From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 431 Transaction (Part )

Let's rewind a few minutes.

Naruto was kicked away by Orochimaru, his leg snapping a thick tree in half, and he fell into the dust.

Such speed, such immense force! It feels like my whole body is about to fall apart. Is this the enemy Sasuke is facing?
A jumble of chaotic thoughts flashed through Naruto's mind.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight. A boy dressed in a neat suit and wearing a plain white bow tie, with a well-behaved and cute appearance, squatted down next to him with a playful expression, resting his chin on his hand, looking at Naruto's pained face with a half-smile on his face.

"I told you long ago not to come back."

The boy flashed his canine teeth and laughed as if watching a show, "See? Now you understand, I didn't lie to you."

"Demons and Demons"

Naruto felt a sharp, spasmodic pain in his abdomen, and large beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered, saying, "Help me, help me, help me."

"Sure, of course I have no objection!"

Lu Mingze revealed a sly smile and said, "Then, according to the contract, you need to pay a quarter of your soul in exchange for one wish from me. Shall we make a deal?"

A quarter of his soul. Naruto suddenly remembered that he had a pact with the 'devil'.

The price of the contract is that for each wish fulfilled, a quarter of one's soul must be paid, until four wishes are fulfilled, at which point the 'devil' will take away all of his soul!
For some reason, a feeling of resistance welled up deep within Naruto's heart.

It was as if a voice from the depths of his being was telling him that he must not agree to the 'devil's' conditions, and he must not hand over his soul, otherwise he would regret it for the rest of his life!
Looking at Naruto's conflicted expression, Lu Mingze seemed to have expected that he wouldn't agree so easily.

Immediately, the boy's gaze drifted to Orochimaru, and he said meaningfully, "Naruto, you'd better make a choice quickly. Your teammate doesn't have much time left. If you wait any longer, I can't guarantee she'll still be alive."

Yes, that's right, Sasuke!

Naruto snapped out of his daze and abruptly turned to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke, who had just been alive, now seemed to have lost all the flames in his eyes, and his body was stiff and pale, like a corpse that had been dead for many days.

"The 'vengeful spirit' residing in her body is devouring the girl's consciousness."

Lu Mingze very 'considerately' explained to Naruto: "Well, according to my estimate, in about three minutes? No, one and a half minutes, she will be completely replaced by the 'vengeful spirit'."

"Replace him? What will happen to Sasuke?" Naruto asked naively.

The boy sneered and said, "Sasuke? Of course, he no longer exists."

The chilling words, like swords, pierced Naruto's heart, leaving him completely stunned.

If it ceases to exist, does that mean Sasuke will die?

The thought that Sasuke might die because of this filled Naruto's heart with deep guilt, and a look of loneliness and confusion appeared on his bearded face.

"It's alright, she's just a teammate after all." Lu Mingze added fuel to the fire, "To sacrifice a quarter of your soul for a teammate, it's not worth it no matter how you look at it, right? Just give up and pretend you didn't see it. Anyway, her target was her, what does it have to do with you?"

"No!"

Naruto's heart was stirred, as if a raging fire was burning within him. He gritted his teeth: "No, it was Sasuke who saved us! If it weren't for Sasuke, we would be dead!"

"So, shall we make a deal?"

Lu Mingze dropped his playful grin and said seriously, "You should think carefully about whether it's worth sacrificing a quarter of your soul for someone else."

Naruto was silent.

Yes, is it really worth sacrificing a quarter of your soul for Sasuke?

He repeatedly questioned his inner self and soul about this question, and the answer he received was always very simple, consisting of only two words.

worth!

"I always keep my word and never abandon any teammate. That's my ninja way!"

Naruto's azure eyes shone brightly as he resolutely looked at Lu Mingze: "If I abandon Sasuke here, my soul will be broken. How can I then talk about becoming Hokage and gaining everyone's recognition? So... take it, devil!"

"Then, tell me your wish."

Lu Mingze's pupils were like molten gold, boiling, intense, and dazzling, making it impossible to look directly at them.

"I'm going to kill that bastard!"

Naruto gritted his teeth, struggling to control his trembling lips, preventing the cry from the depths of his soul from uttering words of refusal.

He was terrified, filled with fear, as if he were about to lose something very important in that very instant.

But he couldn't refuse.

He had to save Sasuke, defeat that bastard, and survive with everyone!

"Contract complete!"

Lu Mingze smiled, opened his arms, and 'merged' into Naruto's body as if embracing him.

At this moment, Naruto could clearly feel that some kind of extremely violent power, containing a vast and terrifying life force, was forcibly taking over his consciousness.

And, from the depths of the soul, something was pried away.

