The old shinobi world had always been steeped in shadows. Even Konoha, hailed as a pillar of order, carried secrets buried beneath its foundations. Men like Jiraiya, entrusted with missions that never made it into the records—investigating Akatsuki, erasing the traces of experiments with Hashirama's cells, guarding forbidden scrolls too dangerous to be known.
The Third Hokage wore a mask of benevolence, but behind it lay deceit. His "righteousness" was nothing but a veil for ruthless control.
But that illusion had been shattered. With Kaede's rise and the birth of the Land of the Gods, a new truth had taken root. Here, suspicion had no place. Trust bound ninja and citizen alike, and even those who once arrived with selfish intent found themselves drawn into the web of loyalty.
Kaede's system measured these bonds like numbers etched into fate itself—the longer they stayed in his nation, the deeper their loyalty grew, until betrayal became impossible.
The difference was stark.
The Land of Water lived in paranoia. Strong clans were culled, bloodline limits eradicated, power seized in the name of stability. Konoha's massacre of the Uchiha echoed in their philosophy: kill what cannot be controlled. Even Haku's clan had been reduced to nothing, leaving him with only Zabuza by his side.
Yet here, in Kaede's realm, bonds replaced fear. Trust supplanted treachery.
But on the battlefield, ideals meant nothing.
Naruto and Sasuke had long surpassed the point of no return. The ground was shattered, reduced to rubble by the fury of their clash. Their movements blurred beyond the eye's ability to follow—brief collisions, violent bursts of chakra, then sudden retreats as they locked gazes, both searching for the decisive strike.
The exam had long been forgotten. Theirs was no test of rank now. It was the clash of Ashura and Indra's cursed reincarnations, the storm of fate dragging them into bloodshed.
Nine-Tails' chakra swirled around Naruto, his will in perfect sync with the beast inside him. Across from him, Sasuke's Susanoo—empowered by Kagutsuchi's black flames—towered with unyielding might. Neither relented, neither backed down.
In another life, their first death match had been at the Valley of the End. But here, destiny had twisted again, bringing their inevitable collision to this stage, before countless eyes.
The world held its breath.
Then—Naruto vanished. In a flicker of Flying Thunder God, he reappeared at Sasuke's side mid-air, kunai in hand, eyes blazing with determination.
The next moment would decide everything.
(End of Chapter)
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