A blood-red moon loomed high above the Valley of the End, where Naruto and Sasuke stood atop the statues of their legendary predecessors, locked in a silent, unblinking stare.
Wind swept across Sasuke's brow, his pale face flickering in and out of shadow as he met Naruto's gaze without so much as a blink. The Mangekyō Sharingan of old, honed through the crucible of time, had reached its pinnacle—now the ultimate Rinnegan.
But Naruto possessed the very same eyes.
Sasuke knew all too well what that meant.
His fists clenched, voice edged with a strange irritation. "Naruto, you must've gone through hell to get those eyes, huh…"
Naruto answered with a calm, gracious smile. "It wasn't easy to do it without hurting anyone."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, searching. "Did you come back from the future?"
Naruto's reply was almost breezy. "That's right. In that future, everyone—including you—died. The enemy was an extraterrestrial clan called the Ōtsutsuki, their power beyond imagination. So, I vowed to become strong enough to keep that tragedy from ever happening again, no matter the cost."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened. "Ōtsutsuki… You mean the clan of the Sage of Six Paths' mother, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"
Naruto nodded. "Exactly."
Sasuke frowned, confused. "Then I don't get it. Kaguya herself was one of them—a threat to all humanity. Why would you go to such lengths to revive someone like that?"
Naruto adjusted his collar, his tone steady. "There are things you don't know. Kaguya isn't like the others. I've seen it with my own eyes—she's a potential ally we can win over."
Sasuke's brow furrowed. "She nearly destroyed the world. Even the Sage of Six Paths could only seal her away. What makes you so sure you can reach her? Your own eyes can outjudge a millennium of the Sage's wisdom?"
Naruto's answer was unwavering. "Yes. They can."
Sasuke reeled, then snapped, "You're full of yourself! On what grounds?"
Naruto's voice dropped, low and certain. "A long life doesn't mean true understanding."
Sasuke shot back, "So you think you've got it all figured out?"
Naruto met his challenge. "At least I know exactly what I'm doing. And I can bear the consequences."
Sasuke lowered his head, face swallowed by shadow. "Then there's nothing left to say. If you insist on going down this path, I'll be the one to stop you—no matter what!"
A soft laugh escaped Naruto's lips.
Sasuke bristled. "What's so funny?!"
Naruto grinned, genuine. "Sorry, it just feels so new. This time, you're the one trying to stop me. Makes me feel like my life's been worth it."
Sasuke trembled with cold fury. "That condescending attitude again, like I'm some clueless kid. You're infuriating!"
Naruto's voice was gentle. "No, really, I'm happy, Sasuke. This time, you're not driven by hate, but by your concern for the shinobi world. That's why you're standing against me…"
Sasuke cut him off sharply. "Enough! I'm done arguing with you. Naruto, you have two choices: either stop this madness and join me to defeat Indra, seal the Ten-Tails, and end any chance of Kaguya's return—or…"
His eyes turned steely. "Or you'll end up sealed away, just like Kaguya."
Naruto's eyes sparkled with mischief. "You sound pretty confident, Sasuke. Looks like the Sage of Six Paths gave you quite the power-up this time."
Sasuke's lips curled into a proud smirk. "Yeah. More power than I ever imagined…"
"Is it this?"
Naruto raised both hands, revealing the yin-yang seals.
Sasuke's face went ashen. "How do you have both those seals?!"
Naruto lowered his hands, serene. "Relax, Sasuke. This power's for Indra. I don't plan on using it against you."
A storm of shock, anger, and humiliation twisted inside Sasuke. "So what, I'm not even worth your full strength?!"
Naruto's gaze was deep and calm. "That's not it. I just don't see you as my enemy—not before, not now, not ever."
Sasuke's eyes turned glacial. "Enough. I always planned to put you beneath my feet!"
Truth be told, protecting the shinobi world was only half the story. What truly drove Sasuke was the unyielding rivalry that had burned since Team 7. Even without the Sage's gift, he would have fought Naruto—for his own sake.
Sasuke's left eye flashed.
—Mogaribetsu Rei!
BOOM!
A pillar of indigo lightning crashed down from the sky, obliterating Hashirama's statue in an instant!
But Naruto, sensing the surge of chakra in Sasuke's eye, had already anticipated the attack and leapt from the monument.
As he fell, the golden cloak of Six Paths Sage Mode flared to life, suspending him midair.
Sasuke stared. "So that's the Six Paths Sage Mode you achieved after uniting all the Tailed Beasts' chakra and mastering sage arts…"
But I have Six Paths power too!
Sasuke extended his left hand, the mark of Yin blazing, and unleashed a burst of black Lightning Release! His right eye narrowed in focus.
—Takemikazuchi!
CRACK!
A spear of black lightning shot forward, guided by Takemikazuchi's power!
With a thought, Naruto morphed a Truth-Seeking Orb into a spinning black rod, intercepting the bolt.
Sasuke observed: Those black spheres behind Naruto, just like the Sage's—Truth-Seeking Orbs, huh? Let's see how you handle this.
He gathered the lightning in his left hand, then vaulted from the statue, his left eye locking onto the transformed black rod.
—Amenotejikara!
Whoosh!
In an instant, Sasuke swapped places with the black rod, his left hand wreathed in black Chidori, thrusting straight for Naruto!
But Naruto twisted away with uncanny timing—
Slash!
The Chidori missed. Sasuke's eyes widened. "What? He dodged my Six Paths Chidori with Amenotejikara?"
"Sasuke, you think I haven't seen Amenotejikara enough times already?"
Slash!
Lightning crackled around Naruto's right hand as he struck—a brutal Liger Bomb, severing Sasuke's left arm!
"Ugh…!"
But as they passed, Sasuke's right eye flared.
—Amenosakahoko!
CRACK! Naruto's left arm snapped apart!
Blood splattered onto the water below.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke—unscathed, standing atop the cliff. Thoughts whirled: When his right eye's chakra focused, my injury transferred to me. This is a power he never had before—exchanging wounds. So this is the right eye's new dōjutsu?
He analyzed further: The best use would be to injure himself, then transfer the damage to the enemy. But Sasuke didn't do that—so there must be a limitation, maybe he can't self-inflict.
Sasuke declared coldly, "Naruto, against Amenosakahoko, you don't stand a chance!"
Naruto extended his right hand, using Universal Pull to retrieve his severed arm and reattach it. His gaze darkened. No, Sasuke, that's not how it works…
To use that dōjutsu, you have to survive long enough to cast it. If your enemy can kill you before you act, trading wounds is meaningless…
But I'd never do that. Not to you.
If I can't kill Sasuke, how do I beat him?
The only answer—knock him out!
A Flying Thunder God kunai landed in his reattached left hand.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed: The Sage already told me about Naruto's Rinnegan powers. He even showed me his fight with Madara. Is he going to use 'Ōmononushi'?
Whoosh!
A copied Flying Thunder God kunai appeared above Sasuke. Naruto flashed in and chopped toward Sasuke's neck!
"Hmph, just as I thought…"
Sasuke anticipated the move, whipped out his Uchiha fan, and blocked upward!
CLANG!!
Naruto's hand struck the fan.
A smirk tugged at Sasuke's lips. "Uchiha Reflection!"
BANG!
A dull thud, and Naruto was sent flying. Regaining his balance in midair, he and Sasuke faced off across the valley.
"Looks like this isn't going to be easy…"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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