Under Loki's fury, his skin shifted to a light, frost-bitten blue. From deep within him surged a torrent of divine power. With a roar, Loki tore through Uzumaki Karin's chakra chains like paper and lunged forward, twin daggers gleaming, aiming straight at Sasuke and Naruto.
"Sasuke!"
"Naruto!"
The two reacted on instinct, blades flashing in unison, each stabbing Loki in the abdomen. Yet, they twisted mid-thrust—deliberately avoiding vital organs. It was a defensive strike, not a kill.
"You think I'm limited to illusions?" Loki sneered, green light spiraling from his fingertips. "Let me show you the true sorcery of Asgard. I am Loki—the god of mischief!"
A swirling emerald aura erupted from his palms, summoning a constellation of glimmering sword blades behind him.
"Behold the taste of Asgardian magic!"
His pale-blue skin shimmered with madness. Magic, raw and unfiltered, twisted around his form.
Naruto frowned. "Isn't this just another illusion?"
That thought shattered the instant a sword slammed into his side, cutting flesh.
"Gah!"
"It's real! Move—Karin, Sasuke!"
But before they could react, the air was thick with enchanted blades descending like rain.
"No!" Naruto leapt in front of them, throwing his small body between his friends and death.
"You little brat! You seek death!"
At that fatal moment, crimson chakra exploded from Naruto's body like a volcanic eruption—the Kyuubi had awakened.
If it hadn't, Naruto would've been torn to ribbons.
Even with the fox's aid, a blade still remained lodged in his torso, trembling as if sensing the beast's presence.
Loki staggered, confused. "What… what are you?!"
In Naruto's spiritual realm, the Kyuubi's massive form loomed over him.
"Brace yourself, kid. This won't feel great. You can't win in your current state. If you want to protect them, you need my strength."
"You're not trying to take over my body, are you?"
Kyuubi growled. "Don't be stupid. Uchiha Xiuyu is watching from the royal stands. What would I do after taking over—get wrecked?"
Naruto blinked. "Huh… you're right."
"You think you're safe because of your own skills? No, you've been protected all along—by Uchihas and their damned eyes. My Nine-Tailed self wouldn't last five minutes out there."
Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Okay… let's do it."
With Kyuubi's chakra tightly restrained, Naruto's body surged into the Four-Tailed Form. His skin steamed. Bones creaked. But he endured.
"Let's start with Four Tails. If that doesn't work, we try Six. Last resort—Eight."
"What about Nine?!"
"You're twelve years old! You want to explode from the inside out?"
"Fair enough."
In a blur of movement, Naruto blasted off, smashing a chakra-infused kick into Loki's face.
"What—?!"
Loki staggered back, surprise flickering in his eyes.
A hail of blade constructs soared toward Naruto again, but they shattered against his fiery fox cloak. Still, the sheer force sent him flying across the hall.
Meanwhile, Sasuke's Sharingan whirled—his second tomoe now spinning with new clarity.
"Karin! We need to buy Naruto time!"
"On it! Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Golden chakra chains burst from her back, rushing Loki like serpents of light.
"Enough!"
Loki sliced through them, but Karin's chains regenerated instantly, tethered to her chakra.
Up above, Naruto hovered mid-air, crimson chakra swirling wildly around his body.
He began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb—black and ominous, its gravity distorting the air around it.
"Careful, kid. This'll mess you up if we overdo it," Kyuubi warned.
"I'm ready!"
The bomb condensed, chakra compressed in a 2:8 ratio of Yin and Yang—pure annihilation in spherical form.
Karin sensed it before anyone else.
"Sasuke, get down! Naruto's about to unleash his ultimate!"
Sasuke glanced up—and his eyes widened.
"Move!"
"Tailed Beast Bomb!"
The attack roared through the air like a meteor, headed straight for Loki.
"Void Realm!"
A figure appeared—Su Xiuyu. With a single gesture, he tore open the fabric of space, sending Loki into a dimensional void just as the bomb struck.
A muffled explosion echoed across dimensions, but the hall remained intact.
Odin, seated high above, tensed—but Su Xiuyu waved calmly.
"Relax. Loki's tough. Might be crispy, but I'll heal him if needed."
Odin exhaled, glancing down. Despite everything, there was a glimmer of fatherly concern in his eyes.
After all, Loki had recently orchestrated an attack on Frigga via the cursed warriors. If she hadn't forgiven him, Odin might've rammed Gungnir into Loki himself.
A portal opened—and out tumbled Loki, scorched, smoking, twitching.
"Loki!" Thor rushed forward despite his injury. "Are you okay?!"
"Fine… you… idiot… put me down…"
Thor complied instinctively, dropping Loki—who hit the floor with a heavy thud and an even heavier groan.
If he could move, Loki would've stabbed Thor again. Just for fun.
"I declare—Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Karin… the victors!"
Odin's words echoed in the grand hall.
Loki groaned and rolled his eyes dramatically—then fainted.
Su Xiuyu narrowed his gaze. "Tch. He's faking it."
Frigga, Odin, even the Ancient One saw through it. But no one spoke. Some things were better left within the family.
--------------------
When Loki opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a familiar ceiling—the very same room he'd played in as a child. But even before he sat up, he sensed Thor standing nearby.
