chapter 28: defeat

—impossible ".Biju/Speaking Beast.

— "for her " Thought of characters.

—"how to forget you ?" Biju/Summon/Beast Thoughts.

interesting."Character speaking.

No characters from Naruto or the RWBY series belong to me, this work is for mere entertainment, thank you in advance for reading this fanfic

Naruto had never understood luck. It's not that he didn't believe in her, but that he had a certain aversion to her. He did not feel like a happy man. After so many misfortunes he had suffered, he could almost be said to be a stranger to her. Everything he owned he owed to his own efforts... Of course, sometimes, by chance, things tilted in his favor. But he didn't attribute that to luck, but to his own skill. However, now...

Cut.

Kick.

Right hook.

Left hook.

Header.

Electricity.

Now it required more luck than ever. His opponent was surpassing him. The most frustrating thing was that this rival was identical to him in every aspect. He should be able to neutralize anything this person threw at him, but it was useless. He couldn't continue like this.

—"Come on, come on! If you keep this up you won't have a chance against me, Naruto! Free the nine-tailed fox! It's the only way you can stop me! Otherwise you will die here... and then I'll go after all our friends!"

Naruto frowned and attacked with more fury. His body was wrapped in a red cloak. He wasn't using the fox's full power, yet, because there was something strange here. Naruto moved at incredible speed and was right in Sasuke's blind spot when he was going to deliver a decisive blow. The masked man simply raised his left hand and stopped the blow.

—"Don't even dream of it, Naruto! You should have assimilated the lesson by now! You don't have the power to defeat me! Not now! I've become stronger while you stay stuck on the same level"

On the highest tower, two girls faced each other in a fierce battle that surpassed the limits of humanity. Every blow they exchanged made the structure tremble, and beneath them, everyone present could feel the waves of power spreading through the kingdom. Students, civilians, and creatures of darkness watched in amazement and terror as the two maidens dueled. One of them was fighting for revenge, to destroy her enemy and everything she represented. The other was fighting for redemption, to recover the part of her soul that had been taken from her.

—"Stop it! You should have enough intelligence to know that it is impossible for you to defeat me," Cinder shouted, launching a large blast of fire that was directed towards Pyrrha, who was barely able to cover herself with her shield. The heat was so intense that it made him grit his teeth and sweat. Her eyes lit up and a large burst of magical energy erupted from her body, dispersing the infernal flames.

Cinder frowned, annoyed. This girl learned quickly, perhaps it was her natural talent. It had taken her a long time to master what Pyrrha did with ease. Little by little, the redhead adapted to the maiden's skill, but it wasn't just that. Pyrrha had full access to her power and Cinder didn't want to admit it, but she knew why. The maiden's power did not resist Pyrrha's control, not like hers.

As quick as lightning, Cinder lunged at Pyrrha and delivered a hard blow to her cheek, causing her to fall to the ground at the top of the tower. The invincible girl didn't have time to react, Cinder picked her up by her neck and delivered a series of punches to her face and stomach.

Then, he formed a glass knife with his hand and prepared to stab it into the heart. —"Enough of this nonsense!" Cinder shouted angrily, bringing the knife closer to the Spartan fighter's chest. But before she could do so, Pyrrha took the knife from her hand, making Cinder look surprised and see a smile on Pyrrha's face. Then, Pyrrha's hand began to heat up and she melted the glass knife, rendering it useless, turned into lava.

Pyrrha then headbutted Cinder and released her, then kicked her in the chest and hit her with a shield in the face. Cinder was thrown backwards and crashed into a wall, ending up on top of a large, slowly spinning metal gear.

—"You know," Pyrrha said in a weak voice, as she stood up and wiped the blood from her mouth. The wounds he had hurt, but still his smile remained,—"this feeling is intoxicating. I understand why you are so obsessed with this, so much power at your fingertips, being able to do so many things that could even only be anyone's imaginations. At a certain point, I believed that I could face Naruto, now I believe that I could beat him. Yes, I could defeat him, my first victory over him"

Pyrrha smiled, but it was a mask. Deep down, she felt that her vision was blurring, that her reflexes were slowing down, that her body was weakening. She lacked energy, and although the magical power flowing through her veins gave her an extra boost, she couldn't compensate for the fact that her physical capabilities had a limit.

