Naruto opened his eyes to the flickering light of the Firelink bonfire. The warm glow wrapped around him like a familiar blanket, but something felt off.
A weak chirp broke the silence.
He looked down to see Oscar trembling near his side. The crystal lizard was curled in on himself, tiny limbs drawn tight to his body. The usually vibrant gleam of his crystalline scales was dulled, his tail twitching erratically like a frightened bird. His eyes, normally bright and curious, were wide and unfocused, reflecting the firelight in jagged shards.
Naruto's expression softened as he reached out and gently placed a hand on Oscar's head. For a long, quiet moment, he simply watched the little lizard, a twinge of guilt tightening in his chest. Lordran had been harsh and brutal for the little guy, who endured it alone. Coming back here… it could not have been easy. Not when he had finally known what warmth and safety felt like back home.
"Hey," he said quietly. "We are here to get stronger. But do not worry, as long as I am here, nothing is gonna happen to you. Promise. But… I am gonna need someone to guard my back. Can you do that?"
Oscar blinked, then squirmed out of Naruto's hand. He scuttled in front of him, puffing his tiny chest out with as much bravery as a lizard the size of a loaf of bread could muster. His tail stopped trembling. He looked up with a determined chirp.
Naruto chuckled. "That's the spirit. Let's go."
They descended into Andre's forge where the old blacksmith was snoring on his workbench, head tilted back and arms crossed.
Naruto raised a finger to his lips and glanced at Oscar. "Shhh."
The two decided to turn back when..."What are you doing, making noise this early?"
Naruto turned sheepish. "Oh, you're awake."
"Could not exactly sleep through your pep talk upstairs." Andre sat up, rubbing his neck. "Go on then, train in the hall if you are gonna. Just do not die."
"You got it, old man."
Down in the church's shadowed interior, Naruto took a breath and bit lightly into Oscar's tail, forming the connection. Dozens of clones popped into existence, each accompanied by a clone of Oscar. The real lizard's eyes lit up with joy at the sight of so many of himself.
"No, you cannot play with your clones," Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes. "We are training."
Oscar's tail drooped.
Naruto sighed, made a separate clone just for Oscar to chase, and the little lizard bounded off, delighted.
Naruto pulled out a scroll Kakashi had given him on ninchu training. A single kunai was nestled in the center crease. He squinted at it. "Kakashi sensei must have left this by mistake."
He flicked it into his inventory and returned to the scroll. "Alright. Let's do this."
For the next hour, the training was brutal. The chakra control drills were harsh on Naruto's clones and harder on Oscar. One by one, each clone exploded in a puff of smoke, and each time, Oscar twitched violently as the memory hit him. By the end, he was curled up again, biting his tail, overwhelmed by the sensation of dozens of painful, jarring deaths.
Naruto called off the training immediately.
"Hey, hey... it is okay," he whispered, holding the trembling lizard close. "It is okay, Oscar. You did good. We are done for today."
Oscar whimpered and buried himself in Naruto's chest.
A few minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs. Andre appeared with a wooden mug, filled to the brim with water, and passed it over without a word.
Naruto took it with a nod of thanks.
"What happened to that big bad Gato?" Andre asked, casually scratching his beard.
"Still has not made his move," Naruto muttered. "But that just means more time for me to prepare. Every day he waits… I get stronger."
Andre raised a brow and glanced down at Oscar, who was still huddled against Naruto's chest. "And dragging the little one into it too?"
Naruto looked down and scratched Oscar under the chin. "Yeah. I am training him in chakra. Problem is… chakra and crystallized soul do not mix cleanly. It is volatile. Like dumping oil into a forge fire."
Andre clicked his tongue. "So… he is a bomb?"
"Not exactly," Naruto said. "More like… a conduit with no fuse. If we do not figure out how to control the flow, he could rupture from the inside out."
"Then you better figure it out fast," Andre said as he eyed the trembling crystal lizard curled against Naruto's chest. "But let this old man give you a suggestion."
Naruto straightened, giving the blacksmith his full attention. "I am listening."
Andre jabbed a thick finger at Oscar. "He is not undead. He has one life and when it is gone, it is gone. That makes him special. But it also makes him vulnerable."
Naruto swallowed hard. That was the truth he had been avoiding. "So… what kind of precautions are we talking?"
"Armor. You are a shinobi, ain't you? Even your world knows how important it is. Now imagine what a good set of plate could do for this little beastie."
Oscar perked up at that, tilting his head.
Naruto blinked, stunned. "Wait, you are saying we can actually forge armor for him?"
"Of course we can," Andre said, nodding. "It is not that different from barding."
"Barding?"
"Armor for horses, lad. Or wolves, or drakes, or whatever else you plan to ride into battle screaming your lungs out. If it has a spine and spirit, I can plate it in steel."
Oscar let out a chirp that sounded suspiciously like Dattebayo.
Naruto grinned. "Alright then. I actually found this Elite Knight set in Darkroot Garden. I was gonna keep it for emergency or something, but… I think Oscar would look way cooler in it."
Andre chuckled. "Elite Knight Armor, eh? That is a fine foundation. You are thinking full miniature plating?"
"I was thinking we scale down the pauldron layout, maybe reinforce the ventral plates with enchanted steel mesh, keep the tail unrestricted for balance, and oh, maybe add smoke vents around the mouth to channel his crystal laser better."
Andre blinked at him. "Huh… so you have been paying attention to this old man's lessons after all."
"I multitask," Naruto said with a proud grin.
"Well, you are gonna need Rickert's help with this. He is the one who understands magical stuff better than I do."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I can ask him about the conduit issue too."
Naruto summoned a clone. "You and him can get started on the draft for a model. Oscar, come with me. We have stuff to do."
As the clone rolled up his sleeves and got to work with Andre, Naruto gently lifted Oscar onto his shoulder. The lizard hesitated, his claws tightening slightly on Naruto's armor.
Naruto could feel it—the tremble. Not of fear, but doubt. He knelt down and looked Oscar in the eye. "Hey. I know it has been a lot. And I know Lordran still scares you."
Oscar looked away, ashamed.
"But I am not asking you to be fearless," Naruto said softly. "I am asking you to be brave. That means showing up, even when your claws are shaking."
Oscar turned back, eyes wide and unblinking.
Naruto smiled. "We are a team, remember? You do not have to blast everything to be useful. Sometimes, just being there... just being you is enough."
Oscar blinked. Then he gave a tiny, firm chirp.
"Good," Naruto said. "Now let us see how good of a distraction you can be."
Dappled sunlight cut through the ruined ceiling of the Undead Church as Naruto crouched beside a pillar, eyeing the trio of Hollows loitering near the entrance.
"Alright, buddy," he whispered, lowering Oscar gently to the ground. "You're up. Go out there, be loud, and lead them around."
Oscar chirped with uncertainty.
"You're not fighting this time," Naruto added. "Just a good old fashioned bait and dash. Flash and run. Sparkle and spin."
Oscar gave him a skeptical look.
"Trust me," Naruto said with a wink.
Oscar hesitated, then puffed his little chest out and dashed into the open.
The sun caught his crystal spine at just the right angle. Light refracted in brilliant, flashing shards like miniature fireworks. The effect was immediate. Three Hollows turned, groaning with mechanical urgency as they shambled toward the flickering movement.
Naruto struck.
A kunai flew, embedding into the crossbow Hollow's skull. It dropped.
Oscar darted between the legs of the second Hollow, drawing a wild swing that missed entirely. The movement left it wide open. Naruto appeared behind it in a flicker and drove his Zweihander straight through its back.
The last Hollow shrieked and charged, blade raised high.
Oscar skidded to a halt. His whole body tensed. The crystal on his back hummed faintly, then sputtered.
No laser.
Oscar froze.
"Get down!" Naruto shouted.
The Hollow's blade came crashing down, only to meet steel as Naruto intercepted it. He gritted his teeth, gave ground slowly, then twisted, baiting the Hollow forward. The sunlight bounced off Oscar's back again. One blinding beam of refracted light caught the Hollow right in the eyes.
It flinched.
Naruto did not.
He spun and cleaved through the creature in a single strike, scattering ash and bone across the flagstones.
Silence fell then a chirp.
Oscar's tail was wagging. Slowly at first. Then faster. He looked up at Naruto, trembling slightly, but this time not with fear.
