The forest near the bridge was calm that morning. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting golden patches across the mossy ground. The sound of construction echoed faintly in the distance as the workers toiled on the bridge. Team 7 stood together in a clearing, tension clinging to the air like mist.
Naruto stood with his back to the others, facing the rising sun. His robe, now dyed darker shades from his training, billowed gently with the breeze. His posture was still—unnervingly still for the boy who once couldn't stay still for five seconds.
Kakashi eyed him carefully, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his icha-icha paradise, Sharingan focused. "So… how do you plan to increase Sasuke's strength?" he asked finally.
Naruto didn't turn. "I asked my master about this," he said, voice quiet but firm. "There's a technique. Ancient. Brutal. Forgotten by most cultivators… It's a body refining method. Not just to grow stronger. But to become something else entirely."
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed with interest. "What's the cost?"
Naruto turned then, his expression unreadable. "Pain," he said flatly. "Agony. The kind that breaks your bones and rips your soul apart. But if you survive… You will have a body capable of holding power—not being shattered by it."
Sasuke's lips curled upward slightly. "Tch. I can handle pain."
Sakura flinched beside him. "Wait… you're talking about something dangerous, right? This isn't just some new training method."
Kakashi stepped forward, a hint of concern in his gaze. "Naruto, this isn't something normal genin can handle. Even jōnin don't train this way. If something goes wrong—"
"It won't," Naruto interrupted. His voice had no arrogance. Only conviction. "Because I'll do it with him."
Sakura's breath caught. "What?! You're going to do it too?"
Kakashi frowned. "Why would you put yourself through that again?"
Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a sealed scroll. He knelt and unfurled it on the ground with a burst of Qi. Ancient symbols burst to life in glowing gold ink—spiraling arrays of power, some foreign and some older than language itself.
"Heavenly Divine Demon Body Refining Technique," Naruto said. The words reverberated with spiritual weight.
The clearing went silent. Even the trees seemed to quiet.
Naruto's fingers brushed the glowing array. "There are five stages," he began. "First—Skin refinement. To make your body impervious to physical strikes. Second—Muscles, meridians, and energy pathways. Third—Bone and tendon refinement, so your foundation never breaks. Fourth—your internal organs. And the final… Soul refinement."
Kurama stirred within Naruto's mind.
"Brat. You're playing with fire," the fox rumbled.
"I know," Naruto replied silently.
"If you die, I die with you. And this ritual… it tears your soul out like an old root."
"Then anchor me. Help me through it."
Kurama snorted but said nothing more.
Naruto stood and pulled out two crystals—one glowing gold, the other a translucent icy blue. "These are infused with elemental Qi—one to feed the vitality and warmth, the other to temper it with cold and spiritual sharpness."
Sasuke stepped forward, eyes focused. "Let's begin."
Sakura grabbed his arm. "Sasuke, don't! What if you get hurt? What if you can't handle it?!"
He pulled away gently but firmly. "If this is the path to power, I'll walk it. I'm not letting Naruto shoulder everything."
Kakashi sighed heavily. "I'll be here… watching. But I'm warning you—if I see either of you about to die, I'm pulling you out. I don't care if it interrupts the ritual."
Naruto knelt at the array's center, motioning for Sasuke to sit across from him. As they settled into place, Naruto raised both crystals in his palms. Qi began to flow from his hands into the array, igniting the inscriptions.
The sky darkened. Wind howled as if reacting to the summoning of something ancient.
Naruto's voice rang out, clear and commanding:
"Heaven and Earth, sacred power! Shift the Yin and Yang! Let body break and be rebuilt! Let the Heavenly Divine Demon be reborn to break the heavens—GO!"
The crystals shattered into radiant dust, and the array flared.
Golden light erupted like a sunburst. Symbols danced, rotated, and twisted in the air. All the materials on the scroll dissolved and surged toward Naruto and Sasuke, bathing their bodies in blinding light.
Stage One: Skin Refinement.
Golden sand materialized from the ground and began covering their skin. The sensation was like millions of burning needles stabbing them.
