Chapter 10: Brain's Brief Brilliance
Brain Unglus squinted, watching Naruto approach with the kind of slow, measured pace that said, I'm about to ruin your day, but politely.
This, Brain thought, is the one technique I've been saving for my big comeback. His heart thumped a little faster, a rare feeling for someone usually all gritted teeth and grim resolve.
Ability Boost! he muttered under his breath, feeling his muscles tighten and strength surge like a catapult wound up and ready to fire.
Next came Field—Brain's own invention of martial arts genius, honed over years of frustrating practice. It let him sense everything—every whisper of movement within three meters—turning his accuracy and evasion into borderline sorcery.
Perfect, he thought, now I can catch this kid.
He assumed his stance, feet planted firmly, eyes sharp, waiting for Naruto to cross into his invisible bubble of doom.
And then…
Flash.
A slash so fast, so precise, it could cut through the air itself without a trace. The kind of move Brain bragged about to anyone who'd listen—usually himself. No blood sticks to this blade, he'd say smugly.
With this, Brain thought, I should finally bridge the speed gap.
Naruto blinked, looked mildly amused, and then, surprise! The slash passed right through the space where his arm should have been, leaving him completely unharmed.
"Well," Naruto said, smiling like someone who just tasted a particularly delightful cake, "you've clearly practiced hard. Reminds me of a friend. Good for you."
Brain's jaw dropped slightly. That… wasn't supposed to happen.
Naruto's hand suddenly glowed golden, a soft radiance wrapping around his arm like a warm cloak. In his other hand, a blade shimmered faintly—intact, unbroken.
Chakra cloak, Naruto thought proudly, I love this trick so much I had to borrow it.
Brain stared, stunned, as Naruto seemed to bend reality, placing Brain somewhere completely different—off balance, disoriented.
"I give up," Brain muttered, feeling the fight drain out of him faster than he could say "Field Flash."
-------------------
Naruto looked down at Brain Unglus, who was still standing stiff as a board, the faintest flicker of hope—or was it confusion?—in his eyes. The air between them felt oddly calm, like the moment after a storm when the birds start chirping again.
"Good," Naruto said, voice light but firm, "I don't like pointless struggle—especially when I wasn't even planning to kill you." He gestured to the clone that had silently appeared behind Brain, who reached out and pressed a gentle, glowing seal onto his back. "Now you'll serve me," Naruto continued, "and—let's be honest—you'll have a lot of repenting to do for all the wrongs you've committed. But here's the deal: I'll give you freedom, and you'll grow stronger. So don't be down about it."
Brain blinked, barely able to believe what he was hearing. Freedom? Growth? Repentance wrapped in promises of strength? This was nothing like the fiery retribution he'd been bracing for.
Naruto smiled, warmth shining in his eyes. "If you've got a dream—something good—I'll even help you with it."
Brain hesitated, still unsure if this was some trick. Most people would have expected the kill-or-be-killed scenario, but Naruto's calm aura was oddly comforting.
Naruto's thoughts were a tangled mess. His light and darkness—two sides of a coin forged in the fires of his past—had shaped him into who he was. His deep desire to kill had been buried under layers of discipline and resolve… but sometimes, that hunger broke through like a wild animal clawing at the cage.
He cleared his throat and carefully asked, "Can I trust you on that? I want to win against Gazef Stronoff—the warrior captain of the Kingdom."
Naruto's grin widened like a cat who just found the cream. "No problem. I don't know exactly how strong this Gazef fellow is," he said with a playful shrug, "but I can help you get there. Easily."
Brain narrowed his eyes, intrigued now. Naruto's tone was confident, but there was something more—a promise behind the words that made Brain feel like he wasn't just another pawn.
Naruto's mind was already racing ahead, scheming ways to train Brain and get him into top shape. "Weight training, specialized sparring… and don't worry, we've got healing covered, so you won't be breaking anything permanently," Naruto added with a wink.
'Still need to figure out that Crown of Wisdom magic,' Naruto mused silently. 'Increasing magic levels is a pain, and I can't just transfer my chakra like I would with a healing spell. That'd be too easy.'
He motioned for Brain to follow as they strode out of the hut together, the unlikely pair setting off on what might just become an even unlikelier friendship.
"So," Naruto said, looking over his shoulder, "first lesson: surviving Brain Unglus 101. It's less about brute force and more about knowing when to duck."
-------------------
"This place is good," Naruto said with a satisfied nod, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the moss-covered fortress ahead. The trees loomed protectively around it, vines curling like lazy cats across its crumbling stone walls. "We'll use it as our second base."
Brain, trailing just behind, arched an eyebrow. "Second base?" he echoed. "How many do you have?"
