Chapter no.1 Act 1: Pharloom

Author's Note

Hey everyone! Hope you're all having an awesome day. I'm really excited to share something new with you. This is the start of my new crossover fanfic, and if you've seen the title, cover art, or description, you probably already know where this is going.

This is a crossover between Naruto and Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Now before you ask, no, you don't need to have played Hollow Knight or Silksong to enjoy this story. Just like with Naruto: The Chosen Undead (my Dark Souls x Naruto fic), I'll be explaining everything you need to know about the world, the characters, and the lore as we go. If you're already a fan of either series, you're in for a treat. And if you're new to one or both, don't worry... I'll guide you through it in-story and in the author notes whenever needed.

I've had this idea bouncing around for a while, and I finally decided to bring it to life. If you're into action, emotional arcs, mysterious underground kingdoms, or watching Naruto deal with an entirely different kind of strange, then you're gonna love where this goes.

Thanks for giving it a shot.

Welcome to Naruto: The Song of Silk.

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The wind stirred over the Valley of the End as Naruto Uzumaki landed on the head of Hashirama Senju.

Beneath his feet was more than just weathered stone. The statue's face was solemn, carved into the cliffside with the same strength and presence Hashirama had once carried in life, his arm raised in the Seal of Confrontation. Across the valley stood its mirror: the statue of Madara Uchiha, frozen mid-motion in the same seal, eyes forever locked on his old friend turned rival.

Together, the two statues loomed over a roaring waterfall that divided them.

And now, two more stood in their place.

Naruto looked across the valley. High atop Madara's head stood Sasuke, his figure dark against the light of the fading sky.

Then, without a word, Sasuke turned his back and began to walk away. The sound of footsteps was barely audible over the rushing waterfall, but it was enough to make Naruto snap.

"You're just gonna run off?!"

Sasuke stopped. His head turned slightly, not enough to look back, but enough to let Naruto know he'd heard him. "Tch. Screw off."

Naruto's breath caught as he saw the jagged, flame-like marks creeping up the side of Sasuke's face. His eye morphed, yellow and black, corrupted by Orochimaru's cursed seal.

I couldn't do it. Sakura's voice echoed in Naruto's mind, trembling and broken. I tried... but I couldn't do it. So now... it was all on just you, Naruto. Please... bring Sasuke back...

Her plea stabbed at him like a blade.

This is my wish... my wish of a lifetime...

"Like I already told Sakura... leave me alone."

Naruto glared.

Sasuke tilted his head, a mocking smirk forming. "Heh. What's that look for?"

For a second, Naruto hesitated.

He remembered the boy who awkwardly offered him food when he was tied to the training log. The same kid who blushed when asking Kakashi for help during tree-climbing practice. The teammate who had thrown himself into a storm of senbon to protect him from Haku.

Was this really the same person? Naruto's fists shook with anger and grief.

I don't ever want to watch my precious comrades die in front of me again. I've already lost everything once before! Sasuke's voice from the Chunin Exams burned in his memory.

"Why?!" Naruto shouted, veins bulging on the back of his hand. "Sasuke, what's wrong with you?!"

For a moment, Sasuke looked like he was thinking. Then his expression went cold. "What's wrong with me... is none of your business."

Naruto grit his teeth.

"I have my own path. I don't owe you or anyone anything."

Naruto gave him a look.

"Let me make this clear. I'm done playing Konoha's little game. Go home."

Naruto's heart pounded. "Choji... Neji... Kiba... Shikamaru... and Bushy Brows... they all risked their lives for you."

"…And?"

Naruto froze. No words came.

This wasn't the Sasuke he knew. This was someone else.

Then, Shikamaru's voice stirred in his memory. It's not that Sasuke is my best friend... I don't even really like him. But that's not the point. He's our comrade. He's a shinobi of Konoha. And because of that, I'll risk my life to bring him back. That's the Konoha way.

Naruto looked up, his fists clenched, the wind whipping around him.

He wasn't here because of a mission. He was here because of a promise. And no matter how far Sasuke tried to run, Naruto wasn't letting go.

"Does Konoha mean nothing to you?!"

Before Sasuke could take another step, Naruto slammed into him, dragging him across the stone floor. Dust and rock scattered under their weight as Naruto drove his fist into Sasuke's face, splitting his lip and snapping his head to the side.

Sasuke spat blood straight into Naruto's face.

"You..."

"Did playing around with my so-called comrades make me stronger?" Sasuke cut in coldly, staring into Naruto's eyes.

"..."

"I'm going to Orochimaru."

Naruto's grip on sasuke's collar tightened. "Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage and tried to wipe out Konoha! You think he's just gonna give you power for free?! He wants your body, Sasuke! You might not come back! You might die! You think I'm gonna let you throw your life away?!"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke replied. "As long as I achieve my goal, that's enough."

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

"If you're going to stand in my way... then I have no choice."

"I'll take you back by force if I have to!" Naruto roared.

Sasuke started laughing, remembering their fight on the hospital rooftop. The clash of power. The way Kakashi had stopped them before either could land a real blow.

"Come to think of it. We were interrupted last time."

Naruto hesitated. Just for a second. A wave of guilt washed over him. Was it my fault? Was that fight what pushed him to this?

"I… I didn't want it to be like this…"

"Who cares what you want?" Sasuke snapped. He grabbed Naruto by the shirt and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. Naruto struggled, but he couldn't break free.

Sasuke let go, and as Naruto fell, his fist cracked against Naruto's ribs and launched him into the air, slamming him down into the lake below with a massive splash.

