floor with a grunt, his arm thrown over his eyes. His entire body ached from the fight, every muscle twitching with leftover adrenaline.

    The memories of his shadow clones came flooding back, hundreds of voices compressed into a split second of recollection. The last desperate moments where they threw themselves at Stormrend's lightning pillar to buy him time to escape.

    "You guys really pulled through," Naruto muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.

    The warmth of the bonfire bathed his face, soothing his shaking nerves. He pulled Oscar close.

    The crystal lizard chirped strongly as Naruto collapsed onto the grass.

    "Just a quick nap," Naruto whispered. "Five minutes…"

    They slept for who knows how long.

    Naruto stirred beside the Firelink Shrine bonfire, the familiar crackle of flame meeting his ears before his eyes opened. He did not move at first. Just lay there, back against the cold stone floor, his arm resting loosely behind his head, and his eyes tracing the gentle, golden flicker above.

    There was a kind of peace here that no other place could mimic. Even though the ground beneath him was rock and moss, and the scent of ash never truly faded, the bonfire had a way of wrapping around him like a blanket. A magic that was not loud or showy, but deeply personal. Soothing. Eternal. The kind of rest that bypassed muscle and mind and went straight to the soul.

    He let out a breath, long and even, before glancing at Oscar curled up nearby, the lizard's faint glow pulsing with each steady breath. Naruto reached over, scratched the top of his partner's head, and whispered, "Alright. Break's over."

    Without another word, he rose, dusted the back of his cloak, and began the descent once more into the cold, drowned depths of New Londo.

    But then he stopped.

    His feet froze on the stone path, and his eyes locked onto something that had not been there before or rather, something that was no longer there.

    The tower or what remained of it.

    Where once stood the old stone passage connecting the New Londo Ruins to the Valley of Drakes now lay a broken monument of ruin. Massive chunks of rubble jutted out from the earth like jagged ribs, the surrounding rock face scorched black. A long, charred trail snaked up the wall, a signature of a violent discharge of lightning.

    Naruto stepped toward the edge, crouched low, and ran a hand over a seared stone slab.

    "This tower was a fair distance from where I fought Stormrend…" he murmured aloud, voice barely above the whispering wind. His mind went to what Stormrend might have done to the valley.

    He stood slowly and turned, trying not to think about it too much.

    At last, he reached the familiar ledge beside Rickert's cell.

    Naruto leaned over and called, "You asleep?"

    Rickert looked up from his cluttered bench, his eyes bloodshot and tired.

    "I'll take that as a no."

    Oscar poked his head down beside Naruto's, blinking innocently.

    Rickert gave them both a slow, unimpressed look, then sighed and gestured. "Well? What happened?"

    Naruto recounted the events in the valley, summarizing most but pausing on the key moments, especially the storm, the drake, and the sheer scale of destruction.

    When he finished, Rickert leaned back, arms crossed, and said flatly, "Wrong."

    Naruto blinked. "...What?"

    "A group of drakes," Rickert said, matter of factly, "is called a thunder. Not a pack. Not a flock. A thunder."

    Oscar chirped.

    Naruto gave him a look. "Does that really matter right now?"

    "Not at all. I just wanted to annoy you."

    Naruto stared.

    Oscar stared harder.

    "On a serious note, you handled the situation with the drake poorly."

    Naruto blinked, brows raised. "Really? I mean, I killed it."

    "You survived," Rickert corrected. "There is a difference."

    Naruto let out a soft hum, not offended but genuinely curious. "So is there a proper way to deal with drakes? I still need their scales to reinforce my drake sword."

    Rickert gave him a look that was part smug, part teacherly, and entirely too pleased to have the floor.

    "Simple," he said as he began to sketch something. "You snipe its reverse scale and cripple its flight before it ever sees you coming. Then you kill it before it can cry out and summon the thunder."

    Naruto blinked. "Reverse scale?"

    "Hrm? Oh, right, you would not know." Rickert began sketching quickly. "There... right here." He tapped the drawing. "The underside of a drake's wing. There is a tendon that connects to the flight muscle. Pierce that, and it is grounded."

    "And the reverse scale?"

    Rickert's smirk grew. "That is the real trick. Drakes and dragons, though they would never admit it, have a vulnerability on their underbelly. One scale, curved opposite to the others. In ancient times, they called it the reverse scale and that was the weakest point of a dragon's body. In this case, strike it with a projectile, preferably metal, and if you are lucky, and the timing is right…"

    "You redirect their lightning," Naruto guessed, eyes widening.

    "Lightning follows the path of least resistance, yes?"

    "Yeah."

    "So if a drake has a metal object buried in its underside when it exhales its lightning attack, guess what happens?"

    The realization hit Naruto like a hammer. "It fries itself."

    "Exactly." Rickert snapped his fingers. "They become their own executioner. One blast and poof, smoking crater, crispy wings, and a fresh dragon scale just waiting to be harvested."

    "Are you sure about this information?"

    Rickert did not even look up. "Yes. You wanna know how many agonizingly stupid exams I had to take just on this topic back in Vinheim? Dragons have a natural resistance to magic, so every mage gets drilled on how to kill them the hard way. The Archer's Guide to Killing Dragons was thicker than my torso and more painful to memorize."

    Naruto snorted, unable to hold back a chuckle.

    Rickert raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

    "Just..." Naruto shook his head. "I never expected to learn archery. It was not even on my radar."

    Rickert gave him a lopsided look as Naruto continued, sharing the tale of how the people of the Wave had come to call him the Archer of Providence.

    "Huh," Rickert said, rubbing his stubbled chin. "Sounds like they saw something in you before you did. Not the worst prophecy to fulfill. Even if it is accidental."

    Naruto lifted his left hand, flexing the fingers slowly. "Yeah. Shame I cannot even use a proper bow. One hand kinda ruins that dream."

    Rickert raised an eyebrow. "Says who?"

    Naruto blinked. "I mean… what, I shoot with my feet? My teeth?"

    Rickert gave him a flat look. "Don't be stupid. In Vinheim, we had models designed for one handed archers. Just because you are missing a limb does not mean you are out of the game."

    Naruto's expression sobered, and he glanced down at his cursed right arm. "Yeah, Andre's been helping me build a prosthetic. But it made me wonder, why bother, when heal miracles and estus exist? I mean, should not those be everywhere by now?"

    Rickert let out a humorless chuckle and leaned back against the mossy stone. "Because miracles and estus, kid, are just another kind of power. And power is hoarded like gold. The church owns it. If you are not a noble, a cleric, or someone they like, you do not get squat. No healing. No blessings. Just prayers and pity."

    He tapped his temple. "That's why blacksmiths and mages learned to adapt. That is what humans do best. We get denied heaven, so we build our own path to it."

    Naruto smiled at that... wide, real, and full of a stubborn warmth. "I like that."

    Oscar chirped in agreement.

    "Well," Naruto said, standing and stretching his good arm, "I'm excited to see what you and Andre come up with."

    Rickert smirked. "Don't get too excited. It will probably be ugly."

    "Just like you," Naruto fired back with a grin.

    "Flattery will get you nowhere."

    "Good. I wasn't trying."

    Oscar chirped again.

    Rickert sighed. "...And now the lizard's joining in. Perfect."

    Naruto stepped into the familiar warmth of the Undead Parish forge, the comforting clang of hammer against steel replaced for once by a different sound... a deep, satisfied gulp. Andre sat on his bench, a half-empty tankard of beer in one hand, his beard flecked with foam.

    "If you're drinking, that means you're either done with your work… or just slacking off."

    Andre snorted, then jerked his head toward the side table.

    There, beside the glowing forge, stood a small wooden mannequin... scaled to match Oscar's frame exactly. Polished and gleaming under the firelight, it was adorned with a full set of custom-built armor.

    Oscar's head immediately perked up from Naruto's shoulder. With a delighted chirp, he leapt down and scampered to Andre, nuzzling against the smith's calloused hand.

    "Careful, lad," Andre chuckled, lifting the little lizard gently onto the bench. "Don't scratch the finish before you've even worn it."

    The armor was... magnificent.

    The chanfron resembled the helm of a noble knight. Rounded but strong, with thin ridges etched along the brow and a narrow opening for visibility, though Oscar likely would not need it for long. Naruto had plans: an earth jutsu, one that would turn the little lizard into a walking radar. Layer by layer, the rest of the armor matched its brilliance. The crinet protected his neck with overlapping plates. Flanchards guarded his sides. Beneath it all was a layer of gambeson which was cut and stitched from scraps of the Elite Knight armor Naruto had scavenged in the Darkroot Garden.

    "Here, let me show you how to strap him in," Andre said, his usual booming voice gentling to something almost fatherly.

    Naruto nodded and crouched beside him. Together, they worked, fastening straps, adjusting buckles, making sure Oscar's movement was not restricted. The armor clicked softly with every touch, each piece sitting flush against his crystalline body.

    "How's it feel, buddy?" Naruto asked as the final buckle locked into place.

    Oscar took a cautious step. Then another. He paused, tail flicking... and bolted.

    The tiny knight zipped across the forge like a streak of silver, his armor clinking musically with each bound. He darted between tool racks, leapt over a half-finished pauldron, and landed on Andre's anvil with a triumphant chirp.

    "I thought he'd be slower," Andre muttered, eyebrows raised.

    "He's using chakra to compensate for the weight. Makes it feel like cloth," Naruto said proudly. "Rickert and I figured out how to channel chakra through metal without disrupting Oscar's soul."

    Andre let out a low whistle. "Not bad. Guess you two eggheads pulled it off."

    Naruto chuckled and reached into his inventory pouch. He tossed a small green bottle toward the blacksmith, who caught it one-handed.

    "What's this?"

    "Sake. Swiped it from Tazuna's private stash before I came back here."

    Andre popped the cork and took a deep inhale. "Smells like… old fruit and fire."

    He took a long sip. Then a second.

    "…Is this made from rice?"

    "I think so?"

    Andre nodded approvingly. "Good. Next time, just bring me the rice. I'll make something better."

    Naruto smirked. "Want the recipe too?"

    "Where's the fun in that?" Andre snorted, taking another pull.

    "Y'know, that reminds me," Naruto said, resting his chin on his palm. "Rickert was the same way. Gave him a gun and the man refused any info. Just sat there figuring it out like it was a puzzle made for him."

    Andre chuckled, taking another slow swig and set it down gently on the edge of the anvil, letting the glass catch the glow of the forge.

    "That's just how Lordran affects you, kid," the blacksmith said, his voice low and thoughtful. "You either give in to what it wants you to become… or you fight back. Create something new, even in a place that hates change."

    He leaned back on his bench, gaze turning toward the distant wall of the forge.

    "This land's stagnant. Everything here lingers... souls, regrets, half-finished dreams. You stop moving? You rot. You keep moving? You might just stay human."

    Naruto did not answer right away. He sat still beside Oscar, watching the flickering firelight dance along the workshop walls. In his mind, he saw Rickert alone in that flooded cage, surrounded by the weight of old knowledge and unspoken sorrow. And Andre... sitting here, hammering out weapons for warriors doomed to fall.

    A part of him ached at the thought. When I go back to Konoha… I want them to come with me. Both of them. They deserve better than this dying world.

    He did not say it aloud.

    Andre turned and placed a large hand on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair like a grandfather might a favored grandson. "What're you thinkin' so hard about, eh?"

    Naruto smiled faintly. "Nothing. Just… plans. For the future."

    "And those plans are?"

    "For now?" Naruto shrugged. "Just get stronger. Learn archery. I need to hunt more drakes if I want their scales to reinforce the drake sword."

    "You know archery?" Andre asked.

    "Not really. Rickert gave me some basics. I figured I'd throw a few hundred shadow clones at it till it sticks."

    Andre grunted. "Ask the knight from Catarina."

    Naruto blinked. "Onion Senpai?"

    "Sir Siegmeyer, yeah."

    Naruto tilted his head. "Why him? I mean, I like the guy, but…"

    "Rickert's a scholar," Andre explained. "Knows theory, not application. But Siegmeyer? He's fought. Trained in the field. Lordran archery's not like the kind you're used to..."

    "Fine. Guess I'll go check if he's still blocking Sen's Fortress."

    Andre gave him a look.

    "What?" Naruto said, frowning. "It's not like he's doing anything important."

    Andre did not reply.

    He just stared with a quiet, heavy look.

    Naruto's smile slowly faded. "...What?"

    "Tell me, Naruto," Andre said, voice unusually sharp, "what's your current level?"

    Naruto blinked. "Uh. Thirty four. Why?"

    Andre took a deep breath, almost disappointed. "Siegmeyer is level ninety five."

    The silence that followed was like a punch to the gut. Naruto's thoughts blanked. "What?"

    "Indeed," Andre said. "And remember... he does not have full access to your system. No Pygmy's blessing. No fast leveling. No convenient skill scaling. Every point of his strength? Earned. Through pain. Through failure. Through persistence."

    Naruto opened his mouth, but no words came out.

    "Sometimes, Naruto," Andre continued, standing to his full height, "you get so caught up in what you can do, you forget how hard it is for others. You saw him hesitating and assumed weakness. But maybe he's cautious because he knows exactly what's at stake."

    Naruto lowered his eyes. The shame hit deep and fast.

    "I just…" he whispered. "I didn't mean to think badly of him. I just didn't understand why he was just sitting there…"

    "And that's fine," Andre said, softer now. "It's fine to wonder. To be frustrated. But what's not fine, Naruto… is forgetting to look deeper."

    He knelt beside the boy, voice steady and warm.

    "Judging a man by his worst moment? That's easy. But seeing someone's struggles and still choosing to believe in their worth? That's a knight's heart. And that's what I thought you had."

    Naruto swallowed, his throat tight. "I'm sorry, old man," he murmured, eyes glistening.

    Andre ruffled his hair again, pulling him into a quick, firm hug. "You're still learning. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Just remember... humility sharpens a warrior faster than any blade."

    Naruto nodded, hugging him back.

    Oscar, sitting quietly by the forge, gave a chirp of support.

    Andre chuckled and stood again. "Now, go find the onion knight. Ask about archery. And while you're at it, maybe ask about patience."

    Naruto wiped his face, grinning sheepishly. "Yes, old man."

    Andre slumped back onto his bench and reached for the bottle. "And I'm going to drink myself into a coma. So if I die, it's your fault."

    "Noted," Naruto said as he scooped up Oscar, heading for the upper levels of the parish.

    The forge's fire crackled behind them. The anvil stood still. But in Naruto's chest, something glowed brighter than before. A little heavier. A little wiser. And with every step forward, he carried that fire with him.

