Hey everyone! Thunderito here and welcome to chapter nineteen of Naruto: The Shadow Blade! This chapter features the end of Mother's Rosario. On with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online. They belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 19: The Things You Do For Love
Yuuki's Hospital
Asuna rushed inside Yuuki's hospital room, her face one of shock and worry. Inside, was Doctor Kurahashi, who urged her to come near, as well as two nurses. "I am glad you came." he said "Forty minutes ago, her heart stopped working. We restored the pulse using drugs and a defibrillator, but the next time it happens, we can't do anything." he said. Yuuki turned to him "Why! Yuuki is-" she was about to say, but he raised her arm "To tell you the truth, since you first visited, this could have happened any time. But she has fought so long, it has astonished even us. She has won an impossible fight for so long. Her last fifteen years were one large battle. And it wasn't just the HIV. The clinical phases of the Medicuboid have caused her so much pain, I can't imagine how it would feel." he said. Asuna held Yuuki's hand, before turning to Kurahashi "Can you activate the Medicuboid for her?" she asked. He smiled "I had it ready when you came. Go to the room." he said, as she nodded and rushed to the room with the Amusphere. Kurahashi turned to the nurses, a serious look in his face "Activate Naruto's device." he said, as they nodded. He looked at Yuuki 'Let's see what you will do, Naruto.' he thought.
24th Floor
Asuna quickly flew towards the North Section of the 24th Floor, reaching the island where Yuuki fought. As she landed on it, she smiled, looking at Yuuki, who was in front of it. "Thank you Asuna. I forgot to give you something important." she said. Asuna smiled, approaching her a bit "What is it Yuuki?" she asked. Yuuki flipped through her menu "One second. I will prepare it right now." she said. She took out her sword, turning to the tree. Narrowing her eyes, she roared, repeatedly stabbing the tree, before thrusting one last time, forming a large dust cloud. When it vanished, a symbol appeared on the tree, rolled in a sheet of paper, which Yuuki caught, before falling to the ground."Yuuki!" Asuna yelled, kneeling next to her and holding her. Yuuki looked at Asuna, smiling "It is strange. I am not in pain, yet I feel so weak." she said. "It is fine. You just need some rest." she said. Yuuki nodded "Open your Skill window." she said, as Asuna did so. Yuuki pressed the scroll into the window, smiling at the 'Accepted' screen "It is my Original Sword Skill, called 'Mother's Rosario'. I am sure it will protect you." she said, as she felt tears on her chest. "I promise you Yuuki. If I ever leave this world, I will make sure to pass this skill to someone else. Your sword… will never vanish" Asuna said, tears in her eyes. Yuuki nodded a thanks, before turning to see The Sleeping Knights landing next to her, kneeling "What? You guys… promised not to say goodbye." she said, her voice growing weaker.
"We aren't here for that. We're here to cheer you on and tell you to wait for us." Jun said, holding her hand. "Now… you will make me mad. Don't come… too soon." Yuuki said, tears in her eyes. "Silly… you can't do anything… without us." Nori said, crying and holding her arm. "Guys.. we promised not to cry.." Siune said, as she also held Yuuki's hand, along with Tecchi and Talken. "Alright… I will wait… So hold on as long as you.. can" said Yuuki. However, she was interrupted, as Naruto, Yui, Kirito, Leafa, Sinon, Silica, Lisbeth, Klein, Argo and Agil all fell down, kneeling, with the exception of Naruto. "What… are you guys doing here?" said Yuuki. "I am sorry. I thought you might be upset. But you're the strongest female fighter in the world Yuuki. I couldn't let this be a lonely goodbye." Asuna cried, as more tears fell from Yuuki's eyes.
