Contents of the Heavenly Screen...
Above the sky, the torn atmosphere has yet to heal.
Sasuke's Perfect Susanoo stood tall, its Crow Tengu armor gleaming with an eerie purple light amidst the lightning. Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Body on the opposite side was equally imposing, with golden-orange flames burning fiercely in the void.
"These little tricks won't kill me." Sasuke's voice came through the crystal barrier of Susanoo, cold and mocking.
"I already said, I don't want to kill you! I—" Naruto said angrily, his nine tails thrashing violently due to his emotional outburst, tracing fiery paths through the air.
"That's enough."
Sasuke suddenly formed hand seals, Rinnegan blazed brightly. In an instant, the heavens and earth trembled!
The nine Chibaku Tensei stone spheres that were originally suspended in the distance of the battlefield—each one sealing the terrifying Chakra of Tailed Beast —simultaneously emitted a blinding light, like nine blood-red stars orbiting behind Susanoo.
"Now, I am the strongest being in the world." Sasuke's Susanoo spread its arms, and nine torrents of Chakra surged out from the stone sphere.
"And this—" The purplish-black energy surged into Susanoo like a tidal wave, instantly healing the cracks in his armor. The fangs of the Crow Tengu mask grew even more ferocious. "This will be my first step towards the Shadow Capital!"
Naruto's pupils constricted sharply. The Yang Nine-Tails within him suddenly became alert:
"This is bad! The scattered Chakra is merging... and the process is even smoother than when the Sage of Six Paths separated us!"
Nine golden tails stirred the void restlessly:
"Without the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, this kid Susanoo as a vessel... Absolutely insane!"
Crimson beast eyes stared intently at the opposite side:
"This enemy is going to be very strong, Naruto, be very careful!"
Before the words were even finished, an energy storm that seemed to pierce the heavens and earth erupted from the opposite side!
Having absorbed the power of the Nine Tailed Beasts Susanoo a complete transformation— the Crow Tengu armor turned into dark purple crystals, Chakra lightning emanated from its body, and the giant sword in its hand was wrapped in powerful Chakra energy.
Naruto looked at the even more powerful Sasuke opposite him and formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
In an instant, four Nine-Tails clones of the same size as the original appeared, and five golden beasts Chakra across the battlefield like a tsunami in the void.
Sasuke stood within the crystalline core of Susanoo, his Rinnegan coldly sweeping over the scene before him, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Is it that trick again, Naruto?"
His voice pierced the battlefield, carrying a chilling disappointment and contempt. The greatsword of the Perfect Susanoo slightly rose, the nine-colored Chakra wrapped around its blade writhing like a living thing, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.
"Your move... just proves your own weakness."
Naruto's pupils contracted, but Sasuke continued talking.
"Yes, Shadow Clones are just a trick you use to relieve your loneliness."
Sasuke's Rinnegan twitched slightly, as if it could see through all of Naruto's disguises.
"You're afraid of being alone, so you create so many 'selves' to fill the emptiness."
"But true power... never needs this kind of false companionship."
The real Shinobi World...
"Sasuke--!"
Naruto leaped up from the rock, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his azure eyes burning with fury. He stared intently at Sasuke's arrogant expression in the Heavenly Screen, his forehead veins throbbing with rage.
"How could he say that?! Shadow Clones aren't some kind of technique to relieve loneliness!" Naruto kicked a pebble away and roared at the sky, "When I find him, I'll beat that stinky face of his to a pulp!"
Karin chimed in, "Naruto-kun, your current strength doesn't seem to be a match for Sasuke..."
"Shut up! Shut up!" Naruto frantically ruffled his blond hair, then suddenly turned and grabbed Jiraiya's collar. "Pervy Sage! Special training! Let's start training now! I'm going to become stronger than that guy in the Heavenly Screen!"
Jiraiya was dazzled, but he froze the moment he saw Naruto's eyes—those usually silly blue eyes were now burning with a fiery will he had never seen before.
(That kid...)
