Chapter 35: Consciousness Exchange! New Life!The next day, Windmill Village's secret location...Naruto had prepared this place specifically for the soul consciousness transfer; after all, since he didn't know what accidents might occur during the soul transfer, it was better to find a quiet and hidden spot."Are you ready?""Yeah!"The originally warm consciousness space collapsed instantly, turning into fireflies that filled the sky.Naruto felt as if his soul had been thrown into a giant vortex; it was a sense of suffocation that transcended time and space, yet was accompanied by an unprecedented... lightness.Without any warning, Naruto felt the soul bond that had originally been attached to Naruto's body suddenly tighten.Immediately after, a massive force originating from the soul's source crashed down. It wasn't meant to obliterate him, but rather—to strip him away."Naruto? What's going on?!"Inside the consciousness space, Naruto's panicked shouts were accompanied by the buzzing of shattering light and shadows.Naruto didn't even have time to ask another question; he only felt the scene before him, and even Naruto in the consciousness space, being pulled away in an instant, turning into countless streams of light.His consciousness was being forcibly extracted from the shell it had inhabited for so long.The light dissipated.When Naruto regained his senses, he was standing alone on a vast, empty plain.Beneath his feet was not soil, but a cold, hard concrete road, and above him was a towering, broad, and massive roof that stretched beyond the horizon.The surroundings were a sight he had never seen before...Tall buildings rose from the ground, massive structures built of steel and brick, and the wind carried the scent of fresh metal and construction materials."Is this... Naruto's memory?"He looked around blankly but couldn't find that familiar figure."Naruto? Naruto!"He shouted loudly, but his voice was gently swallowed by the wind.Meanwhile, in another completely different Dimensional Rift, Naruto's consciousness was being slowly extracted from the shell named "Uzumaki Naruto."That was not death, but a complete return to his proper place.The Chakra pathways, body memories, and that simple yet fiery obsession that originally belonged to Naruto all receded back to their original owner like a ebbing tide at this moment.And Naruto's soul core, which had accumulated countless plots, killings, and wisdom,was completely stripped away, wrapped in a layer of ghostly blue Bone Flame by that Unconscious Bone Husk as if it were holding a precious treasure.In this void realm without the concept of time, the bone husk turned into countless fine patterns and began to reshape Naruto's existence.In the past, he was a transmigrator borrowing a shell and soul, an "anomaly" occupying another's body.But now, the Unconscious Bone Husk had completed its mission—it had liberated Naruto's original soul from fate.Naruto slowly opened his eyes.Before him was no longer a projection of the consciousness space, but a real, vast Star-Abysscomposed of bones.Countless huge, unknown vertebrae floated in the void, forming a staircase to a higher dimension.He looked down at his hands; they were no longer a youth's tender hands, but showed a steady, well-defined skeletal structure.The Chakra attributes that had originally been attached to Naruto's body had all faded away, replaced by a more fundamental and domineering energy rhythm.This was... true freedom....On the plains of the steel world, Naruto was still blankly calling out Naruto's name when the severe dizziness brought by the soul stripping suddenly hit him.He only felt the world spinning, as if something inside his body was being forcibly extracted and then returned to its place.Chakra collided chaotically in his meridians; his vision went dark, and he fell straight toward the ground."Thud—"The moment the boy's body hit the ground heavily,a violent, crimson Chakra, filled with brutality and hatred, suddenly erupted from his body.The Nine-Tailed's Chakra leaked out uncontrollably, and a hideous blood-colored Chakra cloak instantly wrapped around Naruto as the sharp roar of the Nine-Tailed exploded in the empty space."Jie jie jie... finally... that sense of restraint is gone!"The Nine-Tailed's consciousness was frantically agitated, the crimson Chakra surging like a tsunami, almost threatening to tear this newborn world apart."The brat's soul has returned to its place, and that outsider is gone too...""This granddaddy can finally break free from this damned cage!"Just as the Nine-Tailed was about to completely break the seal and wreak havoc, an indifferent figure carrying absolute pressure slowly stepped out from the void.Surrounded by ghostly blue Bone Flame, Narutostood with his hands behind his back, calmly looking toward that ball of violent crimson Chakra.With just a single glance, the wildly surging Nine-Tailed Chakra suddenly froze.The Nine-Tailed's roar came to an abrupt halt.It could clearly perceive that the existence before it was no longer the soul that had been attached to Naruto's body, but was completely independent, even possessing a strange power sufficient to crush it."Nine-Tailed."Naruto spoke, his voice not loud, yet it echoed like thunder in the Nine-Tailed's consciousness, "Behave yourself.""It's you?! That outsider brat!" The Nine-Tailed's consciousness was full of wariness and rage, yet it did not dare to move rashly again."What did you do to Naruto?! And what do you want to do to this granddaddy?!""Nothing, just finished what needed to be done." Naruto walked forward slowly, the Bone Flameswirling around him, faintly suppressing that violent Chakra."I have stripped the soul binding between myself and Naruto. Now he is the complete Uzumaki Naruto, and I am the independent Naruto."He paused, looking directly at the core of the Nine-Tailed's consciousness with a tone of unquestionable certainty:"I know you hate the restraint of being sealed inside a Jinchuriki and long for freedom.""How about a deal?""What deal?""I promise to give you true freedom in the future. In return, you are not allowed to run wild inside Naruto's body or disturb his Chakra anymore. When necessary, you must proactively lend him your power."The Nine-Tailed's Chakra shook violently, clearly struck in its weak spot by the word "freedom.""On what basis? Who do you think you are? Why should this granddaddy believe you? And not cause trouble, and help this brat? I'd rather just destroy this body!"Before the words finished, a dazzling Five-Colored Divine Light suddenly erupted from around Narutoas the power of the five attributes of wind, lightning, water, fire, and earth rose into the sky, and the might of the Law of Heaven and Earthunfolded without reservation.A pressure as vast as mountains and seas crashed down, causing the entire space to tremble slightly.The Nine-Tailed's originally hideous and violent consciousness instantly froze, its former fury completely replaced by a wariness originating from the depths of its soul.Naruto looked down from above, his voice indifferent yet carrying an unquestionable dominance:"On what basis? Based on the absolute strength in my hands, and my determination to eventually unify the Ninja World. When that day comes, setting you free will be nothing more than a sentence for me."The Nine-Tailed was stunned, appearing somewhat hesitant..."I can do things that no one in Konoha can do. As long as you behave and stop leaking Chakra to affect Naruto.""When the time is ripe, I will personally undo the seal in his body and return your true freedom, letting you return to the world without being restrained by anyone.""You..." The Nine-Tailed fell completely silent.Compared to being trapped in Naruto's body forever, freedom was its only desire for thousands of years.After a long time, the crimson Chakra slowly withdrew, and the violent roar turned into a low grunt."...This granddaddy will believe you for once! If you dare to deceive me, even if it means mutual destruction, I won't let you off!"With those words, the violent Nine-Tailed Chakraretreated into Naruto's body like a tide, and the originally tense seal stabilized once more, without the slightest bit of agitation.The unconscious Naruto's brows slowly relaxed, and the expression of pain on his face completely dissipated.Naruto looked at the peacefully sleeping boy, then at the void that had returned to calm, his lips curling slightly.
