Chapter 41: A Destiny of Light and Darkness
Author's Note: Yeah, I ripped the title off from the Warcraft 3 Campaign "A Destiny of Flame and Sorrow – thought it would fit well.
Along the way, sorry about the lack of updates – homework made me busy, and I'm being overwhelmed now. But forget that, you're not here to hear me complain, you're here to see the flashy battles, so here it is!
People often said that the calm before the storm was the most dangerous, the most unpredictable.
For years, I've been away from my homeland, taking out threats before they even reach our borders. And when the Trolls began subsiding in their attacks, and to the Orcs defeated, the calm approached. As if the Orcs weren't enough, Archmage Antonidas warned me of the Scourge threat just days before they invaded, led by Prince Arthas. I tried to reason with him, trying to feed that tiny spark of Light that remained, fighting against the darkness within him, but he shrugged it aside. Knowing my duty, I began to fight.
Now, almost two months later, the Scourge are on the brink of breaching Silvermoon City, the once massive forces that Traxex commanded dwindled to a mere few hundred strong, surrounded by the undead army. Most of the population in Silvermoon has been evacuated, thankfully; I just hoped that Traxex had listened and left the rest up to me, but to no avail – she is just as stubborn as her father was reputed to be, and twice as fierce. Perhaps that is why I love her, and that made seeing her this way much more unbearable.
Tomorrow will certainly be my final battle, for King Anasterian has been slain a few days prior. I know my duty. I must protect the last of the evacuees, even at the cost of my life, or the life of my beloved. Traxex, please forgive me.
To anyone who will be reading this in the future, remember this: though we may be machines of war, deep down we are all the same, civilians or soldiers – for deep down, our spirits are what defines us. We shall continue on. We must.
Fenix Skywalker, signing out.
The last entry in Fenix Skywalker's journal, dated two days before his supposed death…
"Still looking back at the battle, I see," Naruto said as he approached Fenix, "You know, Kael is getting concerned."
"Of course, he's concerned about everything," Fenix replied, "It's in his commanding nature to be concerned with everything, just like his father."
"But that saved many lives," Kael said as he approached the duo as Fenix turned, kneeling on instinct and Naruto bowed slightly.
"Prince Kael," the two chorused in unison as Kael waved it off.
"No need for formalities, you're one of my closest friends Fenix, and you're a fellow leader yourself Naruto," Kael said, "How is Alastar doing?"
"What do you mean? I could not retrieve him during the battle... I can find neither heads nor tails of him," Fenix replied, "Is there something you need?"
"While I was in Silvermoon, finding what I could salvage, I found something that resonated with my father's mana," Kael said, "It was addressed to you."
Fenix took it curiously as he pulsed his mana in, and, confirming the identify, it began revealing words in Thalassian. As Fenix read, his brows narrowed further before it almost seemed a single line.
"Impossible…" Fenix said quietly, "Impossible, he had the ability to do that?"
"What does it say?" Kael asked as Fenix looked over.
"The King sent Alastar through to Dalaran…" Fenix said in disbelief, "But where and how now? Dalaran was destroyed a mere few days later…"
"Not quite," Kael said, "In fact, most of the evacuees were sent away just a day before the actual sighting of the Scourge, the same day I left. It was actually your son who told me about the invasion, just as he teleported into the main hall. It was a surprising and humbling experience, and gave time for the mages to mobilize and ready themselves for the inevitable, as well as giving evacuation orders. That's why Kingston, along with a legion of mages, left Dalaran "
"So where is he now?" Kael asked desperately as Naruto thought back if he remembered anyone with the last name Skywalker. Then it clicked.
"Oh," Naruto said quietly, "I know who he is now… he doesn't have your hair color…"
Fenix facepalmed, "Of course he doesn't now, my hair's silver now with red streaks. But his hair's red… wait why are you asking that?"
"Let me ask one final question… does he like fire?" Naruto asked as Fenix nodded slowly.
"Yes… he's a proclaimed pyromaniac… and proudly at that…why?" Fenix asked as Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I was wondering how the child had the name of the King. He's Lina's charge right now… and I've been teaching him for the past couple weeks."
"And you know he's a pyro how…" Fenix asked as Naruto waved his hand carelessly.
