I Became a Demon Sword and Traveled the Anime Worlds

The Shinigami did not answer.

It did not need to.

Its monstrous face twisted with rage, its murderous gaze fixed on Asuramaru.

Asuramaru stared back without the slightest fear.

Neither moved.

For several seconds, the battlefield seemed to fall strangely silent.

Then the Shinigami struck first.

Its enormous claw swept toward Naruto.

Asuramaru moved.

Ryūjin Jakka flashed through the air.

Slash!

The sword tore straight through the Shinigami's chest.

A hideous wound opened across its spectral body.

The Shinigami recoiled with another piercing scream.

"Aaaaaagh!"

Even the Reaper Death Seal was disrupted.

The ritual collapsed before it could be completed.

The portion of Hiruzen Sarutobi's soul that had not yet been consumed was immediately released and returned to his dying body.

Orochimaru was not so fortunate.

The souls bound to his arms had already been swallowed moments earlier.

That part could no longer be recovered.

The Shinigami glared at Asuramaru.

For an entity associated with death itself, being directly wounded by a sword wielded by another supernatural being was clearly not something it had expected.

Asuramaru casually rested Ryūjin Jakka against his shoulder.

"What?"

His crimson eyes narrowed.

"Still want to try?"

The Shinigami hesitated.

The pain in its soul was real.

The creature stared at Asuramaru for another moment.

Then, without launching a second attack, its spectral body began to fade.

It disappeared.

There was only one reasonable explanation.

It had decided that continuing this fight was not worth it.

Inside Asuramaru's mind, the system responded immediately.

[Ding! Intense negative emotions detected from the Shinigami.]

[Gained 100000 emotion points.]

Asuramaru's expression fell.

"That's it?"

He had been curious about the Shinigami for quite some time.

For such a mysterious existence, he had expected something more impressive.

One hundred thousand emotion points was disappointingly little.

Around them, however, the Konoha Shinobi had no idea what had truly happened.

From their perspective, the entire scene was incomprehensible.

They had seen black mist erupt from Naruto.

Then a beautiful young man with an almost delicate appearance had materialized from within it.

He wore elegant black and white clothing and wielded a strange sword.

He had slashed at empty air.

Something invisible had screamed.

Then whatever unseen presence had been there disappeared.

Kakashi stood among the nearby Konoha Shinobi, his visible eye narrowed.

Unlike most of the others, he had enough information to form a guess.

Asuramaru.

The ancient deity Naruto had spoken about.

Kakashi had already witnessed Naruto being controlled by another consciousness during the battle against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.

He had also heard enough from Hiruzen afterward to understand that Naruto's strange abilities were connected to an entity bearing that name.

If the being standing before Naruto truly was Asuramaru...

Then the old Uzumaki legend was far more real than Kakashi had ever imagined.

There was another detail that troubled him.

Asuramaru had clearly spoken to something no one else could see.

Something had tried to take Naruto's soul.

And Asuramaru had driven it away.

But those were only deductions.

Kakashi kept them to himself.

On the ground, Hiruzen's fingers twitched.

His eyes slowly opened.

His vision was cloudy.

His breathing was weak.

But he was alive.

During the brief period when his soul had been pulled from his body, Hiruzen had seen everything.

He had seen the Shinigami.

He had seen Naruto slash it.

And he had seen Asuramaru appear to protect him.

The last traces of uncertainty in Hiruzen's heart disappeared.

Asuramaru was real.

And Naruto truly had received the recognition of something beyond ordinary Shinobi understanding.

Hiruzen turned his head.

His fading gaze found Naruto.

"Naruto..."

Naruto immediately knelt beside him.

"Grandpa Third!"

Hiruzen managed a weak smile.

"I have always believed..."

His breathing hitched.

"That one day... you will become the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever known."

Naruto's eyes reddened.

He grabbed Hiruzen's hand.

"Don't talk like that."

Hiruzen continued smiling.

Naruto lowered his head.

"I promise."

His voice trembled.

"I'll become Hokage."

"I'll surpass every Hokage before me."

"And I'll protect Konoha."

The scene might have become a tragic farewell if Asuramaru had not interrupted.

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up.

Asuramaru folded his arms.

"Are you planning to let the old man die?"

Naruto froze.

For half a second, he simply stared.

Then hope exploded across his face.

"Asuramaru!"

