The final victor! Natsu's acknowledgment
In the next instant, the two sharp blades collided precisely and pierced through each other!
Pfft--!!!
Two ear-piercing sounds of flesh tearing and Chakra piercing rang out simultaneously, clearly reaching the ears of the four people on the cliff, terrifying and awe-inspiring.
The boy's sword, crackling with pale lightning, pierced through Natsu's clone's chest. The sharp blade completely penetrated the body, and lightning raged wildly along the blade, instantly destroying the clone's already crumbling core Chakra network.
At the same time, Natsu's clone's cold and sharp sword mercilessly pierced Sasuke's chest cavity, avoiding his heart, but still causing a fatal penetrating wound. The blade emerged from his body, bringing with it a splash of hot, scarlet blood that landed on the scorched earth.
An excruciating pain, enough to shatter the will of an ordinary person, instantly swept over Sasuke's entire body, spreading along his meridians and flesh to every limb and bone. Every inch of his bones and every inch of his skin trembled wildly, experiencing a tearing pain.
But he did not bow his head, bend his back, cry out in pain or beg for mercy, nor did he retreat even half a step.
The extreme pain ignited the obsession and madness in his bones; the fear of defeat and the excruciating physical pain were all crushed by the burning obsession in his heart.
His eyes turned completely bloodshot, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan swirling rapidly as he stared intently at the clone before him. With his last ounce of strength, he roared hysterically:
"I will never lose again!!!"
The roar was shrill and scorching, echoing through the valley, carrying within it the boy's indomitable pride, unwavering persistence, and indomitable spirit.
Madness! Stubbornness! Passion! Purity!
The extreme thirst for victory completely transcends physical pain and the threat of life and death.
Despite the fatal wound that pierced his chest, Sasuke used his strength to tear apart and disintegrate the Wood Release Clone's body with the explosive power of his lightning Ninjutsu!
Pale golden Chakra fragments scattered everywhere, and the already exhausted clone's body cracked and crumbled inch by inch, eventually turning into specks of light and completely dissipating above the ruins, leaving no trace.
A dead end was broken by a young man sacrificing his life; a desperate situation was forcibly reversed by unwavering determination!
On the cliff, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Setsuna, and Uchiha Izumi, who witnessed this earth-shattering scene, all three had their pupils shrink, their blood almost freezing, their faces turning ashen, and their minds completely enveloped by extreme terror.
"Sasuke!!!"
Fugaku screamed, his voice trembling and broken, filled with extreme panic and lingering fear. His body shook violently uncontrollably, and he almost lost his balance.
He had fought his entire life and witnessed countless life-and-death battles and brutal conflicts, but he had never seen a young man so desperately risking his life and so obsessively devoted to his cause.
As a father, what he saw was not a glorious victory, but his own child gambling with his life. He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart and was terrified.
Quan's hands clenched tightly at the hem of his clothes, his fingertips turning white. His eyes were filled with heartache and fear, his breath suddenly stopped, and his whole body tensed and stiffened. Looking at the boy below, whose chest was pierced and who stood covered in blood, his heart ached unbearably.
Setsuna, standing to the side, was also deathly pale, her brows furrowed tightly, her eyes filled with shock and lingering fear. She never expected Sasuke to fight to such an extent, enduring fatal injuries with his bare body to forcefully deliver the final blow.
On the entire cliff, only Uchiha Natsu a completely different expression. He looked at his disciple below, who stood tall, covered in blood and wounds, without shouting praise or laughing gleefully.
In those eyes that were accustomed to looking down on all living beings with indifference and detachment, a trace of barely perceptible pity first flashed across them, and then a genuine sense of relief slowly spread out, layer by layer, gradually settling into a heavy sense of recognition.
He was fully aware of the clone's entire state, and he also knew that the so-called "holding back" was merely a half-inch deflection of the blade. Sasuke had truly crossed the line between life and death, where they would perish together.
What he wanted was not a genius who could only cultivate perfectly and steadily become stronger, but a strong person with the spirit to burn everything, fight to the death, and never admit defeat, even in desperate situations, in situations where defeat is inevitable, and in the face of life and death.
Sasuke did it.
But beneath this recognition lies a hint of regret: the price of this victory was far too heavy.
Amidst the ruins, the battlefield came to a complete end.
The clones vanished without a trace, and the outcome of the battle was already decided.
Sasuke remained standing with his sword in hand, his crimson eyes still fixed on the void ahead, the lightning around him slowly dissipating.
But the next second, the overwhelming sense of victory, the utter exhaustion, and the excruciating pain of his fatal injury all swept over him, instantly shattering his long-strained will and nerves.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably, his legs went weak and he lost all his strength. Even though he still stubbornly wanted to straighten his body and stand proudly, his broken and exhausted body had already reached its limit.
Finally, the boy's frail body went limp, and he collapsed heavily to his knees on the charred ruins, completely losing all his strength and teetering on the verge of falling.
Upon seeing this, Fugaku, who was on the cliff, could no longer care about anything. He suddenly burst into action, filled with extreme panic and urgency, and leaped down towards the ruins below, his only thought being to rush to his son's side and check on his fatal injuries.
Before he could land or get even a fraction closer to Sasuke, a slender, tall black figure suddenly appeared in the ruins.
Uchiha Natsu's figure appeared beside Sasuke in an instant.
Without any unnecessary movements or pauses, he gently supported the boy who was about to fall with one hand. In the next instant, the two figures disappeared into thin air from the ruins, their speed so fast that no one could catch their tracks.
Fugaku had soared into the air, missed his target and landed just as he was about to fall. He stared blankly at the empty ruins, his heart filled with panic and anxiety, and his mind was filled with confusion.
Just as he was stunned and lost in thought, a clone identical to Natsu quietly appeared not far in front of him. Its posture was calm, its aura steady, without the slightest ripple, and it spoke softly to soothe him:
"Sasuke is alright, I held back."
Before Fugaku could respond, the clone vanished in an instant, turning into specks of light.
The short sentence did not soothe the fear in Fugaku's heart. He knew very well that the so-called "holding back" was nothing more than a narrow escape.
The extreme tension in my mind suddenly relaxed, and the extreme fear instantly faded away, turning into a deep sense of lingering fear and anger.
Fugaku's legs gave way, and he collapsed heavily onto the scorched earth and gravel, his back soaked in cold sweat. Gasping for breath, his pent-up emotions finally erupted, and he couldn't help but mutter a curse: