Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Naruto: Menma Chronicles
Chapter21: Full Circle
Land of Lightning: Battlefield
"Damn it Sasuke," Naruto snarled as he formed a hand-seal and shifted into his Sage Mode. "You may have become a Jinchuuriki but I can still kick your ass! Senpo: Myojinmon!" he called out as he dozens of torii gates dropped down from the sky and struck Sasuke's position.
"Did that do it?" Konohamaru asked only for the gates to be blown away with an echoing roar. "I guess not," he added as he watched on. He had nothing left to fight with and Shukaku would take awhile to regenerate enough of its chakra to be of any use, especially in this kind of a battle.
"Naruto," Kurama spoke from the back of mind.
'I know,' Naruto responded. 'He broke through the Senpo-fuin on the torii gates like they were nothing to him,' he thought as four chakra arms extended from Sasuke's back and grasped the four walls of the barrier his clones had set up earlier. "Shit!"he exclaimed as the barrier seemed to snap from the pressure. 'Is it me or is the Juubi stronger than when it was huge?'
"Before it was nothing but sheer power akin to a force of nature," Kurama replied. "Now it's directed and focused so it's much more dangerous."
'Great,' Naruto thought wryly.
"Sasuke! Stop! That's enough!" Konohamaru shouted to the Last Uchiha.
"Sa...su...ke?" Sasuke asked slowly unfocused.
"Shit," Naruto cursed as Sasuke lunged forward with inhuman speed towards Konohamaru. "Hiraishin no Jutsu!" he thundered as he quickly grabbed the Ichibi Jinchuuriki and teleported away, narrowly escaping getting his side torn off by the attacking Uchiha. "He's fast!"
"I didn't even see him move," Konohamaru added as Naruto dropped him to the ground several miles away. "Hey! What are you-" he started only for Naruto to teleport away without him. 'He's going to fight Sasuke alone!'
Naruto reappeared near the center of the debris ridden battlefield and spotted Sasuke not too far away, writhing about as his body convulsed and mutated further. 'What the hell is happening to him?' Naruto asked in thought as he felt his Sage Mode leave him.
"He isn't like you or Hashirama," Kurama reasoned. "You can't expect him to be able to handle the power of the Juubi even with those cursed eyes of his."
'His body can't take it?' Naruto blinked in surprise though he really shouldn't have been.
He'd known that while the Uchiha had inherited a bastardised version of the old Sage's eyes, the Senju had inherited his inhuman physical capacity which had been passed on to the Uzumaki when the clan was founded. It was the reason why Konoha had brought in his mother to become Kurama's second Jinchuuriki, because even if the Uchiha had a better chance of controlling the Kyuubi's power, only an Uzumaki or a Senju could possibly survive having such a creature sealed within them.
It wasn't really a secret that Kurama was as powerful as the other eight Biju combined and as such he held half of the Juubi's power himself so no normal human could hope to survive being his Jinchuuriki unlike the cases with his brethren. Judging by how Obito had used Mokuton earlier and had acquired Nagato's Rinnegan, it seemed even he knew that the Sharingan alone could never hope to completely control the Juubi.
It seemed that Sasuke hadn't taken that into account...
"Enton: Umi no Kokuen," Sasuke whispered as black flames exploded from his right eye in massive wave of death that set the world in front of him ablaze.
"Jikūkan Kekkai," Naruto countered as he held up a kunai and quickly drew in the black flames, teleporting them away. "Sasuke? Can you understand me?" he asked as he quickly drew on Kurama's chakra.
"I...will...delete...the...past..." Sasuke spoke slowly as his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly and the Juubi's chakra encased his form creating a black shroud forming three tails. He shot forward at Naruto and encased his hand in lightning. "Raiton: Habataki Chidori,"the echoing sound of one thousand flapping birds echoed across the battlefield as he drove the now black lightning covered fist at the blond sage before him.
