Scene: The Heart of the Forge Beyond Names
The entire realm trembles under the weight of the Eternal Guardian.
He's massive—at least fifty feet tall—formed of molten steel, burning light, and inscriptions of forgotten languages carved across his body like scars.
His eyes are twin cores of white flame.
His voice is layered, echoing across dimensions.
"I AM THERION.
FIRST WARDEN. FINAL JUDGE.
ALL WHO SEEK THE FLAME…
MUST SURVIVE IT."
The soulblade in Naruto's hand vibrates violently.
Even the blade senses what's coming.
Ignara watches from the anvil, hammer in hand but eyes unreadable.
"You cannot win this with brute strength, Naruto," she says.
"To survive Therion…
you must understand yourself better than he does."
Therion charges.
Each step reshapes the terrain, creating shockwaves of temporal friction. Time bends. Naruto sees flashes of himself—future, past, unborn.
He dodges, barely.
But Therion is not just strong. He knows.
Every move Naruto makes, the Guardian anticipates.
"You are still unfinished," Therion rumbles. "Still fractured."
Scene Shift – Naruto's Mindscape
Naruto's thrown into a mental projection by a single backhand from the Guardian.
He finds himself in a vast void, face to face with his younger self.
Not child-Naruto. Not Genin Naruto.
But the version of himself who still believed—in friends, in happy endings, in simple answers.
"You forgot me," the younger Naruto says, hurt in his voice. "You got strong… but you stopped dreaming."
Naruto closes his eyes.
"No. I just started dreaming for bigger things. For people beyond this world."
"You sure?" the kid asks. "Or are you just scared you'll end up like him?"
A shadow appears—his Hollowborn self, silent, smirking.
Naruto stands, grips the soulblade tight, and breathes.
"I'm not scared of him anymore. I'm not running. I am him. And I'm you."
The three versions of Naruto nod—and in that instant, they merge.
Back in the Forge – Ascension
As Therion strikes again, Naruto rises with newfound calm.
He's glowing—not with power, but with clarity.
The soulblade reshapes itself—becoming Kokugen, the "Moment Blade."
A weapon that strikes not when you swing, but when your resolve peaks.
Naruto sidesteps a hammer blow and appears behind Therion in a flash of thought.
"I don't need to overpower you," he says softly.
"I only need to accept me."
He swings.
Kokugen cuts time.
Therion's movements freeze.
Naruto walks across a single suspended moment and stabs the blade into the Guardian's core.
Therion crumbles—but smiles.
"YOU ARE WORTHY."
The Eternal Guardian dissipates into embers, and in his place appears a glowing sigil.
The Flame of Choice. The mark of those who can wield jutsu that change not just reality… but belief itself.
Ignara bows her head.
"You've done what few have. You rewrote your fate without losing yourself."
She hands him the crimson-bound scroll once more.
"Open it when you're ready to pay the price."
Cutaway – Obsidian's War Room
Obsidian senses the change.
The Heir appears beside him. "He passed the trial."
Obsidian nods. "Good. Now the fire inside him will burn his world for us."
"You think he'll use the scroll?"
Obsidian smirks.
"Not yet.
But when he does…
something he loves will die."
Final Scene – The Exit
Naruto steps through the veil back to his own realm.
But something's different.
The sky is fractured.
Konoha's skyline burns.
A dozen dimensional rifts spiral across the atmosphere.
Standing at the center of it all… is Ben.
But his aura is wrong.
Flickering between timelines. Breathing entropy.
Naruto freezes.
"Ben?"
Ben looks at him, expression unreadable.
Then he speaks—with three voices.
"You were too late."
[CHAPTER END | NEXT: Brother in Ash – The Fall of Ben, the Rise of the Riftborne]