Chapter no.4 Naruto

Chapter 4: Of Fathers and Demons

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Dinner was quiet, just the way Inoichi Yamanaka liked it.

He sat across from his daughter, watching as she absentmindedly toyed with a piece of grilled fish on her plate, her eyes glued to one of those cheesy romance novels she was always reading. He tried to ignore the irritation building up as she skimmed through the pages, half-focused on her food. Today, Inoichi had made sure to include a few high-calorie dishes—things she wouldn’t notice were meant to keep her from getting too skinny with that damn diet of hers. He knew she wouldn’t appreciate the extra calories, but as her father, he had to make sure she stayed healthy.

“Ino,” Inoichi said, breaking the silence. “Let’s try something different today. Imagine you’re walking through a dense forest. It’s peaceful, the trees are tall, and the sky above is clear, only a few rays of sunlight filter through. As you walk deeper, you come across a house. It looks familiar, but you’ve never seen it before. You step inside. What do you see?”

He could see her pause, her mind snapping to attention as she considered the question. Inoichi always made sure to ask her one psychological question every night before bed. If she was going to be physically weak from all this dieting for her looks, then by Kami, her mind would be sharp. A ninja’s greatest weapon was their mind, after all.

Ino Yamanaka was fair-skinned, a girl of average height, with light blue eyes and long, platinum blonde hair that framed the right side of her face.

Ino chewed thoughtfully on her food for a moment, humming softly before responding, “The house is cozy, old but well-kept. There’s a warm fireplace, and the walls are lined with books. I can see myself spending hours there… and maybe Sasuke would be there too, reading.”

“Sasuke again, huh?” Inoichi raised an eyebrow, watching her light up at the mention of his name.

“Of course! He’d be there, sitting by the fire, reading something smart. It’s romantic.” She snapped her fingers, eyes gleaming. This had become routine. Every question, every test, always seemed to lead back to the last survivor of the Uchiha clan.

Inoichi couldn’t fault her for it—not yet anyway.

She was young.

Let her have her fantasies.

As her father, though, it worried him. The crush was innocent enough, but Ino was now a genin. Life as a shinobi was anything but a romantic novel. Maybe that’s why Inoichi let her indulge in these little daydreams for now—her innocence was fleeting, and he knew it would be stripped away in time. He told himself she would grow out of it. She was smart enough to figure it out. In a month, maybe two, she’d start to take this seriously.

But even as he told himself that, his gaze drifted toward the picture of her mother—his late wife, who had died during the Kyuubi attack.

Don’t worry, my love, he thought, his heart heavy. Our daughter is safe. As long as I’m breathing, nothing will harm her.

Inoichi shifted his focus back to Ino. “Interesting answer,” he said, choosing his next words carefully. “You know, how you interpret that house reveals a lot about how you see your inner self.”

Ino blinked, lowering her book. “My inner self?”

He nodded. “The house represents your mind, your subconscious. What you see inside is a reflection of how you view yourself—your strengths, your comfort zones, and even your desires.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying my mind is a cozy cabin?”

Inoichi smiled. “More or less. It suggests you value comfort, warmth, and intellect—you see your mind as a refuge, a place where you feel safe and in control. But the fact that you brought Sasuke into the picture, that indicates something else.”

Ino blushed slightly, setting her book down. “What does it mean?”

“It means that, subconsciously, you believe someone like Sasuke is important to completing your vision of happiness,” Inoichi explained. “It’s natural to want connection, Ino, but you should also be mindful that relying too much on others to create your inner peace can lead to disappointment."

She sat quietly for a moment, processing the information. Then, with a sly smile, she shrugged. “Well, Sasuke can be part of my cozy cabin if he wants. I’m not kicking him out.”

Inoichi chuckled, shaking his head. “Just don’t let your cabin rely on someone else’s presence. Make sure it stands on its own, with or without him.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Dad. I know.”

Suddenly, Inoichi felt a surge of chakra enter the room. Instinctively, he tensed. An ANBU agent appeared before them, dressed in a white trench coat, the hood pulled low over a bear porcelain mask.

“The Hokage has requested a meeting, Inoichi-sama.”

Inoichi nodded, his mind already switching from father to shinobi.

“Goodbye, Dad, and maybe bride the hokage to make sure I end up on Sasuke’s team!” Ino chirped as he stood to leave.

He sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll try, my lemon,” Inoichi said, using the nickname she pretended to hate but secretly loved. She stuck her tongue out at him, a playful glint in her eyes.

