Chapter 144: Naruto Vs Sasuke
Year 66
"I can't fail! This is my only chance! I can't fail! To live in a world where I won't be alone. In a world of peace, where I lived with my parents. Where I don't have to be manipulated! In a world without sacrifice for hypocrites!"
The three tomoe in Naruto's eye shone fiercely, transforming into the Mangekyô Sharingan of Shisui.
Instantly, green projectiles formed.
*Magatama!*
Sasuke infused, a Chidori mixed with his Amaterasu.
"Reality is reality. Don't confuse illusion as a solution, you idiot!"
Sasuke leaped, his speed and agility tested. He dodged the Magatamas just in time, cuts and burns appearing on his body with each narrowly missed projectile. He was at his limit, his flesh burned, his breath ragged, but he refused to yield.
"Just die with this world of hypocrites!"
Naruto, using his last ounce of chakra, concentrated immense energy in his right hand. A devastatingly powerful Rasengan formed, its vortex swirling with contained fury. It was his ultimate assault, a cry of rage against the world he wanted to change.
Naruto leaped forward, his mid-length blonde hair turning auburn, the force of his determination propelling him ahead. It wasn't a technical attack but an act of desperation and hope. In a final assault.
*Boom*
Sasuke lay on the ground, panting, his left arm in tatters, blood slowly flowing onto the ground destroyed by their clash. Nearby, Naruto, his own arm burned by the black flames of Amaterasu, screamed in rage, his voice resonating as a cry of despair. It wasn't the pain that made him scream but the failure, a feeling he refused to accept after giving up everything he held dear.
"I can't fail! NOT NOW!" he roared, his eyes shining with determination despite the pain.
Naruto raised his left hand to his right eye, the Mangekyô Sharingan glowing intensely. He knew it was his last resort, but he was ready to sacrifice everything. With a swift motion, he activated Izanagi, Shisui's eye instantly turning pale, lifeless. The space around him distorted as reality itself bent under the effect of the forbidden technique. Naruto altered the course of events to rewrite his failure.
But as he believed he had reversed the situation, Sasuke, still on the ground, burst into laughter.
"You really thought it would work, you little fool?" he said, a mocking smile forming on his bloody face.
Sasuke slowly raised his head, his own Mangekyô Sharingan emitting an eerie glow. At that moment, his left eye also lost its color, turning pale.
*Izanami*
Naruto felt his world crumble. He relived the end of the battle in a loop, screams of despair and failure amplifying with each iteration. Every time he thought he had changed the outcome, he found himself facing his failure again, screaming against a reality he couldn't accept.
"NO! NO! NO!" he cried, his screams tearing through the somber silence of the battlefield.
Sasuke, though gravely injured, slightly straightened up, his eyes filled with determination and contempt.
"Naruto... You always believed your ideals could change the world. But look at yourself now. You've sacrificed everything, you've destroyed everything... for nothing. Accept reality."
As Naruto was trapped in the hellish loop of Izanami, an explosion sounded. Black spikes rained down on the battlefield, piercing the ground and the few survivors still trying to fight. An imposing silhouette appeared in the distance: Nagato.
On his shoulder, the jinchūriki of Chōmei hung unconscious, her lifeless body testifying to the brutality of the battle she had endured. Nagato frowned at the state of the battlefield.
"This wasn't supposed to happen..." he murmured, his tone filled with cold anger.
He quickly dove towards Sasuke, his intention clear: to end his existence.
The ninjas still standing tried to intervene, but they were swept away like leaves by Nagato's overwhelming power. Gai attempted a final assault with the *Sixth Gate* but was violently repelled. Kakashi, though exhausted, tried to launch a Kamui, but he didn't have enough chakra to maintain the technique.
Sakura, tears in her eyes, threw herself forward to protect Sasuke.
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS!" she screamed, but she was mercilessly pierced by dozens of black spikes, her body collapsing with a dull thud. Her state was totally unknown.
Nagato now stood above Sasuke, his gaze icy.
"It's over for you, Sasuke Uchiha."
He raised a hand, preparing a devastating Shinra Tensei to finish off his opponent.
But before he could strike, a kunai flew at high speed, embedding itself in the ground at his feet. Immediately, shadows wrapped around his body, temporarily paralyzing him. Nagato frowned, looking around.
"What...?"
A calm but intense voice resonated.
"You've gone too far, Nagato."
He appeared in a dark glow, his shadows now firmly holding Nagato in place. Sasuke, half-conscious, murmured weakly:
"Shikai..."
At that moment, a yellow lightning bolt split the air, and Ino appeared near Nagato, her movements swift and precise. She attempted a fatal blow to his left flank, but Nagato, using his Rinnegan, easily absorbed the jutsu and dodged by jumping backward.
Shikai and Ino stood side by side, facing Nagato.
"This fight is no longer yours, Nagato," Shikai said, his voice calm but firm.
Nagato observed them, a glint of anger in his eyes.
"You can't stop what has already begun. This world is doomed."
Shikai clenched his fists, his shadows strengthening around him.
"Maybe, but as long as I'm here, I won't let you destroy everything."
Ino nodded, her eyes shining with determination.
"Nor will I."
The battlefield, already reduced to ruins, prepared for a new confrontation. As Shikai and Ino stood ready to face Nagato, Sasuke and Naruto, each in their own way, faced their inner battles.
"Let's go, Sensei!" Ino cried before disappearing in a yellow flash.
Shikai wasn't too nervous; he took a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.
"Yeah, I hope this will be my last fight." And he activated his Sennin Mode.