NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40: Crying Chidori, Crimson Rasengan
["Sasuke… your appearance…"]
[Naruto stared at Sasuke in shock, fear written all over his face.]
[To Naruto, Sasuke no longer looked human—he was a monster, a true monster.]
["Arghhh!"]
[Sasuke cried out in pain again, feeling the Curse Mark corroding his body. He knew he couldn't keep this up much longer.]
[At the same time, Naruto frowned deeply. His left hand was already losing feeling.]
["It seems your power comes with risks too," Sasuke said with a faint smile, looking at Naruto.]
[After a long pause...]
["Did you know…"]
[Sasuke glanced at the two statues standing before them. "This place is called the Valley of the End…"]
["There's no better stage for this fight, don't you think, Naruto?"]
[Naruto's face twisted with determination. He glared at Sasuke, a fierce expression matching his rival's.]
["This battle… it ends here."]
The Shinobi World watched this moment unfold, their anticipation rising. They had waited too long for this clash. At last, it seemed a winner would emerge.
"Who's going to win?"
"My bet's on Sasuke. That earlier blow sent Naruto flying, after all."
"Does it even matter? No matter who wins, this fight will only leave scars."
[The scene shifted to flashes of Sasuke's memories: fleeting images of the warmth of his past, his time in Team 7, Naruto, and the years in Konoha.]
[Let all those past battles… end here, once and for all.]
[And at the center of it all…]
[It was the Mangekyō Sharingan, belonging to Uchiha Itachi.]
[Sasuke began forming hand signs, and from his hands came a sound like thousands of chirping birds. The original blue Chidori began to shift, darkening into a silver-black glow.]
[Silver-Black Chidori!]
[Opposite him, Naruto raised his right hand, drawing chakra from the Nine-Tails' cloak. His usual blue Rasengan changed as well—now it glowed an eerie purple.]
[Crimson Rasengan!]
The entire Shinobi World stood in unison, staring at the sky projection. They held their breath. This clash would decide it all—the final moment between Naruto and Sasuke.
"Silver-Black Chidori, Crimson Rasengan!"
"The Chidori's transformation must be from Sasuke's Curse Mark. As for Naruto, that's the Nine-Tails' chakra blending with his attack," Jiraiya observed, analyzing their ultimate techniques.
Jiraiya clenched his fists, muttering, "That damn Orochimaru…" He quickened his pace toward the borders of the Land of Fire.
[The two stared each other down across the chasm.]
[The Crying Chidori and Crimson Rasengan swirled violently in their hands.]
[With a mighty leap, they closed the distance.]
"Rasengan!"
"Chidori!"
[The clash of their ultimate techniques created a massive surge of energy.]
[Red and blue streams intertwined, forming a swirling purple-black sphere at the center of the Valley of the End. It engulfed both fighters entirely.]
[In the chaos, Sasuke's hand, shaped like a blade, pierced toward Naruto's chest. But in the last moment, Sasuke turned his hand into a fist, landing a hard punch instead.]
[Naruto, wincing from the pain, hesitated. His clawed hand, which could have crushed Sasuke's skull, trembled slightly. Instead, it only scratched Sasuke's headband.]
[The enormous black sphere lingered above the waterfall, unaffected by its rushing torrents. Finally…]
[A soft white glow emerged, spreading delicate patterns outward from the center.]
[Amid the blinding white light, Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other.]
[For a fleeting moment, they were two young boys again, making the reconciliation seal they never completed in the past.]
[In this moment, it ended.]
[Sasuke stood over Naruto, who lay motionless on the ground.]
[The scratched headband fell to the earth.]
[Rain began to pour from the darkened sky, washing away the last rays of sunlight as they faded from Naruto's forehead.]
["Naruto…"]
["I…"]
[Sasuke clutched his shoulder in pain, the Curse Mark surging through his body. He couldn't hold out any longer.]
[The pain forced Sasuke to his knees. Their faces were only two centimeters apart—close enough to feel each other's breaths, close enough to press their foreheads together.]
[Yet, Sasuke couldn't deliver the final blow. He turned away and left.]
End.
As the video faded to black and the word "End" appeared, the Shinobi World sat in stunned silence, still processing the final scene.
"So in the end, Sasuke couldn't kill Naruto. That last strike could've ended him, but he chose not to."
"But Sasuke still became a traitor. Naruto couldn't stop him."
"So when Naruto said earlier that he couldn't save Sasuke, this is what he meant?"
"Because Sasuke defected? I thought he might have died."
In the Hyūga Compound:
Naruto clenched his fists tightly, his teeth gritted. He hadn't stopped Sasuke from leaving.
"Naruto…" Hinata and the others looked at him with concern.
Naruto's expression was unreadable, darkened by guilt and disappointment. He thought about the promise he had made to Sakura in the projection. He had failed her. He hadn't brought Sasuke back.
"If that's how it is… doesn't that make me completely useless?" Naruto's strained voice broke the silence, his pain evident.
"Sasuke…"
Naruto couldn't understand Sasuke anymore. Were all the bonds they formed in Team 7 meaningless?
"Was seeing you as a friend… just my own wishful thinking?"
System Announcement:
[Ding! Congratulations, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, for answering correctly!]
[Reward…]
Flashes of knowledge surged through Naruto's mind. It was all about the Rasengan—its creation, its mastery. Every detail played out in his thoughts.
Naruto blinked, dazed, but his face remained unchanged. He was too overwhelmed with sadness, his thoughts consumed by Sasuke's betrayal.
Elsewhere, at a Training Ground:
Sasuke felt a strange itching sensation in his eyes. He closed them, then opened them again.
Now, they were fully developed Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Thanks to the system's reward, Sasuke had evolved his Sharingan. His chakra reserves had also increased greatly. Now, he could use Chidori three times a day instead of two.
Sasuke stared into the distance, his face a mix of emotions.
"Naruto… I…" Sasuke's voice trailed off. He didn't know what to say.
His gaze carried guilt, gratitude, and confusion.
Sasuke felt sorry for what he had done to Naruto. He was touched that Naruto still wanted to save him, even when he had pushed him away.
But in the end, he was lost.
He was an avenger. As long as revenge drove him forward, everything else could be sacrificed—friendship, bonds, even love.
As long as he could kill that man… as long as he could kill him... nothing else mattered.