Naruto clenched his teeth as his skin began to flake and peel. Every pore was scorched by the sand. His blood vessels screamed under the stress.
Sasuke convulsed, gasping for breath. He clawed at the ground, blood pooling from his fingernails.
Sakura cried out and tried to run forward, but Kakashi caught her.
"Don't!" he said sharply. "If you interrupt the array, you could kill them both."
"But look at them!" she sobbed. "They're… they're in agony!"
Kakashi's gaze didn't leave the two boys. "I know."
Kurama inside Naruto let out a growl of pain.
"It's hurting me too… Damn it, brat. This madness… you should've warned me."
"I didn't want you to stop me."
Stage Two: Muscles, Meridians, and Energy Channels.
Their muscles began stretching—unnaturally, horrifyingly. Then they tore. Ripped. Shredded like paper. For a heartbeat, both boys screamed loud enough to send birds fleeing from the trees.
Then, inch by inch, their tissues reknit themselves—fibers glowing golden with divine vitality. The array pulsed, feeding them Qi. Meridians widened painfully, cracking from within, only to be reinforced anew.
Kakashi's hands trembled.
"They're really doing it…" he whispered. "They're changing."
Stage Three and Four: Bones, Tendons, and Internal Organs.
Naruto and Sasuke were lifted into the air by the array. Their bodies shone so brightly they looked like spirits.
Their forms disintegrated into particles of light—bones, tendons, hearts, lungs, everything. Hovering in perfect spirals, guided by the array's will.
Then, everything began to swirl—like a galaxy forming. Their essence spun in circles, flowing with the glowing lines on the ground.
Kurama let out a howl of agony.
"Brat!! Our bodies… they're linked! YOUR pain is MY pain!"
"Hold on… Kurama. Just… a little longer…"
Sasuke's body let out black impurities—mossy, toxic, his inner weakness being forcibly ejected.
Stage Five: Soul Refinement.
From their chests, two glowing orbs slowly emerged—Naruto's pulsing with golden light and fire, Sasuke's flickering with violet and black.
Kurama's soul was tied to Naruto's, dragged out alongside him. Even Kakashi felt the unnatural shift in the air—a pressure like watching a star collapse.
"I can't take it anymore!" Sakura screamed.
"No!" Kakashi barked. "They're almost there!"
Suddenly, a faint blue pill from Naruto's pouch flew into the center—Yin Long's Soul Strengthening Pill. It broke apart in the air, its mist coating the glowing souls.
The screaming stopped. Only breathing remained.
For nine hours, Naruto and Sasuke hung between life and death. The array processed every fiber of their being. The forest quieted. Not even insects dared approach.
When the light began to fade, a golden skeleton took shape for each of them—reforged, radiant. Then came the organs, glowing faintly, perfect. Next were the muscles—dense, powerful, coiling like beasts. Their blood flowed again, Naruto's glowing gold, Sasuke's carrying streaks of violet Qi.
Naruto's golden blood radiated warmth and divine vitality, while Sasuke's impurities leaked out, forming black sludge that evaporated into foul smoke.
The last thing to return was their skin—smooth, flawless, glowing faintly with energy.
They collapsed, unconscious, naked, and exhausted.
Kakashi rushed forward and knelt beside them. He took off his cloak and covered them. His fingers brushed Naruto's wrist—his pulse was weak but steady.
"They survived…" Kakashi exhaled shakily.
Sakura fell to her knees, crying. "They did it…"
Kakashi carried both boys, one over each shoulder, and began walking toward Izuna's house.
As they passed the bridge workers, every man stopped and watched in awe.
Izuna opened the door with wide eyes. "What happened to them?"
"They became monsters," Kakashi said simply. "Golden-blooded monsters."
Inside Naruto's mind, Kurama stirred weakly.
"You fool… you actually did it. But you've changed forever, Naruto… you're not human anymore."
Naruto's soul drifted in golden light.
"I never wanted to be."
---
To Be Continued….