Chapter no.65 Dark Souls

Chapter no.65 The Witch Beatrice.

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A tense quiet had settled in the house, the kind that crept into the corners and settled on shoulders like dust. Kakashi had just finished explaining Gato's likely next move, and the air in the room had not quite returned to normal since.

Tazuna finally broke the silence. "How long do we have before Gato sends more shinobi?"

"If we consider that one of Gato's men has to travel out of the country, commission the contract, negotiate terms, and the ninja then have to mobilize and cross borders… I would estimate anywhere between ten to twenty days. Less if he already has standing contracts."

"Depending on the village," Shino added from where he stood near the back wall. "Some villages are known for quicker deployments than others. If he goes to Hidden Mist, we have more time. Hidden Stone or Cloud? Maybe less."

"Well, if we know he's coming, why don't we just go and kill the bastard?" Kiba asked, Akamaru growling softly at his feet. "I mean, we have an amazing tracker team. Strike first, end it."

Kakashi shook his head. "I tried. While cleaning up Naruto's 'mess'"—he gave the boy a dry look—"there was barely, if any, lead to track. Gato does not leave his bunker. Does not send written orders. It is all radio. Shortwave signals, tight bands. Nothing we can trace in time."

"So we do not even know where he is?" Sasuke asked.

"Correct," Kakashi replied. "And given how many losses he has suffered, I doubt he will surface again anytime soon. He will hole up. And there is a good chance that bunker is not even in the Wave anymore."

"So what now?" Tazuna asked, his voice tight. "Just wait for more assassins to show up?"

"No," came a voice from the doorway.

Everyone turned. Naruto stepped inside, the door creaking shut behind him, Tsunami trailing quietly after him. "We prepare," Naruto said simply.

Inari ran to his mother, hugging her waist. Oscar, the crystal lizard, skittered across the floor and leapt lightly into Naruto's arms. He cradled the creature, rubbing under his chin.

"What's on your mind?"

Naruto did not answer. Instead, he set Oscar down, stepped forward, and began peeling off his shirt. "Can you use the Shadow Clone jutsu, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes."

"Hinata. I need your Byakugan. Check the chakra flow of Kakashi and then align my tenketsu."

Hinata hesitated. "Naruto-kun, what are you suggesting?"

"Remember how we managed to do the substitution jutsu. Same method, different jutsu."

Hinata looked at Kurenai, uncertain. The jonin woman studied Naruto for a moment, then gave a small nod.

Hinata stepped forward, her fingers gentle yet precise as she pressed into Naruto's ribs, blocking specific chakra points just enough to let him feel the pattern now etched like a map across his body.

"Use the clone signs with me. I cannot form them alone."

Kakashi frowned. "This will hurt."

"So does everything worth doing."

The two met hands, mirroring half of the Shadow Clone signs each. Chakra flared tight, compressed, and with a sharp puff of smoke, a clone of Naruto appeared in the room. A bruise bloomed across Naruto's ribs almost immediately. He swayed slightly.

Kiba let out a low whistle. "That looked like it hurt."

"Internal backlash," Shino murmured, adjusting his glasses. "He forced the clone formation through a blocked network. This is dangerous."

"Again," Naruto said.

Hinata's hands trembled slightly. "Naruto-kun, you shouldn't…"

"It's fine. I'm an Uzumaki. I heal fast."

"You say that," Hinata replied softly, "but you are still bleeding internally."

Naruto's eyes met hers. "What's the fear? I have my Estus to heal me."

Kakashi and Sasuke exchanged a glance, neither speaking, but both wearing the same tight expression. They knew Naruto did not have an Estus Flask left. They also knew he was pushing himself far past what was considered sane. But neither said a word. Because in a way… they understood.

Hinata resumed her work in silence, pressing gently into Naruto's tenketsu with the faintest touch of her chakra.

"What exactly is the goal of this... training?" Shino asked.

Sasuke answered. "He is trying to master one-handed hand signs. By using shadow clones to train, he can gather weeks' worth of experience in a single day. Every clone that dispels feeds him new progress. This… this is brute-forcing evolution."

There was a pause as the weight of what that meant settled over the room.