Cinder sat up, spitting blood, and looked at her with disdain. —"I still don't understand," she said, —"Why did Ozpin choose you to be the next handmaiden? You're good, I don't deny that, there aren't many people who can do what you do, but there are most skilled people in the world, Ozpin knows it well, maybe some nonsense about the heart and unbreakable will you have."

Cinder's smile widened, showing her teeth.— "But that's not enough, that old man wouldn't risk letting a heart as sensitive as yours take that power." Cinder narrowed her eyes, as if he had understood something, and put a hand to her forehead. Then he opened them wide, and a spark of malice flashed in them. —"I see, that makes a lot more sense."

—"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha stood on guard, aiming her weapon and preparing her shield.

—"There's only one reason Ozpin would choose you, the nonsense about being a good person doesn't cut it, not for him, not with what's at stake."

—"Are you going to tell me then or are you going to keep chattering?" The voice sounded behind Cinder, Pyrrha had moved quickly to take the lead and cut off her head, but in that instant Cinder activated her power to the maximum, her eyes They lit up and the heat spread, throwing Pyrrha away with painful burns.

—"Silly girl, the only reason he would choose you is because of how naive you are, because he can control you."

—"It's not true, he trusted me," Pyrrha refused to believe Cinder's words.

—"Keep telling yourself that," Cinder's smile turned cruel,—"Believe me, Pyrrha, I'm going to give you a very simple example, there is a person who surpasses you in everything, ability, skill, leadership, but I can assure you that Ozpin would not give him the power of the maiden because that person cannot be controlled, that person does what he wants, you, on the other hand, a person with firm ideals but so submissive to others, you would not hesitate to obey anything he tells you. Ozpin, even if you know in your heart that they are complete nonsense."

Anger flooded into Pyrrha's heart, and with a strong stomp she lunged at Cinder, ready to finish her off. Cinder did the same, and the two met in the air, resuming the fierce battle.

The explosion shook the foundations of Amity Stadium, where a destructive battle against the Grimm was raging below. But high in the sky, Naruto and Sasuke faced each other relentlessly, in a duel that tested their strength and will. Naruto was furious, too furious for his own good. He couldn't think clearly, and what little sanity he had left was fading in despair. No matter how much he hit the masked man, it didn't seem to cause him any damage. And he always told him the same thing, something Naruto had to reluctantly admit: that he wasn't strong enough to defeat him, not by himself. So he began to use it, to draw on Zorro's demonic chakra, but in moderation. However, that was not enough either, the masked man was still superior, and that frustrated him.

—"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, and launched a large blue sphere that hit the ground, making the entire place shake.

—"That was impressive," applauded the masked man, with a voice full of sarcasm and mockery. —"Are you going to continue throwing shiny spheres at me? In that case, I can do it too."

—"I don't have time for this." Naruto said, concentrating more. He was using the little lucidity he had left for something specific: to escape from there. There was no point in continuing to fight Sasuke, he was too big of a threat. Downstairs, many people were dying because of the Grimm, and he had a priority, above all those innocent people. He sounded cruel, but if he had to choose between them and his friends, he would choose his friends a thousand times. He concentrated on the three-pronged kunai he had in his hand, which vibrated. He tried to concentrate, but something wasn't right. He noticed it at that moment.

He opened his eyes and looked at his kunai in amazement. The seal surrounding the gun was not there. She looked at the masked man, at Sasuke, and he raised her hand. In his fingers he had a paper, which he waved with much mockery and disdain.

—"Do you really think I would let you leave?"

Then the paper burned. Naruto watched in amazement as what little was left of the seal vanished into thin air.

—"Naruto," said Sasuke,—"I know this seal long before you knew about it, but of course, I know the Beta version of this jutsu. It is impressive that you have managed to perform this incredible jutsu, teleport anywhere of the world".

Sasuke looked at the sky,—"being next to the people you love, when you need it most, I could almost say that you would be invincible if you can master it."

Naruto felt a pang of anger upon hearing Sasuke's words. How could he talk about the people he loved, if he had dared to hurt all of his friends and had joined the darkness? What did he know about the value of friendship and love?

—"How do you know that technique?" Naruto sharpened his gaze preparing to resume the fight.

—"Minato Namikaze, our father, was not the creator of the space-time technique known as Hiraishin no Jutsu, he alone perfected it. It originally came from Tobirama Senju, the moment I saw the seal I recognized it, I did not have the fundamentals to replicate the technique. So when I stole the kunai you gave me full access to learn it, of course, I wasn't going to risk you finding me at any time. So I just took a photo of it and then got rid of the seal,... I. I know how you think Naruto, you plan to go help your friends, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, don't worry, Nora and Ren are fine, Pyrrha,...well, I don't know where she is, frankly, she's probably fine, she's a strong woman".

