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Black flames erupted, swallowing everything. A towering wall of Amaterasu, a kilometer wide, encircled the center where Sasuke and Naruto stood.
Outside the inferno… they were running out of time.
"Sasuke-kun's chakra," Karin gasped, her senses screaming. "Its nature… it's shifting! Fading fast!!!"
Kabuto's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Ah…! Izanagi! He's used the last light in his right eye to activate it!"
Itachi turned to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-san. How long can Sasuke's Izanagi last?"
Orochimaru licked his lips, a mix of clinical interest and grim respect. "With the perfect Hashirama cells and his Mangekyō… even from a single eye, Sasuke-kun's Izanagi should last a solid twenty minutes."
Twenty minutes. The tension among the group eased. In the shinobi world, twenty minutes was an eternity. More than enough to turn the tide.
"Twenty minutes…" someone muttered. "Plenty of time to clear this fire, or for Sasuke to do what he needs."
Then Orochimaru spoke again, his voice slicing through the brief relief. "If… Sasuke-kun does not use his Izanagi for anything else."
Anything… else?
Before the implication could sink in, Itachi moved.
His Susano'o materialized. The crimson giant raised the gourd—the Sword of Totsuka—and aimed it at the wall of black fire.
—Totsuka: Swordless Seal!
WHOOSH—!!!
A terrifying suction force erupted from the gourd's mouth, pulling vast swathes of the cursed flames into its sealing abyss.
But the Amaterasu wall burned too fiercely, too vast. It wasn't enough.
"Itachi! I'll assist!"
Nagato levitated into the air, positioning himself above the fray. He raised both hands, palms facing the churning fire.
—Preta Path: Absorption Seal Technique!
WHOOSH—!!!
Another vortex of force. A massive ring of fire peeled away, drawn into his chakra-absorbing barrier.
"Allow me to contribute as well," Orochimaru said calmly. His long hair lifted as if charged. Two spectral flames ignited around him.
—Death's Servant Summoning!
Hiruzen Sarutobi. Danzō Shimura. The two former Hokage manifested as spectral servants of the Shinigami. Each moved, their will bound to Orochimaru's.
—Secret Technique: Fire-Sealing Method!
—Reverse: Four Symbols Seal!
HUUUM—!!!
The black wall shuddered. Flames were being ripped away, absorbed, sealed from multiple fronts.
A race against time. Inside the wall. Outside the wall.
Within the mental landscape projected by Naruto's body, a new domain formed: a six-pointed star of chakra.
A magnetic field born from the karmic connection of Sasuke's Magnet Release: D-Dissolution. Six distinct wills, six magnetic poles resonating and locking together.
At each point of the star stood a 'magnet'—a manifestation of a consciousness.
Sasuke. Madara. Kurama. Asura. Black Zetsu. And… Naruto.
The magnet representing Naruto's will was curled up, eyes shut, snoring softly. Of course. The true Naruto was still sleeping deep within his subconscious cocoon.
"Asura…!" Madara's form crackled with shock and rage. "You're still here?!"
Asura sighed, his projection looking weary. "I told you before I faded. When Black Zetsu is near, I am suppressed. After you attacked him and I did not reappear… you should have been wary."
Madara had suspected. But in the end, he had overestimated himself and underestimated the parasite.
Asura's gaze shifted to Sasuke. His eyes lit up with genuine awe. "Mmm! So you used Magnet Release to manifest our consciousnesses as 'magnets.' Impressive! You of this generation… truly remarkable! Saikou~!!"
Kurama let out a low, rumbling chuckle. "Heh… Madara. How does it feel?"
"SILENCE, BEAST!" Madara roared.
The architect of this mess, Black Zetsu, wore a smug, unshakable smile. "Sasuke… to think you'd resort to Izanagi. But with your current chakra, using that demagnetization technique can only erase one will from this body. So… Madara? Asura? Kurama? Which will it be?" The smile widened. "It can only be Madara, can't it? Frankly, I agree. He's a problem for both of us. Don't you think?"