Time returns to the present.

"Ahhhh——!"

Naruto roared, his pupils quickly turning golden.

In the blink of an eye, he seemed like a completely different person. Extremely terrifying power surged into his body, like a giant beast awakening in the primordial era.

Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted sharply. Staring at those golden eyes that burned like molten lava, he had the strange feeling that he was being watched by a predator.

"What...what kind of eyes are those?!"

His mind was filled with confusion, and he even went so far as to use the 'White Tower' pathway, the extraordinary ability of a Sequence 6 scholar, to try to 'analyze' that power.

However, without any 'knowledge', forcibly trying to analyze the unknown was like staring directly at a 'star'. The profound power of the rules contained within instantly backfired, burning Orochimaru's eyes and depleting his spirituality like a floodgate bursting!
"hiss--!"

Orochimaru quickly stopped the 'analysis', but the excessive 'spiritual energy' he had consumed still caused his temples to twitch, and he seemed to see distorted illusions before his eyes.

He knew that this was caused by excessive spiritual depletion, and that his extraordinary abilities were showing signs of going out of control.

What on earth is that thing?!

Just one glance was enough to nearly cause this Sequence 5 arcane master to lose control of his spirituality and go berserk!
What exactly happened to the boy who became the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki?!

But before he could think it through, Naruto slammed his foot on the ground, and it exploded like a thunderbolt, propelling him forward like lightning, accompanied by a terrifying shockwave!
"The Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"

Orochimaru lived up to his reputation as a Kage-level powerhouse; even after being given the initiative, he still reacted swiftly.

With his sleeves billowing, countless dense swarms of snakes, like a raging tsunami reaching the sky and the earth, directly lifted up a snake wall several meters high, surging endlessly towards 'Naruto'.

Dark clouds are threatening to destroy the city!
"So many snakes?!"

Naruto was startled, but quickly calmed down.

That's right, he has power now, so what can a swarm of snakes do?

"Watch me smash through!" Just as Naruto was about to charge in, Lu Mingze shook his head, looking like he couldn't bear to watch.

"Hey, this is the first one, a bonus gift for you~"

Lu Mingze floated beside him like a ghost and whispered, "Remember, this is called 'Word Spirit.' Only dragons of noble blood can use this skill to communicate with the elements."

Looking at the terrifying horde of snakes, Naruto took a deep breath and rallied his spirits.

His pupils burned a fiery golden light, showing no sign of weakness but instead filled with a violent expression. Then, he slowly opened his mouth, and ancient, solemn dragon runes echoed through the forest. "Word of Power - Sovereign Flame!"

Visible, raging flames appeared out of nowhere and exploded directly among the snakes!

Boom!

The scorching flames, carrying intense heat, instantly reduced tens of thousands of snakes to ashes.

A terrifying heatwave swept through the fierce winds, igniting the jungle within a radius of hundreds of meters. The sea of ​​fire illuminated the entire sky, making it visible to most of the forest.

"What's this?!"

Orochimaru had already used Earth Release to move to the side.

But at this moment, his eyes were filled with a thirst for 'knowledge' as he looked at Naruto: "The words just now didn't even need hand seals to unleash such a powerful Fire Release technique, it's simply amazing, what kind of power is this?!"

Unfortunately, Naruto had no intention of wasting words with him right now, and stomped his foot again.

The ground within a radius of several meters was instantly shattered by the powerful force, creating a crater several meters in diameter. Smoke and dust rose like pillars, and with the downward force, Naruto's speed increased dramatically again, breaking the sound barrier and shattering the layers of air waves.

fast!
This time, Orochimaru didn't have time to react before 'Naruto' rushed in front of him.

His five fingers suddenly clenched together, and the air was squeezed and exploded by the powerful force. The ear-piercing explosion pierced Orochimaru's eardrums as if they were about to be torn apart.

The next moment, Naruto unleashed a punch that he had been charging up, aimed directly at Naruto's face!

An extremely terrifying aura of death rushed towards us!

Will die!
After being promoted to Sequence 5 Secret Technique Instructor, Orochimaru's ability to foresee danger had already surpassed that of ordinary people.

Naruto's punch, which he had been charging up, was filled with a strong aura of death. Without a doubt, if he were hit by this punch, he would either die or lose half his life!

Orochimaru-style Substitution Technique!
Just as the fist was about to strike, Orochimaru's back was suddenly ripped open, and a figure darted out.

boom! ! !
Immediately afterwards, a terrifying gale-force wind and storm violently exploded in mid-air!
The thick tree trunk, visible to the naked eye, along with the surrounding area for hundreds of meters, was completely wiped out by that punch. Sand and dust flew everywhere, and the powerful force even plowed a clear trench in the ground!