That innocence, he thought, the kind I never had at her age.

It was hard to watch, knowing that one day soon, the world would take it from her.

“Remember the routine: all leftovers go in the fridge, and make sure Choji gets them tomorrow,” Inoichi said as he gathered his belongings.

“Especially the seaweed chips!” she replied, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

“Those are for you,” he countered, narrowing his eyes.

She grumbled but eventually nodded. “Fine… whatever.”

Inoichi smiled softly at the exchange, savoring the moment. “Goodbye.”

“Yeah, yeah, just go already!” Ino rolled her eyes, waving him off like he was an embarrassment.

Inoichi glanced at the ANBU agent, who had been waiting silently by the door, and with a final nod to his daughter, the two of them vanished with a body flicker.

The moment Inoichi stepped into the Hokage’s office, he knew something was wrong. Hiruzen looked more stressed than Inoichi had ever seen him. It was as if the announcement of the Fourth Shinobi World War had dropped on his desk. A knot formed in Inoichi’s stomach.

Please, anything but that.

The thought of war sent a chill down his spine. Not because he feared it for himself, but because he couldn’t bear the thought of his daughter—of all the children in Konoha—experiencing the horrors that come with it. War strips away innocence, leaves scars on the soul that never heal. Ino was smart and strong in her own way, but no child should ever have to face the atrocities of war.

“Hokage-sama,” Inoichi greeted, his voice steady, though his mind was racing through worst-case scenarios.

Hiruzen seemed to sense his growing unease. He offered Inoichi his smoking pipe, a rare gesture.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama, but I’d like to live long enough to see my daughter marry a bastard that doesn’t deserve her,” Inoichi said with a small smile, though the humor did little to settle the tension gnawing at him.

Hiruzen smiled in return, though there was no warmth behind it. “Don’t worry, Inoichi. I need your mind.”

My mind?

Inoichi narrowed his focus on those words. If Hiruzen needed strategic advice, he would have called Shikaku. Shikaku was the genius when it came to battle plans and strategy. But this wasn’t about strategy—Hiruzen needed him for something else. Psychological help.

“What can I do for you?” he asked, his tone careful, measured. The knot in his stomach tightened as he waited for the Hokage to speak.

“It’s Naruto.”

The moment the name left Hiruzen’s lips, Inoichi’s mind slammed to a halt.

Naruto?

Uzumaki Naruto? The prankster of Konoha? The orphaned son of the Fourth Hokage? The current container for the Kyuubi no Yoko, the very being that had ravaged their village twelve years ago and killed his wife?

Inoichi felt his heart rate spike, but he kept his face neutral. He had never blamed the boy for what happened. He knew the difference between Naruto and the Kyuubi—they were separate. But the very idea of the Kyuubi was enough to make him take this seriously, dead seriously.

His mind raced through everything he knew about Naruto. From the rumors around the village to the comments Ino had made about him—how she would tease him, calling him a knucklehead, a loudmouth.

“Is this about his graduation?” Inoichi ventured. Perhaps Naruto was angry about failing, or maybe he’d had a violent outburst. It wasn’t impossible that the Kyuubi’s chakra had been released in a moment of anger or frustration. The boy had never shown the talent that either of his parents had, and Inoichi could imagine the frustration building up in him.

But Hiruzen’s next words were like a hammer blow.

“No. Naruto learned about the Kyuubi.”

Inoichi felt his mind go blank for a moment. His eyes widened slightly, and he motioned to the Hokage, silently asking if the boy had learned this from him.

Hiruzen shook his head.

This is bad. Very bad.

Inoichi took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Can you start from the beginning? What happened exactly?”

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Naruto stood in front of the old apartment building that the Hokage had given him when he was a kid.

More of an apartment complex than a house, really. The building stood weathered and beaten, like it had been forgotten by time. The reddish-brown roof sloped down in layers, the tiles worn and cracked. Tangled wires snaked along the green trim of the beige walls, and silver chimneys jutted from the top like broken teeth. One section extended out awkwardly, like the bow of an old, rusted ship.

No one else lived there.

Just him.

And now he finally knew why.

In the span of one night… Naruto had gone from being the knuckleheaded ninja to some kind of emo. He should’ve laughed at or even denied that thought, but he couldn’t muster the energy.

Too much had happened.

Too much to process.

His head felt heavy, like it was filled with sand, dragging him down with every step.

How many more lies are there? Naruto wondered, his chest tight. How much more don’t I know?