Jiraiya's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the Heavenly Screen. In the scene, the aftershocks of the collision between Nine-Tails Mode and Susanoo were still raging, and the world-destroying power of the two boys caused the clouds to recede.
(Can it really grow to this level in just a few years...?)
He suddenly remembered the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, Nagato, and the answers he had been searching for all these years. Naruto's angry roar echoed in his ears, but a knowing smile gradually appeared on Jiraiya's lips.
"Okay." He snapped the Icha Icha Paradise shut, his eyes suddenly sharpening. "But don't cry, this training..."
"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto ripped off his Forehead Protector. "Even with hellish training, I..."
Jiraiya suddenly formed a hand seal and summoned a giant toad-shaped Toad ten meters in diameter. "Let's start with this. You'll only pass if you leave a mark on it with Rasengan."
"Huh?! How is this possible...?"
"Who was just spouting nonsense?" Jiraiya picked at his ear. "Ah~ it seems like... even hellish training..."
Naruto's face flushed red, and suddenly his hands began frantically forming hand seals. "Shadow Clone Technique..."
"Don't use Shadow Clone Jutsu as a trick." Jiraiya Kunai a kunai in front of Naruto's feet. "Sasuke in the Heavenly Screen was right; relying on this technique will only expose your weakness."
The air froze instantly.
Naruto's hand froze in mid-air, his pupils contracting sharply. Jiraiya thought he was about to explode, but then he saw the boy suddenly lower his head, his blond hair casting a shadow in his eyes.
"... No, that's not true."
"What?"
"I said that's not true!" Naruto suddenly looked up, tears welling up in his eyes with anger. "Shadow Clone is... it's the first Ninjutsu that Iruka-sensei approved! It's the beginning of proving I'm not a loser! Sasuke... that guy doesn't understand anything at all!"
Jiraiya was stunned. Karin, who was secretly watching from the side, unconsciously adjusted her glasses.
"So..." Naruto rubbed his eyes hard, Chakra swirling wildly in his palms. "I'm going to use this move to wake him up! In my own way!"
The azure Rasengan suddenly expanded, and the resulting gust of wind tore the grass to shreds. Jiraiya stared at his disciple, who was gritting his teeth in the light, and suddenly burst into laughter.
(That's right... this is the Child of Prophecy!)
A dark underground Training Ground...
Only the light from the Heavenly Screen shone on the stone wall. Sasuke leaned against the corner of the wall, his black hair falling slightly, his scarlet Sharingan gleaming coldly in the dim light, watching the earth-shattering battle in the Heavenly Screen without moving.
In the scene, his Susanoo the power of the Nine Tailed Beasts, transforming into a towering purple demon god. With a single sword strike, even space itself is distorted.
(Is this... me in the future?)
His chest rose and fell slightly, his breathing quickened involuntarily. His fingertips trembled slightly, not from fear, but from an almost boiling excitement—that overwhelming power, that power capable of changing the entire world, was in the hands of his future self!
But the next second, he suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
(No...)
When he opened his eyes again, the fervor had faded, replaced by cold rationality.
(The future seen through the Heavenly Screen is ultimately just a possibility.)
He looked down at his palms, his fingers clearly defined, and the scorch marks from his training with Chidori still lingered on his palms. Right now, he didn't have the Rinnegan, the Perfect Susanoo, or even fully master the power of the Cursed Seal.
(I am far from being good enough.)
"Heh." He sneered, stood up, and his black robes fluttered silently in the shadows.
The battle in the Heavenly Screen continued, Naruto's roar, the Nine-Tails' howl, and the booming of clashing Chakra echoed throughout the base. But Sasuke no longer looked at them.
He walked to the center of the Training Ground, drew his Kusanagi Sword, and a flash of cold light appeared.
Becoming stronger... isn't about fantasizing, it's about taking it one step at a time.
The sword's edge sliced through the air, and lightning gathered in the palm of the hand.
(No matter how powerful the forces within the Heavenly Screen are, that's a matter for the future.)
(And now--)
Chidori sang in unison, and a deafening thunderclap exploded!
(I will rely on my own hands to obtain the power that truly belongs to me!)