"Futon: Rasengan!" Naruto countered by quickly forming a wind-infused spiralling sphere and then thrusting the attack forward to intercept the oncoming lightning strike. Despite having the elemental advantage, the best he could manage against the Juubi-empowered Sasuke was a draw which blew them both back. 'This isn't working,' he thought. "The whole worlds against me," Naruto muttered as he looked over at his opponent whom had again undergone a transformation. Sasuke was now covered in a black haze reminiscent of a demonic version-two transformation sporting four tails and a pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. 'He's already adapted to four tails,' he thought at the sight of his former comrade.
"...Itachi," Sasuke gritted out.
"...I'm sorry this all happened, Sasuke," Naruto told him before rushing forward.
"W-who...a-are...y-you?" Sasuke asked in pain. "Get away from me!" he roared in rage and despair blowing Naruto back several feet.
"Damn it," Naruto grunted as he landed on his feet and stared at the sight in front of him. "He transformed again."
"Finally...Naruto..." Sasuke sneered as white humanoid bones grew across his body like some kind of exoskeleton and another two tails grew from the shroud bring the total number up to six. "I suppose this is fitting...it started with us...it should end with us..." his voice was cold as he started gathering red and blue chakra sphere into a single black orb at his mouth.
"That's..." Naruto trailed off as a three-pronged kunai slipped into his hand.
"Bijudama!"Sasuke bellowed as he launched the black sphere at the blond.
"Jikūkan Kekkai," Naruto countered as his space-time barrier stretched out from the kunai and stopped the oncoming projectile before teleporting it away. A nearby mountain exploded in a dome of light a moment later before dying down to reveal there was nothing left but a massive crater devoid of life. 'Damn it Kurama! I need some help here!' he yelled in thought as he felt Kurama chakra shroud dissolve.
"I need more time!" Kurama shot back.
"You cannot keep this up forever, Naruto," Sasuke spoke clearly. "I learned a lot from your death that day in the Land of Wave; Itachi taught me just how ugly this world is and you taught me that it doesn't get any better no matter how hard you try. You wanted to become Hokage and look at where you are now, just another nukenin in a world of hatred."
"...You're not the only one that Konoha has wronged," Naruto responded. "They betrayed my family and hated me despite my father's wishes for something beyond my control. But you know what? Having a Biju sealed in me isn't as bad as people seem to think it is."
"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "Whatever," he narrowed his eyes and his tails started tearing up the ground behind him. "It's about time to begin preparations for the Moon's Eye Plan...this world no longer has any value in it...this world died with my brother."
"Listen up Sasuke," Naruto shot back. "This world isn't going to end because I'm still standing."
"Even now you still won't give up," Sasuke sneered as his chakra body started to expand.
"Oh shit," Naruto cursed under his breath as Sasuke's form changed into that of a monstrous beast with eight tails, lacking only skin and fur. 'He has eight tails now!'
"Bijudama!" Sasuke bellowed as he quickly created a now familiar black chakra orb in his mouth and launched it at the blond. Naruto watched it approach with a grim look knowing that he had already used up his various Hiraishin kunai and various markers that were far away from civilian towns and villages. If he teleported this attack away from here then it would probably kill a lot of people wherever it ended up so that left only one option. He would have to do this the old fashioned way...
"Kuchiyose: Goju Rashomon!" Naruto called out as he slammed his hand down the ground. A large seal spread out across the landscape and five large demonic gates appeared in front of him, rising up from the ground as the black orb closed in. 'Come on!' ht thought as the orb struck the first gate, blasting through it like it was nothing before blowing through the second gate a moment later. It continued on, smashing through the third and fourth gates before its angle was shifted as it tore through the fifth and final gate, veering off slightly to the side and passing Naruto.
'He changed its course?'Sasuke thought as he watched the orb exploded in a dome of light behind his intended target.
"Mokuton: Mokuryu no Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed as a large wooden dragon exploded from the ground and wrapped around the massive eight-tailed Sasuke.
"You're still in my way!" Sasuke snarled as his tails flared and pinned the wooden dragon. "Bijudama!"he roared as he fired off another black chakra sphere at the blond.
