Chapter 36: "Conversations with My Inner Dragon (Yes, That's a Thing Now)"
In which my soul room becomes a dragon-sized therapy session.
After an entire day of being suplexed, crushed, launched, and emotionally bruised (thanks, Akisame), I came home feeling like an overcooked potato with delusions of martial arts grandeur.
"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad," I said as I limped inside like I had just wrestled a bear. Twice.
"Oh, you're home!" Issei's mom beamed at me, like I hadn't just been emotionally flattened by a guy who drinks sake for breakfast. "Dinner's on the table."
"I joined a new dojo," I muttered between mouthfuls of rice. "Might come back with more broken bones tomorrow. All part of the process."
They nodded. Like that was totally normal. Apparently, Issei used to walk into walls for fun, so they probably thought this was an improvement.
The second my head hit the pillow, I was out. No dreams. No nightmares. Just blissful unconsciousness.
Until, of course, it wasn't.
"Naruto, we need to talk."
Yup. The one sentence guaranteed to ruin a good nap.
I opened my eyes and immediately knew something was off.
This wasn't the usual spooky sewer with dripping water and dramatic howling wind. No, this soul space was... kind of scenic? There were mountains, a clean river, blue sky, and flowers swaying in the breeze like this was some kind of nature documentary.
"Okay. Either I'm in the world's chillest afterlife, or someone is squatting in my brain."
Then I heard it.
The roar.
It shook the earth like a dinosaur with subwoofer lungs. I turned around and saw the largest dragon I've ever seen. Red scales, a tail the size of a bullet train, and wings that could blot out the sun.
It landed with a tremor and stared down at me with intelligent green eyes.
Okay. So maybe the chill scenery was a red flag.
"Who are you?" I asked, even though my ninja instincts already told me this was probably related to Issei. "And how do you know my name?"
"I am the Red Dragon of Domination. Ddraig," the dragon rumbled like a medieval war horn. "I reside inside the Sacred Gear that Issei carries. Or carried."
Ah, so brain roommate confirmed.
"And now you want... what? A welcome hug? Some chakra tea?" I crossed my arms. "Why are we even having this conversation?"
Ddraig folded his massive wings and smirked. Yes, dragons can smirk. And it's terrifying.
"You are not the fool I was bonded with. You're something else. Smarter. Stronger. Less... driven by breasts."
"I am a teenage boy," I said defensively, "but I also have goals, morals, and a deep understanding of personal space."
"Exactly!" Ddraig bellowed happily. "You have no idea how refreshing that is. I've spent years with Issei's perverted fantasies playing on loop inside this soul space. I was going to fake a power outage and just shut down forever."
"Harsh," I muttered. "Issei's my friend, you know."
"Yes, yes. Let's not talk about the previous occupant," Ddraig huffed. "Let's talk about us. I am pleased to have a new vessel—one who doesn't think a power-up should be called 'Dress Break.'"
"...Please tell me you're joking."
"I wish I was."
Ddraig leaned closer, his glowing eyes narrowing.
"Your body is different. Not just spirit energy—you have the potential for more. With you, my power could return to its prime. We could be unstoppable."
"Oh boy," I muttered. "I already have one beast fox. Now I've got a grumpy dragon."
"But I am a dignified dragon," he said indignantly. "And unlike the fox, I don't hate you."
"Yet."
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"So," I said, squinting up at the thirty-meter-long lizard in my brain like I was sizing up a talking fridge, "are you really that strong? I mean… the fox inside me back home—yeah, that guy? He was huge. You? You look like you'd get yeeted by just one tail swipe."
Now, look, I wasn't trying to be rude. But when your previous mental tenant is a rage demon the size of a small country, your standards get… skewed.
Ddraig's emerald eyes gleamed with offense. And maybe a little pride.
"I know the Nine-Tails," he rumbled, the air around us vibrating with his dragon-sized ego. "I've seen it in your memories. That thing is a beast, yes, but raw power isn't everything. What good is the power to erase the world when you can't even aim properly?"
Okay, he had a point. Kurama's attitude had mostly been: "I hate everything, let me smash."
"Right now, what you have inside you," Ddraig said, tapping his massive claw against the sky like he was giving a lecture on Battle Shounen Physics 101, "is the Boosted Gear. Every ten seconds, it doubles your power. Again. And again. Until you hit your limit."
I blinked. "Wait—like, double-double? Exponentially?"
"Yes," Ddraig said, practically preening. "You're a walking calculator of doom."
I rubbed my temples. "I've had this thing for a whole month and you're only telling me this now?"
"You hadn't activated your spiritual energy. I was sleeping. Also, I was emotionally recovering from the trauma of Issei's mental cinema."
"…Fair."
"But you're different," Ddraig continued, his tail curling around a mountain like it was a noodle. "You're not from this world. You've trained in a system beyond this one. In your memories—there were humans who could fight gods and monsters. If what I saw is true, your ancestors came from the Sage of Six Paths. That's not just powerful. That's... divinely ridiculous."