A pointed rock pillar emerged from beneath the ground ready to pierce Naruto's stomach, but he dodged it.

—"Your fight is here with me," Sasuke said to Naruto, with a look of challenge, as his hand filled with electrical chakra.

Naruto prepared for combat, feeling the power of the Kyubi flow through his veins. With a cry of will, Naruto launched himself at Sasuke, ready to give his all in the final battle.

— "What do you want to achieve with this?!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, as they exchanged blows and kicks. — "Don't you see that there are a lot of people suffering because of you?!" If you're like me, you should know that this is wrong, we have to save our friends, we have to get them out of here."

— "How naive you are, Naruto. I thought you wanted to protect everyone," said Sasuke, as he grabbed Naruto's arm and twisted it, then threw him to the ground. With his foot, he pressed down on Naruto's head, sinking it into the ground. He kept it that way.

— "I don't expect you to understand what I'm doing, the world is much more complex than you think, there are things that you don't know, the world is on the brink of destruction, and the only way to save it is with this."

Naruto, on the ground, complained of pain, trying to get up, but Sasuke's foot prevented him from doing so.

— "So that's your goal? End the lives of hundreds of innocent people?" Naruto shouted, as he released an intense red chakra that hit Sasuke's foot and threw him hard against one of them. the walls of the stadium. However, to his astonishment, Sasuke just laughed. The pain from his wounds only increased his determination.

— "Keep it up, I want you to get everything out, I want to see the beast that hides inside you."

But the chakra dissipated, returning to Naruto, who was panting exhausted. Sasuke frowned in irritation. He dusted himself off and walked towards the center of the stadium, where Naruto was waiting for him.

Naruto took a few steps back, trembling. Something was wrong, something very serious.

— "Boy ," Zorro's voice echoed in his mind.

—"Kurama".

— "Don't allow it, don't release my power, this doesn't give me confidence." Through Naruto's eyes, the demonic beast watched the masked man suspiciously. Even he, who was so proud, felt a certain fear of Sasuke, but not out of respect for his ability.

The fox was aware and did not want to appear conceited, but he considered himself far superior to any being in this world. But there was something strange about that masked man, something that he couldn't understand, but that Naruto also noticed. Every time he could, that masked man asked the fox to free himself, to give his power to Naruto and make him invincible. But to what end? The masked man knew very well that he wouldn't stand a chance against Naruto in that state. Why did he want to awaken the power of Zorro, if only a madman would dare to face something he could not defeat?

The masked man stopped in front of Naruto, put a hand to his chin and started mumbling things that Naruto could hear, as if he wanted him to hear him.

— "I'm surprised by your ability to dominate that beast. Most people would go crazy from so much energy, but you keep it under control. In our last confrontation, you managed to get four tails... Well, I don't remember it very well. Well, because you were giving me a tremendous beating," he said ironically.

Naruto frowned, and the sky that was lit by the moon suddenly darkened. Sasuke looked up.

— "Damn it," was the only thing he could say. In the sky, there were hundreds of Naruto clones, each with a rasengan in their hand. There were so many of them that they covered the sky, and in an instant, a gigantic and devastating explosion shook the foundations of the place. For a moment, Naruto thought the stadium was going to collapse and bury them, but he miraculously held on. Of course, he sank a few meters downwards. It was a suicidal attack, but Naruto was unscathed... or almost so.

— "Ha, ha, ha!", among the smoke and debris, only a loud and funny laugh could be heard. Naruto started to get really worried.

— "This guy is crazy ," Kurama said.

— "Ha, ha, ha!" The laughter faded little by little and the smoke dissipated. In the center of a crater that occupied the entire stadium, Sasuke held his stomach and began to applaud. His tunic was partially destroyed and smoke was coming out of his clothing from the heat of the explosion. His white mask was cracked.

Naruto just gritted his teeth in anger. He had only done that to her. No one would have survived that, not even the ninjas from his world. But Sasuke seemed fine.

— "That was incredible. You tried to kill me without caring that you could have been seriously injured too. I see..., but I know that this is not you."

Naruto was surprised and then a wooden pillar hit him on the cheek like a whip and Naruto dissolved into smoke.

