The battlefield shook beneath the weight of Susanoo's towering frame. Its spectral armor glowed with malignant blue light, each movement scattering shards of chakra like embers from a forge. Konoha's defenders stood their ground, battered but unbroken, staring up at the monster Sasuke Uchiha had conjured.
Records of this jutsu existed, tucked away in the Hokage archives. Ever since the Second Hokage's era, the village had studied the Uchiha's bloodline techniques, updating files whenever intelligence was gathered. Tsunade, as the current Hokage, knew those records well. She understood Susanoo's invulnerability, its legendary power, and yet… there was no simple way to stop it. To her, it was an obstacle that could only be broken by sheer force.
"Go together!" Tsunade barked. Her voice carried across the square like a war drum.
Jonin after Jonin surged forward, faces set with grim determination. This was their home. No matter how fearsome the enemy, they would never allow the village to be crushed beneath a traitor's vengeance.
From inside his giant avatar, Sasuke sneered. "Endless gnats." He increased the pressure of his chakra, Susanoo's blade sweeping down. The fourth form was powerful, but against so many opponents harrying him from every side, even this monstrous defense felt insufficient.
If he wanted to break through, he would need more. Much more.
He thought of the power lying dormant in his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. The records Itachi left him in blood and battle. Susanoo's ultimate stage: its complete form. A god of destruction that even the strongest shinobi could not withstand.
And yet, he had never fully unleashed it. Not until now.
"Tch," Suigetsu muttered, huddling beside Jūgo. "Why do I feel like we're already there before this even begins?"
"Trust Sasuke," Jūgo rumbled, eyes wild with devotion.
Karin pressed herself between them, trembling. She could feel it—an overwhelming chakra signature hidden deep within the village. That same terrifying presence she had sensed before. Naruto Uzumaki. The air quivered with his energy even though he had not yet revealed himself.
Sasuke's chakra twisted darker. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She slammed her hand to the ground, summoning Katsuyu in a billowing cloud of smoke. The slug's immense form loomed over the battlefield.
"Medical support is vital," Tsunade commanded. "Split yourself, Katsuyu—attend to every fighter."
"Understood," the slug's calm voice rumbled as her body divided into a legion of clones, each racing to a wounded shinobi.
Konoha's lines steadied. Injuries closed, chakra replenished, fear eased. Tsunade had bought them time.
Sasuke scoffed from above. "Pathetic tricks. This is your Hokage? A medic with no teeth? Ridiculous." His Sharingan spun violently, and Susanoo formed a bow in its spectral hands. Black flame coalesced on the string—Amaterasu forged into an arrow.
It loosened.
The arrow screamed through the air, a line of death no human could match. Konoha's shinobi shouted in alarm, voices overlapping in desperate warning. Yet Tsunade stood her ground, legs firm, gaze unshaken. She was Hokage. She would not flinch.
At the last instant, space warped before her. A vortex twisted into being and swallowed the arrow whole.
"Kakashi," Sasuke hissed, his fury boiling. He turned his glare toward the silver-haired jonin, who stood panting, Sharingan eye bleeding from exertion.
"If I don't kill you first," Sasuke growled, "you'll ruin everything."
Kakashi's breath came ragged, but his gaze was steady. "Sasuke… if you keep going, no one will be able to pull you back."
"Save me?" Sasuke's laugh cracked with madness. "All of this—everything I lost—is because of Konoha! The massacre, Itachi, the lies, the pain. All of it!" His voice shook the square, a confession laced with hatred. "This village must burn!"
Shikaku's voice cut through the chaos. "Kakashi, no more words. He's gone too far. If we hesitate, the casualties will be catastrophic."
"I know," Kakashi muttered.
Beneath Susanoo's legs, a shadow darted forward. Sakura charged, fists clenched, aiming for the joints. If she could cripple its stance, even for a moment, there might be an opening.
But Sasuke's gaze caught her. Susanoo's massive fist swung down.
"Ino!"
From the rear, Ino seized her chance. Her hands flew together in a seal. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Her spirit surged into Sasuke's consciousness. She landed within his mindscape, where fire and darkness swirled around a lone figure. Sasuke turned, lips curling in disdain.
