Naruto and Sasuke clashed once again.
"I told you already!" Sasuke shouted as they traded blows. "You've been waiting for this moment too, haven't you? Now that Kanon, Kakashi, and Sakura aren't around... no one is here to stop us like before!"
Hearing his words, Naruto roared in fury, "You bastard!!"
But before he could react, Sasuke drew a kunai from his pouch and leaped back to create distance.
"This time, we settle it for real! I'm taking you down!"
Sasuke sent Naruto flying with a heavy punch as lightning began to coalesce in his palm. "Chidori!"
Standing beneath the waterfall, Naruto looked up at Sasuke on the ledge above, his expression twisting with pain. "Idiot! I'm gonna beat some sense into you! Even if I have to drag you, I'm bringing you back!"
With a burst of resolve, Naruto wove a hand sign for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and his clone began to help him form a Rasengan.
Sasuke moved. The massive electrical discharge seemed to rip the surface of the water apart; the chirping of a thousand birds echoed throughout the Valley of the End. Naruto lunged forward, thrusting the Rasengan toward Sasuke's Chidori.
The collision of the two jutsu triggered a massive explosion, engulfing both boys. In that instant of impact, Naruto sought an answer through their clashing wills.
BOOM!
Both were blown backward. Naruto's eyes shook as he looked at Sasuke, whose Curse Mark was beginning to spread across his skin. Naruto had found his answer.
But Sasuke called out to him. "Do you know, Naruto? When two first-class shinobi exchange blows, they can read each other's hearts. Even without speaking."
"You're still too naive, Naruto. Well? Have you truly seen into my heart?! Into the depths of my soul!!!"
Sasuke roared, his hands blurring through signs. "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!!!"
Seeing the volley of fireballs, Naruto leaped into the air, only to fall right into Sasuke's trap. Sasuke leaped even higher, delivering a mid-air blow that sent Naruto crashing down.
What followed was a relentless, storm-like assault. Finally, Sasuke seized Naruto by the collar, his hand crackling with a fresh Chidori.
Yet Naruto offered no counter-attack. He understood now that deep down, neither of them truly wanted this. Since the formation of Team 7, though he had never said it aloud, Naruto considered Sasuke his brother.
As the Chidori lunged forward, red chakra began to seep from Naruto's body. Sasuke was truly trying to kill him.
"Heh... it's too late now, Naruto!" Sasuke's Chidori pierced Naruto's chest. Blood sprayed from Naruto's mouth as he stared at Sasuke, letting the lightning rake through his body.
"You managed to block with your left hand at the last second, but it's meaningless," Sasuke hissed. "You can't weave signs or use that jutsu anymore."
Sasuke gripped Naruto's throat, preparing the finishing strike. "It's over!"
But just as he moved to end it, Naruto's other hand clamped onto Sasuke's wrist with a grip so powerful it made Sasuke gasp in pain. Looking at the bubbling red chakra, Sasuke's expression turned grim. This was unknown territory, a power that filled him with unease.
Where is this power coming from?! Sasuke's mind screamed.
In the next moment, the spectral image of the Nine-Tails appeared behind Naruto, radiating pure terror. Sasuke watched in disbelief as the hole in Naruto's chest began to knit itself back together. This surpassed everything Sasuke knew about the world.
Naruto's eyes were now slit and crimson, filled with tears. A single tail of the Tailed Beast Shroud manifested. He gritted his teeth and let out a primal roar:
"Sasuke! I won't let you go to a guy like Orochimaru! Even if I have to break every bone in your body, I'm going to stop you!"
The massive eruption of chakra left Sasuke stunned. For the first time, he felt true fear radiating from Naruto.
"What... what are you?!" Sasuke managed to shout through his trembling.
"A friend!"
"That's why I won't hand you over to Orochimaru! Even if I have to snap your arms and legs, I'm stopping you!!"
…
"Hey, why are we so close to Konoha, Konin?!" Kanon frowned, looking at the familiar scenery.
"We have to pass through the Valley of the End up ahead," Konin replied. "Stop complaining and keep moving."
Suddenly, a terrifying surge of chakra erupted from the Valley of the End, miles away. Kanon, possessing a natural gift for sensory perception, caught it instantly.
"This is... Naruto's chakra? And my brother's? What's going on? Are they fighting?" Her frown deepened.
"The fluctuations are coming from the valley," Konin noted.
"Let's go check it out. It's on the way anyway."
Kanon nodded, her pace quickening. As she drew closer, the surging chakra became unmistakable. She was certain now: her brother and Naruto were locked in a death match.
Her emotions were a tangled mess. One was her best friend, the other her brother—the two most important people in her life. But...
Kanon stumbled, falling from a branch and crashing to the forest floor. A sharp pain shot through her, but it was overshadowed by a sudden wave of helplessness and grief. This pain… the kind that hits the soul… made her heart feel like a storm-tossed sea that refused to calm.
…
Sasuke was slammed into a cliffside. Naruto gripped his collar, screaming with rage, "Wake the hell up! If you won't listen, I'll beat you until you can't move, and then I'm dragging you home!"
Sasuke felt a wave of bitter sorrow wash over him.
"You... you're so annoying."
"You, who never had parents or siblings... what do you know about me?! You were alone from the very start! What could you possibly understand?!"
"It's because of those bonds that we suffer! How could you know what it feels like to lose them?!"
Sasuke punched Naruto away. They stood atop the water, Naruto stunned by Sasuke's words. He thought of Kanon, how she had been by his side since they were small. They really were like siblings; she had always looked out for him. Even though she was Sasuke's sister, Naruto's childhood had been filled with her "love."
In the face of Sasuke's loss, Naruto grew silent. He understood the pain, for the three of them had shared a bond that felt like a true family.
"Why, Naruto..." Sasuke whispered. "Why go this far for me?"
"Because you and your sister are the bonds I worked so hard to build... I've already lost Kanon; I won't watch you leave me too! That's why I have to stop you!"
Seeing Naruto's resolve, Sasuke reached into his pouch, pulled out his Konoha headband, and tied it around his head.
"It's too late, Naruto. Too late. I can't go back now."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun, the two-tomoe evolving into three. "Come, Naruto! Then I'll just have to sever this bond with my own hands!"
Sasuke dropped into a combat stance.
"Sever it?" Naruto asked. "Then why put the headband on now?"
Sasuke smirked. "I acknowledge you. You are exactly what my sister said you were—you're strong. We both know what it is to be lonely and in pain, and that pain makes a person powerful. Kanon has suffered more than both of us, which is why she is stronger."
"That is why I must cut this bond! By doing so, I will gain even greater power!"
"From this moment on, I fight you as an equal! But... you still won't be able to lay a single finger on my forehead!"
Naruto looked at him with a heavy heart. "I guess talking is useless now. Sasuke!"
"Enough talk," Sasuke replied. "From here on, it's a fight to the death!"
————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]