"Mokuton: Mokujin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as a large wooden construct in the shape of a human quickly grew from under his feet and caught the orb with its right hand. "Mokuton: Hobi no Jutsu!" he added as the construct's face opened allowing him to quickly slip inside.
The sphere exploded in a dome of light which engulfed the two battling shinobi...
Konohamaru was racing back to the battlefield only to stop as a giant dome of light illuminated the dark horizon. 'What's going on over there?' he thought as the light died down and he took off towards where the battle was raging.
He wasn't sure what he should be feeling right now; Sasuke was the enemy trying to destroy the world, Naruto-niichan was the man responsible for the Ichibi attack on Konoha and Konoha had been destroyed along with his family and everyone he'd ever cared about. He was alone now with nothing left other than to keep moving forward and get back into the fight. At that point nothing else mattered to him but seeing this through to the end—before he could continue that thought a flicker of movement caught his attention from the side causing him to turn sharply and grip a pair of shuriken tightly between his fingers.
"The Ichibi Jinchuuriki," the figure spoke as she stepped into the moonlight.
It was the red-haired woman he had fought at the Kage Summit...
"You are..." Konohamaru trailed off as he stared at her.
"My name doesn't matter," Karin responded simply before casting a look towards the battlefield. "It seems that the situation has taken a turn for the worse," she commented as she sensed the inhuman chakra levels of the two battling shinobi. "Those two aren't human anymore."
"...No," Konohamaru whispered in the night. "Their strength is inhuman."
"So the Juubi was awakened and was sealed within a Jinchuuriki," Karin mused. "Is it Obito?"
"No it's not," Konohamaru answered honestly. "It's Sasuke," he confirmed. "Naruto is fighting him now."
"Then why are you over here?" Karin questioned.
"Naruto teleported me here and left me. He went to fight alone," Konohamaru replied.
"...Damn it," Karin cursed. 'Reinforcements are on the way but they're still mopping up what's left of the Zetsu clones and the remaining pockets of alliance ninja. Even if they did get here soon, they'd probably just get in the way; that's probably why he sent this kid away from the battlefield,' she sighed as chakra chains shot out from her back and pinned the exhausted Konohamaru. "Gedo: Chakura Kusari."
"H-hey! What are you doing?" Konohamaru gasped as he felt both his and Shukaku's chakra being suppressed.
"Sorry," Karin smiled down at him. "But Naruto wants to free all the Biju and that includes the Ichibi so I'm going to have to release it from your body. Don't worry though; I'll resurrect you once it's out of you."
A large smooth smoking crater sat silently where there was once a thriving forest with the only sign of life being the two walking giants in the center of the destruction; one was a massive wolf with nine tails and the other was an equally large humanoid wooden construct standing not too far away from it. The face of the wooden human opened and Naruto stepped out with a glare towards the beast in front of him as Sasuke emerged from the wolf's forehead.
"Susanoo," Sasuke spoke clearly as the Juubi's chakra flooded his system and he encased the nine-tailed wolf in purple armour.
'He's having that thing wearing his Susanoo like some kind of armour,' Naruto thought at the sight. 'I can't suppress it as long as he's wearing that thing,' he added grimly. 'It's hard to believe that Hashirama-sensei fought something like this.'
"Focus," Kurama grunted from the back of his mind. "Get ready," he said as he flooded Naruto with his chakra.
"It's about time," Naruto said aloud as golden chakra exploded from his form taking the form of Kurama. "Let's do this."
"You could never beat me Naruto!" Sasuke shouted as a much larger black chakra orb formed in the wolf's mouth. "Oodama Bijudama!"
"Oodama Bijudama!" Kurama countered as he fired off his own enlarged black chakra ball. The two spheres collided in midair and exploded, blowing both of them away from each to opposite sides of the now much larger crater.
"This is the end," Sasuke declared confidently as the tenth and final tail formed, causing the wolf to grow to twice its previous size. "I'm already at the top Naruto!"
