Naruto: Just Want To Be A Death God

Orochimaru's smile faded slightly.

What did he mean by "under your nose"?

"Is it really impossible?" he asked again, unwilling to give up. "As long as the price isn't too excessive, we can negotiate."

"Naruto-kun, aren't you interested in natural energy?"

"I have some…"

Naruto shook his head. "We can negotiate something else on that point."

Orochimaru clicked his tongue.

He wasn't that desperate for his hands anymore. Regaining them was more about not wanting to live in a broken body.

In terms of research—

It really didn't hinder him.

It just had a big impact on his combat strength.

Now he couldn't even handle Sasuke anymore.

"You're really heartless, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru said, flicking his tongue. "Then let's discuss something else."

"Let me join your research on Sasuke-kun. How about that?"

"I believe I can be a qualified assistant."

He stressed the last word.

Even though he made the request, he didn't hold out much hope.

Given how guarded Naruto was against him...

Unexpectedly, after a brief moment of thought, the blond nodded. "Alright."

Orochimaru was stunned, his expression briefly shocked before he burst into a pleased smile—but when he looked like that, his entire aura became even more twisted. "Naruto-kun actually agreed."

"Is it really that troublesome a problem?"

"I'll help you, seriously."

"In research, that is…"

Naruto smiled. "It is a difficult project, but it's not to the point where it can't continue without your help."

"Orochimaru."

"This is a test."

Orochimaru squinted.

A test?

"Orochimaru, the reason why—after I killed you once—you can still stand before me in human form today," Naruto continued, "is because of your scientific expertise. That's the most valuable thing about you."

"But…"

"If in the coming stages, you can't prove that your most valuable aspect outweighs your evil and madness—"

Naruto didn't finish.

He simply looked at him calmly.

These science types always seemed mentally off.

Across two worlds, he'd known four people who were great researchers.

And it seemed…

Only Urahara Kisuke seemed mentally normal.

"You seem to be planning something very interesting," Orochimaru said, licking his lips, eyes gleaming. "Is this the ticket in?"

Naruto didn't respond.

Orochimaru's smile grew more perverse.

But as the research began, Orochimaru soon found he couldn't smile anymore.

Naruto was better at research than he'd expected.

Methodical, by the book.

In some areas, he even seemed more professional than Orochimaru himself.

By comparison—

He seemed more like the amateur.

That was still manageable.

What truly tormented Orochimaru was that Naruto's research focused on an area he had never delved into before.

Even though he had already learned some things about souls from Naruto and had made some progress in the past few years—

Compared to what they were doing now, it paled in comparison.

Naruto was researching how to forge the "Indra" chakra inside Sasuke into a sword.

Not a chakra scalpel-type jutsu.

He meant literally forging chakra into a real sword.

It sounded insane.

If anyone other than Naruto had proposed it… Orochimaru would never have gotten involved.

After more than a month of work, Orochimaru finally caught up and gained a basic understanding.

But forging a Zanpakutō wasn't going smoothly.

Back in the Soul Society, Mayuri Kurotsuchi had discovered something—

All Asauchi were made from the fusion of many souls.

The term "many" wasn't strictly required, but a single soul couldn't support the forging of an Asauchi.

The Indra's Power was indeed powerful.

But—

It was ultimately just a mass of energy with only instinctive consciousness.

Naruto and Orochimaru tried to extract Indra's chakra from Sasuke, but without harming Sasuke's life, they could only take small portions for study. Its source was rooted in Sasuke's soul—impossible to separate.

So, they took another approach—trying to merge other chakra into Sasuke.

While they were researching—

In the Land of Hot Water—

In a remote village—

"Bad news. Itachi is dead," Zetsu emerged from the ground and said to the masked Uchiha. "But not killed by Uzumaki Naruto."

"He was killed by Uchiha Sasuke."

The masked Uchiha's tone grew heavy. "Is that so?"

"He really made the wrong choice."

His one exposed eye showed deep frustration and fury.

The organization was already down to just the three of them.

Now, one major fighter was gone.

Zetsu…

Zetsu only had intelligence-gathering ability, meaning in terms of combat power, it was now just him alone.