I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but how does that help me right now?"
"Simple." He smirked. "You fight. You bleed. You grow. You keep getting into fights and pushing yourself, and the Boosted Gear will do the rest. Your body will adapt to keep up with the boost. And if you're really serious about growing stronger—well, I know you're not afraid of pain."
I crossed my arms. "What if I am?"
"You're not. I've watched your memories. You basically collect pain like it's your hobby."
…I hate how accurate that was.
"Alright," I said with a resigned sigh, "back to basics. What exactly do I have right now?"
Ddraig nodded, satisfied. "You've unlocked your Sacred Gear: the Boosted Gear. It takes the form of a red gauntlet—sleek, with two golden spikes and a green jewel in the center. That's where I live."
"Comfy?"
"Better than a pervert's soul."
"Fair."
"With the gauntlet," he continued, "you can double your power every ten seconds. Your strength, speed, durability—it all skyrockets. You can also channel the gathered power as an energy blast. Useful if you don't want to punch someone into orbit."
"Nice. Anything else?"
"You can temporarily boost someone else's power," he added, "though not as much. Also, once you unlock your Ki and your body's tough enough, you can evolve the gear into full armor. Think Iron Man, but make it fantasy."
"Sold."
"But," Ddraig's tone dropped, serious now, "there are enemies. Demons, rogue humans, creatures from the shadow sides of this world. And the moment you start flashing power, they'll come sniffing around."
I took a deep breath. "So I need to train. Master spirit energy. Unlock Ki. Learn magic. Fight demons. And keep my new friends alive."
"You forgot: eat well, sleep occasionally, and don't get caught monologuing."
I grinned. "Yeah, alright. Guess I am ready for round two."
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Once the epic info dump was out of the way—sacred gear, power boosts, danger warnings, got it, thanks—Naruto and Ddraig settled onto the grassy plain of soul-land like two dudes chilling after a long battle. Except, you know, one of them was a skyscraper-sized talking dragon with unresolved emotional trauma.
"So," Naruto said, leaning back against a conveniently placed boulder that totally wasn't shaped like a chair, "you mentioned a rival?"
Ddraig, the once-feared Red Dragon of Domination, huffed and crossed his massive forelegs like a sulky teenager. "Albion. The White Dragon Emperor. Always so noble, so perfect, so—ugh—smug. Honestly, he's the kind of guy who wears a cape and still manages to look down on you."
Naruto blinked. "Wow. You really don't like him."
"He once called me emotionally unstable during a fight. ME. Do you have any idea how insulting that is to a dragon who's been sealed inside magical jewelry for centuries?!"
"…You've been through some stuff, huh?"
"Oh, you have no idea." Ddraig groaned like a dad recounting the glory days. "First I get sealed in a gauntlet. Then I'm passed down from warrior to warrior like a fancy, explosive hand-me-down. And just when I think I've hit rock bottom, boom! I end up inside Issei Hyoudou."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Issei's not that bad."
"He's not evil," Ddraig admitted, "but I spent years trapped in a constant loop of jiggle physics, indecent fantasies, and whatever the heck that 'Oppai Dragon Song' was."
Naruto coughed, trying very hard not to laugh. "Yeah... he's got a one-track mind."
"You don't say?" Ddraig snorted, flames puffing from his nostrils. "Every time I tried to sleep, there'd be another mental slideshow of… stuff. I am the Red Dragon Emperor, the Dominator of Blazing Infernos! And I had to sit through anime daydreams of magical harems for a decade."
Naruto finally lost it and laughed until he fell off his rock.
Once they both calmed down, Naruto smiled and stretched. "Well, things are different now. I might not be a perfect host, but I'm not going to treat you like a background voice or a living battery."
Ddraig blinked. "…Really?"
"Yeah. We're a team, right? If I'm going to wear a fancy power glove with your soul in it, I figure we might as well get along."
The massive dragon lowered his head until his eye was level with Naruto's. "That's… actually kind of touching. You're not like the others."
"I get that a lot." Naruto grinned. "Also, I have a bit of experience with cranky ancient beings living in my body."
Ddraig smirked. "You know, I think we'll do great together. Especially when we crush Albion."
"Hey, about him—how strong is he?"
"Strong," Ddraig admitted. "But not unbeatable. Not with you. See, that's the difference: he might have his sacred gear wielder, but I've got you. A kid from another world with spiritual energy, the potential to unlock Ki, and the bloodline of a reality-breaking sage."
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "When you say it like that, I sound kind of amazing."
"You are, Naruto Uzumaki," Ddraig said with a grin. "Now let's turn that potential into power. And then we can crush that shiny white lizard together."
"Looking forward to it, partner."
And just like that, a new bond was formed.
Not between a boy and a monster, but between two warriors stuck in a strange new world—both trying to make the most of a second chance.