As Naruto racked his brain for a way to defeat Sasuke without truly hurting him, Sasuke was plotting how to utterly overwhelm Naruto.
Naruto possessed regeneration that defied logic—even a severed arm would heal in an instant. He had the Flying Thunder God Technique, exceptional sensory skills, and the Rinnegan's piercing insight. Getting close was nearly impossible. No, it would be smarter to reshape the battlefield itself. Time to use that move!
Sizzle—
A dark purple shadow bloomed around Sasuke's eyes—the mark of Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode. But this time, there were no horns as before.
Feeling the surging power within, Sasuke grinned to himself. "With the Six Paths' power, my Sage Mode no longer changes my appearance so obviously, but the strength of my senjutsu has soared. Perfect. This technique should be more potent than ever."
He swiftly formed hand seals.
—Six Paths: Inorganic Reincarnation!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Jagged spikes erupted from the valley walls, stretching and retracting in waves as they stabbed toward Naruto!
Naruto darted and weaved, trying to climb higher into the sky to escape the onslaught.
But the spikes extended with wild abandon, shooting even higher than Naruto in the blink of an eye, then bending to blot out the sky above him!
Left with no choice, Naruto dove toward the water's surface—only for the riverbed itself to erupt with more spikes from below!
A full-spectrum lockdown. It was as if the Valley of the End itself had turned against him.
"No way around it…"
Naruto launched from the water, halting midair as a Truth-Seeking Orb instantly shifted into a spherical barrier, shielding him within!
Slash, slash, slash—spikes from every direction hammered the orb, but none could pierce its defense!
Sasuke frowned. "That black orb's defense is ridiculous. I can't see through it, and there's no way to pull Naruto straight out… But—"
His hands flashed through new seals.
Sage chakra surged from his body, coiling into eighteen silver serpents that twisted together, forming a massive white dragon!
The spikes of Inorganic Reincarnation parted, opening a path. The white dragon, clutching a dark red sphere in its claws, roared down the corridor. As it neared the Truth-Seeking Orb barrier, its body coiled tightly around the orb.
To avoid getting caught in his own blast, Sasuke summoned his Susanoo, loosed an arrow high into the sky, and swapped places with it using Amenotejikara, bringing his Susanoo along.
"This one's gonna hurt!"
He pressed his fingers together in a vicious sign.
—Six Paths: White Shock!
BOOOOM!
A blinding eruption of sound and light swallowed the entire Valley of the End in a searing white haze!
Madara's statue, and the cliff it leaned against, crumbled in the shockwave!!!
High above, out of reach of the blast, Sasuke's Susanoo drew the divine Bow of Heaven. A black flame arrow, forged by Kagutsuchi, nocked and ready, aimed at the white wasteland below.
Sasuke's gaze was hard. "Once you're caught in the White Shock, it feels like your bones are being scraped raw. You can't even maintain your chakra, let alone keep that black orb's shape. The instant that shield drops, I'll fire this arrow."
"This technique lasts a long time. While your vision and movement are still scrambled, there's no way you'll dodge it…"
Whoosh!
Sure enough, within the blinding white, the Truth-Seeking Orb shield opened!
"Now!"
Sasuke's eyes sharpened as the Kagutsuchi arrow streaked downward!
BOOM!
But as the white faded, a golden arm—Kurama's—snatched the pitch-black arrow from the air!
Sasuke stared in disbelief. "What?! He shouldn't be able to control his chakra precisely!"
Naruto's body still trembled, the aftershocks of the White Shock rippling through him.
He looked to the sky, calm. "I trained in Hell Valley—my body's been forged in fire. The White Shock hurts, but it's not enough to stop me from using chakra."
"But that was close… If that had been Indra's Arrow instead of Kagutsuchi, I might really be in trouble."
Inside, Kurama barked, "Hey, enough monologuing! This arrow's burning hot—do something!"
Naruto grinned. "Alright, Sasuke, time for some payback!"
Kurama's massive hand gripped the Kagutsuchi arrow, treating it as a 'sample'!
Naruto's left eye narrowed.
—Ōmononushi!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Kagutsuchi arrows multiplied, filling the sky!
Whoosh!
The arrow in Kurama's hand flickered out, chakra spent.
Naruto's gaze grew dark and thoughtful. "After fighting Madara, my control over Ōmononushi is even sharper. The projection range for copied objects is still 300 meters, but now… I can designate a 'beacon' with my dōjutsu, drawing all the copies to a single target. Sasuke, I bet that wasn't in the Six Paths' intel, was it?"
Swoosh!
Naruto leapt high, his left eye locking onto Sasuke's Susanoo in the distance!
—Ōmononushi: Beacon!
The copied Kagutsuchi arrows trembled, shifted, and all at once, homed in on the beacon—raining down on Sasuke's Susanoo!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the aftermath of the deafening barrage, Sasuke's Susanoo was engulfed in black flames, crashing into the ruined valley below, a wave of heat billowing out!
At the center of the scorched earth, Sasuke shielded his right eye, the six tomoe spinning, glinting with ominous light.
"Attacking me with Amaterasu's flames… Naruto, they say you're a veteran fighter, but I'm not impressed!"
—Kagutsuchi!
FWOOOSH!
The black flames swirling around him spun under Kagutsuchi's control, transforming into a monstrous black inferno tornado!
Crackle, crackle—
Sasuke spread his left hand, black Six Paths lightning bursting from the Yin seal in his palm! Under Takemikazuchi's control, the lightning merged seamlessly into the black flame tornado!
"Hahahahaha… Naruto, your only answers to Amaterasu are stripping it away or absorbing it. But now that I've fused it with Six Paths Lightning Release, you're out of options!"
—Six Paths: Flame Thunder God Black Rope Grand Tornado!
Cloaked in Susanoo, Sasuke advanced, the Black Rope Tornado roaring at his heels!
His mind raced: Once I get within dōjutsu range, I'll use Amenotejikara to swap Naruto straight into the heart of the tornado!
"Looks like Sasuke's finally going all out…"
Heat waves washed over him, and for the first time, a spark of excitement flickered in Naruto's calm expression. "Well… Whatever happens, at least I can enjoy the fight."
Remembering how the White Shock nearly forced his Truth-Seeking Orb out of shape, Naruto had an idea.
Whoosh!
A Truth-Seeking Orb floated before his eyes as he focused his gaze.
"Time to learn how to protect your master, little orb."
—Futsunomitama!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds