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Isn't that my class item?
Naruto thought but didn't care how or why it was here. But as he hefted the axe, another arrow came whistling through the air. His instincts kicked in. He swung the axe, cutting through the arrow with a satisfying thunk. Another arrow came as Naruto dodged to the left. In one fluid motion, he charged forward and swung the axe, decapitating the hollow in a single, clean strike.
"Maybe I am getting the hang of this, dattebyo!" Naruto glanced to the side, his curiosity piqued as he noticed a path leading to an upper floor. "Isn't that…" he mumbled to himself, before calling out, "Sensei, come here!"
A minute later, they were standing on the upper floor, looking directly at the bonfire below.
"Should we go down? We could use the grappling hook."
The asylum demon was still down there, thankfully oblivious to their presence for the time being.
"So, what now?" Naruto asked, feeling the weight of the situation press down on him. Oscar looked up. Above them, there was another floor.
"We should do a plunge attack."
"From the top floor?" Naruto felt a spark of excitement at the idea. He could already picture it in his head, dropping down on that giant demon from above like some kind of super ninja.
They quickly scanned the area, their eyes darting left and right. Both paths seemed to lead upward, to the top of the building. Without waiting for Oscar to say anything, Naruto took off toward the right as he reached the stairs, only to find them destroyed into rubble. But there was a weird ring, sitting right in the middle of one of the upper stairs. His fist lightly tapped his palm as he remembered the ring section in his inventory.
"This had to be important, right?"
Naruto summoned some shadow clones and had them form a ladder, their bodies interlocking to help him reach the ring. Climbing up, he grabbed the old rusted iron ring.
"Sensei, what is this thing?"
"That's a magic ring."
"You're kidding!"
"No, I'm surprised you found one."
"Why?"
"Well, Magic rings are incredibly rare treasures that are created by beings who can imbue pieces of their soul into the item, creating a magical phenomenon," Oscar explained, his tone calm, though Naruto could tell even he hadn't expected this.
The boy cheered, excited by the prospect of owning something so rare and powerful.
Without hesitation, he slipped the ring onto his finger, feeling the rusted metal press against his skin. He waited, expecting something to happen, maybe a rush of power or a flash of magic. But… nothing.
"How could a magic ring do absolutely nothing?" Naruto glared at it in frustration, about to yank it off when, suddenly, a system window popped up in front of him.
[ Item: Rusted Iron Ring ]
[ Description: This iron ring was used to shackle the guilty. It is terribly rusted, and faintly stained with blood. Those who find this strange ring to their liking will be pleased to find it easier to gain footing on poor ground such as swamps. ]
"Do you want this useless piece of junk?"
"You are its finder, my squire. Let's wait and see what its magic effect is."
Naruto sighed, glancing at the system window. "It helps me gain footing on poor ground…" he muttered, clearly unimpressed. "Useless."
Without warning, Oscar shoved him, catching Naruto off guard. His body reacted instinctively, and he immediately caught his balance.
"Hey! What's the big deal?" Naruto snapped, annoyed, as he looked at Oscar. But Oscar just pointed at his feet.
"What?"
"You regained your footing immediately when I pushed you."
"Yeah?"
"The ring helped you regain your footing. If you're ever in a situation where you're about to trip or fall, you can regain your balance. That's the magic of the ring," Oscar explained.
"So, you are telling me that I need to see the usefulness even in things that seem useless, right?"
"No," Oscar said flatly, surprising Naruto.
"Hey! Then what was the lesson?"
Oscar glanced at the ring. "It is a stupid ring."
Naruto could tell Oscar was joking, so he played along, clutching the ring dramatically. "But it's my precious, you can't have it!"
They both chuckled as they walked ahead, but their lighthearted moment was cut short by a deep rumbling sound. They turned just in time to see a giant iron ball thundering down the stairs. Naruto quickly channeled chakra into his legs and leapt upward, dodging the trap. Oscar rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the ball as it crashed through the wall behind them, leaving shattered stone in its wake. The sheer force of the impact showed just how deadly it would have been if it hit.
Without hesitation, the knight surged forward and cut down the hollow that had sent the iron ball rolling. As the body collapsed, Naruto jogged after him, sounding far more upbeat than the situation deserved.
