AN: Chapter 25 is here. Welcome back. Late again I know. I'll tell everyone about why that is in the ending AN. For now, I just wanna get the chapter started. So let's not wait any longer.

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One Last Dance II ~ Jiko Gisei

Weiss stood before Tsunade with the rest of her friends and Naruto's closest comrades. A lot of them she hadn't properly met. They were a colorful cast, Rock Lee in particular. They all seemed so different, the only thing that seemingly connected them was their occupation as shinobi. And yet, here they all were, faces grave as Weiss explained what had happened during her nighttime stroll with Kakashi acting as translator.

She had been asked to explain every detail of the encounter. Weiss obliged, finding the current situation too dire to refuse. She didn't fully understand why they needed all these details, but she obliged regardless. It was difficult. She stuttered through the more embarrassing parts and had to avoid reacting to the indignant sounds coming from Winter and the happy sounds Yang made.

With her tale finally over, Tsunade let the silence stretch for just a moment. Eventually she sighed and leaned back in her chair with her fingers massaging her temples. "Who is this third woman he needs to return to?" Tsunade asked. She'd gotten much better at the Remnant tongue over the weeks since the Otsutsuki were defeated, so Weiss understood her perfectly. And yet she wished she hadn't.

"Is… is that relevant?" Weiss sputtered, cheeks red. The color would never fade at this rate.

"Humor me," Tsunade replied.

"I-it's me, Tsunade-sama…" Hinata said. Her voice, though whispered, was heard by the entire room.

"No way…" breathed Kiba. Hinata went cherry red. And she wished Kakashi was not translating this part. The man didn't seem as though he planned to stop any time soon, though.

"Right… I expected as much. Where are they likely to have this fight, Kakashi?" asked Tsunade.

"The Valley of the End. It's too significant for them. I can't foresee them settling their differences anywhere else."

"I see. Ino, based on what Weiss has told us, what can you infer?"

"I've never seen Naruto act in such a way before a fight. Sakura has told me in the past how he can be before a battle too, and none of it matches up. I'd say this being against Sasuke plays a role, but based on how Schnee-san has described his expressions and the tone he had while speaking to her, I can only come to one conclusion, Tsunade-sama. Naruto is unsure if he can actually defeat Sasuke. And I think… I think he's conflicted on whether or not Sasuke needs to die."

"Elaborate," Tsunade ordered.

"Well… I've never had a conversation with Naruto where Sasuke came up and he didn't mention bringing him back. And yet, here we are. The final battle between the two and he doesn't even mention it to someone he's willing to enter a relationship with? It doesn't make sense. He's worried that the only way out of this where he's on top is with Sasuke's death… and it makes sense.

"The two of them have progressed so far that their power and knowledge is literally beyond our comprehension. And after two battles with what we would basically consider gods, Sasuke still hasn't given up on his ideals. Even after being back here with all of us and working alongside the Kage and his old friends… Sasuke still wants the Kage dead. If everything that's happened since defeating Kaguya can't shake his will, what can? There would only be one option left."

Ino's observations made Weiss's eyes widen. She understood why Tsunade had wanted to hear the story in such detail now. Weiss had spent all her life training to fight Grimm, as had most of the people she knew. Sure, there was fighting between people—the White Fang was a prime example—but she'd never been in a position where she had to psychoanalyze anyone to this degree.

Even Winter didn't seem like she analyzed people this thoroughly and Weiss knew enough to know that was part of her job. Tsunade's sigh drew Weiss's gaze. She watched as the Hokage pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Your orders, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked. Tsunade looked to him.

"I authorize the remaining members of team seven to observe the battle. If Sasuke prevails… you are ordered to execute him. The odds of him being battle ready after fighting Naruto are slim to none. It will be our only chance to strike."

"I request to go as well, Hokage-sama," said Hinata.

"You might be a distraction," said Tsunade.

"If Sasuke kills Naruto… I want to be there to see him die with my own eyes," Hinata replied. Tsunade steepled her fingers before her and held back yet another sigh. She had to consider her options. Putting her shinobi in danger unnecessarily wasn't anything she wanted to do, but if Sasuke did win and was somehow able to go through Kakashi and Sakura as well? There would be nowhere safe on the planet for anyone afterwards regardless.

