Chapter no.101 The Labyrinth of the Depths (Patreon)

[ Items ]

[ Bloodred Moss Clump – 300 Souls ]
[ Purple Moss Clump – 500 Souls ]
[ Blooming Purple Moss Clump – 1,000 Souls ]
[ Poison Throwing Knife – 100 Souls ]
[ Dung Pie – 200 Souls ]
[ Alluring Skull – 500 Souls ]
[ Charcoal Pine Resin – 500 Souls ]
[ Transient Curse – 4,000 Souls ]
[ Rotten Pine Resin – 1,000 Souls ]
[ Homeward Bone – 500 Souls ]
[ Prism Stone – 10 Souls ]
[ Humanity 1 – 5,000 Souls ]
[ Purging Stone – 6,000 Souls ]

[ Ammunition ]

[ Fire Arrow – 100 Souls ]
[ Poison Arrow – 100 Souls ]
[ Standard Arrow – 10 Souls ]
[ Large Arrow – 50 Souls ]
[ Wooden Arrow – 3 Souls ]
[ Standard Bolt – 30 Souls ]
[ Heavy Bolt – 100 Souls ]
[ Wood Bolt – 10 Souls ]

Naruto whistled, his eyes scanning over the merchant's wares. There was plenty to see, but one item in particular caught his attention.

"Humanity? You're selling your own humanity?"

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist, dearie. It's not like I'm some pompous noble selling undead slaves at a town square for a purse full of silver. No, no. I'm just one merchant, scraping a living from scraps and soggy moss."

"Right," Naruto muttered. "But wouldn't it make more sense to just... I don't know, use the humanity? Reverse your hollowing?"

The merchant paused. The mirth in her eyes dimmed for a moment. "I don't want to see my human self."

Naruto nodded quietly. That was her choice. And in a place like Lordran, choice meant everything.

"Anyway," he said, steering the conversation back. "I'm interested in those poison knives you're selling. Think I could make a special request?"

"If it's not unreasonable," the merchant replied with a sly smile.

Naruto pulled out a kunai. "I want to coat this in the same poison as those knives. Can you sell me just the poison itself?"

The woman clapped her hands together. "Oh, of course, of course! I make the poison myself, you know. Boil down the guts of the swamp leeches, simmer it with a bit of fermented mushroom rot and crushed bloated bug husks. Makes a lovely, syrupy brew. Sticky, deadly, and oh so fragrant!"

"How much would it cost me?"

"Depends on how much you want. But for a whole flask? Let's say a thousand souls. I have a bucket of it tucked away if you're feeling adventurous."

"Put it aside. I'll probably need more later," Naruto said.

"Then you'll be wanting my most freshly peeled mosses as well," she said, giving him a grin and a wink.

Naruto and Oscar both returned her look with blank, unimpressed expressions.

"I'll buy a dozen of each kind," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hehe, I knew you'd come around. My moss is the best in the Burg. Buy more! Give me souls!"

"These pine resins," Naruto said, gesturing at the stock. "Are they like the lightning pine resin?"

"Yes and no," she said, eyes twinkling. "There are special methods to alter the pine base and turn it into different types. Secrets I picked up in Lordran's ruins. Not telling you, though! Vee hee hee!"

"No problem. I'll just keep coming back to buy more."

"Ohhh, now you really know how to woo a lady," the merchant teased.

"With money?" Naruto asked, genuinely confused.

The woman burst into another fit of laughter, her raspy chuckles echoing off the damp stone. "I haven't laughed like that in a century. So just for you, dearie, I'll knock a few souls off the price."

"Great. Then throw in thirty fire arrows and poison arrows," Naruto said, finishing his list.

Oscar chirped beside him.

"And one prism stone for this little guy to snack on."

The merchant giggled and tossed the glowing pebble into the open, where Oscar snapped it up like a baby devouring a tomato. Naruto and the merchant paused for a moment, both quietly wondering if it might actually be edible.

Naruto handed over the souls, and the merchant swept them up with delight.

"Much obliged. I think I like you! Vee hee hee hee hee!"

Naruto nodded and tucked the items into his inventory. As he turned to leave, something nudged at his mind.

"Hey, I'm curious," Naruto asked as he put his new goods into the inventory. "Do you know the merchant in the Undead Burg?"

The female Undead Merchant's expression twisted instantly into something between a grimace and a snarl. Her eyes narrowed, her posture stiffened, and she let out an exaggerated, offended gasp.

"Oh, don't you dare speak to me about that filthy, soul-pinching, mold-sniffing fraud!" she barked, throwing her hands up as if warding off a curse. "That scumbag swindled me out of two thousand souls with some rubbish he called 'rare goods from Carim.' Vee hee hee! Rotten old toothpicks and broken rings! Said it was enchanted! Said it would keep curses away! All it did was stink up my moss!"

Naruto blinked as she kept ranting.

"And he tried to sell me a stick with a snake carved into it and told me it was blessed by Velka herself! I was hollow, not stupid! That crusty old rat-wearing coat rack ought to be tossed to the slimes in the Depths! Gods know they'd spit him back out for being too sour!"

Naruto glanced at Oscar. The little crystal lizard was already nodding solemnly.

Without a word, they both inched sideways toward the door, slipping through while the merchant continued to rant and rave about her business rival's poor hygiene, questionable ancestry, and terrible engineering skills.

The pair stepped out into the cool, damp air of the tunnel, the merchant's furious cackling still echoing behind them.

Naruto let out a breath. "The good and the bad."

Oscar chirped, confused.

"The thought came to me," Naruto said, eyes forward as they walked deeper into the lower Undead Burg. "I'm surrounded by people who've done good and bad things. That merchant guy was friendly to me. But he scammed her. Same goes for Jiraiya... and Old Man Hiruzen... and even the villagers. Some of them were kind. Most weren't. And yet... I kept clinging to this childish idea that if someone was nice to me, they were good. And if they weren't, they were bad."

Oscar chirped again, this time lower.

"I know, I know. I'm so mature now, right? Dattebayo," Naruto said with a self-aware grin.

Oscar whipped his tail and smacked Naruto lightly on the back of the helm.

Oscar chirped again, more insistent now.

"Yeah, yeah. Not the time. Got it."

The world of Lordran reminded them of that instantly, as an arrow clanged off Naruto's chest plate with a sharp metallic ping.

He snapped his gaze up toward the platform above the tower where a lone hollow stood with a bow, already preparing another shot.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and raised his hand. With a flick of telekinesis, the bow ripped itself from the hollow's grip and zipped into Naruto's hand.

The hollow blinked in disbelief.

Naruto took out one of his new fire arrows from his inventory. The shaft was marked by orange and yellow fletching, and the arrowhead shimmered faintly with flakes of charcoal-pine resin.

Oscar chirped again, pointing with his snout.

The hollow tried to flee, leaping from the platform.

"Not today," Naruto whispered.

He loosed the arrow midair.

The shot pierced clean through the hollow's chest. Flame erupted on impact, bursting from the wound in a bright orange flare. The body crashed to the stone floor with a wet crunch and lay still, smoking.

Both boy and lizard stood still.

Oscar turned and looked at Naruto.

Naruto turned back, already regretting the attention.

"Not a word," he warned.

Oscar patted Naruto's head with his tail.

