"I'm not letting you go so easily." Naruto's voice was sharp as steel, the kunai in his hand stopping just short of Sasuke's eye.
The distance between them was less than a centimeter.
"Sasuke, what have you been doing all these years? Is this all you've become? You're disappointing me."
Sasuke's shocked expression slowly faded, replaced by something darker. His eyes turned cold, his aura sinister, and the twisted smile curling on his lips was enough to send chills down spines.
From the stands, many couldn't understand why Sasuke would wear such an expression. From an outsider's perspective, Naruto had him cornered. One push of that kunai and Sasuke's Sharingan would be gone.
Here, in the Uchiha's newly built nation, the value of the Sharingan was common knowledge. The Mangekyo Sharingan was even rarer, birthed only through devastating loss and grief, each pair with powers unique to its wielder.
Uchiha Shisui had once possessed Kotoamatsukami, the most formidable genjutsu of all—an eye technique capable of rewriting a person's very will. His power had been the catalyst for Itachi's awakening. And now, Sasuke's Mangekyo, never before seen even among the Uchiha, revealed its true nature. His flames, Kagutsuchi, could bend chakra to any weapon, enhancing them beyond imagination.
Just as the audience thought Naruto would end it, a fiery silhouette erupted behind him. A humanoid figure of roaring flames appeared, identical to Sasuke, wielding a blazing Kusanagi sword.
Sasuke's secret technique—an elemental clone strengthened by Kagutsuchi.
The fire clone dove for Naruto without hesitation. Naruto spun and teleported to safety, but Sasuke had already anticipated him.
Behind Naruto, another clone materialized, this one crackling with lightning. The Chidori-charged Kusanagi pierced Naruto's stomach, sending a wave of paralysis through his body.
Naruto froze for two seconds. That was all Sasuke needed. He appeared in front of him, his Kusanagi engulfed in both fire and lightning, and swung it mercilessly toward Naruto's face.
There was no holding back. This strike was meant to kill.
If not for the Nine-Tails' chakra forcing his body aside at the last moment, Naruto would already be a corpse.
But Sasuke wasn't finished. He had predicted Naruto's evasion, countering even that. In an instant, his blade once again pierced Naruto's abdomen, blood spilling as Naruto staggered back.
The pain burned through him, copper flooding his throat. He swallowed the blood down, refusing to show weakness, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
His glare locked onto Sasuke. "Looks like I underestimated you…"
Naruto summoned a legion of Shadow Clones and charged.
Inside him, Kurama growled, his voice echoing through Naruto's mind. "Brat, calm yourself!"
But Naruto didn't listen. He had fallen back into his reckless rhythm, storming Sasuke with raw fury, slashing wildly, his heart beating with the desperation of someone who refused to lose.
(End of Chapter)
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