Leaving aside that weird stance, the Byakugan in Naruto's eyes alone was enough to leave Sasuke dumbfounded.
The Hyuga clan had always married within their own family, or at most, accepted outsiders into their clan through marriage. The chances of someone from outside the clan having a Byakugan were extremely low—not impossible, but rare. And even if an outsider did awaken the Byakugan, they would be taken back to the Hyuga main family immediately.
But no matter how Sasuke looked at it, Naruto didn't seem like someone who should have the Byakugan.
Could it be that, if he traced Naruto's lineage far enough back, one of his ancestors had been a Hyuga who married outside the clan?
Considering how powerful the Uzumaki clan used to be, it wasn't impossible for the Hyuga clan to have allowed one of their members to marry into it. But there must have been some kind of agreement—if the Byakugan ever awakened, that person would be brought back to the Hyuga clan for training.
Maybe it just hadn't awakened back then, and now, generations later, it finally appeared in Naruto?
That… actually didn't seem impossible.
Sasuke decided to accept it. After all, if it was already there, what was the point of questioning it? He himself had Otsutsuki powers now, which was just as bizarre.
"Looks like you won't be able to keep this up for long." Sasuke lowered the hand covering his eye and started gathering chakra. "In that case, let's finish this fight quickly."
"That's exactly what I want." This incredible power filled Naruto with confidence. Even if he still couldn't beat Sasuke, at least now he could hold his own.
Not getting beaten up—that was already a win.
"Six Paths Sage Art: Heavenly Must-Wave Purple Dragon—Dragon Palace!" He fused his Six Paths power, making it even stronger than before.
"Six Paths Sage Art: Great…" A flash of memory surfaced in Naruto's mind. Instinctively, he brought his hands together and activated the Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him. "Six Paths Sage Art: Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!"
A massive purple dragon shot into the sky, while the nine Truth-Seeking Orbs behind Naruto flew out, spinning into a giant blue-and-white tornado.
The clash of two ultimate jutsus turned into a massive shockwave that struck the earth in an instant.
The dark clouds in the sky were blown away, and the ground was shaken by the storm. Below, Kurama instantly realized the danger. Without hesitation, he activated his Six Paths mode, forming nine enormous Truth-Seeking Orbs into a shield in front of him.
Amidst the blinding light, two enormous figures were sent flying backward.
Sasuke's Susano'o was in tatters, and he almost lost control of his Karma Seal's energy burst. The blue-and-white Kurama's body was unraveling, and even the glow around Naruto was slowly fading.
That one attack had nearly taken both Sasuke and Naruto out of the fight!
As the storm subsided, the Truth-Seeking Orbs shattered, and Kurama cautiously peeked his head out, still shaken.
Where even am I right now?
Are you two trying to shrink the Land of Fire on the map by fighting like this?
Honestly, if someone said this place was still the Land of Fire, they'd probably get smacked. This giant crater—it looked more like something straight out of the Land of Earth!
Yeah, a giant crater. One so massive it seemed bigger than Konoha itself.
Seriously though, they had been fighting in the sky. If this had been on the ground, there'd be nothing left to see.
The two of them landed on the ground as Susano'o slowly faded away and the blue-and-white Kurama gradually disappeared. Sasuke and Naruto struggled to stand, staring at each other from an unknown distance.
Blood dripped from their mouths, but somehow, both of them were still smiling.
Sasuke formed a hand seal, lightning gathering in his palms. "Six Paths Technique: Kagutsuchi Amaterasu Thunder Arrow!"
Naruto forced himself to stay upright, black Rasengan energy bursting from his hands. "Six Paths Technique: Great Spiraling Rasengan!"
The black lightning and black Rasengan shot out at the same time, colliding at the center of the massive crater. The sheer force of their clash exploded instantly…
Of course, compared to the last attack, this one was much weaker.
Still, it was strong enough to wipe out a fifth of Konohagakure.
Kurama stood in the middle, his body hidden inside a Truth-Seeking Orb, leaving only his head peeking out. He looked at the two of them with a weird expression. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you two had some deep hatred for each other."
Was this really necessary…?
After the attack, both of them collapsed onto the ground. The power of Urashiki faded away through the Karma mark, and Naruto's Tenseigan Chakra Mode disappeared.
Both of them gasped for air, coughing up blood as they lay there.
Sasuke's right Rinnegan had already shut down, and even his Sharingan had reverted back to normal black eyes. His left eye's Tomoe Rinnegan was incredibly dim. It was clear that the last attack had drained him completely.
Naruto's eyes also returned to their usual blue, his Sage Mode fading, and the Tailed Beast chakra retreating back into his inner world.
They were both in the same state—completely drained, unable to even stand.
"Hah… I didn't think… this is how it would end…" Sasuke panted, his tone laced with mockery—not at Naruto, but at himself.
Naruto couldn't hear him. He was too far away. But he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Under Kurama's shocked gaze, he struggled to stand again, only to take one step and fall forward.
"I knew it. The undefeated hero's next chapter is always the one where he eats dirt," Kurama shrugged.
Well, at least he didn't open his mouth.
And closed his eyes.
Both of them had pushed their unfamiliar powers to the limit. Their bodies weren't used to it, and that unfamiliarity had taken a toll.
In theory, the power of the Karma mark and the Tenseigan shouldn't have caused this kind of exhaustion.
Just as Kurama was thinking about picking up their bodies, he suddenly heard a strange dragging sound.
His instincts kicked in, and he turned his head. Kurama immediately went silent. The teasing smile on his face vanished, replaced by a serious look. "Hah… I almost forgot you're the kind of guy who never gives up."
In his sight, Naruto lay on the ground, panting and coughing up blood. He was trying to stand but couldn't. Instead, he used his chin to grip the ground and slowly drag himself forward.
Yes, his chin.
Kurama could already see blood dripping from Naruto's chin, but Naruto didn't seem to care. He just kept crawling toward Sasuke—slowly, but with unwavering determination.
If he ran into a rock, he ignored it. If he fell into a hole, he climbed back up and kept going.
How long had it been…? How long had it been since Naruto looked this beaten up?
Not since the Chunin Exams, when he had suffered heavy injuries. Since then, Naruto had never been in this kind of state. Kurama had almost forgotten what kind of person he truly was.
He didn't step in to help—because he knew he couldn't interfere in this fight.
And right now, the fight still wasn't over.
How long had Naruto been crawling?
No one knew.
But by the time the sun had set and the moonlight shone down on the battlefield…
Naruto finally saw Sasuke.
The moonlight shone down on both of them. Naruto looked at Sasuke's fallen body in the distance and smiled before slowly crawling forward, dragging his bloodied chin along the ground.
Sasuke turned his head, his gaze unfocused as he looked at Naruto. But despite his dazed expression, there was a gentle smile on his face. "Are you an idiot?"
Naruto grinned, his face covered in blood but still smiling. "You're the idiot. Our fight isn't over yet. See? The referee hasn't even called it."
"You really think Kurama is the referee?" Sasuke was speechless.
"That doesn't matter." Naruto kept crawling forward until he reached Sasuke's side. "What matters is… you lost."
With that, Naruto stretched out his hand, using the last bit of strength he had left to place it on Sasuke's chest.
His smile never wavered—bright and warm, standing out even more than the moonlight in the night sky.
Sasuke stared blankly at Naruto's face. Beneath all that blood and wounds, what was… that?
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