"Fine. I'll allow it."

"I'm going too!" Yang said, stepping forward.

"You most certainly are not, miss Xiao long!" Winter said.

"There's no way I'm staying here while my boyfriend is out fighting for his life! If these are his final moments, I deserve to be there!"

"I'm afraid I'll be going as well, Winter… Yang is right."

"I may not be able to fully control miss Xiao Long, Weiss. You, however, are within my family and I'm your legal guardian while here. You will certainly not be going. And you and I have much to discuss while we await the end of this battle!"

"I'm going, Winter. And so are you," Weiss replied.

"Excuse me?" Winter replied indignantly. She had been happy that Weiss was growing up, but this wasn't the time for her to hit a rebellious streak.

"Winter… if Sasuke wins—which I don't believe he will—that's our only chance to get back home. Maybe they can force him to send us back before they k-kill him. But if we wait here, there are too many things that could go wrong between there and bringing him back here. And that's assuming they don't outright kill him. They want to get us home, sure… but how willing are they to risk their entire world to do so?" Weiss asked. Winter's mouth clicked shut as her mind processed all her sister had said. Her gaze slid to Tsunade.

"I wish to get you all back home, but no. I will not risk the safety of my world for you. If Sasuke wins, he'll only live just long enough to regret it," Tsunade said. Winter's lips pursed and she breathed deep to calm herself. She hated it, but she knew General Ironwood would make the same decision.

"I-I understand… I suppose we shall have to go," Winter exhaled.

Naruto jumped, spinning over a fireball as a chain shot out of his tailbone and scythed toward Sasuke who'd teleported behind him. The Uchiha deflected it with his sword before vanishing again and reappearing in front of Naruto, his blade already moving in a downward arc. Naruto's staff flew up, blocking the strike. The force of the blow shattered the earth beneath them.

Their arms became a blur of motion as they attacked and blocked one another. Then a clone appeared at Sasuke's side and landed and a powerful straight into his jaw. Sasuke dug his heels into the ground. The clone's attack decimated the landscape around them, cracking apart the earth and pushing the water into the far walls of the valley. Gritting his bloodied teeth, Sasuke stepped into Naruto's relaxed guard and dug his elbow into his gut.

The strangled cough above him followed by the resistance of Naruto's body let Sasuke know this wasn't a clone. Pulling back just a bit, his arm shot up and his palm caught Naruto in the chin, lifting him off his feet. Naruto's clone threw another punch. Sasuke swapped place with the real one and the clone popped instantly. Still staggered, Naruto wasn't prepared for Sasuke's approach. A spinning kick clapped into Naruto's cheek from the right.

Naruto's body twisted against his will as the sheer force of Sasuke's kick took him off his feet and had his body spinning through the air like a bullet. He didn't make it far before Sasuke was above him, another kick finding Naruto's gut. His strangled yell was drowned out by the water of the valley as he was dunked below the waves so quickly and violently that the water took time to fill the hole his body made. Sasuke waited. He knew Naruto wasn't dead.

Silence reigned over the valley as the seconds stretched by. Sasuke couldn't see Naruto below the waves, but he was no fool. Naruto was stunned at best. With narrowed eyes, he took in as much detail as he could. The smallest bit of movement beneath the water was now clear to him. He'd notice the moment something of Naruto's size even twitched.

A few more seconds passed before he saw it. Something beneath him was rising rapidly. Sasuke suddenly became aware of a heat beneath him in the same moment, growing hotter with the rise of what he was seeing. He didn't wait to find out what it was, having a decent enough idea as it was. With a leap he took to the sky and just in time too. Naruto's Senko no Kyuubi came roaring from the water just a moment later.

Even having put a good distance between him and the jutsu, he felt the heat drying out his skin regardless. The steam the attack and the water created permeated the air, making a hazy mist. Sasuke was able to see through it just fine, however. His visual prowess could not be stopped by mere mist. He scanned everything below him, searching for the slightest movement.

Sasuke heard a splash at his back and twisted around instantly. A mistake.

"Rinpun Rasengan!" Naruto yelling the name of the jutsu mattered little right now. It was already too late for Sasuke. With how potent his eyes were, they took in every glittering, bright, flash of the scale powder in the Rasengan. He slammed his eyes shut instinctively as pain coursed through his eyes. Even so, his senses were still keen, and he swung his katana, lightning arcing across its blade.