"All right, Loki," Thor said gruffly, arms crossed. "You can drop the act. You weren't unconscious—you just passed out after pretending long enough. And now that you're awake, don't try faking again. You think I couldn't tell?"
Loki gave a sly smirk, unfazed by being caught.
"So what now, Thor? Still not satisfied after our last bout? Do you want another go at me?"
Thor's expression darkened. "Do you even realize what you did? You almost killed Mother! Why the hell did you alert the Cursed Warrior of the Dark Elves?"
"Frigga isn't my mother," Loki snapped coldly. "She's your mother. You're the Prince of Asgard. Me? I'm just the bastard."
"Loki! You son of a—!" Thor finally snapped, his anger boiling over. With a shout, he seized Loki by the collar and slammed his fist into his face. Loki tried to fight back, but Mjolnir landed squarely on his chest, pinning him to the floor like a crucifix of judgment.
With the hammer's weight crushing his ribs, Loki had no choice but to take the beating.
Thor didn't stop until Loki's face was bloodied and swollen. Breathing heavily, Thor stepped back.
"The Queen Mother may have forgiven you," he said, "but I haven't. Reflect on your sins in prison."
A special containment cell was brought in, and Loki, broken and silent, was taken away.
---
The celebration in Asgard lasted three days and three nights, filled with songs, feasts, and toasts to victory. When it finally ended, Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin stood in awe at the sheer grandeur of the realm eternal.
Even Odin himself honored them with gifts.
Naruto and Sasuke received twin longswords, forged from Uru metal—the rarest and most powerful substance in Asgard. Each blade was blessed by Odin, making them true artifacts.
Karin received a short dagger, elegant but no less deadly, also imbued with Odin's runes. These weren't just weapons—they were symbols of respect, a mark of being recognized by a god.
"Madara," Xiuyu said with a knowing look, "do you want me to forge a personalized weapon for Izuna? Maybe something like the Uchiha clan's ancestral fan?"
Madara chuckled. "What's this now? You're a blacksmith too?"
"I'm not," Xiuyu admitted, "but the dwarves of Nidavellir are. All of Asgard's royal weapons are made by them. Thor's hammer, Mjolnir—it was crafted from the heart of a dying star, combined with Uru metal."
Madara rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll admit, the dwarves' craftsmanship is on a whole different level. Not even the Uchiha's fans can compare."
"I've already talked to Odin," Xiuyu continued. "He'll introduce us to the dwarves so we can discuss custom forging. I don't want us scrambling for ideas when we get there. Planning ahead matters."
He added, "Besides, from now on, protecting Nidavellir and its people will be part of our mission."
Izuna looked puzzled. "Wait, aren't the dwarves under Asgard's protection already? Why do we need to protect them?"
"You'll understand soon," Xiuyu said cryptically. "Just know this: the dwarves may not be warriors, but they hold the secrets of runes and artifact forging. Their creations—Gungnir, Mjolnir, even Odin's Destroyer armor—are unmatched."
He pointed to Thor's hammer resting nearby. "If Mjolnir seems weak, it's not the weapon's fault—it's because Thor hasn't yet unlocked its full potential."
"Are we flying there?" Madara groaned. "Please don't say it's another spaceship trip. Those drives take forever."
Xiuyu grinned. "No need. Heimdall! Activate the Bifröst!"
A pillar of shimmering rainbow light burst through the palace floor, enveloping them. In a flash, Xiuyu, Madara, and Izuna vanished—teleported instantly to the realm of Nidavellir.
---
Back in Odin's palace, a quieter conversation was taking place.
Odin and Frigga sat opposite the Ancient One, sipping tea brewed with Asgardian herbs. Rarely did the Sorcerer Supreme visit Asgard—her duties in guarding Earth's dimension usually demanded her constant presence.
"Have you made your decision, Odin?" the Ancient One asked gently, her tone unreadable.
Odin's shoulders seemed to sag under the weight of centuries. "Ragnarok is almost inevitable. I've foreseen my death."
Frigga's hand closed around his, trembling slightly. She had always known this moment would come, but it didn't make it any easier.
"My sons are not ready," Odin continued. "Thor and Loki still lack the strength. Even Hela… if she breaks free, neither of them could stop her. But keeping her locked away will only hold for so long."
He looked the Ancient One in the eye. "Still… you took a gamble by choosing a successor outside your path. Perhaps I should do the same."
"Asgard may fall," he said, voice resolute now, "but if its people survive, a new Asgard can rise. That is what matters."
The Ancient One nodded. "Then the path lies open before you. You must choose how to walk it."
"Don't think I didn't notice," Odin said, smiling faintly. "You came here more for me than for tea."
She smirked. "Of course. I've known you long enough to know when you're pretending not to be afraid."
Odin chuckled. "Tell me honestly—do you think entrusting Asgard's legacy to Uchiha Xiuyu is foolish?"
"It's not foolish," the Ancient One replied. "It's necessary. If you don't pass on your legacy to someone worthy, it'll be torn apart by your sons' infighting… or worse, by Thanos."
Odin grunted. "You speak too much truth. Sometimes, I wish you'd sugarcoat things."
"But you know I won't," she said calmly.
Odin turned toward the distant balcony, gazing at the horizon of the Nine Realms. "Very well. I'll let Xiuyu take the Reality Stone. Leaving it here would only make Asgard a target."
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