The boy sighed.

The little lizard kept patting, over and over, as if trying to say: Don't worry. Just like the rest of us, you carry both good and evil.

Naruto smiled faintly, and together, they continued on.

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The Lower Undead Burg was quieter than usual. The flames from old sconces flickered against crumbling stone walls, casting twisted shadows. A narrow flight of stairs led down into an open street, and just past that, a large iron door loomed as the entrance to the Depths.

There was just one problem.

The Undead Assassins, Naruto muttered.

As if summoned by name, a throwing knife whistled through the air toward him.

Naruto reacted instantly, pulling a kunai from his pouch and flicking it in one smooth motion. The two projectiles collided midair with a sharp metallic clang, both clattering to the cobblestone.

Oscar chirped, crouched and ready to lunge.

"Not now," Naruto said, holding out his hand. "I want to try something."

Oscar gave a disappointed chirp but did not move.

One of the Assassins, lean and fast, bolted toward him in a low sprint. Naruto stood still, seemingly unarmed, red hair billowing behind his helmet. But in the next breath, the strands of red shimmered, twisting and writhing into living snakes that snapped forward in an attempt to bite.

The Assassin flipped into a roll, phasing through the serpents.

"Right... I-frames," Naruto said. "Forgot they can do that."

The Assassin came in for a close strike, but Naruto was already performing a rapid set of hand signs.

Naruto was preparing a fake-out jutsu, planning to trick the Assassin into overextending, when something strange pulsed through his scalp. His breath hitched.

Wind chakra. Flowing—no, weaving—through the strands of his hair.

Abandoning the fake-out plan, Naruto finished the jutsu, and from his serpentine locks, a barrage of small wind bullets fired forward with concussive force.

The Assassin was caught mid-dash, unable to phase again so soon due to the strange angles the attacks came from. The bullets tore into its armor, piercing through flesh and bone with brutal efficiency. It dropped with a soft gurgle, riddled with holes.

Naruto did not get time to breathe. Another knife came flying from the far end of the alley.

He sidestepped, drawing two kunai in each hand. The Assassin stepped out of the shadows, knives between each finger, glinting in the torchlight.

Naruto and the Assassin began trading throws.

One kunai.

Two knives.

Three kunai.

The Assassin dodged left, Naruto ducked right. Their projectiles collided midair in rapid flashes of steel. The tempo was increasing. Naruto flipped, dodging another barrage. The Assassin closed the distance in a burst of speed, weaving through the snapping snakes like a trained dancer.

"Fireball!" Naruto shouted, making the hand sign quickly.

The Assassin instantly jumped back, flipping into the air, expecting a fiery blast.

But nothing came.

In that moment of over-anticipation, one of Naruto's snake-hairs slithered down and snatched the knife from the corpse of the first Assassin. With fluid precision, the snake curved upward and slashed the airborne Assassin's throat.

The blade found flesh.

Blood sprayed into the air as the Assassin tumbled to the ground. A moment later, the bleed effect kicked in. The body twitched and then stilled.

Naruto raised a brow, staring at the knife in the serpent's grip.

"Nice," he said, nodding approvingly. "You guys are quickly becoming my favorite."

Oscar made a noise of disapproval.

"Jutsu," Naruto clarified, smirking. "Let me finish next time."

Oscar gave him a very suspicious look.

Naruto, always ready to mess with his tiny companion, added, "You know, I think I should name my snakes."

Oscar paused, his face falling. Slowly, he turned and walked toward the heavy door to the Depths with the sulking energy of a scolded dog.

Naruto blinked. "Okay, that might've gone too far. It was just a joke, bud."

He quickly picked Oscar up, giving the crystal lizard a reassuring scratch behind the head.

Reaching the gate, Naruto inserted the large iron key.

"Would you do the honors?"

Oscar, perking up, clamped his jaws around the key. Naruto gently turned him like a crank. The locking mechanism groaned to life.

"You know," Naruto said, leaning in, "I'm thinking of naming my hair snakes... Noodle."

Oscar's eye twitched before he slapped Naruto in the back of the head with his tail.

"Okay, I deserved that," Naruto chuckled.

With a final creak, the door to the Depths opened wide.

A foul stench hit them instantly. Somewhere deeper in the maze, a scream echoed.

The playful air dissolved in an instant.

Naruto closed his visor. Oscar crouched low. The descent into the Depths had begun.

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The Depths were strange, to say the least.

Descending the stairwell, Naruto and Oscar found themselves swallowed by damp, narrow corridors carved from ancient stone. The walls were slick with moisture and overgrown moss, while the air was thick with the scent of mold and rot. Water dripped constantly from above, the sound echoing endlessly down the twisting halls. Every footstep, every splash in the ankle-deep puddles seemed to bounce around them, creating a disorienting soundscape that made it difficult to judge distance or direction.

The floor beneath them was uneven, a patchwork of eroded stone and rotting wood planks. Every few feet, the wood creaked or bowed under their weight, and the stone, while solid, was slick enough to be treacherous.

Naruto, however, was seeing more than what the human eye offered. Through the enhanced vision of his Hawkeyes, the world was drenched in echoes of violence. Old bloodstains shimmered faintly. Claw marks were carved into the walls, the deep grooves trailing down like fingernails from victims dragged against their will. The deeper they ventured, the more the corridor seemed like a hunting ground than a sewer.

"Let's scout the area first," Naruto whispered to his partner.

He cast the Hidden Body spell with a flick of his catalyst, shrouding both himself and Oscar in invisibility. Their outlines blurred, dissolved, and disappeared into the murky gloom.

They moved deeper in silence, avoiding every splash or unnecessary movement. The hallway opened into a second floor. A few hollows trudged aimlessly in the hallway, their feet sloshing with each step. Beyond it, rows of archways stretched like open windows leading into other floors.

Naruto pressed his feet to the wall, channeling chakra through his soles. He walked silently along the vertical surface, eyes scanning the archways for a better vantage point. When one opened into a chamber below, he dropped silently into the third level.

The scene startled him.

This part of the Depths resembled an underground tavern. The air was heavier here, choked with the scent of old grease, spoiled meat, and sewage. The ceiling was upheld by rows of stone pillars, cracked but still standing. Wooden tables and benches were scattered across the space, most of them shattered, others blackened as though scorched. Faint torchlight flickered from the walls, casting long shadows across the floor. Much of the room remained cloaked in darkness.

Hollows wandered lazily through the space. A few carried makeshift torches, while others dragged rusted weapons or simply loitered among the ruined furniture. Their movements were slow, lacking any awareness of Naruto's presence.

And then it happened.

A deep, guttural roar echoed through the chamber, shaking dust from the rafters. The sound had weight to it, a vibration that settled in Naruto's chest.

The hollows instantly reacted. They froze. Then, one by one, they began to shuffle away from the source of the sound, retreating toward the edges of the room.

From below, leaping onto the archway beams like a grotesque predator, it landed.

[ Name: The Butcher ]

[ HP: 1,639 / 1,639 ]

The Butcher towered over the room. His frame was thick, unnaturally strong. Pale, blotchy skin was stretched tightly over swollen muscles, dotted with patches of purple bruising and lesions. His head was concealed beneath a rough burlap sack tied around the neck, with only two eyeholes crudely torn open. Through them, faintly glowing eyes burned like embers.