"Yuuki. This isn't the end for you." said Naruto, closing his eyes. "System Login: ID Maelstrom." he said, before his body turned white, as cracks appeared throughout it, breaking the light in a million pieces, as Naruto in his SAO Avatar, with Dragon Wings and a white Metal crown on his head was revealed, surrounded by monitors. "It's been a long time since I used this…" he whispered. He then opened his eyes, which were now red, looking at Yuuki "Death is something inevitable. You can't choose when it will happen, or where or how. But you can choose the emotions and outlook you will carry when you die. And your emotions and outlook Yuuki, are a beacon of hope, whether you realise it or not." he said, as everyone listened to him. "You gave my girlfriend so much happiness and love, along with courage and hope. If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have told me what her parents had planned, until it was too late, which would have resulted in my own suicide." he said, as everyone widened her eyes. "Why.. why would you… die…" Yuuki said. Naruto smiled "Love makes someone go to so many crazy lengths. And because you helped my girlfriend, who came to love you, I also came to love you. I am indebted to you. And I will never leave a debt unpaid. So, I was thinking how to repay you. And the madness of love showed me the way." he said, as a screen monitor appeared. He pressed a button, as light surrounded Yuuki's body, before she disappeared in a million particles. "Yuuki!" everyone yelled, before standing up and raising their blades at Naruto, including Asuna. "What did you do!" she said, as he raised his arm. He stood like that for ten seconds with closed eyes, before opening them "Tell me. Do you know what I did, Yuuki?" he asked.
To everyone's shock, Yuuki appeared in a flash of gold light, looking slightly different. Her hair had gotten a darker hue and instead of red eyes, she had brown eyes. And instead of a single blade, she had a new one on her waist, with an orange handle. Yuuki looked at her body, clenching her arms "Wow… what happened to me? I feel like I could go through my disease for a thousand years." she said. Naruto smiled, going opposite of her "Well, too bad you can't. A dead person can't catch a disease." he said, as everyone widened her eyes, looking at him. "Yuuki, you love this world. You love it a lot. You may not believe it, but you are a child of the Virtual World. This is what I did to you. Using the Medicuboid, I created a super High-powered brain scan on your brain and I transfered your consciousness to the Virtual World. Your real body is dead, but your mind and spirit, those will live forever and not just in our hearts." he said, as everyone widened her eyes "And it wasn't just you who helped my Asuna. Every member of your guild did it. So, I will do the same to them, if they ever wish it. The Sleeping Knights, shall live forever." he said, as tears flowed through everyone's eyes. Asuna approached Naruto, before falling to her knees and hugging him, trembling from the tears. He patted her head, before looking at Yuuki. Yuuki smiled at him, tears falling from her eyes "Wow Naruto-kun. If only you weren't with Asuna. I don't know how to repay you or thank you." she said, wiping the tears off her eyes. Naruto smirked, before snapping his fingers. Suddenly, everyone felt themselves transported to a mountain plateau. Everyone except Yuuki and Naruto were ten feet away. "You don't need to repay me. That was me paying a debt. But if you want to thank me." he said, cracking his knuckles, as a red aura appeared around him for a moment "Thank me through a duel." he said smirking, as Yuuki grinned. "Everything goes. Use all the items and magic you wish. You can fight in ground and air at the same time. And I have a gift for you." he said, pointing at the orange sword. She took it out, marvelling it. It was a one-handed arming sword, with a dark orange hilt, a crossguard with a jewel in the middle and a jewel at the pommel. The blade itself was a bright orange colour. "That is the opposite of Kirito's second SAO blade. It is called the LightBringer ." he said. "Wow. But I can't dual wield." she said. Naruto shook his head "Your Avatar right now has maxed out all your Skills. But most of all, it is a fusion of your ALO avatar, along with a brand new one. You can freely use both blades." he said, as she grinned, taking out both swords. Naruto responding by taking out Yamato and Juuchi Yosamu. A timer appeared, as Yuuki and Naruto looked at each other's eyes, narrowing them, while a small smirk appeared on their faces.