"Oh, when I taught him how to make a fireball, his eyes lit up," Naruto said as Fenix paled.
"Wait, you taught him how to make a fireball," Fenix confirmed as Naruto nodded and showed him the fireball, lighting up the sky. Sure, that could give away their position, if the enemy didn't know about it. But they did, and this served as a beacon for them not to engage if they knew the strongest was ready. Fenix paled, very quickly.
"Why?"
"Let's put it this way: Traxex and I had to move often, and it wasn't because the land was bad or the price was too high," Fenix replied as Naruto nodded.
"I see…" Naruto said, "Well I think we're okay. The Castle's fireproof."
"That doesn't help when he learns how to make bombs," Fenix muttered under his breath before they heard an explosion, followed by Horus' voice shouting over the distance, "You're kidding me. I WAS KIDDING! No wait I think we're really under attack…"
"We're under attack! All units rally to the Fortress! Priests first, Archers follow up the line! Hold them until either Fenix or Commander Namikaze returns! Warriors, hold the line, don't let them cross the circle while I charge up my spell! Phalanx formation!"
"Fenix, identify," Naruto barked out as Fenix turned, and Kael moved forward quickly. After a while, Fenix began speaking.
"Horus is holding them back at bay, but the surprise attack took out three barracks… I'm afraid most of the infantry inside did not survive the initial assault. We have several Myrmidons attacking along with several of those Royal Guards at the back protecting those Sirens. There also seems to be several Blood Elves sewing confusion in the midst, among them… Sylvanas Windrunner is battling her cousin, and is currently advantageous as she has silenced him temporarily, however she has received multiple wounds of her own."
Before he managed to go further, Naruto disappeared in a flash of yellow light as Fenix sighed.
"Sylvanas has him fully whipped," Fenix murmured as he called forth his Frost Wyrm, "Now it's time for me to show."
As Naruto reappeared out of his Hiraishin, he immediately caught a blast of fire right in his stomach as he flopped back, landing painfully on the injury as he groaned.
"Of all the stuff I teleport into," Naruto groaned as he quickly unleashed several kunai and rolled away, forcing the Blood Mage to, surprisingly, blink away.
"Blink?" Naruto wondered but had no time to think more as a gigantic wave of sound was thrown his way, forcing him to jump higher and watch as many troops were either decapitated by the wave or forced backwards, their arms too stunned to be able to attack. It was followed up when a fierce tornado whipped forward, lifting many up into the air. Cursing, Naruto quickly dispelled the Tornado with his own counter, and used his Rinnegan to soften the fall, before he looked forward.
"So, you're Sylvos?" Naruto asked casually as the now-identified Sylvos nodded.
"Indeed, I am. I suppose you are the one my cousin is referring to," Sylvos said. Those were not questions, they were statements.
"Impressive," Naruto waved his arm, "But not impressive enough."
The instant he said that, he pumped chakra into his feet, and with his already impressive speed augmented was able to get behind Sylvos before his mind caught up with his eye, and let out a harsh punch. However, Sylvos was able to launch one of the spheres he had back at him, careening into him and sending shocks across his body.
(Yes, Sylvos is the Invoker from DotA, he's the first hero I used, and the best I play with. That last shot was a Wex sphere. Quas produces the freezing effects, Wex is shock, and Exort burns)
With the shock still in his system, he was unable to avoid the suddenly now bright sphere that headed his way, smashing into his chest once more as he groaned, and a white orb collided last, quickly freezing the burn and causing it to flake off along with some flesh. Naruto gritted his teeth as he channeled his own chakra to dull the pain before returning fire with his shuriken, flashing through handseals in rapid succession, far too fast for the Blood Mage to see.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called as the dozen or so shuriken quickly multiplied ten-folds, becoming a storm of blades that was sent across to Sylvos. Having no time to react, Sylvos could only cross his arms in front of his face, and let the armor absorb the wind-edged blades that now embedded themselves into his armor and body, "Futon: Atsugai!"
The sharp edges of the tornado impacted against Sylvos once more, punching through his armor and shredding parts of it, sending him flying back into a pile of snow that was manipulated by Naruto to cover the wound, freezing it painfully into a frostbite.