"Dude," Naruto said, scooping him up, "you were awesome out there. That flash move? That was perfect."
Oscar trilled proudly, nudging Naruto's cheek with his nose.
"You're learning," Naruto said, walking toward the elevator. "And next time? That laser's gonna scorch."
The platform clanked beneath them, the elevator descending with a rusty groan toward Firelink Shrine.
Oscar nestled against Naruto's collar, his heartbeat finally calm.
He had not fired a laser. He had not tanked a hit. But for the first time, Oscar had walked into a fight, chosen to act, and come out standing.
For the first time, he felt like a warrior too.
As the elevator clanked back into its slot, Naruto stepped off, humming under his breath. The absence of Petrus was a welcome relief. Just the wind, the ashes, and a strange stillness. He skipped lightly down the path, thinking about Anastacia, wondering with a sheepish grin what his clone might have been doing.
But the moment he reached the edge of the stairs, near the blackened roots of the dead Firelink tree, his steps halted.
The clone was standing there motionless, in a dreamlike trance. Its expression was one of eerie peace. Soft eyes gazing toward the sky, a faint smile on its lips.
But Naruto's stomach twisted. That look was not natural.
He moved slowly, heart rising to his throat. A chill danced down his spine as he edged closer.
Then he saw it.
Anastacia lay curled in the cage, barely moving, her breath shallow and erratic. Not peaceful. Not sleeping.
Suffering.
Naruto's eyes scanned the area with a shinobi's precision. A blood-stained kunai lay discarded in the dirt, its edge caked with dark red. A trail of crimson smeared the stone between it and Anastacia. Her lips were stained and cracked, and in the soil beside her mouth... her tongue was cut clean and left to rot.
His hands trembled.
The clone had not moved.
"Oi," Naruto said softly, walking over. "Wake up."
No response. His chakra flared, attempting to disrupt the flow of illusion like Sakura taught him. No reaction.
Naruto frowned. He used soul sight and saw that the clone was under the effects of some kind of spell that projected a weird cloud over its aura.
His hand tightened around his kunai. With a sharp breath, he stabbed the clone in the chest.
White smoke dispersed into the wind.
Memories flooded in, but they were scattered and dull. Hours of standing. Staring at the sky. No alarm. No awareness. Just stillness, as if the clone had forgotten its purpose. Forgotten her.
Naruto clenched his fists.
It was the crow. It had to be. That damn bird. Something more than a messenger. Something wrong. It must have cast the spell, slipped reality over the clone's eyes like a blanket, while it forced Anastacia to silence herself again. A cruel mockery of choice.
He flickered into the cage.
Anastacia stirred faintly, caught in half-conscious spasms, murmuring in broken gasps.
"Shhh," Naruto whispered, fingers glowing as he pressed two against the base of her neck. A soft pulse of chakra spread out, carefully calming her nervous system. She slumped back, unconscious now, but safe in sleep.
He crouched beside her, gently wiping the blood from her face with a soft cloth from his pouch. His gaze settled on her mouth. The wound was deep and ragged.
She had done it to herself.
"Damn it…" he whispered.
He bit the inside of his cheek, hard enough to taste blood.
"I am not strong enough yet. Not to fix this. Not to help you. But I can make sure you live without pain. I swear it."
From his storage seal, he drew out folded quilts, a feather pillow, and a thin mattress pad. One by one, he laid them down carefully, crafting a bed where there had only been stone and rusted bars. He wrapped her in a warm blanket, tucking her in as gently as he could.
Then he sat for a long time, watching her breathing ease.
"I will find a way," he said quietly. "Even if I have to kill the gods of this world."
His voice held no anger.
Only resolve.
Oscar chirped from the ledge as Naruto emerged into the open.
"You asking if we should take her back to Konoha?"
Oscar answered with a soft, hesitant chirp. More like a question than a suggestion.
"I was planning to," Naruto admitted. "I really was. I thought maybe... she could live in peace there. Sleep safely. Maybe even talk again someday."
He scooped Oscar up in his arms as they stepped onto the elevator platform.
"But now…" he trailed off, gaze darkening. "I don't think I can. Not yet. Not until I understand what's happening to her."
A puzzled warble escaped the lizard's throat.
Naruto looked out at Firelink Shrine as it slowly shrank above them, the earth falling away like a dream turning distant. "Anastacia isn't just some poor prisoner anymore. She's bound to the bonfire. I don't think she's even allowed to leave. And her silence, it's not just trauma. It's enforced. Like a brand..."
He swallowed hard, voice thickening. "If I take her back with me, if I rip her out of this world, I could be dragging something else with her. Something ancient. Something watching. And if that thing follows her to Konoha…"
Naruto's grip around Oscar tightened. "…then it's not just her life I'm gambling with. It's everyone's. My friends. My world."
Oscar gave a small, uncertain chirp and nudged Naruto's chest.
"I know," Naruto whispered. "It's not fair. She deserves better. She deserves the choice. But right now, I can't give it to her. I won't risk opening a door to some goddamn god who treats humans like dirt and tongues like leashes."
The elevator rattled as it neared the bottom, steel groaning against stone.
Naruto exhaled slowly, voice low and bitter. "Damn it. Ever since my intelligence stat levelled up, I've been thinking clearer. Strategizing better. And that's the worst part, Oscar… because now I see what I shouldn't do."
The elevator shuddered to a stop.
The New Londo Ruins stretched before them. Gray fog veiled crumbled towers and black waters whispered beneath the stones. A cold wind coiled between the ruins, dragging whispers through cracks in the earth.
Naruto glanced down at the tiny lizard in his arms.
Oscar gave a chirp.
Louder this time. Confident.
Naruto gave a weary smile and nodded. "Yeah. You're right."
He stepped off the elevator, boots hitting the stone with quiet resolve.
"For now… we train. We prepare. And when the time comes… we'll take everything back from the monsters who think they're gods."
Together, they vanished into the fog.
Despite all his fury toward the gods, Naruto could not shake the gnawing urge to do something for Anastacia, now. The idea of waiting, of training while she lay silent in a cage, twisted in his chest like a splinter. So the moment he reached Rickert's watery prison, with the cavern echoing faint drips and quiet forge hums, he did not waste time.
He launched straight into what happened and ended with a desperate question. "Is there anything I can do to help her?"
After a beat of silence, Rickert let out a low, thoughtful hum. "You'll probably need to get the girl's sin absolved."
"Sin?" Naruto blinked. "What sin? She's been imprisoned."
"Sin's not always about right or wrong, boy. In this world, sin is about breaking the natural order. Messing with the gods' rules. You're looking for absolution? You'll need a bishop. Preferably one from the Church of Sin."
Naruto squinted. "Wait, that's not the Way of White?"
Rickert shook his head. "Different god. Different dogma. The Way of White worships Gwyn. But the Church of Sin followed Velka, the goddess of punishment, vengeance, and… selective forgiveness."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So you're telling me if I find the goddess of sin, she can help me?"
"More like could have helped you." Rickert tapped the anvil with his finger, a flat clang echoing through the chamber. "Velka's covenant was shattered. Other gods feared her. Said she went mad, started hoarding sins, blackmailing kings, stirring revolutions with whispers of freedom. Last I heard, they wiped her shrines off the map."
Naruto crossed his arms. "So why the hell are you telling me this if it's impossible?"
Rickert gave a faint smirk. "Because you asked for a solution. I gave you one. I didn't say it would be easy. Besides… Velka's not dead. Just rogue. Forgotten. But if anyone could untie the knot binding that Fire Keeper, it's her."
"So, what exactly does she do?"
Rickert leaned back against the stone wall, crossing his arms. "Sin in this world isn't just guilt. It's a metaphysical weight. Something real. It stains your soul. Makes enemies out of allies. Warps fate itself. But Velka? When she absolves sin, it's gone. Not forgiven. Erased. Like the act never happened. That's the kind of power you're chasing."
Naruto gulped. "That's… honestly kind of terrifying."
"Yup." Rickert smirked without looking up. "Bet you're wishing she was still holding mass, huh?"
"Yeah, no kidding. Guess I'll be digging through the ashes of a dead religion. Great."
"Well… the things you do for love."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Anastacia isn't the love of my life."
"Oh? So you're doing all this from the bottom of your heart?"
"Yes," Naruto said firmly, not even blinking. "Because I can. And more importantly, because I want to. Why would I need some grand reason to help someone who's suffering?"
