Published at 18th of September 2024 10:54 am

Chapter 112 Destiny's Vow: 5 Echoes of the Past

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Naruto’s heart pounded in his chest as the dark figure advanced, its malevolent presence suffocating the very air around them. Shion stood frozen behind him, her eyes wide with terror. The figure’s glowing red eyes locked onto Naruto, radiating an energy that felt disturbingly familiar. It wasn’t just a fragment—it was something more dangerous, more sentient, and far more powerful than what they had faced the night before.

The ground trembled as the figure spoke, its voice a deep, rumbling hiss. “You think you’ve defeated Mōryō, but you have only delayed the inevitable. Darkness cannot be destroyed—it only slumbers, waiting to rise again.”

Naruto clenched his fists, his body tensing. “I don’t care what you are or where you came from! If you think you’re gonna threaten this village, you’ve got another thing coming.”

The figure chuckled darkly, its form shifting as though it was made of pure shadow. “Such defiance. The arrogance of the living is always amusing.”

With a swift movement, the dark entity lashed out, sending a wave of shadow toward Naruto. He barely had time to react, leaping out of the way just as the black tendrils sliced through the ground where he had been standing moments before. Dirt and debris scattered, but the figure seemed to grow stronger with every attack it launched, as though feeding on the chaos.

Naruto landed in a crouch, quickly forming hand seals. “Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

In an instant, a dozen clones appeared beside him, each charging toward the figure with their fists raised, ready to strike. But the moment they made contact, the figure’s body dissolved into a mass of swirling darkness, effortlessly absorbing their blows. One by one, the clones were dispelled, their chakra consumed by the void.

Naruto gritted his teeth. “Damn it! Nothing’s working!”

Shion took a cautious step forward, her hands trembling as she began to form her own seals. “Naruto, wait. This thing isn’t just physical—it’s an echo of Mōryō’s power. We can’t fight it with brute force. We need to seal it, like we did before.”

Naruto’s mind raced. He knew she was right, but they barely had any time to prepare. This figure was much stronger than the fragment they had sealed last night, and it wasn’t going to give them a second chance.

The dark figure seemed to sense their hesitation and laughed again, the sound chilling Naruto to his core. “You cannot seal what you do not understand, priestess. I am the shadow of hatred, and I feed on the fears of the living. With every breath you take, I grow stronger.”

Shion’s eyes widened in realization. “It’s feeding off us—off our emotions. Naruto, we have to stay calm. If we let fear control us, it’ll only become more powerful.”

Naruto forced himself to focus, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. “Got it. No fear.”

But it was easier said than done. The figure’s presence was overwhelming, and every instinct in Naruto’s body screamed at him to fight. He wasn’t someone who backed down, especially not when the lives of his friends and village were at stake.

The figure raised its hand, the shadows around it swirling ominously. “Enough of these games. I will show you the true power of despair.”

Before either of them could react, the figure’s form exploded into a massive wave of darkness, rushing toward Naruto and Shion like a tidal wave. There was no time to dodge, no time to think.

Naruto did the only thing he could. He jumped in front of Shion, shielding her with his body as the wave crashed over them.

For a moment, everything went black.

_______________________________________________________________

When Naruto opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a strange, unfamiliar landscape. The air was thick and heavy, the sky an unnatural shade of crimson. Shadows twisted and writhed around him like living creatures, whispering unintelligible words that sent chills down his spine.

He looked around frantically, trying to get his bearings. “Shion? Where are you?”

There was no response. The only sound was the eerie rustling of the shadows, which seemed to close in on him from all directions.

“This place… what is this?” Naruto muttered, feeling an unfamiliar sense of dread creeping over him.

“You’re in my domain now,” came the voice of the dark figure, though the figure itself was nowhere to be seen. “A place where fear and hatred reign supreme. Here, your will means nothing.”

Naruto clenched his fists. “I’m not afraid of you! Show yourself!”

The voice chuckled, low and menacing. “You may not fear me now, but soon you will.”

As the shadows began to swirl around him, Naruto felt something tugging at his mind. Dark memories began to surface—memories of loss, of failure. Images of friends who had fallen, battles that had pushed him to the brink of despair.