Again and again, Kakashi and Hinata formed signs and stabilized his chakra, creating clones. By the fiftieth, Kakashi had dropped to one knee, his breathing shallow. Even with Naruto suppressing his chakra to match, it was too much. But nothing compared to what Naruto endured. The boy's skin was mottled with bruises, black blotches forming around his ribs and spine—damage to his organs from chakra feedback. His hands trembled, but his eyes never wavered. And still, he asked for more.

In the corner, Kiba watched in silence, his usual cocky energy absent. Akamaru comforted Oscar quietly beside him.

"I have never seen someone fight themselves like that," Kiba muttered.

"I have," Kurenai said softly, eyes never leaving Naruto. "But never this young."

The silence stretched until Naruto finally stood, body trembling, covered in sweat. A scroll was handed to him—his clones packed inside.

"Don't die out there, idiot," Sasuke muttered, raising a fist.

Naruto bumped it with his own. "Not planning to. When I come back, I will be twice as strong."

Kurenai stepped forward. "Where are you going?"

"Forest," Naruto wheezed. "Peace and quiet. Cannot have these guys arguing over who gets the last rice ball while I'm trying to learn Wind Release."

"You will train alone?" Hinata asked, almost a whisper.

"That's the plan."

Naruto paused, noticing Oscar pawing at his heel, eyes alert and ready to follow.

"Kurenai-sensei," he said quietly, "can you put him to sleep? Just for a while."

She gave a small nod and cast the genjutsu. Naruto laid his buddy down with care, brushing a hand over the scales. "Sorry, buddy," he whispered. "But this next part… it is too dangerous for you."

As the door shut, a quiet filled the room.

Kurenai turned to the remaining genins. "Now then," she said, her tone sharpening, "we have got a window. Let's not waste it. Let's talk about what each of you can do to prepare."

While Kurenai discussed her plans with her team, Kakashi glanced at the lone student. "Sasuke… there is a lightning technique I have not shown you yet. High risk. High reward. You interested?"

Sasuke tilted his head. "Is it lethal?"

"Very."

Sasuke's lips curled into a slight smirk. "Good."

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Naruto opened his eyes, staring into the bonfire as its radiant flame danced within the ruined church. The light flickered against his face, and for a moment, he said nothing. Only the gentle crackle of embers and the hum of the flame filled the space.

Then he reached into his pouch, pulling out the shattered Estus flasks and setting them before the fire.

As if recognizing them, the bonfire pulsed, tendrils of golden flame reaching out, licking at the broken glass. The cracks sealed. The flasks refilled, glowing faintly with liquid light.

"Second order of business," Naruto muttered, breaking himself from the spiral of thoughts. "I need to level up."

[ Name: Naruto Uzumaki ]

[ Level: 26 ]

[ Souls: 5000 ]

[ ReqSouls: 4581 ]

[ INT: 13 → 14 ]

The moment he confirmed the upgrade, he felt the shift. The mental fog he had not even noticed began to lift. Pathways opened in his mind, and a flood of tactical possibilities surfaced—contingencies, backup plans, control, all more accessible than before. Satisfied, Naruto stood and made his way down the ancient spiral stairs, boots echoing against old stone. Andre was not in his forge. He found the old blacksmith sitting on the steps outside, ladling steaming mushroom stew into a clay bowl.

"I see you have returned," Andre said without looking up. "And from that fire in your eyes… I take it you're after more than rest."

Naruto did not waste time. He quickly laid out what had happened in the Wave, what was coming, and what he needed to prepare for. "So, what's the plan now? Swing that big sword till everything in your way breaks?"

"Actually," Naruto said, "I was thinking of Weapon Ascension. Can you do it?"

Andre raised an eyebrow. "Now that is a rare request. But no, at least not yet. I don't have the kind of flame needed to ascend a weapon. You want to truly awaken a blade, you need something special. A forging flame attuned to divinity, or fire, or whatever weapon path you are trying to go on."

"You are not just telling me that for trivia, are you?"

Andre smirked through his beard. "You have got good instincts. There are rumors of a divine blacksmith who still lives deep within the land. Hidden in the old sanctum past the basin."