Naruto gave a cheeky grin. "Enough to get lost in. One for resting, one for training, one for emergencies, and one that's just for snacks. Well, mostly snacks."
Brain didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned.
The fortress was tucked neatly into the forest, half-eaten by time but still standing proud—as if daring the world to try knocking it down properly. It had all the charm of a haunted castle and the structure of an overconfident pile of rocks, but Naruto saw potential. The land around it was already cleared, the canopy thick enough to hide it from above, and the roots hadn't cracked every tile on the floor. That counted as "excellent condition" in his book.
"All it needs," Naruto said, "is a little love… and about seventy clones."
He clapped his hands, and in a puff of smoke, an army of orange-clad Narutos appeared, stretching, yawning, and exchanging confused glances.
"You lot know the drill. We need fortifications, watchtowers, a barrier field, and maybe a nice garden. Oh, and fix the roof—we don't want squirrels raining from the ceiling again."
One of the clones raised a hand. "Can we add a ramen corner this time?"
Naruto gave it a thoughtful pause. "Only if you finish the security wards first."
The clones saluted dramatically, like soldiers off to war—except this war involved brooms, beams, and chakra-infused cement. They scattered, some floating up to the mossy battlements, others diving into the overgrown courtyard with wild enthusiasm.
Brain watched them go, arms crossed, and let out a low whistle. "This is… unusual."
"You'll get used to it," Naruto said with a shrug. "It's either this or I spend a week building things by hand. Believe me, this is much less boring."
As they walked down the stone path leading deeper into the fortress, Naruto cast a glance back, his expression softening slightly.
"This place will be more than just stone and chakra," he said, half to himself. "It's going to be a home for people like us—those who've lost their way a bit, but still have somewhere to go."
------------------
Brian blinked. Then blinked again.
He stared down at the sword in his hand—the very blade he'd once wielded like a feather on the wind—and now it felt like he was holding an anvil tied to a brick.
Thud.
It dropped with a muffled crash onto the dirt, the hilt almost yanking his shoulder from its socket.
"What… what did you just do to me?" Brian asked, his voice somewhere between a gasp and a growl.
Naruto, utterly unbothered, gave a playful wink as he flexed his fingers. "Just a little training seal. Adds a bit of weight to your movements—say, around a tonne."
"A tonne?!" Brian echoed in horror. "That's not training, that's torture!"
"It builds character!" Naruto said cheerfully. "And muscles. And it keeps you from running away while we're bonding."
Brian narrowed his eyes, trying not to grunt as he bent down to pick up his newly traitorous sword. It's like someone stuffed it with bricks, then cursed it for good measure.
He stood up slowly, his spine clicking like a rusty gate, and glanced sideways at Naruto, who had plopped down lazily on a tree stump, arms behind his head, as if this was a picnic.
Brian's instincts—well-honed after years of wandering shady alleyways and living with more betrayal than birthdays—were screaming. Trust was not something he handed out like free samples at a market stall. And Naruto, despite his affable grin and absurdly shiny hair, had just enslaved him, sealed him, and now weighed him down like a pack mule.
No. Trust was not on the menu.
Watch him, Brian reminded himself. Always watch. Don't let your guard down. Not even for a moment.
But as he trudged through the training yard-turned-construction site, trying not to trip over pebbles that now felt like small boulders, a quieter voice in his mind chimed in.
Brian shook the thoughts away like flies, dragging his new weight through another slow step.
His whole life had been about surpassing one man—Gazef Stronoff, the gleaming ideal of strength and honour. And in chasing that dream, Brian had let everything else fade: morals, empathy, even the faces of those he'd stepped over to keep training. He had no family, no home, and no one who'd shed a tear if he vanished tomorrow.
And now he was following a man who talked about redemption as casually as if he were offering extra dessert after dinner.
The irony wasn't lost on him.
"Just a heads-up," Naruto called from his tree stump throne, balancing a stick of jerky on his nose. "You'll get used to the weight in a week or so. And then I'll double it!"
Brian sighed, long and loud. "Of course you will."
Naruto let the jerky fall into his mouth with a triumphant chomp. "Oh, and don't worry—if anyone from your past comes looking for trouble, we'll deal with it. I'm pretty good at making enemies disappear."
Brian gave him a look.
"Non-lethally!" Naruto added quickly. "Most of the time. Well, sometimes. Depends on the mood."
Brian wasn't sure if he should be reassured or terrified.
But one thing was certain—his dream of surpassing Gazef wasn't dead. It had merely taken a detour… through a very bizarre, heavily chakra-infused forest fortress, under the watchful eye of a golden-eyed shinobi who believed in second chances.