Naruto’s Decision (3)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

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"Don't worry about that. Tayuya does that for me. She always complains about it, though."

That was Orochimaru's answer when I confronted him about Kushina's hygiene concern. Imagining the haughty bitch cursing while cleaning Kushina almost brought a smile to my face. With that matter settled, Orochimaru and I immediately addressed what we would do for the next three years.

"Why does it have to be three years?" Orochimaru wondered.

"It's the longest I need to master my power," I answered.

The reason was, of course, everything would go downhill in three years. The Akatsuki's madness would peak around that time. I had plans to thwart their agenda, but it was safer to assume three years was my deadline to be invincible. I wouldn't be able to protect the soon-to-be-rebuilt Uzushio without being absurdly strong.

"My first plan is to capture all of the Bijū."

"That, alone, is supposed to be eight plans, Naruto-kun."

"While doing that, here comes my second plan, I am going to find the Uzumaki scattered around the globe."

"Why?"

"My third plan is to rebuild Uzushio and build an army whose allegiance belongs solely to me."

"What is next? Let me guess, world domination?"

"Yes."

"…"

Orochimaru was contemplating whether he had made a good decision to join hands with me. I could tell. In the end, he decided that he had, as expected. Of course, it was a good choice. If he hadn't joined hands with me, I would have killed him. Assuming that I couldn't grant him immortality, he could still keep his life; so that should count as a win.

"To do all of the above, I need Kyūbi's Yin half which is with Minato who is trapped in the Shinigami's stomach."

An anticipating look crossed Orochimaru's face.

"I need you to extract Minato's soul and use Edo Tensei on it."

"I can do Edo Tensei, but I don't know how to free the souls from Shinigami's stomach."

I smiled as an apprehensive look crossed Orochimaru's face. I took out the Shinigami mask and handed it to him. Orochimaru swiftly returned it to me. The snake was a genius. He had figured out that the mask was cursed. There goes my chance to kill him.

"A proper preparation is needed," Orochimaru hissed.

"Can't you just regurgitate another body?" I quirked an eyebrow.

"Not after my fight with Sensei…"

At the murderous look the snake sent me, I realized the guy was not that bad. Riling him up was fun. I decided that he would be my main entertainment for the next three years. With that said, Orochimaru respected Hiruzen a lot. Even after what he did, he still called Hiruzen Sensei. The anime might not lie when it said that Orochimaru was just a genius who went down the wrong way.

Orochimaru told me he needed a week to prepare. I left him to his devices and spent the time training Karin on Fūinjutsu and other Ninja Arts. Of course, I didn't neglect my training. While my clones studied the seal on the Shinigami mask, I trained my physique and Chakra control. The latter was superb with the Chakra Control Seal's help but quite lacking without it.

"Die, you bastard!"

Oh, I also gained a chance to bitch slap Tayuya. It was officially a Taijutsu spar, of course. Tayuya could tell I was messing with her when I easily dodged her Doki and cut them. She would be a terrifying opponent for a Chūnin and an ordinary Jōnin, but I was far better than them. Facing her was child's play.

Accessing the Level 2 Cursed Seal, Tayuya played her flute with hatred in her eyes. The Doki regenerated and her Chakra entered my system through my ears. Her Genjutsu failed to work, of course. The attempt was hilarious, so I couldn't help but laugh. That infuriated her, causing her hair and horns to grow.

Crack!

"Ack!"

Her powerup didn't matter as my slap threw her to the other side of the room and planted her into the wall. Her Cursed Seal retreated and her form reverted. I didn't hold a grudge against her for her disrespect, but slapping her felt good. That made me decide sparring with her whenever I had the time was a must.

The other Sound Four members took her body away with a wince. It was the fourth time they had to do that in the last week. Karin was cheering from the sideline. She had been training her Taijutsu with Tayuya and often ended up like Tayuya. I could understand why she was so ecstatic.

"I have to thank you for what you did, Naruto-kun."

A slimy voice from the other end of the room made me turn my head and meet the eyes of the resident's creepy snake. He had come out of his research room, which meant the preparation was ready.

"For beating up your cronies? I didn't know you had an issue with discipline."

"For pushing them to become stronger," Orochimaru clarified. "There is a significant improvement from their Cursed Seal compared to a week ago. I like to think I beat them just as hard, so I wonder why my beating doesn't yield such results."

"You have to put them on the brink of death," I advised.

Orochimaru glanced at the retreating Sound Four, causing them to shiver. He returned his gaze to me as a Chesire grin flashed. As the grin subdued, he nodded, gesturing for me to follow him. I left Karin with my Kage Bunshin to practice her Taijutsu form.

After a minute-long silent walk, we arrived at a hall. There was a corpse in the room and a scroll necessary for Edo Tensei no Jutsu. The corpse belonged to one of Orochimaru's subordinates. He delivered food to my room once. Tough luck for the guy. Not far away from the body was Kabuto. He was making sure everything was in order.

"Is everything fine, Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. We can proceed with the ritual," Kabuto nodded.

As Kabuto walked to me, I handed Orochimaru the Shinigami Mask. Orochimaru walked to the corpse and faced us. As soon as he wore the Shinigami mask, he began dancing like a drunkard. Not a moment later, he abruptly stopped and clasped his hands. A phantom appeared behind Orochimaru. Kabuto didn't seem to notice it, so only Orochimaru and I could see it.

Shinigami was supposed to be only visible to the summoner, but I could see it. It might be possible because I had summoned it once or because I was supposed to be dead. Either way, it was irrelevant. I watched as Orochimaru unsheathed Kusanagi, prompting the Shinigami to grab the blade it held between its teeth.

Splash!

Orochimaru cut his stomach, spilling his blood to the ground. The Shinigami did the same, causing the souls trapped in its stomach to escape. Orochimaru snatched one of the souls and put it above the corpse. Swiftly, he regurgitated his true form and entered the pouch that Kabuto held. Not a second later, he came out of the pouch and stood before the corpse.

Orochimaru performed the necessary hand seals and clasped his hands in the end. I made sure to remember the sequence.

"Edo Tensei no Jutsu!"

The soul above the corpse entered it, causing it to change. Before long, the Yondaime stood before us, looking at us sharply with his darkened eyes. Surprise flashed across his eyes a few seconds after he focused his gaze on me. His vigilance returned when he focused his gaze on the panting Orochimaru.

"So you managed to undo the Jutsu, Orochimaru."

Minato sounded cool. He was my favorite character but also my father. Given the shitty life that I had to go through thanks to him, I was fairly conflicted about him. I was aware it was Naruto's memory, but he and I were one. Whatever hardships he had faced, I would consider them my experience.

"It was thanks to your son, Minato."

Orochimaru shook his head, causing Minato to turn to me. He looked at me in surprise before smiling softly.

"Naruto," he called. "You have—"

Bam!

Whatever Minato wanted to say was interrupted by my greeting punch. I threw him into the wall, causing the wall to sink in. I watched as he detached his body from the wall and held his broken jaw. When it healed, he rubbed his head and looked at me stupidly. It was amusing to see it in the anime, but it made my anger flare now that I experienced it firsthand.

"I guess life is not good," he chuckled wryly.

"Fuck you, Minato! Fuck you and your love for your village!" I spat. "You could have died by yourself, but you condemned me to a life of hell. Do you know how many people are eager to burn me at the stake and lodge their blades into me? I am not the hero you thought I would be. I was the Demon! The one who took their family away from them!"

By the time I finished my rant, I exhaled heavily. The original Naruto's indignation took over for a while, but I let it. After taking over his body, I should at least let the guy have his catharsis. Given how light I had become, I believed it worked.