Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter 93 Summoning Across Worlds

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[ Item: Soul of Shisui Uchiha ]

[ Description: Soul of Shunshin no Shisui, who was betrayed by Konoha's ANBU Commander. The truth of his death at the hands of Itachi told half of the story.

It seems that even in death, he left behind the safety of Konoha and his greatest weapon to Itachi Uchiha. ]

Naruto squinted at the text, rereading it for what felt like the fifth time.

The description didn't add up—not with what Sasuke had told them. It was like trying to fit two jagged pieces of a puzzle together that just wouldn't connect.

If the system said this, though… Naruto trusted it. Whatever had happened to Shisui Uchiha, it was more complicated than anyone let on. And the truth behind Itachi's actions…

It's always something with Konoha, isn't it? he thought bitterly. First his parents, and now this entire shadowy mess about the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

His fist clenched involuntarily as frustration bubbled up.

"Something wrong, my young friend?"

"Sunbro, have you ever been in a situation where… I dunno, everything you were told turned out to be a lie? Like there's always something bigger going on in the dark, and no one ever tells you the full story?"

"More times than I can count."

Naruto blinked. "Seriously?"

"Indeed." Solaire leaned back slightly, his gaze fixed on the flames of the bonfire. "There are always those who work in shadows, young squire—be it for power, for survival, or for reasons they believe are noble. Often, the truths you uncover are but fragments of a larger picture, twisted by the agendas of others."

Naruto frowned, staring at his hands. "That's what I hate. Everyone's got some stupid agenda, and the rest of us are just stuck in their schemes like pawns on a board."

"And what makes you think you cannot be the one moving the pieces?"

Naruto looked up sharply, meeting Solaire's steady gaze.

"Listen well, my friend," Solaire continued. "When you find yourself caught in the machinations of others, you are faced with a choice. You can play their game—dancing to their tune, fighting on their terms—or…" He paused. "You can choose to play your own game."

"My own game?"

"The world may scheme, lie, and twist the truth. But your path—your choices—are yours alone. If you let others dictate the rules, you'll forever be at their mercy. Instead, carve out your own rules. Decide what matters to you. Then act, not as a pawn, but as one who holds the board."

Naruto fell silent for a moment, the firelight reflecting off his thoughtful expression.

"So… I should just focus on what I want to do, huh?"

"When you fight for your own convictions, you take power away from those who would seek to control you." Solaire gestured toward the broken Sunlight Altar in the distance. "Even here in Lordran, the echoes of gods and heroes are twisted by time, by stories, by agendas. Yet their actions endure because they walked a path they believed in, whether others understood it or not."

Naruto mulled over the words, the weight of them settling in his chest. He thought of Konoha, of Team 7, of everything he'd been told and everything he'd learned on his own. Then he thought of the Bells of Awakening, Lordran's brutal trials, and the legacy of his master, Oscar.

"Guess I'll just have to make my own moves, then."

Solaire clapped him on the back with a hearty laugh. "Well said, young squire! A knight must always walk his chosen path, no matter how twisted or uncertain it may seem. And who knows? In time, your truth may outshine even the darkest of lies."

Naruto smirked, the fire in his eyes reigniting as he reached into his inventory and grabbed Shisui's soul. The greenish flame flickered faintly in his palm, radiating an eerie yet oddly calming energy. The moment his fingers closed around it, the flame surged into him, and a wave of warmth pulsed through his body.

[ You have absorbed 12,000 souls ]

Naruto's eyes widened as he nearly choked on air.

T-Twelve thousand?!

The glowing number hovered before him:

[ Souls: 23,000 ]

Naruto blinked, processing the amount. "No way…" he muttered under his breath, already doing the math in his head.

If I've got twenty-three thousand… that's, what, six level-ups?

He paused, counting on his fingers for reassurance. "Yeah, six. Maybe more if the next levels aren't too expensive."

He glanced back toward the bonfire and sat down, rubbing his hands together as he navigated the level-up screen.

Alright… I'll split it up evenly. Two points for Vitality, two for Intelligence, and two for Dexterity.

[ Status ]

[ Name: Naruto Uzumaki ]

[ Covenant: Way of White ]

[ Level: 21 → 27 ]

[ Souls: 23,000 → 641 ]

[ HP: 573/573 → 616/616 ]

[ Stamina: 93 ]

[ Equip Load: 45.8/51.0 ]

[ Attributes: ]

[ Vitality: 10 → 12 ]

[ Attunement: 12 ]

[ Endurance: 11 ]

[ Strength: 24 ]

[ Dexterity: 11 → 13 ]

[ Resistance: 12 ]

[ Intelligence: 11 → 13 ]

[ Faith: 12 ]

[ Humanity: 0 ]

[ Defense Stats: ]

[ Physical Defense: 141(46) → 150(55) ]

[ VS Strike: 138 → 146 ]

[ VS Slash: 156 → 164 ]

[ VS Thrust: 141 → 149 ]

[ Magic Defense: 104(47) → 111(54) ]

[ Flame Defense: 107(47) → 114(54) ]

[ Lightning Defense: 81(46) → 89(54) ]

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Leveling up Vitality brought a subtle, invigorating rush—like a second wind at the end of an exhausting battle. His muscles felt denser, his breathing steadier, and his heart thudded with renewed vigor, as though he'd shed some invisible weight holding him back.