His apron hung low and filthy, soaked in dark stains of blood, fat, and who-knew-what else. His pants were tattered, tucked into heavy, steel-toed boots caked in grime.

In one hand, he held an enormous cleaver. In the other, the decapitated corpse of an undead warrior, still dripping.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the bloodstains near the mouth area of the sack.

The Butcher suddenly paused and sniffed the air, his sack-covered head tilting slightly. Then, in a grotesque display of force, he grabbed a nearby hollow and hurled it directly toward the area Naruto and Oscar were hiding.

Naruto dropped from the ledge silently, landing in a crouch and letting the body sail overhead. The Butcher growled, still sniffing the air, as if trying to confirm a presence.

But before anything else could happen, another roar echoed through the tavern.

The Butcher froze.

Then, without a word, he turned and lumbered off into the shadows.

"So there are two of them," Naruto muttered, narrowing his eyes. He looked to Oscar, who chirped in agreement.

Wasting no time, Naruto flickered into motion, moving toward the path the Butcher had come from.

He vaulted over a broken railing and landed in a dark hallway leading to an old storage room. He pressed himself low and hugged the wall, footsteps completely silent as he reached the locked door. Naruto reached into his pouch, pulling out a bent hairpin. With careful precision, he inserted it into the rusted lock. His fingers moved expertly; this was not his first time picking a lock. A soft click rewarded his effort, and he pushed the door open with the back of his hand, controlling the swing to keep it slow and quiet.

The moment the door cracked open, both he and Oscar recoiled.

The stench was overwhelming. Acrid, cloying, and thick. It was the smell of decay and bodily fluids, fermenting in heat and darkness.

Inside, the room was massive, poorly lit by a single flickering torch. There were dozens... no, over a hundred barrels, stacked and clustered in rows. But what made Naruto's stomach twist wasn't the number.

It was what was inside.

Every barrel contained a hollow. Cramped, folded into impossible shapes, limp and unresponsive. Eyes glazed. Some breathing. Others still. Limbs twitched at odd angles. They weren't dead. Not yet.

Naruto took a step back, his throat tightening. "Are the Butchers... keeping them as food?"

Oscar remained silent.

Then a voice echoed through the room.

"... You!"

Naruto turned sharply, eyes scanning.

"... Here, over here!"

At the back of the room, chained to the wall, sat a man in charred and tattered pyromancer robes. His body was bruised, face gaunt, but his eyes burned with life.

[ Name: Laurentius of the Great Swamp ]

[ HP: 420 / 1,380 ]

"Please… you must help me..."

Naruto's eyes widened in recognition. The undead merchant had once spoken of a pyromancer lost in the Depths. This had to be him.

"Hey, hang on, I'll be right there," Naruto said, but before he could move another step—

"Behind you," Laurentius rasped, eyes wide.

Naruto spun.

The Butcher stood there. No warning. No sound. He raised his cleaver and brought it down like an executioner.

"Oscar," Naruto said calmly.

Before the blade could reach him, a jagged wall of crystal erupted upward. The cleaver slammed into it with a loud clang, sparking against the hardened crystal, but failing to break through.

The Butcher roared in frustration.

Naruto finished his hand sign. "Wrong move, ugly."

Wind Style: Blade of Wind.

Chakra surged from his fingertips, condensing into blades of pure, compressed air. The technique was invisible, silent, and lethal. With a swift swipe of his hand, Naruto unleashed the wind blade.

The Butcher froze for a second. A crimson line appeared across his thick neck. Blood sprayed from the wound like a ruptured vein, hissing through the air. The creature staggered, but it did not fall.

Roaring in rage, the Butcher powered through the pain and shattered the crystal wall Oscar had raised. The cleaver came down in a brutal arc toward Naruto.

Naruto moved to meet it.

In one smooth motion, he equipped his Zweihander and raised it into a half-swording grip. Rather than block the blow directly, he stepped into the attack and used leverage to redirect the cleaver's momentum away from his body. Sparks flew as steel scraped against steel.

Naruto slipped to the side and struck the Butcher in the face with a precise Mordhau. The crossguard slammed into the creature's jaw with a meaty crack, stunning it. He then hooked his foot behind the Butcher's ankle and turned with a twist of his torso, throwing the hulking figure over his shoulder.

The Butcher crashed into a cluster of barrels behind them. The wood splintered on impact, and a wave of limp hollows spilled across the floor like discarded meat.

Dust choked the air, and the room filled with groaning.

The hollows began to rise.

Naruto took a step back and watched as their vacant eyes locked on him. They didn't think. They didn't hesitate. Panic drove them, and he was the only moving thing they could see.

"Mindless undead can't even tell who they should be more afraid of," Naruto muttered.

Oscar responded.

The gem on his back pulsed, and a cloud of shimmering frost poured out of the lizard's mouth.

The hollows inhaled it. One by one, they began to cough and choke violently. Crystals began to grow from their throats and lungs, forcing their way out through flesh and bone. Blood mixed with shattered crystal coated the ground.

Naruto winced. "And I'm supposed to be the cruel one out of the two of us?"

Oscar gave a cheerful little chirp.

"No, Oscar. Being cute doesn't make war crimes okay."

Oscar chirped again with smug satisfaction.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Agree to disagree?"

Before Oscar could respond, a wave of heat swept across the room.

Naruto turned his head to see Laurentius on his feet, arm extended. The pyromancer's hand burned bright with a living flame, his face calm and focused despite the blood and grime on his robes.

"Combustion," Laurentius said quietly.

Flame exploded from his hand and engulfed the Butcher's sack-covered head. The fire took immediately, setting the fabric and flesh ablaze. The creature howled in agony, thrashing with what remained of its strength.

It raised its broken cleaver for one final strike at Laurentius.

But Naruto was already there.

He stepped in close and drove his rapier through the Butcher's skull. The tip pierced through the eye hole in the sack and continued straight into the brain. The blade ruptured the skull, and with one final tremor, the Butcher collapsed.

Its head burst apart with a wet crack, fire and gore spraying the ground in every direction.

[ Victory Achieved! ]

[ You have gained ]

[ 5,000 Souls ]

[ Sack ]

Wow, that's a lot of souls for a really easy kill, Naruto thought, glancing toward Laurentius, who had slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.

"Th-thank you. I would have been her supper without you. Being eaten alive! I shudder to think… thank you, thank you dearly. I am Laurentius, of the Great Swamp," the man said between heavy breaths.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto replied. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the butcher's corpse. "Wait, her supper? You mean the Butcher was—"

"Feeding something," Laurentius cut in. "These Butchers are cannibals, yes, but they are not just eating for themselves. There is something deeper in the Depths. A monster. A gluttonous creature. They feed it."

Before Naruto could press for more information, a clatter of limbs echoed through the halls. More hollows were dropping into the area.

Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance and pulled a few Estus Flasks from his pouch. He set them beside Laurentius.

"Heal up. We'll take care of this trash."

Laurentius nodded weakly but then stopped, staring at Naruto. His pyromancy flame flickered brighter, growing hotter, more intense.

"What in the—?" he muttered, staring at his hand. The flame surged, drawn unnaturally toward Naruto. The hollows screeched but then abruptly halted, eyes wide, before they turned and fled.