"What is this feeling?" The cursed seal's black markings began to recede down Sasuke's neck. "So this is what Orochimaru was talking about… my body's already adapting."

He looked down as Naruto burst out of the water, sprinting across the surface before leaping into the air.

Naruto's fist missed by inches, and Sasuke countered with a spinning kick to his face, sending him twisting through the air.

Blood flew from Naruto's mouth, but he managed to form a single hand sign mid-flight. In a puff of smoke, multiple shadow clones appeared, grabbing Naruto mid-air and slinging him back toward Sasuke like a slingshot.

Naruto's foot connected with Sasuke's face, slamming him hard into Madara's statue.

"Did that wake you up?"

Sasuke laughed, standing slowly. "Yeah… I've been wide awake. Dreaming about a future that's never going to come." His voice grew louder, angrier. "Dreaming about who I should be... trying to be like all of you. But I'm not you. I never was. That's why I left. That's why I seek power!"

Before Naruto could react, Sasuke reappeared behind him with blinding speed and drove a crushing blow into his back, sending him flying across the lake once more.

Naruto skipped like a stone before crashing into the water.

Sasuke stood at the edge, staring at the rippling surface.

"My dream isn't rooted in the future," he said quietly. "It's rooted in the past."

Naruto's head burst from the surface of the water. He coughed and spat, trying to catch his breath as the cold river pulled at his limbs. "Pretty good shot," he said between gasps. "So… it's for real, huh?"

"Yeah. It's for real. I intend to kill you, Naruto."

The words hit like a blade.

"You mean… I don't matter to you at all? Everything we've been through... was it all for nothing?!"

"No," Sasuke said quietly, eyes lowering as memories flashed behind them; of those red eyes, and a cold voice: But to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan... you must kill your closest friend.

"All we've been through wasn't insignificant. You're my closest friend."

"I'm your friend? Then why?!"

Sasuke opened his eyes activating the Sharingan. "That's exactly why I have to kill you."

"That makes no sense."

But Sasuke didn't explain. He had already made his choice.

They ran.

Naruto sprinted up the statue, Sasuke raced down Madara's. Their movements were synchronized, mirrored like reflections. Fists flew. Punches met blocks. Sasuke's hand slipped into Naruto's pouch mid-strike, stealing a kunai as he dropped down.

With a flick, Sasuke hurled the kunai.

Naruto countered with a shuriken, but it was just a distraction. Sasuke burst through the gap, landing a brutal front kick under Naruto's chin. "Just like I said… you've been waiting for this, haven't you? No Kakashi to stop us this time. No Sakura to cry and get in the way."

He slid down the waterfall wall, hands weaving rapidly.

"I'll say it again. I'm going to kill you."

The sound of a thousand birds echoed through the valley as lightning gathered in his palm: Chidori.

Naruto stood, blood dripping from his mouth. He wiped it away and glared.

"I'm going to beat the crap out of you…" he muttered, forming a shadow clone to help him create his jutsu. "...and drag you back home whether you like it or not!"

The clone grabbed him by the arm and flung him forward.

Chidori and Rasengan clashed mid-air, lightning and chakra exploding between them in a blinding flash. The shockwave blasted both boys to opposite ends of the valley, carving up the stone around them.

Sasuke landed on the river's surface, panting. Naruto struggled to stand on the opposite side, his shoulders trembling.

He looked at Sasuke with a heavy expression. "You wouldn't even think twice about killing me… huh, Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't reply. The cursed seal began to spread across his skin again, black markings dancing like flame, crawling up to his face as he activated Cursed Seal version one.

"Did you know that at a high enough level, a shinobi can read their opponent's thoughts?"

Naruto tensed.

"After a few exchanges… a real fighter can sense exactly what the other is thinking."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the Sharingan locked onto Naruto.

"So, tell me… can you read mine?"

Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!

Sasuke flung a flurry of flaming projectiles through the air. The small, fast-moving fireballs zigzagged toward Naruto, who dodged back instinctively, ducking and leaping through the smoke trails.

But Sasuke wasn't finished.

With a burst of speed, he flickered into the air above Naruto and came crashing down with an axe kick.

Naruto coughed, scrambling back to his feet. He tried to counter with a punch, but Sasuke weaved around it with ease.

They fell into a vicious taijutsu exchange of punches, elbows, and kicks. Naruto landed a few solid hits, but every time he did, Sasuke returned them with twice the force. Naruto found himself completely outclassed. A spinning back kick slammed into Naruto's ribs, sending him crashing against the cliffside.

Before Naruto could recover, Sasuke appeared in front of him again, lifting him effortlessly by the front of his jacket. His other hand crackled with lightning.

Sasuke's earlier words echoed in his mind like a hammer against his heart: All we've been through wasn't insignificant. You're my closest friend.

Then why…? Naruto thought, rage bubbling up. Why do you want to kill me?!

"It's over," Sasuke said coldly, and drove the Chidori forward.

Naruto barely moved his hand in time, deflecting the killing blow just inches away from his heart. Instead, the lightning tore through his chest, punching a gaping hole through his lung.

SPLURK.

Blood sprayed. Naruto gasped but couldn't speak.

"So I missed your heart. Nice move with your hand there. Still didn't help much, did it?" Sasuke pulled his hand out with a sickening sound. "You're done. You've lost your right arm. Your lung's wrecked. You can't breathe right. It's over."

The pain was unbearable, but Naruto's thoughts weren't on himself. His memories flickered like dying sparks of small moments with Team 7 when Sasuke felt like a brother.