The area went quiet for a beat. Even the screams of the distant hollows seemed to pause.
Rickert actually stopped moving. The man from Vinheim just stared at Naruto, genuinely stunned. It was not often he met people like this. People who helped not for power, penance, or pride, but because it felt right.
After a moment, Rickert snorted. "That's lame."
Naruto twitched.
"I mean, what am I supposed to do with that?" Rickert went on, gesturing lazily. "No prophecy? No tragic backstory? Not even a doomed love triangle?"
"You're enjoying this."
"Oh, immensely."
Naruto clenched his fist. "You're lucky there are cage bars between us."
Rickert just grinned wider. "You feel mad?"
"A little."
"Here's a solution," Rickert said casually. "Don't be."
Naruto exhaled hard through his nose, trying to force the irritation down. "Let's just move on to what I actually came here for, you ugly, self satisfied spark plug."
"Fair enough," Rickert said with a smirk, entirely unfazed. "Ugly, sure. But still prettier than your haircut."
Naruto pointed a finger, barely holding back a comeback, then let it drop with a groan. "Why do I talk to you."
"Because you don't have any other magic blacksmiths with cursed lore and antisocial tendencies to consult."
"…Fair."
Naruto reached into his cloak and gently lifted the sleeping Oscar, who blinked at Rickert with wide, curious eyes.
"This is Oscar," Naruto said. "I want to know what you can tell me about him. Anything weird, anything dangerous—whatever you know."
"For starters," Rickert said, leaning back against the cool stone, "crystal lizards have only been recorded in recent history about two to three hundred years ago, give or take."
"How is that recent?"
Rickert gave him a crooked look. "Well, by Lordran's standards, yes. Some of the oldest beings here were alive when fire first appeared in the world. A few still walk around. Two or three centuries? That's a nap."
Naruto tried to imagine that. Konoha wasn't even a quarter that old. Their proud Hokage monuments, the ancient clan traditions, the stories passed down through generations—by Lordran's measure, it was all brand new, barely a scratch on the surface of time. And him… he was now undead. Functionally immortal. Barring hollowing, he could live far longer than he was ever meant to.
His heart dipped a little.
Would I outlive everyone back home? Iruka sensei… Kakashi… even Teuchi and Ayame at the ramen stand? Would Ichiraku become rubble? Would the taste of miso pork become just a memory? Would the places I love vanish?
The world he came from suddenly felt fragile. Ephemeral.
Rickert kept talking, unaware of the storm behind Naruto's eyes. "There's a lot of debate about crystal lizards. Among the blacksmiths of Vinheim some believe they're fragments. Living remnants of the Nameless Blacksmith Deity. Creatures born from the scattered sparks of his forge, wandering the world, hoarding smithing materials like lost children searching for a father they never met."
Naruto blinked out of his thoughts. "So… is this guy anything like the Nameless King?"
Rickert gave him a sharp look. Naruto quickly explained what he knew, and the blacksmith's eyes widened in shock.
"Well, that's a heavy secret to carry," Rickert muttered. "But no, different story. The Blacksmith Deity never had a name to lose. Born broken with a twisted spine and one leg. His own kind cast him out. But instead of dying, he built. He did more than survive," the man continued. "He shaped the first great forges. Made weapons for gods, reforged ruins, taught the flame to behave. He turned his broken body into a tool of creation."
Naruto let out a low breath, the weight of the story settling in. "But… no name?"
"Why name something you never plan to acknowledge?"
Naruto's jaw clenched. "That's stupid."
"Perhaps," Rickert said, "but legacy doesn't need a name. The legend lives whether anyone remembers his face."
Naruto glanced at Oscar, who was happily nibbling on a titanite shard like it was candy. "So you think he made these guys?"
"One theory," Rickert said. "They're small, fragile, no real offensive ability. But inside? Titanite. Twinkling, rare, and powerful. Some say if you gather enough, you can forge a weapon fit for the gods."
"Sounds like a rumor."
"It is. We've never seen anyone do it. But the fact that they exist at all? That's something."
Oscar chirped, lifting his head as if to say I am something, thank you very much.
"But," Rickert continued, "not everyone agrees. The scholars of Vinheim have a different theory. They say crystal lizards are the work of Seath the Scaleless."
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he followed the logic behind the theory. Oscar was made of crystallized soul, the highest form of magic, and he was a lizard. That alone made the connection to Seath almost too easy.
"Some argue these creatures were either failed experiments," Rickert continued, "or lesser beings Seath allowed to exist either out of boredom or as a byproduct of his work."
Naruto frowned. "So… they're either descendants of a forgotten god's legacy or the cast off glitter poop of a dragon."
"Succinctly put," Rickert said, nodding. "History's like that—muddy, inconsistent, and half the time written by people who weren't there. But if you ask me?" He leaned forward, meeting Naruto's gaze. "It doesn't really matter where they came from. What matters is what they become. Especially that one."
Oscar paused mid nibble, looking up with a curious chirp.
Naruto smiled softly, scratching Oscar's head as he began explaining chakra to Rickert: how it flowed, how it mixed with magic, and how Oscar had begun developing his own reserves. The blacksmith listened in silence, eyes narrowed, occasionally jotting something down in a battered notebook, only to scowl and erase it seconds later.
Naruto let the man think. He sat back down on the stone steps, staring out at the ghostly waters of New Londo. Mist clung to the surface like a veil hiding the drowned secrets below.
"Do you know of any material that specifically reacts to chakra?" Rickert finally asked.
"Yeah," Naruto replied, looking over. "Why?"
"If we can fuse that metal into Oscar's internal chakra network," Rickert said, tapping his pen against the page, "he could potentially channel chakra more safely. With enough precision, it might act like scaffolding for his chakra."
Naruto frowned. "Wouldn't that cause a reaction with the soul magic in his body?"
"That depends entirely on the metal," Rickert replied. "Titanite can absorb nearly any energy, but it's indiscriminate. You'd need something attuned to chakra alone."
Naruto reached into his inventory and pulled out a shimmering sliver of chakra metal, its surface pulsating faintly with life. Rickert took it, studying the stuff under the faint light.
Rickert scraped off a few shavings of the chakra metal and began conducting small tests, channeling traces of magic toward it to observe any reaction. After several minutes of careful experimentation, he leaned back and shook his head. "Hm. It behaves like inert metal under magical influence," he muttered. "Doesn't absorb it, doesn't repel it. It just sits there."
He looked over at Naruto. "That's actually a good thing. If chakra flows cleanly through this metal without reacting to magic, it means we can use it to line Oscar's chakra pathways. That way, his chakra and soul magic won't mix and more importantly, won't blow him up."
"Great," Naruto grinned. "So how do we move forward?"
For the next two days, Naruto and Rickert worked tirelessly. Shadow clones of Oscar acted as test subjects. Progress was slow, but with Rickert's deep knowledge of magical ore and Naruto's understanding of chakra—and a little help from the system:
[ Name: Naruto Uzumaki ][ Level: 30 → 34 ][ Intelligence: 18 → 20 ][ Faith: 12 → 14 ]
Between chakra control, blacksmithing theory, and trial after painful trial, they finally devised a solution that held up under every test.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
They were ready.
Oscar laid unconscious on the reinforced bench, his crystals faintly pulsing with residual firelight. The air inside Rickert's forge felt charged. Naruto stood just inside the blacksmith's work cage, eyes sharpened with focus as he molded hand seals. Clones poofed into existence around him in rapid bursts of smoke. By the end, the tight space was a hive of iron clad clones, each one primed with a specific task.
Rickert, expression stern but calm, stood beside the forge as molten chakra metal shimmered like liquified lightning in his crucible. The blacksmith had removed every impurity with a precision honed by centuries of practice. What remained was a brilliant, almost sacred white.
"Here we go," Rickert murmured, lifting the crucible with a flicker of gravity defying magic. "Hold him steady. This is either going to work... or it's going to kill him."
One of Naruto's clones stepped forward, cradling Oscar's limp body with reverent care. Another clone took the crucible, tilting it forward with exacting slowness. The molten chakra metal flowed in a thin stream, directly into Oscar's open mouth. The crystal lizard didn't react yet.