"This… why are my flames reacting like this?"

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Maybe because I used to be a pyromancer before I, uh… lost my flame."

Laurentius gasped. "To think I would meet a fellow pyromancer! Did you come from the Great Swamp as well?"

Naruto lied back. "No. Just kinda woke up in the Northern Undead Asylum with a pyromancy flame. That's all."

"I see," Laurentius said thoughtfully, though he didn't seem fully convinced.

Oscar chirped from deeper in the hallway.

"Let's talk later," Naruto said quickly, following the sound. He found Oscar standing at the edge of a hole in the wall that led into a large chamber filled with ankle-deep sewer water. Hollow corpses floated lazily in the muck, and undead dogs prowled along the edges.

What caught Naruto's eye, however, was a narrow staircase leading up to a grimy kitchen. The sound of cleaving metal echoed from above, along with the squelch of wet flesh.

Another Butcher.

"Okay. Here's the plan. I deal with the Butcher. You handle the dogs and whatever is swimming in that water," Naruto said.

Before Oscar could protest or chirp his disapproval, Naruto had already launched forward. Chakra surged into the soles of his feet, letting him treat the sewer water like solid ground for a split second. It rippled under him, but held just long enough for him to spring forward again. His form twisted mid-air before he landed on the slick kitchen floor in a low crouch, knees bent, hand brushing the ground for balance.

The moment his boots touched stone, there was a snarl. An undead dog burst from the shadows, eyes wild, ribs showing through decayed flesh.

Naruto did not panic. He turned with the motion, dropping low and spinning into the animal's charge. His hip caught the dog's center of mass, and with practiced technique, he pulled and pushed in one fluid motion. The judo throw sent the snarling beast flying off the edge of the kitchen ledge.

It crashed into the sewer water below with a splash and a strangled bark.

Oscar wasted no time. He fired a concentrated bolt of blue magic into the air. The projectile struck the dog mid-recovery, piercing its skull and ending the threat instantly.

While Oscar dealt with the undead in the sewer water below, Naruto's gaze shifted to the kitchen above.

The room was dark and damp, lit only by a few weak torch sconces. In the center stood a heavy butcher's table. Slabs of raw meat were laid across it, all clearly human in shape. A single candle burned low at one end, its flickering flame barely pushing back the shadows. Bowls and pots lined the sides of the table, filled with lumps of organs and blood. The whole room stank of grease, bile, and sewage.

A metal chute was bolted into the back wall, its mouth dripping with blood and slime. Below it, a heap of bone and flesh festered in the dark. Naruto narrowed his eyes, his lip curling in disgust.

"That chute…" Naruto muttered, turning to the looming figure at the chopping block. "Is that where you're feeding that monster?"

The Butcher gave no reply.

Instead, it slammed a slab of meat aside and charged, cleaver raised high.

Naruto stepped back instinctively and grabbed the closest thing he could… a thick, grease-slicked wooden table. As the Butcher raised the cleaver overhead, Naruto rammed the table forward like a battering ram, the edge connecting squarely with the Butcher's groin.

There was a sickening squishing sound.

Naruto winced harder than his opponent.

The Butcher let out a low, guttural groan and staggered, eyes twitching behind the burlap sack.

Before it could recover, Naruto slid his hands along the table's edge and yanked it upward with a grunt. The other end of the table cracked the Butcher in the jaw with a loud crack, snapping his head back.

"Tables really are versatile weapons," Naruto said, twisting and shoving the table sideways as the Butcher slashed wildly, the cleaver cutting into one of the legs. The whole table spun like a shield, deflecting another blow, and Naruto kicked it into the Butcher's chest to buy a second of space.

He rolled to the side and snatched a skillet hanging from a rusted hook. Without a second thought, he flung it like a discus. It smacked the Butcher on the shoulder, denting but not stopping him.

The cleaver came again, this time a brutal diagonal swing.

Naruto ducked, feeling the blade cut air just above his head. He surged forward, weaving inside the Butcher's stance, and threw a rapid combo of boxing strikes: left jab, right hook to the ribs, and an uppercut under the armpit that sent the Butcher stumbling back into a hanging rack of meat hooks.

Thinking fast, Naruto jumped, caught a ceiling pipe, and swung forward feet-first. His boots crashed into the Butcher's chest, sandwiching him between Naruto and the meat rack. Steel creaked and chains rattled.

As Naruto landed in a crouch, the Butcher roared, tearing free of the hooks with reckless strength. He brought the cleaver down in a brutal chop.

Naruto sidestepped and shoved a stool into the Butcher's shin. The cleaver buried into the butcher block behind him.

Naruto snatched a butcher's rolling cart nearby and shoved it with a grunt. It rammed into the Butcher's knees, forcing him backward.

Not letting up, Naruto vaulted onto the cart, kicking off with both feet and flipping over the Butcher's head. As he spun mid-air, he snatched a hanging chain and used it to swing into the opposite side of the kitchen.

The Butcher turned too late.

Naruto had grabbed a meat tenderizer mallet from the wall. He caught the Butcher's wrist mid-swing and slammed the mallet into the back of his elbow. The cleaver dropped with a heavy clang.

The Butcher swung a wild punch.

Naruto ducked, grabbed a pot lid from the counter, and pinged it off the Butcher's face like a frisbee. Then he slid under a prep table, grabbed its underside, and kicked upward with both legs. The whole thing flipped, trapping the Butcher beneath it.

Without missing a beat, Naruto ran, leapt onto the upside-down table, and stomped it with all his weight.

Wood cracked. The Butcher underneath let out a muffled growl of pain. Naruto flipped off the table, landing in stance, breathing slightly heavier but grinning. "You really should've stayed behind the butcher block. Dattebayo."

The table shook once, twice, then the Butcher exploded upward, roaring as he threw the wreckage aside.

Naruto used telekinesis to grab the butcher's knife and said, "I had my fun, but let's end this."

The heavy cleaver shot through the air and landed in his grip with a meaty thwack. The handle was damp, sticky from the dried blood caked along the grip.

The Butcher howled and charged, feet slamming the stone floor with brutal force.

Naruto didn't move. His fingers snapped into motion, one-handed seals flowing like a dance learned through endless repetition. Wind chakra rushed into the cleaver. The dull butcher's blade began to hum with an invisible edge, vibrating faintly in his hands.

The Butcher roared and launched himself into the air, arms spread wide, aiming to crash down on Naruto.

Wind Style: Blade of Wind.

A focused line of slicing wind exploded from the blade's edge, like a guillotine made of air. It struck the Butcher mid-air, cutting clean through his midsection.

There was no time for the Butcher to scream. The upper half of his body flew forward, the legs slamming down. Guts spilled across the stone like ropes of hot meat, slapping wet against the floor.

Naruto exhaled through his nose. "Gross."

He pulled the cleaver back and shook off the blood. It didn't help. His armor was soaked.

Oscar bounded up the stairs behind him, pausing near the corpse. He gave Naruto a long, chirping sound somewhere between judgment and amusement.

"Yeah, yeah. I reek of cannibal guts and you reek of sewage. One of us is worse."

Oscar stood upright and pointed a claw at Naruto.

"…Okay, fair," Naruto muttered, rubbing his temple. "I walked into that one."