Black Zetsu was right. With his remaining power, Sasuke could only erase one will. He would have chosen Madara. If Black Zetsu hadn't revealed himself.
When faced with two evils… choose the lesser.
The threat of Black Zetsu far outweighed Madara's.
Sasuke's voice was ice. "Black Zetsu. Why… can't it be you?"
Black Zetsu scoffed. "A fine thought. But have you forgotten? I am the will of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. A creation of Yin-Yang Release. What can your paltry Magnet Release do to me?!"
"Kaguya… Ōtsutsuki?"
The name hit Madara and Asura—especially Madara—like a physical blow. The scales fell from his eyes. So that was it. In that instant, a thousand pieces clicked into place. But it was too late. He had no moves left.
"What can it do?" Sasuke repeated softly.
He raised his hand. The D-shaped seal appeared above Black Zetsu's magnet, spinning rapidly, its power descending.
ZZZT—!! ZZZZT—!!
The magnetic form representing Black Zetsu's consciousness… began to flicker. To destabilize.
Black Zetsu's smugness shattered into pure panic. "Wha—?! IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Sasuke's eyes glinted with cold triumph. "You forgot. The forbidden technique Izanagi… is itself a masterful application of 'Yin-Yang Release.'"
"You… you can't mean…!"
"By converting a portion of Izanagi's Yin-Yang power… my own technique can be imbued with it!" Sasuke's voice rose, charged with finality. "Even if it drastically shortens my Izanagi's duration… it will be enough to erase YOU!"
Black Zetsu remembered—horror flooding the stolen memories from Kabuto. Shibai. The Otsutsuki god. In that other life, this very Sasuke had used Izanagi to survive an encounter with a being like that. His mastery… it was never just about cheating death!
"Sasuke, you can't!" Black Zetsu shrieked, desperation clawing at his voice. "If I die, Naruto dies too! It's a curse! A curse I placed within the Black Cursed Seal!!!"
"You won't threaten me a second time," Sasuke snarled. "Last time you claimed Naruto would die if you left his side!!!"
"This isn't a threat, you fool! It's REAL! After Madara turned on me, Naruto only lived because I remained latched to Madara! The curse wasn't triggered!!"
Sasuke's next words extinguished Black Zetsu's last hope. "I, Uchiha Sasuke… accept NO threats. Even if that curse activates… I will revive Naruto. No matter the cost."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Madara's laugh was a blast of pure, vindictive joy. "As expected! As expected of me! Black Zetsu… YOUR DAY HAS COME!!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!"
Black Zetsu's scream tore through the mental space. His form grew more transparent, more unstable.
"No… no, no, NO! This is bad! I'll really be finished like this!!"
FZZT— Sasuke's right eye trembled, the light within dimming rapidly. The Izanagi was burning out at a staggering speed.
Thirty more seconds. That's all he needed to erase Black Zetsu completely. But…
The portion of Izanagi's Yin-Yang power allocated for 'survival'… he could only divert twenty seconds' worth to the attack.
Not enough.
Unless he converted all of it. But that would mean…
Sasuke's mind hardened.
This was the final chance.
He severed the 'survival' function of his Izanagi.
CRACKLE—!
Instantly, excruciating pain seared through half his body. Black flames licked at his real form outside.
But—just in time!
Orochimaru and the others… cleared the final swath of Amaterasu!
"RAAAAAGH—!!"
Sasuke roared, ignoring the agony of his burns, pushing every last drop of chakra, every shred of will.
"FIVE… SECONDS! Orochimaru… MADARA… is yours to handle after this!!!"
Black Zetsu wailed, a sound of utter despair. "Damn you! To think I, the son of the great Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, would meet my end like this…!!!"
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!
Then—in that final, fleeting instant—a voice erupted. A scream that ripped through the soul, through the mental landscape, through the very air.
"SASUKE, STOP!! DON'T YOU HURT UNCLE BLACK—!!!"
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