"Hey, sensei! So, uh, I kinda put that giant iron ball in my inventory."
Oscar paused, turning just enough to glance at him.
"We should totally use it to crack the Asylum Demon's skull," Naruto added, grinning.
After what felt like forever, Oscar finally spoke. "Naruto, you're not from this world."
Naruto blinked in disbelief. "What? What do you mean I'm… not from here?" he stammered, completely caught off guard. This whole time, he'd just assumed this place was some hidden part of konoha, a weird prison maybe. But another world?
"That explains a great deal," Oscar said at last as he eased himself down beside Naruto. "There were things that never quite added up. You accessing an inventory without a bottomless box… and your rather unusual way of looking at the world."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Naruto, you're… brighter than anyone I've met in Lordran," Oscar said, like he was choosing his words carefully. "You joke, you laugh… even when you're in danger. No one here acts like that. Even the children of Astora don't fool around the way you do. They're cautious. Untrusting. Afraid."
"What kind of stupid world is this?"
He hadn't meant it to come out so harshly, but he couldn't help it. The thought of kids not being able to mess around, not getting to laugh, to be kids… it was wrong. Sure, he hadn't exactly had the best childhood in Konoha, but he'd found ways to make it fun. He'd been a prankster, a fool, just to get a reaction. Just to get noticed. Even if it was for the wrong reasons, it was better than sinking into loneliness.
But here? Where even kids had to be afraid and serious just to survive? That wasn't a life.
"Life here… is harsh. Fear can become a shield, but it's a heavy one to carry, especially for children."
"But… why's it gotta be like that?"
Oscar sighed. "That… is a long story." He hesitated, then slowly reached up, removing his helmet. Beneath the metal was a hollowed face, an eerie reflection of Naruto's own form here. But despite the wear and darkness, there was something familiar.
Blonde hair.
"Guess we've got more in common than I thought, huh?"
"Naruto," Oscar asked quietly, "have you ever wondered what the world was like at the very beginning?"
"Uh… I dunno? Pretty shitty, since they didn't have ramen?"
Oscar let out a soft chuckle. "In the Age of Ancients, the world was unformed. Shrouded in fog. There were no kingdoms, no people as we know them. Only gray crags, towering archtrees, and everlasting dragons that ruled over everything."
"Okay, yeah, that already sounds bad. Dragons as in huge, fire-breathing lizard?"
"Ancient dragons," Oscar said. "Timeless. Their scales were like stone. They did not rot, did not age. The world did not change."
"…That sounds boring," Naruto muttered.
Oscar nodded slightly. "And then, one day, fire appeared."
Naruto perked up. "Fire fixes everything."
"With fire came disparity. Heat and cold. Life and death. Light and dark. For the first time, the world could change." Oscar paused before continuing. "And from the dark, beings emerged. Drawn to the flame. Within it, they found great power. Souls. The Souls of Lords."
"So… super important souls," Naruto said.
"Yes. The first of the dead, Nito. The Witch of Izalith and her daughters of Chaos. Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his knights." Oscar's voice lowered. "And one more. The Furtive Pygmy. So easily forgotten."
"If he's that important, why does nobody remember him?"
Oscar's mouth curved faintly. "Because he was small. Quiet. And because his soul was different."
"What kind of different?"
"The Dark Soul," Oscar said. "While the others wielded their power openly, the Pygmy divided his. Shared it. From that act, humanity was born."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait—so humans came from the Dark Soul?"
"Yes," Oscar said. "That darkness you carry inside you? It is older than the Age of Fire itself."
"…EH?!"
Oscar continued, "With the power of the Lords, war was waged against the dragons. Gwyn's lightning tore through their stone scales. The Witch unleashed firestorms. Nito spread death and disease. And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own kind."
Naruto swallowed.
"And thus began the Age of Fire."
Oscar fell silent for a moment.
"But fire does not last forever," he said at last. "It fades. And when it does, only dark remains. Even now, the flame is little more than embers. Night stretches longer. And among humans appears the Darksign.
Naruto's mind wandered to the ring of flame sealed inside the forbidden scroll.
"The mark of the accursed. In this land, the Undead are gathered, sent north, and locked away. To wait for the end of the world." Oscar looked at Naruto then, meeting his eyes. "And now, that fate has reached you as well."
Naruto let out a long breath, trying to make sense of everything. "But… I wasn't gathered," he said slowly. "I just touched this Darksign thing and suddenly I was here."
Oscar's expression softened, an apologetic look crossing his face. "I wish I had a clear answer for you, my squire. All I know are rumors. As the Age of Fire weakens, the boundaries between worlds grow thin. Barriers between places, between even different timelines, begin to fray. When that happens, Lordran draws in those it should never have touched."
He paused, then added quietly, "Maybe, you were caught in that pull."
"So… how do I go back?"
Naruto tried to sound casual, but even to him, the question sounded desperate. Konoha was still his home. He didn't belong here in this place of endless decay.
"You miss it, don't you? Your home?"
"I mean… it's not like there's anyone waiting for me."
"You're an orphan?"
Naruto nodded, the word hanging heavily between them.
"That explains why you're so… full of life."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"When you've known loneliness… true loneliness… sometimes all you can do is laugh. It's the only way to keep the darkness from swallowing you whole."
Naruto looked at him, really looked at him, and saw the same loneliness he'd seen in his own reflection so many times before.
"Yeah… Beats the alternative, right?"
They sat in silence that spoke louder than words. In that moment, they both understood what it was to be alone and, somehow, to keep going. For the first time since he'd arrived, Naruto didn't feel quite so far from home.
"Do you still want to go back?" Oscar asked after a while.
"Yeah. My home might be crap, but it's better than this. Plus, the ramen is great there."
Naruto tried to laugh, but it came out weaker than he wanted.
"I'm sorry, but… I don't know how you can go back to your home."
Naruto wasn't sure how to feel. Part of him wanted to freak out, but another part… "Well, a break from Konoha does sound nice," he said, half-joking but half-meaning it.
Oscar watched him closely, probably trying to figure out if Naruto was putting on a brave face or if he really meant it. Honestly? Naruto wasn't sure either. He'd always looked on the bright side of things, and maybe this was just another thing to deal with. Or maybe… his life back home wasn't all that great, and he didn't mind the idea of a break from it.
Oscar stood up, his armor clinking softly. "Well, it doesn't matter. As long as you're here, I'll stand beside you as a teacher and as a friend."
The knight held out his hand. For a second, Naruto just stared at it. No one had ever offered him something like that before. A genuine smile spread across Naruto's face. As he clasped Oscar's hand, and Oscar helped him to his feet.
"Let's go kick this demon's ass."
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The third floor of the asylum was a broken hall under a sky that seemed forever gray. The roof had long since crumbled, leaving debris scattered across the floor. But what caught Naruto's attention wasn't the destruction.
It was the land outside.
Instead of the lush green forests of Konoha, all Naruto could see were jagged mountains, rising like prison bars around the asylum. The air was cold, with a biting wind that whipped around him, tugging at his clothes and cutting through his skin like a kunai. Suddenly, Naruto felt warmth in the icy air. He turned, his eyes locking onto a corpse slumped against the wall. Unlike the hollows they'd fought before, this one looked more… human. But that wasn't what caught his eye. It was the embers glowing faintly on the fingers, as though they were still clinging to life even after death.
"Pyromancy Flame," Oscar whispered, breaking the silence beside him.
"What's that?"
"It's an item that can help pyromancers use flame arts."
That's what I need to use fireballs!
Without thinking, Naruto rushed forward, excitement bubbling in his chest. But a gut feeling, a sense that something wasn't right. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the corners of the hall.
Something felt off.
Naruto hurled a kunai toward the shadows. The sound echoed through the area, and sure enough, a few hollows began limping toward them.
"Good call," Naruto muttered to himself as he grabbed a few more shuriken. It was as good a time as any to practice. One of them dropped after the third kunai, while the other kept coming until Oscar stepped in and cut it down with a clean swing of his sword. The last hollow at the end of the hall was different. It was armored while holding a spear and shield.
"Remember, Naruto," Oscar said calmly, "There are two ways to deal with a spear, or any weapon with long reach."
Naruto hummed.