Before the smell could get any worse, footsteps echoed down from above. Laurentius descended slowly, eyes widening at the scene before him.

"I guess my help wasn't needed," Laurentius said, a touch of awe in his voice.

Naruto let the cleaver go into his inventory. "It's the thought that counts."

The boy unequipped the blood-covered Elite Knight armour set for the Pyromancer set.

Laurentius's smile was subtle, but genuine. "Pyromancy has… a certain reputation. Crude, unsophisticated. The upper societies sneer at it. But I've always believed its strength lies in its honesty. No illusions. Just fire and will."

Naruto nodded. "I wear the knight armor because it belonged to my master. But this—" He adjusted the collar of the Pyromancer garb. "This is still mine."

Laurentius placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then wear it proudly. Too many abandon what makes them who they are just to be accepted by others. Which is fine, as I never got along with anybody anyway. So, for me, turning Undead didn't change a thing! Hah hah hah hah."

Naruto grinned. "When I was a kid, I tried everything to stand out. Now I just want to be myself. It's weird how life flips on you like that."

Laurentius laughed lightly. "So, what now?"

"I'm thinking of going deeper into the Depths," Naruto said, removing the hood to spill out his long hair. "Probably kill whatever beast these butchers were feeding and continue on. A friend of mine came down here. I want to catch up with him. What about you?"

"I think I'll head back to Firelink Shrine. It's quiet there, and I can recover my strength. If you're still interested in continuing your journey as a pyromancer, I'd be pleased to share my spells with you. All you need are the materials, and a willingness to learn."

Naruto smiled at that. "I'd love that."

His gaze drifted past Laurentius, settling on the blood-slick chute in the back wall. A foul stench still wafted from it, but there was something else in Naruto's expression now.

"Actually," he said, turning back to Laurentius, "can you give me a Pyromancy Flame?"

Laurentius blinked. "Now?"

Naruto made a single hand sign, and with a soft puff of smoke, a shadow clone appeared beside him. Laurentius blinked, rubbed his eyes, and let out a laugh.

"You… are you sure you're just a pyromancer?"

"Not really. I've picked up a lot of things since I came to Lordran. I'm not just anything. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

Laurentius chuckled. "Well, you certainly have the power to back up that confidence." He reached out toward the clone, only for it to slap his hand gently away.

"My plan's simple. You give me the Pyromancy Flame, and my clone will learn from you at Firelink Shrine."

"I don't know if it will work that way," Laurentius said, eyeing the clone warily. "But you seem confident, so I will gladly help you, friend."

His hand rose, and the soft orange glow of his Pyromancy Flame lit up between his fingers. The warmth pulsed in rhythm with his breath.

"Also," Naruto added, rubbing the back of his neck, "try explaining more. I might've had a Pyromancy Flame before, but I didn't really know what I was doing with it."

Laurentius nodded with a smile. "Pyromancy is the art of casting fire. Produce flame, then channel it… just as our ancestors did. A pyromancer must be in tune with nature herself. My home, the Great Swamp, is an abundant store of nature. You'll understand one day. It only takes time."

Naruto scratched at his forearm absentmindedly, the words sparking a memory. Chakra is the energy of nature, Iruka-sensei had once said during a lecture. All living things share it. Draw it in, control it, and shape it into your will.

Was that why the Pyromancy Flame reacted so uncontrollably to chakra?

He looked down at the Pyromancy Flame now being extended toward him.

"A pyromancer's flame is a part of their body," Laurentius continued, his voice solemn. "The flame grows as you do. When I give you this, I give you a piece of myself. Please take good care of it."

As he passed the flame forward, Naruto reached out to receive it but something strange happened.

The flame released a cascade of glowing ashes and embers, which floated through the air like fireflies. They danced around Naruto's outstretched hand before sinking into his skin.

Suddenly, Naruto tensed. A crawling sensation traced down his arms and across his back. He hissed through his teeth, immediately tugging up the sleeve of his robes.

What he saw made him freeze.

A pattern of vines etched themselves beneath his skin, trailing across his shoulder, down his biceps, and spreading toward his back. The vines pulsed with life, intertwining with the drifting ashes of Laurentius's flame. When the last ember touched the center of Naruto's palm, a new fire erupted from his hand.

It was unlike any flame he'd seen before.

At the core, the fire blazed a blinding yellow-white. Around it swirled deep, living oranges and fierce reds, like molten magma in constant motion. At the edges, hints of dark crimson and violet curled outward, flickering like coals resisting extinction. The light painted the room in wild shadows.

[ You have obtained: The Hand of Chaos ]

"Why… what spectacular pyromancy," Laurentius said, still staring at the living flame dancing in Naruto's palm. "I've seen nothing like it in all my years."

"What exactly did you do to give me the Pyromancy Flame? That… didn't feel normal."

Laurentius nodded thoughtfully. "I shared it."

He looked down at his own hand, where the flickering remnants of his original flame still pulsed gently.

"My teacher, whom I imagine still resides in the Great Swamp, had a funny way of putting it. He once said, Pyromancy is the ultimate fantasy… We are born into Dark, and warmed by Fire, but this Fire we cannot touch. Those whose fascination with Fire persists, learn to hold it in their own hand."

He gave a soft, nostalgic chuckle. "He had a way with words, that old withering frog."

Naruto squinted slightly at the phrase. "Do you have your own take on it?"

"In a sense, yes," Laurentius replied. "I believe what my teacher wanted to convey is that the pyromancer's flame is not something we own, it is something we share. A fire we cannot touch alone, but one that lives through connection. It passes between people. That is why I believe the flame is a piece of ourselves. We do not give it away. We offer it. And in doing so, it changes."

He gestured to Naruto's hand.

"Perhaps your flame has become truly your own. Something new. Something no one has ever held before."

Naruto couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. The warmth in his hand felt less like fire now and more like recognition.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

Laurentius stepped back, glancing once toward the chute that dropped deeper into the Depths.

"Well then… I'll leave you to your adventure. But be warned, the Depths are easy to enter, and hard to escape. That is the nature of a changing labyrinth. Keep your wits about you."

He nodded once, then turned to leave alongside Naruto's clone.

When they were gone, Naruto looked down again at his new flame. A whisper echoed in his head as the system message appeared:

[ Item: The Hand of Chaos ]

[ Description: A pyromancer's flame, once a mere catalyst, warped by the touch of Chaos.
What was flame became more—a vessel not only of fire, but of corruption. Some whisper it was always thus, for flame is but a fragment of Chaos, and Chaos itself bears the shape of life. Perhaps the two are not so different, if one only sees clearly. Allows the casting of pyromancies. Yet be wary, for Chaos pyromancies do not merely burn… They change, twisting the world in ways unseen. ]

Naruto read it once.

Then again.

Then a third time, slower.

"So… the flame changed when it touched me," he muttered. "That means Chaos was already in me?"

The thought pulled him back to the days his hand had been cursed. The description of his cursed hand had talked about Chaos, which was now part of his soul.

If the Pyromancy Flame was now something new, something tainted by Chaos… then his spells would be, too. He would not just burn things anymore. His fire would corrupt, alter. Twist.

He flexed his fingers, watching the red-orange flame dance between his knuckles. It still felt like his. Maybe more than ever.

But still…

"Guess I'll have to find out what that really means."

