Chapter 233: Naruto Arc
The moment Asuramaru vanished from the mental world, Sonic and Satoru Suzuki were forcibly expelled as well.
Inside the dark apartment in City Z, Sonic's eyes snapped open.
His hand moved immediately.
The sword at his waist left its sheath with a soft metallic hiss.
Sonic stared at it beneath the pale moonlight spilling through the window. After a long silence, he tested the familiar connection within his mind.
"Asuramaru."
No answer came.
Sonic's expression tightened.
"Are you still there?"
Silence.
There was no mocking reply.
No irritated complaint.
No familiar voice telling him what an idiot he was.
Only the stillness of the empty room.
Sonic slowly lowered the sword.
He stood alone beside the window, looking at the crescent moon hanging above City Z.
For once, he had nothing to say.
Elsewhere, Satoru Suzuki had also awakened.
He sat on the edge of his bed for a moment before rising and quietly walking into the living room.
There, carefully enshrined within his home, rested the sword that had accompanied him through so much of his life.
Satoru approached it and placed one hand on the hilt.
Memories surfaced one after another.
His first encounter with Asuramaru.
The trials.
The battles.
The countless times he had borrowed that power to save someone.
Then, almost without thinking, Satoru pulled.
The sword slid free.
Satoru froze.
For years, ever since he had surrendered his claim to Asuramaru, he had been unable to draw it at all.
Yet now it had come free without resistance.
"Asuramaru?"
Hope briefly entered his voice.
"Is that you?"
There was no response.
Instead, knowledge suddenly poured into his mind.
The sword's abilities.
Its functions.
How to wield its power.
Everything that had once required Asuramaru's presence was now simply there, waiting for him to use it.
Satoru stared down at the sword.
His fingers slowly tightened around the hilt.
Tighter.
And tighter.
Far beyond that world, Asuramaru was already travelling through the vast currents connecting countless realities.
With nothing else to do during the journey, he casually asked the system a question that had been on his mind for some time.
"System, what happened with the Seventh Realm?"
"What became of that operation against the transmigrators?"
The system responded almost immediately.
[Ding! The Transmigrator Alliance that had been destroying worlds appears to have been defeated by Lin Mo, Director of the Seventh Administration, and his forces.]
[The Seventh Administration is currently searching for the remaining fugitives.]
[Several worlds were reportedly destroyed during the conflict.]
[Fortunately, we escaped in time.]
Asuramaru remained calm.
"That sounds troublesome."
He had no intention of getting involved.
Whatever conflict existed between the Seventh Administration and those transmigrators had nothing to do with him.
At least for now.
The journey continued.
Time lost all meaning between worlds.
Then, without warning, Asuramaru's senses disappeared.
Darkness swallowed everything.
He could not see.
Could not hear.
Could not feel.
Then sensation returned all at once.
A cold night wind brushed past him.
His vision cleared.
The first thing Asuramaru saw was a woman with brilliant red hair.
He seemed to be hanging from her neck in the form of a small sword shaped pendant.
The woman was badly injured.
Blood stained her clothes, and exhaustion covered her pale face.
Standing before her was a handsome blond man wearing the cloak of the Hokage.
And beyond them...
A colossal beast towered beneath the night sky.
Nine enormous tails lashed behind it.
Its monstrous body radiated hatred powerful enough to suffocate an ordinary person.
Asuramaru stared for a moment.
Then recognition came immediately.
The Nine Tails.
Red haired woman.
Blond Hokage.
Newborn child nearby.
He did not even need the system to explain.
This was Naruto.
The system chimed at once.
[Ding! Transmigration successful!]
[In recognition of the host's exceptional performance in the previous world, the system will create a perfect identity within this world.]
[Current World: Naruto]
[Created Identity: Deity]
[You are the deity traditionally worshiped by the legendary Uzumaki Clan.]
[According to Uzumaki legend, a sword shaped pendant serves as the bridge through which believers may communicate with the deity.]
[Those who obtain the deity's recognition may receive divine power.]
[Sword Master bound: Uzumaki Naruto]
[Current Mission: Have Uzumaki Naruto defeat Uchiha Sasuke.]
[There is no time limit.]
[The stronger Uchiha Sasuke becomes before his defeat, the greater the final reward.]
[Defeating the designated opponent will unlock the next world crossing.]
[Special Option: The host may spend 10,000 emotion points to select the designated opponent as a second Sword Master.]
Asuramaru fell silent.
Then his expression became strange.
"So you want me to raise Naruto..."
He paused.
"And Sasuke is both his target and a potential second Sword Master?"
The system did not respond.
Asuramaru stared at the newborn Naruto.
"You're seriously making me raise a child?"
Was this reasonable?
He had spent the previous world training Sonic and Satoru.
Now he had been sent to another world and immediately assigned an infant.
Still...