Naruto's Rasengan found its mark and Sasuke coughed up blood as he was blasted into the far wall of the valley. His blade strike had missed, so he couldn't even force Naruto to take time to recover. Naruto watched as the cliff-face crumbled to the ground below and in the next moment he was touching down near the rubble. With a flick of his hand the rocks lifted from the ground and revealed Sasuke himself.

With gritted teeth the Uchiha launched himself at his best friend only for one of the rocks to smack into his back. He stumbled and couldn't dodge the knee Naruto sent into his chin. Wobbling backwards, Sasuke had to quickly raise his arms to block a punch from Naruto that had him skidding. Then another rock slammed into his back again. He grunted another blow from Naruto found his abdomen and he doubled over.

Hissing in pain, Sasuke brought his head up swiftly and caught Naruto's chin. Both backed up this time, but not for long. With the pressure off, Sasuke got his bearings and dashed in. Naruto, not willing to give up ground, did the same. Sasuke threw a punch that Naruto redirected as he shot out a fist of his own. Sasuke tilted his head out of the way and used his lightning coated sword to obliterate the boulder nearing his side as he sent a straight kick at Naruto.

Naruto caught it and started to pull Sasuke in, only for the Uchiha to jump and twist, using his other leg to catch him in the jaw. Naruto tumbled across the ground and out onto the water. Sasuke sprinted at him just as Naruto got his feet under him. He let a chain fly from his arm. Sasuke flung a Kunai in response. The two weapons clashed, and the Kunai was sent spinning toward Naruto while the chain plopped into the water.

Sasuke swapped with the Kunai and flew at Naruto, landing a flying knee in the blonde's face. Naruto ate the attack and didn't budge. With a growl he grabbed Sasuke's leg and swung him around. Face bloodied and vision blurred, Naruto hurled the Uchiha up into the air as his injuries began to heal. The two of them rose a hand at one another. Wind and fire built up in Naruto's as lightning and fire did the same in Sasuke's.

They fired the pure elements at each other. There was no shape manipulation, no technique. Just pure power and intent to do harm. The two attacks barely missed each other and found their marks. Naruto found himself sinking beneath the waves once more as Sasuke tumbled through the skies only for gravity to take hold again and have him crash onto the top of the cliff-face. And then, there was silence.

Weiss watched the trees move beneath them in a blur as they flew toward the valley on Sai's paintings. She was worried. She'd been seeing flashing lights in the distant valley. Though, she supposed it was not so distant any longer. Their party would be there within minutes now. The only question was, what would they find when they arrived? Weiss wondered if the battle would have already come to an end.

She hoped dearly that she did not have to lay eyes upon Naruto's lifeless body.

"He'll be okay, you know," said Hinata. Weiss was sharing a bird with her and Yang. She was not quite ready to be around her sister again, not yet.

"Your… faith seems rather unshakeable," Weiss replied. Hinata smiled at her. It was a slight thing. Her worries were no less than Weiss's own, yet it was clear as day in her eyes that Naruto would win. Weiss could see a surety there. The worry was natural reaction anyone would have, but Hinata had no doubt Naruto would come out of this victorious.

"I've never seen Naruto give up. No matter how dire the situation, he doesn't back down. He will win," Hinata replied. Weiss glanced at Yang and saw the girl was not smiling. It was clear she was concerned too. And then Weiss realized why they might be so scared. Brief as it was, they'd seen Sasuke fight Cinder. He toyed with her. And while Naruto may have trained them, he showed very little of his skill. He'd kept himself around their level so they could improve.

Weiss knew it was silly and irrational, but her emotions didn't care. She took a deep breath as she grasped Yang's hand, intertwining their fingers together. Hinata glanced at them again. Her eyes travelled down to their locked digits and her face softened before she looked ahead again. Then she gasped.

"What? What is it?" asked Yang, drawing the attention of all present.

"N-nothing I just… I looked back toward the valley and got a bit of a shock. They're within r-range now. I saw them both get hit by strong attacks. Naruto was sent beneath the water…" Hinata replied.

"Faster, Sai," said Kakashi. Weiss had to hold on a bit tighter to the bird as it suddenly jerked forward, speeding up just a little more. The wind howled in her ears, but it mattered little. No one spoke. And then, almost as if the ride from Konoha hadn't even happened in the jumble of thoughts that was her mind, they were here.

The bird landed on one of the cliffs overlooking the valley. They were across from a cloud of dust on the opposite side of the valley. Hinata let them know Sasuke was in there, slowly getting to his feet. Weiss looked around below for Naruto. She knew he was in the water somewhere but with the distance and the depth of the lake below, she couldn't see him.

A wind swept past them and Weiss hand to block her face with her hands, lest she get dust in them. When she opened her eyes and dropped her arms, she saw Sasuke standing on the other cliff-face. His eyes briefly swept over them before they returned to the water and his hands twitched. Weiss followed his gaze and released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding as Naruto's body floated up out of the water. His eyes were wide open, and he stared up at Sasuke with what Weiss could only describe as a resigned gaze.

"Why?" asked Sasuke, his voice sounding strained, "Why do you keep getting up? Over…" lightning started to arc over Sasuke's body, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "And over and over…" Sasuke stomped a foot; the valley shook from that alone. The crack of thunder sounded overhead, almost as though it was mimicking the Uchiha's anger. Below, Naruto's expression darkened, and he quickly got to his feet. "And over and over and over and over and over again!" Suddenly, a flame-like pattern spread from somewhere around Sasuke's neck to his face and his left arm. "Just give up and let me cut you down already!"

"I can't… I won't." Naruto replied, his body suddenly bursting into orange flame as he was covered in a cloak of chakra, Nine black spheres at his back. Sasuke just looked at him after that. Then he took a deep breath. A chidori burst to life in his hand, though this one seemed like a much darker shade of blue than Naruto had ever seen before.

"Fine," said Sasuke.

"You learned sage mode," Naruto commented, a wind release rasengan forming in his own hand. A regular Rasengan would not be able to handle whatever Sasuke's sage mode had done to his chidori. Naruto was sure of that.

"I have all the knowledge I need to make my own now… and you've proven how useful it is," said Sasuke as he neared the edge of the cliff.

"I guess the warm up is over then?" Naruto grunted as he began to float upward. Sasuke sneered and stepped over the edge of the cliff. His fall quickly turned into an angled dive.

"That you can be sure of!" Sasuke spat. Naruto took off.

"Futon: Rasengan!"

"Chidori!" The two of them thrust their attacks forward, crashing them into each other. Their meeting created a whine that could be heard throughout the valley briefly. Then there was an explosion. No smoke came from it, but the sound was unmistakable. Instead of smoke, a white orb expanded outward from the attacks, engulfing both Naruto and Sasuke within it. Above the valley, Weiss could only clench her dress worriedly as she looked to Kakashi.

"What is that…?" Weiss asked.

"I… don't know," Kakashi replied.

Ruby coughed but the smoke assaulting her lungs would not let up. Fire and Brimstone; Vulcan's semblance was rather simple at face value. It allowed the beast to produce fire and magma. All in all, aside from being exceedingly rare, what with allowing its user to nearly wield two separate elements, it is to date, the most powerful fire related semblance on record. This semblance is what made the hunter who wielded it one of the strongest in all of Remnant. And Ruby assumed that's why Salem sought it out.

Vulcan was clearly no less proficient with its semblance than it was when it was human, for the beast had bathed the entire town in fire shortly after creating a literal volcano on the edge of the settlement with its magma. This was the fourth town the creature had reduced to little more than cinders since they'd begun tracking it. They couldn't stop it; they couldn't even slow it down. Getting too close to it could melt the skin right off someone's body. They'd all had the misfortune of seeing that happen too many times to count.

All any of the hunters following Vulcan could do was evacuate as many people as they could. And yet, as Ruby coughed again and crouched to her knees to try and reduce the smoke she was breathing in, it was clear even just evacuating civilians was a life-or-death endeavor. Just as she considered activating petal burst to escape to somewhere with fresher air, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She glanced behind her, expecting another civilian. Most of them were frantically running from the fire or the Grimm. This wouldn't have been the first time someone would have gotten her attention like this, hoping that she could lead them to safety. Instead, she met eyes with Blake. The Faunus was coughing just as badly as Ruby, if not worse.

