Chapter 108

Here's @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.

You can now get early access to Chapter 118 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon. You can also read up to Chapter 40 of Satoru Senju: Conquering the Omniverse!

patreon.com/riojiyo131

-----------------

After Naruto heard Tsunade's reproaches about the size of her breasts, she seriously considered the bet.

Would Naruto be capable of defeating Orochimaru? she wondered.

But more importantly, could she trust that this time it would be different? That this cursed pendant wouldn't affect the boy, bringing his death?

Then she remembered Shizune's words from a few hours earlier, at the bar.

...

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama... you're an idiot!" Shizune blurted out, her eyes shining with anger.

Tsunade looked at her, bewildered, trembling as she pointed a finger at her. "W-what did you say...?"

"That damned curse you talk about doesn't exist!" insisted Shizune, her voice firm. "The death of Nawaki, of your fiancé... my uncle... It wasn't your fault, nor a curse! It was the war. War kills. War destroys everything. No one can escape it, not even you."

...

Tsunade stared at Naruto intently. Her hand clutched the pendant around her neck and squeezed it tightly.

Then she released it, her eyes slightly closed.

"Alright, let's bet. Defeat Orochimaru, and this pendant will be yours."

Tsunade accepted the bet, smiling faintly, almost as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

"But remember, if I see you in trouble, I will intervene and help you. I won't allow a brat like you to die when I can prevent it."

Naruto bowed his head, smiling.

Then he looked at Tsunade, winked, and turned towards Orochimaru.

"Start unhooking that pendant of yours from your neck. It's mine now," Naruto said to Tsunade, turning his back.

Orochimaru frowned at the sight.

"I can give you much more than a simple pendant, brat! Are you sure you don't want to accept my offer?!"

Naruto snorted amusedly and without saying a word, lunged at Orochimaru with his Kubikiribōchō in his hands.

"Do you think I haven't made preparations?! I'm always one step ahead, Naruto Uzumaki!" Orochimaru shouted.

The Giant Snake he had a contract with, Manda, made a sudden appearance, emerging from the rubble of Tanzaku Castle and swallowing Naruto whole in one bite.

Tsunade gasped at the sight.

"No..." she murmured, her face contorted from the shock. Regret settled in her chest like a stone.

If she hadn't accepted that bet, the boy would still be alive, she thought.

"Orochimaru!" roared Manda, looking at his summoner with disdain. "You still haven't paid the price for summoning me!"

Orochimaru pursed his lips, irritated by the complaint.

"I'll give you double the usual next time."

"It will have to be triple the usual offering! This brat I devoured wasn't even an appetizer...!"

Manda couldn't finish the sentence.

Suddenly, its stomach was split in two. A clean slash cut it from the inside.

"Next time remember to chew your food, noisy bastard," Naruto murmured, emerging from the reptile's entrails, his Kubikiribōchō dripping with blood.

Although he said that, there would be no next time for Manda.

The colossal snake's body fell to the ground like a collapsing mountain, causing a thunderous crash that shook the destroyed foundations of Tanzaku Castle.

The most powerful Giant Snake of Ryūchi Cave had lost its life.

Everything happened so fast that Orochimaru barely reacted.

Tsunade, seeing Naruto safe and sound, sighed with relief, one hand on her chest.

Shizune also sighed, looking at her master as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You should take better care of your pets, Orochimaru. This one had a very bad temper," Naruto said as he stepped out of Manda's stomach.

No sooner had he put a foot outside than several small snakes lunged at him, trying to bite.

Naruto jumped into the air, rising several meters to dodge them.

His chakra control had worsened since accepting the power of Hagoromo, Hamura, Asura, and Indra Ōtsutsuki. He could barely use his usual techniques, so he limited himself to close combat attacks.

Seeing him suspended in the air, Orochimaru thought he had found an opportunity.

His neck lengthened violently, lunging toward Naruto with his mouth open, trying to bite and leave his Cursed Seal engraved on his neck.

The Cursed Seal of Heaven was his escape card.

"You're mine, Naruto Uzumaki!" Orochimaru exclaimed.

Naruto shuddered seeing him approach with the intent to bite.

"Get away from me, you sexual deviant!" he shouted, using the flat side of his Kubikiribōchō to bat Orochimaru's head as if it were a ball.

The head flew several meters away, while his neck retracted back into his body.

"That hurts..." Orochimaru growled softly from the ground.

Naruto landed hard, stepping on the head of one of the snakes trying to bite him. The others were shredded by a wide sweep of his Kubikiribōchō.

Naruto swallowed audibly, feeling a chill run through his entire body.

"T-that was too close... I almost became a victim of Pedomaru..."

He was clearly joking, mocking Orochimaru.

He would never have been able to reach or even hurt him, no matter how many tries he made.

Orochimaru's eyes immediately fixed on Kabuto, who was still getting beaten by Naruto's Shadow Clones.

He had hoped to count on Kabuto's support during the fight, but the idiot had passed out from Naruto's chakra pressure.

Naruto, noticing where Orochimaru was looking, frowned.

"I completely forgot about that..."

He had overlooked that he had sent his clones after Kabuto and also that he needed to tell them when to stop.

By the smile they wore while beating him, it seemed they were enjoying giving him a thrashing.

"You can stop, guys. Don't you feel sorry...?"

Both clones looked at him, thinking about their answer, then replied in unison.

"Not at all."

Naruto smiled, amused.

"Correct answer. You can continue."

Both kept kicking Kabuto mercilessly.

Kabuto was not only Orochimaru's personal doctor, right hand, and assistant.

During the Fourth Ninja World War, he had become a key piece against the Ninja Alliance thanks to Edo Tensei.

Naruto wondered if he should kill him right now to avoid future problems.

Without Kabuto, the war would have been very different...

But Naruto didn't want that war to happen in the first place.

With or without Kabuto, the war would not break out.

After all, Madara was gradually changing his plans. The more time passed in the Chat Group, the more influenced she seemed.

The Moon Eye Plan, in the future, would only be backed by Obito.

And Obito's days were numbered, just like Akatsuki's.

"Boss! Can we kill him?" asked one of the Shadow Clones.

"Yes, boss! Killing him is the right option!"

Naruto was about to agree but remembered what Kabuto would be like in the future.

Not many years later, Kabuto would work on ninja medical and research projects, using his knowledge for good.

He would leave behind war and conspiracies, trying to repair his image and help Konoha.

He would also dedicate himself to caring for orphaned children, just like his adoptive mother, Nonō Yakushi.

Normally Naruto would have joked, saying Kabuto had been too influenced by Orochimaru and now shared the same hobby with kids.

But Kabuto had had one of the best redemption arcs Naruto knew in the Ninja World.

Naruto didn't want to change that.

"Nah. Let him live," he said finally.

"What?" both clones were surprised by the answer.

Naruto ignored their complaints after that, focusing his attention on Orochimaru.

"The only one who will die today is you," Naruto said, raising his Kubikiribōchō toward Orochimaru, pointing at him with it.

Although his chakra control was almost nonexistent, there was still one technique Naruto could use properly and without problems.

A technique that depended solely on how strong his body was.