"Sasuke… you were like my family…"

The words weren't spoken just formed silently on bloodied lips. But Sasuke's Sharingan read them clear as day.

And for a heartbeat, his grip faltered.

Then his fingers tightened again, now wrapped around Naruto's throat.

"If that's how you feel… then I only have one choice." His voice dropped lower. "I have to sever that bond."

His Sharingan twisted, a third tomoe appearing in each eye as his rage and resolve crystallized.

But something else was happening.

Naruto's body began to pulse with red chakra.

The fox's chakra surged out like heat from an open flame. His pierced lung began to close, flesh regenerating as the energy took hold. Naruto's eyes opened wider, glowing faintly red.

He felt the Kyūbi's will pressing into his mind. Let me out. Tear him apart.

No.

Naruto forced the fox down. He wouldn't lose control. Not now. With what little strength he had left, he dragged two bloody fingers across the wound in his chest. He began to form the hand signs for a summoning jutsu.

"No…!" Sasuke remembered the Chunin Exams. He remembered the massive toad boss that Naruto had summoned to fight Gaara's transformed state. If Naruto brought that creature here now…

"I'm not letting you summon that thing to stop me!"

Sasuke lunged.

The black flame-like markings surged across Sasuke's body, rippling with violent energy. The cursed seal fully bloomed. His skin darkened. The whites of his eyes turned jet black. The Sharingan glowed like blood-red lanterns in the night. His silhouette was no longer human. Wings of flesh formed behind him like grotesque extensions of his will. This was Cursed Seal Version Two, and Sasuke had never felt more powerful… or more monstrous.

With a low snarl, Sasuke extended his arm. In his palm, black lightning writhed as the Chidori was amped by nature energy.

At that exact moment, Naruto slammed his palm into the ground. Crimson chakra swirled around him as he poured the Kyūbi's power into the summoning seal. The ground cracked. Ancient symbols burned into the stone.

He was trying to summon Gamabunta but Sasuke was faster. The black Chidori speared Naruto's hand as the lightning struck the summoning array.

The seals pulsed violently.

Then everything went wrong as Kyūbi chakra and Natural energy surged into the summoning jutsu, twisting it beyond control.

A black sphere of unstable space-time energy erupted around Naruto.

"You dumbasses…" the Kyūbi's voice echoed in Naruto's mind. You're going to get everyone killed.

The air split apart as the summoning jutsu spiraled out of control. The seal warped and twisted, forming a sphere of darkness that pulled everything toward its center.

Sasuke flickered back, his Sharingan spinning, tracking every movement yet he barely escaped the pull of the growing void. The world bent around him, colors twisting into an impossible blur.

Naruto was not so lucky.

Half of his body was already being swallowed by the black sphere. His lower half vanished completely, and the energy burned his skin raw. The pain that tore through him was beyond anything human. His screams caught in his throat as his muscles convulsed from the strain. Any normal person would have died instantly from the shock, but Naruto didn't stop.

He reached out. His hand shook violently as he stretched it toward the one person still standing before him.

"Sasuke…"

For a heartbeat, the world stopped.

Sasuke froze where he stood. His breath hitched. His Sharingan focused on the trembling hand reaching toward him.

He saw the same Idiot who had called him his friend. The same fool who refused to let him walk away. The boy who had stood beside him when no one else would. The one who had alwayss believed he could still come back.

Naruto's hand seemed just inches away.

Sasuke's own fingers twitched.

He almost reached out. Almost. But then the words of his brother crawled through his mind like venom.

To awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan… you must kill your closest friend. The thought made his heart twisted painfully, but his resolved had hardened.

"I already told you," he whispered, his voice low and flat. "I'm severing everything."

The black sphere pulsed violently.

Then it exploded.

A deafening flash swallowed the valley. The shockwave tore through the statues of Hashirama and Madara, cracking them apart. The river split in two, its water rising like curtains of white mist.

When the light faded, Naruto was gone.

Only a few scraps of orange fabric drifted through the air before falling silently into the broken river below.

Sasuke stood there, rooted to the spot. The ringing in his ears drowned everything. He could hear his own heartbeat hammering in his skull.

Sasuke stood frozen in the silence that followed.

The ringing in his ears drowned out everything from the wind, the cracking of stone, even the sound of the river as it fought to fill the crater the explosion had left behind. He could only hear his own heartbeat pounding inside his skull, fast and uneven.

He looked down at the water below. Ripples spread outward from where the light had devoured everything. His eyes, still spinning red, stared blankly at his reflection.

Three tomoe.

Nothing more.

No new power.

No Mangekyō.

Just the same eyes.

The realization hit him slowly, like the cold creeping in after fire burns out.

He turned away from the river and began to walk. His legs felt like lead, every step heavier than the last.

A few minutes later, the adrenaline that had carried him through the fight was gone now, replaced by an emptiness that hollowed him from the inside out. His curse mark had faded. The searing strength that had burned through his veins moments ago was gone, leaving only exhaustion and a dull ache beneath his skin.

And then it hit him… the truth.

He had killed his friend for nothing.

Sasuke stopped walking. His breath caught in his throat. The words echoed in his head, sharp and merciless.

For nothing.

He had done everything his brother said. He had cut his bond completely. He had thrown away the one person who refused to give up on him.

And for what?

Itachi's voice returned to him. If you want to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan… kill your closest friend.

Sasuke's hands shook. His nails dug into his palms until blood ran between his fingers.

"Liar," he whispered, his voice trembling.

