Re: Naruto Uzumaki

Here's @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.

You can now get early access to Chapter 108 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon. You can also read up to Chapter 37 of Satoru Senju: Conquering the Omniverse!

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Kisame didn't wait. He lunged at Naruto like a beast, gripping the Samehada with both hands, his smile revealing sharp, shark-like fangs.

"I'm going to tear you to pieces, brat!" he roared, bringing his sword down with force.

Naruto didn't move until the last second. When he did, it was like a blink: he vanished from Kisame's sight, appearing right beside him.

"That's all?" Naruto said calmly before throwing a direct punch to Kisame's side, slamming him into the ground with a dull crash.

"I'll shred you with Samehada and taste your blood!" Kisame growled.

Naruto rolled his eyes.

Is that all you have to say?

Naruto simply turned his neck and cracked his knuckles.

His gaze fell on the Samehada.

Like the Kubikiribōchō, the Samehada was one of the legendary Demon Blades, special weapons of Kirigakure wielded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Kisame paused for a moment, studying him carefully, measuring his next move.

Naruto chuckled as he understood what Kisame was trying.

"Do you really think I don't know Samehada's special ability?" he said confidently. "I'm going to beat you without using a drop of Ninjutsu."

"Tch," Kisame clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Samehada's main ability was to absorb Chakra as if it were food. It even feeds on its own wielder's chakra.

That's why Naruto was careful not to use any Chakra at all in this fight.

At least, not until he could snatch the sword from his hands.

Preferably from the cold hands of his corpse.

Digging into the inner pocket of his cloak, Naruto pulled out a carefully sealed scroll.

A cloud of smoke burst out forcefully, enveloping him for a moment.

When it cleared, the scroll was gone from his hand and in its place was the Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza's sword.

He lifted it with one hand and rested it on his shoulder.

"Demon Blade versus Demon Blade," he said with a defiant smile. "Let's see which one's better."

The Samehada absorbed Kisame's Chakra, growing in size.

Naruto smiled as he saw Samehada's mouth trying to reach him to bite, despite the distance.

"Heh, looks desperate to taste my chakra," he murmured with a grin.

The Samehada, now much larger and hungrier, snapped its mouth towards Naruto with force. But before it could get close, Naruto used his Kubikiribōchō and with a quick, precise move, blocked the attack effortlessly.

Naruto dodged Kisame's attacks, always keeping his distance and countering with strikes Kisame could barely keep up with.

"That's all?" Naruto said confidently while skillfully spinning his sword. "I thought you'd be more interesting. I thought you'd make me try, even just a little…"

Kisame growled and suddenly Samehada fused with him, his body mutating, growing into a gigantic half-human shark with fins and terrifying strength.

Naruto watched the transformation calmly. There wasn't a single sign of fear in his eyes.

"It's like I traveled to the world of One Piece," Naruto joked half-seriously. "Are you maybe a user of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit? The Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Shark, perhaps?"

Although Kisame didn't understand a word, Naruto couldn't help but point out the resemblance.

Kisame didn't respond. Instead, he charged violently.

Naruto tried to block the blow with the back of his sword, but Kisame's strength was overwhelming.

The Kubikiribōchō snapped in half like a dry branch, to Naruto's astonished eyes.

Without wasting time, Naruto used the broken end of the sword and appeared in front of Kisame, stabbing him directly in the stomach.

Kisame froze, staring in disbelief as the split blade pierced completely through him.

Then, to his amazement, the sword began absorbing the iron from his blood. The Kubikiribōchō regenerated in seconds, restoring itself as if it had never been damaged.

Kisame's eyes bulged as he watched the weapon, now whole, remaining lodged in his body.

"Impressed?" Naruto said with a cold smile. "As a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, you should've expected that."

With a brutal yank, Naruto pulled the sword from Kisame's body, making him scream in pain.

Kisame dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach with both hands.

Naruto saw him try to form hand seals. But he didn't get the chance.

"Die," he sentenced.

And with a single, clean, precise slash, Naruto cut off his head.

In his final moments, Kisame tried to kill himself—not out of fear, but to protect Akatsuki's secrets.

Throughout his life, he had firmly believed that information was worth more than his own existence... even more than the lives of his comrades.

That conviction had become his philosophy.

A mindset worthy of a ninja who once worked on Kirigakure's intelligence team.

...

Naruto arrived just in time to see Reika stab Itachi with her sword.

Itachi showed no pain. Instead, he gave a faint smile and looked directly into her eyes. Then, with the last remnants of strength, he raised his hand and gently touched her forehead with two fingers.

Just like he had done so many times before.

Afterward, his body fell forward, hitting his head against a wall before slowly sinking into the river.

The water, silent and cold, received him. It was the river of Konoha, the one that supplied the entire village. There, Itachi's body began disappearing beneath the surface.

Fugaku, wounded, managed to hold his son before he sank completely. He held him in his arms, with a blank expression and a sigh carrying years of weight and regret.

Naruto immediately noticed that Fugaku was at his limit.

One of his eyes bled profusely, evidence of excessive use of the Mangekyō Sharingan. His chakra was almost imperceptible.

Reika wasn't in better condition either. Her breathing was irregular and her hands trembled.

Reika stepped back, lowered her gaze, and refused to raise it again, trying to avoid looking at Itachi's body.

She knew he was there, but she didn't look. She couldn't.

Naruto ran to her without thinking, driven by the impulse to protect her. He needed to make sure she was okay… at least physically.

"I'm sorry, Reika... I should've helped you. I shouldn't have gone to fight Kisame..." Naruto said quietly.

Seeing her like that, regret hit him hard.

Reika smiled weakly and hugged him. She closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder, as if she needed to hold on to something to avoid breaking.

Naruto stayed still for a moment, surprised by the gesture. It wasn't common to see her like that, acting affectionately, especially with so many people around.

"I... need to become stronger, Naruto..." she murmured, on the verge of tears.

Naruto said nothing. He just returned the hug gently.

"If it weren't for my father and the Fourth Hokage... I would never have been able to face Itachi," she confessed softly.

Naruto hadn't seen the fight, but he knew Fugaku and Minato had played a key role. Without them, the story would probably have been very different.

Still, Reika was strong. Maybe not strong enough to defeat Itachi alone… but strong enough to stand up to him. And that was already a lot.

"Itachi... he let me kill him," she suddenly confessed, as if she still couldn't believe her own words. "He didn't dodge the blow. He stepped in. He let me stab him with my sword…"

Her voice cracked a little.

"He smiled at me before dying... Why? What does that mean...? Why would he do something like that...? That bastard..."

Naruto felt a lump in his throat.

Still hugging her, he looked up and stared at Fugaku, frowning. He said nothing, but his gaze said everything.

Fugaku understood. He lowered his head and averted his eyes.

Sooner or later, Fugaku would have to tell Reika the truth.

And Naruto wished with all his being that it wouldn't be him who had to do it.

While Naruto stood still, holding Reika tightly, trying to silently comfort her, a system notification blinked before his eyes, catching his attention for a moment.

[!Ding! The member 'Hidden Mist Monster' has joined the chat group!]

[!Ding! The member 'Blood Traitor' has joined the chat group!]

As Naruto slowly drew circles on Reika's back, his eyes scanned both messages.

Apparently, Kisame and Itachi had joined the chat group.