"Yamanaka Ino," he said flatly.
"You're finished," Ino shot back. "You're under my control now."
She pressed her will upon him, sweat dripping from her astral form. Victory felt within reach—until his Sharingan flared even here.
"Control me? With such a frail trick?" His sneer widened. "Pathetic."
The world of his mindscape convulsed. A tidal wave of ocular power slammed into her. Ino screamed, pain shredding her consciousness. If she lingered, her mind would be destroyed. With desperate force, she tore herself free, snapping back into her body.
Her eyes flew open, tears streaming. She collapsed into Chōji's arms.
"Ino! Are you okay?"
"If I hadn't escaped… I'd be gone," she whispered hoarsely. "He's… monstrous."
Even so, that split-second of distraction saved Sakura. Shikamaru's shadow lashed out, tugging her back as Susanoo's fist obliterated the earth where she'd stood.
Dust clouded the air. Sakura's chest heaved. "Too close. Thanks, Shikamaru."
"Don't thank me yet," he muttered grimly. "We haven't even seen his full power."
Sasuke roared. His Sharingan spun faster, and Susanoo shuddered as if being dragged upward by unseen chains. Armor thickened, features sharpened, its form climbing toward completion. The air itself grew heavy beneath its chakra.
Tsunade's stomach clenched. "Everyone—fall back!"
And then—
A whistling shriek cut the air. Chakra screamed into existence, sharper than any blade. A Rasenshuriken hurtled through the battlefield, slamming into Susanoo's brow. The explosion of wind chakra ripped through the giant's forehead, staggering it. Sasuke cried out, caught off guard, his concentration shattered.
The Susanoo reeled, half-formed power sputtering, forced back into its earlier shape.
On the ground, dust swirled away to reveal a figure striding calmly forward. Blonde hair caught the light, eyes burning golden with Sage Mode. His cloak flared in the wind, hands tucked into his pockets.
Naruto Uzumaki.
The battlefield stilled. Relief surged through Konoha's ranks.
"Naruto!" Sakura gasped, her face lighting with hope.
Ino sagged against Chōji, smiling weakly. Hinata's eyes softened, her hands clasping together. To her, his presence was like sunlight piercing the storm.
Shikamaru exhaled with a wry grin. "Right on time, troublesome idiot."
Even Kiba smirked despite himself. "Show-off."
Naruto's steps were unhurried, his posture that of a king surveying subjects. The pressure of his chakra filled the square, overwhelming even Sasuke's.
Tsunade muttered under her breath, equal parts exasperation and admiration. "He waited until now on purpose, didn't he…"
Kakashi's lips curved faintly. Pride swelled in his chest. Naruto was his student—his legacy.
Sasuke, meanwhile, pressed a trembling hand over his eye. The Eternal Mangekyō still burned, but Naruto's sudden strike had rattled his focus. Rage seethed in his veins.
The crowd parted, Konoha shinobi clearing a path. Naruto's smile was calm, almost mocking.
"Sasuke," he said, his voice carrying clearly. "You've lost your mind."
His words dripped with quiet scorn. "You think that just because you've awakened the Eternal Mangekyō, you're untouchable? That you can stroll into Konoha and prove something? You're nothing but a child throwing a tantrum."
Murmurs rippled through the Leaf's ranks, emboldened by Naruto's presence. Some even laughed. The suffocating fear lifted, replaced by biting ridicule directed at Sasuke.
Sasuke's fists shook. "Uzumaki Naruto… even if it costs my life, I'll kill you!"
Naruto tilted his head, smile never fading. "Kill me? You couldn't, not in a hundred years. You should've stayed hidden in some forgotten corner of the world. Instead, you came here—before me." His eyes narrowed. "And you're not enough."
Each word hammered into Sasuke like a blade.
Sasuke's lips curled into a manic grin. "You've changed, Naruto. If not for your face, your chakra… I'd think you weren't the same person at all."
The two stared across the battlefield, king and avenger, their destinies colliding in the heart of Konoha.
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