At that same moment, Rickert placed one hand gently on Oscar's crystal body and the other on his sorcerer's catalyst. Closing his eyes, he began to weave a delicate spell, channeling his magic not to cast, but to redirect. Threads of energy pulsed beneath his palm as he carefully siphoned and rerouted the overwhelming soul magic coursing through Oscar's core, guiding it away from the chakra pathways Naruto was about to forge. The goal was simple, yet precarious: prevent the volatile fusion of chakra and soul magic before it could ignite into something catastrophic.
A third Naruto clone watched Oscar's status screen with soul sight active. The lizard's HP began to plummet almost immediately.
"He's losing integrity!" the clone shouted. "We're burning his inner structure!"
"Now!" Naruto ordered, voice sharp.
A squad of clones surged forward, each already prepped with glowing miracle sigils. They began casting Heal miracles in rapid succession. Waves of warm golden light rolled over Oscar's body, knitting what fragments they could and buying precious seconds.
Meanwhile, the original Naruto pressed his hand to Oscar's body and closed his eyes, drawing in chakra.
He could feel it, the molten chakra metal flowing like lava inside a crystalline maze. With careful intent, Naruto began shaping it with chakra manipulation, forcing it to align with Oscar's developing chakra network. It was brutal. Exhausting. Like threading molten rods through the shattered bones of a patient without anesthetic. The metal scorched its way through, carving new channels of energy in a body never meant to host them.
It helped that Oscar had no blood or organs, just condensed layers of soul crystal. But that didn't make the work any less harrowing. He was reshaping Oscar's very essence, cutting a second circulatory system into a being of pure crystal.
A lot of clones encircled the forge, each with soul sight active, their eyes glowing faintly. As one clone popped, another replaced it instantly, whispering data into the original Naruto's mind.
"Too much buildup near the first gate! Pull it left!"
Naruto absorbed it all, adjusting in real time, guiding the molten metal like a weaver at a divine loom. Sweat poured down his face, dripping onto the floor of the forge. His arm trembled. His breath came in ragged gasps.
And still, he held on.
As the final traces of molten metal reached the end of Oscar's nascent chakra network, Naruto barked an order.
"Cool him down. Now!"
Two clones hefted large buckets and dumped ice water onto Oscar's body. Steam hissed violently, filling the room in a scalding cloud. The metal inside Oscar hissed, then snapped into a solid state, locked into place, fusing with the chakra network.
Naruto didn't let go.
He stayed there, hands pressed to Oscar's back, feeding gentle chakra into the system to stabilize the bond. Another clone moved beside him, placing a glowing hand on Oscar's shoulder.
Great Heal Excerpt.
A wave of white light enveloped both of them. Naruto exhaled sharply, eyes fluttering closed from sheer exhaustion. And then...
Oscar stirred.
His crystal eyes blinked open slowly, refracting the torchlight like a thousand stars. The gentle hum of chakra now pulsed beneath his crystal skin, no longer wild and erratic, but controlled. Harmonized.
Oscar shifted his limbs slowly, like someone waking from a long sleep. He looked down at his claws. Flexed. Moved his tail. And then he looked up at Naruto.
Naruto, still kneeling, gave a tired grin and wiped sweat from his eyes. "How do you feel, partner?"
Oscar blinked then he chirped.
Not a weak, tremulous sound, but a deep, reverberating note that echoed across the chamber. A clear, crystalline tone filled with awareness, strength, and a strange new energy. It wasn't just magic anymore. It was chakra.
Naruto laughed softly, his voice cracking from fatigue. "That's what I wanted to hear."
Naruto stood at the threshold of the New Londo Ruins, watching with mild unease as hollows shuffled aimlessly through the gloom. Most were locked in looping motions: sweeping, reaching, twitching in place. But a few stopped and stared at him. Or more accurately, at the sparkling ring of light that circled him like a living halo.
"Calm down, Oscar," Naruto muttered, sweat beading down the side of his face as the crystal lizard zipped around him in tight, glowing arcs. "You're going to make yourself dizzy."
Oscar ignored him, his body a blur as he used chakra-enhanced bursts of speed to rocket around the room. His movements were smooth, agile—almost supernatural. Which made sense. With a chakra network built from purified chakra metal, Oscar did not just channel energy, he embodied it.
"Didn't even need shadow clones to get him to this level. Little guy is practically born for it."
Oscar skidded to a halt, panting excitedly, his scales glimmering in the low light. Naruto reached down and grabbed him gently by the tail, giving a soft tap on the lizard's forehead crystal. Oscar chirped once and calmed immediately.
"That's enough showing off. Come on."
They made their way down the steps to Rickert's hidden forge. The magic blacksmith had just finished scrubbing down the stone floor and was wiping soot from his hands when Naruto appeared.
"Rickert," Naruto called out, grin wide. "Good news! Oscar's new chakra network is working like a charm."
"Fantastic," Rickert said, voice dry as ever. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to preserve what little beauty I have left and get some sleep."
"Not sure there's much to preserve," Naruto muttered with a smirk. "But I've got one more question before you drift off into the void."
Rickert gave a long, dramatic sigh as he climbed into his makeshift bed. "Fine. Go on then."
Naruto held up Oscar, who blinked curiously. "How do I teach him magic? I mean, real magic. He's a crystallized soul, right? So there's gotta be a way."
Rickert did not even open his eyes. "Feed it souls."
"...I'm sorry, what?"
"Souls," Rickert repeated. "Crystal lizards consume souls to grow. That's their nature. It's why they run, hoard, and hide. Survival instinct. Eat or be eaten."
Naruto frowned, remembering the hollow that had absorbed a soul drop in the Undead Burg. It had gotten smarter.
Rickert reached under his bench and pulled out a rough sketch, handing it over without fanfare. Naruto unfolded it and stared. The creature drawn on the page made his breath catch.
It was hunched, feral, its humanoid shape warped and monstrous. Long, thin limbs clawed the ground. Spines of jagged crystal erupted from its back and head like a crown of thorns. Its mouth stretched wide in a permanent snarl, filled with rows of teeth far too sharp and far too many. Its thick tail bristled with razor-sharp spikes, fanned out like a weaponized fan.
Oscar chirped, excited, trying to climb the page.
"That," Rickert said with a chuckle, "is a Ravenous Crystal Lizard. That's what your little friend becomes if he keeps eating souls. That's his adult form."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So he'll evolve... into that?"
"If he survives the transition," Rickert said. "Or maybe he'll become something entirely new. Chakra's never been part of the equation before. Neither has chakra metal. You've basically turned him into a walking contradiction. Congratulations."
Naruto looked down at Oscar, who was still trying to bite the corner of the drawing. "Think you'll get that scary, buddy?"
Oscar gave a proud little trill.
Naruto chuckled. "Let's hope it's the badass kind of scary, not the 'eats me in my sleep' kind."
He folded the sketch and tucked it into his pouch, his mind already turning. "Can I still find more dragon scales in the Valley of Drakes?"
"Probably," Rickert said. "Though you'll have to earn them. And don't go thinking those drakes are just big lizards. They're not real dragons, but they're still nasty."
"I need the scales to reinforce the Drake Sword," Naruto replied, "but I'm also thinking..." He paused, petting Oscar's head thoughtfully. "If Oscar grows by eating souls, what happens if I feed him the soul of a drake?"
Rickert raised an eyebrow. "That's a dangerous experiment."
Naruto grinned. "I'm in the mood for dangerous."
"Well, at least you're consistent."
Naruto turned to leave, Oscar curled around his neck like a sentient scarf. "Thanks, Rickert. For everything."
"Don't thank me yet," Rickert mumbled as he pulled the covers over his head. "Just try not to break reality with that thing."
"No promises."
And with that, Naruto disappeared up the steps, one step closer to whatever mad evolution lay ahead.
Naruto strode through the Valley of Drakes, the wind shrieking between jagged cliffs. The air was cold, damp with the breath of ancient stone and the lingering stench of stagnant water, an oppressive contrast to the sunlit cliffs above.
Beside him, Oscar scurried forward, his crystals shimmering faintly in the low light. Each step he took sent refracted glints dancing across the dark rock. Naruto reached down and idly ruffled the little lizard's head, his thoughts drifting toward the training he'd left behind.
Andre had his hands full. Hundreds of Naruto's clones were working alongside the old blacksmith, inscribing fuinjutsu seals, refining wind bullet, and sharpening every edge of his arsenal.
Naruto exhaled through his nose as he stopped at the edge of the bridge.
Without a word, he formed a shadow clone with a flick of his fingers. "Go bury him," he said quietly, nodding toward the rotted armor of the fallen Astoran knight.
While the clone moved toward the broken body, Naruto glanced toward his partner.
Oscar had wandered to the cliff's edge, peering over the chasm with his head cocked in curiosity.
Through the veil of mist, a massive stone bridge emerged, half-swallowed by fog, stretching between two titanic mountain faces. At the far end, etched into the rock itself, stood a colossally carved doorway. It wasn't just big. It was inhuman. Monumental. The arch alone towered over the surrounding cliffs, framed by ancient, finger-like pillars that climbed skyward like a hand reaching from the earth.
Naruto pulled out his binoculars, jaw tightening. "What the hell is that...?"
Through the lenses, the image sharpened. The doorway was real and ancient. Worn by time but untouched by decay. No vines grew across its surface. No cracks marred its face. It was like the mountain itself had parted to make way for it. The bridge leading to it, while massive, looked like an afterthought compared to the gateway it served.
A slow chill crept up Naruto's spine. His instincts screamed caution, but his curiosity burned brighter. He opened his mouth to call out to Oscar and the air cracked.
A sharp, splitting noise echoed through the valley like lightning against steel. The cliffs vibrated with the sound. Oscar bolted back from the ledge, his eyes wide, his tail spiked with panic.
Naruto's hand was already on his sword.
A faint blue flicker pulsed against the sheer stone of the valley walls.
Naruto tensed, his gaze sweeping the fog-drenched horizon until something moved.
A shape glided through the mist, its outline barely visible. At first, Naruto's heart seized at the thought of the Hellkite Wyvern but this was different.
As it drifted closer, the mist peeled away to reveal the full horror of its form.
Its wings were tattered like battle-torn banners, frayed and skeletal at the edges. The body was gaunt, almost corpse-like, with jutting spines that rose like jagged thorns from its back and shoulders. Each beat of its wings stirred the wind like thunder.
And its scales were blue, cold and shimmering with an unnatural light like frost-kissed steel.
Naruto's stomach dropped.
Then the drake's maw cracked open, and a corona of flickering yellow light began to bloom from its throat.
"It can use Lightning?!"
His instincts roared. He didn't wait.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In a burst of chakra, a dozen copies appeared around him, weapons already drawn, eyes locked onto the growing storm in the drake's jaws.
"Fan out! Suppression fire, now!"
The clones launched immediately, flinging shuriken wrapped in wind chakra. Razor-thin arcs of slicing air screamed as they carved through the valley. Naruto's own hands moved in a blur.
"Wind Style: Wind Bullet!"
He exhaled hard, chakra condensing in his lungs before he fired. A tight sphere of compressed wind rocketed upward, trailing spiraling wisps like a comet. The sheer speed of it split the air with a sharp crack.
But the drake responded with terrifying speed. It climbed, wings straining, twisting through the air as the wind-laced barrage shredded the mist below.
Then it fired.
A jagged bolt of lightning exploded from its throat. No, dozens of them, like wild, flailing spears of yellow death. The arcs split and splintered in midair, searching for targets with mindless fury.
One clone vanished instantly. Then two. Then six more. Each one blinking out in bursts of white smoke as the lightning danced through the canyon like a living storm.
Naruto dove sideways, just in time to avoid a sizzling arc that tore a trench through the ground beside him.
The young knight surged forward, chakra flowing into his feet as he dashed up the side of the valley wall, boots skimming over the near-vertical slope.
"Let's test your altitude advantage."
From his elevated perch, he weaved another set of one handed hand signs.
"Wind Style: Wind Bullet!"
This time, he layered the jutsu, shaping multiple wind bullets in his throat. With a forceful exhale, he unleashed them like a barrage from a chakra cannon. Four bullets compressed tighter than steel, hurtling forward in staggered intervals, each aimed for the drake's wing joints.
The drake screeched and twisted midair. Two bullets skimmed past, whistling through the valley. The third hit square on the shoulder but the drake didn't falter.
"Still not enough," Naruto muttered, even as he formed six more clones in the blink of an eye.
"Coordinate. Aim for the left wing!"
The drake screamed as wind chakra penetrated against scale. It faltered in the air, one wing sagging slightly, its balance momentarily thrown.
Naruto's heart pounded as he leapt.
Chakra surged to his legs as he sprang from the cliff face like a missile. Midair, he rotated, twisting his body with the momentum of the drop, a soul arrow forming in his left.
He closed the distance in seconds.
The drake snapped its head around, but it was too slow.
With a yell, Naruto slammed the soul arrow point-blank into the side of the drake's eye.
The explosion lit the air in blue flame.
It shrieked and thrashed, lashing out blindly as its flight path spiraled. Naruto hit the ground hard, rolling out of the way as the massive beast crashed against the rocks, trailing smoke.
Chunks of shattered stone fell around him, and the valley rumbled under the weight of the beast.
Naruto wiped a streak of sweat from his brow, chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. His muscles were tight, heart pounding, but his grip on the drake sword remained firm.
"Not so fun when you're the one on the ground, huh?" he muttered, watching the massive beast lying in a crumpled heap.
But he didn't lower his guard.
"I've seen enough corpses lunge back to life in this world to know better."
With a flick of his fingers, half a dozen clones shimmered into existence, darting toward the unmoving drake. Another two stayed back, forming hand seals to prepare long-range attacks.
BOOM.
A dense surge of ozone exploded outward.
The drake's body jerked upright as a ring of raw golden lightning erupted around it like a halo of wrath. The clones didn't even have time to think, just flared out of existence in puffs of white smoke.
Naruto barely had time to raise his sword.
The drake's maw cracked wide. Electricity surged, hotter than any fire, brighter than any sun. A dome of condensed lightning, sharp and screaming through the air.
Naruto didn't try to dodge. Even he knew that he wasn't faster than lightning.
Instead, he brought the drake sword up, chakra flooding the blade as a massive arc of wind chakra roared out in front of him, slicing through the air like a crescent blade.
Lightning met Wind.
The impact was immediate and blinding. The explosion cracked the sky itself. A shockwave split across the valley with a scream like the world tearing in half. Sparks and compressed air detonated outward. Pebbles became bullets. Stone split in deep, jagged lines. The cliffside quaked.
And Naruto, caught in the middle, took the full brunt of it.
The elite knight armor held for half a second too short. Then the lightning broke through.
CRACK.
The bolt struck him square in the chest, slamming into him like a hammer from heaven. Pain exploded through his body. Every nerve lit with fire. Every muscle locked in screaming resistance. His back arched as arcs of gold raced down his limbs. His skin smoked. The world spun.
He hit the ground hard, skidding across stone and dirt.
Everything went dark.
A moment passed.
Crack. A sharp burst of sound echoed as something small broke from the earth.
Oscar burst free from a pile of rubble, dirt and grit tumbling from his shimmering scales. The young crystal lizard shook himself off, heart hammering in his tiny chest.
He saw it.
The battlefield was a ruin of torn rock and scorched ground. But that did not matter. Because there, sprawled in a smoldering crater, steam rising from his armor, lay Naruto.
His partner.
Still breathing.
Barely.
Oscar's body trembled. He chirped low—a sound full of fear. Of helplessness. His gaze flicked forward. The Lightning Drake dragged itself toward Naruto, its steps ragged, broken but determined. One wing hung in tatters. The other was gone entirely. Blood poured from a deep gouge along its side.
Yet it still came.
It would finish what it started.
Oscar felt fear coil in his belly. A primal scream in his instincts told him to run. Hide. Survive. But then he looked at Naruto. His friend. His partner.
Oscar's claws dug into the earth.
No.
Not this time.
Not again.
With a screech of defiance, Oscar surged forward. Chakra pulsed through his body, flowing like fire along the metal-etched pathways Naruto had built inside him. His back crystal flared—a brilliant white glow pulsing with power.
He planted his feet and let it loose.
FWOOOOOSH.
A beam of pure light blasted from Oscar's mouth in a straight line. It was raw, wild chakra refined through crystalline soul. It cut through the air like a divine lance. At the same moment, the Lightning Drake opened its maw.
Lightning met light.
Two forces collided midair, searing against each other, warping the very air as the ground shook beneath them. Oscar held firm, digging into the ground as the feedback from the clash nearly knocked him off his feet.
