Shizuka of Nadeshiko had not expected Naruto Uzumaki to speak with such force. He was usually quiet, yet when he chose to open his mouth, the words carried an authority that pressed down on her like a weight. By the time he had disappeared in a flicker of space, the mark of the Flying Thunder God shimmering briefly where he had stood, she was still frozen in place.
But his voice lingered in her ears, firm. Train harder. Grow stronger. Don't let weakness chain you.
She repeated those words in her heart, the simplicity of them burning like fire. Strength truly was the solution to so many problems. In the world of shinobi, weakness meant nothing but helplessness, while power carved open paths others could only dream of.
Naruto did not return straight to Konoha after leaving her behind. At the border of the Land of Fire, he halted and created a shadow clone. The clone would carry a certain passenger back safely. The true body, however, took another path entirely—one that led into shadows.
His destination was Orochimaru's base.
The snake sannin had not slept in six days. His pale fingers danced across sealing scripts, surgical tools, and glass cylinders filled with fluid, moving with inhuman steadiness. Obsession burned in his golden eyes, narrowing to slits as he scribbled notes faster than most shinobi could weave hand signs.
Naruto appeared silently beside him. Orochimaru did not stir.
Instead, Kabuto—ever watchful—rose at once and bowed with formal precision. "Naruto-sama, you are here. Orochimaru-sama is at a critical stage of his research. Please forgive his… absorption."
Naruto gave a small nod. Kabuto, unaware that Orochimaru's loyalty had already been bound tightly under Naruto's control, still thought explanations necessary.
The boy said nothing more and simply waited.
Time passed slowly. One hour bled into another. The candle flames dwindled low, then burned anew as Kabuto replaced them. Only after five hours did Orochimaru finally release his brush and slide away from the desk. His eyes, bloodshot with sleepless intensity, gleamed as he turned toward Naruto.
"Just in time, Naruto-kun." His lips pulled into that serpentine smile. "The clones are ready. All of them. This… this is my greatest work."
His voice trembled between exhaustion and feverish delight.
Naruto's gaze sharpened. "Show me."
Orochimaru led him deeper into the base, their footsteps echoing in corridors that twisted like a maze. The sannin thrived in complexity, in secrets piled upon secrets, yet Naruto's expression remained flat. He had long grown accustomed to such theatrics.
The underground chambers opened into a hall filled with tanks of pale green fluid. Within each floated a body—some half-formed, some eerily familiar. Tubes connected flesh to machinery, while seals pulsed faintly with chakra.
Naruto's eyes narrowed when he saw faces too close to his own.
Orochimaru spread his arms like a proud craftsman unveiling masterpieces. "Magnificent, are they not? The samples you entrusted me with… they have surpassed even my own expectations. Look here."
He led Naruto to two tanks set apart from the rest. Inside floated forms more refined than the others, their chakra signatures faint but distinct.
"These," Orochimaru whispered, his tongue flicking out unconsciously, "are the clones born of the Ōtsutsuki samples you gave me. One carries the imprint of Indra Ōtsutsuki… the other, of course, comes from you."
Naruto studied the faces, his chest tightening despite himself.
"It was difficult," Orochimaru continued, "for their genetic structures conflict and yet connect. A contradiction made manifest. But in that contradiction lies perfection. They will serve as the yin aspect necessary for the technique you wish to achieve."
Naruto inclined his head. "Good. If this hurdle is cleared, the rest will follow."
Relief swelled in him. The foundation for his most dangerous jutsu—the very step toward the power of a god—was secured.
Orochimaru gestured to the next chamber. Another tank loomed there, the body within pulsing with a warm, almost golden chakra.
"Asura Ōtsutsuki's clone," Orochimaru explained. "This will serve as your yang counterpart. Combined, the yin and yang aspects can embody power beyond elemental release. A perfect match for you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto's expression remained composed, though inside, calculations turned like wheels. Yin and yang—together, they were the core of creation. With these vessels, his chances of molding them into something greater than even bloodline limits rose sharply.
Orochimaru, drunk on his own work, moved quickly on. "There is more."