    Naruto let Oscar scurry ahead, the tiny armored lizard clinking and clanking as he darted forward with pride in every step. The sound echoed faintly in the open stone path that led to the fortress, where predictably Siegmeyer sat in his usual spot.

    Naruto slowed his pace, eyes softening. He still wished the onion knight would be more active, but now he had come to understand that it was not his place to decide how another man lived. Especially not one who had helped him more than once when it counted.

    Siegmeyer might get lost in his thoughts, but he was a giant among men, a knight of immense strength with the humility of a monk and the kindness of a father.

    As Oscar clanked to a halt in front of him, the older knight turned.

    "Oh hoh? What have we here?"

    Oscar, sensing the attention, puffed out his chest and rose onto his hind legs, his little armor plates gleaming in the sunlight. With theatrical flair, he plopped back down and struck a noble pose.

    Siegmeyer clapped, delighted. "Marvelous! Most impressive! Truly, your companion is becoming a knight in his own right!"

    Naruto scratched the back of his head, smiling. "Really?"

    The older knight straightened, placing his hands on the curve of his belly with grave dignity. "A knight is never truly complete without a partner in battle, my friend. For some, that partner is a sword. For others, a brother in arms. And for many..." His voice turned thoughtful, almost nostalgic. "...it is a beast who fights beside them. Loyal. Fearless. Bound by trust."

    Oscar's gleaming eyes flicked up toward Naruto, and in that moment, something passed between them. A silent acknowledgement. A recognition that what Siegmeyer said was not just poetry, it was truth.

    They were more than ninja and summon. More than a warrior and his pet. They were knights. Partners.

    Naruto stepped closer. "Did you have a partner, Sir Siegmeyer?"

    "Ah, yes. Indeed I did," the knight said with a proud chuckle. "Quite the sturdy fellow, that one."

    "Let me guess... a warhorse?"

    Siegmeyer paused, then shook his head. "No, no. An Iron Boar."

    Naruto's face went blank. "A... what?"

    The onion knight nodded solemnly. "A magnificent creature. Broad shouldered. Steel hide. A temper like a thunderstorm. We rode together through the Swamps of Catarina and the foothills of Balder. Many fell before his charge."

    A shadow crept into his voice. "But alas... he did not rise again. Even as Undead, there are some things you cannot bring back."

    Naruto's stomach twisted.

    His gaze slid toward Oscar, who blinked slowly, still gleaming in his new armor.

    "That's not happening," Naruto said quietly, his hand finding Oscar's back. "You're gonna live a long, badass life, partner. I promise."

    A new sense of resolve hardened in his chest.

    "Sir Siegmeyer," Naruto said, squaring his shoulders. "Would you teach me archery?"

    The older knight tilted his head. "Archery?"

    "I plan to hunt drakes. Need more dragon scales. But Rickert only taught me theory. I need someone who knows the fight."

    "Hmmm..." Siegmeyer tapped the side of his helmet thoughtfully. "And what, may I ask, have you been taught about archery?"

    "Mostly theory so far. How to string a bow, fire an arrow, a few basics," Naruto said. "But I was told there's something... different about the way archery works in Lordran."

    The Catarina knight raised a hand, pointing into the vast ruins beyond. "Do you see that mushroom, far off near the broken cathedral wall?"

    Naruto squinted. "What mushroom?"

    Siegmeyer turned slightly and nodded as if confirming something only he could see. "Ahh. Then it is as I thought. You do not have it yet. Nor were you taught about this?"

    "Have what?" Naruto asked, a little suspicious.

    "Hawk Eyes."

    Naruto blinked. "Wait. Are we talking about like... a doujutsu? Like Sasuke's Sharingan or Hinata's Byakugan? Because if I'm about to get bird vision eyes, I need to know if they glow."

    Siegmeyer gave a confused chuckle. "I have no idea what you are referring to, my young friend. But know this... the Hawk Eye Technique is essential for any archer seeking to hunt monsters from a distance. Especially those that soar the skies."

    Oscar chirped, tail flicking with intrigue.

    "Can you tell me more about this Hawkeye Technique?" Naruto asked.

    "Ah. With pleasure!" Siegmeyer boomed, ever eager to share knowledge. "Historically, this technique descends from one of Lord Gwyn's four most revered knights... Sir Hawkeye Gough. A gentle giant, a master of the greatbow, and a dragon slayer without peer."

    Naruto hummed to himself, remembering Artorias's ring he now wore. Now he stood before another echo of the Four Great Knights. Coincidence? Or a path he was unknowingly walking, a path that would lead him to inherit something from the Four Great Knights of Gwyn?

    Siegmeyer continued. "After the War of the Ancients, when the Everlasting Dragons had fallen, their lesser kin remained. Drakes, wyverns, wyrms, all manner of sky bound beasts. Gough, seeing the devastation they wrought, passed his knowledge to men and women brave enough to oppose them."

    He raised a gauntleted hand in emphasis. "Among those teachings, the Hawkeye Technique stood paramount."

    "And you know it?" Naruto asked.

    "But of course." Siegmeyer thumped his chest with pride. "I hunted many lesser dragons in my youth."

    He stepped forward, voice lowering into a reverent tone. "The technique is simple in principle, but demands great discipline. You must dilate your pupils, letting in every drop of light, then at just the right instant, constrict them sharply, narrowing your focus to a single point. The world will fade. The target will remain."

    "So... it's a glorified squint?"

    "No, no, my boy. It is clarity. Precision. The difference between a desperate shot and a deliberate strike."

    Naruto closed his eyes and drew in a slow, steady breath. He reached inward, channeling chakra through the intricate pathways of his network. The Way of Focality had already sharpened his understanding of perception, of how to tune each sense like a musician adjusting the strings of a harp. The Hawkeyes Technique clicked into place like a long forgotten instinct. His pupils expanded. The light around him bent slightly, as if the air itself acknowledged his focus. Then, he constricted them. A sudden sharpness pierced his vision. A sting. Then a clarity.

    Far beyond, nestled in a crack on the cathedral wall, a small mushroom cap swayed gently in the breeze.

    Naruto pulled a kunai.

    With a flick of his wrist, it sailed through the air like a flash of silver.

    A moment later: Thunk.

    The mushroom trembled. Impaled.

    "Did you see that, Sir Siegmeyer?"

    "Marvelous. Astounding. You have taken your first step into the ranks of Lordran's true hunters."

    Naruto wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. His vision still ached slightly. "First step? There's more?"

    "Ah yes. The initial focus is only the foundation. To truly master Hawkeye Gough's legacy, you must strengthen your eyes further. For that, you will need an eye tonic."

    He rummaged through his satchel, pulling out a weathered parchment covered in strange script.

    Naruto frowned at the alien text. But the next moment, the letters shimmered, reorganizing themselves into kanji. Huh. Thanks, System.

    Oscar chirped beside him, vibrating with energy.

    Naruto smiled and withdrew the bow Rickert had crafted for him, a beast of a weapon, the stone beneath him cracking slightly beneath its weight.

    "Alright," Naruto said, his voice firm. "Let's begin the first real lesson."

    And so, before the looming gates of Sen's Fortress, with the wind tugging at his cloak and the bow heavy in his hand, Naruto began to embody the mantle whispered by those he had once saved. The Archer of Providence.

    Author's Note: Th-th-th-that's all, folks!

    But wait—you guys have questions? Well alright, I'll bite. Let's break this down.

    1. The Nameless Blacksmith Deity – Why I Made Him Crippled

    This was a deliberate worldbuilding choice. The inspiration came from the Titanite Demons, those one-legged, malformed creatures that haunt various areas in Lordran. Since they supposedly spawned after the death of the Nameless Blacksmith Deity, I thought: what if their form reflects something about their maker?

    That led me to the idea of the Deity himself being born crippled. Not as a tragedy, but as a mythic origin, inspired by Hephaestus, the Greek god of the forge, who was also lame but created wonders for Olympus. In the same way, I wanted my Nameless Deity to be a figure of immense skill and legacy—rejected, broken, but unmatched in craftsmanship.

    2. Crystal Lizards – What's the Deal?

    Dark Souls thrives on ambiguity, and I love stories that embrace conflicting perspectives. Crystal Lizards are the perfect lore mystery—no confirmed origin, just scattered inferences.

    Some fans think they're linked to the Nameless Deity, since they drop titanite materials used for crafting. Others believe they're the product of Seath the Scaleless's mad experiments... living crystal constructs born of sorcery.

    Me? I think both are valid and that's the beauty of it. Maybe they're divine leftovers. Maybe they're failed experiments. Maybe both. It's a living debate in Lordran, and I love letting the world reflect that uncertainty.

    3. Stormrend Wyvern – An Original Addition

    Stormrend Wyvern     is not from Dark Souls canon. He's my own creation. The Valley of Drakes always felt like an underused space—transitory, not transformative. I wanted to fix that. Every location Naruto enters in this story adds to his growth. Valley of Drakes needed a moment that meant something.

    And so, I dug through Dark Souls' cut content. Lo and behold, an unused blue Hellkite Wyvern exists in the files. Never implemented. Combine that with the lightning-drake theme of the area, and the idea for Stormrend clicked.

    Stormrend isn't just a boss. He's a presence. A reminder that Lordran doesn't care who Naruto was before only who he becomes here. And narratively, Stormrend's lightning is on par with Sasuke's Kirin in terms of scale. Let that sink in.

    Now here's where I need you guys:

    What should Naruto do with Stormrend?

    What would Stormrend's tail weapon look like?

    What should its ability be?

    Drop your wildest theories and ideas in the comments.

    4. Naruto's Archery & The "Hawkeyes" Technique

    This was inevitable. I didn't give Naruto the title "Archer of Providence" just to sound cool—it's a story thread, and we've officially pulled it.

    So… what is "Hawkeyes"?

    Much like Way of Focality (my novelization of the lock-on mechanic), Hawkeyes is the in-universe explanation for the zoom-in function when aiming a bow. Think of it like a martial arts-based sensory technique passed down by Hawkeye Gough, one of Lord Gwyn's four legendary knights.

    Of course, I added my own twist: a tonic that enhances Naruto's eyes... fitting the magical realism of Lordran.

    Now, here's what Hawkeyes actually lets Naruto do, based on raptor vision and real-world hawk biology:

    Hawkeyes Benefits:

    A) Hyper-Zoomed Vision     – Naruto can now see coin-sized objects from up to 3.2 kilometers (about 2 miles) away.

    B) Enhanced Motion Detection – Can track fast-moving objects with surgical precision—like a kunai mid-flight.

    C) UV & Infrared Sensitivity – Similar to how some birds see UV light, Naruto can now track heat signatures and chakra trails like a sniper with thermal optics.

    D) 360° Tactical Awareness – Not literal 360 vision, but his spatial awareness increases so dramatically it feels like he can sense blind spot attacks.

    E) Trajectory & Wind Correction – Instantly calculates wind direction, drop arc, and ideal firing solutions on the fly.

    F) Sniper's Calm – Naruto can enter a meditative shooting state where he filters out panic and distractions for precision-based combat.

    So yes… it's basically a dojutsu, just not from Konoha. Let me know how you guys liked the Hawkeyes technique, Naruto's growing identity as an archer, and Oscar's armor reveal!

    5. Siegmeyer's Level – Yup, That's Canon

    A lot of people were surprised when I revealed Siegmeyer of Catarina is level 95. But that's not fanon—that's straight from the game's internal code.

    Here's the full breakdown:

    [ Name: Siegmeyer of Catarina ]

    [ Class: Knight ]

    [Level: 95 ]

    [Vitality: 28]

    [Attunement: 8]

    [Endurance: 26]

    [Strength: 44]

    [Dexterity: 31]

    [Intelligence: 8]

    [Faith: 9]

    [Resistance: 26]

    [Humanity: 4]

    [Equipment: Zweihander +15, Pierce Shield +15]

    [Armor: Catarina Set +5]

    [Ring: Blue Tearstone Ring]

    He's not a bumbling oaf. He's an endgame knight who just happens to be... lost. Stuck in his own thoughts. That makes him human, maybe more than any other NPC.

    It recontextualizes his whole arc.

    He's not standing still because he's weak. He's doing it because he's trying to figure out how to move forward.

    That's It… For Now.

    So, now that we've wrapped up this major Lordran arc, it's time to turn back to the Wave Arc. Something special is coming. Something that changes everything.


    And if you can't wait for the next update, the next chapter drops on June 5th! 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
     
  • New
  • Threadmarks
    • Hmm. That sounds like a decent build. Might try that out to see how it works
     
    This story is quite compelling. Looking forward to his team freaking out he suddenly has eyeball powers… and not weak ones either.

    Been wondering how the power levels between these two works will scale towards the end game because end game naurto is fucking nuts, and dark souls is more…. Implied in ida OPness.

    I really hope he befriends Quelaag somehow but I really have no idea what direction he is currently going.
     
    "Resistance: 26"

    Really showing that intelligence of 8, Siegmeyer lol

    I jest, but wanted to say thanks for the story so far, it's absolutely fantastic.
     
    Chapter no.45 Dark Souls New
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter no.45 Power, Price and Perception.

    Kakashi was anxious. No... terrified.

    He sat in the corner of Tazuna's living room, pretending to read one of his usual orange books, but the pages barely registered. His visible eye shifted constantly, flicking toward the window, toward the door, toward the horizon.

    Any moment now.

    He was bracing for it. The fallout. The storm. The confrontation.

    Naruto would return, and everything Kakashi feared would come crashing down. The boy would know. Somehow. And then... what? Would he scream? Would he run? Would he lash out?

    There was no telling.

    Kakashi hadn't moved from his hidden perch near the site where Naruto had used the reverse summoning the night before. He hadn't slept. Hadn't eaten. The shadows of the trees stretched and shifted over him as the hours passed, and when the sun finally rose, he found himself staring blankly at nothing.

    Morning came and Naruto didn't.

    That terrified Kakashi more than any angry confrontation ever could. Because it meant the worst-case scenario might be true: Naruto had found out and decided to leave.

    The thought hit him like a cold blade to the gut.

    The idea that Naruto had simply chosen to vanish into the strange space of his so-called summoning clan, never to return, was a wound Kakashi wasn't ready for. Because if that was true, then the mission had lost its most powerful asset. More than that, Team 7 had lost its center.

    Naruto, for all his chaos, for all his secrets, had been the one holding everything together. Without him, the risk to the rest of the genin skyrocketed. Kurenai's team was capable, but green. The genin weren't ready for a high-stakes mission without backup. Without Naruto's Estus flasks, his brutal effectiveness, and his utterly bizarre bag of tricks, someone could die.

