"Did that render my technique useless?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he quickly analyzed the battlefield.
His Lightning Release had been neutralized by Naruto's Wind Release oscillation. The clash of chakra natures had canceled his advantage.
"Then…"
He formed hand seals at blinding speed.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
A blazing dragon of flames burst forward, roaring violently as it tore across the battlefield. Its claws seemed to rake the earth itself, scorching everything in its path. Grass withered instantly, rocks cracked under the heat, and the ground turned black wherever it passed.
Naruto reacted immediately.
He gathered what little chakra he had left and swung his arm forward.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sword!"
A giant blade of compressed wind formed in front of him and slashed downward with enough force to split stone.
Boom!
The Dragon Fire Technique was cut cleanly in half.
But instead of disappearing, the split flames were driven outward by the powerful wind current, causing them to grow even fiercer.
Two walls of fire swept past Naruto from both sides.
The heat was unbearable.
Even Naruto's expression changed.
"So it's true…" he muttered. "Fire Release naturally overcomes Wind Release. Defending with Wind Style against fire is too dangerous…"
Across from him, Sasuke finally smiled.
At last, he had found a path to victory.
"Naruto," Sasuke said coldly, "your patience is running out."
"If this keeps going…"
"You'll lose."
Naruto gritted his teeth.
Without replying, he raised his hand again.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sword!"
A far larger blade of wind descended from above like a divine weapon. It split the air with a shrill scream and carved through the battlefield toward Sasuke.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
He threw himself sideways and rolled desperately.
The massive blade struck the ground beside him.
CRASH!
A giant fissure opened across the earth.
Dust and stone exploded into the air.
Sasuke's breathing became ragged.
That was close.
If he had hesitated for even one second, he would have been cut in half.
"This idiot Naruto…" he thought grimly.
"Is he seriously trying to cripple me just to drag me back to the village?"
He rose slowly and clicked his tongue.
"Hmph."
"Then try blocking this."
His chakra surged violently.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
This was Sasuke's strongest fire technique.
A gigantic dragon-shaped inferno emerged before him, combining the destructive force of the Great Fireball Technique with the precision of Dragon Fire. Its flaming jaws opened wide as it charged at Naruto with terrifying momentum.
Naruto's face darkened.
He could not use Wind Release to defend. That would only feed the flames.
And his chakra reserves were nearly empty.
With no other choice, Naruto copied Sasuke's earlier move.
He threw himself aside at the last second.
The fire dragon thundered past him.
The ground beside Naruto melted into charred black earth.
Even the edge of his hair was singed by the heat.
Naruto landed roughly and panted heavily.
If he were at full strength, techniques like this would never have cornered him.
But now…
Every bit of chakra he had painstakingly built up was gone again.
"What should I do…?"
"If this continues…"
Then a memory surfaced.
He remembered Sasuke's face after joining Orochimaru.
Half Sasuke.
Half monster.
Cold eyes. Twisted ambition. Snake-like pupils full of hatred.
The image ignited something deep inside Naruto.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Suddenly, the Eight Trigrams Seal on his stomach loosened slightly.
Inside the dark prison of his subconscious, a pair of massive crimson eyes opened.
The Nine-Tailed Fox had awakened.
"Oh?"
Kurama's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"Uzumaki Naruto…"
"Have you finally given up?"
"Have you finally come to borrow my power?"
Kurama had waited for this moment for years.
His original plan had always been simple.
Slowly feed Naruto chakra.
Let the boy grow dependent on it.
Corrupt his will little by little.
Then, when the seal weakened enough, seize control and break free forever.
Naruto had exhausted himself completely.
He was cornered.
Helpless.
And now Kurama saw hope.
"Naruto!"
"I can lend you power!"
"You want to stop Uchiha Sasuke from following Orochimaru, don't you?"
"In your current state, you have no chance!"
"Only I can help you!"
As Kurama's voice echoed through Naruto's mind, red chakra leaked through the seal and erupted around Naruto's body like burning mist.
The pressure was overwhelming.
"This… what is this?!"
Hinata staggered backward, fear filling her eyes.
"Naruto-kun…"
Shino adjusted his glasses in shock.
Ino stared speechlessly.
Even Sasuke frowned deeply.
"That aura…"
"The Nine-Tails' chakra?"
Naruto stood in the center of the crimson storm, breathing hard.
"Sasuke…"
"I once swore I would never rely on the monster inside me."
"Just like you swore you wouldn't rely on the Cursed Seal."
"Orochimaru abandoned me…"
"These outside powers aren't truly ours."
"They're dangerous."
He clenched his fists so tightly that blood ran from his palms.
"But…"
"If using this power is what it takes…"
"To make you stay…"
"I'll break that vow!"
Sasuke's expression changed completely.
"Naruto… you…"
He understood.
Just as Naruto understood him.
But Sasuke had never imagined Naruto's obsession with bringing him back ran this deep.
Inside the seal, Kurama laughed triumphantly.
"Yes…"
"That's it."
"Accept my chakra."
"Merge with my will."
"This is true power!"
For the first time, Kurama genuinely released chakra into Naruto.
His next step should have been simple.
Overwhelm Naruto's emotions.
Consume his mind.
Turn him into a berserk puppet of hatred and rage.
That was how it should have happened.
But reality was different.
Naruto accepted the chakra—
Yet retained his sanity.
His eyes stayed clear.
His mind remained sharp.
His will did not bend.
He took Kurama's strength—
And rejected Kurama himself.
Inside the seal, Kurama froze.
"What?!"
"Damn brat!"
"You want only my power but refuse my will?!"
"With this tiny amount of chakra, you still can't match Uchiha Sasuke!"
Naruto snorted.
"Even if I use your power…"
"I'll never give you control."
Kurama roared in fury.
But Naruto ignored him.
To the Nine-Tails, the chakra he had lost was less than a drop in the ocean.
To Naruto—
It was enough to stand again.
"AAAAAHHH!"
The red chakra exploded outward.
Violent winds swept across the battlefield.
The ground cracked.
Sand and stones flew everywhere.
Hinata, Ino, and Shino were forced to retreat far back to avoid being caught in the blast.
Sasuke shielded his face with one arm.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"This is the Nine-Tails' power?"
"He borrowed only a little chakra…"
"And it's already this terrifying?!"
But Sasuke had no room to retreat.
His pride would never allow it.
He roared and activated his own forbidden power.
Dark markings spread rapidly from the seal on the back of his neck.
The three-tomoe pattern burned like black fire as it crawled across his shoulders, chest, arms, and face.
The markings twisted around his skin like living flames.
At last—
Sasuke activated the First Stage of the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
His chakra surged.
His speed increased sharply.
His strength multiplied.
He looked up at Naruto with a savage grin.
"Naruto…"
"You're not the only one allowed monstrous power anymore."
Naruto glared at Sasuke's corrupted face.
"Is that something to be proud of?"
"Idiot Sasuke!"
The cursed seal affected more than Sasuke's body.
It twisted his personality as well, drawing out his darker impulses.
With a cold smile, he replied:
"As long as I gain power…"
"I don't care about anything else."
Then both boys moved at the same time.
Sasuke's palm crackled with piercing lightning.
"Chidori!"
Naruto gathered spinning red chakra into a blade of compressed wind.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sword!"
One with stolen darkness.
One with borrowed rage.
Two rivals.
Two broken vows.
They collided head-on.
BOOM!
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