He clenched his fists tighter. "You lied to me."

The words came louder now, filled with fury and pain. "You lied to me!"

He staggered forward, shouting into the wind as the rain began to fall, mixing with the blood on his hands.

"You showed me everything, didn't you? Over and over again! You showed me our parent's faces! You made me live it until I couldn't sleep without seeing their blood!" His voice broke, raw and ragged. "And you told me this would make it worth it! That killing him would make me stronger! That it would make me like you!"

He slammed his fist against a tree, the bark splintering under the impact. "What am I now, Itachi?! What did you turn me into?!"

The forest swallowed his cries, offering no answer.

Sasuke stumbled forward through the mud, his vision blurring beneath the falling rain. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the world itself was pushing back against him. The rain poured harder, soaking through his clothes, plastering his hair against his forehead. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, but it made no difference. The tears kept coming.

He wanted to believe It was over. He wanted to believe that Naruto was gone and that there had been nothing he could have done. He reached for me, Sasuke thought. Even at the end… he still reached for me.

The wind howled through the trees, a cold and hollow sound that swallowed everything else.

Sasuke sank to his knees, the mud splashing beneath him. He stared down at his shaking hands, at the dirt and blood caked into his skin. His stomach turned, and he nearly retched.

"What have I done?" His voice broke into a sob. "Why did I believe him? Why did I listen?"

He slammed his fists into the ground.

The grief twisted inside him, clawing at his chest, crushing the air from his lungs. Rage and guilt bled together until he couldn't tell them apart.

He pressed a trembling hand over his heart. "Naruto… you idiot… why couldn't you just let me go?"

He let out a weak, shuddering laugh, one that hurt to hear. "You said you'd never stop chasing me. And I killed you for it."

His laughter turned Into a sob.

The storm raged harder, lightning flashing in the distance. His heart pounded like it wanted to tear its way out of him. The pain was unbearable. His vision blurred red.

His Sharingan began to spin.

At first, it was faint tremor, a flicker of motion but then the tomoe twisted violently, shifting, reshaping, burning themselves into something new. The world around him sharpened and warped, colors darkening into unnatural clarity.

Sasuke gasped as his head throbbed, as if his skull was splitting apart. He could feel his heart cracking with it, piece by piece.

When the pain finally eased, he looked down into the rainwater pooling around his knees. His reflection stared back, its eyes no longer the same.

The tomoe were gone.

In their place, three black ellipses curved together in perfect symmetry, spinning slowly in a sea of crimson.

The Mangekyō Sharingan.

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Meanwhile as the storm rolled in with gray clouds grumbling low over the Valley of the End as cold rain began to fall.

Kakashi Hatake flickered into the ravaged battlefield, Pakkun at his side.

It didn't take long for Kakashi to spot it.

Floating in the water near the base of the waterfall were tattered scraps of cloth; orange and blue fabric, unmistakable even through the murky current. A destroyed forehead protector bobbed next to it, the Konoha symbol destroyedm

Kakashi picked it up with a trembling hand.

Pakkun sniffed the air and lowered his head. "That's Naruto's scent."

Kakashi's visible eye widened. His breath caught in his throat. "…No. This can't be."

For the next few minutes, Kakashi searched like a man possessed. He scanned the area with his Sharingan, searched underwater, inspected the surrounding cliff walls, tried to follow chakra residue, rain-soaked footprints, anything. Nothing led anywhere.

He didn't show it. Not in front of Pakkun. But the silence beneath his mask was louder than a scream.

Pakkun watched him quietly, tail low. He could see the weight pressing down on Kakashi's shoulders. The horror his master was trying not to show.

Then, a voice crackled through the static of the rain.

"Kakashi! We need your assistance!" one of the arriving medics called out as a squad of the Medical Corps appeared from the trees. "Neji Hyūga and Chōji Akimichi are in grave condition. We're stabilizing them, but their lives are on the edge."

Kakashi hesitated. His body moved an inch toward the river.

His instinct screamed to keep searching. To chase Sasuke. To dive back into the depths until he found Naruto, or something.

But Pakkun stepped forward and growled softly. "Naruto's alive. That brat's too stubborn to die."

Kakashi closed his eye and took a slow breath.

"…Right."

Suppressing the dread clawing at his gut, he turned and joined the medics.

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Back in Konoha, chaos had already moved into recovery mode.

Tsunade and Shizune worked through the night in the Critical Ward, preparing the operating rooms.

Neji's injuries were the most severe. A gaping hole through his upper chest, just missing his heart. Shizune used Neji's hair as a medium to perform a regeneration jutsu.

A very complicated procedure but Shizune had suceeded in leading this operation to a success.

Chōji's case required knowledge.

The Akimichi Clan's Three Coloured Pills had pushed his body to its limits.

The Nara Clan Medical Encyclopaedia, a legendary collection of herbal formulas and body recovery data, was pulled from the archives and referenced page-by-page to create an emergency serum that reversed the fatal effects of the Red Chili Pill.

By sundown, both boys were alive.

Barely.

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That evening, in the Hokage's Office, the weight of the mission came crashing down.

Tsunade sat behind her desk, stone-faced. Across from her stood Kakashi, Sakura, and Shikamaru.

"The A-rank mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha has ended in failure," Tsunade said bitterly. "The target escaped. The objective was not fulfilled. And nearly every genin involved sustained injuries that will leave them bedridden for the next month."

Shikamaru lowered his head. "I take full responsibility. I was team leader. I should've—"

"You did your best," Tsunade cut in. "And thanks to you, no one else died."

