Naruto: The Chosen Undead

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Chapter 105 The Shortcut That Was Always There

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Naruto stepped out of the house, his mind elsewhere. He needed to figure out where to go—somewhere he could slip into Lordran undisturbed and fix this mess. There's gotta be a way… His thoughts ran in circles, so deep in his own head that he almost didn't notice the voice that called out to him.

"Uzumaki-san. Where are you going?"

Naruto blinked, snapping out of his trance. Shino stood a few feet away, unmoving, his voice as neutral as ever. Beside him, Kiba was glowering, arms crossed—the very definition of resentment.

"Just taking a walk," the blonde said absently. "Clearing my head."

For a moment, Shino was silent, studying him behind those dark glasses. Then, with the same calm precision he always spoke with, he gestured toward the forest beyond.

"There is a quiet area deeper within the woods," he said. "A place undisturbed. It may be suitable."

"Uh… thanks?"

"No need to thank me. A shinobi must be in the right state of mind for a mission to succeed. If taking a walk helps you regain focus, then it is the logical course of action."

Naruto stared. He never really talked to Shino much back in the Academy. The guy was… well, quiet. Kept to himself. Kind of gave off a weird bug dude vibe. But now? He seemed… kinda cool.

Naruto instinctively moved to shake his hand, only to pause mid-motion. He had offered his cursed arm.

For a brief second, an awkward tension hung between them.

Shino's gaze flickered to the burned, unnatural limb, his expression unreadable. Naruto fought the urge to retract it, but before he could, Shino extended his own hand and clasped Naruto's firmly. The buzzing of insects rose slightly.

Shino pulled back. "My apologies," he said simply. "My insects… do not respond well to your fire."

Naruto just nodded.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to whatever you were doing," he said, already noticing Kiba's continued death glare.

Yeah, yeah, I get it—you're still bitter that I kicked your ass. Fine. I'm sorry. But Naruto didn't say that. He had more important things to deal with. Kiba could get his apology some other time. Right now, he needed to fix his damn arm. He turned and took off toward the trees, disappearing into the forest.

Shino watched the blonde in armor go.

Kiba's scowl deepened. "That guy has some nerve."

Shino adjusted his glasses. "This is a mission, Kiba. You can settle your personal grievances later."

"...Yeah, whatever."

There was a brief silence between them, filled only by the soft hum of insects in the background.

"Can you turn off that buzzing, Shino? It's creepy."

"They do not buzz."

"Uh… yeah, they do?"

"Not in the way you perceive it."

Kiba furrowed his brow. What the hell does that even mean? But as always, Shino offered no further explanation.

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Naruto pushed through the dense underbrush, the scent of earth and moss filling his lungs. Towering trees stretched high above him, their gnarled branches weaving together into a thick canopy of green that blocked out most of the sunlight. Shafts of golden light filtered through the gaps, illuminating the patches of soft, dewy grass below.

A small clearing opened up before him—a perfect, secluded spot, hidden from prying eyes.

Naruto exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he sat on a flat, moss-covered rock. Alright. Let's do this. With a flick of his wrist, he opened his inventory. The moment his eyes landed on the numbers, his stomach dropped.

[ Souls: 500 ]

Naruto's face twisted in frustration.

Damn it. Using the Darksign now meant losing everything. Sure, 500 souls wasn't much, but it was still something. And what if he gathered more souls while in this world? Would he have to sacrifice everything every time he needed to return?

He scowled, tapping his foot against the ground. There has to be another way.

Flicking through his inventory, he scanned the list of items, searching for something—anything—that could help.

[ Item: Homeward Bone ]

[ Description: Bone fragment reduced to white ash. Return to the last bonfire used for resting. Bonfires are fueled by the bones of the Undead. In rare cases, the strong urge of their previous owners to seek bonfires enchants their bones with a homeward instinct. ]

He pulled the fragile, chalky bone from his inventory, turning it over in his hand.

"Would this even work?"

There was only one way to find out. Holding the bone tightly, he cleared his throat. "Take me to the bonfire," he muttered, feeling more than a little stupid for talking to a piece of bone.

For a long, agonizing moment—nothing happened.

Naruto gritted his teeth, ready to throw the damn thing away when suddenly, it glowed. A soft, golden light pulsed from the fragment, warm and comforting, wrapping around him like a protective cloak. The glow intensified, and in the blink of an eye, the forest vanished. When the world came back into focus, Naruto felt the familiar warmth of a bonfire's glow against his face. The golden embers flickered, casting long shadows over the worn stone floor.

He glanced at his inventory.

[ Souls: 500 ]

Still there. A breath of relief escaped him.

"Well, guess that works," he murmured, tucking the remaining bones into his pouch. "Better save the rest for emergencies. Dattebayo."

Looking around, his moment of relief was short-lived.

The portcullis was raised, and the passage beyond was empty—meaning Solaire was gone.

"Well, guess I can't ask Sunbro about how to fix my arm," Naruto muttered, his voice tinged with disappointment. He exhaled sharply, rubbing his forehead. Who else could he even ask?

Solaire was his best bet, but with him gone, Naruto had to think tactically.

Petrus? He immediately grimaced. Hell no. That guy would probably scam him blind, smiling that creepy, false-holy smile the whole time. He wouldn't be surprised if Petrus charged him 1,000 souls just to say the word "pyromancy."

Alexander? Another dead end. The big guy was off doing his own thing, and Naruto had no clue where in Lordran he even was.

That left… the Undead Merchant, which meant going backward.

Turning toward the bridge, Naruto spotted a group of three hollows. Two wielded crossbows, while the third carried a spear. Behind them lay a couple of tempting treasures: a corpse clutching a sword and a faintly glowing soul orb.