Grabbing hold of Blake's hand, Ruby used her semblance to rush them out of the smoke and up to a tree with a sturdy branch. The two settled themselves as the branch jiggled with the sudden weight, a few loose leaves drifting off into the fires in the town below. Their tree was situated on a hill overlooking the carnage of Vulcan's presence.

"Have you heard from the others?" Ruby asked. Her scroll had been broken just hours ago, back when she and Blake had gotten separated.

"A call from Jaune. He and Pyrrha are helping with evacuation efforts around the site where one of the other nine is. Jabberwock, I think…" Blake replied. Ruby sighed. Jabberwock was widely considered the strongest of the nine. An incomparably powerful Grimm with a semblance that seemingly controlled gravity. Stepping into its radius was an even more assured death sentence than nearing Vulcan. At least you could get close to Vulcan's body. Death to Jabberwock would find you before you could even get within a mile of it.

"What does Salem want…? These Grimm… there's nothing that can stop them. Why hasn't she just reduced the world to rubble by now? Why does it feel as though these things are merely a distraction?" Ruby wondered. Blake's eyes found the burning town before them again and she wished she had an answer for her friend.

"Maybe they are…"

Ruby snorted and scowled, the deep bags under her eyes making her look more tired and severe than she actually was.

"She needs to die," Ruby spat, leaning against Blake.

"I know, Ruby… I know," Blake replied.

Flashes of memories were shared between them. Their clash conveyed more than words ever could. The pain, the loneliness, the hatred, and the regret. It was all laid bare before them. Their lives an open book for the other to peruse. And yet, this only fueled their intent to win. It only steeled their resolve. The cycle of hatred would only end for good when one of them was crowned the victor.

The orb shattered. Naruto and Sasuke landed atop the lake and the water exploded behind them as they darted at one another again. Their fists met and a wall of water obscured them from view from all sides from the force. Naruto threw another fist that Sasuke dodged before the Uchiha let a knee fly. Naruto blocked it with his own before turning the punch he missed into an elbow that that caught Sasuke in the jaw. The Uchiha spun with the blow and landed a roundhouse into Naruto's midsection just as a chain shot out of Naruto's arm and coiled around Sasuke's arm.

The Uchiha yanked on reflex, trying to free himself. It was all Naruto needed to offset Sasuke's kick and keep him from being pushed away. The chain dissipated and the two rushed in again, trading a flurry of blows. The water around them finally fell back into the lake.

With gritted teeth, Sasuke blocked another punch from Naruto just as he jumped over a low swinging chain. He kicked Naruto in the chest and backflipped, performing hand signs all the while.

"Enton: Gokakyu no jutsu!" A near blood red flame escaped Sasuke's mouth, boosted in some way by his sage mode, Naruto assumed. Naruto was confident he'd be able to bat it aside with a chakra arm and press his assault. He lifted his arm. Naruto didn't see Sasuke's eye dilate. Black flames suddenly mixed with the red of the natural fire.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed as a gudodama whizzed from behind him and widened, creating a shield for the attack to slam into harmlessly. The crackle of lightning was Naruto's only warning as he tried in vain to turn about. He didn't make it. Sasuke's chidori struck his back and Naruto dipped below the waves briefly before using his flight to angle his tumbling upward instead of downward.

He broke the surface and righted himself, paralleling his body with the water as he flew and picked up speed. He jerked to the left as a bolt of lightning struck where he'd once been. Another one neared him and he spun out of the way. Turning himself about, he flew towards Sasuke and dipped beneath the waters as a fireball crashed right ahead of where he'd been going.

Sasuke's eyes darted back and forth as he scanned the water. He jumped up and thrust his sword downward just as Naruto splashed out of the lake. Sasuke's sword slid through his skull, clipped his throat, and bust out of the bottom of Naruto's jaw only for him to burst into smoke as another Naruto came out of the water behind Sasuke. He grabbed onto the Uchiha's leg and began to spin. Faster and faster around he went until he suddenly stopped and flung Sasuke end over end into the cliff walls.

They shook terribly. Above him, Weiss and the others nearly lost their footing. Sasuke blinked away the double vision he was suffering just in time to see Naruto nearing with a Rasengan in hand. With a click of his tongue, Sasuke closed his eyes. Naruto's attack hit home, and smoke obscured them.