With that, he closed his hand, extinguishing the fire.

A familiar chirp turned his head. The crystal lizard sat perched beside a large cauldron, tail flicking lazily.

"Ah, sorry. Got lost in my thoughts."

His voice trailed off the moment he noticed the glow beneath the cauldron.

Naruto crouched beside it, brushing away the thick soot on its side. His hawkeyes focused, and there it was at the base of the fire: a glowing shape, pulsing faintly.

"…That's not just fuel," he muttered.

Oscar chirped twice and nudged the cauldron with his snout.

Naruto leaned in and saw it more clearly now: souls. Dozens of faint soul fragments burned within the flame itself, feeding into something brighter.

Then he saw it buried in the center, nestled beneath bone-char and ash. A solid ember, larger and purer than any he had seen.

He stood and grabbed a nearby iron tray, grimacing at the filth, then knelt again and gently scooped into the flame. The soul fragments danced into the tray, and as soon as the ember touched them, the fire roared higher for a heartbeat.

A message blinked into his mind.

[ You have obtained a Large Ember ]

[ Item: Large Ember ]

[ Description: Ember required for weapon ascension. A large, high-quality ember, once handled by the blacksmith of Astora. Ascension for +5 standard weapon. Allows reinforcement to +10. Also, can ascend +5 standard weapons to raw weapons. (Raw weapons can be reinforced to +5.) ]

Naruto gasped, jaw falling open. He turned and immediately hugged Oscar. "You're amazing! If it weren't for you, I might've walked right past the biggest treasure in this dump!"

Oscar squeaked happily, limbs wiggling in delight.

"So… if I bring this to Andre, he can take my weapon to plus ten. That's like… better than learning a new jutsu!"

He puckered his lips and leaned in. "You deserve a kiss."

Oscar chirped.

Naruto blinked. Then frowned. "You just had to ruin the moment by asking if I even have the ore for the upgrades."

Oscar chirped again, this time clearly asking if he still got the kiss.

Naruto deadpanned. "Absolutely not."

And with one dramatic shove, he flung Oscar straight into the garbage chute.

The lizard's chirps turned to muffled, indignant curses as he tumbled down into the dark.

"Language," Naruto called after him, before leaping down as well.

He landed hard, bones and filth crunching beneath him. The air hit like a wall of mold. He straightened slowly, eyes adjusting to the gloom.

The place was worse than he imagined.

Old stone walls pressed in from every direction, slick with moisture and choked by the stench of rot. The only light came from dying torches spaced too far apart to matter.

Narrow walkways ran alongside wide sewage channels, the sludge within thick and dark. Iron bars blocked certain paths, and here and there were cages—some empty, some not. The sound of claws scraping echoed faintly in the distance.

Then he saw it.

A giant undead rat, comparable in size to one of Jiraiya's summoned toads, crouched in the gloom of the sewer. Its body was bloated and lumpy, fur patchy and falling out in clumps. Its yellowed eyes glowed faintly in the dark, but one was ruined entirely, pierced by a rusted axe embedded deep into the socket. Its tail dragged behind it like a thick, diseased rope, leaving streaks in the muck and bone littering the floor.

Above, Naruto crouched low beside a stone ledge, watching the beast move through the shadows with sluggish but heavy steps.

"So that's the beast the butchers were feeding," Naruto muttered. He tapped Oscar's shoulder and pointed down to the arena-sized chamber below.

The rat was positioned perfectly, unaware of their presence.

They had the high ground.

Naruto quickly signed out the plan with a few quick gestures.

The boy stood and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, you disease-ridden rat!"

The rat's head jerked upward. It let out a low, angry screech that echoed through the tunnel. Without hesitation, it lunged forward in a surprisingly high arc, claws swiping at the ledge.

Naruto did not retreat. He jumped straight up, a burst of chakra propelling him high into the air, flipping over the beast. The rat's claws slashed through empty stone, crumbling the ledge where he had just stood.

Mid-air, Naruto focused chakra into his palm and formed a Rasengan. The swirling sphere of energy roared to life in his hand.

Oscar fired a crystalline bolt of magic from above, aiming for where Naruto would land the Rasengan.

But the rat twisted mid-motion. The Rasengan and the bolt missed as the creature rolled into a partial dodge, smashing aside piles of bone and filth.

Naruto landed in the arena, boots crunching into old skulls.

"Okay, that was faster than expected."

The rat bared its yellow fangs and let out a screech that shook the debris around them. Then it lunged again, tail swinging like a whip.

Naruto ducked under the tail and surged forward, chakra reinforcing his legs. He met the beast head-on and slammed the Rasengan into its forehead.

The explosion of force stopped the rat mid-lunge. Its fur was singed, skin blackened, and a wide circular bruise formed under its hide.

But the skull did not break.

The rat snarled and stumbled back, more annoyed than wounded.

"Tough bastard…" Naruto muttered.

Then he saw it again. That axe in its right eye. The handle still stuck out.

There was the weakness.

"Change of plans! Wrestle it!" Naruto shouted to Oscar.

Oscar understood immediately. He leapt from the ledge, twisting mid-air. His scales glimmered as he transformed into his ravenous state, becoming a crystalline blur of movement.

The lizard tucked into a ball and rolled with ferocious speed straight at the rat.

The rat roared and met him with a headbutt.

The two forces collided in a booming crack that echoed through the sewer.

Neither gave way.

While they clashed, Naruto moved like lightning. He flickered around the rat's flank, slipped beneath its raised foreleg, and gripped the rusted handle of the embedded axe.

"Let's see how you like this."

He channeled raw wind chakra into the metal. The axe began to vibrate in his hands, humming violently. The vibrations grew sharper, faster, and then… burst.

The axe exploded, taking the rat's eye with it.

The creature reeled, shrieking in agony, blind on one side. It thrashed and slammed into the walls, dislodging bricks and spraying filthy water. Oscar used the opportunity to slam into its chest again, pinning the monster to the sewer wall with a crunch of impact.

Naruto formed another Rasengan and ran forward, chakra trailing behind him like streaks of blue light. He leapt, twisted mid-air, and drove the Rasengan deep into the creature's ruined eye socket.

This time the flesh gave way.

The Rasengan burst inside the rat's skull. The top of its head exploded outward in a spray of bone, rotten brain matter, and blood. The massive body crumpled with a disgusting thud.

[ Victory Achieved! ]

[ You have gained ]

[ 5000 Souls ]

[ Soul of Nameless Soldier ]

[ Sewer Chamber Key ]

Naruto landed in a slide, completely covered in gore. "Oh gods, I think I got some in my mouth," he muttered before immediately turning and vomiting to the side.

He wiped his mouth and groaned. "I hate the Depths. Every time we kill something here, we get covered in blood, guts, and sewage."

Oscar returned to his normal form and padded over, clean as a gem.

Naruto glared at him.

"Yeah, yeah. One of us is worse, and I know who."

Oscar noised.

Naruto sighed. "Don't even start."

He looked around the aftermath. The cavern was dead quiet. The rat's corpse took up half the floor space. He noticed multiple exits. One led through a narrow tunnel. Another was a sewer waterfall flowing downward. There was also a hole in the far corner, possibly leading further into the Depths.

Naruto pulled out the small pocket watch from his pouch, the one they had been using to measure their time in this realm. "It's time to go back to Konoha."