"One is to keep your distance. The other is to get so close that the weapon's range becomes its weakness."
Naruto nodded, fully understanding the strategy. Neither he nor the hollow moved. It stood there, waiting, its spear tip gleaming in the light.
"Your turn," Oscar said, stepping aside.
"Oh yeah!" Naruto shouted as he suddenly remembered the pyromancy flame. Without wasting a second, he sprinted toward it.
The pyromancy flame still glowed faintly on the corpse's hand. Naruto reached out and touched it, and as soon as his fingers made contact, the embers seemed to come alive. They slithered like vines, crawling up his arm, their heat warming his skin. The ashes of the corpse blew away in the wind, swirling in the air before magically attaching themselves to his hand.
"Naruto!" Oscar called from behind him, pulling his attention back to the battlefield.
The boy turned to see the undead spearman marching toward them. "I'm going to do a fireball, sensei! Back up, I don't want you to get hurt."
Naruto instinctively knew how to use this new power. It wasn't like chakra. This energy was different; more violent and chaotic. A beautiful orb of fire formed in his palm. The heat radiated from it, making the air shimmer.
The undead soldier paused in fear, raising its shield.
As it left his hand, Naruto felt a little disappointed as it wasn't as big as Sasuke's fireballs. But that disappointment vanished the moment it hit the soldier.
BOOM!
Flames erupted in a massive explosion. The blast was so intense that the walls themselves were charred black, and the undead soldier was engulfed in the inferno.
"Holy shit! My flames are definitely stronger than Sasuke's, right, sensei?"
"It's not dead," Oscar said calmly, and sure enough, the soldier walked out of the fire, its armor and spear melting. But it didn't stop. It started running toward him, faster than Naruto expected. His heart leapt into his throat as it charged. Acting on instinct, he swung his sword, slicing its neck clean through.
The soldier crumbled into a lifeless heap at his feet.
"Always make sure the enemy is down. Don't turn your back on them until you're certain."
Naruto nodded, taking Oscar's advice to heart. That had been way too close for comfort.
Suddenly, the entire place shook, the ground rumbling beneath their feet. The knight and the boy turned to the side, and there down below, pacing back and forth, was the asylum demon.
"Looks like our friend is getting anxious."
Oscar glanced at him, his calm demeanor never faltering. "This battle will be different, Naruto. Are you ready?"
"You bet! Let's take this thing down for good."
Oscar launched himself into the air and driving his sword down in a vicious plunge attack onto the demon's head. His blade cut deep, slicing off part of the demon's tree-like horns. The impact was so powerful it sent a spray of blood and ichor splattering across the ground, the demon roaring in pain. The knight landed in a roll, quickly making his way toward the gate as Naruto summoned dozens of shadow clones. They leaped toward the asylum demon, but none of them attacked. Instead, they popped, creating a massive cloud of smoke that engulfed the monster.
From the high ground, Naruto released a fireball, using the smoke as cover. The fireball soared through the air and exploded on the demon's face, flames licking up its grotesque features.
But the demon was tougher than expected.
It roared in fury, and its hammer shot up, smashing into the platform where Naruto stood. But the Knight's sight had kicked in helping him jump just in time, narrowly avoiding being crushed as the upper floor was obliterated beneath him.
Naruto summoned more clones and used them as a launchpad to propel himself back into the fight.
Meanwhile, Oscar charged in with a two-handed grip on his sword, delivering a devastating horizontal slice across the demon's midsection. The blade cut deep, blood spraying from the wound as the demon let out a guttural roar of agony.
"Sensei, dodge!" Naruto shouted as he landed, seeing the demon wind up for another attack. Oscar rolled to the side just in time, and Naruto took the opportunity to hurl another fireball. This time, he aimed for the Achilles tendon, the fireball exploding on impact. A chunk of the demon's leg was blown off in a fiery blast. Blood and chunks of flesh flying everywhere as the massive creature collapsed to one knee, roaring in pain.
The demon's wings flared open suddenly, and Naruto knew what was coming next. The demon began to rise, preparing for its butt-shockwave attack. Oscar and Naruto were near the gate, just outside the immediate area of effect.