"Did… did he get him?" Yang asked, steadying herself once again after the second crash into the cliff subsided.

"I don't think this is over yet…" said Kakashi. And he was right. Naruto was flung out of the smoke by a skeletal hand. And as he tumbled through the sky, Kurama formed around him until the full glory of the Kyuubi landed in the valley. Tails swaying menacingly, Kurama roared and spread his arms out wide in challenge as the observers on the cliff bore witness to the quickly growing form of Sasuke's Susanoo. Soon his Susanoo towered over them, obscuring Kurama and Naruto from their view.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he looked up it. Lightning made up most of its arms and it exploded from its back as well. He noticed markings reminiscent of the curse seal of heaven on the back of the Susanoo's legs and knew they must be on the front as well. And though Kakashi could not see the entirety of Sasuke's Susanoo, he knew it must look different from the front as well.

And then the two colossi moved. Faster than they had any right to, they met in the center of the valley, fists clashing and creating a wall of wind that Kakashi used an earth release jutsu to block. When the wall crumbled, they witnessed Sasuke's Susanoo climb into the sky as a chidori screamed to life in its hand. Kurama leapt up at him as Sasuke descended, a bijudama in his maw. The two attacks connected and as Kurama began to fall back to earth, he wrapped three tails around Sasuke's Susanoo to ensure the Uchiha came with him. The two crashed below. The earth shook again and unbeknownst to their observers, a crack began to form on the underside of the cliff.

Sasuke and Naruto got to their feet. One of Kurama's tails shot out to strike at Sasuke only for the Uchiha to dodge as a bow formed in his left hand. He knocked and arrow. A lava release Rasenshuriken formed in Kurama's right hand. The two fired their attacks and as they exploded between them, Sasuke appeared at Naruto's right with Amenotejikara. Naruto was ready this time and had wrapped Kurama's tails around them for protection. The moment Sasuke reappeared within Naruto's senses, one of Kurama's tails swatted the Susanoo across the face, staggering it.

Kurama's other tails unfurled and the biju rounded on Sasuke swiftly, slashing the Susanoo across the chest with a claw before Sasuke could get his footing. The Susanoo was knocked back. Kurama quickly charged and fired a bijudama into it. An Amaterasu infused stream of fire tore through the smoke from the explosion before it cleared and Naruto guided Kurama's form out of the way just as Sasuke took to the skies again. The lightning on his back seemed to grow brighter and more erratic as Sasuke knocked another arrow.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He could feel it. This was something different than his other attacks. Stronger didn't even cover it. Two more Kurama's appeared alongside the original before they merged and began creating two different Rasenshuriken.

One was infused with six paths sage mode chakra, the other was infused with shakuton chakra. Then, just as Naruto noticed the lightning of Sasuke's arrow begin to darken, taking on the same color of his senjutsu enhanced chidori, Naruto charged a bijudama within Kurama's maw. The outermost layer of the bijudama, thin like a shell, turned the same color as his shakuton Rasenshuriken before the flames and heat became truly visible for all to see. It was as if he'd created a black sun within Kurama's jaws, the orange and black coloring of the attack a menacing show.

With gritted teeth and a glare that could melt steel, Sasuke fired his arrow. Naruto threw his Rasenshuriken and launched his bijudama at the same moment. Down below, Kakashi created four earthen domes to keep everyone safe. He knew the power packed in those attacks would be more than enough to kill them if they weren't careful. He had no idea how correct he was. Nor did he realize how futile his domes would become.

Outside the dome, the two attacks connected, and the following explosion whipped up two tornadoes from the sudden swirl of wind. The clouds, already darkened from earlier began pouring rain. Thunder boomed; lightning screamed to the earth. There was a second explosion, this one caused by the two jutsu destabilizing and detonating. The backlash caught both Naruto and Sasuke, tearing through both their chakra constructs and knocking them to the earth below.

The heat of the attacks evaporated the clouds, revealing the glittering stars in the night sky before the force and the heat traveled down to the valley below. The statues of Madara and Hashirama were shattered, their heads and hands falling into water below. The cliffsides of the valley crumbled. The dome around Weiss and the others hadn't survived the first explosion. The second completely destroyed their footing, obliterating the cliff where they'd been. The only thing that had kept them alive was the Aura of the remnant natives and two more hastily erected earthen domes.