His heart raced as he saw the faces of those he couldn’t save—Neji, Jiraiya, his parents. Guilt gnawed at him, the weight of every failure crushing his resolve. The shadows seemed to sense his inner turmoil, growing stronger with each passing moment.

“You can’t save them, Naruto,” the voice whispered, echoing in his mind. “No matter how hard you fight, no matter how many battles you win, you will always fail those you care about most.”

Naruto gritted his teeth, trying to push the thoughts away. “No… that’s not true. I’ve saved people. I’ve protected my village.”

“But you couldn’t save them all, could you?” the voice hissed. “Neji died because of you. Jiraiya died because you weren’t strong enough. And what about Shion? Do you think you can protect her from what’s coming?”

Naruto’s heart sank. The guilt he had buried deep inside him began to bubble to the surface. Every loss, every failure—it all felt so heavy. And now, with Shion in danger, the weight was almost unbearable.

But then, a different voice pierced through the darkness. A voice that was calm, steady, and familiar.

“Don’t let it get to you, Naruto.”

Naruto blinked in surprise, his head snapping toward the source of the voice. Standing before him was the spirit of his father, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. His father’s blue eyes were filled with a gentle resolve, his presence a beacon of light in the midst of the shadows.

“Dad?” Naruto breathed, his heart pounding in his chest.

Minato smiled softly. “This darkness feeds off your guilt, your regrets. But those emotions don’t define you. Remember why you fight, Naruto. Remember the people you’ve saved, the lives you’ve touched.”

Naruto’s breath hitched as he stared at his father’s spirit. “But… what if I can’t protect them? What if I fail again?”

Minato’s expression remained gentle but firm. “You’ve already proven time and again that you can rise above your failures. You don’t fight alone, Naruto. Your strength comes from those who believe in you—those who stand by your side.”

Naruto clenched his fists, feeling a flicker of hope reignite in his chest. His father was right. He had faced impossible odds before, and he had always come out stronger. He wasn’t alone.

“I’m not gonna let this darkness control me,” Naruto said, his voice filled with newfound determination. “I’m gonna protect Shion and everyone else, no matter what.”

The shadows around him seemed to shudder, as though sensing his resolve. The dark figure’s voice hissed in anger. “You think you can defy me? I am the embodiment of your deepest fears. You cannot escape!”

Naruto stood tall, his hands forming a familiar seal. “Watch me!”

With a roar, Naruto summoned the power of the Nine-Tails, his body enveloped in a golden aura as Kurama’s chakra surged through him. The shadows recoiled in the face of the blinding light, their whispers fading into nothingness.

The dark figure’s voice shrieked in rage. “No! This cannot be!”

Naruto charged forward, his Rasengan glowing with the combined power of his own chakra and Kurama’s. “I told you—I’m not afraid of you!”

He slammed the Rasengan into the heart of the darkness, the impact sending shockwaves through the twisted landscape. The shadows screamed as they were torn apart by the force of the attack, the crimson sky cracking like shattered glass.

_______________________________________________________________

Back in the real world, Naruto gasped as he regained consciousness, his body drenched in sweat. He looked around, finding himself back in the training field, the dark figure gone, the sky clear once more.

Shion knelt beside him, her face filled with concern. “Naruto! Are you alright?”

Naruto nodded weakly, his chest heaving with exhaustion. “Yeah… I’m okay.”

Shion glanced around, her eyes narrowing. “The shadow… it’s gone.”

Naruto sat up slowly, wiping the sweat from his brow. “For now. But that thing… it’s not finished with us.”

Shion’s gaze was distant, filled with worry. “That was only a taste of the darkness still out there. If we don’t stop it, the fragments of Mōryō will gather more power—and we might not be able to hold them off next time.”

Naruto’s fists clenched, his resolve hardening. “Then we’ll just have to get stronger. We’ll find the other fragments, and we’ll seal them all. No matter what.”

Shion nodded, though a shadow of doubt lingered in her eyes. “I hope we can…”

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