"Oh, I forgot that was a trap," Naruto muttered.

He equipped the Zweihander. He took a step forward, ready to fight, when he froze. Wait. His eyes widened in realization. Without his right hand, Naruto couldn't form the complete hand seals—meaning he had no jutsu.

"Crap," he muttered as Way of Focality kicked in, predicting the trajectory of the incoming projectiles. Two bolts were flying straight for his shoulder.

Thinking quickly, Naruto twisted his body, angling his back toward the bolts.

Thankfully, since the knight armor could channel chakra, his wind chakra cloak formed without the use of hand signs, reducing the air resistance and allowing him to move faster than usual. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the shield strapped to his back. A hollow armed with a spear lunged at him, its rusted weapon aimed straight for his chest. Naruto shifted his stance into the low guard, the Zweihander held low but angled forward.

Naruto channeled chakra into his muscles.

Even without his ninjutsu, his stats and chakra enhancement alone made him a monster.

The Zweihander cut through the spear-wielding hollow effortlessly, the force of the strike continuing into the crossbow hollow beside it, splitting both enemies in one clean sweep. The third hollow, now alone, seemed to realize its situation. Dropping its crossbow, it turned and began to flee.

"Oh no, you don't," Naruto growled, his wind chakra cloak propelling him forward. Even without Shunshin, he was fast, closing the distance in seconds.

The hollow knelt mid-run, attempting to reload its crossbow.

Naruto shifted into the high guard, the massive sword raised above his shoulder. With a downward slash, he brought the Zweihander crashing down. The blow cleaved the hollow cleanly in two, its body crumpling to the ground.

Breathing heavily, Naruto wiped his brow and stepped toward the treasures the hollows had been guarding.

[ You have obtained ]

[ Claymore ]

[ Soul of a Nameless Soldier ]

Naruto jumped back, narrowly avoiding the spear thrust aimed for his chest. Two spear-wielding hollows advanced on him, their movements erratic but relentless as they paced back and forth, searching for an opening.

Naruto's eyes flicked between them. He couldn't take both of them on at the same time in such close quarters.

Thinking quickly, he unequipped the Zweihander and grabbed a firebomb from his inventory.

"Let's see how you like this!" he muttered, hurling it at the hollow closest to him.

The firebomb exploded on impact, flames engulfing one of the hollows. Its body jerked and twisted in agony, but it still wasn't down. The second hollow lunged at Naruto, its spear aimed straight for his gut. He sidestepped the attack, re-equipping the Zweihander in a single fluid motion. Shifting into the low guard, he delivered a sweeping slash that cleaved through the unburned hollow, its body crumpling lifelessly to the ground.

He turned just in time to see the flaming hollow staggering toward him, its charred spear raised.

"Persistent, aren't you?" Naruto muttered, reaching for another firebomb.

The hollow lunged, and Naruto threw the firebomb at point-blank range. The explosion sent the flaming hollow flying backward, its body collapsing into a smoldering heap.

Naruto sighed, rolling his shoulders to shake off the tension.

"Okay, that's done."

He glanced around, taking in his surroundings.

Two options lay before him.

He could go up, back to the bridge where the Taurus Demon had once towered, and fight his way through the gauntlet of hollows. Again. Or… Naruto turned to the side, his eyes landing on a hidden pathway tucked behind a crumbling wall. A narrow staircase spiraled down into the dark.

"Guess it's time for some exploring," Naruto said.

He walked cautiously down the stairs, the sound of his footsteps echoing faintly.

The staircase split into two paths. To the left, a walkway led beneath the bridge. To the right, an open doorway revealed another flight of stairs leading further down. Naruto hesitated, feeling the familiar pull of his gut instinct. Something about the stairs to the right called to him. Shrugging, he followed them, descending until he stepped onto a small stone platform.

The sight before him stopped him in his tracks.

He was staring at a familiar, crumbling staircase—and beyond it, the second bonfire he had rested at earlier.

Naruto blinked, realization dawning on him. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. "There was a shortcut the whole time?"

His gaze shifted upward, noticing for the first time the red metal ladder bolted to the wall above.

"Of course," he groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "If only I'd bothered to look up."

But then he paused, letting the thought sink in. Sure, this shortcut would've saved him time… but he wouldn't have fought the Taurus Demon. He wouldn't have faced the Black Knight. He wouldn't have gotten his swordsmanship. He wouldn't have found his cute little crystal lizard.

Speaking of the little guy…

Naruto suddenly had a sinking realization.

"What the hell has Oscar been up to while I was in a coma?"

His mind immediately raced to worst-case scenarios. Were Sakura and Sasuke taking care of him properly? Did they feed him? Did they give him warm baths? Oh god, were they even giving him baths at all?

Naruto grimaced.

What if they just let him run around filthy, rolling in dirt and licking rocks? The worst image imaginable hit him—Oscar, starving, his little gem-covered body dull and dusty, scurrying around the house like a goblin while Sakura screamed at him to get off the furniture. Or—worse.

"What if they tried to make him eat normal food?"

Crystal Lizards didn't eat normal food! They ate minerals, ores, and metal! He could already picture it—Sasuke, stone-faced as he tried to shove a rice ball into Oscar's tiny glowing mouth while the poor lizard screamed in crystal noises, trying to escape the unholy fate of carbohydrates.

Naruto shook his head violently.

No. No. I refuse to let this be happening. There was only one option. Fix this mess. Get home. Rescue Oscar. He would not let his little shiny gremlin son suffer like this. Dattebayo.

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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 53, 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!