"Divine ascension?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe. If he still lives. If he will even help you." Andre shrugged. "All I know is, you will need power soon. And that is one path."

Naruto nodded slowly. Then pulled out a storage scroll and unfurled it across the cracked stone floor of the old church hall. With a puff of smoke, fifty clones appeared. "All right!" he shouted, voice echoing off the high ceilings. "You know the drill. Pair up. Practice the transformation jutsu. Work on refining the flow for one-handed signs like Kurenai-sensei taught us. Start simple. Iterate. Break and rebuild."

"Dattebayo!" came fifty simultaneous cries.

Naruto stepped back, watching them move like a coordinated machine. He knew the truth... this would not be enough. Even with the edge of so many clones, one-handed seals were not something mastered in days.

And even if he did master them… there were still giants to slay.

Zabuza had been toying with him in their last battle. That was clear now. If Naruto wanted a shot at surviving Gato's next move, he could not rely on guts and instinct alone. He needed an edge. Several.

That was where Lordran's cursed time dilation came in. Three-to-one. One day in his world meant three in this place. If Gato waited even ten days to make his next move… Naruto's clones could squeeze in a full month of training. Maybe more.

It would have to be enough.

The church echoed with grunts and the distant crackle of chakra as the clones threw themselves into drills. Their hands blurred. Some failed. Some succeeded. All of them learned.

Naruto turned back toward the stairs, ready to begin his own journey.

"Be careful," Andre called from the archway.

Naruto paused, half-turning.

"Lordran offers many things," the blacksmith continued, voice steady. "Power. Knowledge. Shortcuts. But that kind of power… it is never free."

His eyes met Naruto's.

"Don't become the kind of thing you set out to destroy."

Naruto gave a faint smile. "I won't," he said.

But oh… how false that promise would prove to be.

He had told Gato he would show him what a true monster was.

And now, here he was—diving headfirst into the heart of a cursed world for more power. Lordran would give it. And in return… Lordran would take. Because when chaos meets calamity… an everlasting monster will rise.

Heheh.

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Naruto stepped into the Darkroot Garden. Shadows writhed between the glowing flowers. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the sound of an Ent, its vine-like appendages gliding over a puddle of water.

He equipped the Crest Shield, its metal surface catching the faint glow of the nearby flora as he prepared for impact. Chakra flowed toward his feet, anchoring him in place as he braced himself like a mountain. The first lash came fast. A whip of vine cracked against his shield, jarring his arm but not breaking his stance. Naruto gritted his teeth, eyes narrowing as he pinpointed the source. With a sudden burst of movement, he vaulted into the air, the Ent's tendrils slicing his afterimage.

The shield shifted mid-leap into a sleek spear. With a grunt, Naruto hurled it like a javelin, nailing the Ent to a nearby tree. Before it could scream, he landed beside it and placed a palm to its chest.

You split a waterfall, this thing is nothing compared to that, Naruto thought as he sent a blast of wind chakra forward.

[ You have acquired ]

[ 100 Souls ]

[ Bloodred Moss Clump ]

Naruto exhaled and collected his weapon, tucked it into his inventory, and scanned the mist-heavy woods. To his right, the forest sloped into the abyssal Darkroot Basin, but his path led forward into the garden.

Way of Focality hummed a soft warning.

Naruto spun, catching a blur of movement in the corner of his eye. He ducked and rolled as a vine shot past, narrowly missing his face. He drew his crossbow in a single motion and fired. The bolt struck home, glinting as it embedded in the dark. Naruto followed it, footwork fluid as water, and leapt into a flying kick.

The Ent's body crumpled under the blow, tumbling backward and over the edge into the chasm below.

Naruto advanced cautiously now, walking the edge of the deep ravine, where fog clung to the rocks like ghosts. He paused as he reached a wide, moss-laced stone bridge. Beyond it, veiled in swirling mist, the vague silhouette of a building emerged.

"Yeah," he muttered, eyeing the distant shape. "I'll check that out. If the divine blacksmith is there..."

Angular and narrow, it stood at the far end of the stone bridge like a forgotten chapel abandoned mid-prayer. The fog wrapped around its spire like mourning cloth.

