Chapter 97: Team Bond
The moment the purple Rasengan clashed with the black Chidori, time vanished.
The roar of the waterfall, the whistle of the wind, the pain in muscles—all dissolved into a blinding white silence.
Sasuke opened his eyes.
He stood in a void. An endless, milky-white space with no up or down.
He had no ugly wings. His skin was clean, without cursed marks. His arm didn't hurt.
Opposite him stood Naruto.
No Cloak. No beast eyes. Just Naruto—in black but intact clothes, with a complex but calm gaze.
"Is this... Genjutsu?" Sasuke asked. His voice didn't sound, but the meaning was transmitted instantly.
"No," Naruto answered. "This is Resonance. When two chakras of such density collide, they connect minds. An ancient language of understanding without words."
Sasuke looked at his hand. He remembered the strike. Remembered his Chidori crumbling to dust. Remembered the moment Naruto's sphere touched his chest.
In that instant, Naruto could have killed him. Pierced his body like paper.
But Sasuke didn't feel killing intent.
He felt... the technique dissipate.
He saw Naruto change the chakra rotation at the last moment, turning the drill into a cushion. A strike that should have been fatal became merely powerful.
"Why?" Sasuke asked. "I tried to kill you. Wanted to sever our bond. Why did you hold back?"
Naruto stepped toward him.
"Because you're an idiot, Sasuke. You think strength is solitude. You think killing me will make you free. But you'll just become empty."
In this white space, Sasuke couldn't lie. And he couldn't shut himself off from Naruto's truth. He felt his friend's emotions as his own.
There was no pity or condescension of a "superior." There was the steely confidence of an older brother who won't let the younger do something stupid, even if he has to break his arm.
"Orochimaru promised you power to kill Itachi," Naruto's voice echoed. "But look at us. You went to him. I stayed in Konoha. And which of us is standing right now? Who won?"
Sasuke froze.
The logic was undeniable. Naruto became stronger without cursed seals, without betrayal and darkness.
"This Path is the Snake's manipulation; it only distances you from your Goal," Naruto finished. "Come back. We'll become stronger together. We'll surpass them all. Both Orochimaru and Itachi."
The white light flickered and went out.
***
Reality. Valley of the End.
Sounds returned with a hammer blow to the ears. Roar of water, whistle of wind.
And the hiss of rain.
The sky over the valley clouded over, and a cold downpour crashed onto the battlefield, washing away soot and cooling red-hot stones.
Sasuke lay on the shore, at the foot of his ancestor's statue.
He couldn't move. His chakra was burned to the bottom. The hand that held the Chidori was numb and covered in burns. The seal on his neck went quiet, suppressed by Naruto's blow.
He looked into the gray sky where heavy clouds gathered. Raindrops fell into his eyes, turning into tears of powerlessness.
Nearby, breathing heavily, stood Naruto.
He was exhausted too. The Kyūbi cloak disappeared, leaving behind a burning sensation throughout his body. The Pseudo-Core spun sluggishly, continuing to sustain his strength.
The Uzumaki wiped his wet face with his sleeve and looked at Sasuke.
"Orochimaru isn't omnipotent," he rasped through the noise of the rain. "He lost to the Third Hokage, fled with his tail between his legs. Fled from the Fifth Hokage and Old Man Jiraiya like a beaten dog. He's just a slippery parasite, Sasuke. He's looking for a new body because his current one is rotting alive. Do you really want to learn from such a loser?"
Sasuke was silent. Water ran down his face.
Uchiha pride was shattered. He lost. He was weak.
But Naruto's words... they hooked that part of his soul not yet consumed by darkness.
Indeed. Naruto defeated him. Naruto fought Orochimaru and survived. Maybe there is sense in his words?
"You want to kill Itachi?" Naruto continued. "Then become stronger yourself. Don't take handouts from the Snake. I'll help you. We'll train until bones crack. I'll drive you half to death, but you'll become a monster. With your own strength, not by becoming someone's doll."
Sasuke closed his eyes. He remembered the pain of transformation. Remembered the feeling of an alien will in his head.
It was humiliating.
"...Fine," he whispered barely audibly.
Naruto leaned closer.
"What?"
Sasuke opened his eyes. There was still darkness in them, but it was the darkness of fatigue, not madness.
"I said... fine, dammit. You won, Naruto. Your Path... works. For now."
He clenched his fingers into a fist, but the trembling didn't stop.
"But don't think this is forever," familiar notes of stubbornness cut through his voice. "I'll catch up. And surpass you. I'll kill Itachi. With your help or without."
Naruto smiled. Not predatorily, but just tiredly and warmly.
"Catch up. I'll be waiting. But first..."
His face became serious again.
"You apologize to Sakura."
Sasuke looked away at the wet stones.
"She... is useless and annoying."
"She loves you, idiot," the blonde cut him off harshly. "You knocked her out and left her on a cold street. You raised a hand against a teammate. Never do that again. If you touch one of ours again—I'll break your other arm. Got it?"
Sasuke was silent. Rain drummed on his body.
"...Hn. Got it."
The Uzumaki exhaled. Shoulders dropped.
The tension that held him for the last hours left.
He walked up to his lying friend and extended a hand.
A memory flashed in his head. Academy. Sparring. Iruka-sensei always yelled: "Form the Seal of Reconciliation!". And both of them, proud and stupid, always refused to form it.
Now there was no reason to refuse.
Sasuke looked at the extended hand.
It was an admission of defeat. And an admission of connection.
With a quiet sigh, he lifted his healthy hand.
His fingers, trembling and dirty, hooked onto Naruto's fingers.
Index and middle finger bent.
Intertwining.
Seal of Reconciliation.
"We're going home, Sasuke," Naruto said, jerking his partner up and putting him on his back.
"Damn, don't yank so suddenly," Sasuke grumbled, wincing from pain all over his body.
"And you shut up and don't complain," Naruto snapped back without malice. "Less arrogance—less weight."
He, staggering, took the first step away from the waterfall, away from the statues of the past.
The rain washed the blood from their figures.
The mission was accomplished. Friend saved.
***
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