"Ugh…" Sylvos grunted as many of the blades disappeared in a cloud of smoke, before he quickly threw three more of the electric spheres at Naruto, who dodged instantly, not willing to get hit with the objects, but Sylvos had gotten lucky, as the instant Naruto landed, a powerful blast of light erupted from beneath his feet, sending him up into the sky as his back burned painfully.
"And you said you're Athaniar's apprentice… what the hell," Naruto said as he stood up shakily, "What are you learning from him?"
"How to manipulate the elements," Sylvos replied calmly despite having his own share of injuries, "Though he cannot do it himself, he knows enough basics to teach me."
"You're awfully forthcoming," Naruto deadpanned as he surged forward, locking his arm around Sylvos' as he pushed Sylvos in the opposite direction, but Sylvos managed to right himself with two strange creatures, as if made of fire, as they swung him back onto his feet, only to be forced to activate windwalk to avoid several black daggers that speared through where he just was, embedding themselves behind him and explode, hurling granite at the pair even as Naruto closed in on the now frantic Sylvos.
What? He should not be able to see me! Sylvos thought frantically as he tried to dodge the first strike, to no avail as Ghost Walk dispelled on contact, and Naruto leaned down, picked Sylvos up, and hurled him into the air, before disappearing and reappearing beside Sylvos, launching a devastating kick that tore through the remnants of his armor and blasting him across the field and plowing into ice, breaking apart and sinking him. The freezing water would close into ice, trapping him in the icy water where he would either drown or be frozen to death. Crouching as he landed, he gave a grave sigh as he looked at Sylvanas.
"Are you alright?" Naruto asked as Sylvanas nodded her head, fixing the tear in her armor that drew his attention. Sylvanas blushed when she saw what he was looking at.
"Eyes off," Sylvanas said as she tried to cover herself and Naruto laughed, "No looking."
"Fenix," Naruto said, suddenly serious, "Get them out of here."
"Yes, milord," Fenix replied as he nodded to Kael, and Naruto began moving. Sylvanas' words stopped him.
"Where are you going?" Sylvanas asked worriedly as Naruto turned, and Sylvanas took the time to grasp onto Naruto's shoulders, preventing him from running or even substituting.
"Finishing the fight," was all Naruto said before he suddenly morphed into lightning, fleeing her grasp and teleporting a short distance away, before disappearing into the night as he sped along, moving forward to where he knew Sasuke was waiting, flaring his own chakra to respond as he arrived on the scene. They stood for a while, looking at each other
"So, it's come to this," Naruto finally said as he stopped, looking at Sasuke, "One of us."
"Will die today," Sasuke said softly, unbefitting him. Naruto arched an eye.
"What's with the subdued tone?" Naruto asked carefully as he looked at Sasuke, "Normally you would be happy at getting a chance to prove your superiority."
Sasuke said nothing as Naruto unsealed two bottles, throwing one at Sasuke. Sasuke caught it, looking at Naruto, who shrugged.
"Felt like it," Naruto said, "like they say here, cheers. I promise I didn't poison it."
And with that , Naruto gulped down his Sake, Sasuke also drinking it after hearing Naruto's proclamation. No matter what, Sasuke knew Naruto intended to keep all his promises. After drinking it empty, Naruto and Sasuke threw the bottles aside, and waited for the signal. As snow began to fall, both tensed, then they disappeared, and a loud bang reverberated through the snowy ground as the two clashed in the middle, their blades extended. The sound emitted was so powerful that even the camp, already kilometers away, could hear it.
Mere instants after the first clash, they moved back before charging forward, their hands clutching their signature technique, as they raced towards each other.
"Rasengan!"
"Chidori!"
The explosion was heard, once more, as the area was enveloped by a bright light that dissipated mere seconds later, only to hear another explosion as an explosive tag detonated, covering the area in a cloud of snow and steam. Sasuke jumped out of the smoke, looking around, before flashing through seals, and subsequently breathed a gigantic ball of fire straight down, Naruto leaping out of the snow almost immediately as he sent out several blades of wind at Sasuke.
The blades of wind collided, unfortunately, against the massive fireball, and the result of the pressured wind and the fireball's collision compressed the fireball into three separate blades, dull orange in color, before flaring white.