Then, the light changed.

A pale greenish-white glow began to pierce the mist, not from the building, not from the ground, but from above. It filtered through the fog like moonlight, but too focused, too cold. A shimmer... no, a presence glided silently across the sky.

Naruto froze mid-step.

There was something crystalline about it. As if pieces of moonlight had been forged into form and given thought. Way of Focality buzzed against Naruto's temple, its warning delayed, uncertain. The thing turned—he could not explain how he knew that, only that it now faced him. The pale light intensified, not blinding but deep, like a memory surfacing. His chakra stilled in his veins. His thoughts slowed. For one horrifying moment, Naruto wondered if he was being seen through.

A faint hum built in the air—not vibration, not noise, but a kind of resonance, like the air remembering a song it was never supposed to hear.

A white laser shot forth from the sky as Naruto sprinted down the uneven path as fast as his chakra-enhanced legs could carry him. The dirt beneath his feet was slick with moss and loose pebbles. To his left, the drop into the chasm yawned wide, waiting like an open mouth for any mistake.

Above, that unnatural flapping intensified.

Then a lance of searing white light tore through the fog behind him, striking the path with a deafening explosion. The ground heaved beneath his boots, stones leaping skyward, earth screaming as a chunk of the cliffside disintegrated under the pressure. The heat scorched the back of his armor. He pushed forward, teeth grit, lungs burning.

Suddenly, his foot was caught by something. A vine curled around his ankle. From the side of the path, an Ent began to emerge, dragging itself from the ground like some restless corpse. Its bark-covered arms reached for him, dragging him toward its gaping maw of thorny teeth.

"Damn it!" Naruto snarled.

He drew his hand axe and, with a flash of steel, hacked through the vine. He backflipped away just as another green energy spear roared down from the sky.

The Ent was obliterated while Naruto did not have time to look back.

A low hum began above, then it descended.

A massive orb of bluish-green light plummeted from the fog-shrouded sky, flickering like a star in convulsion.

Naruto snarled and changed his weapon to the Drake Sword. As the orb closed in, his body spun in a wide arc.

He slashed upward.

A massive crescent of wind screamed through the air and struck the orb dead center. It split down the middle with a crack like thunder, and from within, a spiral of energy burst outward. White and blue light surged in every direction, a violent maelstrom of brilliance that swallowed the forest whole in a moment of unnatural daylight. As the light died down and silence returned to the Darkroot Garden, not a trace of Naruto could be seen.

The scorched path where the orb had exploded still glowed faintly, steam rising from shattered stone and melted moss.

And above, the creature drifted silently through the clouds, its vast form folding back into the mist like a dream retreating from dawn. For a breathless moment, the Moonlight Butterfly emerged—its crystalline wings pulsing with pale green light—before vanishing into the fog. But beneath the destruction, hidden away, a quiet breath stirred.

Naruto waited.

He crouched deep within the hollowed burrow the Ent had once used to ambush prey, shielded by roots and stone. Dust fell in fine lines through the cracks above as he stayed perfectly still, pressed close to the earth. He did not move for several minutes. Not until the pressure in the air lifted. Not until the silence felt natural again.

Naruto considered turning back, returning to Andre, reclaiming his ninjutsu, reforging his strategy, but something held him here. A question that had no words. A weight that had no form.

He waited a little longer, watching the sky. No glow. No flapping. No hum.

Then, finally, his gaze shifted to a structure half-hidden behind moss and fog. Broken stone walls rose from the earth. Two of them stood side by side, the last memory of a building long fallen. Vines clung to the stone like scar tissue, and a massive, gnarled tree towered above the ruins, leafless and hollow. The shadows it cast were crooked and restless beneath the moonlight.

Then—a shimmer.

At the base of one wall, an orange light flickered. A soapstone message.

[ ?: Illusionary wall ahead! ]

Naruto approached slowly. He did not speak at first. Just reached out, fingers brushing the surface of the stone.

They passed through.

He exhaled. Alright… let's see where this leads.

Stepping through the illusion, he emerged onto a narrow ledge carved into the cliffside. The remains of another structure lay scattered around him—chunks of carved stone, collapsed beams, and timeworn sigils half-lost to erosion. Wind whispered through broken windows that no longer stood.

