I Became a Demon Sword and Traveled the Anime Worlds

Mizuki noticed nothing unusual about Naruto's calm expression.

If anything, the boy's apparent innocence only made him more contemptuous.

A genius?

So what?

In the end, Naruto was still a child being led exactly where Mizuki wanted him.

Mizuki reached behind himself and pulled the enormous Fūma Shuriken from his back.

A mocking smile spread across his face.

"And Naruto, there's something else you should know."

His eyes sharpened.

"That ridiculous dream of yours will never come true."

Naruto looked at him quietly.

Mizuki's smile widened.

"Do you know why everyone in this village hates you?"

"Because you're the Nine Tails."

"You're the fox demon that destroyed Konoha!"

Iruka's expression changed.

"Mizuki!"

But Naruto barely reacted.

His blue eyes remained steady.

"Maybe you're right."

Mizuki paused.

Naruto continued calmly.

"Maybe everyone really does hate me."

He placed one hand near his weapon pouch.

"But I still believe that can change."

"And if it doesn't change by itself, then I'll change it with my own hands."

Inside the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched everything through his crystal ball.

His expression softened slightly.

"At least for now, Naruto still considers himself part of the village..."

A trace of relief appeared in his tired eyes.

Then his gaze sharpened with anticipation.

He wanted to see how far Naruto had truly progressed.

Within the crystal ball, Mizuki moved first.

His arm swung.

The enormous Fūma Shuriken spun away from his hand with a violent howl.

Its metal edges tore through the night air toward Naruto.

Naruto's eyes locked onto it.

He jumped.

The spinning weapon passed beneath his feet.

At the same time, his hands formed a seal.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Poof!

Smoke burst around him.

Two additional Narutos appeared.

One clone crouched beneath him.

Naruto planted a foot on its shoulder.

The clone thrust upward.

Naruto shot toward the tree like an arrow.

Mizuki's eyes widened.

Too fast.

He had no time to dodge.

Naruto's fist slammed directly into his face.

Bang!

Mizuki was knocked from the branch.

His body crashed into the forest floor.

Before he could even process what had happened, Naruto landed beside him.

A kunai appeared against his throat.

Naruto looked down at him.

"Mizuki sensei."

His voice remained polite.

"If you don't want to die, please stop moving."

Mizuki stared up at him in disbelief.

"How..."

His thoughts refused to catch up.

Naruto had only graduated from the Ninja Academy today.

Mizuki was a Chunin.

Yet the entire exchange had ended before Mizuki had even managed a second attack.

"How can you possibly be this strong?"

Naruto did not bother answering.

He shifted the kunai aside and struck the back of Mizuki's neck with the edge of his hand.

Mizuki's eyes rolled upward.

His body went limp.

Naruto deliberately left him alive.

After all, someone needed to explain exactly why Naruto had stolen the Scroll of Seals.

A living Mizuki made a much better scapegoat than a corpse.

Inside Naruto, Asuramaru nodded in approval.

Smart.

Naruto calmly returned the kunai to his pouch.

Iruka stood several metres away, still staring.

His expression was complicated.

Had Naruto been hiding this much strength the entire time?

Naruto turned toward him.

The coldness from moments before disappeared.

A bright smile returned to his face.

"Iruka sensei."

He gestured toward the unconscious Mizuki.

"Let's take him and the Scroll of Seals back to Grandpa Third."

Iruka remained silent for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"All right."

He walked over and lifted Mizuki onto his back.

Naruto picked up the enormous scroll.

Together, they left the forest.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen watched the crystal ball in silence.

For a brief moment, Naruto's movements reminded him of another blond Shinobi.

Minato.

The similarity was not merely physical.

Naruto had inherited his father's talent.

Perhaps even more than Hiruzen had expected.

His cloudy eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Then another possibility surfaced.

Flying Thunder God.

If Naruto had truly inherited Minato's aptitude...

Could he master it too?

If he could, then Hiruzen would finally have one less thing to worry about.

While the Third Hokage was still thinking, the office door opened.

Iruka entered with Mizuki on his back.

Naruto followed, carrying the Scroll of Seals.

Iruka immediately stepped forward.

He lowered Mizuki onto the floor.

"Lord Third."

His expression became serious.

"Please allow me to explain what happened."

Hiruzen nodded.

"Go ahead."

Iruka quickly recounted everything.

Mizuki approaching Naruto.

The information about the Scroll of Seals.

The hidden training ground.

The ambush.

And finally, Mizuki's attempt to kill both Naruto and Iruka.

What Iruka did not know was that nearly everything he described had already unfolded beneath Hiruzen's watch.

When he finished, Hiruzen gave his decision without hesitation.

"I understand."

His gaze fell on Mizuki.

"Classify Mizuki as a rogue ninja."

"Take him into custody immediately."

Iruka nodded.

"Yes, Lord Third."

Hiruzen then turned toward Naruto.

Naruto stood there with an innocent expression, still holding the Scroll of Seals.

"As for you..."

Naruto straightened slightly.

"Put the scroll down."

Hiruzen took another draw from his pipe.

"Then go home."

That was all.

No imprisonment.

No punishment.

Not even a reprimand.

Iruka looked relieved.

He simply assumed that Hiruzen had chosen to be lenient because Naruto had been deceived.

Naruto understood much more.