— "Do you really think you can escape from me so easily just by replacing yourself with a Shadow Clone?"

Naruto Uzumaki was trying to escape the stadium through the hallways, but Sasuke caught up to him and grabbed him by the neck as he turned a corner.

Sasuke created a rasengan in his hand and stabbed it into Naruto's chest. The Uzumaki's body flew and went through a wall, until it fell back into the crater of the stadium, on the arena where the fights were taking place. Naruto spat out blood and felt excruciating pain.

— "It's useless for you to run away, Naruto. I know you better than anyone."

— "How is that possible?" Naruto tried to stand up, but his body didn't respond. He had reached his limit, he couldn't continue fighting anymore.

Sasuke's footsteps echoed across the sand, approaching Naruto. He didn't even bother to sigh, he was tired, too tired. Then, he felt a kick in the face that made him turn and look at the sky. He saw Sasuke's silhouette above him, he couldn't see his expression because of his mask, but he was sure he was mocking.

— "You are a complete disappointment, what have you been doing all this time?, Naruto. You are very different, this world has made you weak. When you saw that you had no enemies, that you had no shortcomings, that you had no reason to improve yourself as you what you did, you became soft, you slowed down because they asked you to, you became lazy by settling for these days of peace, since there was no enemy to confront you you settled for doing the minimum, but now look at you", Sasuke's voice showed contempt, Sasuke looked disappointed at who was essentially the same, — "you're a loser."

Naruto didn't want to admit it, but he was right. He had gotten used to these moments of happiness, he stopped training as hard as he did before, all to please his teammates, he stopped trying as hard as he did, he only started training hard when he found out about Sasuke's existence in this world. world, but it was not enough.

— "Stop fighting," Sasuke told him pitifully as he watched Naruto try to get up, — "it doesn't make sense, you don't have to stop me, this is for a greater cause."

Sasuke turned his back on Naruto and looked at the clouds, he raised his hands as if he wanted to touch them, — "this is necessary, this world has to be corrected, it can't stay like this."

Naruto coughed and stood up with difficulty, but knelt down again, — "You're crazy, what are you planning to do? I don't understand why you're a participant in this, what does it benefit you? What do you gain from this?"

— "I'm trying to make things better, Naruto, believe it or not."

— "You're an idiot, I would never do such a thing," Naruto gasped trying to catch his breath, but only heard Sasuke's laughter.

— "I think so, ... I'm sure so, you would do this."

—"never," Naruto growled with annoyance —"I am not like you, I do not see the bad things in this world, I do not proclaim that the world is gray or that there is no salvation for anyone, I do not plan to prove that the world is wrong and complete shit, I'm not trash like you, I never give up in the face of adversity and the darkness of the world."

Sasuke didn't react, he didn't get angry, he didn't express annoyance, just amusement.

—"What are you talking about? I don't believe that."

Naruto's eyes opened, they looked at Sasuke's back, the moonlight illuminated him, almost divine, — "the world is cruel, it is chaotic, it is unfair."

Gunshots could be heard everywhere, the Grimm, the Atlecian paladins shooting and attacking people, complete disorder and chaos.

"《It's hard, it's indifferent》".

Grimm, monstrous creatures that fed on people's fear and hatred. They had appeared, wreaking havoc and destruction. . The Atlecian paladins were robotic soldiers who blindly obeyed Cinder's orders. They were relentless and merciless, they had no mercy or compassion for anyone.

The White Fang shot all the people left and right regardless of their pleas, the Grimmn massacred families, the few people who could not be evacuated.

"《Which sometimes doesn't even make sense, ...But I also know that the world is beautiful, it is generous, I also know that this world... is》".

It is a horror that the White Fang and the Grimm spread among the people, causing terror and death. But among them was someone firing half-heartedly, with trembling hands and the white mask of the White Fang flapping. Behind that mask, tears fell to the ground, wetting the blood. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to.

"《I know that in this cruel world there are people who are not resigned to accepting it, who harbor kindness and desires for justice and change in their hearts."

It was a faun with goat ears, wearing a white mask with the symbol of the White Fang. He was one of their own, but he didn't feel like one.

He was not the only one crying while shooting, many others were breathing hard, nervous and confused, not knowing how to act or how to escape. If they rebelled, they would probably be punished, but they didn't want to hurt anyone, this was not what they were looking for, they never wanted this for anyone.

"《I know that when the right time comes they will not sit idly by in the face of injustice and the cruelty of circumstances, that they will not remain indifferent when they see someone suffering."