And at the far end of the ledge, just before the edge of the chasm—a bonfire.

"…Who hides a bonfire behind an illusion?" he murmured. "And how many more of them are out there?" He looked at the nearby walls, then back at the fire. "I should start hitting more walls in Lordran."

And with that, he knelt and lit the flame.

Naruto let out a low chuckle, eyes half-lidded as a stream of memories returned from his shadow clones. They had been experimenting while he fought and found something clever. While most ninja needed a partner to mirror hand signs in tandem for one-handed jutsu, Naruto did not need anyone else.

He had himself.

Hundreds of himself.

Clones could form half-seals, matching his motions and flow in perfect synchronicity. Together, they could complete even the most complex jutsu without ever using both hands.

A grin crept across his face. At least now I've got options.

The fire crackled softly behind him as he stood, stretching before stepping from behind the illusion wall. His boots brushed moss and loose soil with practiced quiet, every movement measured. Ahead, another stone wall stood, solid and worn, its surface rough, cold to the touch. Naruto pressed his hand against it, half-expecting it to vanish like the last.

But instead, the wall reacted.

At its center, a circular indentation pulsed faintly, and within it hovered a dull, glowing orb. Around the stone, delicate patterns curled outward, spiraling in unnatural arcs that twisted with subtle motion. At first, they looked like vines. But the more he stared, the more they seemed... wrong. They did not grow from stone or root.

They rose like tendrils from the abyss itself.

"...Creepy," Naruto muttered, trying to push against the surface.

[ Locked by some contraption. ]

"Of course it is." He sighed, already sensing the barrier sealed not by a mechanism, but by magic.

He turned and took the left path deeper into the forest.

The trail narrowed, walled in by ancient trees. Some stood like guardians, towering and still. Others had fallen long ago, now moss-covered monuments to time forgotten.

Naruto slowed as the path split ahead.

The left route vanished into a deeper fog bank, dense and still. The right opened into a clearing, small and encircled by earthen walls that rose just high enough to obscure anything behind them. In the center of the clearing, a figure slumped forward.

A corpse, clad in destroyed armor, its breastplate cracked and tarnished. Above it, a glowing orb of soul-light hovered, pulsing faintly. It beckoned like a flame in the dark.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"That's the most obvious trap I've ever seen, dattebayo."

Still, he moved forward, confident.

The moment he crossed the edge of the clearing, the ground erupted. Vines burst from the soil as Ents lunged from their burrows, five of them, claws ready, fangs gleaming beneath gnarled bark.

Naruto launched himself skyward in a burst of chakra.

Mid-air, he pulled a kunai from his pouch, already prepped with an explosive tag. He flicked his wrist and sent it sailing down into the heart of the ambush.

Thud.

Click.

BOOM.

A thunderous explosion shook the clearing. Fire and shrapnel tore through bark and vine, the blast engulfing the entire group of Ents before they had the chance to reach him.

Naruto landed lightly on the far side of the clearing. "...Obvious trap," he muttered, brushing ash off his shoulder, "but nothing can trap the great Naruto Uzumaki."

He turned his eyes back to the soul orb still hovering above the corpse, now finally unguarded.

Grabbing the soul, Naruto turned toward the remaining path and soon found himself standing at the edge of a vast, enclosed grove. A hidden garden cradled by ancient, overgrown walls. Trees loomed like silent sentinels, their branches heavy with mist. To his left, a line of luminous flowers shimmered faintly, weaving a glowing trail deeper into the fog.

Follow the flowers, right? he thought, recalling the cryptic orange soapstone message.

But just as he began to step forward, something caught his eye.

Lying still on the forest floor was a massive figure, half-buried in moss, its form vaguely humanoid. As Naruto approached, the shape took clearer form: a hulking stone knight, its jagged armor layered in moss and time. Though smaller than a Titanite Demon, it radiated the same oppressive aura. A round, weathered shield leaned beside it, and a massive stone sword rested across its lap. The knight's helmet was carved without any visible face, featureless and blind like a forgotten statue.

Then it moved.