    And the blame for that would fall squarely on Kakashi's shoulders. Another mistake. Another scar added to a life already filled with them.

    And then there was the darker truth... if Naruto really had abandoned them, the Leaf would brand him a missing-nin. One of their own, hunted. Targeted. Kakashi could already hear the whispers in the backrooms of the Hokage's Tower. Another wayward soul lost under his command.

    You failed him.

    The thought curled like poison in his chest.

    But before that spiral of guilt could pull him under, the door creaked open.

    "Goddamn archery," Naruto grumbled, throwing himself face-first onto the kitchen table. Oscar, ever faithful, climbed up after him and gently patted his head with a claw.

    "What's wrong?" Sakura asked, blinking. She and Sasuke were on house duty, keeping watch while Team 8 guarded Tazuna at the bridge.

    Naruto groaned into the wood. "I just can't seem to get it. No matter what I try, the arrows keep veering off. My aim's crap."

    "So you're actually taking that whole 'Archer of Providence' thing seriously now?" Sasuke asked, upside down, balancing perfectly on one hand as he did slow, controlled handstand push-ups. Muscles tensed and flexed across his lean frame with each motion, his face calm and unreadable.

    Naruto hummed, clearly bummed.

    "Don't worry, big bro," Inari chirped as he entered the room with a plate of steaming rice snakes Tsunami had made. "You'd be the best archer ever if you had both hands!"

    Naruto cracked a smile at that, eyes warm.

    "Naruto," Kakashi said quietly.

    The boy looked up. "You need anything, Sensei?"

    Kakashi pursed his lips behind the mask. He'd prepared for the worst possible outcome but not this. Not casual small talk. Was Naruto truly unaware? Or was he hiding it?

    "Last time," Kakashi said, keeping his tone light, "I think I accidentally left a kunai behind when I was writing the scroll on Ninchu chakra manipulation. Did you happen to see it?"

    "Oh yeah," Naruto said, nodding without hesitation.

    Kakashi froze. He knows.

    "Do you want it back?" Naruto asked, expression innocent. Too innocent?

    Kakashi gave a slow nod, unsure if he was being baited into something. But Naruto simply reached into his pouch and began pulling out kunai. One after another after another. Until there was a mountain of them on the table. Inari's eyes sparkled in amazement.

    "Sorry, Sensei," Naruto said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I kinda just tossed your kunai into my inventory with all the others. Should be in there somewhere."

    Kakashi's trained eye scanned the kunai hilts. No invisible summoning seals he could detect.

    That left him with two possibilities, neither comforting.

    Either Naruto knew exactly what he was doing and was playing dumb for reasons Kakashi couldn't yet grasp... Or his unknown space-time ninjutsu, this so-called inventory, was sophisticated enough to automatically categorize and store objects in separate dimensional spaces based on subtle distinctions.

    Both scenarios were unnerving.

    Only one way to find out, Kakashi thought. Let's run a test.

    "Sakura," Kakashi said, feigning curiosity, "pop quiz. Can you recreate what Naruto just did using traditional storage seals?"

    Sakura perked up. "Technically yes, but it wouldn't be that clean. I'd need to build a grid, organize each item, and memorize where everything is stored. His seems way too efficient."

    She turned to Naruto. "How does your inventory work, anyway? Can you teach me?"

    "No idea," Naruto said honestly. "I just think about what I want and it appears."

    Sakura scribbled furiously in her notebook, clearly already brainstorming seal designs. Kakashi, meanwhile, was spiraling.

    Naruto didn't know how it worked.

    He couldn't even teach it. It was as natural to him as breathing. That made it even worse.

    "Ask Hinata," Sasuke muttered suddenly, taking the glass of water Inari handed him and drinking it in one long gulp.

    Everyone turned to him.

    He lowered the cup. "The Hyuga clan. Back in the Warring States Era. They were famous for their archery."

    "Thanks, Teme. I'll do that!"

    Without another word, Naruto scooped up Oscar and vanished in a flicker of chakra, the air snapping shut behind him.

    Sakura turned to glare at Sasuke. He didn't flinch—just kept sipping his water, as if nothing had happened.

    Kakashi remained seated, silent, his expression hidden behind the mask. But his mind churned.

    If Naruto truly was unaware… if the quirks of his space-time ninjutsu had masked everything… then all of Kakashi's paranoia, all his careful calculations, were off the mark. The possibility settled over him like a weight.

    So… what do I do now?

    With a quiet hum and a burst of distorted air, Naruto flickered onto the bridge in a flash of chakra. The moment his boots touched the concrete, he felt a dozen tiny shifts in pressure, chakra, and movement all at once.

    Shino's insects buzzed sharply from within his coat.

    Kiba spun around, his hand already halfway to his pouch.

    A few of the bridge workers shouted in surprise, tools clattering to the ground.

    Tazuna lifted a hammer, squinting across the planks. "False alarm!" he called a second later, waving off the tension. "It's just Naruto."

    The workers exhaled, some muttering as they returned to patching boards and inspecting the ropes.

    Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Oops. Guess I should've walked."

    "You think?" Kiba growled, though he was grinning. "Try showing up like a normal person next time. You almost got yourself tackled."

    Akamaru barked in agreement, tail wagging.

    Shino gave Naruto a brief glance over his glasses, then returned to scanning the treeline. "Your body flicker is too fast. That makes it hard to detect in advance. It's… unsettling."

    "Sorry," Naruto said again. "Didn't mean to spook anyone."

    "I knew it was you," Hinata said quietly, her tone soft but assured. "Your chakra feels different than anyone else's. I just… wasn't sure what you were doing here."

    Naruto shrugged, pulling Oscar off his shoulder and placing the little lizard gently on the bridge. "Just here for some training. Thought maybe Hinata could help me with my archery."

    Kurenai gave Naruto a teasing smile. "So, the so-called Archer of Providence finally shows up to learn how to shoot a bow? About time. Can't go around with a title like that and not know how to aim." She nodded toward Hinata. "Go on, you two can train off to the side but stay sharp. Eyes open."

    "Got it," Naruto said, offering her a lazy salute.

    Hinata gave a small bow.

    "You missed breakfast, by the way," Kiba said, sitting down against a support beam. "We had dumplings. Hinata made tea. Shino lectured me about wild herbs. Again."

    "They were poisonous," Shino muttered.

    "They were blue and pretty," Kiba countered.

    Oscar waddled over to Akamaru, and the two creatures started sniffing each other curiously. Akamaru let out a low bark, tail thumping the bridge, and Oscar clicked his claws on the wood in response.

    "So," Shino said slowly, turning back to Naruto, "how do you plan to fire a bow with one hand?"

    Naruto grinned. "Like this."

    In one brutal, practiced motion, the young knight grabbed his own cursed right arm just below the shoulder and tore it off. The blackened, charcoal-like limb cracked and flaked as it came free, its surface igniting with searing fire the moment it left his body.

    Kurenai reacted instantly. Her fingers flicked through hand signs, and a subtle genjutsu pulsed outward, veiling the scene from the eyes of nearby workers and civilians before panic could set in. To the shinobi present, the moment was raw and visceral. To everyone else on the bridge, it never happened.

    Shino took a sharp step back, his insects rattling inside his coat in distress. "Ha! What's wrong, Shino? You afraid of a little fire?"

    Shino's face remained unreadable, but his hand pressed gently to his temple. "My insects respond instinctively to threats. That fire was… not ordinary. It disturbed the entire hive."

    "You alright?" Kurenai asked, her tone sharp with concern.

    "I'm fine," Shino said quietly, eyes locked on Naruto's new arm.

    The prosthetic arm gleamed in the sunlight, segment by segment. The upper attachment socket was rounded and reinforced, clamping securely onto his shoulder stump with adjustable steel clasps. Its elbow was hinged with a thick, rotating joint, capped with a dial used to fine-tune resistance. Thin wires wove down its length like artificial tendons, visible beneath the armored shell of the forearm. The fingers were especially impressive—five segmented digits with three points of articulation each. The thumb was angled perfectly for grip. Though blockier than a natural hand, it moved with impressive finesse. The fingertips had smooth rubber caps for tactile grip, and subtle grooves across the palm suggested it was designed for catching, holding, and striking.

    It wasn't elegant.

    But it was strong. And it worked.

    "Cool, right?" Naruto beamed.

    Kiba was wide-eyed. "Dude. That's awesome."

    "Where did you get it?" Kurenai asked, her expression caught between awe and suspicion.

    "Very grumpy old blacksmith," Naruto replied. "Total softie on the inside."

    Kurenai smiled faintly as she noted to tell Kakashi about this grumpy blacksmith later.

    Naruto turned to Hinata and motioned toward the bridge's edge. "C'mon. I want your opinion on it. I made the fingers myself."

    Hinata followed, but her gaze lingered on the limb. "It's… amazing," she said sincerely. "But what about your Wind Release techniques?"

    "Oh, I've got that handled."

    To prove his point, Naruto formed a single-hand sign with blinding speed and fired a barrage of Wind Bullets into the river below. The water erupted in sharp bursts where each projectile landed.

    Hinata nodded slowly. "That's great…"

    Naruto caught the faint change in her tone. She was disappointed.

    "Hinata… what's wrong?"

    She shook her head quickly. "Nothing."

    "Hinata," he said again, more gently this time.

    "It's just… I thought I'd be more involved in helping you. I know you're growing stronger, and I'm glad. I really am. But I liked it... training together. It made me feel useful. Confident."

    Naruto paused.

    To her, he realized, it probably looked like he barely needed her. One session and then boom, he mastered the technique. She didn't see the hundreds of clones throwing themselves into training for multiple days in Lordran. To her, it felt like her support didn't matter.

    But it did.

    He smiled. "You know, Sasuke and I spar with swords. We kind of push each other that way. And I was thinking maybe I need an archery rival too. Someone sharp-eyed, quick, precise."

    Hinata blinked, stunned.

    "You up for the job?" he asked, holding out a hand.

    Hinata lit up like a lantern, cheeks glowing red as she nodded furiously. "Y-yes!"

    Naruto and Hinata moved to the side of the bridge, settling near the edge where the mist curled off the lake in lazy spirals. The murmur of the construction crew behind them faded into background noise as Hinata tilted her head slightly.

    "Even with the prosthetic," she said, voice gentle but uncertain, "I'm not sure about you doing archery. It's a lot of fine control."

    Naruto just grinned. "That's why I'm holding the bow with the prosthetic. My real arm does all the actual work."

    Hinata gave a small nod, visibly trying to picture the form. "Alright. Then… show me your bow and arrows. We'll take turns."

    Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Ehhh… yeah, I don't think that's a good idea."

    Hinata blinked. "Why?"

    Instead of answering, Naruto pulled a quiver and a longbow from his inventory with a quiet fwoosh of sealing smoke.

    Hinata took the bow reverently, brushing her fingers along its polished frame. Her expression softened into something quietly reverent. "This… this is beautiful," she murmured.

    She plucked the string lightly. A deep, thrumming twang sang through the air.

    "You really know about bows, huh?"

    Hinata flushed slightly. "Sorry. I just got caught up in the moment…"

    "No, it's adorable," Naruto said sincerely. "Really. Tell me more, I always thought the Hyūga clan was all about Gentle Fist and Byakugan."

    Hinata nodded, setting the bow down gently. "That's true now… but it wasn't always. Back in the Warring States period, our clan used war bows to devastating effect. Especially in open terrain. We even had an alliance with a horse summoning clan at the time. Mounted archers who could strike at range before the enemy ever reached us."

    Naruto's brows rose. "Whoa. So you were like… cavalry archers?"

    "Essentially, yes," Hinata said with a smile. "But as the era shifted from large-scale warfare to smaller skirmishes, the Gentle Fist became more effective in close-quarters combat. The bow fell out of favor. But… as the heir, I was still expected to learn it out of tradition. Even if it's not part of standard training anymore."

    "You don't use it, though."

    Hinata hesitated, her smile faltering. "I… I'm not confident it would be effective. I'm not even that great at Gentle Fist. So what good is a bow in my hands?"

    Naruto didn't say anything at first. He turned, pointed across the lake to the far bank barely a speck in the distance. "See that garbage bag caught in the tree branch? Snipe it."

    Hinata's eyes widened. "That's… over a hundred feet away."

    "Show me."

    Hinata inhaled deeply and drew the bow. Her fingers moved with practiced grace. She pulled the string back, her muscles trembling slightly under the strain. The bow had a serious draw weight, stronger than most war bows she'd trained with. Still, she adjusted.

    Her Byakugan flared to life, pupils vanishing as she focused through layers of mist and distance. A soft whistle of wind passed.

    Then she released.

    The arrow soared in a clean arc, slicing the air like a whisper. It struck the garbage bag dead center with a whump, the bag flipping from the force of the impact.

    Naruto clapped immediately, eyes sparkling. "That's what I'm talking about! Maybe other Hyūga let the bow fall out of use… but I think it was just waiting for you."

    Hinata blushed furiously, her hands lowering the bow. "I-I just got lucky."

    "Nah. I expected nothing less from my riva and my teacher."

    Hinata tried not to turn into a red tomato at the praise. "Let's not waste any more time, then."

    "Right."

    With a dramatic gesture, Naruto reached into his inventory again, and with a burst of chakra smoke, withdrew his personal weapon. A bow that made the longbow she had used look like a child's toy.

    [Item: Drake-Slaying Greatbow]
    [Description: Greatbow crafted by Rickert of Vinheim, in honor of a friend fated to walk among storms. Forged in imitation of the ancient dragon-slaying bows once wielded by Gwyn's knights, this greatbow was designed to pierce the hides of lightning drakes that haunt the Valley skies. Now wielded by the Archer of Providence, whose arrows bring silence to thunder.]

    The workers nearby paused mid-swing and stepped back instinctively, watching with wide eyes as Naruto lifted it.

    Even Kiba muttered, "That's a bow?"

    Kurenai said nothing, but her eyes narrowed as she studied the weapon. She was clearly reassessing her understanding of what Naruto was becoming.

    The Drake-Slaying Greatbow was a towering six-foot colossus of a weapon.

    Its body was crafted from a blackened, almost petrified wood fused with silver inlays that shimmered faintly in the light. A series of tightly bound steel rings spiraled along the limbs of the bow, giving it the appearance of a dragon's spine, each band absorbing stress and adding immense structural integrity. At the center, the grip was wrapped in black leather, stitched by hand with twine from Rickert's forge. It was thicker than a man's wrist... meant to be gripped with power, not finesse. The drawstring was taut as a wire, reinforced with titanite metal thread, thin and deceptively quiet. But to draw it would require the strength of a dozen grown men.

    Naruto's prosthetic arm locked into place as he braced the bow vertically, planting it like a knight would a greatsword.

    Hinata could only stare. "That's… beautiful. And terrifying."

    Naruto grinned and reached into his inventory seal, pulling out a single arrow nearly four feet tall, crafted entirely of darksteel that shimmered faintly in the light. The shaft was thick and heavy, the fletching made of metallic feather-like vanes that whispered as they caught the wind.

    "Let's hear it sing," Naruto said.

    He nocked the arrow, drawing it back with a low grunt. The bowstring groaned under the strain, the thread vibrating like a taut cable pulled to its limit. The air around the bow twisted slightly, heat waves rippling from the tension as chakra bled into the weapon.

    And then release.

    The arrow vanished from sight.

    There was no whistle, no clean flight path.

    Instead, there was a crack.

    A thunderclap split the sky as the arrow shattered the sound barrier... ripping through the air at Mach speed. The shockwave struck the bridge a heartbeat later. It came like a physical force. A pressure wave that blasted dust, snapped ropes, and made the wooden platform buckle. Workers stumbled, hands to their ears. Several screamed before they collapsed.

    Tazuna barely ducked in time, shielding his face as debris flew past.

    Kurenai's eyes widened. Her instincts kicked in.

    Without hesitation, she formed a single-hand seal and whispered, "Magen: Falling Petals Illusion."

    A burst of genjutsu rippled outward in a wave, immediately knocking out the majority of workers before their eardrums burst entirely. But some, those closest, weren't spared.

    Kiba clutched his ears, blood streaming from them as he grit his teeth in agony. "Ghh.. damn it!" he gasped, curling his body over Akamaru to shield the small pup, whose tail was tucked and body trembling from the sound. Akamaru whimpered softly, paws over his ears while Oscar looked worried for his friend.

    Shino fell to one knee, glasses cracked from the vibration, his bugs in chaotic motion beneath his coat, screeching in silent panic.

    Even Hinata, standing close to Naruto, staggered as a sharp lance of pain drove into her skull. She cried out softly, barely able to remain on her feet as her Byakugan blurred out.

    Then came the impact.

    The arrow struck the lake and it was no simple splash.

    It was an eruption.

    A geyser of water, at least fifty feet tall, exploded from the surface as the arrow pierced deep into the lakebed. The impact created a deep boom, followed by a violent shockwave that rippled across the water, dislodging boats, capsizing small rafts, and sending ripples all the way to the far shore.

    Steam hissed up from where the arrow struck. Some kind of reaction between chakra, metal, and force that superheated the water.

    When the chaos began to settle, Naruto slowly lowered the bow and looked around him.

    The bridge was a mess. Half the workers were unconscious, the other half clutching their ears in agony. Kiba was sitting against a pillar, panting, blood staining his fur collar. Shino was staring at Naruto with disbelief. Even Kurenai looked momentarily stunned, red-eyed and fuming.

    "...Shit," Naruto muttered under his breath.

    "NARUTO." Kurenai's voice was sharp.

    "I—" Naruto looked apologetic. "I'll make some clones to heal everyone. Hinata and I can go train somewhere far from here."

    He raised a hand and summoned a dozen in a puff of smoke. The clones got to work immediately, moving among the workers with the heal miracle.

    Then Naruto turned to Hinata, who was swaying slightly, still dazed. Without a word, he popped the cork off an Estus Flask and gently tipped it to her lips.

    "Sorry about that," Naruto said quietly, his voice low with guilt. Inside, he was tearing himself apart. He should've known better. He did know better. But after so long in Lordran where monsters shrugged off shockwaves and people endured pain like it was breathing. He'd forgotten what it meant to live among those who didn't. Here, in his own world, people had to brace themselves with chakra, strengthen their bodies just to survive what Lordran would call a greeting. The gap between these worlds wasn't just about strength. It was about awareness. And in that moment, Naruto realized, he hadn't adjusted. And people got hurt because of it.

    Hinata winced, her fingers still gently pressed against her ear but her other hand reached out. Hesitant at first until it rested softly on Naruto's wrist.

    "Hey," she said quietly, looking up at him with concern more than pain. "This... was a mistake."

    Naruto flinched, guilt twisting in his chest. He opened his mouth to apologize again, but Hinata spoke first.

    "But it was just that," she continued. "A mistake. You didn't mean to hurt anyone. And... you're already fixing it."

    Her eyes were steady now, earnest. "That's what matters, Naruto. Not that you slipped up but that you care enough to make it right."

    He stared at her for a long moment, her hand warm on his wrist, her words grounding him more than she probably realized. The chaotic whirl of regret inside him eased, just a little.

    "You still want to train?" he asked, his voice quieter, uncertain.

    Hinata smiled softly. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't. And I think... I've figured out how to help you improve."

    "Yeah?"

    "Let's start with these smaller bows first. Build up your control and precision before you return to that monster."

    "That's a good idea. Let's try it."

    The two leapt into the nearby treeline, bounding between branches until they found a quiet glade with soft earth and old, thick trunks.

    As they landed, Hinata glanced back toward the bridge, then at the enormous greatbow still strapped to Naruto's back. Her curiosity got the better of her.

    "...Naruto, what's the draw strength on that bow?"

    Naruto blinked, then said casually, "About five tons."

    Hinata stared.

    Her jaw slowly dropped open.

    "Five tons?" she repeated, incredulous. "That's not a draw weight... that's siege weaponry!"

    Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. Makes sense why the arrow hit like a baby meteor."

    "...What are you even hunting to need a bow like that?" Hinata asked, exasperated.

    Naruto turned to her, the usual warmth in his eyes dimming into something harder. His smile faded, replaced by a calm intensity that chilled the air between them. For a heartbeat, Hinata saw a shadow of someone else... someone shaped by battles she couldn't begin to imagine.

    "I'm hunting monsters."

    By nightfall, the stars hung like pinpricks in a sea of black velvet, and Naruto, after a quiet word to Hinata, vanished into the forest with Oscar in tow. The flicker of his space-time technique left a whisper in the air then silence.

    Moments later, Kakashi stepped out of the shadows, hands in his pockets, Pakkun trotting at his heels.

    "I'm certain now," Kakashi said, his tone unusually light. "Naruto doesn't know about the summoning seal on that kunai."

    Pakkun sniffed the ground, then looked up. "So? What now?"

    "I'm going to take it back before he figures it out," Kakashi said casually, like he was talking about slipping a scroll off a desk.

    The little pug raised a skeptical brow. "Or maybe… you could own up to it and apologize."

    Kakashi paused. His single visible eye slid toward the dog. "Why would I do that?"

    Pakkun sighed, the kind of tired, resigned sigh that only an old partner could muster. "Because you're not fooling anyone. Not me. Not yourself."

    Kakashi said nothing, but his silence was telling. Pakkun continued, "Team 7… they mean more to you than you let on. Especially Naruto. You're proud of him... prouder than you've ever let yourself be of anyone. But you're afraid, aren't you? That if you show weakness, if you admit to this mistake, you'll lose what you have with him."

    Still nothing from Kakashi. The breeze rustled the leaves overhead.

    "You've spent so long trying to see beneath the surface," Pakkun added gently. "You've forgotten what it's like to just… face something head-on."

    Kakashi's hands slipped from his pockets, resting by his sides. "Maybe. Or maybe I just know how easily things fall apart."

    "So what's your plan?" Pakkun asked. He already knew the answer, but part of him wanted to believe his master wouldn't go through with it.

    "I'll observe him for a few days. Look for signs. If nothing changes, I'll arrange a sparring session. Team 7 vs me. I'll push him... make him use every kunai he has. Eventually, he'll reach for the summoning one out of instinct. I'll retrieve it before he realizes."

    Pakkun shook his head slowly. "You do realize this is a gamble. If it fails..."

    "If I apologize, that's a gamble too," Kakashi interrupted, a flicker of tension slipping into his voice. "Naruto may be mature, but he's still a teenager. Emotional. Volatile. What if I lose his trust completely? What if he decides I'm not worth listening to anymore?"

    Pakkun looked up at him with soft eyes. "And what if you lose his trust by lying to his face during a sparring match and manipulating him to cover your tracks?"

    Kakashi looked away. "I won't fail," he said, quieter now. Firmer. "I can't."

    The dog didn't answer. He simply padded silently beside Kakashi as they disappeared into the forest's shadowed embrace. But in his heart, Pakkun knew: Kakashi was gambling recklessly, maybe even desperately. Whether he won or lost, this choice would ripple outward, changing more than just one bond. It could shape the boy, the team… maybe the world. And when the consequences came, Kakashi would have no one to blame but himself.

    Pakkun just hoped he wouldn't break under it. The man already carried too much guilt. Would he even know how to accept forgiveness… if it came?

    Naruto opened his eyes to the warm, flickering light of the bonfire, the embers dancing like fireflies against the dim stone walls of the chamber. A familiar scent of coal, ash, and iron filled the air, and a grin broke across his face. Without wasting a moment, he stood and bounded down the stairwell, his footsteps echoing eagerly through the forge.

    At the base of the hall, Andre stood like a monument of iron himself, towering over a massive log embedded into the stone, reinforced with layers of metal bands and plates.

    "Oh, you're finally here," Andre said with a glint in his eye.

    Naruto's eyes locked onto the log and the tools nearby. "Is that it? Is it ready?"

    "Of course," Andre rumbled. "Finally got it set up for the advanced stuff. Been waiting for you to catch up."

    Naruto practically bounced in place, the excitement buzzing through his limbs like lightning. This was the moment he'd been working toward since the old man first mentioned the hidden depths of Astoran boxing.

    Andre had once told him there were two paths in the art: one designed for dueling men and another, a far more savage and intricate style, forged in blood to fight monsters. But the second would only be revealed if Naruto proved he'd mastered the first.

    "I can't wait," Naruto said, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

    Andre stepped aside with a grunt and motioned to the anvil, where two caesti sat gleaming in the firelight. They looked more like instruments of war than training gear.

    The first was specially crafted for Naruto's prosthetic. Its form curved slightly to hug the contours of the metal limb, with interlocking clamps and jointed grooves that allowed full articulation without sacrificing stability. The palm area was padded with a thick lining of dark leather, while the knuckles were capped in overlapping plates of reinforced steel.

    The second caestus, built for his organic arm, was no less impressive. Made from a hardened leather base wrapped in steel studs, it bore the classic design of traditional Astoran pugilism—heavy, direct, and unrelenting. Thick bands of studded hide were layered across the back of the hand and wrist, with the knuckles sheathed in a gleaming alloy that shimmered faintly in the forge's glow. It was designed not just to protect the user's hand, but to turn each punch into a miniature battering ram.

    Naruto gently placed Oscar down beside the staircase. The little crystal lizard gave an eager chirp, tail swaying in rhythm like a tiny cheerleader.

    Andre cracked his neck with a satisfying pop, each vertebra sounding like the grind of old wood. He rolled his massive shoulders like a war machine winding up.

    "Alright, brat. Show me what you've learned."

    Naruto exhaled. "Alright, old man. Let's dance."

    Andre moved first. No wind-up, no warning... just a straight jab, fast and mean. Naruto ducked under it and slipped to the left, delivering a quick combo of a left hook and a right jab to the ribs.

    Clang.

    Andre barely flinched. "Cute."

    His counter came in the form of a body shot with the weight of a mountain. Naruto managed to cross-block with both arms, but the shock rattled through his core, sending him sliding back a foot across the stone.

    "Good poise," Andre nodded. "Again."

    Naruto darted in, this time circling to Andre's right. He peppered the blacksmith with light jabs, testing the defense. His left fist cracked against Andre's guard, while his right prosthetic aimed for an uppercut.

    Andre dropped his elbow to block, then turned it into a reverse backhand. Naruto barely raised his forearm in time, the blow glancing off with a metallic ring that sent sparks skittering.

    They broke apart for a breath.

    "Keep your feet grounded," Andre barked, shifting forward with sudden speed for a man his size. "You box like a monk, not a soldier!"

    "I'm not a soldier," Naruto shot back, throwing a quick right feint and pivoting into a left cross that caught Andre across the cheek.

    Andre grunted, surprised but pleased.

    "That's more like it."

    He launched a flurry of left, right, right, body, uppercut. Naruto blocked the first three, took the fourth to the ribs, and barely dodged the uppercut by sliding beneath it, dropping low with a sweeping leg to break Andre's balance.

    But Andre didn't fall.

    Instead, he stomped, cracking the stone, and forced Naruto back with sheer presence.

    They reset.

    Breathing heavy now, Naruto adjusted his stance, lowering his center of gravity. "You're not holding back anymore."

    "Damn right," Andre said, grinning through a split lip. "You wanted to learn the advanced style. Then stop sparring like a street punk and start boxing like a knight."

    Naruto gritted his teeth, chakra flaring through his legs as he blitzed forward.

    Their fists collided in mid-air, gauntlet to gauntlet, the clang echoing through the hall like a bell tolling for war.

    After a few minutes of sparring, it became clear to Andre that Naruto was ready. The blow came without warning, a blur of movement, a sonic whisper and Naruto barely managed to catch the fist with an upward block. But the moment their fists connected, it was as if a gong had gone off inside his bones. A shockwave rippled through his entire body, vibrating his ribs. His knees buckled slightly as he slid back from the sheer force of the impact.

    His ears rang. His joints screamed.

    But he didn't fall.

    The Wolf Ring he wore glowed faintly, stabilizing him, holding his stance just enough to resist collapsing.

    "What the hell was that, old man?!" Naruto coughed, shaking out his arm as if trying to dispel the tremor.

    Andre flexed his knuckles, not a hint of strain on his face. "That, brat, was Astoran Advanced Boxing or as it's more commonly known: the Poise Breaker."

    "Poise...?" Naruto repeated, blinking.

    Andre nodded. "Everything has poise... armor, muscle, willpower, even a man's pride. Anything that helps you take a hit and keep moving. That's what poise is. And every bit of it can be broken."

    He walked over to the reinforced log and patted its plated surface.

    "Knights of old figured out that if you can't overpower your enemy, you break them where it counts, from the inside. You hit hard and fast enough to bypass their defenses, interrupt their stance, and mess with their nervous system. That momentary collapse? That's all the time you need."

    Then, without a word, he pulled back and punched the log. The sound echoed like a cannon. A heartbeat later, a second, deeper sound followed as another dent forming in the reinforced metal.

    Naruto's eyes widened. "You moved your fist so fast it created a micro vacuum... and when it collapsed, it caused a second shockwave. That's what messed up my nerves, right? It hits twice... once on contact, and once from the inside via the shockwave."

