"Let's go break that poser's legs and drag him back to Konoha."
Shengu Xuan's tone was utterly calm, without the slightest fluctuation, but Shikamaru and the others heard an unquestionable authority in it. Without any hesitation, everyone immediately followed Shengu Xuan, pursuing at full speed in the direction Sasuke had fled.
At some point, the sky had darkened. Black clouds weighed overhead like heavy blocks of lead, and suffocating moisture filled the air. Soon, bean-sized raindrops began pouring down. Fierce winds swept the torrential rain through the forest, as though even the heavens were weeping over the fated showdown about to unfold.
After a little over half an hour of pursuit, the view ahead suddenly opened up. Accompanied by the deafening roar of rushing water, the iconic landmark on the border between Konoha and Otogakure-the Valley of the End-finally appeared before them.
Two enormous stone statues, each a hundred meters tall, faced each other across a broad waterfall. They depicted Konoha's founder, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Uchiha Clan's forebear, Madara Uchiha. The cold downpour battered the statues mercilessly, streaming down their carved contours as though the two legendary ninja were shedding tears.
At that moment, Sasuke Uchiha stood silently atop Madara Uchiha's statue. The downpour instantly soaked his hair and clothes, but he paid it no mind. His scarlet Sharingan stared coldly at the opposite bank, as though he were waiting for something.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto was the first to rush out of the woods, leaping straight onto the head of Hashirama Senju's statue. He looked at the figure opposite him, so familiar yet so unfamiliar, and tears mingled with rain as they slid down his cheeks.
"Sasuke! What the hell are you doing?! Orochimaru only wants to use your body as a vessel! He won't teach you