"Such formidable power, is it the Nine-Tails?"

Orochimaru escaped death, but his mind remained calm. He examined the damage caused by the attack and frowned: "No, there was no trace of Nine-Tails chakra. It should be pure physical strength. But without the amplification of chakra, how did he manage to do that?"

That's what's most peculiar about him.

He couldn't sense any chakra in Naruto; it was as if it were purely physical strength.

"No, no, it's those eyes!" He narrowed his eyes, licked his lips, and a longing gleamed in his pupils: "That's right, it's a completely new power, not belonging to the 'Ninjutsu' founded by the Six Paths, a path entirely different from everyone else's!"

Interesting! It seems the biggest surprise of the day is this 'child'!
"Asshole, don't run!"

Naruto once again hurtled towards them like a cannonball, dragging a wave of air behind him.

However, having learned from his previous two experiences, Orochimaru remained calm, letting the punch pierce through his body, feeling the power, before turning into a puff of white smoke.

"Oh no, it's a shadow clone?!" Naruto's eyes widened.

Suddenly, Orochimaru appeared, his voice stern and solemn: "Close tightly!"

The next moment, several runes suddenly appeared around Naruto's body, and then the gravity in the space suddenly increased, forcing him to kneel on one knee.

Mystic arts mentors can master a wide variety of magical techniques, especially within the Twilight Hermits' Society, where Orochimaru can learn from their strengths and compensate for his weaknesses.

This move was an "ability" he imitated and executed by referencing the "Judge's" method.

Before Orochimaru could even smile, Naruto, like a barbarian, with veins bulging on his forehead, broke free from the 'tight' restraints.

"So, this level of control isn't enough to keep you in check?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Naruto charging towards him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Refractive Leap!"

Swish!
Naruto missed again.

The opponent was like a ghost, constantly using their abilities to dodge and weave through the vast space.

"Damn it, I can't catch up!"

Naruto chased after him with all his might, like a kindergarten child, wielding a thick iron rod.

Yes, he had great power, but he couldn't catch up with Orochimaru and couldn't hit him. After several attempts, he became increasingly frantic.

"Ha, strength isn't the only thing that determines the outcome of a battle."

Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes growing increasingly eager, and said calmly, "Your power shouldn't last too long, right? I'm curious to see what happens when you're completely exhausted."

The vast difference in experience between the two sides meant that Naruto, despite his immense power, was unable to deliver a decisive blow.

"Demon, come out now!" Naruto was extremely anxious and tried to call out to Lu Mingze.

"My dear customer~ How can I help you?" Lu Mingze floated out, his face all smiles, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

"I need more power, I can't catch up with him!"

Naruto said breathlessly, as he could feel that the power seemed to be waning.

If we don't completely defeat that guy before his power fades, wouldn't a quarter of his soul be wasted?!

Snapped!
Lu Mingze snapped his fingers and smiled, "Now, it's ready."

In an instant, Naruto felt as if something new had entered his mind, and his eyes regained their resolve.

"Ok?"

The boy, who had been panicked, suddenly calmed down. This unusual behavior immediately alerted Orochimaru.

Naruto took a deep breath, his blazing golden eyes locking onto Orochimaru.

Then, he solemnly chanted: "Word of Power - Moment - 128x Speed!"

The boy's soul roared like a dragon, and in an instant, his figure broke the sound barrier, even aiming for even higher speeds to climb.

The air seemed to stand still at that moment, and the falling leaves paused in mid-air.

The sonic boom, visible to the naked eye, swept across an area of ​​tens of meters. The high-frequency vibrating air was cleaved into a fist, like a fiery meteor dragging flames, and pierced straight through Orochimaru's body!

Even Orochimaru, whose body had been pierced, didn't have time to react.

"So fast."

A lingering thought flashed through Orochimaru's mind.

He couldn't see clearly what had just happened; he only felt his senses and spirituality issuing frantic warnings.

Then he was pierced through the body. If it weren't for the huge bloody hole reminding him, he probably wouldn't have even noticed it.

Naruto, who had pierced through Orochimaru, seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength and fell to the ground, rolling around.

"Oh, that's interesting."

Orochimaru grinned, showing no concern for Naruto's injuries, and stared at him with great interest.

Now, he was 100% certain that the power the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had just used did not belong to this world's system.

"In that case, I'll choose you."

Orochimaru formed hand seals, then suddenly stretched his neck and bit Naruto's shoulder, whispering to the boy, "One day, when you want to find out why your parents disappeared, you can come to me. Remember my name, Orochimaru."

(End of this chapter)