"Someone who seeks revenge does not deserve peaceful days, an ordinary life, or calm happiness."
Sasuke's voice was low, but every word struck with chilling certainty.
"I'm not even talking about friendship or relationships anymore."
"If I continue staying in Konoha, then I would be betraying my parents… betraying the hatred that keeps me alive."
His eyes darkened.
"If I ever accepted that kind of life… I'd rather die."
Naruto roared back instantly.
"Even if you stay in Konoha, you can still get revenge!"
Sasuke only shook his head.
"No."
"You don't understand the Uchiha Clan at all."
His tone became colder.
"Itachi told me that the Mangekyō Sharingan is awakened through overwhelming hatred, sorrow, pain, and rage."
Then Sasuke's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Do you know the easiest way to awaken it?"
Naruto remained silent.
Sasuke chuckled darkly.
"Kill your best friend."
Hinata and Shino both stiffened at those words.
Even Ino, who had not yet arrived, would have been shaken had she heard it.
But Naruto seemed strangely calm, as if he had expected such an answer.
"So you want to kill me?"
Sasuke shook his head once more.
"If I wanted that, I wouldn't have saved you from Kimimaro earlier."
"As someone pursuing revenge, I should have done it."
"But you've saved me too many times."
"No matter how hard I try to become cold and ruthless… I can't do it."
His fists clenched.
"Since that's the case, I have no choice but to leave."
"Orochimaru is my only refuge… and my best chance."
Naruto understood what Sasuke meant.
He truly did.
But understanding and accepting were two different things.
"You idiot!" Naruto shouted. "Isn't this just running away?!"
"You're thinking that if you survive, you'll grow stronger."
"And if you die, then everything ends there."
"Even if Orochimaru steals your body, maybe he'll kill Itachi for you!"
Sasuke's heart trembled.
Those words were almost identical to what Kakashi had once said.
Naruto… really did understand what he was thinking.
Even so, Sasuke raised his voice angrily.
"So what if that's true?!"
"What's wrong with that?!"
Naruto's fists trembled violently.
"Of course it's wrong!"
"What's wrong with it?!"
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Because…"
"You never considered our strength at all!"
Sasuke's expression changed.
Naruto's voice shook, not from fear—but emotion.
"If you want revenge, no one can stop you. Not even me."
"But why do you have to carry everything alone?"
"I can help you too!"
"Haven't we always fought side by side as comrades?!"
For the first time, Sasuke fell silent.
The words had clearly reached him.
Yet after a long pause, he still answered coldly.
"Killing Itachi is my responsibility."
"It has nothing to do with you."
Naruto's anger exploded.
"How does it have nothing to do with me?!"
"I absolutely refuse to accept that!"
"You just said killing your best friend awakens the Mangekyō."
"That means you admitted your best friend is me, didn't you?!"
Sasuke said nothing.
Naruto stepped forward.
"If that's true… then why can't we do this together?"
"We fought Haku together!"
"We fought Zabuza together!"
"We fought Orochimaru and the Hidden Sand during the Chūnin Exams together!"
"We've always fought side by side!"
His voice echoed through the ruined battlefield.
"So why can't we fight Itachi together too?!"
Again, Sasuke said nothing.
For a brief moment, even he seemed shaken.
At that moment, hurried footsteps approached.
Ino arrived, panting heavily.
Her face was pale, tears streamed down her cheeks, and she could barely speak.
"S-Sasuke…"
"I'm sorry… Naruto… Hinata… Shino… I…"
Hinata gently stepped forward.
"Ino, it's alright. We know what happened."
"Sasuke's sudden adaptation to the Cursed Mark was unexpected. You couldn't have stopped him."
Shino nodded.
"Hinata is correct."
But Ino continued sobbing.
Her guilt was too heavy.
Sasuke looked at her briefly, then turned back to Naruto.
He inhaled deeply.
"No matter what you say…"
"You cannot stop me."
"I've already decided."
While speaking, Naruto had secretly been recovering chakra and strength.
He knew very well that Sasuke's stubborn personality would never be changed through words alone.