"Kuso," Naruto muttered as he ran, flashing through seals at the same time before slamming his hands onto the snow, forcing not only a wall of earth but also a wall of ice up, as the fireball detonated and was consumed, on one side, by Amateratsu, while the other side blew through the walls, though they did their job. Naruto quickly glanced back at Sasuke, then, without a single word, the world once more rumbled as they collided in the center nearly instantly, Naruto sending a kick up that Sasuke blocked, before he slammed his heel down on Naruto's exposed shoulder, knocking Naruto down. However, Naruto took the time to attach wires to Sasuke's body, and as he fell, he tugged on the wire, sending Sasuke tumbling down extremely quickly, and with a flick of his wrist Naruto sent Sasuke careening into the remnants of Naruto's wall, smashing through it and burying into the snow. Flying back, Sasuke launched several Death Coils at Naruto, who held his hands out.
"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto yelled as the pulse sent a wave forward, taking out the skulls even as Naruto followed up with several spells, relentless in his assault, determined to catch Sasuke off-guard before Sasuke…
Never mind.
Sasuke erupted into a pillar of chakra, the demented energy that he now possessed wiping away any trace of the purity that chakra was rumored to contain, and instead all he could feel was darkness and frost closing in on him. Unfortunately, Sasuke forgot that he was dealing with someone who had fought the very being that was malice and darkness incarnate, and succeeded in taming its destructive powers.
Naruto unleashed the hatred bound within him, the malicious energy forming another column of its own, as Naruto treaded forward, the energy blasting the ground around him into pieces of rock and ice, flinging them every which way as Sasuke did the same. Two Susan'oo formed from their respective bodies of chakra, one red and one violet, as Naruto's eyes changed.
It wasn't until a few days before that he noticed a change in the pattern which adorned his new Rinnegan. The once pinwheel shape that symbolized Itachi's eyes had changed to that of a four-sided star, more similar to a shuriken than a pinwheel, with a hole in the center. It was then that the Kyubi informed Naruto that it held a genjutsu of the highest caliber – Kotoamatsukami. Unfortunately, his Rinnegan could not use it properly until it had been integrated, something which frustrated him to no end, as there was something programmed into the Sharingan – though for the life of him he could not unlock it. Once more he suspected what Itachi had wanted – perhaps it was not to lock down Sasuke's powers but instead use Kotoamatsukami to turn him over with the control it offered him.
(Author's Note: Yeah, I know it was used up by Itachi and he destroyed it, but in this story, the presence of the Rinnegan changed everything)
As Naruto's Susan'oo launched several fiery bolts at Sasuke, Sasuke responded with a hail of arrows, intercepting the bolts and returning fire at Naruto, whose simply raised an arm and blocked the deadly projectiles as if they were nothing, before launching a trio of blades at Sasuke, connected by a ring. It detonated against the shield of Sasuke's Susan'oo, though the power caused it to waver as Sasuke reinforced it with Amateratsu, forming a shield of deadly black flames before he pounced on Naruto, the two colliding and cracking through the layers of rock underneath them, melting and flash boiling the snow as the fire melded the two colossal figures together, before Naruto reared back and punched Sasuke, who returned the favor. They were fighting more like brawlers now, on instinct rather than form and muscle memory, as they traded blows, while their chakra fought for dominance in the everlasting flames that flared out with every strike, every clash, every punch, every block.
Suddenly Naruto ducked under one of Sasuke's punches and returned with an uppercut that ended the stalemate, sending Sasuke tumbling just enough for Naruto's Susan'oo to gain dominance and send Sasuke's dispelling in a roar of chakra that scarred through the ice and rock, before Naruto pounced, the Susan'oo gone and his eyes an indicator of his Sage Mode, and as he charged forward he charged up a Rasengan and punched it into Sasuke's prone form, blasting through and exiting at the back. Naruto stared, before he ripped the arm back out and watched as Sasuke dispersed in a cloud of mud and gravel.
"Tsuchi bunshin," Naruto muttered as he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a sudden lightning strike coming up from the ground, rather than from the sky into the ground, as Sasuke reappeared with a Chidori in both hands.
Several Miles Away
"Can you see anything, Fenix?" Sylvanas asked frantically as Fenix looked forward. Of course, Fenix could see the battle going on, the stalemate to the strikes that both Naruto and Sasuke delivered to each other, but he had his orders.