    Andre froze mid-stretch, blinking. "When the hell did you get that smart?"

    "I've always been smart!"

    "Sure, sure. You'll be back to your usual dumbass self after I knock that noggin around," Andre muttered, cracking his knuckles again.

    Naruto turned to Oscar and stage-whispered, "I think the old man's gone senile."

    Oscar gave an enthusiastic chirp in agreement.

    "Alright, brat," Andre said, fists raised. "Time to see if you're ready to break monsters."

    Naruto descended into the dim depths of New Londo, his body still aching from the brutal training session with Andre. He limped slightly as he reached the edge of Rickert's cage. The blacksmith looked up from the delicate device he was tuning.

    "You look like you got run over by a cart full of anvils."

    Naruto let out a breath and leaned against the bars. "Try going twelve rounds with Andre and see how you look after."

    He rubbed his jaw, still tender from the older smith's latest lesson. "Pretty sure he cracked my skull. Twice."

    "No thanks," Rickert said dryly. "I prefer my head unshattered. So… how's the greatbow treating you?"

    "It's awesome," Naruto said with a grin. "Feels like launching thunderbolts. Oh... also, quick question. Why didn't you ever teach me about the Hawkeyes technique?"

    Rickert paused, brows furrowing. "Because there are no hawks in Lordran."

    "What?"

    The Vinheim blacksmith turned fully toward him now, expression unreadable. "Where'd you even hear about Hawkeyes?"

    "From Seigmeyer," Naruto said, scratching the back of his neck. "He told me about it and even gave me the tonic recipe. Said it's from one of Gwyn's knights, Hawkeye Gough."

    Rickert sighed through his nose and held out a hand. "Let me see the recipe."

    Naruto fished into his inventory and handed over the parchment. Rickert studied it for a moment, then nodded. "Just as I thought."

    "Alright, what's going on? And give it to me straight, none of that cryptic Vinheim nonsense."

    "You want to know how the tonic works?"

    "Obviously."

    Rickert tapped the list of ingredients. "The tonic doesn't just enhance your vision through magic. It's a transmutation catalyst. One of these ingredients, specifically the essence powder, was originally derived from a hawk soul."

    Naruto tilted his head. "So… you absorb a hawk soul… into your eyes?"

    "Exactly," Rickert said, his voice calm but firm. "You alter the soul through alchemical infusion. And since the soul is the blueprint of the body: change the soul, change the flesh. That's how your eyes become biologically hawk-like. But..."

    Naruto scanned the list again, realization dawning. "There's no hawk soul in this version of the tonic."

    "Right," Rickert said. "Because we don't have hawks anymore. Most wildlife either died out, was hunted to extinction, or fled when the curse of undeath corrupted Lordran. No hawks. No true source. That's why I never bothered teaching you about it."

    "So… why did Seigmeyer even give me this tonic if it doesn't have a hawk soul?" Naruto asked, frowning as he turned the parchment over in his hand.

    Rickert leaned back slightly, arms crossed. "Because even without the hawk soul, the tonic still has value. It conditions your eyes... enhances visual acuity beyond what normal humans can reach. Not quite hawk-tier, but still impressive for a sharpshooter."

    Naruto smiled at that but then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "My world has hawks. Tons of them. So if I bring back a hawk soul… I could complete the tonic. Actually develop Hawkeyes."

    Rickert gave a quiet hum, then nodded. "That's a smart move. Just be careful... absorb a hawk soul no more than once a week. You're reshaping the soul gently, not trying to dominate it in one go. It'll probably take about a year to fully awaken Hawkeyes."

    "A year?" Naruto muttered, not exactly thrilled by the long timeline but still, it beat tempting fate by breaking Lordran's rules. He'd learned the hard way that shortcuts came with teeth. At least Hawkeyes had a known, tested method. That was rare enough to be worth respecting.

    His gaze drifted upward, curiosity flickering behind his eyes. "So if absorbing a hawk's soul sharpens my vision… what if I found something rarer? Like the soul of a lightning drake. Could I grow wings? Breathe lightning?"

    Rickert's face hardened. "Don't."

    "That bad?"

    "You've already dabbled with magic, and your right arm is cursed. You, of all people, should understand that souls are not toys. You tamper with them too much, you lose yourself."

    Naruto quieted. "…Then why is the hawk soul safe?"

    "It's not," Rickert said flatly. "Absorbing any soul is a risk. When you take in the soul of a hawk, you're not just gaining its power... you're inviting its instincts, its nature, into your own. You'll have to fight it, deep within your soul, to make it yours. Win, and you take the first step toward developing Hawkeyes. But if you lose… the hawk's essence overwhelms your identity. You'll still look human, but inside, you'll be nothing more than a beast in a man's skin."

    Naruto winced. "So either I get awesome eyes… or I turn into a freak of nature."

    "Precisely," Rickert said.

    Naruto sighed, crossing his arms. "Okay, then if something that small can do that, absorbing a drake soul would basically be suicide."

    Rickert gave a single nod. "A violent, agonizing one."

    "…Fair."

    A silence passed between them before Naruto asked, "Then why am I able to absorb all these hollow souls without issues?"

    "You're not," Rickert replied. "The Darksign on your soul is. It acts like a siphon, pulling raw energy into itself and converting it into stats. But that's different from direct absorption. You're not consuming the soul's identity... you're just taking its fuel."

    Naruto's eyes widened as realization dawned.

    "…Oh," he muttered, slowly lowering himself beside Oscar, who chirped and curled into his lap. Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "That actually makes a lot of sense now. Like… a lot."

    "You alright?"

    "Yeah. Just shocked that all the puzzle pieces are starting to fit together," Naruto said, still smiling. "This world's insane, but it's got rules. Just… twisted ones."

    He took a deep breath and looked up. "So, speaking of twisted… did you finish working on that magic gun I asked you?"

    "You're speaking to the best blacksmith in Vinheim, kid. Of course I did."

    Then the two began to strap the gleaming weapon onto Oscar's back. After which Naruto asked, "How do you feel?"

    Oscar chirped, shifting his body slightly as he adjusted to the new weight.

    The so-called "magic gun" was a masterwork of both worlds—Vinheim sorcery and shinobi fuinjutsu. Reforged from the Dragon Crest Shield, its outer shell wrapped protectively around Oscar's crystalline spine like armor. But within, it was a weapon system of frightening potential. Sorcerer's Catalysts had been hollowed to form twin barrels, running along Oscar's body, designed to channel both chakra and ambient soul energy into a focused, devastating beam. Etched along the interior were siphon and core seals—Naruto's own creations—pulling in raw chakra like a furnace.

    Oscar chirped again, and his back pulsed with a pale glow.

    FWOOM!

    A crackling beam of crystal energy erupted from the barrel.

    The sheer force launched Oscar backward like a cannonball. Naruto blurred forward, catching him just before he smashed into the wall.

    The laser carved a tunnel of mist through the valley's fog, vanishing into the far horizon.

    Rickert blinked. "What the hell was that?"

    Naruto grinned. "It worked."

    "I'm honestly more shocked nothing exploded..."

    BOOM.

    The deep, echoing blast cut Rickert off.

    Naruto's eyes narrowed as he activated Hawkeyes. His vision tunneled through the fog and distance to lock onto the source.

    A spire had been reduced to rubble. The water below it churned with the blast's aftershock, scattering stone and crystal into the air. Shattered fragments floated like broken glass, catching the twilight in eerie glimmers. And from the center of the wreckage, crystals began forming—delicate at first, then pulsing with life.

    Above them hovered a faint, flickering shape.

    A Fire Keeper's Soul.

    "Rickert," Naruto whispered. "You see that?"

    "Mmm… yeah, I see it."

    Naruto glanced at him. "When did you get binoculars?"

    "Made 'em. Not much to do in a damn prison cell."

    "You could leave the cage. Explore Lordran."

    "NO."

    Naruto frowned. That wasn't sarcasm. That was fear... visceral and real. He filed that away for later.

    "Well, I'm going down there. Gonna grab that soul."

    He handed Oscar over. The lizard clung to Rickert, chirping in confusion.

    "Wait! Hold on..."

    Too late.

    Naruto jumped off the ledge and unlike Rickert's fear didn't drown in the water.

    The young knight stood calmly atop the surface of the water, chakra gliding beneath his boots in rhythmic ripples. He turned, shot Rickert a cocky smirk, and then vanished forward in a streak of motion, sprinting across the misty water toward the ruins.

    The air changed as he approached the drowning spire...

    His breath came in sharp puffs, visible now.

    The unease settled in his chest like a hand pressing down.

    His fingers twitched instinctively.

    "Just grab it and get out. Quick in, quick out," he muttered.

    That's when the water rippled.

    Something was rising.

    A shape, half-formed, born from the mist itself... long arms, impossibly thin. Cloaks of vapor flared out from ghostly bodies. Hollowed sockets stared out of twisted skulls. Their hands gripped rusted daggers, spectral and sharp.

    Three of them.

    Then five.

    Then more.

    Naruto stopped cold.

    "Of course Lordran has actual fucking ghosts," he growled, heart pounding.

    As long as he could remember, he'd hated ghosts. Not just fear... revulsion. Like something deep inside him had always known. Maybe it was his birth. Maybe it was being marked by the Shinigami. Whatever it was, Naruto didn't just dislike ghosts... he couldn't stand them.

    They crept forward without a sound.

    Naruto flickered backward, boots skimming the water's surface as the ghosts glided after him.

    One lashed out—twin spectral daggers slicing through the fog. Naruto raised his arm on instinct.

    Clang.

    The weapon collided with the metal of his gauntlet, the blow sliding off harmlessly. Naruto's eyes widened—he could block it. He could hit them.

    And if he could hit them... he could kill them.

    With a surge of chakra, he formed the hand seal.

    Poof.

    A dozen shadow clones exploded into existence across the surface of the water, surrounding the advancing phantoms. Hands blurred. Air pulsed.

    "Wind Style: Wind Bullets!"

    A symphony of howling gales erupted. Dozens of compressed wind spheres tore through the fog, slicing through the ghosts like paper. Their forms twisted violently, warping under the pressure of the attack before evaporating into vapor and vanishing completely.

    But one ghost surged forward through the chaos, blades flashing. It lunged.

    Naruto met the thrust with a block, chakra pulsing through his gauntlet. The wind-sharpened edge of his strike severed the ghost's hand in a single, clean slice.

    The phantom wailed as its weapon dropped... solid, clattering onto the water's surface before slowly sinking. Naruto caught it with chakra under his feet, kneeling to retrieve it.

    [Item Acquired: Jagged Ghost Blade]

    [Description: A cursed weapon used by the lingering spirits of New Londo. Its jagged edge bites through the intangible. One of the few weapons capable of harming the dead.]

    Naruto turned the blade over in his hand, testing its weight, feeling the curse embedded in the metal. It hummed faintly in his grip, reacting to his presence.

    "Now that's gonna be useful."

    He paused, staring at the cursed blade, then down at his own cursed right arm.

    A thought crossed his mind.

    Was I able to harm those ghosts… because of this?

    With that thought echoing, he flickered back to the safety of the cave.

    Rickert jolted from his seat, relief flooding his face. "Thank the gods. Must you always be so damned reckless?"

    Naruto exhaled, flipping the jagged blade and catching it lazily. "They weren't that strong."

    Rickert fixed him with a flat look. "It's not about strength. Ghosts are dangerous because they're untouchable. That one fact makes them lethal."

    "Yeah, well... about that..." Naruto gestured with the cursed blade. "You need to be cursed to fight them, right?"

    "There are two ways. Be cursed yourself… or wield a cursed weapon."

    "Well, lucky me, I have both options filled."

    The blacksmith snorted. "How poetic."

    "Funny," Naruto deadpanned. "You should try stand-up."

    Rickert gave a tired shrug, the smirk lingering.

    Naruto stepped to the edge of the platform again, gazing down at the mist-wreathed valley below. The water was still now, but the air still held the weight of something watching.

    "Rickert," Naruto said quietly, "What even is a ghost?"

    Rickert leaned back against the anvil, thoughtful. "A soul that refuses to let go. Fog, memory, lingering hatred... call it what you want. It's not alive. But it's not dead, either. It's trapped. Caught between."

    "Do you think that ancient evil Beatrice fought… was it the cause? Did it curse New Londo like this?"

    Rickert's face shadowed. "Can't say. New Londo's history is… murky at best. Lots of things are buried here... things better left untouched."

    Oscar chirped from his perch, his tail flicking lightly as if to say, Don't get lost in it. Stay focused.

    Naruto chuckled, ruffling the lizard's head. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. Let the historians worry about the past."

    Naruto threw the ghost blade into his inventory. "Well, Rickert... guess it's back to hunting drakes."

    Naruto paused at the edge of the bridge overlooking the Valley of Drakes, the familiar winds whispering through the jagged cliffs around them.

    "You know…" Naruto said, tapping his chin. "I think I figured out why you recoiled so hard last time. The core seal probably got flooded with too much chakra. Too much pressure all at once."

    Oscar blinked up at him, his crystals softly pulsing with magic.

    "With that last beam discharged," Naruto continued, "the pressure should've eased. Maybe now it'll flow smoother, yeah?"

    Oscar gave an eager chirp, eyes gleaming. He raised his head, stance low and ready.

    "Go ahead," Naruto said with a grin, stepping aside.

    A heartbeat passed, then a brilliant pulse of white light shot from the lizard's back. A focused beam cut cleanly through the valley air, crackling faintly as it carved a path downward into the canyon below. No recoil this time. Just controlled release.

    Naruto gave a satisfied nod. "Looks like I was right. The seals need to vent chakra more consistently... can't let it build up like that."

    Oscar's tail swished proudly, the beam fading into the mist below.

    Naruto knelt beside him, gently adjusting one of the etched seals along the lizard's spine. "We'll refine the flow rate. Regulate chakra input with minor pauses between charges. That way you won't overheat your conduit again."

    Oscar chirped in agreement, hopping once with renewed energy.

    Naruto chuckled. "You're gonna be a walking artillery battery before this is over."

    The duo stopped at the area where the great undead dragon had once blocked the path. The overlook gave Naruto a wide view of the valley below, where the wind howled and the drakes sometimes slept along the cliffs.

    Naruto knelt, planting the Greatbow against the stone, anchoring it with a practiced motion.

    Far below, tucked into a shadowed crevice near the waterfall's lip, a drake lay half-coiled, its scales faintly shimmering blue. A perfect angle. Just like Hinata taught him.

    He took a deep breath. Then exhaled.