If reason failed…
Then only force remained.
Sasuke noticed immediately.
The corner of his mouth rose slightly.
"Naruto… I know what you're trying to do."
"But after all those battles, you've already reached your limit."
"Even if you recovered a little chakra, defeating me is impossible."
His cursed seal markings slowly spread.
"And now…"
"I possess the power of the Cursed Mark as well."
Naruto knew Sasuke was right.
He had already fought the Sound Four nearly alone.
Then he battled Kimimaro in a desperate struggle.
Under those circumstances, anyone else would already be unconscious.
Yet Naruto still stood.
Still fighting.
Still refusing to give up.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
The tiny amount of chakra he had just recovered suddenly erupted.
A violent surge of energy burst around him.
Even Sasuke's eyes widened.
"He still has that much strength left?!"
But Sasuke quickly steadied himself.
"It doesn't matter."
"He still cannot defeat me."
He released his own chakra instantly.
The two powerful auras collided violently.
Ino, Hinata, and Shino could only watch in silence.
"Naruto…"
"Sasuke…"
The air itself trembled.
Sasuke moved first.
"Chidori!"
Lightning exploded in his palm.
The sound of crackling chakra rang like a thousand birds shrieking at once.
It was Kakashi's signature assassination technique.
With blinding speed, Sasuke charged straight toward Naruto.
Naruto gritted his teeth.
He tightened his grip on the Kusanagi sword.
Wind Release chakra surged into the blade.
The sword instantly expanded into a massive Wind Release vacuum blade, roaring with compressed cutting force.
Naruto swung it directly toward Sasuke.
BOOM!
The two attacks collided head-on.
The battlefield shook violently.
Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief.
His Chidori was being completely overwhelmed.
The Wind Release Vacuum Blade tore through the lightning chakra and suppressed it instantly.
"What… what is this?!"
Naruto roared furiously.
"Wind Release counters Lightning Release!"
"Give it up, Sasuke!"
Naruto understood something Sasuke did not.
At this stage, Rasengan had not yet undergone nature transformation.
It was still primarily a shape transformation technique.
Chidori—more precisely Raikiri—combined both nature transformation and shape transformation, making it a more advanced jutsu in raw structure.
That was one reason Naruto originally struggled against Sasuke.
But now Naruto was not using Rasengan.
He was using Wind Release Vacuum Blade.
A true Wind Release chakra weapon technique.
And elemental superiority mattered.
Wind naturally disrupted lightning.
Even though Naruto was exhausted…
Even though Sasuke had gained new power…
Naruto seized the advantage in a single strike.
BOOM!
Sasuke was sent flying backward.
He dug his feet into the ground and barely regained balance at the last second.
He looked down at his left hand.
The lightning chakra had vanished.
His palm and forearm were covered in cuts.
Tiny wind blades had shredded the skin, leaving crisscrossing bloody marks.
"Damn it…"
His breathing grew heavier.
For the first time since gaining the Cursed Mark's second stage, he felt genuine pressure.
Naruto lowered his sword and stared at him.
He was breathing hard as well.
Sweat ran down his face.
His body was near collapse.
But his eyes never wavered.
"Sasuke…"
"I'm not letting you leave."
Sasuke slowly raised his injured hand.
Then he smiled coldly.
"You still don't understand."
"The reason I must leave…"
"…is because if I stay here…"
"I'll never be able to cut ties with all of you."
Naruto froze.
Sasuke's expression hardened once more.
"And without severing those bonds…"
"I'll never gain the strength to kill Itachi."
Dark chakra spread from the cursed seal again.
His power rose higher.
Hinata's heart tightened.
Shino narrowed his eyes.
Ino trembled helplessly.
Naruto tightened his grip on the sword.
Then he stepped forward.
"If that's the path you chose…"
"Then I'll beat you unconscious…"
"…and drag you back myself!"
The two boys glared at each other.
One driven by revenge.
One driven by bonds.
And in the shattered valley, their battle truly began.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)
50% Offers are going on last 12 subscription left claim yours as soon as possible.