With a sound like a landslide groaning to life, the stone knight stirred. Its limbs shifted, weight pressing into the ground as it stood. Dust and bits of lichen crumbled from its joints. Naruto instinctively reached for a smoke bomb, ready to create distance, but then something made his blood run cold.

The knight's hands glowed with an all too familiar radiance. An aura similar to his own miracles, but colder, older, and warped. It raised its arms toward the sky, and a ripple of light shimmered above it like a mirage bending reality.

Naruto's instincts screamed.

He tried to leap away, only to feel time lurch around him. The world did not freeze... he slowed. His breath caught in his throat. Chakra flow sluggish. His muscles delayed. Even his thoughts dragged like they were submerged underwater. He fought to unsheathe the Zweihander. The weight felt multiplied, his fingers sluggish on the hilt. Naruto barely ducked beneath a sweeping slash of the stone greatsword, the blade parting the air with a deep whoosh that rattled his bones.

Then came the shield bash.

A wall of stone and force slammed into him. His body launched backward, smashing into a thick tree with a sickening crack. Bark split. Wood groaned. Splinters rained like knives.

Naruto dropped to the ground in a heap, his vision swimming, his lungs desperately clawing for air.

The fog shifted again. Trees bent and groaned as more stone knights lumbered into view. One directly ahead, dragging its blade like a butcher preparing the slab. Two from the left, shields raised. Another from the right. And then behind him, the thudding steps of a fifth, boxing him in.

To make matters worse, the earth beneath him writhed.

Ents.

Vines burst from the soil, twisting like skeletal fingers. Bark armored limbs reached for him, hungry and methodical.

Naruto's pulse pounded in his ears. Surrounded. Outnumbered. The miracle's slowing effect still chained his limbs. Strangely enough, the stone knights were not preparing and coordinating an attack.

Two stone knights closed in from the flanks, shields raised in unison, creating a living wall. A third trailed behind them, sword lifted, waiting for a clean strike. And behind them all, the fifth stood still, its hands glowing again with that twisted divine light.

Naruto's pulse spiked as the world crawled around him, caught in the miracle's time distortion. Stone knights advanced in perfect formation, Ents closing in behind.

Pinned. Outnumbered. Slowed.

Feels like a good time to die and respawn, he thought bitterly.

But hell no.

If he was going down, he would go down swinging.

With a grunt, Naruto raised his Zweihander into high guard, muscles straining against the drag of slowed time.

"Come at me, you bastards!"

Suddenly a hum rolled through the grove, a sound low and resonant, vibrating in his bones like the pluck of a colossal harp string.

Naruto blinked.

His chakra pulsed, not sluggish this time, but sharper, faster. As if that hum had cut through the miracle's slow time effect.

Crack.

The knight's head exploded in a burst of stone and oozing black ichor. Its helmet shattered, the miracle unraveling in a hiss of fading light. The glow flickered, then died completely as the casting knight crumpled to its knees.

Naruto did not stop to question it. Something... someone... had saved him.

But there was no time to look.

Naruto dropped to one knee and focused. His chakra flared, spiraling toward the familiar pain points Hinata had once sealed. Muscle memory took over.

One finger... two...

He formed a simple cross seal with just his left hand, index and middle finger.

Puff.

A shadow clone appeared beside him, one handed like its creator. No time to celebrate. No time to speak. Their gazes locked, and they moved.

Each raised their left hands, combining mirrored seals together, fast and fluid.

More smoke.

More clones.

Five. Then ten.

Drake Swords sang from their hilts and together they struck.

With a roar, Naruto and his clones slashed downward in perfect sync. Their blades arced like the talons of a giant beast, slicing the air with such force that it created a shockwave.

Wind howled. Trees buckled. Soil tore open.

Stone knights shattered in place, their shields cracked, bodies broken. The Ents that had been closing in were caught mid lunge, torn apart by the storm of chakra charged steel. The forest itself split beneath the impact, a wide scar carved into the ground like a canyon birthed in a single breath.

[ You have acquired: ]

[ 5000 Souls ]

[ Stone Greatshield ]

[ Stone Greatsword ]

[ Blooming Purple Moss Clump ×3 ]

Naruto exhaled hard, swiping a line of sweat from his brow. "Wow."