A one-man army?

"Any word on the Rinnegan?" he asked Zetsu, lifting his head.

Zetsu replied calmly, "Don't hold onto false hope."

"He wouldn't have left those eyes with Konan."

The masked Uchiha tilted his head back. "So what do we do now?"

"Without those eyes…"

"We can't revive Uchiha Madara."

Zetsu remained unaffected. "Let's lie low for a while. With Naruto around, it's hard to act."

The masked Uchiha's expression darkened.

"In the meantime, let's recruit more members," Zetsu suggested. "There are always people who can be used."

The masked Uchiha said nothing more.

(One-by-one perfection check.)

"You should find a chance to reclaim your other eye too," Zetsu added.

"With just one Mangekyō…"

"You'll never be a match for that Naruto guy."

The masked Uchiha gave a heavy nod.

Land of Fields, Otogakure.

After another three months of research, a standard katana lay on the lab table.

"You actually made it," Orochimaru muttered in disbelief.

His eyes were glazed.

A new world had opened before him.

This time, the knowledge—detached from chakra, even detached from the living—had baptized him.

Naruto ignored him and picked up the sword.

It was an Asauchi.

Just as he thought—chakra with "consciousness" made good material for forging a Zanpakutō.

However—

The required amount was enormous.

To forge this sword, aside from Sasuke's own "Indra's Power," they had to use Kakuzu's, Hidan's, and a massive amount of chakra from Orochimaru to barely finish one sword.

Most importantly, because it used Indra's power, the sword couldn't be given to Karin.

It was essentially bound to Sasuke.

Unless—

They used Sasuke himself as material to forge a blade.

Kurama was on board.

But Naruto wasn't that insane. Karin found it repulsive too.

The Asauchi was successfully forged.

But—

It was a bit different from what Naruto had expected.

He had hoped it would be a fully matured Zanpakutō, like Kurama.

But maybe because it was a blend of various forces, or maybe because Indra's chakra had only "instinct" and not a full, lively soul like Kurama—

The result was just an Asauchi.

Naruto carefully inspected it and handed it to Sasuke.

"How does it feel?" he asked after Sasuke swung it a few times.

"Feels better than the Kusanagi Sword," Sasuke replied honestly. "Like it's part of my body."

"Do you hear anything?" Naruto asked again.

Sasuke froze.

"Like something inside calling for you to say a name," Naruto explained further.

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

"Really?" Naruto didn't look disappointed. He continued, "You can start a type of training called Zanjutsu meditation."

"With your talent, it won't be long before you hear the name."

Sasuke nodded and gripped the sword tightly.

"Now that you've received this blade, there's something else I need to tell you," Naruto said seriously.

Orochimaru tilted his head. "Should I leave?"

"You should listen too," Naruto glanced at him. "You've proven your worth."

"In scientific research, you're excellent."

Orochimaru grinned, tongue flicking. "Is that a compliment, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto ignored him and told Sasuke, "I originally intended to give this blade to Karin."

"But Indra is too deeply bound to you, so this blade is inseparable from you."

"So…"

"Sasuke, become a member of the organization I'm about to form."

Orochimaru wasn't surprised. He'd long seen it coming.

"What kind of organization?" Sasuke asked. "What's its purpose?"

"An organization called Seireitei," Naruto said, not bothering to invent a new name. "To maintain the order of the afterlife."

That stunned both of them.

What did he mean by afterlife order?

"I'm not very interested in the affairs of the living," Naruto clarified. "You've all been part of my research, so you know my power is related to souls."

"The ninja world now—

"Has a Pure Land, but no order after death."

Sasuke frowned and thought.

Orochimaru sneered, "My goal is eternal life."

"Death isn't something I long for."

Naruto shook his head. "Death is just the beginning of another journey."

Orochimaru still wanted to argue.

Naruto extended his hand. "We've spent enough time together, Orochimaru. Haven't you noticed how I've changed?"

"How I'm fundamentally different from a living human?"

Orochimaru scrutinized him.

After a while, his pupils dilated.

(End of Chapter)