He kicked off his shoes the second he stepped inside, not caring where they landed. The coldness of the floor hit his feet, but he didn’t care. He just slumped down, his back against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him.

I’m so tired.

“I just wanna sleep, dattebayo…” Naruto’s voice came out weak, not even recognizable as his own. He wanted nothing more than to just shut off his mind, to shut off everything, to stop the constant buzzing in his head. The ringing in his ears wouldn’t stop. His thoughts wouldn’t stop.

He pulled his headband off and tossed it aside, getting up slowly. His body moved on autopilot as he shuffled to the cupboard, grabbing a cup of ramen—the only thing he could stomach right now. He boiled some water, poured it in, and just stood there, staring at the cup as it sat on the table. Waiting.

Ignorance is bliss.

It was something his teachers always said whenever Naruto would question something. He used to hate hearing that, but now… now it felt true. Yesterday, life had been simple. He was just Naruto—the orphan, the outcast, the nobody who was gonna become the kickass Hokage.

That was it. That was all he had to worry about.

But now?

Now he didn’t even know what he was.

Naruto slumped back into the chair, his hands coming up to rub his face. *I don’t know anymore.* He wasn’t a demon. He wasn’t the Kyuubi. But that didn’t make any of it better. It just made it worse, like the world had flipped upside down, and he was still falling, trying to figure out which way was up.

He grabbed the cup noodles, peeling off the lid. The steam hit his face, the smell familiar, comforting in a way. He mixed the packet in, stirring the noodles, watching them swirl in the broth like his thoughts.

Yesterday was simple.

Naruto took a bite, the hot noodles sliding down his throat. The flavor hit him, and he savored it, but even that felt dulled. The one thing that always tasted great, the one thing that always lifted his spirits, felt… flat. But he ate it anyway. He needed to feel something.

He sighed, putting the cup down. He stared at it for a long moment, then muttered, “Status.”

A window flickered in front of him, black with gold lettering, and Naruto stared at it blankly.

[ Name: Naruto Uzumaki ]

- [ Covenant: None ]

- [ Level: 1 ]


- [ Souls: 500 ]

[ Attributes: ]

- [ Vitality: 10 ]

- [ Attunement: 12 ]


- [ Endurance: 11 ]

- [ Strength: 12 ]


- [ Dexterity: 9 ]

- [ Resistance: 12 ]


- [ Intelligence: 10 ]

- [ Faith: 8 ]


- [ Humanity: 0 ]

[ Stats: ]

- [ HP: 573 / 573 ]

- [ Stamina: 93 ]


- [ Equip Load: 10.0 / 51.0 ]

[ Weapon Stats: ]

- [ R Weapon 1: 96 ]

- [ R Weapon 2: 20 ]


- [ L Weapon 1: 20 ]

- [ L Weapon 2: 20 ]


[ Defense: ]

- [ Physical Defense: 73 (20) ]

- [ VS Strike: 78 ]


- [ VS Slash: 73 ]

- [ VS Thrust: 73 ]


- [ Magic Defense: 73 (13) ]

- [ Flame Defense: 99 (21) ]


- [ Lightning Defense: 59 (16) ]

[ Resistances: ]

- [ Poise: 0 ]

- [ Bleed Resist: 104 ]


- [ Poison Resist: 194 ]

- [ Curse Resist: 35 ]


[ Miscellaneous: ]

- [ Item Discovery: 100 ]

- [ Attunement Slots: 2 ]


[ Attunement Slot 1: Fireball × 7 ]

[ Attunement Slot 2: Empty ]

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the screen in front of him. These numbers… they weren’t the same as before. Something had changed.

One thing stood out immediately.

[ Souls: 500 ]

[ R Weapon 1: 96 ]

I get souls, he thought, since I absorbed all those hollows and Mizuki-teme, but what’s the deal with the other thing?

His gaze zeroed in on the line that said R Weapon 1. What the hell did that mean? He scratched his head, feeling more confused by the second.

Naruto wondered if it had something to do with this. His hand clenched instinctively, and suddenly, the familiar weight of the hand axe appeared in his palm. He blinked, staring at the weapon that just materialized out of nowhere.

“Okay, that’s still a thing,” he muttered, tossing the axe to the floor with a clatter. He glanced back at the status screen, checking again. This time, he noticed something new—two new changes, actually.

[ R Weapon 1: 96 → 20 ]

[ Equip Load: 10.0 / 51.0 → 8.0 / 51.0 ]

R Weapon 1… that’s the axe, Naruto realized. It corresponded to whatever he was holding in his right hand. But what was this Weapon 2 thing?