Still, the damage had been done. They were all falling to the valley below.

Salem sat on her throne. She was leaning into the seat, her head tilted limply off to the side. She looked as though she was sleeping, her eyes closed and her breathing slow and even. She was not, but Salem could not remember the last time she'd ever been this relaxed. Her greatest creations were rampaging, and through their might they kept the collective military power of the world well and truly occupied. Ozma, wherever he was, undoubtedly had no time to worry over protecting the relics like this. Nor did he have the time to find and protect any maidens.

Salem would find them. It would take some time, but that was something she always had. Now? Now she had that and more. Salem had opportunity. A unique opportunity courtesy of her Grimm. Eventually, humanity would need to rely on the maidens to even have a prayer of doing battle with her creations. And the moment they revealed themselves would be the moment Salem struck.

Eyes still firmly shut; Salem smiled.

Sasuke gingerly got to his feet. The fall had been more painful than he'd expected and his whole body felt burnt, but he could keep going. And that's all that mattered. He glanced around the valley and quickly spotted Naruto. He was standing as well, looking a bit better than Sasuke himself, but that was to be expected. Until he exhausted Kurama's chakra Naruto would have no issues healing. It was a good thing, then, that he had more than enough chakra to spare.

Momoshiki's reserves were now his own and he had been far more powerful than Kinshiki. In a way, Sasuke supposed Momoshiki had done the one thing he'd never thought possible. He'd evened the playing field between himself and Naruto in terms of sheer chakra. The sound of rubble tumbling caught Sasuke's attention just as he was preparing to move in again. His eyes flicked off to the left where he saw Sakura and Kakashi helping the remnant natives from beneath the rocks.

Emerald looked to have a broken leg if the way Sakura was treating her was anything to go by. The others seemed to be relatively alright, their wounds being more superficial than anything serious. Sasuke assumed Kakashi must have worked extra hard to keep them safe. As his eyes roamed over them, he noticed one of them was missing. Sasuke hummed as he glanced around the valley. It didn't take him long to notice her. She was still off to his right, but she was about halfway between their other observers and Naruto himself.

Sasuke stared at her. His face was blank as his eyes gave no attention to anyone else. When he saw her twitch, Sasuke made his decision. His hand quickly found the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it.

"Sasuke!" Naruto growled in warning. The Uchiha paid him no mind and dashed at the downed woman. His strength and his chakra propelled him in front of her almost instantaneously. He watched, as if in slow-motion, as her eyes widened a fraction upon seeing his blade near her. He saw the fear, the disbelief. And then, with a simple mental command and a flood of chakra the two of them swapped places just as Naruto landed between them. Sasuke twisted his body without even giving himself time to think. Thoughts were worthless. Action would do him better. His moment was finally here.

Sasuke's katana sang through the air. It met flesh, bit into it, and continued on. His strength ignoring the resistance his opponents body offered. The sword cleared his target. Blood flew into the air. He heard a scream, multiple of them, really. But the most prominent of them all was Sakura's. Even as he finally felt his heart settle, he regretted that she had to see this… but Sasuke had already apologized for what he'd just done the day before.

Sakura would never forgive him, but he'd known that already. He'd known what his life would be like the moment he succeeded in his goal. And now, as Naruto's head thudded to the ground with a meaty splat, his body following soon after, Sasuke exhaled a shaky breath as the grip on his blade loosened. He would grieve later.

But now? Now Sasuke was finally, truly alone. He had work to do. And so, he turned to face his observers.

Weiss turned as soon as she realized what happened. Sasuke had swapped places with her. He'd used her. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw Naruto's head lopped off. She didn't hear the meaty splat. She didn't see his body fall. She didn't see much of anything any longer.

Naruto was dead. He was dead and it was her fault. If she hadn't been here, he never would have been caught off guard like that. If she hadn't convinced Tsunade to let them come watch this, none of this would have happened.

"Na…" her voice warbled as she tried to say his name, only to choke back her words with a sob. She didn't deserve to speak it. Not after this. "No… No!!!" Her screamed ripped out of her throat painfully as her tears blurred her vision. Her eyes were finally taking in the full scene before her again, but she wished they weren't. His body wasn't bursting into smoke. There was just blood. So, so much blood.

