The entire Shinobi World watched with bated breath. Utter silence reigned!
"They're evenly matched!!"
"Sasuke in his Cursed Seal state can actually stand up to Naruto in his one-tailed form!"
"And that's with a broken arm! The Uchiha's talent is ridiculous!"
"Is that the point? Seriously, is that the point?"
"Those two brats are Genin who only just graduated, right? Even Jonin can't match their destructive power."
"True enough. They definitely couldn't beat Jonin, but when it comes to destructive power, hardly anyone can match Naruto and Sasuke."
"Konoha really is blessed. Good thing it's starting to decline!"
On the Sky Screen, the prolonged, intense battle rapidly drained both boys' stamina.
Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra gradually grew unstable. His breathing quickened, and his attacks began to weaken.
Sasuke's gaze, meanwhile, grew colder and more determined.
I can't lose!
And I absolutely can't lose to Naruto!
If Naruto stops me here, every choice I've made, all the darkness I've embraced, everything I've abandoned will become a joke!
On this road of revenge...
There's no turning back!
"It's still not enough..."
"This much power still isn't enough!"
Sasuke tipped his head back and growled, the obsession deep in his heart blazing to life!
Orochimaru's curse mark power erupted within him, black markings instantly spreading across his entire face and every inch of his skin!
"Aah... aah... aaah!"
Crack!
Small, bony protrusions sprouted from his back and shoulders!
Black, wing-shaped chakra covered his back. His skin darkened, his pupils turned purple, and his presence became sinister and savage!
Curse Mark Stage Two Phase!!
Activate!
Sasuke's fighting power instantly doubled again!
Now his speed surpassed Naruto's ability to anticipate him, and his strength overwhelmed the Tailed Beast Cloak!
The air between heaven and earth abruptly stilled, and the oppressive pressure instantly reached its peak!
Naruto's pupils contracted sharply. For the first time, an overwhelming sense of danger welled up inside him!
"Sasuke... what the hell have you turned into?!"
"That's a monster, not you! Sasuke, snap out of it!"
Naruto gritted his teeth and roared, trying desperately to fight back.
But the gap could no longer be bridged!
Sasuke flashed away, moving so fast that only afterimages remained as he instantly evaded every attack!
Before Naruto could react, a long leg wrapped in black curse mark power slammed into his chest!
Bam!
Naruto flew backward like a kite with its string cut and crashed hard into the ground!
Sasuke pressed his advantage. After several heavy blows, Naruto's strength gave out, and he lost consciousness!
Sasuke stood over the defeated Naruto, looking down at him coldly. His expression was icy, but a trace of lucid resolve remained in his eyes.
He spoke quietly, every word clear, as though talking to himself-or reminding himself.
"Itachi told me that truly awakening and advancing the Sharingan requires unbearable grief."
"Family and close friends have to die. Only when despair and collapse tear your very heart apart can you break through the limits of your eyes."
He paused, and his tone abruptly filled with bone-deep disgust and contempt.
"But I won't take his path."
"He's an animal who'll do anything to get what he wants. I'm not."
From beginning to end, Sasuke had hated Itachi's cruelty, twisted nature, and madness.
He craved power, revenge, and the strength to crush everything in his way, but he would never trample his last remaining bonds or slaughter the people he cherished with his own hands just to grow stronger.
That was his final boundary, and the purest part of his heart that set him apart from Itachi.
"Naruto, you can't stop me."
"From now on, no one will ever stand in my way again."
As his words fell, Sasuke raised his hand and slowly took out his Konoha Forehead Protector.
The Konoha emblem was clearly engraved on it-the place he had once belonged, the bonds he had once shared, the light he had once known.
He gently brushed his fingertips over it, then bent down and placed it neatly beside Naruto.
He would abandon Konoha completely, abandon Team 7, and abandon his last way back to the light.
He turned away without looking at his defeated best friend again and walked off, one step at a time.
He had won the battle.
And severed his bonds.
Outside the Sky Screen, the entire Shinobi World was stunned. Countless voices rose in a clamor of discussion.
"My god! Sasuke's so clearheaded! He knows the fastest way to awaken his eyes, but he absolutely refuses to follow Itachi's twisted path!"
"Itachi really has lost his mind. He's a complete lunatic! Teaching his own little brother to kill his family and closest friends to advance his eyes-that's sick!"
"Compared to him, Sasuke's genuinely kind! He's been tormented the whole time, but he still holds on to his final boundary!"
"Even after abandoning his village and falling into darkness, he's never hurt anyone close to him!"
"In the end, he's still softhearted. He held back every time. He only severed his bonds-he never struck to kill."
Others complained helplessly:
"But what's wrong with Sasuke? First he knocked Sakura out and left alone, and now he's knocked Naruto out and left him in the middle of nowhere. Isn't he afraid someone will find Sasuke unconscious and take advantage of him?!"
"There's something wrong with you. Naruto's a little boy. Who would do that to him?"
"Heh, you just don't get it. Put Naruto in women's clothes, and he'd be an absolute knockout!"
Everyone sighed, their hearts aching for the fate of the two boys.
"How devastated is Naruto going to be when he wakes up?"
"He gave it everything he had and entered Tailed Beast Mode, but he still couldn't bring Sasuke back."
"He promised Sakura, but in the end, he still broke his word. How's he supposed to face her when he gets back?"
"Uh, I don't know if this is the right thing to say, but Sasuke has always come first in Naruto's heart."
"Yeah. Compared with his crush on Sakura, his bond with Sasuke is what Naruto cares about most."
Some people saw it clearly.
"Naruto was never determined to bring Sasuke back just because he promised Sakura. Deep down, he didn't want to lose the only brother he had."
"That's his Ninja Way!"
Meanwhile, back in the real world, the Konoha Ninja Academy had fallen completely silent.
Every student stared fixedly at the battle in the Valley of the End on the Sky Screen, their faces filled with shock.
Watching his future self overwhelm the Tailed Beast-powered Naruto with the second stage of the Cursed Seal, the present-day Sasuke's eyes burned fiercely, his heart filled with certainty and approval.
He had chosen the right path for his future.
And as they watched the future Naruto unleash Nine-Tails chakra and display terrifying, unparalleled fighting power, every student present felt deep apprehension and fear take root within them.
They had always thought of Naruto as nothing more than a neglected dead last, plain and unremarkable.
But the future shown on the Sky Screen completely overturned everything they thought they knew.
The Naruto of four years later was absurdly strong. He could control a Tailed Beast's power and possessed enough terrifying strength to destroy them with ease.
For a moment, the way everyone looked at Naruto changed completely, awe, apprehension, and complicated feelings mingling in their eyes.
It wasn't just the students. Countless civilians throughout Konoha were now filled with worry, their voices rising in discussion.
"A Tailed Beast's power is far too violent and dangerous. It's practically impossible to control..."
"The future Naruto looks like he can control the Nine-Tails, but if he loses control, it'll be a catastrophe for us!"
"The Nine-Tails is the strongest of the Nine Tailed Beasts! If it loses control, no one in Konoha can stop it. We don't have the Fourth Hokage anymore!"
Deep anxiety shrouded all of Konoha.
Before you continue