THUNK.
The sound broke the stalemate between the two lizards. Three massive prongs burst out from the drake's neck.
The beast choked, its attack faltering.
Naruto's muscles screamed, but he held on. The prongs of the Channeler's trident spun, rotating with brutal force, tearing through cartilage, sinew, and bone. The drake gave a final, guttural screech as Naruto tore his head free.
Its body collapsed.
Blood flooded the ground.
Silence.
Naruto slumped, breathing hard, coated in blood and scorched armor.
Oscar stumbled forward, chest heaving, his crystal dimming. The only sound was the crackle of dying lightning and the drip of blood from stone. A soul drop floated above the drake's corpse.
Naruto reached up, fingers shaking, and pulled it into his hand. He looked at Oscar, who flopped beside him, panting like a dog after a sprint.
"...That," Naruto wheezed, smiling through the pain, "was some damn good timing."
Oscar chirped, exhausted but proud.
But in Lordran, even victory was a lie.
Naruto barely had time to breathe before his instincts screamed. Beside him, Oscar stiffened, the crystalline ridges along his back humming with nervous tension. They both turned their eyes skyward and froze.
The sky was alive.
A stormfront surged over the horizon... not made of clouds, but wings. Dozens of them, each one crackling with raw voltage, flying in formation like a phalanx of death. Each one a monster. Each one a nightmare.
But none of the lightning drakes, none, compared to it.
[ Name: Stormrend Wyvern ][ HP: 5,520 / 5,520 ]
Naruto could not find words. They would not come.
Stormrend was a force made flesh. A titan cloaked in deep blue, battered scales that looked carved by the storm itself. His body was sleek and deadly, balanced perfectly between raw strength and aerial grace. His wings stretched wide across the heavens, ragged at the edges but immense, lined with lightning that slithered along them like serpents—alive and waiting.
His head bore curling horns like hooked lightning rods, humming with energy too old to name. His eyes burned red beneath his brow, watching the world not as a creature... but as a god staring down insects. His chest and throat were ringed in jagged, thunder-forged armor—rough, old, real.
Stormrend did not fly through the storm. He was the storm.
Clouds did not part for him. They knelt.
Lightning did not strike at random. It struck where he pointed.
Thunder did not follow. It announced him.
Naruto stood rooted in place, Oscar trembling at his side. He had barely survived one lightning drake. Now, a swarm was coming. And at their heart… this.
A king. A god. A storm given shape.
And yet… Naruto felt something stir. Not fear.
Awe.
So beautiful, he thought, even as death fell from the heavens.
The sky split.
A white pillar of light crashed downward—divine and merciless. It was not an attack. It was judgment. And in that instant, Naruto knew.
He had been playing. Every battle until now? A rehearsal.
This... was Lordran.
Not a land of the dead. Not a realm of curses. A world ruled by monsters. Creatures that killed without thought, ruled without mercy, and existed beyond reason. A world that had no place for the righteous.
It was a crucible. A forge.
Only the terrifyingly strong survived.
And as the thunder swallowed him whole, Naruto understood. Deeply. Instinctively.
If he truly wanted power—Lordran's power…
If he ever hoped to rise above the beasts, the kings, the gods...
Then he could not walk forward.
He would have to crawl. To suffer. To change.
He would have to become something twisted. Something feared. Something that survives not through hope… but through horror.
Let's see if he can pay the price for what he wants to protect.
Hahahaha...
Let's see if he still smiles... when the monster in the mirror smiles back.
A golden aura erupted at Firelink Shrine as Naruto and Oscar reappeared in a shimmer of fading light, their bodies pulled through space by the magic of the Homeward Bone. The moment they landed near the bonfire, Naruto collapsed onto the stone floor with a grunt, his arm thrown over his eyes. His entire body ached from the fight, every muscle twitching with leftover adrenaline.
The memories of his shadow clones came flooding back, hundreds of voices compressed into a split second of recollection. The last desperate moments where they threw themselves at Stormrend's lightning pillar to buy him time to escape.
"You guys really pulled through," Naruto muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.
The warmth of the bonfire bathed his face, soothing his shaking nerves. He pulled Oscar close.
The crystal lizard chirped strongly as Naruto collapsed onto the grass.
"Just a quick nap," Naruto whispered. "Five minutes…"
They slept for who knows how long.
Naruto stirred beside the Firelink Shrine bonfire, the familiar crackle of flame meeting his ears before his eyes opened. He did not move at first. Just lay there, back against the cold stone floor, his arm resting loosely behind his head, and his eyes tracing the gentle, golden flicker above.
There was a kind of peace here that no other place could mimic. Even though the ground beneath him was rock and moss, and the scent of ash never truly faded, the bonfire had a way of wrapping around him like a blanket. A magic that was not loud or showy, but deeply personal. Soothing. Eternal. The kind of rest that bypassed muscle and mind and went straight to the soul.
He let out a breath, long and even, before glancing at Oscar curled up nearby, the lizard's faint glow pulsing with each steady breath. Naruto reached over, scratched the top of his partner's head, and whispered, "Alright. Break's over."
Without another word, he rose, dusted the back of his cloak, and began the descent once more into the cold, drowned depths of New Londo.
But then he stopped.
His feet froze on the stone path, and his eyes locked onto something that had not been there before or rather, something that was no longer there.
The tower or what remained of it.
Where once stood the old stone passage connecting the New Londo Ruins to the Valley of Drakes now lay a broken monument of ruin. Massive chunks of rubble jutted out from the earth like jagged ribs, the surrounding rock face scorched black. A long, charred trail snaked up the wall, a signature of a violent discharge of lightning.
Naruto stepped toward the edge, crouched low, and ran a hand over a seared stone slab.
"This tower was a fair distance from where I fought Stormrend…" he murmured aloud, voice barely above the whispering wind. His mind went to what Stormrend might have done to the valley.
He stood slowly and turned, trying not to think about it too much.
At last, he reached the familiar ledge beside Rickert's cell.
Naruto leaned over and called, "You asleep?"
Rickert looked up from his cluttered bench, his eyes bloodshot and tired.
"I'll take that as a no."
Oscar poked his head down beside Naruto's, blinking innocently.
Rickert gave them both a slow, unimpressed look, then sighed and gestured. "Well? What happened?"
Naruto recounted the events in the valley, summarizing most but pausing on the key moments, especially the storm, the drake, and the sheer scale of destruction.
When he finished, Rickert leaned back, arms crossed, and said flatly, "Wrong."
Naruto blinked. "...What?"
"A group of drakes," Rickert said, matter of factly, "is called a thunder. Not a pack. Not a flock. A thunder."
Oscar chirped.
Naruto gave him a look. "Does that really matter right now?"
"Not at all. I just wanted to annoy you."
Naruto stared.
Oscar stared harder.
"On a serious note, you handled the situation with the drake poorly."
Naruto blinked, brows raised. "Really? I mean, I killed it."
"You survived," Rickert corrected. "There is a difference."
Naruto let out a soft hum, not offended but genuinely curious. "So is there a proper way to deal with drakes? I still need their scales to reinforce my drake sword."
Rickert gave him a look that was part smug, part teacherly, and entirely too pleased to have the floor.
"Simple," he said as he began to sketch something. "You snipe its reverse scale and cripple its flight before it ever sees you coming. Then you kill it before it can cry out and summon the thunder."
Naruto blinked. "Reverse scale?"
"Hrm? Oh, right, you would not know." Rickert began sketching quickly. "There... right here." He tapped the drawing. "The underside of a drake's wing. There is a tendon that connects to the flight muscle. Pierce that, and it is grounded."
"And the reverse scale?"
Rickert's smirk grew. "That is the real trick. Drakes and dragons, though they would never admit it, have a vulnerability on their underbelly. One scale, curved opposite to the others. In ancient times, they called it the reverse scale and that was the weakest point of a dragon's body. In this case, strike it with a projectile, preferably metal, and if you are lucky, and the timing is right…"
"You redirect their lightning," Naruto guessed, eyes widening.
"Lightning follows the path of least resistance, yes?"
"Yeah."
"So if a drake has a metal object buried in its underside when it exhales its lightning attack, guess what happens?"
The realization hit Naruto like a hammer. "It fries itself."
"Exactly." Rickert snapped his fingers. "They become their own executioner. One blast and poof, smoking crater, crispy wings, and a fresh dragon scale just waiting to be harvested."
