1 Sekiro
Ashina, light shined on the mountains and plains, but it also flashed on the dueling blades.
"Sekiro!" Isshin Ashina yelled. From the moment he held the blade in his hand, he was prepared to die by the blade.
Wolf pulled out the Mortal Blade that emitted scarlet light from behind. Looking at his neck, Sekiro waved the blade, completing his mistake and marking the end of an era.
His gaze was on the corpse, the wolf's eyes were still. Death by the enemy's sword was an adequate end for those who took up the blade.
"Wolf..."
A faint call from not far away. The wolf's stone-cold face showed some changes and he ran to the voice.
Slowly picked up Kuro, who was almost comatose, took out the Divine Dragon Tears, and carefully put them into Kuro's mouth.
Kuro looked at him and tried to speak, but all he managed was a few coughs. In the end, Kuro spoke no words and blacked out with improving vitality.
"May you live on..."
The wolf drew out the mortal blade, but this time the scarlet blade faced his neck.
"and embrace what it means..."
But he has lived through two lives, and his values do not allow him to trade a child's life for his own.
"to be human."
A swift slash, and the Dragon's Heritage from Kuro's body, drifted into cherry blossoms and vanished into the sky.
…
"Naruto! Naruto!" A loud shout awakened him from his memories.
Looking at the pineapple-headed boy in front of him, Naruto asked: "What's the matter? Shikamaru?"
"..." Shikamaru looked up to the sky speechlessly. "Class's over. We are going for a picnic. Are you coming?"
"Of course."
Naruto nodded, although he was used to being alone, it was also great to laugh with others.
…Death is not only the end, but it also represents a new beginning...
This was the first thing he heard coming into this world. But it was not the first time he heard the voice.
The voice was his introduction to the world full of undead people in his first reincarnation.
In his last life, he couldn't get the perfect ending so he decided to give the all he had to Kuro.
Subconsciously there were hopes for him that he would be reborn in a new world.
He was curious about the mechanism. He searched for it in his previous life, but there were very few hints in the world to explain this phenomenon.
Alas, some things cannot be explained.
Just like the world of the undead.
Had he not seen it with his eyes, he would not have believed that there were people who could not be killed no matter how hard he tried.
The source of Kuro's immortality comes from the Divine Sakura Dragon, and perhaps the source of his constant rebirth is similar.
Life is a journey, and the meaning of the journey comes not only from the destination but the friend we lost along the way.
"How are you two so late?"
At the school gate, Ino, with blond hair, looked at the two walking slowly and yelled.
"...What a drag." He couldn't figure out why he became friends with such a troublesome woman.
Ino, Sakura, Choji, Kiba... Naruto glanced around. Except for some who could not come, they were the only few in the village who dared to talk to him, the 'nine-tailed demon fox'.
In a corner, Shino looked at the crowd's laughter and pushed up his glasses.
A dinner party, but it's just playtime after school. Although children in this world are precocious, what kind of delicious food can you expect 10-year-olds to cook?
Naruto took out a kunai from the bag and harvested the freshly caught river fish.
"You're going to have to cook again." Choji squatted next to him holding a bag of potato chips and said sheepishly.
"It's okay." Influenced by his previous life, Naruto's language was always concise. That which could be conveyed in two words would never be conveyed in three.
A new fire was lit on the remnants of the campfire from a few days ago.
Due to the fear of the 'nine-tailed demon fox', he has a hard time buying things from the shops in the village, and his food sources are limited. To get food, he often came to the river to catch fish.
"Akamaru, charge!" Not far away, Kiba threw the branch in his hand, and the small Akamaru chased after the branch.
Under the shade of the tree, Shikamaru lay on the ground, looking at the clouds that had been stained by the setting sun, thoughts drifting.
Shino was squatting beside him, looking at the little insect climbing slowly along the trunk of the tree.
Further away, the two girls picked flowers and compared their ikebana skills with each other.
How tranquil…
Naruto withdrew his gaze.
There would be no place for such a scene in Ashina.
Kuro probably would like this kind of atmosphere, after all, they are all about the same age.
"Is it ready?" Choji swallowed, staring expectantly at the grilled fish on the bonfire.
"Almost." Naruto looked at the golden surface, poked the inside with a branch, turned to the dead fish sunbathing not far away, and shouted, "Shikamaru!"
This is one of his regular foraging places, so Naruto stashed some condiments in secret spots.
Shikamaru got up and dug around in the tree hole nearby, taking out bottles and jars of salt, chili peppers, and sesame seeds...
Taking the seasoning, Naruto sprinkled it on the fish, and the mouth-watering scent amplified instantly.
"It's time to eat!" Naruto shouted to the girls who were moving further and further.
On the picnic cloth, in addition to the fish he had just grilled, there were also some foods the others bought a few hours ago, takoyaki, sushi...
Not necessarily gourmet food, but by the buff of a campfire and a sense of companionship, a simple meal can be made extremely delicious.
Most of the food in Ashina is... edible to say the best.
Rating it any higher would be a disgrace if he ever went to the Shogugeki universe.
When a persimmon can be put on the altar as an offering, at a high price. You can imagine how scarce the supplies are.
"The graduation exam will be held in a few days. Are you guys ready?" Kiba asked.
"Are you ready?" Naruto asked after swallowing the food in his mouth.
"I mean... mostly ready?" Kiba stuttered and replied.
Naruto pulled off a piece of fish, threw it into his mouth, and nodded.
"???"
"He means, if you are ready, then we must have no problem." Shikamaru translated.
"Hey, hey, hey! Shikamaru, you two should talk, you guys sleep the most in class!" Kiba suddenly felt unhappy.
Naruto smiled slightly. The academy's teachings are roughly divided into two parts, theoretical knowledge and practical training.
Although the theoretical knowledge part is difficult, he's looking at this from an adult's perspective. He may not be as genius as Sakura, but elementary education is elementary.
Chakra is not very scientific, nor is the art in Sekiro. However systemic knowledge learning is broadly similar.
Not to mention actual combat training. He fought people, monsters, and everything in between. Beating up small children will be a walk in the park.