He grabbed a kitchen knife, holding it awkwardly alongside the axe. It felt strange, like he was holding two things he wasn’t meant to. The balance was off. Maybe he had to say something?

“Two weapons?” Naruto tried aloud, feeling a bit stupid. “Items? My right hand?” Nothing.

“Equipment,” he finally said, and to his surprise, another window opened.

[ Equipment ]

[ Select Item to Equip ]

[ Right Hand Weapon Slots: ]

- [ Slot 1: Hand Axe ]

- [ Slot 2: Pyromancy Flame ]


[ Left Hand Weapon Slots: ]

- [ Slot 1: Empty ]

- [ Slot 2: Empty ]


[ Quickbar Item Slots: ]

- [ Slot 1: Kunai ( 20 ) ]

- [ Slot 2: Empty ]


- [ Slot 3: Empty ]

[ Ammunition Slots and Arrow/Bolt Count: ]

- [ Bolt Count: Empty ]

- [ Arrow/Bolt Slot 2: Empty ]


[ Armour Slots: ]

- [ Helm: Empty ]

- [ Chest: Shinobi Mesh Armour ]


- [ Gauntlets: Orange Jacket ]

- [ Leggings: Orange Pants ]


[ Ring Slots: ]

- [ Ring 1: Rusted Iron Ring ]

- [ Ring 2: Empty ]


Naruto’s eyes flicked down the list as he placed the axe on the table. Okay, how do I select this weapon? He wondered, his mind racing to figure it out.

Using his left hand, Naruto grabbed the kitchen knife, holding it awkwardly as he tried to make sense of the situation. His gaze shifted between the knife in his hand and the system window still floating in front of him. He studied the options on the screen, trying to see if there was something obvious he’d missed.

[ Left Hand Weapon Slots: ]

- [ Slot 1: Dull Kitchen knife ]

Naruto did the same motion as before, clenching his fist, and this time, the knife appeared in his hand. He blinked, and with another motion, the axe was back. He swapped between them a few more times, the weight shifting in each hand with each switch.

“Huh. That’s… kinda cool,” he muttered to himself. His curiosity wasn’t satisfied yet, though. What about the rest of his gear? He clicked on the armor slot. There was an option to change into his pyromancer outfit or remove it altogether.

[ Armour Slots: ]

- [ Gauntlets: Orange Jacket ]

[ Press X to remove outfit. ]

“X?”, Naruto said, and just like that, his jacket vanished. One moment it was there, and the next, his bare skin was exposed to the cool air. He glanced down at himself, blinking in surprise.

Gone was the scrawny, underfed kid he was used to seeing. Instead, he was staring at a body that was more toned, more muscular. His arms had definition, and his chest and shoulders were broader. His body wasn’t huge, but it looked like it had been trained, sculpted.

When did this happen?

Naruto changed back into his normal clothes quickly, the jacket reappearing as if it had never left. The strangeness of it all still nagged at him.

Did the Furtive Pygmy create this system? Does Oscar have this? He wondered, but honestly, he had no idea. He shrugged it off. As cool as this system window was, it didn’t give him much in the way of answers. No instructions. Just… this.

Naruto needed to find a way back to Oscar. But how?

He sighed and picked up the cup ramen carton to throw it away. As he walked to the garbage can, he opened his hand, ready to toss it—except the cup was already gone.

“Huh?”

Naruto frowned, glancing at his hand. Then it clicked.

Oh, if I grab something long enough, it goes into my inventory.

“That’s actually kinda handy.”

[ Inventory ]

— [ Consumables ]

 [ Item: Darksign ]

 [ Description: The Darksign signifies an accursed Undead. Those branded with it are reborn after death, but will one day lose their mind and go Hollow.

Death triggers the Darksign, which returns its bearer to the last bonfire rested at, but at the cost of all humanity and souls. ]

Naruto was grateful. He didn’t know which god was looking out for him, but whoever it was, he owed them one for showing him how to get back. The thought of returning to Oscar’s side gnawed at him, but he knew he couldn’t just rush in. Oscar was injured, and that demon was still there.

Let’s just get some stuff before going back.

The boy stopped, realizing he had no idea what “stuff” he was even talking about. What was he supposed to grab?

He knew he could needed explosive tags but what about Oscar’s injuries?

He scratched his head, trying to think it through.

Iruka-sensei. He’ll know what to do

Without another thought, Naruto bolted out of his apartment and headed for Iruka’s place.