That person who was sobbing behind the mask stopped, he couldn't take it anymore, he didn't want to continue like this. Then she felt the cold metal of a weapon on her back, it was another member of the White Fang.

—"Hey, you! What are you doing there? Move, keep shooting."

The man did not answer, he did not move, he looked around and realized everything that was happening, of which he was guilty, directly or indirectly. He didn't care about anything anymore, he didn't want to live like this anymore, no more, he turned and pointed the gun at the member of the White Fang who was behind him.

—"Hey, what are you doing?! Don't point it at me, point it at the humans."

— "No, enough is enough! I'm tired of this, we were supposed to be the change, we weren't supposed to hurt people, this is not what I wanted, this is not what we wanted."

All the members of the White Fang froze and listened to that man.

—"We don't have to do this, look what we are doing, don't you see? We are murdering all these people, even our own.

—"Put down that weapon and do as you are told."

But no, the man refused to obey, he was already tired of all this, why was he still here? Why was he fighting for this cause? He no longer had anything.

—"No".

And in an instant many guns were directed at him, but he was not afraid—"I joined this group because things were bad, I know, I have lived the same as all of you, discrimination, hatred, blows and kicks, but if we continue like this we are not better than them, we are worse"

—"I told you to stop pointing that gun at me, now!", the member of the White Fang shouted louder, but it was of no use, the man did not back down, but rather stood firm in his decision.

—"I fell into his trap, I let myself be seduced by his speech, I immersed myself in this dark world, for what purpose?, with none, I lost everything, when things seemed to get better I should have left."

He tore off his mask, he wanted everyone to see his face, it was in pieces inside and out, tears did not stop flowing from his eyes,—"he had a wife and a son, I don't even know what became of them, maybe they are dead, I don't know because I'm here collaborating with you to murder all these people! I'm not going to tolerate this continuing, I'm not going to die being a beast."

—"You can't change what's already done," replied the man who was in the sights of his gun,—"What do you intend to do? Even if you resist this, it won't alter anything, it's already done. Now complete with your work."

—"enough, I'm not following you anymore, I don't owe anyone anything."

The man who was threatened by that weapon sighed with disappointment, without fear, "shoot," he ordered, expecting a hail of bullets for the poor man who decided to desert at that moment, at that fateful moment, but before anyone could press a button. trigger, many turned and aimed at the heads of the men who followed the leader of that squad, and soon more joined them.

the man in command of that small squadron looked in amazement, furious.

—"What are you doing? I ordered you to shoot the idiot."

and some who decided to obey him and shoot the poor man who dared to challenge them could not, they were themselves being pointed by a gun, the hope and the words of the deserter, the beating of their heart motivated them to think for themselves, deciding to admit that they were wrong from the beginning and that they wanted to solve the problem they created.

The deserter stopped aiming at his boss and shouted loudly.

—"stop all those who oppose helping, we have a new mission and that is to protect these people."

They all shouted with energy, with courage, they would not follow that path anymore, although they were treated unfairly, they were not like the others, they were better, they would help everyone they could regardless of whether they were hurt or not.

"《Believe it or not Naruto, I know that the world is beautiful and that there are good people, people who with the simple gesture of opposing injustice can transform the world, I know that they are there, waiting for the moment, they feel the call of freedom, where they will leave all their fears behind and fight for those who once hurt them."

The members of the White Fang united in an act of courage and determination, shooting at the Grimm that stalked them. Despite the shame they felt for their crimes, they were willing to die defending the people they had previously hated.

It was as if fate intervened at that moment, the machines that were controlled by Cinder stopped working.

On a ship, on a battleship, Ruby watched in amazement as the red screens turned blue.

[... restarting operations]...

[choose target]...

Ruby wasn't typing anything, she wasn't even moving her hands, she just stared in disbelief at the screen where the word 'Grimm' was written.

—"《I think it's time for you to get out of there, I'll take care of everything》".

Ruby only heard the words of that mysterious man, and decided to obey him. But how was she going to get out of that height? She didn't have time to ask, she felt the battleship vibrate gently, she was going down. She opened the door, with doubts, got up from the seat and walked towards the exit, but first she thanked him.

—"Thank you".

—"《You're welcome, I hope to see you again in the future, Miss Rose》."

—"How do you know my name?".

Then the ship began to close and she hurried out. In any case, she thought it best to fight the grimm, it never hurts to lend a hand.