Her first tear slid down her cheek as her blurred vision began to distort Naruto's body. It was almost like it was fading away right before her eyes. A loud wail escaped her as she buried her face in her hands. She hadn't wanted to see this. But now she'd never forget.

Weiss didn't see Sasuke turn to face them, his face a mask of unfeeling even as he opened his mouth to speak. "Kakashi. Tell Tsunade she's nex—" A fist, materialized out of thin air, crashed into Sasuke's face mercilessly. It contorted around the appendage for but a moment before Sasuke was sent into the far wall of the valley. The wind knocked out of him from crashing into the opposite cliff-face, Sasuke could only gasp for air as his eyes trained onto the furious, very much alive form of Naruto.

"Impo…ssible…" Sasuke gasped once, taking another moment to regain his breath before fury gave him all the strength and air he needed. "It's impossible! I killed you! I cut your head off! There was no time for you to make a clone!" Sasuke raged, his eyes locking onto Naruto's body. Except there was no body to find. All that remained as evidence of his deed was the blood. Sasuke couldn't comprehend what hand transpired for all of three seconds before his eyes widened.

"Figured it out, did'ya?" Naruto spat.

"That's your Rinnegan ability…?" Sasuke said. Truthfully, he almost had no words. Almost. "What the fuck, Naruto!"

Naruto scoffed. "Madara had invisible clones and you can teleport with fucking droplets of water. I don't wanna hear shit from you over my Jiko Gisei," Naruto replied. Even as his face burned in pain he'd only felt once before the last time Naruto had punched him like that, the heat of his anger was greater still. Naruto saying the name of his technique was all the explanation Sasuke needed. There was some sort of time limit between uses, he was sure, but Naruto would never let him exploit it. He knew that much. No, he was going to have to force this to kill him for good.

"You can come back from the dead," Sasuke responded simply. Naruto just shrugged.

"Nah. I just automatically go back in time a few seconds upon death. Well, my body does anyway. I've always been willing to lay down my life for the shinobi world. Clones or not. I'd say my Rinnegan ability is fitting, don'tcha think? Now get up. Let's finish this." Naruto commanded, sliding into a stance again. Sasuke stared at him for just a moment longer before he stood to his feet and gripped his sword tighter.

He wasn't truly alone just yet.

XXX

And that's the chapter! Boy was it a long one, huh? I hope the fight scene was to everyone's liking. It was kind of a struggle. Being at the end of the fic is a little surreal and trying to compare to the actual final battle between Naruto and Sasuke is a daunting task. Obviously, I'm not quite done with the fight yet, but I hope what you've all seen thus far was interesting enough.

Naruto's Rinnegan ability is finally revealed! I hope its original. Jiko Gisei (Self Sacrifice) works as follows. Should Naruto die, he will be pulled through space time to a moment before his death occurred. His corpse will fade away and as he grows more comfortable with the ability, he will be able to adjust where his body appears, instead of the exact spot he died at. There is a "cooldown" of nine seconds where Naruto is truly vulnerable to death after using Jiko Gisei, but hey, he can work with that, can't he? No one got quite as close to my idea as I'd hoped but that's fine. I thank everyone for their guesses regardless.

In other news, another reason this chapter took so long to come out was… well… a lot has happened since the last chapter dropped. First and foremost, I finished my web development course so I'm knee deep in the job hunt. But the second, and far more mind consuming reason is…

I'm going to be a dad! My wife and I are expecting and of course, because we can't seem to do anything simply, we're not just expecting one baby, but twins. It's all rather overwhelming, but we're both quite happy and quite busy trying to prepare. With that in mind I'll try to have the next chapter out as soon as I can, but if its late again I hope you can all understand.

Well, this ending AN has gone on long enough. See you all in the next chapter!

Ah! Actually, one last thing. I leave you all with the title of the next chapter again. I'll probably do this for all the remaining chapters honestly. Only three more left. What a trip.

One Last Dance III ~ Hello World

If there are any questions you all have, feel free to leave a review. If you want some sort of more in-depth discussion, then go ahead join the discord. Anyway, that's it. Peace out.

Discord Server: discord dot gg/kSvA5vftJ9