Naruto: Seishin – The Bond That Binds

✦ 10:44 AM – Abandoned Hangar, still

The silence returned, but this time… it was fertile. Not heavy.

Tony stared at his hand, where Naruto had touched him moments earlier. Nothing visible. Nothing measurable. And yet… he felt something.

Like an inner echo. A vibration. An invisible trace left behind by that brief connection.

Naruto, now standing, gazed at a steel beam high above, his mind elsewhere.

"You want to know more?" he asked, without looking back.

Tony raised his head.

"I want to know everything. And I know you're still holding things back."

Naruto gave a faint smile.

"You remind me of a sensei I once had. Always pushing me to the edge to pull out what I didn't want to show."

Tony shrugged.

"That's how good A.I.s work too. They don't learn what you tell them. They learn what you try to hide."

Naruto finally turned to him.

"All right, then. Here's something I've never shared with anyone in this world."

He walked over and, this time, sat down himself.

Then he placed his hand on the ground and traced a small spiral-shaped symbol in the dust. It looked… broken. Incomplete.

"This isn't the same seal I used with Natasha. This one is more… modest. More humble."

Tony crouched beside him to get a better look.

"What is it?"

Naruto spoke slowly, weighing every word.

"Shin'yū no Musubi. The Bond of Spiritual Friendship."

Silence.

"It doesn't link souls. It won't make you immortal. It doesn't create fusion. But…"

He raised a finger.

"…it opens a door. A small one. But a real one."

Tony frowned.

"And what's behind that door?"

"A part of me. Just… 1%."

Tony froze.

Naruto continued:

"One percent of my longevity. One percent of my strength. And one percent of my chakra. It's nothing to me. But for someone ordinary… it's a blessing. Or a curse, depending on how you use it."

Tony remained quiet, then murmured:

"You can really do that? Transfer a piece of yourself to someone… you believe in?"

"It's not a reward. It's trust. And it's alive."

"Why offer it to me, then?"

Naruto looked at him—deeply, this time.

"Because you asked to learn. And you didn't ask to control."

He continued:

"You want to understand without owning. To help without dominating. And in my world, we call that… a friend."

Tony let out a breath, no sarcasm this time.

"I haven't heard that word without irony in… a long time."

Naruto leaned forward and traced another seal—simpler than the soul fusion seal. Less dramatic. But stable.

"If you place your palm on this symbol and accept, I'll form the link. It won't change you. But… it will accompany you."

Tony hesitated.

Not out of fear.

But because, for once, he respected what was being offered.

Then he whispered:

"What will I feel if it works?"

"You won't feel anything at first. But in a week… you'll sleep a little better. Heal a little faster. Your thoughts will be clearer. And sometimes… you'll hear a whisper. A gut feeling."

"And that'll be you?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"That will be… us."

Tony knelt down.

He placed his palm on the seal.

And in a breath almost too soft to notice, a pale light pulsed… and faded.

No pain.

No explosion.

But something had been born.

Something silent—but indestructible.

Naruto stood.

"You're bonded to me now, Tony Stark. Not like Natasha. But like… a brother-in-arms."

Tony rose too. His expression was serious. But lighter.

"So that's how a real revolution begins. Not with an explosion. With a whisper."

Naruto smiled.

"You catch on quick."

Tony raised a finger.

"I'm a genius."

"And I'm a ninja. And we just blended our worlds."

They shook hands.

The pact was sealed.

And even if the universe was watching—they were no longer afraid.