"Are you sure about this information?"
Rickert did not even look up. "Yes. You wanna know how many agonizingly stupid exams I had to take just on this topic back in Vinheim? Dragons have a natural resistance to magic, so every mage gets drilled on how to kill them the hard way. The Archer's Guide to Killing Dragons was thicker than my torso and more painful to memorize."
Naruto snorted, unable to hold back a chuckle.
Rickert raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
"Just..." Naruto shook his head. "I never expected to learn archery. It was not even on my radar."
Rickert gave him a lopsided look as Naruto continued, sharing the tale of how the people of the Wave had come to call him the Archer of Providence.
"Huh," Rickert said, rubbing his stubbled chin. "Sounds like they saw something in you before you did. Not the worst prophecy to fulfill. Even if it is accidental."
Naruto lifted his left hand, flexing the fingers slowly. "Yeah. Shame I cannot even use a proper bow. One hand kinda ruins that dream."
Rickert raised an eyebrow. "Says who?"
Naruto blinked. "I mean… what, I shoot with my feet? My teeth?"
Rickert gave him a flat look. "Don't be stupid. In Vinheim, we had models designed for one handed archers. Just because you are missing a limb does not mean you are out of the game."
Naruto's expression sobered, and he glanced down at his cursed right arm. "Yeah, Andre's been helping me build a prosthetic. But it made me wonder, why bother, when heal miracles and estus exist? I mean, should not those be everywhere by now?"
Rickert let out a humorless chuckle and leaned back against the mossy stone. "Because miracles and estus, kid, are just another kind of power. And power is hoarded like gold. The church owns it. If you are not a noble, a cleric, or someone they like, you do not get squat. No healing. No blessings. Just prayers and pity."
He tapped his temple. "That's why blacksmiths and mages learned to adapt. That is what humans do best. We get denied heaven, so we build our own path to it."
Naruto smiled at that... wide, real, and full of a stubborn warmth. "I like that."
Oscar chirped in agreement.
"Well," Naruto said, standing and stretching his good arm, "I'm excited to see what you and Andre come up with."
Rickert smirked. "Don't get too excited. It will probably be ugly."
"Just like you," Naruto fired back with a grin.
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
"Good. I wasn't trying."
Oscar chirped again.
Rickert sighed. "...And now the lizard's joining in. Perfect."
Naruto stepped into the familiar warmth of the Undead Parish forge, the comforting clang of hammer against steel replaced for once by a different sound... a deep, satisfied gulp. Andre sat on his bench, a half-empty tankard of beer in one hand, his beard flecked with foam.
"If you're drinking, that means you're either done with your work… or just slacking off."
Andre snorted, then jerked his head toward the side table.
There, beside the glowing forge, stood a small wooden mannequin... scaled to match Oscar's frame exactly. Polished and gleaming under the firelight, it was adorned with a full set of custom-built armor.
Oscar's head immediately perked up from Naruto's shoulder. With a delighted chirp, he leapt down and scampered to Andre, nuzzling against the smith's calloused hand.
"Careful, lad," Andre chuckled, lifting the little lizard gently onto the bench. "Don't scratch the finish before you've even worn it."
The armor was... magnificent.
The chanfron resembled the helm of a noble knight. Rounded but strong, with thin ridges etched along the brow and a narrow opening for visibility, though Oscar likely would not need it for long. Naruto had plans: an earth jutsu, one that would turn the little lizard into a walking radar. Layer by layer, the rest of the armor matched its brilliance. The crinet protected his neck with overlapping plates. Flanchards guarded his sides. Beneath it all was a layer of gambeson which was cut and stitched from scraps of the Elite Knight armor Naruto had scavenged in the Darkroot Garden.
"Here, let me show you how to strap him in," Andre said, his usual booming voice gentling to something almost fatherly.
Naruto nodded and crouched beside him. Together, they worked, fastening straps, adjusting buckles, making sure Oscar's movement was not restricted. The armor clicked softly with every touch, each piece sitting flush against his crystalline body.
"How's it feel, buddy?" Naruto asked as the final buckle locked into place.
Oscar took a cautious step. Then another. He paused, tail flicking... and bolted.
The tiny knight zipped across the forge like a streak of silver, his armor clinking musically with each bound. He darted between tool racks, leapt over a half-finished pauldron, and landed on Andre's anvil with a triumphant chirp.
"I thought he'd be slower," Andre muttered, eyebrows raised.
"He's using chakra to compensate for the weight. Makes it feel like cloth," Naruto said proudly. "Rickert and I figured out how to channel chakra through metal without disrupting Oscar's soul."
Andre let out a low whistle. "Not bad. Guess you two eggheads pulled it off."
Naruto chuckled and reached into his inventory pouch. He tossed a small green bottle toward the blacksmith, who caught it one-handed.
"What's this?"
"Sake. Swiped it from Tazuna's private stash before I came back here."
Andre popped the cork and took a deep inhale. "Smells like… old fruit and fire."
He took a long sip. Then a second.
"…Is this made from rice?"
"I think so?"
Andre nodded approvingly. "Good. Next time, just bring me the rice. I'll make something better."
Naruto smirked. "Want the recipe too?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Andre snorted, taking another pull.
"Y'know, that reminds me," Naruto said, resting his chin on his palm. "Rickert was the same way. Gave him a gun and the man refused any info. Just sat there figuring it out like it was a puzzle made for him."
Andre chuckled, taking another slow swig and set it down gently on the edge of the anvil, letting the glass catch the glow of the forge.
"That's just how Lordran affects you, kid," the blacksmith said, his voice low and thoughtful. "You either give in to what it wants you to become… or you fight back. Create something new, even in a place that hates change."
He leaned back on his bench, gaze turning toward the distant wall of the forge.
"This land's stagnant. Everything here lingers... souls, regrets, half-finished dreams. You stop moving? You rot. You keep moving? You might just stay human."
Naruto did not answer right away. He sat still beside Oscar, watching the flickering firelight dance along the workshop walls. In his mind, he saw Rickert alone in that flooded cage, surrounded by the weight of old knowledge and unspoken sorrow. And Andre... sitting here, hammering out weapons for warriors doomed to fall.
A part of him ached at the thought. When I go back to Konoha… I want them to come with me. Both of them. They deserve better than this dying world.
He did not say it aloud.
Andre turned and placed a large hand on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair like a grandfather might a favored grandson. "What're you thinkin' so hard about, eh?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "Nothing. Just… plans. For the future."
"And those plans are?"
"For now?" Naruto shrugged. "Just get stronger. Learn archery. I need to hunt more drakes if I want their scales to reinforce the drake sword."
"You know archery?" Andre asked.
"Not really. Rickert gave me some basics. I figured I'd throw a few hundred shadow clones at it till it sticks."
Andre grunted. "Ask the knight from Catarina."
Naruto blinked. "Onion Senpai?"
"Sir Siegmeyer, yeah."
Naruto tilted his head. "Why him? I mean, I like the guy, but…"
"Rickert's a scholar," Andre explained. "Knows theory, not application. But Siegmeyer? He's fought. Trained in the field. Lordran archery's not like the kind you're used to..."
"Fine. Guess I'll go check if he's still blocking Sen's Fortress."
Andre gave him a look.
"What?" Naruto said, frowning. "It's not like he's doing anything important."
Andre did not reply.
He just stared with a quiet, heavy look.
Naruto's smile slowly faded. "...What?"
"Tell me, Naruto," Andre said, voice unusually sharp, "what's your current level?"
Naruto blinked. "Uh. Thirty four. Why?"
Andre took a deep breath, almost disappointed. "Siegmeyer is level ninety five."
The silence that followed was like a punch to the gut. Naruto's thoughts blanked. "What?"
"Indeed," Andre said. "And remember... he does not have full access to your system. No Pygmy's blessing. No fast leveling. No convenient skill scaling. Every point of his strength? Earned. Through pain. Through failure. Through persistence."
Naruto opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"Sometimes, Naruto," Andre continued, standing to his full height, "you get so caught up in what you can do, you forget how hard it is for others. You saw him hesitating and assumed weakness. But maybe he's cautious because he knows exactly what's at stake."
Naruto lowered his eyes. The shame hit deep and fast.