    The arrow clicked into place. He drew the string back, the limbs of the bow groaning under the tension, and released.

    The moment it loosed, the air snapped.

    A deafening thundercrack rang through the valley as the arrow broke the sound barrier, slicing through air like a god's judgment. It collided with the drake's reverse scale with a sound like steel tearing through stone.

    The impact sent the drake thrashing, a shrieking roar echoing through the cliffs as it reared back, half-leaping into the air.

    It was alive, and now furious but it didn't use lightning.

    Naruto smirked. "Right. That shot disabled your breath attack. Means you're grounded, dumbass."

    He reached for another arrow, calmly notching it. "Let's see how you like flying with one wing."

    Just as he released the second shot, something veered across his line of sight. The arrow struck air then pinged sharply off an unexpected white projectile, knocked off course by an invisible force. The drake twisted out of range and began to ascend.

    "What the hell?" Naruto whispered.

    With Hawkeyes active, he scanned the direction the shot came from and froze.

    There, clinging to a distant cliff like a parasite, was something wholly wrong.

    A warped mass of shell and claw, its body shaped like a shattered eggshell given monstrous life. Crab-like legs twitched beneath it, and a writhing black core oozed from within, tendrils snaking across its underbelly.

    A glowing name tag flickered in his vision.

    [Name: Vagrant (Evil)]
    [HP: 1300/1300]

    Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Oscar... kill that thing. Now."

    The lizard chirped with uncertainty, casting a wary glance at the flying drake.

    "It's okay," Naruto reassured him. "That drake's reverse scale is pierced. It can't use lightning anymore. I can take it. I just need you to make sure the bug doesn't screw with my shots."

    Oscar's resolve hardened. He chirped once and began pouring chakra into his limbs, then leapt off the ledge. With a few expert motions, he burrowed straight into the stone, tunneling toward the Vagrant.

    Naruto shifted his stance, swapping the bow for his tower shield just as the wounded drake roared in from above. Like a hawk in freefall, it dove claws-first.

    He dropped low behind the shield, anchoring it like a bulwark of metal. The drake's jaws snapped down but met nothing. Naruto had used the shield's height to mask his movement, and as the creature landed, he was already in motion. From behind the metal, Naruto burst forth with a black Zweihander raised for a downward swing.

    Meanwhile, Oscar erupted from the ground in a shower of dust and stone, popping up behind the Vagrant like a trapdoor springing open. The grotesque creature reacted instantly, lashing out with its massive claw.

    Oscar didn't dodge.

    Instead, he bit his own tail, spun forward like a chakram, and hurled himself through the air with chakra-enhanced speed. With a comical thump and a flash of light, he collided with the Vagrant's body, sending the creature skidding backward in a spasm of surprised twitching.

    Oscar landed with a skitter, his gun barrels glowing faintly with charging energy. Light pooled at the edges of the barrels like twin suns preparing to burst.

    The Vagrant paused, its tendrils twitching violently in recognition. Then, with a hiss, it fired a volley of pale white appendages snapping forward like barbed whips.

    Oscar fired first.

    Twin beams of crystalline energy lanced through the air in a searing arc. The rays cut through the darkness like divine swords, slicing several tendrils clean off. The remaining whips struck Oscar, but the reinforced armor around his body deflected most of the impact. He flinched but stood his ground.

    Seeing that the beams alone weren't enough, Oscar spun, narrowed his eyes, and fired another beam—not at the Vagrant, but into the ground between them.

    Then he ran.

    He turned tail and darted off in a zigzagging path, goading the Vagrant to follow. The creature, more instinct than intellect, chased after him with writhing fury.

    That was its mistake.

    The glowing crystal energy embedded in the ground pulsed and spread, a lingering trap of raw soul magic. Any sentient being would've avoided it. But not the Vagrant.

    It walked directly into the glowing field.

    As soon as its malformed legs stepped across the charged ground, the magic surged upward—threads of crystal snaked up its limbs, then its torso, and finally its core. The beast screeched, a horrible, gurgling noise as its flesh turned glassy and rigid.

    Moments later, it was frozen in place—a statue of corrupted shell and writhing darkness, now silenced and inert.

    Oscar huffed and turned just in time to see Naruto slam his fist into the drake's chest with a one-inch punch delivered with flawless precision.

    Poise Breaker left the monster's body frozen mid-roar, limbs locking up as the shockwave scrambled its nervous system.

    Naruto didn't hesitate.

    With a grunt, he raised the black-edged Zweihander and brought it down in a vicious, cleaving arc. The blade severed scale, sinew, and bone in a single motion. The drake's head thudded to the ground moments before its massive body collapsed in a heap behind it, steaming with residual lightning.

    Silence returned to the valley, save for the fading crackle of static.

    Breathing steadily, Naruto knelt beside the corpse and yanked free his prized arrows. He wiped the ichor off with a quick swipe and flicked them back into his inventory. Then, without ceremony, he placed a hand on the drake's chest.

    A warm pulse surged through him as the creature's soul lifted from its ruined form, drawn toward Naruto's own.

    With a flicker, Naruto reappeared beside Oscar, crouching next to the crystal lizard as he examined the steaming remains of the Vagrant. Its core quivered once and shattered into bubbling black goo.

    [You have obtained:]

    [300 Souls]

    [Dragon Scale x1]

    Naruto reached down, plucking the scale between two fingers. He turned and tossed a flickering soul drop toward Oscar. "Eat that," he said. "Grow up big and strong, yeah?"

    Oscar squeaked excitedly, catching the soul midair with his mouth.

    "You did good today, partner. That Vagrant was a pain in the ass."

    Oscar nestled into his leg with a pleased chirp, tail flicking lazily.

    Naruto looked up toward the far end of the valley. The wind changed. The air thickened. And far in the distance, he saw it.

    Stormrend.

    "Looks like I need to do something about these sonic booms. Every arrow I fire is like lighting a flare for every damn monster nearby." He shifted his grip on Oscar and raised his free hand. "Time to bounce."

    A warm light gathered around his body as he activated the Homeward miracle. The spell took hold instantly.

    Their bodies began to distort like shattered reflections breaking along invisible seams. They fragmented like glass caught in a kaleidoscope, folding inward and collapsing into glowing pieces. It was like reality itself was unraveling them, reassembling them elsewhere.

    Just like that, Naruto and Oscar vanished from the Valley of Drakes, pulled away like puzzle pieces slipping out of place.

    Naruto adjusted the strap on his hip as he sheathed the reinforced Drake Sword into place. His Estus Flasks glimmered faintly with golden light, recently upgraded with a Fire Keeper's soul. Another routine run through Darkroot Garden had left the golem knights shattered at his feet, and a glance at the timer confirmed he still had hours left in Lordran before the return trip home.

    He could've gone back to Andre and continued drilling Poise Breaker with his clones. Hundreds of them were already at work on it, but today felt like a good day to do something different.

    So he turned and made his way toward the looming silhouette of Sen's Fortress.

    At the stone bridge before the entrance, he found a familiar, round figure waiting with a welcoming energy that radiated even through steel.

    "Sir Siegmeyer," Naruto said with a respectful bow.

    "Ah! Young knight, how have you been?" Siegmeyer replied warmly, flicking a titanite shard toward Oscar, who caught it midair with a happy chirp.

    "I've been good. Training, refining and pushing everything I can," Naruto replied. "Making use of every minute."

    "As a knight should," Siegmeyer nodded. "A prepared blade seldom rusts. And how goes the vision? Have the Hawkeyes served you well?"

    "They have," Naruto said. "But I also found a path to the real Hawkeyes... my world has no shortage of hawks."

    "Splendid!"

    "Still," Naruto added, "even if the real thing had been out of reach, your tonic would've helped. Thanks for trusting me enough to share it."

    "Thank you for accepting my actions in good faith."

    "If you'd like, I could bring back some hawk souls. Maybe you could forge your own Hawkeyes?"

    "Ha! A generous thought, my dear friend. But I already obtained mine in the Kingdom of Catarina, long ago." His voice dipped into nostalgia, tinged with pride.

    "Wow…" Naruto murmured. He hesitated a moment, then asked, "Sir Siegmeyer, if I may, you're a master of the Zweihander, aren't you?"

    "Indeed!" Siegmeyer puffed out his chest. "Though I must say, I'm quite surprised to hear you call it the Zweihander."

    "Why?"

    "Ah, well! In Astora, they call it the Astoran Greatsword. Zweihander... that's our Catarina name for it!" He let out his signature booming laugh. "It seems you've picked up some knightly knowledge along your journey, young warrior!"

    Naruto hummed thoughtfully. He hadn't considered that different regions would have different names for the same weapons. It was obvious now that he heard it, but still, good intel to tuck away.

    "That said," Naruto continued, "I was hoping you could judge my swordsmanship. Help me see what I'm missing."

    Siegmeyer straightened, one gauntleted hand resting on the pommel of his massive sword. "Ah! A noble request! Swordplay is a lifelong pursuit. Let us test your mettle, then!"

    "Maybe we should find a better spot first," Naruto said, glancing at the narrow ledges and paths of the fortress behind them.

    "Mm! A wise decision!" Siegmeyer agreed, nodding sagely. "No sense in knocking each other into pits before we even begin. Lead the way, young knight!"

    Naruto gently laid Oscar down near the bonfire nestled in the courtyard's broken stone, the little crystal lizard chirping once before curling into a comfortable rest. With his partner safe, Naruto followed Siegmeyer toward the Undead Church, where as usual, three idle undead soldiers slouched around.

    Naruto reached for his sword.

    But before he could move, Siegmeyer raised a gauntleted hand. A faint shimmer bloomed in his palm as a talisman spun into place between his fingers. Three radiant spheres of white energy shimmered into existence around him like the Force miracle—but not like any Naruto had seen before. These weren't simple defensive pulses. They hovered with intent.

    Then they launched.

    BOOM.

    The concussive shockwave cracked the air like thunder. A rippling force flattened the undead soldiers in an instant... no scream, no resistance, just vapor and bone dust in their place. The church doorframe groaned under the echo.

    "That… was not the Force miracle," Naruto muttered, eyes wide.

    "Hohohoho!" Siegmeyer chuckled heartily, already tucking the talisman back into a hidden pouch. "A variation, my young friend. Emit Force. A most useful technique in the field, especially when you need to make an entrance."

    Naruto tried to hide the flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

    "Hmm? Something the matter?"

    Naruto hesitated. "I just didn't expect you to be part of the Way of White."

    "Ah," Siegmeyer nodded. "I take it your dealings with the covenant were… less than pleasant."

    "You could say that," Naruto said flatly.

    Siegmeyer's tone softened. "Mmm. Then allow me to offer a bit of advice. Don't judge the whole tree by one rotten branch. A great many within the covenant are good-hearted. It's just the loudest fools that spoil the name for the rest of us."

    Naruto hummed noncommittally.

    The knight turned to him. "Which denomination gave you trouble? If they're from Catarina, I'd be happy to speak with them."

    "Denomination?"

    "Indeed!" Siegmeyer boomed, pleased to explain. "The Way of White is not a singular doctrine, but a series of regional denominations. Each worships a different aspect of the divine pantheon. Long ago, they were unified under Lord Gwyn. But after his noble sacrifice to preserve the First Flame, the pantheon fractured. Each kingdom honored a different god."

    He gestured toward his own chestplate, where a small, engraved icon shimmered faintly.

    "In Catarina, we revere McLoyf, the god of medicine and alcoholic drink, and Caitha, the goddess of tears."

    "Huh." Naruto blinked. "I guess that makes Thorolund the worshippers of Allfather Lloyd?"

    "Indeed," Siegmeyer said with a slight sigh. "And if it was Thorolund who wronged you, I sympathize. But I've little influence over their branch. Their beliefs… differ."

    Naruto smirked. "Don't worry. I already paid back the bastard who scammed me."

    Siegmeyer didn't pry. Instead, he nodded solemnly. "Still, if you are open to it, I'd be honored to pass along some teachings from Catarina's denomination."

    "You mean… you'll teach me Emit Force?"

    "Indeed," Siegmeyer said with a spark of mirth in his voice. "And don't worry, I won't charge you."

    "What's the catch?"

    "Impress me." Siegmeyer raised his Zweihander and planted it dramatically into the stone. "With your swordsmanship, and the miracle is yours."

    Naruto's grin widened. "Oh, it's on."

    Even encased in his heavy Catarina armor, Siegmeyer moved with surprising grace—less like a walking fortress and more like a mountain that had learned how to dance. It wasn't arrogance he carried in his posture, but the seasoned ease of a man who had survived enough battles to know the rhythm of combat.

    True to his word, the older knight had chosen to match Naruto's disadvantage, wielding his Zweihander with only his dominant arm. A gesture of honor… but also a clear challenge.

    "Mmm! Ready yourself, young man. A knight must always be prepared!"

    Naruto squared his shoulders and raised his blade, gripping it tight in his left hand. "Then let's see what I've got."

    He dropped into a high guard, sword poised above his shoulder like an executioner preparing the final stroke.

    Siegmeyer's eyes twinkled behind his helm. "A bold choice!"

    Then silence.

    The air between them stilled just long enough for the tension to snap.

    Naruto lunged.

    His Zweihander fell in a clean, vertical arc, the weight of it promising devastation.

    CLANG!

    Steel kissed steel as Siegmeyer met the strike in perfect form, his sword angled to deflect rather than absorb. The blow slid off his blade, turning Naruto's momentum against him. The younger swordsman faltered, forced to shift his feet and rebalance as Siegmeyer advanced with a measured step, probing for weakness.

    Naruto dropped into a low stance, his sword forward like a spear, his body coiled in readiness.

    "Ah! Good," Siegmeyer called out mid-motion. "Protect your center, let your weapon guide you. But…"

    He moved.

    His Zweihander swept in a low arc, faster than it had any right to be given his size and armor. Naruto dodged by a hair's breadth, pivoting and twisting his grip into a horizontal slash to counter.

    Siegmeyer caught it. Effortlessly. With one hand.

    Naruto's eyes widened. No way…

    "Hoh! Strong, indeed! But…"

    BANG!

    Pain exploded across the side of Naruto's helmet. His vision blurred. He staggered back, disoriented, barely holding onto his weapon.

    He hadn't even seen the strike.

    Siegmeyer stepped back, giving him space. "The Zwerchhau, lad! A horizontal cut with a twist. Block the blade, shift your grip, and you catch your opponent off guard. It's the follow-through that matters."

    Naruto shook his head, trying to clear the ringing. "Wait… I blocked that. How did you hit me?"