"Now!" Naruto shouted, and his clones responded instantly, hurling fireballs at the demon. Each fireball exploded on contact, covering the creature in flames but it wasn't done.
With a savage roar, it lunged toward them.
Naruto barely had time to react when he felt Oscar's boot hit his back, shoving him forward. He stumbled, his jaw dropping as he saw his teacher do the impossible. Oscar parried the demon's giant swing, his sword cutting cleanly through the head of the demon's massive hammer. In one fluid motion, Oscar moved in for the kill, his blade plunging deep into the demon's stomach.
The demon screamed in a horrendous, bloodcurdling sound as its stomach split open.
Thick and dark blood pooled on the ground beneath it. Its intestines spilling out in long, grotesque ropes, steam rising from the exposed organs. The creature's body convulsed, twitching as the flames continued to burn through its skin.
[ Name: Asylum Demon ]
[ HP: 980 / 2,195 ]
For a moment, Naruto almost felt sorry for the thing.
But then, the hairs on his arms stood on end as the asylum demon lifted the broken handle of its hammer. He watched in disbelief as the handle began to twist and warp, almost like it was alive. The demon's hammer morphed into a staff, pulling the broken pots around them into its grip, fusing them together to form a jagged obsidian edge.
For some reason, its name change.
[ Name: Stray Demon ]
[ HP: 980 / 2,195 ]
Without wasting a second, Naruto threw his hands together and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Dozens of clones appeared in a puff of smoke, charging toward the demon in unison.
The demon swung wide with its new staff, and most of Naruto's clones dodged it with ease.
But then... Bang!
A deafening explosion ripped through the air. His ears rang, his head spun, and he barely registered the red flash of light before he hit the ground. His body screamed in pain, and he gasped for breath, trying to figure out what had just happened. His clones... most of them were gone. They had popped almost instantly, wiped out by whatever that blast was.
This demon can use ninjutsu?
The thought clawed its way through the haze in his mind. Before he could fully gather himself, he saw the demon again, gripping its staff like a baseball bat. He could barely react as it swung towards him, the jagged edge of the staff gleaming as it cut through the air with terrifying speed.
Naruto tried to move, but his body felt like it was moving through mud. His muscles refused to listen, still reeling from whatever weird spell had knocked him down. His chest tightened, and the cold realization hit him hard: I can't dodge this.
Is this the end?
The thought barely had time to form before the staff was already swinging toward him, the world stretching into a slow, horrible crawl. Suddenly, Oscar lunged into the path of the blow, shield raised just in time. The demon's staff struck with a thunderous crack, the impact violent enough to hurl Oscar off his feet. He was thrown through the air like a broken doll, crashing into the second-floor wall with a bone-rattling bang.
The blow sent the knight flying but it was deflected away from the boy.
"SENSEI?!" Naruto screamed, his eyes darted back to the demon, and it smiled at him.
A grotesque, mocking grin that made his blood boil.
Something inside Naruto snapped. His chakra surged violently, flooding his body as blue energy flared outward in a sudden, blazing rush, rippling through the air around him like living flame.
Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!
A hundred... no, a thousand clones burst into existence, filling the courtyard. The sound of battle cries echoed around him as his clones charged, hand axes raised, each one filled with the same rage that burned in his chest. This demon wasn't going to get away with this.
The asylum demon slammed its staff into the ground.
The staff began to glow with a deep, pulsing red light emanating from it. Before Naruto could even process what was happening, the demon raised the staff high, and an orb of red energy formed at the tip. It hovered there for a brief second, crackling with power.
No…
Then it exploded.
The shockwave hit Naruto like a tidal wave, and in an instant, he felt everything. Thousands of thoughts, memories and fear, it all flooded into him like a crashing wave. His mind felt like it was being torn apart, the sheer overload too much to handle.
I… can't… breathe…
The orb's energy reached him. The sensation was like nothing he'd ever felt before like his body was being unraveled thread by thread.
There was no heat, no sensation, just a growing void where his body should've been. His mind screamed for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. He couldn't even tell where his body ended and the nothingness began.
His vision blurred, and all the sounds of battle faded into silence.
There was no more pain, but it wasn't relief.
It was terrifying.
[ YOU DIED.]