Here's @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.
You can now get early access to Chapter 96 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon. You can also read up to Chapter 32 of Naruto: Satoru Senju.
patreon.com/riojiyo131
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I've noticed the quality of the story has dropped a bit. I apologize for that. It will be resolved in the following chapters. I think it was because I didn't feel like continuing to write the Chūnin Exams arc.
Thankfully, it's over now.
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"At least... I'll take the sword with me..." muttered the Monkey King Enma, crawling across the ground toward Hiruzen's body, where Orochimaru's Kusanagi no Tsurugi lay.
Just as he was about to reach it, a foot came down firmly, crushing his hand against the ground.
"That sword belongs to me now" said Reika, elegantly kneeling to take the blade.
With a swift motion, Reika sealed it into a scroll.
The Monkey King Enma looked at her in disbelief.
"A-are you with Orochimaru...?" he asked, frowning, his voice full of suspicion and confusion.
Reika cast a disdainful glance at Orochimaru, who was gritting his teeth, writhing in pain from the loss of his arms. Then, she scoffed mockingly.
"With that crippled idiot? Of course not" she flatly denied, with a smile full of contempt.
At that moment, Fugaku and Minato appeared by her side, both staring at Orochimaru, like silent judges on the verge of passing sentence.
"Kukuku... T-The operation is over..." murmured Orochimaru, flashing a crooked smile as his eyes settled, one after another, on both men.
"I've always wanted to kill you, Orochimaru," said Fugaku, crossing his arms in front of his daughter, his eyes fixed on the enemy.
"I'm afraid you'll be left wanting," replied Orochimaru, his arms hanging lifelessly at his sides.
Minato remained silent, first looking at Orochimaru, then his arms, and finally the lifeless body of the Third Hokage lying on the ground.
Even though the barrier was still active, Kushina had managed to open a gap large enough for them to enter.
Their goal? To finish off Orochimaru once and for all.
Reika had followed them without hesitation, driven by a personal interest—something amid the chaos had caught her attention.
Now, both Fugaku and Minato knew exactly what she meant.
Orochimaru's sword was no ordinary weapon.
It was, without a doubt, one of the finest swords in all the Elemental Nations... perhaps the best in the Ninja World.
And now it belonged to Reika, who had claimed it as her own.
"Naruto can keep Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō if he wants. I'll keep Orochimaru's Kusanagi no Tsurugi," Reika murmured to herself, though loud enough for everyone to hear.
Orochimaru glared at her, but said nothing.
Then, something unexpected happened: the barrier began to fade. Everyone—even Orochimaru—noticed it with surprise, as he had not given the order.
The Sannin quickly looked around, trying to understand what was happening.
He only managed to see a yellow flash sweep across the barrier.
Minato smiled as he recognized that figure.
Naruto had returned.
...
"Reika, I'll trade you my Kubikiribōchō for your Kusanagi no Tsurugi. How about it?"
Reika nearly jumped in fright as Naruto's arm wrapped around her neck in a friendly gesture.
Naruto had appeared at her side out of nowhere.
"T-too close..." Reika thought, nervous about how near he was.
"So?" Naruto insisted, grinning boldly.
"Hmph. My Kusanagi no Tsurugi is much better than your Kubikiribōchō. I'm not interested," Reika replied coldly, turning her gaze away while crossing her arms, still not pushing him off.
Naruto rolled his eyes. You're a total Tsundere, but I kinda like that... he thought.
"Come on, don't be stingy. I just lost my sword. A new one would be nice, you know?"
"Then use your Kubikiribōchō. Stop insisting..."
Naruto had already considered the idea of melting down the Kubikiribōchō and forging a new sword.
With how massive the Kubikiribōchō was, Naruto was sure he could make more than one Chokutō from it. Maybe two... or even three, if he did it right.
Just imagining a Chokutō capable of regenerating using the iron from blood, like the Kubikiribōchō...
Naruto almost felt the urge to drop everything and forge it right then and there.
But after seeing that Orochimaru's Kusanagi was in Reika's hands, he had decided to try negotiating with her.
He didn't even pay attention to Orochimaru, who was watching from a few meters away with a deep frown.
"Stop negotiating over a weapon that doesn't belong to you, brats!"
Naruto clicked his tongue and glared at him.
"Watch your mouth, Pedomaru. Killing you now would be like taking candy from a baby."
Orochimaru said nothing. He knew Naruto was right. He was surrounded, and his death was only a matter of time.
"So, how about I give you something else along with my Kubikiribōchō in exchange for the Kusanagi?"
Reika raised an eyebrow, visibly more interested.
"Like what?"
"A-ny-thing," Naruto whispered near her ear, in an almost suggestive tone.
Was he using her feelings to get what he wanted? Absolutely.
Was that okay? No.
Did he care? Not at all.
Reika blushed, imagining possibilities she didn't want to admit even to herself.
"I… I…" she stammered, slightly red-faced.
"Stop flirting with my daughter, brat!" roared Fugaku, shooting Naruto a murderous glare.
Naruto immediately let go of Reika, raising his hands innocently as he took a few steps back with a mischievous smile.
Reika frowned and glared at her father.
Fugaku instantly realized his mistake.
"Reika… I just…"
She completely ignored him, annoyed by his interference.
Naruto watched the scene with amusement, as if enjoying the chaos he had caused. Fugaku, frustrated, turned his gaze to Orochimaru, almost wishing he had someone to take it out on. But Orochimaru just smiled.
"Too late..." he whispered.
The ground shook, and a giant snake emerged, swallowing Orochimaru in one gulp before disappearing underground again.
For an instant, Naruto saw Kabuto inside the snake along with Orochimaru.
Fugaku clenched his fists, irritated that he hadn't been able to stop him.
Minato looked at his son, visibly confused.
Naruto could have stopped Orochimaru from escaping... why had he let him go?
Naruto shrugged when he noticed his father's gaze.
"Orochimaru is still useful... but don't worry, his death is coming soon."
Minato sighed and nodded at his son's words.
After all, it was no longer his concern. Orochimaru was an enemy of Konoha, but he no longer belonged to Konoha.
Therefore, what Orochimaru did was none of his business.
He looked at his cloak for a moment. The words "Fourth Hokage" were still inscribed on his back.
Without another thought, Minato took it off and let it fall to the ground. The wind gently carried his cloak until it landed on Hiruzen's lifeless body on the ground.
Minato frowned at the sight.
Ignoring it, he placed his tactical vest and his ninja headband beside him, as a silent resignation from his position.
Naruto watched all this carefully, and suddenly gave his father a light pat on the back before hanging from his neck with a smile.
"Let's go find Mom and head home, Dad. Do you think Mom will make me that homemade ramen I've heard so much about?"
Minato paled at the mention of Kushina's homemade ramen.
"I'm sure she will if you ask her… but please, don't..." Minato pleaded, with a nervous smile.
It wasn't that Kushina's homemade ramen was bad—on the contrary, it was the tastiest thing he had ever eaten.
BUT MINATO COULDN'T EAT RAMEN FOR ANOTHER SINGLE DAY IN HIS LIFE!
Since marrying Kushina, ramen was the only thing he had eaten.
"Eh? But I want ramen..." Naruto complained.
Minato sighed, resigned. He knew there was no way to stop them. Not Kushina, not Naruto. They were both monsters when it came to devouring ramen... and there was no power in the world that could stand between them and a good bowl of it.
As they walked away, Naruto didn't stop pestering Reika, throwing teasing comments and provocative smiles her way.
He had no intention of giving up.
One way or another, he planned to get his hands on Orochimaru's Kusanagi no Tsurugi.