"No, General," Fenix said, "The cloud of chakra that they are outputting are disrupting my ability, and I doubt any other hunter can track them before they are obliterated at that range. I cannot in good conscience let you go that close either."
"You're not ordering me around," Sylvanas said as she rushed forward, only to find an arrow that struck her, extending into the trees, "You dare use my move against me?"
"I will not let you go to your death, General," Fenix replied, "It would be unassuming of you to do so, especially under the circumstances."
"And do nothing?" Sylvanas retorted as Fenix charged up an arrow, the tip glowing a dangerous purple this time.
"I will request one more time, General. Please refrain from going, or I will stop you with force," Fenix replied, "You know as well as I do that manaless it would take too long for you to interfere, much less aid, if you are not already down from mana combustion."
"And risk killing me?"
"You will not die. I know you," Fenix replied before Sylvanas sat down and looked. For a while, no one said anything, then, Sylvanas sighed.
"Is this how you felt as you watched the siege?" Sylvanas asked as Fenix looked back, "To see Traxex taken down?"
Fenix said nothing as he turned around and walked back. As he walked to the barracks a dozen feet away, he stopped. Turning his head slightly, he began speaking.
"What is done has been done, General. My feelings are not important anymore," Fenix whispered as he walked in, leaving Sylvanas sitting as the Shackleshot dispersed.
"Fenix…" Sylvanas replied softly as she watched the retreating form of the once proud hero of Quel'Thalas as Kael came up.
"Sylvanas, it is best not to mention Traxex in front of him," Kael said, "I'm not sure exactly what happened, though Naruto seems to understand and warned Fenix against searching for her, but obviously he won't listen. I just hope Naruto's prediction won't come true – it will not bode well for any of us, nor the reputation of the Elves."
"What reputation?" Sylvanas asked as she laughed dryly, "We were humiliated in the face of the Scourge, eliminated as if we were simply pests, and their objective was never to destroy us. What reputation belies us now?"
"Our tradition," Kael said, "Never forget our tradition. We may be warriors, we may be-"
"-Simple machines of war, but we are all the same. I know that phrase Kael, that was from Fenix," Sylvanas replied, "It was the quote that led us to victory countless times… but can it lead to victory now?"
"It will," Kael replied, Eventually, he though silently, though he did not speak to Sylvanas. Even if Naruto could defeat Sasuke, Arthas had a huge lead that would take them a long time to chase up, and that would mean very little if Arthas managed to get to the Throne, as all would then be truly lost. And under the chances, even if Naruto came up victorious, the chances of him not injured was simply too low. He turned around and looked once more at the ongoing battle, even as Sylvanas stood up.
"I'm still going," Sylvanas said as she began walking, only for Kael to move forward quickly and strike her in the back of her neck. She crumpled down, unconscious, as Kael picked her up and whistled, quickly summoning a phoenix.
"Take her back to her room please," Kael said as he handed the prone body over, and the phoenix quickly ascended.
"I thought you wouldn't strike back," Fenix commented as he suddenly appeared around a corner.
"Knew you were around Fenix. You're going to help aren't you?"
"Yeah… I am," Fenix said as he turned, "But I cannot in good conscience let Sylvanas know that. I shall take my leave, my prince."
"Off, and let your wings burn bright," Kael responded as Fenix turned and set off quickly.
"And let the Gods light your path to victory," Kael whispered as Fenix disappeared in the whirling snow. Then the oppressive feeling struck, not like that of when Naruto unleashed Kyubi's full power, but rather an oppressive feeling of death. Kael's heart sank.
"Oh no."
Naruto vs Sasuke
As the light died down once more, Naruto looked around at the surroundings. Utterly devastated, the once pristine plain that they met at was now a deep crater, resembling more a valley than anything – a valley of death… just like the Valley of the End. Naruto laughed at that. How ironic.
There was an ominous feeling as Naruto recognized the power.
Kuso, I thought we had more time. Arthas must have pushed himself harder than anyone of us thought…
There was a tug inside his mind, and Naruto retreated temporarily.
"Boy…" the Kyubi said.
"Kyubi. Can't say I'm glad to see you… what do you want?" Naruto asked warily as Kyubi waved a paw.
"That boy is the last of the Uchiha… no?" Kyubi asked as Naruto nodded, "Kill him… I shall lend you my powers…"
"What's the catch?" Naruto asked.