The moment the timer reached zero, they blasted off the ground, swinging both blades at each other, as the ground cracked under the pressure. They both pushed forward, sparks flying from the friction of their blades, with Naruto gaining the advantage by throwing a sweeping kick at her legs, causing her to jump, as he raised his foot and kicked her in the stomach, sending her a few feet back. She quickly recovered and pushed forward, jumping over a swing of Naruto's, as she send her blade at his bare back, only for him to raise his other sword behind his back, blocking it. She planted her feet on the ground, thrusting her other sword forward, only for Naruto to drop his blade, swiftly turn and block with his other sword her strike, while catching it at the same time. They both smirked at each other, before jumping back, only to propel themselves forward again. A clash echoed through the plateau, as more sparks flew from their blades. Naruto swung his sword at her feet, only for her to fly high in the air. He swiftly followed her, holding both blades in a reverse grip. She did a backflip in midair, turning and rushing at him, both sword pointed forward. At the last second, Naruto swung his first blade forward, blocking both swords at the same time, before twirling and thrusting his other blade at her gut, as she clenched her teeth in pain, turning and headbutting Naruto, before forming an 'X' at his chest. She went to plant both swords at his torso, only for him to kick her away, before rushing and swinging both blades on her head, as she blocked with difficulty, only for him to kick her to the ground, then raising his blades, he said " Moon Slice ." as two crescent waves sliced her ribs, as she fell to the ground faster.
Yuuki groaned, slowly rising, as Naruto landed on the ground. He cracked his neck, before looking at his wound. He smirked "It's been a long time since I got injured in a duel. But you can do much better than that." he smirked. She rose fully, falling to a stance, as Naruto did so. Yuuki rushed at him " Mother's Rosario! " she said, thrusting her blade forward. Naruto quickly raised Juuchi Yosamu "Kuzuryusen!" he said, as he sent out nine strikes that blocked her nine first strikes. She smirked, as her glowing blade was about to pierce Naruto, only to widen her eyes in surprise, at his words " Kuzuryusen !" he yelled, as Yamato glowed, blocking the two last strikes, before she felt seven scars on her body. "You got two blades. You can use techniques on both." she said. She panted "Oh… you're good. But I am not done yet!" she said, as both swords glowed purple. Naruto expected a Dual Mother's Rosario, as he blocked her first two strikes, preparing for a Kuzuryusen . However, he didn't expect those two words " Starburst Stream !" she yelled, as she started a barrage on Naruto, each strike feeling twice as powerful due to the activation of her Original Sword Skill. She roared, thrusting her blades up, as Naruto flew away, crashing into the ground. He blasted off the ground instantly, only to dodge a quick attack, before slicing her waist, as she roared in pain. Turning, she yelled " Eclipse !", as his eyes widened. She thrusted both of her blades forward, stabbing his torso, only for a hundred similar stabs to appear throughout his body, as he growled, headbutting her away. Yuuki groaned, before hearing the cry of " Mugetsu! ", as he appeared in a black streak behind her, only for her to feel twenty slices throughout her chest.
She fell on one knee, panting, as Naruto spat the ground, twirling his blades, as he turned at her with a smirk "That was impressive. Using the strongest Dual Wielding Attack, the Eclipse. But it was your best bet and my health is still at seventy three percent. I will end this battle now, but don't worry, it will be with a bang. Feel honoured, for I never used this attack before!" he said, as both of his blades, along with his entire body turned pitch black. "Prepare yourself. This is the strongest Nito-Ichi attack, Mugen Mugetsu !" he yelled, rushing at her like a rocket, enveloped in a black aura as black as night. He stabbed both blades at her chest, only for a large beam to envelop her, as she yelled in pain inside the blackness. Once the black aura disappeared, Naruto was standing, his blades in a forward thrust, as Yuuki was next to him on the ground, panting. Naruto sighed, sheathing his blades, as he raised an arm at her. "One last thing left to do. Tell the group I am going to pay another debt. Oh and tell Asuna to be off ALO in two hours." he said, as he started to glow "And it is good to have you with us, Yuuki-chan." he said, vanishing, as he missed her smile and the quickly approaching group.
