At the moment of fusion, Cedric felt a torrent of ice and fire surge through his meridians, as if thousands of red-hot steel needles were rushing through his blood vessels.
His skin turned an eerie bluish-white, and faint scale-like patterns appeared across his arms and neck. Around the edges of his Rinnegan pupils, a golden ring resembling a snake's eye slowly emerged.
[Ding! Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode fusion progress: 17%... Conflict detected between the host's physique and chakra attributes. System initiating forced harmony program.]
[Warning: Foreign consciousness residue rate exceeds threshold. Risk of possession detected. Initiate sealing protocol?]
The system's cold notifications echoed in his mind one after another, but Cedric was already unable to respond. His consciousness was dragged into an abyss where deep blue and jet black intertwined, the manifestation of his mental world.
"This body is quite good."
A deep, playful voice echoed through the void.
"The Rinnegan, the Six Paths power, the soul of a transmigrator, and that faint yet stubborn World Scar. You are far more perfect than those mundane vessels."
Cedric looked up sharply. Ahead of him, a massive snow-white serpent coiled in the void. Its head was raised high, its vertical pupils reflecting countless shattered worlds. It was the White Snake Sage.
"You are not dead?" Cedric gritted his teeth, his Rinnegan spinning as he tried to gather chakra.
"Dead?" The White Snake let out a low chuckle. "I am the embodiment of a concept. As long as chakra flows through this world, I will never truly perish. I have simply changed containers."
It slithered forward, its massive body coiling around Cedric's spiritual form. Cold scales brushed against his soul.
"You fused with my Core, but you also swallowed my Will. From the moment you accepted it, you became the gate for my return."
Cedric retreated and quickly formed hand signs.
"Six Paths: Sealing Jutsu!"
Golden rune chains burst from the void and lashed toward the serpent, but the White Snake's body shattered into countless tiny white snakes at the moment of impact. They slipped through the gaps in the runes and burrowed into his consciousness like parasites.
"It is useless, boy," the White Snake whispered inside his mind. "You sealed power, but my will has already merged with yours. Every time you use Sage Mode, I move one step closer to revival."
"What do you want?" Cedric roared.
"I want to reclaim the authority of a god." A frenzied ancient light gleamed in its pupils. "The Ōtsutsuki sealed me, and the world forgot me. This time, I will use this body to reshape the order of the source, and you will become the sacrifice for my return to the divine throne."
As its words fell, Cedric's vision twisted.
He saw a floating temple where members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan knelt.
He saw a white serpent wrapped around the World Tree, devouring the chakra of an entire plane.
And finally, he saw himself standing atop ruins, eyes hollow, body covered in white scales as he whispered,
"I am God."
"No!"
Cedric jolted awake. Back in the real world, he dropped to his knees, cold sweat soaking his back.
"Cedric!" Noelle Silva rushed forward to support him, but she suddenly froze and stepped back. "Your body is changing!"
Cedric looked down. His palms were turning semi-scaly, sharp white nails extending from his fingertips. The chakra within him raged violently, shifting between the purple hue of Six Paths power and the bluish-white energy of Ryūchi Cave.
"He is possessing you," Asta said grimly, pushing himself up with his swords. "That thing was not destroyed. It is using your body to come back."
"I know." Cedric clenched his teeth, forcing his will against the chaos inside him. "I need to cut the connection."
He bit his tongue hard, using the pain to steady his mind, and formed hand signs.
"Sage Art: Yin Release: Heart Lock Jutsu!"
A forbidden technique drawn from fragments of the White Snake's memories. It used his own consciousness as a guide to seal a foreign soul.
Black rune chains extended from his forehead and wrapped tightly around the writhing mass of white consciousness. The White Snake roared, struggling violently, but it was eventually restrained.
"You think this can hold me?" its voice echoed coldly. "Every time you use my power, these chains will weaken. And when you stand on the brink of death again, when you crave more power, I will awaken."
"When that time comes, you will no longer be Cedric."
The voice faded.
Cedric's body slowly calmed. The scales receded, his Rinnegan stabilized, and he collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. In his hand remained the white seed, the White Snake's Core, now marked with a thin crack like a dormant egg.
"This thing needs to be sealed," Noelle said, her Water Magic forming icy crystals around it.
"It will not work." Cedric shook his head. "It has already fused with my chakra. Forcing it out will cause a backlash."
He glanced toward the darkness deep within the underground tunnel.
"And besides, it is right. I need this power. The enemy threat is not over, and this world is far more dangerous than we thought."
Asta was silent for a moment, then he grinned.
"Then use it. Just do not let it use you."
He placed a hand on Cedric's shoulder, black Anti-Magic slowly flowing into him.
"If it tries to take over, I will be your anchor. The moment you start losing yourself, I will drag you back."
Noelle stepped closer as well, her Water Magic forming a flowing chain that wrapped gently around Cedric's arm. She looked at him, her expression soft but determined.
"We are your support too, Cedric. So do not go carrying everything alone."
Cedric met her gaze, a faint smirk forming despite his exhaustion.
"You wrapping me up like this, Noelle... if I did not know better, I would think you were trying to keep me all to yourself."
Noelle's face flushed instantly. "W-What are you saying? Do not be ridiculous!"
Cedric let out a quiet laugh, then looked between the two of them, his expression turning firm.
"Alright. Then we will carry this god's legacy together."
Deep underground, the White Snake's voice had not truly disappeared.
Within Cedric's sea of chakra, inside the cracked seed, a golden vertical pupil slowly began to open.
...
📢 Author's Note
The full completed version of Black Clover: I Awakened the Naruto System is now available on Patreon!
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✅ Complete — 149 Chapters
Join the journey of a boy from Hage Village who gains the mysterious Naruto System and rises beyond the limits of magic, changing the future of the Clover Kingdom.
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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