No one answered.

Tsunade leaned forward. "But the reason I've called you here isn't just to discuss the failure."

She slammed a document onto the desk marked with a red wax seal.

"Sasuke Uchiha is hereby branded a Missing-nin."

The room went still.

"For the crimes of treason, conspiring with enemy shinobi, endangering Leaf shinobi in the field, and for the suspected murder of Naruto Uzumaki, he is to be treated as a high-level threat. Any future sightings are to be reported directly to this office."

Sakura didn't speak. Her shoulders were trembling.

Kakashi rested a hand gently on her shoulder. He knew the guilt she carried was heavier than anything he could say. She had begged Naruto to bring Sasuke back—and now Naruto was gone. She would blame herself for the rest of her life.

"I asked him to do it…" she whispered. "I made him promise…"

Kakashi's voice was soft. "And he would've done it, no matter what. That's who he is."

Tsunade didn't bother putting on a strong face.

She yanked open a desk drawer, pulled out a half-empty bottle of sake, uncorked it, and started chugging like it was water. Her hand trembled. Her lips pressed into a tight line to keep the sob down.

"I knew it," she whispered hoarsely. "I knew that damn necklace was cursed."

She hurled the bottle across the office. It shattered against the far wall, spraying shards and sake across the Hokage portraits.

"Damn it… damn it all!"

The room fell silent except for the sound of rain outside.

"You need to get it together, Princess." Jiraiya said while sitting on the windowsill. "That kind of behavior's not exactly what Naruto would want to see from the Fifth Hokage."

Tsunade turned, eyes blazing, face streaked with tears. "Shut the hell up, you idiot."

She marched up to him and grabbed him by the collar.

"I don't need a lecture from the man who was supposed to be Naruto's godfather!"

Jiraiya didn't move. He didn't stop her.

"You were supposed to be there for him. Family. And yet the boy didn't even know who you were until he was damn near twelve! Don't act like you're hurting. You don't even have the right."

Sakura's eyes widened. Shikamaru froze beside her.

"Wait… Naruto had a godfather?" Sakura whispered.

Jiraiya's expression didn't change. "You're not wrong," he said quietly. "I failed him in more ways than one. I'll live with that."

He gently pulled Tsunade's hands off his collar.

"But you're wrong about one thing."

He looked at all of them.

"Naruto's not dead."

The entire room snapped to attention.

"What?"

Kakashi took a sharp breath and stepped forward. "Are you certain?"

Jiraiya nodded slowly. "I checked the toad summoning contract. Naruto's name is still active. He's alive. But something's blocking us from reverse summoning him. Whatever happened out there, it wasn't a clean death. He's somewhere… but not here."

Tsunade sank into her chair like the wind had been knocked out of her. "…He's alive?" she whispered.

"Alive," Jiraiya confirmed. "But cut off from us."

Shikamaru muttered, trying to piece it together. "Could Sasuke have taken him to Orochimaru?"

"It's possible. Orochimaru knows how to sever contracts and suppress reverse summoning. He could've locked Naruto behind some kind of barrier."

"Then we have to find him!" Sakura burst out. "If there's even a chance he's alive, we can't just sit around doing nothing! We have to do something!"

Tsunade stood abruptly, her chair scraping back as she slammed her palm down on the desk hard enough to crack it. "That's enough."

Her eyes were fierce, her tone final. "Sakura. Shikamaru. You are both dismissed."

"But Lady Tsunade…" Sakura stepped forward.

"I said dismissed," Tsunade snapped. "This is an S-rank crisis now. You're still genin. You're not ready for what this will take."

Sakura froze, fists clenched, her eyes stinging.

Before she could speak again, a hand rested on her arm. Shikamaru.

"…Come on. Let's go."

Once they were outside, the pink haired girl said with tears streaming down her face, "Don't you care, Shikamaru?! Don't you care that Naruto's still out there somewhere?! Alone? Probably hurt or worse?"

Shikamaru stopped but didn't turn around right away. He just stood there, still as stone, his shoulders rising and falling with a heavy breath.

Then he looked over his shoulder, eyes shadowed beneath his brow.

"Of course I care."

His voice was rough.

"You think I haven't been thinking about that idiot nonstop since the mission ended? You think it didn't tear me up when we all came back broken and he just… didn't come back at all?"

He turned fully to face her now, his tone sharp yet pained.

"When Lady Tsunade told us what happened… it felt like someone dropped a boulder on my chest. Like I couldn't breathe. I didn't even know what to say."

Sakura blinked, caught off guard by the sudden depth in his voice.

"But knowing he's alive," Shikamaru said, softer now, "even if we don't know where… That's the only reason I'm still standing."

"So what? We just do nothing?"

Shikamaru shook his head, his mouth pulling into a tight, frustrated line. "No, Sakura. We don't sit around. But we stop pretending that throwing ourselves into the fire will magically fix everything."

He pointed a finger at her, blunt and unfiltered now.

"And I'm gonna be real with you. You've been sitting on the sidelines for too long. Yeah, you cared about Sasuke. But you didn't go out there with us. You didn't see what it did to Choji, or Neji. You didn't have to drag Kiba back bleeding. You didn't have to watch Naruto push himself until he nearly died trying to keep that stupid promise to you."

Sakura flinched, and her eyes fell to the floor.

Shikamaru didn't stop.

"You asked him to bring Sasuke back. And he listened. He went, and now he's gone too. That's the truth."

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes.