Naruto opened his eyes, looking around, finding himself in a pitch-black area. He smirked "Come out, Kayaba." he said, as Kayaba's familiar form appeared. "Welcome Naruto-kun. I take it it was a success?" he asked. Naruto nodded "You should know. If you hadn't told me of the Nerve Gears connection to the Medicuboid, I would never be able to replicate the scan you used." he said. Kayaba nodded "Indeed. Who would have thought that a device meant to cause death, could be used to avert it. To create an algorithm that saved your consciousness as a program in the core of the Virtual World, no one thought of that." he said. Naruto smiled "No one as good as you." he said, getting a slight smirk from Kayaba. "I assume you are here to repay your debt?" he asked, as Naruto nodded, unsheathing his two blades. Kayaba responded by turning into his GameMaster form, the one he used on the first day of SAO, only much smaller. It was a head taller than Naruto, both of his arms had scythes, both made of pitch-black and red metal. Seven HP bars appeared next to him. " So… do you like this form? It is the form I intended to use on the Ruby Palace, before the end of the Game. " he said, his voice deeper. Naruto nodded "It is good enough for the battle." he said, as a counter once again appeared.
A ding was heard the moment the timer reached zero, as Naruto sped forward, roaring "Doryusen!" he yelled, slamming both blades to the ground, as chunks of magic rocks struck Kayaba, who shrugged them off and charged Naruto, swinging the scythes down. Naruto dodged the scythes by backflipping, only to do a front flip and cut Kayaba's arms, who in response released a wave of fire, that pushed Naruto back. He rose, smirking "So.. that's how it will be eh? Fine by me! Kuzuryusen !" he yelled, appearing behind Kayaba, whose first HP bar disappeared. He turned back and yelled " Mugetsu! " going back to his original spot, dealing a lot of damage to Kayaba's back. Kayaba roared, sending a barrage of purple balls of energy at him. Naruto sliced most of them, only to get hit by two. He panted, as Kayaba charged forward and swung his scythe, Naruto barely dodging, before he thrusted his other one forward, sending him flying back. Naruto quickly retaliated by sending two crescent waves at him, which struck Kayaba's chest, making him lose his second HP bar. "So, warmup over?" he asked, as Kayaba nodded. Both disappeared, as clashes appeared all over the empty field of darkness, sparks flying from the clashes.
They kept fighting like this for over five minutes, as with one final clash, both combatants flew away from each other, crashing down on the floor. Naruto panted, as his health was in yellow and Kayaba was down to two HP bars. He slowly rose " Mugen Mugetsu ." he said, as he blasted towards Kayaba's chest, stabbing him and releasing a beam of black light. Kayaba roared, as he dropped both of his scythes, before punching Naruto with a darkness-enhanced punch, sending him flying away. Naruto panted, as he felt his health go to red and Juuchi Yosamu falling to the ground. Kayaba materialised a curved sword, rushing at him " This is the end! " he roared. Naruto sheathed Yamato, before unsheathing it, blocking Kayaba's strike, only for Kayaba to push his sword to the right, Naruto leaning to that direction. Kayaba saw his open back, about to strike him, only to feel paralyzed. Naruto turned completely, as he sliced Kayaba in half, Kayaba's HP going to zero "Original Skill: Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki ." Naruto whispered. Kayaba felt himself disappear, before he spoke " Thank you. " he said, fully vanishing. Naruto smiled, before turning serious "One thing left to do." he said to himself, logging off.