The mission itself did not seem particularly difficult.
With everything Asuramaru possessed now, training Naruto to reach the Six Paths level should be entirely possible.
His thoughts gradually drifted in a more mischievous direction.
What would happen if the enemies Naruto was supposed to struggle against in the original story encountered a version of him raised personally by Asuramaru?
The idea became increasingly entertaining the longer he considered it.
Especially Obito.
And Nagato.
Asuramaru almost wanted to see their expressions already.
Outside, the final moments of the Nine Tails attack continued.
Minato Namikaze had already completed the Reaper Death Seal.
The Nine Tails was divided into two halves.
Its Yin chakra was sealed within Minato himself.
The Yang half would be sealed into his newborn son.
Minato placed his hand upon Naruto.
The Eight Trigrams Seal formed.
Power surged.
The Yang Nine Tails began flowing into the infant.
At that exact moment, the sword shaped pendant hanging from Kushina's neck trembled.
Kushina weakly looked down.
The pendant lifted from her chest.
An invisible force pulled it toward Naruto.
Then, together with the Nine Tails chakra, the pendant vanished into the child's body.
Minato's exhausted eyes widened.
"That pendant..."
He looked at Kushina.
"If I remember correctly, isn't that the Uzumaki Clan relic used to communicate with your deity?"
Kushina gave a weak, bitter laugh.
"I always thought those stories were just legends."
Her gaze moved toward Naruto.
"But maybe Naruto really did receive that deity's recognition."
Even while dying, warmth entered her expression.
"He really is our son..."
Outside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi had also witnessed what happened.
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes.
Two Jonin standing nearby had seen it as well.
Minato was turning his own child into a Jinchūriki.
And that strange pendant had been sealed together with the Nine Tails.
Inside the barrier, Minato formed another series of hand seals.
Smoke erupted.
A small toad appeared, roughly the size of a young child.
Gerotora immediately looked around in shock.
The Nine Tails.
Kushina.
Minato.
The newborn Naruto.
He instantly understood that something terrible had happened.
Minato wasted no time.
"Gerotora."
His voice was weak but steady.
"I'm entrusting you with the key to Naruto's seal."
He handed over the scroll.
"Take it to Jiraiya sensei and have him keep it safe."
Gerotora accepted the scroll solemnly.
"I understand."
He looked at Minato one last time.
"I'll make sure Jiraiya receives it."
The summoning technique ended.
Gerotora disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Minato finally relaxed.
"That should be enough."
Then he looked toward Kushina.
His face had grown frighteningly pale.
"Kushina..."
"We don't have much time left."
He looked down at their son.
"If there's anything you want to tell Naruto, say it now."
Kushina's eyes immediately filled with emotion.
She looked at the newborn child lying before her.
"Naruto..."
Her voice trembled.
"Don't be picky about your food."
"Eat properly and grow up strong."
"Take a bath every day."
"Make sure you sleep enough, and don't stay up too late."
She struggled to continue.
"Make friends."
"You don't need a lot of them."
"Just a few people you can truly trust."
Her breathing weakened.
"There's so much more I wanted to tell you..."
Kushina's eyes glistened.
"And so much more time I wanted to spend with you."
She gave a faint smile.
Then she glanced back toward Minato.
"Sorry, Minato."
"I'm doing all the talking."
Minato smiled despite the bloodless pallor of his face.
"Naruto."
He looked at his son.
"Everything your father wants to say..."
His smile softened.
"Is the same as your talkative mother."
Their voices faded.
And beneath the moonlit sky, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki died beside their son.
Outside the barrier, Hiruzen watched in silence.
For a few moments, even the Third Hokage could not speak.
Then he stepped forward and carefully lifted Naruto into his arms.
His expression became stern as he turned toward the Jonin behind him.
"Everything that happened here tonight is classified."
His gaze sharpened.
"No one is to speak of it."
The two Jonin immediately lowered their heads.
"Yes, Lord Third."
Within Naruto, Asuramaru watched everything unfold.
He remained quiet for a while.
Then he sighed and shook his head.
There was nothing he could change about what had already happened.
Instead, he turned his attention toward something much more relevant to himself.
"System."
"Where is my template?"
The response came immediately.
[Ding! Beginning fourth template draw!]
The familiar roulette wheel appeared before Asuramaru.
Countless possibilities flashed across its surface.
He reached out without hesitation.
"Draw."
The wheel began spinning.
Faster.
Faster.
The images blurred together.
Then the wheel slowed.
One position after another passed beneath the indicator.
Finally, it stopped.
Asuramaru stared.
A pitch black sword hilt appeared before him.
At first glance, there seemed to be nothing particularly remarkable about it.
He narrowed his eyes.
"What is that?"
The system answered.
[Ding! Congratulations, host!]
[Fourth Template Obtained: Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka!]
....
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