He sprang upright.

"You can save him?"

Hiruzen blinked weakly.

Asuramaru glanced down at him.

"The portion of his soul already lost cannot simply be restored."

Naruto's expression tightened.

"But the damage to his body?"

Asuramaru sounded almost dismissive.

"That is nothing."

Naruto's eyes widened.

Asuramaru raised one hand.

Pure Demon Power flowed from his palm.

Dark energy surrounded Hiruzen.

The Kusanagi Sword had pierced straight through his chest.

For any ordinary person, the wound was unquestionably fatal.

But beneath Asuramaru's power, torn flesh began closing.

Blood vessels reconnected.

Damaged organs repaired themselves.

The hole through Hiruzen's chest visibly shrank.

The blood stopped flowing.

His breathing strengthened.

Even the numerous lesser injuries accumulated during his battle with Orochimaru began healing.

The surrounding Konoha Shinobi stared.

No one spoke.

They were watching a man who had been on the verge of death recover before their eyes.

Not through ordinary Medical Ninjutsu.

Not through a visible healing seal.

Not through anything they understood.

Within moments, the fatal wound was gone.

Hiruzen slowly raised one hand and touched his chest.

His fingers found intact skin.

He looked down in disbelief.

The injury had vanished.

The exhaustion remained.

The soul damage remained.

But his body had been pulled back from death.

Hiruzen looked toward Asuramaru.

This was the second time he had personally witnessed power that seemed to belong to another order of existence.

The first had been Asuramaru's manifestation against the Shinigami.

Now Hiruzen had been dragged back from the edge of death itself.

For a man who had spent a lifetime studying ninjutsu, the experience was difficult to comprehend.

Asuramaru lowered his hand.

His work was done.

His body dissolved into black mist.

The darkness flowed back toward Naruto and disappeared into him.

Naruto spoke inwardly.

"Thank you, Asuramaru."

No answer came.

Naruto smiled slightly.

After all these years, Asuramaru had probably heard those words more times than either of them could count.

Hiruzen slowly pushed himself upright.

Several Shinobi moved to support him, but he raised one hand.

He could stand.

Barely.

He looked toward Naruto.

"Thank you."

Naruto shook his head.

"You should thank Asuramaru."

Hiruzen smiled.

"Then please convey my gratitude to him."

"I will."

Naruto nodded.

"Grandpa Third."

There was no more time for sentiment.

The village was still under attack.

Hiruzen straightened his Hokage robes as much as possible.

Then the old commander returned.

"Report the situation."

ANBU and Jōnin immediately began moving.

Orders spread throughout Konoha.

The remaining Hidden Sound and Hidden Sand forces were hunted down.

Civilians were evacuated from dangerous areas.

Fires were extinguished.

Wounded Shinobi were transported for treatment.

The Konoha Crush Plan had failed.

By the time the fighting completely ended, Baki had managed to escape.

But Sunagakure had suffered a far greater loss.

Gaara remained in Konoha custody.

So did Temari and Kankurō.

Several Hidden Sound Shinobi had also been captured alive.

The prisoners were secured and placed under heavy guard.

Gradually, the village began returning to order.

But Hiruzen was not finished.

Several days later, Danzō Shimura entered the Hokage's office.

His expression carried his usual stern impatience.

"Hiruzen."

He stopped before the desk.

"Why did you summon me?"

Hiruzen looked at him.

There was no hesitation in his eyes.

"Danzō."

His voice was calm.

"Effective immediately, you are removed from your position as commander of Root."

Danzō froze.

For a moment, the room was completely silent.

Hiruzen continued.

"Root will be dissolved."

"Its personnel will be reassigned throughout Konoha under the proper village command structure."

Danzō's visible eye widened.

Then anger erupted.

"What are you doing, Hiruzen?!"

His cane struck the floor.

"Do you have any idea what Root handles for this village?"

"How many threats have been eliminated before they could ever reach your desk?"

"How many problems will emerge if you dismantle my organization?"

Hiruzen listened without interrupting.

When Danzō finished, the Third Hokage spoke.

"I know exactly what Root has done."

Danzō's jaw tightened.

"And I know exactly what problems will follow."

Hiruzen leaned forward.

"But my decision stands."

Danzō glared at him.

"Hiruzen"

"I am not asking for your opinion."

The room went still again.

Hiruzen's gaze hardened.