"None. I shall give you my powers and my powers alone. Crush the Uchiha, make sure they never live again, and I will serve you as long as you live, and your family thereafter, as long as they proved to me they are worthy," Kyubi replied as he roared, "Now, go back, and kill that vermin!"
Naruto blinked as the powerful winds – how there were winds in his mindscape he will never know – blasted him out and into the real world, and felt the energy energizing himself.
"Hmm… I see Arthas has ascended… still think you can defeat me?" Sasuke asked as he flexed his arms, feeling the power coursing through.
"Only one way to find out…" Naruto murmured as he threw a spear of light at Sasuke, piercing through one of the wings and charged forward, intending on ending this before Sasuke got used to the power boost.
"Foolish. None stands before the might of the Uchiha," Sasuke replied as he dashed as well, ignoring the spear as it dissolved – in fact it seemed to have done negligible damage, and they struck in the center, their fists colliding and creating a shockwave that tore at the rocks once more, before Naruto ducked, letting Sasuke's fist flying dangerously close to his face, and tackled him. And Naruto suddenly exploded as another appeared out of the snow. The dust cleared to show Sasuke with only a small burn on his stomach, where the explosion had been powerful enough to blast through the armor and into his skin. As it was even said wound was still a small victory.
But as Sasuke moved to destroy Naruto, he was suddenly replaced by a flurry of snow, confusing Sasuke.
"Hyo-bunshin?" Sasuke murmured before looking up. It wasn't a snow clone, if such a thing ever existed – Naruto substituted with an abundance of snow that floated in the sky, and now floated there, his Rinnegan blazing with power.
"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto roared as the shockwave tore through the battlefield, reducing the area to not only rubble – indeed the entire area was now reduced to a crater, though Sasuke was less harmed than expected. Reversing the pull of gravity suddenly, Naruto pushed the rocks together, smashing into Sasuke, who leapt and blasted the gathering rocks into smithereens, sending splashed of dark energy flowing out of the epicenter of the blast, darkening the ground underneath as it died and shriveled away. He then fully unleashed Kyubi's chakra, launching thousands of clones down as one of his special clones dispelled, and spreading nature chakra across all his clones even as the crystal around his neck flared as it activated. Sensing Kyubi's chakra, Sasuke smirked.
"Have you forgotten my Sharingan, Naruto?" Sasuke jeered as he prepared to control the clones. Naruto smirked in response.
"Just try it… I think you'll find it a little… surprising…" Naruto said as Sasuke tried to control Kyubi's chakra and take it as his own, only to find something strange within the mixture. Eyes widening in realization that said energy was affecting him in a bad way, he quickly cut the connection and jumped back, watching with horrid fascination as the chakra he flared turned into stone.
"Nani! What trickery is this!" Sasuke growled as he blasted a cone of lightning, tearing through the clones with ease as each of them detonated in powerful blasts that cratered the ground. As he unleashed forked lightning strikes, one after another, each clone that was destroyed came closer and closer. Finally, he could not hold the line back as the clones reached him, and as the first reached, it detonated, forcing him back and allowing the others to overwhelm him, and detonated at the same time.
The explosion ripped the earth apart as the land gave away finally under the pressure the two unleashed, crumbling and falling away into a crevice that both Naruto and the still-alive Sasuke fell into. However, both unleashed their powers at the same time, powering themselves out of the crevice and causing another a gigantic rockfall into the devastated landmass.
There was a sudden creaking… and the world began to split.
"Nani…?" Naruto wondered out loud as he looked a the source of the creaking, and to his horror saw the cracks in the land as water gushed up, flooding around the site, "The power that was unleashed had enough to…"
Without finishing Naruto dodged Sasuke's strike, returning it with his own as his blade crashed onto Sasuke's armor, cracking through slightly even as Sasuke's dark strike struck the splitting land, further destroying the last link that connected them to the mainland.
"This is bad!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, "Sasuke, stop it! You're destroying Northrend!"
"That gives me a better time to use all my powers, Naruto…" Sasuke grinned sinisterly as he fired death bolts one after another, only for Naruto to counter with his own powers. The attacks, hyper-amplified by the denser, more chaotic chakra, clashed against each other much more violently than otherwise should, and as they detonated, the ground trembled and cracked, forcing both to take to the skies as both combatant's sealed in unison.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" both yelled as flames and smoke erupted simultaneously from both sides, as a phoenix and a hawk flared up and flew over the land.
