"Sasuke!"
With a loud shout, Naruto appeared in his yellow outfit. Before him, the figure in a black short-sleeved shirt stopped, the fan crest on his back exceptionally clear.
Turning around slowly, Second Pillar looked at him expressionlessly and said in a low voice, "Naruto, you came after me after all."
Not far away, the roar of the waterfall could be heard clearly. The cascading water plunged down to form an enormous lake. Beside the waterfall stood two statues nearly a hundred meters tall, dressed in ancient clothing and both holding hand seals as if they were locked in battle.
The Valley of the End—the place where Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had dueled seventy years ago. Legend had it that this valley itself was the result of their ninjutsu.
Seventy years later, the reincarnations of Indra and Asura had appeared here once more.
Naruto panted, an unusual determination in his sky-blue eyes. The pursuit of Sasuke had not gone smoothly, but under Shikamaru Nara's command, enough people had been left behind to hold off the Sound Four. That was why Naruto had managed to catch up to Sasuke now.
Naruto had no idea how his companions' battle against the Sound Four was going, though even Kimimaro, who had appeared later, had been stopped by Rock Lee.
There was only one belief in his heart now: he had to bring Sasuke back.
"Come back with me!" Naruto said solemnly, without beating around the bush as he stated his purpose outright.
"Go back?" Sasuke gave a strange laugh and slowly closed his eyes. "There's no going back anymore, Naruto. All I see before me now is darkness. From the moment I stepped out of Konoha last night, I knew it—I couldn't go back. I never could."
"..."
"Why?" After a