    Siegmeyer chuckled, voice booming with good cheer. "A block ends a strike, yes, but a swordsman does not stop moving when his blade is stopped. Your defense was too rigid, too final. You must learn to think beyond the first contact."

    Naruto exhaled sharply and shifted again, this time dropping into The Fool.

    His Zweihander hung lazily at his side, his whole posture open and exposed, like a man who didn't know how to fight.

    Siegmeyer tilted his helm curiously. "Oh-ho! A trickster's stance, is it? Well now, this will be fun."

    They moved again.

    Steel rang across the stone courtyard, each strike a booming echo of timing, weight, and will. Naruto ducked and rolled, turned a parry into a strike, turned a mistake into momentum. But Siegmeyer was always a step ahead—not with speed, but with knowledge. Every movement was calculated, his blade cutting not only through air, but through Naruto's assumptions.

    And after an hour of sparring, Naruto dropped to one knee, his Zweihander planted into the ground like a pillar to hold himself upright. His breaths were ragged, his shoulder sore, but his grin stretched wide.

    Across from him, Siegmeyer hadn't broken a sweat.

    "That was quite the spar, young knight!" the older knight's voice boomed. "Your master must have taught you well."

    Naruto took a long swig of his Estus, the warmth sliding down his throat, dulling the ache in his limbs. "He only really showed me the basics... how to swing a sword properly. Weak attack, strong attack... that kind of stuff. And that was with an Astora Straight Sword."

    Siegmeyer's gaze drifted to Naruto's Zweihander, noting the subtle reinforcements and wear along the edge. "Ah! So you've found yourself drawn to the greatsword, have you?"

    "I guess. Found it while running from skeletons near Firelink. Kinda just felt... right."

    "Skeletons in the graveyard? Hoho! Nasty fellows. Tenacious, too." Siegmeyer chuckled. "And you developed your style on your own?"

    "Mostly. I had a little help with the fundamentals from a friend, but after that? I just copied moves from the enemies I survived fighting. Like a Black Knight once, watched how he moved and tried to mimic it."

    Siegmeyer gave a satisfied nod. "Yes, I saw hints of it in your stance... tight footwork, disciplined grip... all very promising. But..." He tapped the flat of his blade to the ground. "Your cuts were lacking."

    "My cuts?"

    "Yes. You still think in terms of weak and strong swings, do you not?"

    "Yeah, those are kind of the backbone of my technique."

    "And there's the problem!" Siegmeyer laughed, raising his blade. "These are base movements, useful for dispatching mindless hollows. But against a living opponent? A clever opponent? You need more. Allow me to show you something."

    Naruto straightened, curiosity sparking in his eyes as Siegmeyer stepped forward, his Zweihander now poised like a teaching staff.

    "There are three fundamental strikes. The foundation of all proper swordplay. We in Catarina call them the Drei Hauen... The Three Cuts."

    He shifted into a classic guard, blade raised high above his shoulder.

    "First: the Oberhau. It is the descending cut. Bring your blade down with full weight and intent. This strike smashes through guards and demands respect."

    Siegmeyer brought the Zweihander down in a clean arc.

    Naruto instinctively took a half-step back.

    "Second: the Unterhau. It is the ascending cut." He lowered his stance, blade down and angled forward. "Used to catch your opponent off guard. Slice upward, through armor joints, beneath their defense."

    With a twist of his hips, he launched the upward strike. It was fluid, almost elegant—and somehow vicious at the same time.

    Naruto's brow furrowed. That was a move he'd never thought to use.

    Siegmeyer adjusted again, this time aligning his blade horizontally.

    "And lastly... the Mittelhau. The flat cut. Swift, efficient, and meant to flow. It's your fastest strike, perfect for chaining attacks and catching opponents mid-motion."

    The horizontal slash came without warning, slicing through the air with shocking speed. No wasted movement.

    Then Siegmeyer lowered his sword and turned to Naruto, his expression serious beneath the jovial tone. "These three: Oberhau, Unterhau, and Mittelhau are the root of all true swordsmanship. Everything else is a variation."

    He paused, watching Naruto process every movement.

    "So... what do you say, young knight?" he asked, smile returning. "Are you ready to learn not just how to swing a blade but how to wield it?"

    Naruto exhaled slowly, lifting his hand with a glint in his eye.

    Then, suddenly—POOF.

    Siegmeyer blinked in surprise as dozens of Naruto clones appeared in a flash, each gripping their own Zweihander, mirroring their original with determined eyes and imperfect stances.

    "What is this miracle?!"

    "Shadow Clone Jutsu, Sir Siegmeyer! Anything my clones learn, I learn too. Real-time experience."

    "Fantastic, truly fantastic!" Siegmeyer boomed, turning slowly to take in the ring of iron-clad warriors. "Then if you can learn so swiftly, I shall teach you the Five Master Cuts… and perhaps a few more I've picked up on my travels!"

    Naruto's face lit up with excitement, but then... he paused. Something in his chest tightened. A strange, distant thought surfaced, connecting the moment with something unspoken.

    His grin faded into a contemplative look.

    "Wait… does this mean I'm kinda your squire?"

    Siegmeyer froze, blinking once. Then slowly, he planted his Zweihander into the earth, resting both hands atop the pommel. His tone grew softer, more thoughtful. "A fine question, my boy. I suppose… if a knight takes the time to teach, and a youth takes the time to learn—eagerly, earnestly—then yes. That could be called a squire's bond."

    Naruto's throat tightened at that. The word felt... heavier than he expected.

    "But," Siegmeyer continued, his voice gaining strength, "titles are just words. A true knight is not judged by what they are called but by what they do. By their heart. Their deeds."

    Then, with that characteristic sparkle in his eyes, Siegmeyer extended a hand. "So tell me, Naruto. Would you like to be a squire of this knight of Catarina?"

    Naruto stared at the offered hand for a long moment. Then he smiled and shook his head. "I... I'm already the squire of Oscar."

    Siegmeyer didn't falter. In fact, his smile grew. "Good," he said, nodding with approval. "A bond between knight and squire is sacred. Not something to be replaced, not even by one such as I."

    He tapped his armored chest with a gauntleted hand, pride in his posture. "Then let me be not your master, but your fellow knight. A friend upon the path. A senior, perhaps, but not a lord. I shall guide your blade, Naruto… as a companion."

    Naruto's throat felt tight again, but this time for a different reason. He bowed slightly. "In my world… that kind of teacher is called a Sensei."

    "Sensei..." Siegmeyer tested the word on his tongue. He smiled. "A fine title. One I shall carry with pride!"

    Then, with the same booming joy as always, he swept his Zweihander up into the ready position. "Now then! Let us begin with the first of the Master Cuts!"

    The clones mirrored him as best they could, adjusting their grips, aligning their postures.

    "The Zornhau!" Siegmeyer roared. "The Wrath Cut!"

    Dozens of blades whistled through the air. Some moved too fast, others stumbled. A few clones smacked themselves or each other with the oversized blades.

    But Siegmeyer did not correct them harshly. He simply watched. Letting them make their errors. Letting them learn. He smiled, quietly, as one by one the clones began to self-correct.

    "That's it," he murmured. "Learn with your body. Understand with your soul."

    Then, softly, as his gaze drifted up to the cloud-dappled sky, he whispered under his breath, "Lin… my dear daughter… you wouldn't believe the amazing knight I've met on this strange journey."

    The moment passed. He stepped forward once more, lifting his blade high.

    "Come now, my boy!" Siegmeyer called out, voice ringing with pride. "The path of mastery waits for no one! Again!"

    And together, under the quiet ruins and the flickering sky, a dozen blades danced in unison with each cut stronger than the last.

    Naruto returned home from Lordran just as the sun began to set behind the hills. Training with Siegmeyer had been brutal. The knight of Catarina was far stricter as a teacher than his attitude suggested. And yet… Naruto found it fun. There was joy in the challenge, in the sweat and soreness, in earning praise that wasn't hollow.

    He collapsed onto his bed, arm limp over the edge, and closed his eyes.

    The next moment, they opened.

    No dreams. No tossing. No rest. Just a seamless blink, as if his sleep had been edited out of his life. He blinked again, rubbing at his face, his body strangely refreshed but his mind left hanging in that limbo where sleep usually weaves dreams. It was like touching the void and coming back unchanged.

    But there was no time to dwell on it.

    Light crept into the windows, golden and clean, and while the rest of the household shared breakfast, Naruto stayed inside the storage room, hovering over a makeshift cauldron he'd hammered together with Andre.

    The contents inside boiled gently. An alchemical tonic laced with herbs, minerals, and rare reagents he'd gathered from Lordran. Flowers that glowed under moonlight. Ash from a burnt hollow. A drop of Estus. And finally, held between his fingers, the soul of the hawk.

    He withdrew the soul drop from his inventory.

    A soft, violet glow pulsed within it, like a heartbeat in a cage.

    Naruto dropped it into the cauldron.

    FWOOM.

    Light surged from the liquid, casting shadows across the walls. The mixture hissed, turned clear as glass, then shimmered with feather-thin ripples of gold. Naruto stared at it—this was it.

    He lowered his head into the tonic, submerging his face. The moment his eyes opened beneath the surface, the world snapped away.

    Naruto opened his eyes and found himself not in darkness but in design.

    Beneath his feet was a vast grid of pale, glowing lines stretching endlessly in all directions. A soul-world, patterned like an invisible weave of fate. Above him, blackness. Around him, nothing except motion.

    Silhouettes danced across the glowing mesh. They twitched and shimmered like old thoughts trying to remember themselves. This was not a place of body but a battlefield of the soul.

    A sudden screech tore through the emptiness.

    A shadow streaked across the grid like a blade of light.

    The hawk.

    Towering, spectral, and angry.

    It swooped toward Naruto in a blur, talons outstretched, its body shimmering with the burn of a soul trying to resist integration. This wasn't a tame spirit, nor a noble totem offering power. It wanted to kill him.

    But Naruto didn't hesitate.

    In this realm, he understood. Magic had taught him this. Soul transmutation, energy flow, the push and pull of essence. Here, he was his chakra… pure, condensed will shaped like a boy.

    The hawk dove, shrieking. Naruto flicked his wrist and a pulse of magic erupted from his core like a shockwave, disrupting the gridlines beneath his feet and sending resonance through the soulscape.

    The hawk flinched mid-flight, but didn't stop.

    Naruto shifted, his hand weaving a spellform instinctively.

    The soul arrow struck the hawk.

    Its talons passed through his shoulder—not slicing flesh, but rending his will. Pain unlike anything physical tore through him. But Naruto stepped into the pain, grabbed the hawk by its wings, and pushed—not physically, but with dominance of will.

    The grid responded. It pulsed beneath them both.

    Naruto roared. "You're mine now!"

    The hawk shrieked again, but faltered as its form began to unravel. Light fracturing along its wings, its soul bleeding.

    And then Naruto pulled.

    Not into his hands, not into his heart but into his eyes.

    The hawk's power rushed forward, a spiraling torrent of primal clarity and sky-born precision. His eyes burned, searing with white fire and for a moment, he saw everything. Every line in the grid, every silhouette in motion, every memory flickering in the dark.

    The hawk was gone.

    But not dead.

    Its essence lived behind his pupils.

    Naruto fell to one knee, chest heaving in the empty grid. He could feel it now: his eyes were no longer his alone. They had changed.

    He stood, looking up into the black sky above the grid.

    The silhouettes watched from the edges of memory, silent and still now.

    And Naruto whispered, "I see you."

    Then, the world shattered into light as a dream consumed the boy.

    When man first saw a bird, you think he saw more than wings.

    He saw freedom.

    Not the kind written about in scrolls or promised by shinobi villages, but something older… more raw and untamed. Freedom without walls. Freedom without rules. A life measured not in footsteps, but in wind.

    And now, you are that bird.

    No… not just a bird.

    A hawk.

    You are born in silence, from a shell of memory and instinct. Your first breath isn't air… it's altitude. You don't think in words anymore. You think in thermals. In the curve of a wind current and the shape of warm air rising off stone.

    You remember the rhythm of wings.

    You remember the sky so endless, it makes names feel small.

    You remember what it feels like to look down at the crawling shapes below, not out of arrogance, but out of distance. The way they move. Trapped by their roads and walls, carrying the weight of earth on their backs.

    You remember hunting.

    Not out of anger or bloodlust, but as a kind of truth. The moment of stillness before a dive. The mathematical curve of descent. The clarity that comes when instinct sharpens everything into purpose.

    You live a whole life in that body.

    You love the wind. You love the sky. You love the solitude.

    But you never stop wondering if that freedom has a cost.

    Are you free… because you are alone?

    Is this sky yours… or are you just borrowing it?

    There's something lonely in always looking down.

    And then the arrow.

    It comes not with sound, but with silence.

    No warning. No shout. Just shock.

    It pierces not just your body but the illusion.

    Pain is a loud teacher.

    You fall.

    The sky you loved so deeply becomes the enemy. Cold and fast and unfeeling. The wind, once your cradle, now screams past like betrayal.

    As you tumble, you don't feel fear.

    You feel… understanding.

    So this is what it means, you think, to be shot down. To be hunted. To be seen not as free, but as a target.

    And as the ground rushes up like an answer to a question you hadn't asked, you remember yourself… your real self.

    Naruto.

    And you realize something else: Birds may fly because they're born with wings.

    But humans?

    You fight to fly.

    You dream of it.

    You make yourself be able to fly.

    And in that, maybe you're freer than birds will ever be.

    "Sasuke, could you tell Naruto to come downstairs to eat?" Tsunami asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

    Sasuke gave his signature grunt. "Hn."

    He trudged up the stairs like a man going to war. As he reached Naruto's room, a horrific smell hit him square in the face. He recoiled like he'd been punched in the sinuses.

    "What the hell… did something die in here?!" Sasuke gagged, yanking the door open.

    A wave of noxious, glowing fumes rolled out like a bad science fair project gone feral.

    Inside, Naruto was sprawled across the floor like a fried fish, head dunked in what looked like Tsunami's favorite soup pot. His hair was soaked, his eyes wide open.

    "Naruto! What the hell?" Sasuke coughed, covering his mouth with his shirt. "You trying to summon the dead with potpourri and poor life choices?!"

    Naruto didn't move. Instead, he slowly turned his head, pupils dilated like dinner plates. "Sasuke…" he whispered. "I unlocked… my dōjutsu…"

    Sasuke blinked. "You what?"

    "I lived a life… as a bird."

    "…I'm sorry, what?"

    "A hawk," Naruto continued, eyes shimmering. "I flew. I understood. And now… I see everything. Your chakra… it's a persuasive… blue-violet aura. Like blueberry jam… with… angst."