"《I know that the world has hope》".

The masked man turned around, looked at Naruto, the wind was shaking his robe, making it flutter... and the ground cracked. Naruto's eyes lit up phosphorescent red, the Kyubi's red chakra manifesting above him.

With fascination, Sasuke watched as one, two, three, four, five tails moved in all directions, a blow from those limbs was deadly for anyone, for any hunter, for any Grimm.

—"Stop talking nonsense."

— "Naruto, calm down ," Kurama shouted, the power was overflowing into Naruto's body, he tried to contain it, but Naruto consumed more and more.

—"Don't worry, I think I know why you ask me to free you, Kurama, and it's because you think that at some point I will lose control, but it won't be like that, I will finish off that idiot and turn him into ashes.

The wind blew strongly, carrying the remains of the coliseum. Sasuke covered himself with his cloak, while he smiled evilly.

—"How incredible, Naruto. Aren't you afraid to face me?" Sasuke challenged him.

Naruto crouched down, prepared to finish off Sasuke once and for all. He was going to cut him in half and then cremate his remains.

—"Don't act brave, Sasuke. You already know how this is going to end," Naruto replied.

That's when Sasuke made a serious mistake. He didn't expect Naruto's speed, which disappeared from his field of vision in an instant. Sasuke felt a sharp blow in the abdomen, which sent him flying. He crashed into the stands of the coliseum and continued sliding until he crashed into a concrete wall.

Before he could react, a red hand of chakra emerged from the ground, ready to crush him. Sasuke narrowly avoided it, but his hand scratched her chest and blood flowed.

—"Damn, this is not good. I have to keep him at a distance, just a little longer," Sasuke said to himself and received a blow to the rib.

Sasuke collided with a wall and stood up with difficulty, holding his ribs. The pain was unbearable, but he couldn't give up. He saw Naruto approaching him, with a furious expression.

Sasuke put his hands together and roots sprouted from the ground, huge roots that lifted him up and attacked Naruto, who destroyed them with his claws.

—"That's better," Sasuke thought. The battle dragged on, savage and destructive.

It was surprising that the coliseum was still in the air, thanks to the enormous dust crystal that supported it. The coliseum was a technological marvel, built with the resources and contributions of all four nations, designed to host the Vytal festival tournament. But now it was the scene of a duel to the death between two forces of nature, which hit each other with all their force, destroying the structure.

Naruto jumped towards Sasuke, ready to finish him off. But Sasuke defended himself with a wooden barrier, which Naruto broke with a punch. Sasuke took advantage of the moment to launch a flurry of wooden needles, which Naruto dodged with his agility.

— "You can't escape, Sasuke. You're just a cheap copy of me. I'm the real Naruto, the one who has the power of the nine-tailed fox," Naruto shouted at him.

— "Don't underestimate me, Naruto." The two looked at each other with hatred, knowing that only one could survive. Sasuke created a huge wooden dragon, which lunged at Naruto. Naruto responded with a roar, releasing a massive fireball from his mouth. The two attacks collided, creating an explosion that shook the coliseum.

The smoke cleared, revealing the result. Naruto was standing, unharmed. Sasuke was lying on the ground, his body covered in splinters and blood. Naruto approached him, with a look of triumph.

— "I told you, Sasuke. You are no match for me. I am the strongest, I am the only Naruto," Naruto told him.

— "No... it can't be... I... I..." Sasuke murmured, feeling the life slipping away from him. Naruto raised his hand, ready to deal the final blow. But before he could do so, Sasuke's body completely transformed into wood. Naruto heard a thud behind him, in the distance. Hands emerged from the ground and out of them came Sasuke, completely destroyed. His clothes, his black cloak, were burned and had holes in them. His white mask, split in half. Naruto wondered how that porcelain mask could withstand so many blows. It must have had some special material. He didn't understand it. It was a long time ago that with any slight blow he should have broken.

Sasuke crawled to the ground and breathed heavily. Then he stood up, staggering. He was panting, exhausted. Naruto's claws tightened, ready to deliver the final blow.

— "I have to admit," Sasuke shouted for Naruto to hear, — "I bit off more than I could chew. I almost died." Despite the injuries he had, the idiot still had the nerve to look funny. That angered Naruto, who lunged at Sasuke with speed. Seeing him approach, Sasuke smiled.