So Asuramaru had been right.

He placed the Scroll of Seals carefully on the floor.

"Then I'll head home, Grandpa Third."

His mind was already elsewhere.

Flying Thunder God.

He wanted to begin practicing it immediately.

Before leaving, Naruto stopped beside Iruka.

His expression became sincere.

"Thank you, Iruka sensei."

Iruka blinked.

Then he smiled.

"Go on."

"You've had enough excitement for one night."

Naruto nodded.

He left the office.

Moments later, he was already moving through the dark streets of Konoha.

By the time he returned home, impatience had taken over.

He did not even bother turning on the lights.

Naruto sat down and immediately began training.

His consciousness sank inward.

The world around him changed.

Sea.

Sky.

An endless horizon where the two seemed to merge.

Naruto opened his eyes.

The first thing he did was search for Asuramaru.

Only after spotting the familiar figure nearby did his expression brighten.

"Asuramaru!"

He walked over eagerly.

"How did I do today?"

Asuramaru glanced at him.

"So so."

Naruto grinned.

Coming from Asuramaru, that was practically lavish praise.

"Thanks."

"I did not praise you."

"You basically did."

Naruto immediately moved on before Asuramaru could argue.

"Anyway, you promised to teach me the Flying Thunder God Technique."

He looked expectantly at him.

"I'm counting on you tonight."

Asuramaru did not refuse.

He walked forward.

At the same time, his understanding of the Flying Thunder God Technique began flowing directly into Naruto's mind.

"The most important part is not the mark."

Naruto listened carefully.

"It is spatial perception."

Asuramaru raised one hand.

"The formula establishes coordinates."

"Your chakra connects you to those coordinates."

"But before any of that matters, you first need to understand what you are trying to move through."

"Space itself."

Naruto frowned slightly as he processed the information entering his mind.

Then he sat cross legged.

He closed his eyes.

Chakra began flowing steadily through his body.

He tried to perceive the surrounding space exactly as Asuramaru had instructed.

Within this mental world, Asuramaru controlled virtually everything.

Naturally, he could make the process far easier for Naruto than it would be under ordinary circumstances.

Even so, the Flying Thunder God was still an S Rank Space Time Ninjutsu.

The first step was the hardest.

No amount of assistance could make Naruto master it in an instant.

As Naruto sank deeper into concentration, Asuramaru watched him for a while.

Then his attention drifted elsewhere.

Not far away, behind the seal, an enormous orange fox lay quietly.

The Nine Tails.

The moment Kurama noticed Asuramaru looking at him, his entire body stiffened.

His ears lowered.

His tails twitched.

Then he spoke before Asuramaru could even approach.

"Can you not?"

Asuramaru raised an eyebrow.

Kurama stared at him with genuine exhaustion.

"Can you just let this old man sit here in peace for once?"

There had once been a time when the Nine Tails would have roared, threatened, cursed, and tried to tear apart anyone who treated him with disrespect.

That Nine Tails was gone.

Not because Kurama had suddenly become gentle.

He had simply been beaten too many times.

He had resisted.

He had attacked.

He had tried everything.

None of it had worked.

After enough defeats, Kurama had been forced to accept one miserable possibility.

The creature standing before him might possess strength beyond even the Sage of Six Paths.

If resistance was pointless, then there was only one option left.

Endure.

But getting beaten every few days was becoming unbearable.

Asuramaru studied Kurama's miserable expression.

For once, he felt a tiny amount of guilt.

Perhaps he really had gone a little too far.

Besides, beating Kurama barely generated emotion points anymore.

There was no reason to keep repeating the same routine.

Maybe it was time to make things easier for him.

Asuramaru walked forward with a smile.

"All right."

Kurama's eyes widened.

Hope appeared on his face.

"You mean it?"

He raised his head.

"You're finally letting me go?"

"No."

The hope vanished instantly.

Kurama's face darkened.

Asuramaru continued cheerfully.

"I said I would make things easier for you."

He waved his hand.

A gigantic roulette wheel appeared in the mental world.

Kurama stared at it suspiciously.

The wheel was divided into countless sections.

Each contained a different figure.

Some human.

Some monstrous.

Some familiar to Asuramaru from worlds long since left behind.

Asuramaru gestured toward it.

"This wheel contains my previous Sword Masters and creatures they defeated."

Kurama's eyes narrowed.

"There are all kinds of opponents."

Asuramaru smiled.

"But relax."

"The vast majority are weak enough that you could kill them with one swipe of your claw."

Kurama stared at him.

"So from now on, your fate is in your own hands."

Asuramaru pointed toward the button beneath the wheel.

"Whatever you draw depends entirely on your luck."

Kurama's expression grew increasingly grim.

He understood immediately.

This was not an offer.

It was a notification.

Still...

Compared with simply being dragged into another beating whenever Asuramaru became bored, this at least gave him a chance.

After a moment of hesitation, Kurama raised one massive claw.

He pressed the button.

The roulette wheel began spinning.

Faster.

Faster.

The figures blurred together.

Kurama stared without blinking.

The wheel gradually slowed.

One section passed beneath the pointer.

Then another.

Then another.

Finally...

Click.

The wheel stopped.

Kurama looked toward the selected figure.

Asuramaru did the same.

The pointer had landed on…

....

[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]

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