"I am informing you."

Danzō stared at the man before him.

For many years, Hiruzen had compromised.

He had tolerated.

He had turned away from things he should have confronted.

Danzō had grown accustomed to exploiting that softness.

But the man sitting behind the Hokage's desk now was different.

Hiruzen had made his decision.

And he would not bend.

There was one reason above all others.

Naruto.

Danzō had already attempted to bring Naruto into Root.

Hiruzen had refused.

Then Naruto's ANBU escort had been deliberately drawn away by attackers disguised as Sand Shinobi.

There was no proof that Danzō had ordered it.

But Hiruzen did not need proof to understand the danger.

As long as Danzō retained unrestricted control over Root, he would continue reaching for Naruto.

Hiruzen would not allow that.

Not anymore.

Danzō's face twisted with fury.

"You will regret this."

Hiruzen did not answer.

Danzō turned.

He marched toward the door.

Bang!

The door slammed behind him.

Hiruzen remained seated.

For a long time, he stared through the window at Konoha below.

Meanwhile, Danzō walked through the corridor with a face like stone.

Inside, rage burned.

Root was the foundation of his power.

Losing its official authority meant losing countless channels of influence he had spent years constructing.

Fortunately, one thing remained in his favor.

Root's Shinobi had been conditioned from a young age.

Their loyalty did not belong to the village first.

It belonged to him.

Even if Hiruzen dissolved Root on paper, Danzō believed those operatives would not betray him.

But acting openly would become far more difficult.

His movements would be watched.

His resources would shrink.

His influence would weaken.

Danzō clenched his cane.

"Damn you, Hiruzen Sarutobi."

His expression darkened further.

"Why couldn't Orochimaru have killed you that day?"

Time passed.

One month went by.

In the aftermath of the failed invasion, Konoha and Sunagakure began repairing their relationship.

Investigations and negotiations followed.

Eventually, Hiruzen reached a new agreement with the Hidden Sand Village.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō were released and allowed to return home.

Hiruzen himself had also begun reconsidering his future.

The battle against Orochimaru had nearly killed him.

Although Asuramaru had restored his body, Hiruzen knew he could not remain Hokage forever.

Konoha needed a successor.

His first choice was Jiraiya.

Jiraiya refused immediately.

Hiruzen tried again.

The answer remained the same.

Left with little choice, Hiruzen turned to another member of the legendary Sannin.

Tsunade.

The task of locating her was given to Jiraiya.

Naruto accompanied him.

According to the intelligence gathered by Konoha, Tsunade had recently been seen in Tanzaku Quarters.

The two travelled there together.

As they walked through the bustling streets, Naruto glanced at Jiraiya.

"Pervy Sage."

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched.

Naruto continued before he could complain.

"What kind of person is Tsunade?"

Jiraiya considered the question.

Then he sighed.

"You'll understand when you meet her."

Naruto frowned.

"That tells me nothing."

"It tells you enough."

Jiraiya looked ahead.

"We should worry more about finding her before she disappears again."

He shook his head.

"That woman never stays in one place for long."

Naruto followed him through the streets.

Eventually, they entered a tavern.

The smell of food and alcohol filled the room.

Voices overlapped around them.

Jiraiya's eyes swept across the tables.

Then stopped.

A woman sat not far away.

Long blond hair framed her face.

A violet diamond shaped mark rested in the center of her forehead.

Jiraiya recognized her immediately.

"Tsunade!"

The woman looked up.

Her brown eyes widened slightly.

"Jiraiya?"

Then her gaze shifted toward Naruto.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiraiya crossed the tavern and dropped into the seat opposite her.

"I finally found you."

He let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?"

Tsunade lifted her sake cup.

"That sounds like your problem."

She drained it in one swallow.

Then placed the cup back down.

"Enough complaining."

Her gaze sharpened.

"What do you want?"

Jiraiya did not bother circling the subject.

"The old man wants you back in Konoha."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

Jiraiya continued.

"He wants you to succeed him."

"As the Fifth Hokage."

Tsunade remained quiet for a moment.

Then she poured herself more sake.

"So the rumors were true."

Jiraiya watched her.

She looked down at her cup.

"The old man really was badly injured during Orochimaru's attack."

Her lips curved slightly.

"To think he was hurt badly enough that he's finally willing to step down."

....

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

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