Asuna's home
Asuna was sitting on her bed, dressed in a long red skirt and a white dress. She had a smile on her face, thinking of what Naruto did to Yuuki and herself. 'To think that he would defy death himself, so that I could be happy… and I was afraid of telling him something as important as my parents wanting to marry me off.' she thought. She grabbed a picture of her and Naruto in the real world, standing in front of the destroyed Edo Palace, as a few tears fell from her face. She tightly hugged the picture 'I am sorry for not believing in you Naruto-kun.' she thought. However, she was surprised when the maid of the house entered "Asuna-sama. Your father and mother demand your presence in the living room immediately." she said, as Asuna raised an eyebrow, wondering what her mother would want, but nonetheless complied. Sending a thankful nod at the maid, she rose, placing the picture down and exiting her room.
As she made her way in the living room, she widened her eyes in shock. She could see her mother, Yuuki Kyouko and her father, Yuuki Shouzou sitting on one couch, while, to her surprise, Minato and Asuna, in formal outfits, sat on the opposite couch. Her biggest shock was in the form of Naruto, in his formal military uniform, the Major's badge proudly shining. He send a smile at Asuna, before turning to her parents. "Good. Musume please stay here. This man wished to say something. But first, let me tell you Naruto-san. I wasn't expecting you to be Namikaze Naruto when I first met you. Then again, the red hair was a perfect distraction." he said, as Naruto nodded. "Indeed Shouzou-san, though it was necessary after the shock of transition." he said, as Shouzou nodded. "Now, regarding the reason you're here?" Shouzou asked. Naruto simply rose, falling down on his knees, to everyone's surprise, his hands on his legs, bowing "I will be blunt. Shouzou-san. I request your daughter's hand in marriage." he said, as everyone widened her eyes. Kyouko spoke "Naruto-san. I am afraid my daughter is already engaged to a man, so I am sorry to-" she was about to deny him, only for Shouzou to speak "Kyouko, he addressed me, not you." he said. Kyouko looked at her husband in shock, only to widened her eyes, as she saw a fire in them.
She stayed silent, as Shouzou turned to Naruto. "Naruto-san, where will you live and how will you survive the world?" Shouzou asked. "I am a Major of the Japanese Army's research Department and a future CEO of the Japanese companies responsible for FullDive technology, so financially wise there are no complications. As for where we will live, I currently own a two-story house, however, I fully intend to buy any house her heart desires, as I have saved enough money for it." he said. "I see. Do you intent to force my daughter to do anything against her wishes?" he asked. "I would rather die than do that." he said with conviction. "Do you love her?" he asked. Naruto stayed silent for a second, before speaking "I first met your daughter in SAO. She was a young girl, fully intent to survive. She had a fire in her, which instantly sparked something inside me. From that day and for everyday, I was always near her, watching over her. My feelings for her grew, to the point every action I did, from eating, sleeping and even breathing, was so that I could be with her for even a second longer. My feelings are the same up to this day. I love your daughter Shouzou-sama, with all my heart. A life without Asuna, is not a life worth living for me." he said, looking directly at him.
Shouzou stayed silent for a moment, looking at Naruto's eyes, seeing the fire and conviction inside his blue orbs. He smiled "I think my daughter is the one you should ask, Naruto-san." he said, as Naruto rose, approaching a shocked Asuna. He fell on one knee, as he opened a red box, causing Asuna to gasp at the contents. Inside was a platinum ring, with a large blood-red diamond in the middle, while small rubies ran along the ring. "Asuna-chan, will you marry me?" he asked with a smile. She had her hand over her mouth, as tears fell freely from her eyes. After a second, she instantly spoke, hugging him "YES!" she yelled, as Naruto also cried, kissing her. Everyone, even a reluctant Kyouko, were smiling and clapping, as tears freely fell from Kushina's eyes. However, none of that was noticed from Naruto and Asuna. All they noticed, was each other.
BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING DID YOU? Hahahhaha. To be fair, I know some of you expected Yuuki staying alive and Naruto proposing, but I believe the way he did it was not something you expected. Oh, I am so happy writing this. Next Chapter is the Epilogue. I will show what happened to the characters, along with giving info on my future story. Until next time, Thunderito out!