— "Ready," Sasuke said. When Naruto was inches away from him, he didn't flinch. He took a step back, avoiding the claw that was going to pierce his face. He made some hand seals and then held out his hand, on which he had written a word. He touched Naruto's chest forcefully.

Naruto felt a throbbing throughout his body. Quickly, Sasuke squirmed and backed away from Naruto. His hand was covered in red chakra, just like the Kyubi's. He was connected to Naruto's chest by a thread of chakra.

Naruto clutched his chest, his gaze vacant. What was happening? He didn't fully understand it, but he didn't feel well. Then he watched as Sasuke severed the chakra connection between her hand and his chest. Immediately, the red chakra that covered his body disappeared.

— "Naruto! Naruto, listen... this is not right!" Naruto heard Kurama's voice in his mind, but little by little it faded away, as if it were fading. And very soon, he stopped hearing her.

— "What have you done?" the Uzumaki asked, bewildered.

— "Unbelievable, it really worked?" Sasuke exclaimed with joy, like a child who had just found something.

Naruto tried to stand up, but something was wrong. He felt weak and dazed.

— "It's strange," Sasuke said, — "I was only supposed to seal the Kyubi, but it seems like you've been affected too."

And it was true. Naruto noticed how his chakra was out of control, he didn't control it well. It was as if he had lost something very valuable. Something that was part of him.

— "Ha ha ha, I have found a way to deal with the Kyubi," said the masked man who was posing as Sasuke.

— "What have you done to Kurama?!" Naruto reacted with anger, he approached the imposter and tried to hit him, but he stopped him, he looked at him with pity. Naruto put more strength into his fist, but he couldn't move it an inch. The masked man took out a kunai from his torn robe.

— "I only did what I had to do to ensure my victory," he said, and then he stabbed the kunai into Uzumaki Naruto's abdomen, who opened his eyes wide. The masked man took out the kunai and stabbed it again, he repeated this four times, then he kicked Naruto in the head, but he resisted falling, he counterattacked with blows to the masked man, who dodged them easily. Naruto hooked him in the head, the masked man took his arm and stabbed him with his kunai, Naruto screamed in pain.

Naruto tried to hit the masked man, who dodged it, stood behind him and made a deep cut on his back, the Uzumaki tried to perform a rasengan, but it was impossible for him to control his chakra, he couldn't, the masked man hit him. He hit him in the abdomen, made a cut on his cheek, gave him a right hook, Naruto fell to the ground, spitting blood.

— "Did you like the little trick I did? I learned it a few days ago," the masked man said mockingly.

Naruto didn't respond, he was bleeding.

— "Listen Naruto, this could have ended in a very different way, you know, you could have lived a normal life, with normal worries, studying to be a hunter, but at some point I know very well that you would have stood in my way, I can't let you go free, your potential is huge, I can't let it go," the masked man walked away from Naruto

—"This is the end of your road," he said in an icy tone, and vanished in the blink of an eye. Naruto looked around with cloudy vision and spotted him at the top of Amity Stadium. Sasuke raised his arm towards Naruto, — "I've never used it before," he said to himself, Naruto couldn't hear him from so far away.

Naruto felt a shudder run through his entire being.

Suddenly, a sphere began to form, filled with pure, intense power, of a dark purple color, without any luminosity. Despite the distance, Naruto could feel the pressure of that sphere.

— "What is that?" he exclaimed with difficulty, he tried to get up but he had no chakra left.

Sasuke took off his mask with his free hand and got rid of the hood or what was left of it, he looked at Naruto, — "see you on the other side, Naruto Uzumaki."

— "I have to escape from here, now," Naruto said to himself, trying to move but it was useless.

Sasuke whispered the name of the thing that would be the end of Naruto — "bijuu-dama."

And then everyone saw it from below the Amity Coliseum, from the Beacon Academy, even from the city of Vale, they saw an intense red flash in the Amity stadium, it was impressive, everyone was horrified by it, the roar of the explosion spread with force, no one could believe their eyes, in an instant the Amity stadium was completely destroyed, reduced to rubble that slowly fell from the sky, until it hit the ground. Naruto couldn't do anything but watch. It was the end of an era, the end of a story, the end of a dream. Naruto closed his eyes feeling the heat of the impact, as he remembered the person he loved — "Pyrrha."

The explosion that destroyed Amity's stadium interrupted the fight between Pyrrha and Cinder for a few moments. Both were stunned by the spectacle of devastation.

—"What was that?" Cinder asked herself, not understanding what could have caused such chaos. But she couldn't waste time thinking about it.