Intelligence, on the other hand, left a faint hum in his mind, like the gears of a well-oiled machine turning smoother.

Dexterity, though? Naruto flexed his fingers, swiped at the air a couple of times with his sword, and frowned.

"Still feels the same," he muttered, but a quick check on his stats showed a minor boost to his damage. He grinned. Eh, I'll take it.

"Well then, Solaire," Naruto said, "I think it's time I head back to my world."

"You can go back?!"

"Yeah," Naruto replied casually. "I die, and then I pop back in my world like nothing happened. Weird, huh?"

"Interesting," Solaire mused, his voice trailing off as he reached into his satchel, rummaging around. "Naruto, I have a proposition—if you have a moment."

"Sure."

Solaire pulled out a small shard, white and crystalline, with a delicate golden cloth wrapped around its base. The crystal seemed to pulse faintly, as though holding a heartbeat of its own.

"Remember when I mentioned that the flow of time in Lordran has become… convoluted?"

Naruto nodded, not quite catching the weight of those words but intrigued nonetheless.

"Well," Solaire continued, "this disturbance has caused people from the past to appear in the present, as if flickering like embers in a dying fire." His voice took on a more solemn tone. "There's no telling how much longer your world and mine will remain in contact."

Naruto's brows furrowed.

"Take this. Use it to summon me, or others, as spirits—cross the gaps between our worlds, and we shall engage in jolly co-operation."

Naruto blinked, his jaw slightly slack. "Wait… summon you? Like… you can come to Konoha?"

"Of course," Solaire said. "Though I will appear in the form of a phantom—merely a spirit in your world, bound to aid you."

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face. "Oh, man, Sunbro, you have to come to Konoha! I'll show you my world's sun and, trust me, the food of the gods!"

"I'll look forward to it."

[ Item Acquired: White Sign Soapstone ]

[ Description: Dimensional travel item. Use summon sign. Be summoned to another world as a phantom through a sign. ]

"But, uh, how do you use this thing? It's not exactly self-explanatory."

Solaire unfastened his gauntlet and removed it, revealing a surprisingly human hand—flesh unmarred and unblemished by hollowing. He held the crystal shard up and let a single drop of blood fall onto it. The shard seemed to absorb the blood instantly, pulsing once like a heartbeat.

"You must be in the form of a human," Solaire explained, tucking his gauntlet back on, "and when you call upon my name, deep in your heart, I shall answer."

"Got it. Sunbro on demand, that's awesome."

Solaire let out a good-natured laugh.

Naruto smiled as he tucked the item into his inventory.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, Sunbro."

Solaire responded in kind, stepping back and lifting his arms to form a familiar Y shape. "Farewell, my friend. I look forward to our next meeting. Praise the Sun!"

Naruto froze mid-step, his breath catching in his throat. That pose. It was exactly the same as the one the Black Knight had struck after he'd taken it down. His brow furrowed, questions flooding his mind.

He opened his mouth to ask, but at that moment, a sharp alarm began buzzing from his pocket. Naruto groaned. The alarm—a glaring reminder of the real world and the mission that awaited him back in Konoha.

"Ah, man, I don't have time for this," Naruto muttered, shoving the alarm back into his pocket.

Mimicking Solaire's stance, Naruto raised his arms into the same Y shape.

"Praise the Sun!"

And with that, Naruto threw himself off the bridge.

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Solaire stood quietly at the edge of the broken bridge, his gaze lingering on the spot where Naruto had thrown himself into the abyss. He waited patiently, fully expecting the boy to respawn at the nearby bonfire.

And yet... he didn't.

Solaire's brows furrowed beneath his helmet, an unusual unease creeping into his thoughts.

In the Age of Ancients, when the Furtive Pygmy first called upon souls from distant worlds, none of them could return to where they came from. They were bound to Lordran. That was simply the nature of this world.

And yet, Naruto was different. The boy came and went freely, tethered to another existence beyond Lordran's broken reach. It defied everything Solaire knew about this realm's laws of time and space.

Was this a sign?

"Has the world distorted so much that it has called upon an invader who can bring balance?" Solaire mused aloud. "Or… is this the scheme of some unseen entity?"

There were no answers here, only questions, stretching endlessly like the cursed cycle itself. Solaire sighed, the weight of uncertainty settling on his shoulders like an old friend. Whatever the truth, he couldn't help but feel there was something extraordinary about that young squire. Something that perhaps even the gods had not accounted for.

Shaking his head, Solaire turned toward the rusted lever embedded in the wall. His gauntleted hand gripped the handle, and with a heavy pull, he brought it down. The grinding of gears groaned through the ruins as the portcullis began to rise, its ancient metal screeching in protest.

Solaire watched the gate open, sunlight spilling faintly through the broken arch beyond.

"Wherever you go, my friend, may your flame never falter," Solaire said quietly to the empty air. His voice carried a deep warmth, as though the boy could somehow hear him across the veil of worlds.

"Until next time, Naruto. I hope we will fight side by side once more, in Lordran or beyond."

And with that, Solaire disappeared into the sunlight, leaving only the gentle hum of the bonfire in his wake.

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Author Note:

Okay, so we know that Naruto got to Lordran via the Darksign he found in the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. My question to you guys is:

Who put it there?

And yes—this is going to be a big plot point later on in the story.

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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 45, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.

To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!