Final Valley The Clash of Bonds
"CHIDORI!"
"RASENGAN!"
The chakra of two destined rivals exploded in a flash of light and force, ripping through the storm-drenched sky of the Final Valley. The impact from their clash a Rasengan spinning with willpower and a Chidori howling with hatred sent shockwaves through the canyon, cracking the ground and disturbing the river that raged beneath them.
Naruto slammed into the chest of Hashirama Senju's stone statue, while Sasuke was flung against the face of Madara Uchiha's. History repeated itself two heirs of legacy, locked in battle at the edge of ideology and brotherhood.
Both boys stared at each other, panting, soaked, bleeding and far from finished.
"Dobe, you really think you can beat an Uchiha?" Sasuke barked, his voice hoarse with exhaustion and rage.
"And what do you think I'm trying to do, huh?!" Naruto snapped back, struggling to rise.
"I told you I'm not going back to Konoha!" Sasuke growled, lightning crackling faintly from his arm. "Not until I have the power to kill Itachi! What I have isn't enough… and someone like you could never understand that!"
Naruto's eyes burned with fury. "I do understand, teme! But I'm your friend! I'll bring you back even if I have to break every bone in your body!"
Sasuke sneered. "Friend? Don't make me laugh. You really think a monster like you could ever be my friend?"
Naruto's brow twitched.
"Says the guy with two creepy curse mark arms growing out of his back," he muttered flatly, glancing at the grotesque extensions granted by Sasuke's Level 2 Cursed Seal.
That earned a scowl quickly replaced by a cold smirk.
"At least my freakishness isn't permanent. Yours is part of your soul."
Naruto's expression faltered. "What do you mean… teme?"
Sasuke leaned in slightly, his voice like venom. "Nothing much… just that you're a demon."
Naruto froze.
"Oh, what's that look for?" Sasuke mocked. "You didn't think I knew? Please. I'm an Uchiha I get what I want. I asked one of the council elders once why the villagers looked at you like trash. He told me everything."
Naruto's hands trembled. "That was supposed to be an S-rank secret…" he whispered, like the words could undo the damage.
Sasuke scoffed. "He didn't care. Konoha's full of cowards and fools. He thought he was doing me a favor. Said you were the container of the Nine-Tails the Kyūbi no Yōko. Not the fox itself… but then again, do you think anyone in that village cares about the difference?"
Naruto's world spun. So they'll all hate me… The fear took root. If he brought Sasuke back, would he tell everyone? Would Iruka-sensei look at him differently? Would Sakura hate him too?
But if he let Sasuke go… he'd break his promise.
And Naruto never broke a promise.
"I believe in my friends!" he shouted, forcing a grin despite the ache in his chest.
Sasuke scoffed. "Naïve as ever, dobe. Tell me which of your 'friends' ever invited you into their home? Ever hung out with you when it wasn't a mission? If you hadn't bumped into them, would they even notice you were gone?"
The words cut like a kunai. Sasuke saw it. And for a brief moment… he almost pitied him.
Almost.
Naruto's voice cracked. "B-But… Tsunade-baachan, Ero-sennin, Iruka-sensei, Shizune-neechan… and Kakashi-sensei! They're my friends!" His tears sizzled as they fell onto the burning chakra around him.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "They tolerate you because they know you might be useful. A future weapon with a name. And if you want real proof…" His lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Think back to before the Chūnin Exams. Who did Kakashi train?"
Naruto flinched.
He knew the answer.
And the silence that followed was louder than any jutsu.
Naruto was shaken to the core. He didn't want to believe it. 'Is that true?' The thought stabbed at his heart. 'Am I just a weapon… a tool they'll use and then toss aside?'
But before despair could completely consume him, a guttural voice echoed inside his mind.
"Pull yourself together, kit. Don't let that brat shake you with his pathetic talk," the Kyūbi growled, low and gruff.
'But what if he's right? What if what he said about me… is true?' Naruto asked, gripping his chest as if he could stop the ache inside.
"Then face it," Kurama answered sharply. "You're stubborn. You'll endure it like you always do… probably." He added, with a faint rumble that almost sounded like amusement.
Naruto's lips twitched with dry sarcasm. 'Great. Thanks, furball. Your confidence is overwhelming.'
"I know… AND CALL ME THAT AGAIN AND I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!" the beast roared.
Naruto smirked inwardly despite the storm around him. Kurama's temper was oddly comforting familiar, at least.
But his momentary humor shattered instantly with Sasuke's next words.
"A nameless orphan like you will never achieve anything. You're nobody. It's no wonder your parents abandoned you…"
The words dropped like venom in his ears.
But before Sasuke could continue, the atmosphere shifted.
An oppressive surge of killing intent exploded from Naruto thick, suffocating, and raw. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. How… how can he radiate this much bloodlust? His Sharingan spun instinctively, but it couldn't pierce the pressure that crushed the air around him.
Naruto didn't notice.
He wasn't listening anymore.
He was trapped in a cyclone of rage and pain. That… was the last straw. The bond they shared teammates, rivals, brothers it was gone. Shattered beyond repair. And now, for the first time in his life, Naruto hated someone with all his heart.
His eyes burned sharp and strange but he ignored the pain.
He raised a trembling hand, aimed it at Sasuke, and uttered two words that had never passed his lips before.
"Banshō Ten'in."
Sasuke's eyes widened too late. His body was yanked through the air, helpless under an invisible force. Before he could process what was happening, Naruto seized him by the throat and slammed a brutal fist into his jaw. Sasuke's world went black as he hit the ground like a ragdoll, unconscious.
Naruto stood above him, breath ragged. His fists shook, not from fear but fury. Then, with a grunt, he dropped to a nearby rock and sat in silence, thoughts churning.
'…Hey, kid. Can you do something for me?' Kurama asked unexpectedly.
'What is it?' Naruto replied, still seething but curious.
'Walk over to the lake. I want you to see something.'
Confused but obedient, Naruto stumbled toward the water's edge. The ripples slowly cleared, revealing a bloodied, exhausted reflection and something else.
Purple?
He blinked. Then stumbled back.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" he yelled.
Staring back at him were eyes not his own light purple irises etched with six concentric circles.
His eyes had changed.
'Oh great. What the hell did you do to me, furball?!' he shouted internally.
'ME?! You think I caused this?! I'm just as shocked as you, you loud little brat!' Kurama barked.
Naruto leaned closer, squinting at the rippling water. 'What… what are these things?'
Kurama's voice lowered with reverence. 'That… is the Rinnegan. The most powerful and rarest dōjutsu in the shinobi world. Only one known user ever had it… the Sage of Six Paths Rikudō Sennin.'
"Who?" Naruto asked aloud, stunned and confused.