"Why was this happening?"
"If even the matron's memories had no trace of me, then what was I now?"
"What had I gotten from the matron...? She gave me my name, and I only ended up at the orphanage because of her. Even these glasses I'm wearing now were hers..."
"So... who... was I...?"
Footsteps rang out.
Shadow strode over, holding a long samurai sword to the white-haired boy's neck. "Are you Kabuto?"
If you are, just say so. I'm going to kill you.
Kabuto looked up, his face blank. He murmured, "Kabuto? Is that me? If it is, why doesn't the matron remember me...? Who am I, then? Who am I really? I can't seem to... see who I really am anymore..."
"Enough nonsense. Just answer yes or no."
Shadow was a little displeased. She applied a touch more pressure, and the blade cut his skin, leaving a mark on Kabuto's neck.
"...Who am I? Who am I, really? My lady, do you know who I am? Can you tell me...?"
Seeing Kabuto acting like a madman, Shadow lowered her sword.
She didn't care to kill someone who couldn't fight back.
"What's with that woman? Why hasn't she left yet...?"
Hidden in the shadows, Orochimaru watched Shadow sit cross-legged where she was. He was in a terrible mood.
He'd had his eye on Kabuto for years, always hoping to take the promising boy as a subordinate.
Thanks to Danzo's ridiculous schemes, Orochimaru had nearly succeeded. All he had to do was show up and talk Kabuto around... no, offer him some guidance, and he'd have Kabuto in his grasp.
Then that extravagantly dressed, beautiful, icy woman appeared!
She looked like a noblewoman, but Orochimaru's years of battling and hard-earned instincts told him otherwise.
Danger!!
Extreme danger!!!
He'd only ever felt something like that from Pain.
Naturally, Orochimaru had grown interested in Shadow.
But having learned from his past mistake, he didn't rush into action. He simply committed Shadow's appearance to memory, intending to investigate her later.
Right now, the most important thing was to make Kabuto his subordinate.
So...
"Why hasn't that woman left yet?"
Orochimaru fretted silently.
Time was limited. If he didn't make his move while Kabuto was so distraught, it would be much harder to win him over completely later.
After ending his conversation with Naruto, Shadow stood and looked at Kabuto, who lay motionless on the ground as if dead. "I have a way to revive your adoptive mother."
Kabuto didn't react. It wasn't the matron's death that had plunged him into despair, but the fact that she didn't remember him.
If even the matron had forgotten him, what meaning did his life have?
Shadow didn't try to persuade him further. She wasn't the type to talk people around, and saying that much was already quite an effort. She'd leave the rest to Naruto.
Two minutes later, as promised, Shadow performed the Reverse Summoning Technique.
The next instant, a brash voice rang out.
"Are you the one who's gonna be my master, damn it?"
Gilgamesh appeared, a thick gold chain draped across his chest.
Inside the Sealing Space, Kushina and Minato froze.
"Damn it?"
"Gonna be my master?"
This foul-mouthed guy was their son?
The couple couldn't accept it.
"Naruto!!! What are you doing?!"
Kushina's roar made Naruto's head ache.
"Mom, I'm building a persona here. Could you—"
"No!!!"
"Then don't blame me for getting rough. Kurama, help me block them out."
"No problem, Naruto."
Soon, his parents' voices disappeared.
Naruto sighed inwardly.
So a normal family didn't just have warmth. It came with arguments, too.
He could already imagine how he'd have to sweet-talk Mom that night to get Kushina to forgive him.
"Are you the one who's gonna be my master, damn it?"
Naruto repeated the line to Shadow, who was still stunned.
Shadow came back to her senses, thinking that Naruto really did like that kind of thing. He was a pervert, after all.
She answered solemnly, "That's right. I'm your master."
"???"
Naruto tilted his head. "You want to be my master?"
Shadow sensed something was off and asked tentatively, "Didn't you offer yourself to me?"
Master was an English word that could mean either a master or an employer.
So, in a way, Shadow hadn't been wrong.
Naruto looked at Shadow and fell silent for a moment. "I offered myself, and you just accepted?"
Shadow felt a little aggrieved. "Isn't this the kind of thing you like?"
You like it, so I played along. How can you blame me?
Naruto fell silent again. He really couldn't understand why Shadow thought he was an M.
"My lady, can you really revive the matron?"
Kabuto's arrival broke the silence.
He got to his feet, cradled Nonō's corpse, and knelt before Shadow, begging her to revive the matron.
Kabuto wanted to ask the matron to her face why she'd forgotten him, then kill himself and leave this world full of despair.
"I can't revive her, but he can."
Shadow gestured toward Naruto. He was the one Kabuto needed to ask.
"My lord, please save the matron. I'm willing to pay any price."
Kabuto kowtowed repeatedly to Naruto, leaving a pool of blood on the ground.
Just what I was waiting for... Naruto laughed arrogantly, his words dripping with disdain. "I possess the wealth of the world. What treasure could my vault possibly lack...? Tell me, boy, what do you have that could persuade me to act?"
Kabuto prostrated himself before him. "My king, all I can offer you is my life."
King?
What's that supposed to mean?
Why's this kid calling me that...? Well, it doesn't matter. I got what I wanted.
"Your life is worthless. It's not worth collecting."
Kabuto's face immediately darkened.
"But in recognition of your wholehearted devotion to saving your adoptive mother, I will accept your life..."
"Who is that man? Another powerful figure I've never heard of. Can he really bring the dead back to life? Did he come here for Kabuto, too...?"
Hidden in the shadows, Orochimaru watched the newcomer steal Kabuto from under his nose, his expression dark and his thoughts in turmoil.
The Rinnegan had two ways to bring the dead back to life.
One could revive someone directly, without any conditions—
—Outer Path: Samsara Heavenly Life Technique.
The other was—
—Naraka Path: King of Hell Resurrection.
But the technique required that the person had died recently, that their soul hadn't yet entered the Pure Land, and that both body and soul were present. Only then could the dead be revived.
Nonō met all of those conditions perfectly.
She'd been dead for only a few minutes. Her soul had left her body and was slowly drifting upward.
"So... that boy was Kabuto..."
Looking at the white-haired boy prostrated on the ground, Nonō finally recognized him. Regret filled her eyes.