He stopped at another tank. The body within bore features both familiar and alien—eyes shaped like his rival's, yet softened, twisted, blended with his own.
Naruto's breath caught. "This one…"
"Yes." Orochimaru's grin widened. "A synthesis of Uchiha Sasuke's cells and yours. I stripped his thunder affinity, leaving only fire. Combined with your own cells, the result is… exquisite."
Naruto frowned faintly but nodded. Fire was indeed Sasuke's truest element.
Beside it floated another body. "From the cells of the Second Tsuchikage," Orochimaru explained. "A Dust Release foundation. For water, I used another source—lesser than I wished, but more stable."
He waved dismissively. "The lightning clone remains unresolved. Sasuke's cells were too valuable to waste twice. I will find another path."
Naruto folded his arms, silent as he processed it all. The chambers smelled of disinfectant and metal, but beneath that hung a weight of ambition, a hunger that rivaled his own.
It was impressive work. Yet something nagged at him.
Incomplete.
The more he considered, the more certain he became. Orochimaru's designs were brilliant, but they lacked a crucial component.
There was no Hyūga lineage among these clones. No trace of the branch family of Kaguya's bloodline—no Byakugan, no Toneri, no connection to that ancient line. Without them, the circle remained broken.
Naruto's eyes sharpened. He turned to Orochimaru. "You've done well. But there are adjustments I need."
Orochimaru tilted his head, serpentine curiosity flashing.
"I want clones derived from the Hyūga clan. And from Ōtsutsuki Toneri. Without them, the foundation is flawed. Indra's clone is essential too. Gather them all—the Uchiha, Senju, Hyūga, Ōtsutsuki. Anything less is insufficient."
For a moment, silence hung heavy. Then Orochimaru laughed softly, his tongue slipping past his lips. "Ah… so that is your true design. Yes. Yes, of course. If those are your requirements, Naruto-kun, then it shall be so."
His eyes gleamed with fresh madness, as though Naruto's demand had only fueled him further.
"I will make the adjustments," Orochimaru promised. "It will take time, but not overlong. With Toneri's body and Hyūga cells, the circle will be complete."
Naruto nodded once. "I'll also secure you a lightning sample. Expect it soon."
"Perfect," Orochimaru murmured, licking his lips. "Then all that remains is to let creation run its course."
Naruto left soon after, space bending around him as the Flying Thunder God carried him back to where his clone waited. With a thought, he dispelled it, memories rushing into him in a flood.
"Welcome back, Naruto-kun," his companion said softly.
Naruto adjusted the weight in his arms, the body he carried safe and whole. "We're going home. To Konoha."
This time, he didn't use teleportation. Instead, he leapt through the forests, letting chakra propel him forward in silent bursts. The rhythm of movement steadied his thoughts.
The path ahead was dangerous. Achieving the ultimate technique, grasping the Bloodline Snare, would demand chakra on a scale even he hesitated to measure. The Six Paths power had seemed vast once—but compared to what he sought now, even Hagoromo's might was only a stepping stone.
Still, his confidence burned bright. Reaching the level of the Sage of Six Paths was no longer a question of if. Only one. The true difficulty lay in surpassing it.
His mind replayed the sight of Kaguya's chakra—limitless, suffocating, world-shaking. That was the scale he had to match. That was the storm he had to tame.
Without the Hyūga and Toneri components, it would have been impossible. Orochimaru's brilliance had carried him far, but only Naruto's foresight would make perfection reality.
As the forest blurred past, he exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. The Akatsuki had not yet moved against Konoha. Strange, considering Nagato's nature. It suggested trouble within their ranks, something delaying their plans. That worked in his favor. Every moment gained was one more step toward godhood.
The voice of his companion pulled him back. "Fortunate, isn't it, that Akatsuki has been quiet so far? Otherwise, casualties would already be piling high."
"Yes," Naruto answered, though his thoughts were elsewhere. Nagato's patience doesn't match his nature. Something is wrong on their side. Better for me.
For now, he had time. Time to gather, to build, to shape the path ahead.
And he would use every second.
That night, as the moon rose over the trees, Naruto's golden eyes gleamed with certainty.
The world had no idea what storm was already forming in its shadows.
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