Oscar chirped in agreement.

The little guy waited patiently.

Naruto was still scanning the area, his hawkeyes sweeping left and right.

Oscar chirped, then made a sharp noise that translated almost too clearly. Why aren't you just using the Homeward Miracle already?

"I hear a bonfire nearby. We're close."

Oscar groaned in protest, tail twitching with frustration. He clearly just wanted to go home and take a long, well-earned bath. Preferably with no undead rats or dogs. Still ignoring his companion's silent protest, Naruto moved deeper into the arena, stepping carefully through the ankle-deep sludge. That was when he spotted it.

A rusted red ladder leading up, hidden behind a set of old cage bars.

"Help me with this," Naruto said, already bending the iron.

Oscar, small as he was, moved forward and gave the bars a few swift tail slaps for good measure. With a loud metallic creak, the way opened.

Naruto climbed first. The ladder groaned under his weight but held. At the top, he found a handful of broken wooden crates shoved over the exit hatch. He pushed them aside with one arm and stepped up into what looked like a rusted maintenance platform.

There were two doors. One leading up. One leading down. But it was the sound of fire crackling he was following.

He approached the upper door and used the Sewer Chamber Key. The lock clicked.

Just as the door swung open, a flash of flame exploded toward his face. Without hesitating, Naruto spun and launched a heel kick into the torch-bearer's chest. The hollow hit the wall so hard the bones crumpled like dry leaves.

"Always be on high alert in Lordran," Naruto muttered.

Behind him, Oscar tried to hold in a giggle. But his nose twitched. His partner's hair was smoking.

Naruto paused. Sniffed.

"Ugh. Really?" He ran a hand through the front of his bangs. A few singed strands came off.

"Not even two seconds near the bonfire and I get burned," he muttered.

Oscar just laughed harder in lizard noises.

Naruto rolled his eyes and pushed open the second door to the left. And there it was.

The bonfire.

Lit. Steady. Warm.

"Solaire must've made it here ahead of us," Naruto said as Oscar scrambled ahead, eager to rest.

Naruto paused again and turned to the sewage tunnel. He tilted his head upward.

His hawk vision focused, revealing pale and translucent creatures with streaks of red, yellow, and black rotting colors within their jelly-like flesh. Some had half-dissolved bones sticking out. Others were beginning to drip like melting wax.

[ Name: Slimes ]

[ HP: 400 / 400 ]

Naruto exhaled through his nose. He pulled a shuriken from his pouch and spun it on the tip of his finger. With his other hand, he began forming a one-handed jutsu.

Wind Style: Vacuum Blade.

He inhaled and blew across the spinning shuriken. Wind chakra wrapped around the metal, sharpening its edge and expanding its radius.

Then he flicked it up toward the ceiling.

The blade sliced clean through the first row of slimes. Goo splattered. Bodies dropped.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

[ HP: 310 / 400 ]

"...They're tougher than they look."

The slimes were falling fast now, splashing into the water pooled below. The corridor began to fill with writhing jelly bodies.

Naruto didn't hesitate. He pulled out a talisman and activated it.

Lightning Spear!

The bolt formed in his palm, crackling with yellow energy. He hurled it directly into the water. Electricity surged through the sewer. Dozens of slimes thrashed in unison, if such things could scream.

[ You have gained ]

[ 500 Souls ]

[ Green Titanite Shard ]

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the glowing green shard float up in the water. He scrambled down, grabbing it. "Finally! I've been looking for this stupid ore for ages and it drops from these slime things?"

Oscar, now mid-rest near the fire, flinched at the volume. He chirped grumpily.

"You're right, you're right. You don't want to fight in this filth. That's fair."

Naruto nodded and created three shadow clones. They looked around at the battlefield with dread. "You guys clean up. Kill the rest of the slimes. Oscar and I are going home to scrub this sewer stench off."

One of the clones raised a hand. "Do we get ramen for this community service?"

Naruto laughed as he walked away. "Haha. No. I'm abandoning you."

He slammed the door shut behind him.

The clones stood in silence.

"...Would we get ramen if we made a union?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Meanwhile, Laurentius and Naruto's shadow clone made their way back to Firelink Shrine.

Ash crunched beneath their feet as they climbed the worn stone path toward the overlook of the cliffside shrine. The sun, or whatever passed for a sun in this world, hung dim behind a veil of clouds, casting everything in a dull gray warmth. Laurentius adjusted the satchel on his shoulder with a tired grunt.

"I presume all the dead Hollows along the way were your doing?"

The clone gave a casual shrug and smiled. "Guilty as charged. They were just standing around, moaning like bad background singers. Figured I'd quiet the choir a bit."

Laurentius chuckled softly. "Well, I won't complain. Still... it's odd how casually you treat this place."

"I've been here long enough to know who snores and who screams," the clone quipped. "Anyway, if you're not in a hurry to nap, I could show you around. There are a few, uh... colorful residents living here."

Laurentius lifted a brow. "Colorful?"

"Colorful like mold on cheese," the clone nodded. "You'll get used to them."

"Tempting as that sounds," Laurentius muttered, stretching his back with a wince, "I think I'll just sit somewhere quiet and hope no one mistakes me for a Hollow."

He found a mossy spot beside the broken church, setting down his satchel and glancing around the clearing.

A strange, rhythmic sound echoed faintly from beneath the stones like heavy breathing, slow and steady. Almost... snoring.

"Is someone sleeping nearby?" Laurentius asked, frowning.

"Huh... that's new. Sounds like it's coming from under the floor."

"Beneath the church?"

The clone scratched his chin. "Yeah, but I've never heard it before. Weird."

"You've lived here and never noticed it?"

"Firelink has layers, man. One time I found an undead guy sleeping in a pot. And that's not a metaphor."

Laurentius gave a visible sweatdrop. "That's... concerning. Should we check it out?"

"You want me to blow up the floor and find out what's breathing under?"

"I didn't say blow up, I said check."

"So... light explosives?"

Laurentius held up a hand quickly. "Let's leave it to sleep. Safer that way."

"Suit yourself. But if it eats someone, I'm blaming you."

Laurentius sighed and sat back down. "You're impossible."

They let the silence settle for a moment before the clone clapped his hands.

"Right! Let's talk shop. Pyromancy. You promised to teach me the basics."

"Of course," Laurentius said, brightening. "Now then, Pyromancy, unlike sorcery or miracles, is an ancient art. Primitive, some would say, but elegant. It relies on attunement. You select which flames to prepare before battle."

"I've heard magic can be cast unattuned by skilled users," the clone said. "Is there anything like that in Pyromancy?"

Laurentius shook his head. "Only in legends. There once was a form of raw fire magic used in the Age of Ancients, but it's long lost. Pyromancy, as we know it, is based entirely on attunement through the flame."

"Okay, and sorcery scales off Intelligence, right? So what about Pyromancy?"

Laurentius looked pleased at the question. "A good one. Pyromancy is unique. It does not scale with any innate trait. Rather, it is the flame itself that strengthens."

"Wait, so it levels like a weapon?" the clone blinked. "You sharpen your lighter?"

"Not quite," Laurentius chuckled. "But close. You burn souls into it. Feed the flame with your victories. The hotter it burns, the stronger your Pyromancy becomes."