    Sasuke stared for a long moment, slammed the door shut and walked back downstairs.

    "Naruto's sleeping in," he said flatly.

    "Oh," Sakura replied. "Everything okay?"

    Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. He just needs an hour. And probably an exorcist."

    "Well, tell him there's a special sparring session this afternoon," Kakashi said, though his voice lacked its usual laziness. There was weight in his words. A quiet edge.

    He turned away, but his mind stayed upstairs on the boy who was no longer just a boy.

    Something had changed.

    And soon, everyone would see it. Not in a grand speech. Not in declarations or fanfare. But in steel meeting steel. In a clash where instincts were tested, and the truth laid bare.

    This wasn't just training. It was a reckoning.

    Because when the sun reached its peak and the circle was drawn, the question wouldn't be who was stronger. It would be whether the Copy Ninja of Konoha still had the strength to take back what he once held… from the knight who returned from a land where even death had died.

    Author's Note: I don't know if you guys enjoy me rambling about lore and choices, but I'm doing it anyway because I love building this world.

    1 - The Hyūga Clan, Bows, and Horses

    So, just to be clear... this is fanfic-original lore. But let me explain why I added it.

    The Hyūga clan needed an expansion. Canon mostly treats them as a Gentle Fist + Byakugan combo, and while that's cool, it lacks historical depth. I wanted to bring in the idea of evolution in warfare, something you don't see often in Naruto fics or even the main story.

    Let me give you a real-world example. During Japan's Warring States period (Sengoku Jidai), samurai weren't just katana-swinging duelists. They were masters of the yumi bow and horseback combat. Archery was the primary battlefield weapon—far deadlier than a kunai or shuriken. But over time, with the rise of firearms and close-range martial arts, archery faded out.

    So, in my version of the Naruto world, the Hyūga once rode with horses and longbows, striking from a distance. But as ninja combat shifted to stealth and close-quarters, they adapted—dropping the bow in favor of Gentle Fist. That's why Hinata, as the heir, still learns some of these "lost" arts. It's tradition. It's legacy.

    Now a question for you: Would you want to see Hinata sign a horse summoning contract and evolve into a mounted archer?
    Because I think it could lead to some amazing growth for her, visually and thematically.

    Also, how did you guys like the Hyūga clan lore expansion? I'm really curious.

    2 - Naruto's Greatbow: The Drake-Slayer

    Yep, it's an original weapon. If you want a visual reference, search Golem Greatbow Elden Ring. That's basically what I imagined.

    But why a greatbow instead of a regular bow?

    Simple, I wanted Naruto's weapon to feel special. It's meant to slay lightning drakes. This isn't your standard tool... it's a weapon of myth, of legend. Forged by Rickert of Vinheim, built to punch holes through monsters that fly through storms.

    Let's talk stats:

    Height: 6 feet tall (Naruto's bow is literally bigger than Kurenai)

    Draw Weight: 5 tons (no, that's not a typo)

    Arrows: Actually metal javelins

    Speed: Fires at Mach speeds

    Bonus Perks:     He can attach explosive tags, Wind Style: Vacuum Blade, or even soul-empowered modifications.

    So yeah. Naruto with a bow isn't just a ranged ninja, he's a battlefield threat.

    3- Astoran Boxing advanced style or Poise Breaker: This is a game mechanic I've novelized in a similar way to how I did Focality and Hawkeyes.

    First, what is poise?

    In Dark Souls, poise is a hidden stat that determines how resistant you are to being staggered or stun-locked when taking hits. High poise means you can keep swinging through attacks without flinching. Low poise? You get interrupted, locked down, and combo'd into death. If you manage to damage someone fast or hard enough to break their poise; they stagger, leaving them wide open. That's your chance to hit again. And again. And again.

    Now, I wanted Naruto to obtain something that doesn't just tank hits like traditional poise, but something that exploits it. A style built not on withstanding force, but on shattering it.

    So what inspired this?

    Mantis shrimp.

    Yep. One of the most absurd, overpowered creatures in the ocean. These tiny monsters punch with so much speed (up to 23 m/s in 0.002 seconds) that they create cavitation bubbles essentially pockets of low pressure that collapse with explosive force. We're talking shockwaves, sonic booms, and even bursts of light from the heat generated.

    And I thought… could I make Naruto punch like that?

    Then came the question: "Can shockwaves actually stunlock someone?"

    Answer: Yes.

    Real-world blast waves and concussion studies show that shockwaves can disrupt a person's nervous system, balance, and motor control. It scrambles your ability to move, react, even think for a few seconds. That's a perfect opening to break a target's poise in a fight.

    So I asked myself: what would that look like in the air? What would it feel like?

    That's when the fictional logic clicked. If Naruto could accelerate his limbs fast enough using chakra, he wouldn't need to touch the enemy. The shockwave would do the work rupturing air like a mantis shrimp does water. Creating a vacuum, then collapsing it, causing a concussive blast that short-circuits your enemy's ability to respond.

    So there you go that's the logic behind Poise Breaker.

    4- On the Denominations of the Way of White and the Gods of Catarina

    Full transparency: what you're about to read isn't official Dark Souls lore—
    but that's the beauty of Dark Souls, isn't it? FromSoftware created a world so rich in mystery, ambiguity, and scattered fragments that the lore almost invites players to become archivists, theologians, and storytellers in their own right. So let me pull back the curtain and explain some of the worldbuilding expansions I've added in this story, which are rooted in the item descriptions and world atmosphere we all know and love.

    The Denominations of the Way of White

    Let's begin with a simple item:

    Emit Force – Dark Souls I
    Outland miracle, foreign to the Way of White. Emits an expanding shockwave orb. Considered an alternative branching of Force.

    Now contrast that with its origin miracle:

    Force – Dark Souls I
    Common miracle among cleric knights. Create shockwave. This quickly-acting miracle inflicts no damage, but propels foes back and defends against arrows. Cleric knights use this miracle when charging into enemy mobs.

    What stood out to me here was a single word: common. Force is a standard-issue miracle among cleric knights. The foot soldiers of the Way of White, a faith tied closely to the worship of Gwyn. But then Emit Force is considered foreign to that Way, even though it's clearly derived from the same fundamental principle.

    That suggests branching. Divergence. Interpretation.

    Denominations.

    In our world, religions often split over doctrine and praxis. Christianity, in particular, birthed multiple denominations such as Catholicism and Protestantism due to differing views on authority, ritual, and divine truth. The same seems to happen here—Emit Force is the Protestant to Force's Catholic. A variant interpretation of a shared miracle. And the fact that it's described as an outland miracle only reinforces the idea that the Way of White may have fractured after Gwyn linked the First Flame. His absence left behind a pantheon without clear central leadership, and the followers of his light likely responded in different ways across regions and cultures. The miracles remained, but their meaning changed.

    5- The Gods of Catarina: McLoyf and Caitha

    Now let's move to Catarina, the land of round armor, honest hearts, and emit force.
    Why did I choose McLoyf and Caitha as the primary deities of Catarina?

    Let's look at the evidence.

    Emit Force – Dark Souls III
    Traditional miracle of Catarina. Releases a shockwave in front. The people of lands known for festivity and drink are typically outspoken. One can be sure that they will not bottle their emotions, instead venting anger and the like with confidence.

    Here, Emit Force is no longer foreign... it's traditional. Catarina owns this miracle now. So what god would best suit a land described as festive, drink-loving, and emotionally honest?

    McLoyf, the God of Medicine and Drink.

    But what of Caitha?

    Blue Tearstone Ring – Dark Souls II
    A ring set with a blue tearstone. Reacts when the wearer is in danger, temporarily increasing its wearer's physical defense power. Caitha, goddess of tears, mourns those who have lost loved ones by shedding pure tears of blue. It is said that the stone set in this ring is one such tear.

    Now add this:

    Blue Tearstone Ring – Dark Souls I
    The rare gem called tearstone has the uncanny ability to sense imminent death. This blue tearstone from Catarina boosts the defence of its wearer when in danger.

    The DS1 version outright says this tearstone is from Catarina. And we know, from the game files, that Siegmeyer—who is like the face of Catarina—wears a Blue Tearstone Ring. That ties Caitha directly to the culture and faith of the land.

    So between McLoyf and Caitha, we get a balance of healing, festivity, mourning, and emotional expression—traits that define the people of Catarina. Their miracles, their aesthetic, and their personalities all point back to these two gods.

    6- Historical and Cultural Parallels: Germany and Denominations

    Why only two gods for Catarina?

    Because real-world inspirations matter. The design of Catarina draws heavily from Germanic mythology and medieval German culture. Siegmeyer's name, armor, and even his weapon (Zweihander) all point to a Germanic root:

    Sieg is German for victory

    Meyer     is a German surname derived from meier, meaning leaseholder

    Siegmeyer's name may be inspired by that of Siegfried, a hero of Germanic mythology. Like Siegmeyer, Siegfried has family members whose names begin with Sieg, including his father Siegmund and mother Sieglinde.

    And Germany, as you might know, is a land with two major religious denominations:

    Catholicism

    Protestantism

    So it felt appropriate that the Kingdom of Catarina would mirror this structure. Two gods. Two perspectives. Not a sprawling pantheon, but a dualistic faith structure that reflects both cultural inspiration and religious evolution.

    7- What Did Siegmeyer Teach Naruto?

    Let's talk swordsmanship. Specifically, what Siegmeyer of Catarina has been drilling into Naruto's skull because let's be honest, that man may laugh like a jolly onion, but his blade work is no joke.

    The Foundation: The Drei Hauen – The Three Basic Cuts

    Siegmeyer began by introducing Naruto to the fundamental forms of historical swordplay, inspired by Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA):

    Oberhau (High Cut): A descending strike from above, typically diagonal.

    Mittelhau (Middle Cut): A horizontal cut, quick and versatile.

    Unterhau (Low Cut): An ascending cut, often used to break through defenses or intercept attacks.

    These three are the building blocks of real swordsmanship.

    Then Came the Mastery: The Fünf Meisterhauen – The Five Master Cuts

    This is where things get spicy. The Five Master Cuts are legendary techniques from the German school of swordsmanship and yes, I went full HEMA for this because Seigmeyer is from the fantasy equivalent of Germany.

    Zornhau (Wrath Cut): A diagonal power strike meant to counter an incoming attack with superior force.

    Krumphau (Crooked Cut): A deceptive attack aimed at the opponent's hands or weapon, designed to destroy their guard and leave them open.

    Zwerchau (Thwart Cut): A horizontal swing that counters high-line strikes.

    Schielhau (Squinting Cut): A feinting strike delivered at an angle with a twist of the body.

    Scheitelhau (Parting Cut): A brutal vertical downward strike meant to split guards down the middle.

    And Naruto? He's learning them all. With Shadow Clones multiplying his training speed, he's absorbing years of sword knowledge in days. Combine that with his stat buffs and you've got a shinobi-knight hybrid who can duel hollows and ninja alike.

    You know what's absolutely hilarious? Dark Souls Naruto, in just the Wave Arc, has a deeper bag of tricks than canon Naruto. I'm not even talking about raw power—just tools, skills, and breadth of knowledge.

    And here's the best part: he's only just getting started. I've got arcs planned that will take him to places no canon counterpart could reach—both in power and narrative depth. Yes, he's going to be powerful. Overpowered, even. But don't worry, I'm not handing him a golden path. Every strength has a cost. Every fight going forward? High stakes, high consequences.

    Now I want to hear from you.

    How strong do you think current Dark Souls Naruto is right now? On a scale from 1 to 10, how hard would a Naruto vs Kakashi fight be?

    I've got my own notes on how this spar is going to play out, but I want to see if anyone can guess the real stakes coming up.

    Let me know what you think!

    That's It… For Now.

    And if you can't wait for the next update, the next chapter drops on June 10th! 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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    • He got tutorial and a advanced tutorial only in a fancic would such a thing happen in a dark souls game.

    Side rant I want to love the elden ring game but by god does it have a lot of flaws bah.
     
    Uh, I don't get having to make an original Dragon Slaying Greatbow. There already is a Dragonslayer Greatbow in the Dark Souls universe, so this feels feels a bit unnecessary and might be a slight bit confusing…
     
    CornCorn said:
    Uh, I don't get having to make an original Dragon Slaying Greatbow. There already is a Dragonslayer Greatbow in the Dark Souls universe, so this feels feels a bit unnecessary and might be a slight bit confusing…
    Click to expand...
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    Okay, but where exactly is Naruto supposed to get the Dragonslayer Greatbow right now?

    That bow is located in Anor Londo. Naruto hasn't even rung the first bell yet let alone the second. He still has to pass through Sen's Fortress, survive its gauntlet, and then reach Anor Londo, which is essentially the midpoint of the original game. We're not even close to that.

    As for why Andre or Rickert didn't just recreate it outright, it's because neither of them can. The Drake-Slaying Greatbow is an imitation, made with the resources and techniques currently available. It's not about replacing the Dragonslayer Greatbow, it's about building something that Naruto can use now within the context of the story's timeline and power progression.

    And honestly? That makes it more personal. This isn't just Naruto picking up another piece of loot. It's his bow, made for his journey, with its own identity and purpose.
     
    Adamos_Amet said:
    Okay, but where exactly is Naruto supposed to get the Dragonslayer Greatbow right now?

    That bow is located in Anor Londo. Naruto hasn't even rung the first bell yet let alone the second. He still has to pass through Sen's Fortress, survive its gauntlet, and then reach Anor Londo, which is essentially the midpoint of the original game. We're not even close to that.

    As for why Andre or Rickert didn't just recreate it outright, it's because neither of them can. The Drake-Slaying Greatbow is an imitation, made with the resources and techniques currently available. It's not about replacing the Dragonslayer Greatbow, it's about building something that Naruto can use now within the context of the story's timeline and power progression.

    And honestly? That makes it more personal. This isn't just Naruto picking up another piece of loot. It's his bow, made for his journey, with its own identity and purpose.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I'm not saying he should have a Dragonslayer Greatbow by now, but I am saying that maybe the name of the bow should be changed a bit to not confuse it with the Dragonslayer Greatbow. Names are a bit too similar.
     
    Adamos_Amet said:
    Would you want to see Hinata sign a horse summoning contract and evolve into a mounted archer?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Heck yeah!

    And Germany, as you might know, is a land with two major religious denominations:

    Catholicism

    Protestantism
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Most of those Protestants are Lutherans, but Calvin also had power in historical Germany. I'm kinda super into theology, if you want someone with a spin in such areas to maybe give you some ideas or fun things to adapt?
     
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