He looked at the glowing tally in front of him and let out a low whistle. That's... a lot of souls.

But then he saw it—just past the cracked remains of the stone knights and the charred trunks of shattered trees. A corpse, slumped beneath a fallen tree. At first it was just shape and shadow. Then he saw the armor. His breath caught.

Elite Knight Armor.

Naruto's steps slowed. His hand trembled as he reached down, brushing aside a patch of ash from the breastplate.

It was not Oscar. But it was someone like him. Another knight of Astora. Another soul who came to Lordran. Another who sought the bells. Another who walked the same cursed path.

Naruto's throat tightened.

He stared at the lifeless body for a long moment before whispering aloud, "What will happen when I finally ring the bells of awakening?"

No one answered. With a quiet breath, Naruto reached down and looted the remains.

[ You have acquired: ]

[ Elite Knight Helm ]

[ Elite Knight Chest ]

[ Elite Knight Gauntlets ]

[ Elite Knight Leggings ]

Naruto could not just leave the body to rot. With a nod to his clones, he began digging a shallow grave beneath a towering, gnarled tree. It did not feel like enough, but it was something.

Now for the serious stuff, he thought, turning toward the edge of the clearing.

At its base, beneath a crumbling archway, stood a figure, half hidden in shadows.

As he approached, slow and deliberate, pale blue orbs of light flared to life, casting the entryway in an eerie glow. The figure stepped forward. She looked about his age, clothed in a long coat embroidered with strange, ancient patterns. A wide brimmed, worn hat drooped slightly at the edge, and in her hand, she carried a jagged staff of twisted wood. Her face remained shrouded in shadow, but her presence was undeniable.

Naruto dropped his Zweihander to the ground and raised his hands in peace.

"Who art thou, wanderer, that dost tread upon this cursed glade unbidden? By what right dost thou disturb its solemn stillness?"

Naruto blinked, brow furrowed. What did she just say? Judging by the tone, she wanted an introduction. Clearing his throat, he said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Squire of Oscar of Astora."

Her gaze shifted to the clones quietly burying the Elite Knight. "I am Beatrice, daughter of the sorceries of olde, keeper of forgotten rites. By the stars and moon above, I bid thee heed—know thy place, knight of Astora."

Naruto squinted. "Beat-rice? Why the hell would I beat rice for? How do you even get into a fight with rice?"

Her eyes narrowed, grip tightening on her staff. "'Tis Beatrice, thou witless knave! How dost a land of knights send forth such fumblers of wisdom?" She sighed. "And yet thou dost wield magicks most curious. Whence dost thou conjure thy sorcery, lacking even a mage's catalyst? Speak, that I might discern this mystery."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, hopelessly lost. "Uh... I have no clue what you're saying. But thanks for saving me. I would've died without your help."

Beatrice tilted her head, her wide brimmed hat casting a shadow over her face as she studied him. When Naruto pointed to his mouth, then to her, shaking his head to signal confusion, she gave a small nod. Her staff tapped softly against the earth, as if acknowledging the language barrier.

But before either could speak again, the Way of Focality screamed within him.

Naruto did not hesitate. Chakra surged into his legs as he lunged forward, closing the distance in a blink. He wrapped his arms around Beatrice, twisting midair to shield her from what his instincts already knew was coming.

Naruto's use of the Drake Sword had drawn the Moonlight Butterfly's wrath.

A bomb of blue light exploded against his back, hurling him and Beatrice through the forest in a blinding flash. They tumbled through dirt and moss, Naruto taking the brunt of the impact as pain carved fire into his spine. His Elite Knight armor lay in tatters, shredded by the magical explosion. Blood seeped from the gaping wound along his back.

Blue orbs of energy howled through the air, crackling like lightning. Naruto barely had time to glance up. He recognized them immediately: a defensive spell. One Beatrice had likely cast the moment he approached her. A passive ward... now locked onto him.

Her horrified gasp said it all—she could not cancel it.

The first orb struck. And then another. A final pulse of light, and the last orb detonated against his back.

[ You Died ]