"...We used to be friends," Naruto whispered at the sight of what his former friend had become. "It can't be help," he sighed and closed his eyes as he concentrated both natural energy and Kurama's own chakra into his hand. "Here I come Sasuke!" he shouted as Kurama leapt forward with a roar.
"Face me Naruto!" Sasuke yelled back as the Juubi roared. "Cho Oodama Bijudama!" he called out as a beam of chakra exploded from the wolf's mouth and washed over Kurama leaving nothing but a ten mile wide trench in its wake. 'Did I get him?' he thought only to hear an unnerving screech echoing across the battlefield. 'Above! He must have teleported at the last second!'
"Futon: Rasenkamikaze!" Naruto exclaimed as he descended upon the Juubi encased his golden chakra shroud and his sage markings on his face. In his hand was a golden chakra shuriken with four white wind blades spinning around it. He hurled the chakra shuriken down towards the Juubi which tried to evade the attack; in the end the attack struck the wolf in the back, expanding into a mountain-sized sphere of wind and chakra that shredded everything it touched including Sasuke's Susanoo armour.
'Damn it dobe!' Sasuke thought angrily as the wind sphere exploded with enough forward to knocking the Juubi to the ground with him still on top of its head.
"Mokuton: Kakuan Nitten Shuishu!" Naruto called out as he landed slammed his hand down on the Juubi's bare skin with a familiar green necklace in his palm. The Juubi roared as it was quickly pulled back into Sasuke's body and its power suppressed leaving only a battered and bleeding Uchiha Sasuke behind.
"You..." Sasuke gritted out as he rose to his feet once more.
"This is where it ends, Sasuke," Naruto breathed out as he felt Kurama's chakra and his sage mode fade.
They were both at their limits...
One final clash...
That's all they had left...
And just as the dawn approached...
"Dobe," Sasuke spoke quietly as he formed a series of hand-seals. "You know they say that when two first class shinobi fight; that they no longer need words to understand each other."
"...A lot of things could have been done differently," Naruto responded. "But its useless thinking about what might have been."
"Hn," Sasuke grunted and shot forward with his hand encased in lighting.
"Goodbye old friend," Naruto whispered as he moved to intercept with his own chakra ball in hand.
"Rasengan!"
"Chidori!"
Author's Notes:
In the end I decided to post chapters 19, 20 and 21 together to conclude the final battle leaving only the Epilogue to finish later. I enjoyed writing it—especially the curveball with Sasuke becoming the Juubi's Jinchuuriki—and I hope you all enjoyed reading it.
Translation
Enton: Umi no Kokuen = Blaze Release: Sea of Black Flames
Bijudama = Tailed Beast Ball
Oodama Bijudama = Great Ball Tailed Beast Ball
Cho Oodama Bijudama = Super Great Ball Tailed Beast Ball
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique
Jikūkan Kekkai = Space-Time Barrier
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere
Chidori = One Thousand Birds
Raiton: Habataki Chidori = Lightning Release: Flapping One Thousand Birds
Futon: Rasengan = Wind Release: Spiralling Sphere
Futon: Rasenkamikaze = Wind Release: Spiralling Devine Wind
Senpo: Myojinmon = Sage Art: Gate of the Great God
Senjutsu: Sennin Modo = Sage Technique: Sage Mode
Mokuton: Mokuryu no Jutsu = Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique
Mokuton: Mokujin no Jutsu = Wood Release: Wood Human Technique
Mokuton: Hobi no Jutsu = Wood Release: Wood Expulsion Technique
Mokuton: Kakuan Nitten Shuishu = Wood Release: Enclosed Hermitage Entering Society with Bliss-Blessing Hands
Kuchiyose: Goju Rashomon = Summoning: Quintuple Rashomon
Susanoo = He with the ability by all means
Onmyoton: Banbutsu Sozo = Yin-Yang Release: Creation of All Things
Gedo: Chakura Kusari = Outer Path: Chakra Chains
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