Naruto felt like he should try to avoid getting beaten up, so he took a deep breath, ready to speak.
"Are you trying to run away, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, barely holding back the pain in his eyes. One purple Rinnegan, one blue Rinnegan—both locked onto Naruto.
Naruto: "..."
The words he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. It was like when you're in the middle of pushing out a poop, but then your phone rings, and it's a call you *have* to answer. That poop, which was right at the door, suddenly retreats the moment you lose focus.
Yeah, it felt just like that.
Uncomfortable…
Naruto wiped away some imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Hahaha, what are you talking about, Sasuke? We agreed to go all out in this fight. Of course, I wouldn't run away."
He was just trying to avoid getting beaten up. That didn't count as running away.
"Well said. Now never say that again." Kurama's face was full of amusement.
"Kurama, get lost. Go far, far away." Naruto shot back, annoyed.
The pain in his eyes started to fade. Sasuke let go of his eye and wiped away the blood tears. "Naruto, this fight isn't over yet."
With that, the massive purple Susano'o drew its sword and charged forward, its crimson blade striking straight at Naruto.
Naruto wasn't stupid. If he got hit by that thing, he was done for. He turned and dodged, his golden Kurama form soaring into the sky. Up there, Sasuke's Totsuka Blade couldn't reach him.
"You don't actually think I can't fly, do you?" Sasuke said coldly, staring up at him.
The next second, the gigantic Susano'o raised its head. From its back, a pair of purple wings spread open. Despite its massive size, the moment those small wings flapped, it shot into the sky!
"Let's soar to the heavens!" Kurama shouted, raising a fist.
That one line almost made Sasuke lose focus and fall out of the sky.
Now hovering at the same height as Naruto, Sasuke looked down at Kurama with a deadpan expression. "Naruto was right. Kurama, you should just leave. Go far, far away."
"Nope. This battle needs a referee." Kurama loved saying no to these guys.
He spread his arms wide and pointed at the two fighters in the sky. "Rule number one: no fighting out of anger. Rule number two: no unfair calls. Rule number three: the referee must be absolutely fair and look stunning while doing it! Presenting the great referee of this battle—Nine-Tails Kurama!"
Naruto: "..."
Sasuke: "..."
Where did this idiot get all these random lines from?
Sasuke took a deep breath and turned to Naruto. "Ignore him."
"I agree." Naruto nodded.
The next moment, Susano'o gripped its Totsuka Blade and charged again. Naruto knew he couldn't just keep dodging forever. He clasped his hands together, and the black Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him transformed into a longsword, which the golden Kurama grabbed in its hand, blocking Susano'o's attack instantly.
It was still a battle of Taijutsu, but this time, the sound wasn't just the heavy thuds of physical blows. It felt like the sky itself was being torn apart. The shockwaves from their clash ripped through the rainstorm above, clearing the sky around them.
The impact on the ground was so powerful that, even from a distance, the force was enough to shake the earth.
But… could this really still be called Taijutsu?
Kurama watched from below as the two enormous beings clashed, each strike looking like it could tear the heavens apart. Despite their massive size, they moved with incredible agility, every move precise and fluid, completely unaffected by their bulk.
Then, in a flash, the golden Kurama's movements faltered. Sasuke broke through Naruto's defense and struck him with a clean hit, sending him crashing down from the sky.
The amused look on Kurama's face faded just a little. "So in this form… Sasuke really is stronger than Naruto."
With Urashiki's power added to the mix, just using Six Paths Mode to fight Sasuke was no longer an option. Naruto could tell as much. After being knocked back by the attack, he withdrew his Truth-Seeking Orbs and immediately countered with a massive Tailed Beast Bomb from his mouth.
"You think Ninjutsu will work just because Taijutsu didn't?" Sasuke's expression remained cold as he stood inside Susano'o's crystal.
Susano'o stayed in place. Its right hand gripped the Totsuka Blade, while its left hand reached out toward Naruto below.
"Heavenly Beads Purple Dragon—Dragon Palace!"
Urashiki's technique!
Naruto's eyes widened, but the Tailed Beast Bomb was already charged and ready to go. Backing down wasn't an option now!
Below, Kurama simply shut his eyes.
A second later, a blinding light erupted where the two attacks collided. Kurama couldn't see it, but he sighed, realizing he had once again become "the light."
A few seconds later, he reopened his eyes and looked toward the sky—Susano'o was still hovering in place. Meanwhile, Naruto had been sent flying an unknown distance, crashing into the forest and leaving a massive crater.
Wait… where was the forest?
Kurama glanced around.
Aside from the small patch of ground he stood on, everything around him had turned into barren wasteland.
Damn. In the original events, the Eight-Tails' Taijutsu alone turned a battlefield from a forest into a wasteland. But these two? Just the shockwave from their clash wiped out an entire forest. Hashirama would've been furious.
Kurama clicked his tongue. "That aside, Sasuke's power has really reached this level, huh? It's one thing to overpower Naruto in a Ninjutsu clash, but to send him flying like that… Looks like Naruto's definitely losing this one."
With Urashiki's power boosting him, Sasuke was practically an Otsutsuki in this moment. Even though his original strength wasn't quite on their level, and the mark on his body was already starting to fade after that last attack, as long as it lasted, Naruto was completely outmatched.
At this rate… Sasuke might actually defeat Naruto before the mark disappeared.
A thousand meters away, the golden Kurama shook off the rubble that had landed on him and slowly stood up.
Inside, Naruto clutched his chest as a trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth. He looked toward Sasuke in the sky, his expression serious. "He's crazy strong."
He had been completely overwhelmed—not just in Ninjutsu, but in chakra and Taijutsu too. Sasuke had only transplanted Itachi's Sharingan, yet he had reached this level. It just didn't make sense.
Of course, Naruto knew that just unlocking the Tomoe Rinnegan alone wouldn't have made Sasuke this powerful. The real reason was Urashiki's mark. Otsutsuki power and Six Paths power complemented each other too well—it wasn't just a simple boost; together, they created something far stronger.
Wait… something felt off about that.
Ah, whatever. His head was buzzing right now—this wasn't the time to think about it.
He got up and flew forward again, stopping right in front of Susano'o. "Sasuke, your power right now is way over the top."
Sasuke clutched his left shoulder, struggling to control this unfamiliar strength. "I won't last much longer. But Naruto, until then, I won't hold back—get ready."
After his last attack, he had wanted to finish things, but the mark had suddenly started acting up. The unstable energy inside had forced Sasuke to stop and regain control—otherwise, he risked vanishing entirely.
Naruto didn't respond. He simply stared at Sasuke seriously, then reached out to Kurama through their special bond.
"Kurama, help! I can't beat Sasuke!"
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