"I know… I know I did," she whispered. "I never meant for any of this…"

Shikamaru sighed and ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Look. I'm not yelling at you because I hate you. I'm yelling because this is serious, and you need to wake up. Naruto risked everything. And now, if you actually want to help him, if you actually mean what you say, then do something."

He leaned In slightly, voice quieter now but intense.

"Get stronger. Train. Learn how to fight. Learn how to protect someone other than yourself. Because right now, none of us are strong enough to fix this."

Sakura's hands trembled. She wiped at her face with her sleeve.

"I will," she said quietly. Then louder. "I will. I'll become strong enough to stand next to him. Strong enough to fight for him like he did for all of us."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Shikamaru's mouth.

"Good. I'll tell the others once they're back on their feet that Naruto's not gone. He just needs us to save his butt. And if we've got to train a hundred times harder, if we've got to claw our way through hell to get him back, then that's what we'll do."

He turned back toward the hall.

"As long as Naruto's alive… we don't stop moving."

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Naruto woke lying on his back in a cold, endless corridor.

The ground beneath him was covered in shallow, murky water that rippled with every breath he took. There was no real light, yet everything glowed dimly, as if lit from nowhere and everywhere at once.

His limbs refused to move.

Everything hurt, but it was the kind of pain that felt distant. Like it belonged to someone else. His body was numb and only the ache in his chest reminded him he was still alive.

"Still breathing, huh."

The voice came from ahead.

Naruto's gaze dragged upward toward the massive iron gate; towering, rusted, bolted shut with a single paper seal marked with one word: Seal.

Behind the bars, something shifted as its eyes opened.

"…Am I dead?"

A dry scoff echoed through the corridor.

"No. You're not dead," Kurama growled. "Though you sure as hell gave it a good shot."

Naruto turned his head slightly toward the voice, eyes glassy. "Why…?"

"Why what?"

"Why'd you keep me alive?"

Another snort. This one colder.

"Don't get it twisted. I didn't save you because I care, brat. I just didn't feel like getting ripped apart by whatever the hell happens when you die in the middle of a botched space-time jutsu. You think I want to find out what that looks like for me? No thanks."

Naruto blinked slowly. "So you did it… to protect yourself."

Kurama's tail thumped once behind the bars. "What did you expect? A hug? Welcome to the real world. People survive for their own reasons. You're no different."

Naruto let his eyes fall closed again. The kyuubi's chakra wrapped around his broken body, knitting flesh, sealing cracks.

It healed what It could.

But it didn't touch the emptiness in his chest.

A beat of silence passed.

Then Kurama spoke again, voice quieter, but meaner.

"Well? What's got you like this? You look like you crawled out of your own grave."

Naruto didn't answer.

Kurama's eyes narrowed behind the gate.

"…Oh. I get it. You're sulking. That Uchiha brat finally snapped and tried to kill you. And now you're surprised. Is that it?"

Naruto's hands twitched weakly in the water. His voice was low, flat. "…Why do you care?"

"I don't," Kurama said with deep, humorless chuckle. "It's just amusing. Watching you unravel like this. And just so you know… the Uchiha had to kill his best friend to further awaken those cursed eyes of his?"

"So that's all I was to Sasuke… A stepping stone. Just another way to get stronger for his dream."

Kurama leaned forward behind the gate. "Shouldn't be such a shock, kid. You were made to be used."

"Shut up…"

But Kurama wasn't done.

"You know I'm right. The village never saw you as anything but a threat. A freak. You were their scapegoat for their grief, pain and fear. Sakura used your loyalty because she couldn't stand on her own. And Sasuke? Don't make me laugh. He never saw you as an equal. You were a measure of progress. A way to test how far he'd come. And now… just a sacrifice to get stronger."

Naruto didn't respond. His jaw trembled slightly, but no words came. The silence was heavy. He couldn't refute it. Not after everything that had happened.

Then, slowly, he lifted his head.

"…No."

"What?"

Naruto's voice rose, strained and hoarse. "This is your fault."

"My fault?"

Naruto's fists shook. His whole body trembled from exhaustion and anger. "I said this is all your fault!"

Kurama's laugh echoed through the sewer, loud and cruel. "My fault? That's rich. You think I asked for this? That I wanted to be chained up inside a brat like you? I never begged to be sealed in anyone."

Naruto paused.

"All I ever wanted was to be left alone," Kurama continued, his voice rising. "But no. Humans can't leave anything powerful alone. They fear it. So they lock it up. I've been hunted, bound, and passed down from one host to another like I'm some kind of cursed artifact. Your Fourth Hokage is the one who did this. You want someone to blame? Blame him. Spit on his grave for making you a living prison. Or better yet, blame that old Third Hokage for watching the whole damn village hate you and doing nothing."

Naruto's lips parted, but no words came out.

"You should be thanking me instead."

Naruto blinked slowly, the words barely registering through the fog in his head. His whole body ached, his mind drifting between pain and confusion. "Thanking you?" His voice cracked. "If I didn't have you… I could've had a normal life. A normal childhood."

"Maybe. But what good would that have done you now, huh? A hypothetical childhood doesn't change reality. It doesn't erase all the times you would've been dead without me."

"What are you talking about?"

Kurama shifted behind the bars. "Really? You think a stupid brat like you survived that ice girl in the Wave all on your own?" His teeth glinted through the dark. "You would've been a frozen corpse if I hadn't pushed my chakra through your veins."

"Her name was Haku. And he was a boy."

That stopped Kurama for a moment. He blinked once, visibly taken aback. "What?"

