Fierce winds howled through the Valley of the End.
The canyon that had borne Naruto's unyielding resolve time and again, along with the bitter feud between the Uchiha and Senju, was once more steeped in a murderous chill.
Naruto and Sasuke faced each other across the raging river. The Six Paths Power within them had long since faded.
The moment Kaguya was sealed and the great war ended, the Sage of Six Paths had reclaimed all the yin and yang Six Paths Power he had given them.
Without that cheat-like power, all that remained was their own true strength, honed through years of grueling training along the paths they had walked.
Sasuke's gaze was cold as he looked at the unwavering Naruto before him. His voice was calm, yet brimming with confidence. "Naruto, you can't beat me. As I am now, I'm terrifyingly strong."
He knew his own strength, and the gap between them, all too well.
But Naruto did not back down in the slightest. Even without his Six Paths buff, even with an impossibly difficult road ahead, his eyes still burned with stubborn resolve, never wavering.
He clenched his fists as chakra slowly rose around him. Looking at his dearest friend, so alone and obstinate across the river, he spoke each word with absolute conviction. "No matter how strong we are, no matter who wins or loses! I'm going to stop you today! Sasuke, I'm bringing you back!"
He wanted no peace under a dictatorship, no ending in which one person bore all the darkness alone. Above all, he refused to let his best friend become a villain hated by the entire world, a ruler condemned to lifelong solitude.
The instant his words fell, both of them moved!
The final battle at the Valley of the End had