"I just…" he whispered. "I didn't mean to think badly of him. I just didn't understand why he was just sitting there…"
"And that's fine," Andre said, softer now. "It's fine to wonder. To be frustrated. But what's not fine, Naruto… is forgetting to look deeper."
He knelt beside the boy, voice steady and warm.
"Judging a man by his worst moment? That's easy. But seeing someone's struggles and still choosing to believe in their worth? That's a knight's heart. And that's what I thought you had."
Naruto swallowed, his throat tight. "I'm sorry, old man," he murmured, eyes glistening.
Andre ruffled his hair again, pulling him into a quick, firm hug. "You're still learning. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Just remember... humility sharpens a warrior faster than any blade."
Naruto nodded, hugging him back.
Oscar, sitting quietly by the forge, gave a chirp of support.
Andre chuckled and stood again. "Now, go find the onion knight. Ask about archery. And while you're at it, maybe ask about patience."
Naruto wiped his face, grinning sheepishly. "Yes, old man."
Andre slumped back onto his bench and reached for the bottle. "And I'm going to drink myself into a coma. So if I die, it's your fault."
"Noted," Naruto said as he scooped up Oscar, heading for the upper levels of the parish.
The forge's fire crackled behind them. The anvil stood still. But in Naruto's chest, something glowed brighter than before. A little heavier. A little wiser. And with every step forward, he carried that fire with him.
Naruto let Oscar scurry ahead, the tiny armored lizard clinking and clanking as he darted forward with pride in every step. The sound echoed faintly in the open stone path that led to the fortress, where predictably Siegmeyer sat in his usual spot.
Naruto slowed his pace, eyes softening. He still wished the onion knight would be more active, but now he had come to understand that it was not his place to decide how another man lived. Especially not one who had helped him more than once when it counted.
Siegmeyer might get lost in his thoughts, but he was a giant among men, a knight of immense strength with the humility of a monk and the kindness of a father.
As Oscar clanked to a halt in front of him, the older knight turned.
"Oh hoh? What have we here?"
Oscar, sensing the attention, puffed out his chest and rose onto his hind legs, his little armor plates gleaming in the sunlight. With theatrical flair, he plopped back down and struck a noble pose.
Siegmeyer clapped, delighted. "Marvelous! Most impressive! Truly, your companion is becoming a knight in his own right!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, smiling. "Really?"
The older knight straightened, placing his hands on the curve of his belly with grave dignity. "A knight is never truly complete without a partner in battle, my friend. For some, that partner is a sword. For others, a brother in arms. And for many..." His voice turned thoughtful, almost nostalgic. "...it is a beast who fights beside them. Loyal. Fearless. Bound by trust."
Oscar's gleaming eyes flicked up toward Naruto, and in that moment, something passed between them. A silent acknowledgement. A recognition that what Siegmeyer said was not just poetry, it was truth.
They were more than ninja and summon. More than a warrior and his pet. They were knights. Partners.
Naruto stepped closer. "Did you have a partner, Sir Siegmeyer?"
"Ah, yes. Indeed I did," the knight said with a proud chuckle. "Quite the sturdy fellow, that one."
"Let me guess... a warhorse?"
Siegmeyer paused, then shook his head. "No, no. An Iron Boar."
Naruto's face went blank. "A... what?"
The onion knight nodded solemnly. "A magnificent creature. Broad shouldered. Steel hide. A temper like a thunderstorm. We rode together through the Swamps of Catarina and the foothills of Balder. Many fell before his charge."
A shadow crept into his voice. "But alas... he did not rise again. Even as Undead, there are some things you cannot bring back."
Naruto's stomach twisted.
His gaze slid toward Oscar, who blinked slowly, still gleaming in his new armor.
"That's not happening," Naruto said quietly, his hand finding Oscar's back. "You're gonna live a long, badass life, partner. I promise."
A new sense of resolve hardened in his chest.
"Sir Siegmeyer," Naruto said, squaring his shoulders. "Would you teach me archery?"
The older knight tilted his head. "Archery?"
"I plan to hunt drakes. Need more dragon scales. But Rickert only taught me theory. I need someone who knows the fight."
"Hmmm..." Siegmeyer tapped the side of his helmet thoughtfully. "And what, may I ask, have you been taught about archery?"
"Mostly theory so far. How to string a bow, fire an arrow, a few basics," Naruto said. "But I was told there's something... different about the way archery works in Lordran."
The Catarina knight raised a hand, pointing into the vast ruins beyond. "Do you see that mushroom, far off near the broken cathedral wall?"
Naruto squinted. "What mushroom?"
Siegmeyer turned slightly and nodded as if confirming something only he could see. "Ahh. Then it is as I thought. You do not have it yet. Nor were you taught about this?"
"Have what?" Naruto asked, a little suspicious.
"Hawk Eyes."
Naruto blinked. "Wait. Are we talking about like... a doujutsu? Like Sasuke's Sharingan or Hinata's Byakugan? Because if I'm about to get bird vision eyes, I need to know if they glow."
Siegmeyer gave a confused chuckle. "I have no idea what you are referring to, my young friend. But know this... the Hawk Eye Technique is essential for any archer seeking to hunt monsters from a distance. Especially those that soar the skies."
Oscar chirped, tail flicking with intrigue.
"Can you tell me more about this Hawkeye Technique?" Naruto asked.
"Ah. With pleasure!" Siegmeyer boomed, ever eager to share knowledge. "Historically, this technique descends from one of Lord Gwyn's four most revered knights... Sir Hawkeye Gough. A gentle giant, a master of the greatbow, and a dragon slayer without peer."
Naruto hummed to himself, remembering Artorias's ring he now wore. Now he stood before another echo of the Four Great Knights. Coincidence? Or a path he was unknowingly walking, a path that would lead him to inherit something from the Four Great Knights of Gwyn?
Siegmeyer continued. "After the War of the Ancients, when the Everlasting Dragons had fallen, their lesser kin remained. Drakes, wyverns, wyrms, all manner of sky bound beasts. Gough, seeing the devastation they wrought, passed his knowledge to men and women brave enough to oppose them."
He raised a gauntleted hand in emphasis. "Among those teachings, the Hawkeye Technique stood paramount."
"And you know it?" Naruto asked.
"But of course." Siegmeyer thumped his chest with pride. "I hunted many lesser dragons in my youth."
He stepped forward, voice lowering into a reverent tone. "The technique is simple in principle, but demands great discipline. You must dilate your pupils, letting in every drop of light, then at just the right instant, constrict them sharply, narrowing your focus to a single point. The world will fade. The target will remain."
"So... it's a glorified squint?"
"No, no, my boy. It is clarity. Precision. The difference between a desperate shot and a deliberate strike."
Naruto closed his eyes and drew in a slow, steady breath. He reached inward, channeling chakra through the intricate pathways of his network. The Way of Focality had already sharpened his understanding of perception, of how to tune each sense like a musician adjusting the strings of a harp. The Hawkeyes Technique clicked into place like a long forgotten instinct. His pupils expanded. The light around him bent slightly, as if the air itself acknowledged his focus. Then, he constricted them. A sudden sharpness pierced his vision. A sting. Then a clarity.
Far beyond, nestled in a crack on the cathedral wall, a small mushroom cap swayed gently in the breeze.
Naruto pulled a kunai.
With a flick of his wrist, it sailed through the air like a flash of silver.
A moment later: Thunk.
The mushroom trembled. Impaled.
"Did you see that, Sir Siegmeyer?"
"Marvelous. Astounding. You have taken your first step into the ranks of Lordran's true hunters."
Naruto wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. His vision still ached slightly. "First step? There's more?"
"Ah yes. The initial focus is only the foundation. To truly master Hawkeye Gough's legacy, you must strengthen your eyes further. For that, you will need an eye tonic."
He rummaged through his satchel, pulling out a weathered parchment covered in strange script.
Naruto frowned at the alien text. But the next moment, the letters shimmered, reorganizing themselves into kanji. Huh. Thanks, System.
Oscar chirped beside him, vibrating with energy.
Naruto smiled and withdrew the bow Rickert had crafted for him, a beast of a weapon, the stone beneath him cracking slightly beneath its weight.
"Alright," Naruto said, his voice firm. "Let's begin the first real lesson."
And so, before the looming gates of Sen's Fortress, with the wind tugging at his cloak and the bow heavy in his hand, Naruto began to embody the mantle whispered by those he had once saved. The Archer of Providence.