"That makes sense. Like the blacksmith's ember. They use souls to make their forge burn hotter, right?"

"Exactly. But where a blacksmith's ember fades in hours, a Pyromancer's flame is eternal. It must be reborn through another, meaning... you'll need someone like me to perform the strengthening. It's not something done alone."

"So... if the real me wants to level up his fire powers," the clone said, pointing at his own face, "he's gotta come to you?"

"Indeed. When next you are whole, return to me. I will help you ascend."

The clone beamed. "Cool. Do I get a friend discount?"

"But of course. You saved me, after all. Come, let me show you what I have in stock."

He pulled a small scroll case from his satchel and unfurled it, revealing faded ink patterns of swirling flame, glyphs of the Great Swamp carefully painted in ancient runes.

[ Fire Orb – 8,000 Souls ]

[ Combustion – 500 Souls ]

[ Iron Flesh – 2,000 Souls ]

[ Flash Sweat – 2,000 Souls ]

[ Fireball – 800 Souls ]

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Back in Konoha, the sun had barely crested over the rooftops when the birds began chirping. Morning dew clung to the leaves, and the scent of fresh blossoms floated through the village.

It was a beautiful morning.

And yet...

"You're late!" Sakura's voice echoed across the training field, loud enough to make several passing animals flinch.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, eyes curved in that familiar, placating eye-smile. "Mou, mou, Sakura-chan. I got caught up playing with some puppies."

Sakura's hands twitched at her sides. Her eyebrow rose. "That... actually sounds believable for once."

Kakashi gasped in mock betrayal. "To think my own student would accuse me of lying! I'm wounded."

"I didn't accuse you. I believed you. That's the shocking part."

Kakashi gave her a sheepish shrug just as footsteps approached behind her. Sasuke strolled onto the field, hands in his pockets and a mild scowl already forming on his face.

Sakura dropped her head forward with a groan. "Why did I come here first?"

"You still come early... knowing full well two members of Team 7 have made being late a lifestyle," Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't remind me." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Every time I think I'm over it, they show up and reset the clock."

Kakashi clapped his hands lightly, drawing their attention. "Well, while we wait for Naruto to grace us with his presence, let's talk. What've you two been up to?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Rested. Trained. Ate. Slept again."

Kakashi gave him a small nod of approval.

Sakura exhaled. "My mom's been interrogating me non-stop about the Wave mission. She wants every detail about being on the same team as the Fourth Hokage's son."

"Eventful. As for me, Jiraiya-sama gave me the unreleased manuscript of his next Icha Icha novel. I get to review it before it hits the shelves."

Both Sakura and Sasuke glanced at each other, then offered a light clap, deadpan but oddly supportive.

"Congratulations on your... pervy achievement," Sakura said flatly.

Kakashi gave a proud nod, unbothered by the tone.

Just then, a sudden whoosh filled the air. Wind swirled briefly.

Naruto flickered onto the training ground with a puff of chakra. "What's everyone celebrating without me?"

All eyes turned toward him and immediately zeroed in on the obvious.

Naruto's long crimson hair was coiled high atop his head, wrapped in a thick towel like a spa bun. Strands of steam still curled from beneath the fabric, the wrap twisted neatly into a tight spiral that sat like a proud crown of someone who had just conquered a hot spring. His bangs peeked from under the towel, slightly curled from the moisture.

"Were you just... bathing?"

"Two-hour-long bath," Naruto said casually, adjusting the towel on his head. "Oscar's hiding in my hair. He likes the steam."

The statement hung in the air like an uninvited guest.

"...Why?"

"Because I fought cannibals and giant rats in a sewer."

"..."

"..."

Kakashi was the first to speak. "So... a regular Monday for you then."

"Dattebayo."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

[ Author's Note:

Hey everyone! Before we dive into the chapter, I just wanted to apologize for the late upload. A lot has been happening on my end, and I got bogged down with real-life stuff. But now that I have more time, I'm planning to upload more frequently, hopefully every 4 to 5 days!

Now, I think this chapter was pretty straightforward, so there isn't much I need to explain. But if you've got questions, feel free to ask in the comments, and I'll be sure to reply.

Also, I'd really love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Drop them in the comments! I don't always get community notifications for some reason, so if I miss your message, just know it wasn't on purpose.

With that said, I wanted to throw something out for feedback: what do you think about Team 7 each developing their own unique version of the Rasengan?

For Naruto, it makes sense that he would use the base Rasengan and eventually create variants, just like in canon. Except here, he also has access to miracles, pyromancies, and magic, so his toolbox for experimentation is even bigger.

For Sasuke, what if he adds lightning chakra to the Rasengan to create something like the Vanishing Rasengan from Boruto?

For Sakura, maybe because her chakra reserves are lower than her teammates, she ends up with a much smaller Rasengan. But instead of being weaker, she learns to fire it like a bullet, similar to Momoshiki's Rasendan.

Of course, that's just pulling ideas from Boruto. Another route would be to come up with something more unique.

Like… what if Sakura combined chakra strings with her mini Rasengan bullet, basically using the strings to sling and accelerate it? Imagine a meteor hammer made of chakra string with a Rasengan at the end.

And for Sasuke, what if the lightning Rasengan takes that concept to its extreme? A small fired ball of chakra that pierces straight through, combined with a paralyzing effect. If it hits a vital area, you are finished. If not, you still have a hole in you and your muscles seize from the lightning. Basically, the Naruto equivalent of a .50 cal armor-piercing round combined with a taser. One shot, one kill.

Maybe it's overpowered, but considering how broken Rasenshuriken already is, it feels fitting. More of an assassin's tool compared to Rasenshuriken, but no less deadly.

And then… brain blast.

What if Naruto doesn't just make a "Lightning Release Rasengan," but actually merges the Rasengan with Chidori? Kakashi tells him the whole backstory of Chidori being a failed Rasengan attempt, and Naruto just goes, "Okay, so why don't I mash them together?" The look on Kakashi's face would be priceless.

Picture this: Naruto channels Chidori into his sword, let's say a rapier, similar to how Sasuke does in Shippuden. But instead of stopping there, he layers Rasengan's chakra manipulation on top. Instead of shaping it into a ball, he forms rotating chakra rings around the blade.

Think of how a railgun works. Railguns use electromagnetic forces to accelerate a projectile at insane speeds. In this case, the chakra rings act like rails, constantly feeding energy and acceleration into Naruto's sword thrust. The Chidori provides the piercing edge, the Rasengan's shape manipulation stabilizes the flow, and the rings amplify the momentum until the blade hits like an unstoppable spear.

The result? A thrust that could punch straight through something like Susanoo, where Rasenshuriken might stall out. It wouldn't cause the same cellular-level destruction, but in terms of raw piercing power, nothing would stand in its way.

Basically: Rasengan = rotational stability. Chidori = piercing nature. Naruto's chaotic brain = crazy enough to merge them into a railgun thrust jutsu.

Now I really want to make Kakashi's jaw drop when Naruto casually pulls this out.

So, what do you guys think? Should Team 7 each develop their own Rasengan variations? And would you want to see Naruto create this "railgun thrust" technique in the story? Let me know your thoughts below!

That is it for now.

As always, thank you to everyone who reads, comments, and throws questions my way. You make the ride worth it.

Adam