Ichigo was the first to fire, as he concentrated violet fire into his beak and fired it like a beam, torching the ground where it touched. There was no target – or rather, everything was a target here. Sasuke's hawk returned fire as it fired blasts of wind, precise, controlled – and homing – at Naruto and his phoenix, forcing them to evade and fire back at those wind blasts.
Abruptly Sasuke called on his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"I wonder… have you ever seen the real Madara…?" Sasuke asked as Naruto turned, narrowing his eyes.
"The real Madara? So Tobi was never the actual one was he?" Naruto replied, more a statement than a question. Sasuke nodded, before his eyes shifted to one that Naruto knew very well.
They both now have the same eyes.
"I may not be as skilled as you, Naruto, in these eyes, but I know how to power them up… I've been training, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as an even more demented version of Susan'oo appeared – and the sky roared as a gigantic meteor began to fall.
Naruto narrows his eyes. That was not something he learnt, and neither had Nagato. That was something completely new.
"Wow. A meteor," Naruto said sarcastically, before turning serious, "How the fuck do I stop something like that without killing myself…?"
Without any warning a second one struck it, breaking the first apart and sending showers of rocks, ignited by Amateratsu, cascading onto the land. The result was devastating as Amateratsu burnt away at the debris of the impact, setting entire regions on fire and creating impassable areas, and one in particular struck perilously close to Icecrown Citadel, not only protecting it but also destroying any forces nearby – forces including not just the undead but also the Naga. That was a plus. The downside was that his own forces could not enter the area either, and his camp was dangerously close to one of the sources. There was no time to ponder that, however, as the second meteor began its descent again.
"Chibaku Tensei!" Naruto yelled as rocks converged on his location, forming large chunks which he then threw at the meteor, without much apparent effect. However, He was not concerned about that, as the total annihilation wasn't his primary goal.
"Ichigo, see that little crack?" Naruto asked as Ichigo nodded, looking up at a tiny crack which Naruto had managed to make during the strike, "Launch your fire at my attack."
Without affirmation Naruto summoned a clone and had it form a Rasenshuriken that he threw almost immediately, before forming a lance of wind around his arm.
"Ichigo, go go go!" Naruto yelled as Ichigo launched a blast of fire that ignited the Rasenshuriken, and as the attack struck Ichigo soared up, propelled by the sudden, seemingly increase in air pressure below them – in reality as the Rasenshuriken detonated, the fire rained the air above and created an overpressure that left a small vacuum, a vacuum that both capitalized on as Ichigo soared and Naruto stabbed out, piercing the lance into the enlarged crack. There was no response, then a large creak as Naruto poured more chakra into his technique.
"I cannot hold this any longer, Naruto! Do what you need to do now!" Ichigo yelled as Naruto tore through the meteor, and in moments they entered. Ichigo dispelled, but his job was done.
"Shinra Tensei…" Naruto whispered as the rock suddenly tore itself apart, cracking into two as they fell. One crashed into the sea, creating a powerful tsunami that roared into the ocean. The other tore another crater in the landscape.
Without warning, however, Naruto charged down, the forces of gravity aiding him in his descent as he sped faster and faster, and struck Sasuke, forcing both to tumble down the still-cascading rocks and slopes, exchanging punches and kicks like two brawlers more than shinobi or anything resembling trained warriors of this world or the other. There was a blast of dark energy as it tore at Naruto's defenses, forcing him back. That was supplemented by a sudden gasp from Naruto, as he looked down.
Protruding from his chest as a blade, crackling with electricity, and Sasuke stood behind him.
"I win, Naruto," Sasuke muttered, his eyes the original onyx eyes, lacking any enhancements.
Naruto struggled weakly to say something, and as Sasuke bent closer, he just managed to hear the sentence.
"Oh really, teme?"
The world exploded in flames.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand... CUT! The battle finishes next chapter. I'll try to get it out as fast as I can, but no guarantees. I'm finally done with my mid-term exams, and I barely passed a 6 in Physics - that was not fun.
One more thing, I will finish this story before going on hiatus