He settled back again, his tails flicking irritably. "Whatever. Point still stands. You wouldn't have made it out of that fight without me."

Naruto said nothing.

"In the Forest of Death, when that creepy snake bastard had you paralyzed and shaking, who gave you the strength to move? Me. During the exams, who gave you enough power to summon that giant toad? Me again. And during that fight with the bone freak and that Uchiha brat… tell me, who kept your heart beating after they almost broke you in half?"

The fox leaned forward, his red eyes gleaming. "I did. Every single time."

Naruto's breathing slowed. He didn't… couldn't speak.

Kurama's teeth bared in something that wasn't quite a smile. "I've done more for you than that damn village ever has in twelve years. Remember that, before you start spouting nonsense about normal childhoods and happy dreams."

Naruto stood there in silence, dripping wet, the cold seeping through him. His chest rose and fell unsteadily. He couldn't tell what he was feeling: anger, guilt, shame. It was all a blur.

Everything that had happened was too much to process.

He didn't even know who he was supposed to be angry at anymore.

After a long while, his lips parted, and he spoke barely above a whisper. "…Thanks."

"What?"

Naruto swallowed hard, his throat tight. "Thanks," he said slightly uncertain. "I mean… yeah, you've made my life pretty hard, but… it's not really your fault, Is it? You still kept me alive, even when everything went to crap. So… I guess I should thank you for that."

For once, Kurama didn't have anything to say.

No one had ever thanked him before. Not in all the long decades of being sealed away, used, feared, and hated. He had always been the monster. The calamity. The weapon.

Never the savior.

"It means nothing. Don't start thinking I did it for you. I just didn't feel like dying alongside some weakling who happens to be my vessel."

He huffed, the sound deep and rough, then tilted his head upward toward the ceiling that wasn't really there. "Besides," he added after a moment, "I still find your suffering mildly entertaining."

"I'll take it."

The fox didn't reply. The silence that followed was almost peaceful.

Then Kurama's ears twitched. His expression hardened. "Wait."

"What is it?"

"There's something moving toward you," Kurama said. "A caravan of… people."

"A caravan? So… I'm safe then?"

"…Maybe not. Something about their chakra feels wrong. Too cold."

"What does that mean?"

Before Kurama could respond, strange white lines began to bloom across the walls of the mindscape.

"Oi, what's happening, fox?!"

Kurama growled, his tails thrashing against the gate.

"I don't know, but it feels like something is suppressing our chakra!"

The light spread faster, climbing up the walls, encircling Naruto.

"Wait, how do I stop it?!"

But the beast only stared, frustration in his eyes. "You can't. Whoever's doing this… is strong."

"Fox! What's happening to me?!"

"Listen, brat," Kurama barked, voice rising as the light consumed them both, "don't fight it! Conserve your strength! You're…"

The words cut off. The light flashed.

Naruto felt his body being pulled, stretched, and crushed all at once. His thoughts scattered, his vision blurred, and then nothing.

Everything went black.

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Waking up with his chakra suppressed was a godawful feeling.

Naruto felt like his body was wrapped in lead. Every breath was a chore, like trying to breathe through a fever while underwater. He couldn't feel the hum of chakra in his body; only a cold, buzzing void where his power used to be.

To make things worse, he was moving.

Wind was sharp and cold enough to sting his skin.

His prison was strangely beautiful, like something ripped from a dream… or a nightmare.

The cage was a massive, ornate structure that took the shape of a great sphere, formed from delicate metalwork that curled and looped in intricate spirals. The metal itself shimmered with a bronze-gold hue, as though it had been crafted not just to contain, but to display. Threading through its framework were strands of white light, thin and fluid like woven silk. These lines arced around the bars, coiling through the space, anchoring parts of the cage to the air itself.

The caravan that escorted him was no less strange.

Beetle-like figures marched alongside his cage, humanoid in shape but insectoid in design. Their shells were dark purple, with white, angular masks covering their upper halves. Painted across each mask was a golden spiral, simple but mesmerizing. They held long black staffs tipped with a curved golden ornament and a tiny brown bell that jingled softly with each step.

Every time that cage shimmered, Naruto's chakra felt like it shriveled even more.

A quiet grunt came from the other cage nearby.

Naruto turned his head weakly.

In the other cage sat a woman, or at least a figure shaped like one. She had dark, segmented armor that shifted like living carapace. A red cloak fell over her shoulders, tattered at the edges. Her face was obscured by a smooth white mask, and from her head rose two long white horns that curved slightly back.

Even now, she sat upright with tension in her frame, though Naruto could tell she was barely hanging on.

"…Yo... You okay?"

The horned woman turned slightly, met his gaze, and grunted again. It wasn't an answer. More like acknowledgment through pain.

She's been in this cage longer than me… Naruto thought before his head began to throb. A relentless migraine pulsed behind his eyes, and every breath of cold, wet air burned in his chest.

The caravan pressed on.

What began as a march through the monolithic stone arches slowly turned into a journey through an alien forest. Mist clung to everything like cobwebs.

Naruto lost track of time.

Days blurred.

Maybe weeks.

There were no sunrises, no sunsets. Just the dim gray haze of this world and the endless sound of marching feet and jingling bells. The beetle-like guards offered no mercy. No food. No water. Not even cruelty… just indifference.

Naruto begged at first, shouting hoarsely at the zombie-like caravan. Then yelling turned to pleading, then to whispering.

Then silence.

The boy descended into desperation.

When the guards weren't watching, he would slip a trembling hand through the narrow gaps in the cage, scraping at the ground in search of anything remotely edible. He grabbed at fallen leaves, sucked dew from low-hanging vines, and chewed bitter herbs he couldn't name. Sometimes, he caught small bugs between his fingers and ate them without hesitation.

His hands bled from the sharp stones, but he kept reaching.

He had to.

He was starving.

His stomach shriveled, constantly gnawing at itself. Every movement sent cramps rippling through his gut. The fat on his frame melted away first, then the muscle. His once-sun-kissed skin turned pale and sallow. His cheeks hollowed. His eyes lost their spark. His clothes hung loosely on his bones. His hands trembled even when still. His legs barely had the strength to fold beneath him anymore.

Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who once overflowed with energy and defiance, now curled in the corner of his cage like a dying animal.

He didn't sleep anymore. He drifted in and out of lucidity. In and out of memory. Sometimes he saw the faces of Sakura, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Iruka, but they never stayed long. Other times, he saw the fox, silent and unmoving behind that gate in his mind, watching him.

Waiting.

The only reason Naruto was still alive at all was the thin thread of the Kyuubi's chakra that kept his heart beating, his lungs working, and his organs just above failure. It wasn't strength. It was survival on a knife's edge.

Eventually, the caravan began its ascent.

They climbed a long, winding stair of black obsidian carved into the side of a jagged cliff.

The gate rose from the darkness like a monument. It loomed over the landscape, dominating the horizon, its sweeping arches curving upward in a way that drew the eye as if in silent reverence. Its design was both beautiful and severe. The ribs of the gate curved inward, converging into a sharp, elegant peak that pierced the fog above.

Naruto didn't even react.

His lips were cracked. His throat too dry to speak. His eyes didn't register awe anymore. Just weight and the cold.

This place was beautiful. And it was killing him. And somewhere in his gut… a voice whispered. You can't die here. Not like this.

But Naruto didn't have the strength to respond. Not even in his thoughts.

A twinkle of light bloomed in the haze.

Two butterflies, formed out of pale light, drifted down from the mist like falling feathers. One settled on the top of Naruto's cage. The other landed on Hornet's.

The cage's seal responded immediately as the white energy across the bars began to shimmer.

BOOM.

An explosion of light burst outward in glowing threads. Naruto gasped as something surged back into him. His chakra flooded through his limbs like a rushing tide, overwhelming his nerves. He clenched his fist, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he felt again.

"Wh-what was...?!"

Whiiiish.

A sharp slicing sound made him look sideways. From the red cloak of the masked woman, white threads began to spill into the air, elegant and razor-thin. They flowed like water, then snapped forward like whips. The silk wrapped around the bridge in one clean motion. Then she broke the entire bridge like a twig.

CRACK.

The entire caravan—the cages, the guards, everything—plunged into the abyss.

Naruto's stomach dropped as his body lifted for a split second, and in that weightless moment, he saw her staring back at him. "This is gonna hurt, isn't it?"

"SHAW!" the strange bug girl replied.

Darkness swallowed them whole.

Act 1: Pharloom

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Author's Note:

And that's a wrap on today's chapter! I hope this was an interesting start to the story and that you're as excited as I am for where it's headed. Now, onto the Q&A.

These Q&As are where I'll respond to your review questions (so leave one if you're curious about something!) or dive deeper into story details that might need some extra explanation.

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Q: How can the Pharloom cage suppress chakra?

Great question. To answer that, we need to talk about power systems. Since this is a crossover, how the mechanics of both worlds interact is going to be super important.

If you're from the Naruto side of the fandom and need a refresher:

In Naruto, chakra is formed by combining physical and spiritual energy. It flows through a network in the body and is released through 361 points called tenketsu. It's used for jutsu like ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Chakra can be increased through training and can be molded with elemental affinities: fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind.

Now let's look at Hollow Knight/Silksong:

In Silksong, Silk is essentially physical thread mixed with Soul—a spiritual energy. According to the Seamstress, Weavers channel soul into silk, which is how their abilities work. Hornet, as a spider, can create her own silk and manipulate it with her soul. In the lore, this is seen as a rare and powerful skill.

So for this crossover:

I'm treating Silk as similar to chakra as it's a fusion of physical and spiritual energy.

Naruto, who has massive chakra reserves and Kurama inside him, would naturally be a huge source of Silk in this world.

That's why Grandmother Silk wants him.

The cage that held Hornet can suppress Silk-based powers, so it's reasonable that its magic would also suppress Naruto's chakra.

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Q: Will we return to Konoha?

Not for a while.

Right now, the story will follow Naruto in Pharloom for about three years basically, the events here will take place before Shippuden. If you've played Silksong, the game is structured into three acts, so I'll treat each act as a year.

Will Naruto return to Konoha afterward? YES. He might come back changed. Or maybe he finds a home in Pharloom and only returns to tie up loose ends aka sasuke. Who knows? I'm letting the story take us where it wants to go.

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Bonus Question (from me to you!):

If you've played Silksong, what crests, Silk skills, or weapons would you love to see Naruto use? I'm already brainstorming how his chakra-based fighting could evolve with Pharloom's mechanics.

If you haven't played the game... what are you doing?! It's like $20 and an amazing experience.

Also, if you've got story ideas whether it's Naruto bonding with Kurama in Pharloom, training under Hornet, or anything else cool, drop them in the comments or reviews. I'd love to read them.

That's all for now. See you next chapter!

Fa Rit D'où La Zi Manette!

— Adam