Pyrrha launched herself into the attack again and Cinder had to dodge her blows with agility. He knew that he had to end it as soon as possible. He moved quickly and threw flames of fire at Pyrrha, who protected herself as best she could. Little by little, Pyrrha became exhausted and received a strong blow to her face.

—"Game over, this is over." Cinder said, shooting a shower of arrows that Pyrrha was barely able to block. Several of them stuck in her legs and arms, leaving her immobilized. Her resistance had been exhausted. She tried to get up, she couldn't give up, everyone trusted her. She heard Cinder's footsteps approaching, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move. She looked up and met Cinder's gaze. She expected to see mockery, hatred, but no. What she saw was grief and sadness. This puzzled pyrrha. Why did her enemy feel sorry for her? Did she have compassion for her? Well, compassion was too generous a word for Cinder, but Pyrrha sensed that she wasn't sure what she was doing or that she had some kind of remorse.

Cinder readied her bow and slowly aimed it at Pyrrha's chest. Ruby, who had climbed the Tower to help Pyrrha, was horrified to see her friend defeated and at the mercy of the enemy. She used her speed to try to get there in time and save her, but it was useless. Cinder's arrow pierced Pyrrha Nikos' heart.

She opened her eyes and felt the life slipping away from her. She turned her head and saw the terror in Ruby's eyes. She also looked at Cinder, who when she met Nikos's gaze, lowered her head and looked away from her. The only thing she could do was remember the good times she had with her friends.

He also regretted not being able to see them again... At least one last time. Of not being able to see Naruto. His body lit up with a soft gold and then faded into particles of light.

Cinder closed her eyes, feeling the power flow through her. The maiden was finally complete. The power was his.

Ruby, devastated, not understanding how or why this had happened, put her hands to her head and cried. After a few seconds, her eyes flashed a deep silver and she let out a heartbreaking scream. Everything was illuminated with a lunar glow that blinded everyone. Cinder didn't even react to the light or the pain that overwhelmed her. She didn't have time for that or, rather, it was as if she no longer cared about the pain. The power of the maiden had come to her and, with it, new memories. She saw Naruto Uzumaki share the moments with Pyrrha Nikos, having fun together, their beautiful moments between the redhead and the blonde, her love was beautiful, pure. She felt Pyrrha's happiness and it made her jealous. But there was something else, a pang in her head, a distant memory, that wasn't Pyrrha's... It was Amber's...

—"Brrrruuummmm!" The animal neighed as if it wanted something.

—"Calm down, friend, don't worry. I know you're exhausted. We'll soon reach the next town and I'll feed you."

The animal neighed again.

—"Yes, you're right. Maybe I should eat something, but I don't have much left of supplies. I don't want to spend them, unless I'm near the next town... I'd like to eat the cake I'm carrying in my bag, but I have to resist. I can't wait to do it"

The horse protested again.

—"Yes yes yes. Maybe a little bit isn't bad. Right?"

The horse neighed again.

—"Yes, you're right. I have to be strong," Amber sighed.

—"Ah... I wish I wasn't so alone."

That's what Amber thought as she rode through the forest. Suddenly, she heard a noise in the bushes. She stopped and pointed the gun at her, thinking that she might be an enemy who wanted to steal her power. She spoke quietly to her horse so that he would be prepared to escape if a battle broke out. She waited with her heart racing for whatever was making that noise to come out, but what she saw was a blonde boy, disheveled, dirty, with wide blue eyes. The boy looked around her in bewilderment and Amber was going to ask him who he was, what he was doing there and why she was looking for her, but before she could open her mouth, the young man exclaimed.

—"Finally, damn it, I found a way out!"

Amber's jaw dropped.

—"Damn," said the boy, taking a crumpled paper out of his pocket and unfolding.— "Well, I am... where am I?.. this is kuyuki, I'm close to reaching Mistral, just a few kilometers... Let's see, let's see, is it to the right or to the left"

The boy was mumbling things, trying to get his bearings, not paying attention to Amber. The girl felt offended, how dare that boy ignore her like that?

—"Ahem, ahem," she coughed, trying to get his attention. The boy was startled.

—"Oh, hell, I hadn't seen you! When... when did you arrive? Were you following me? If you want to rob me, I warn you that I don't have a cent."

—"I'm not interested in your filthy money."

—"Thank goodness," said the boy.—"I don't think I could have beaten you."

—"Who are you? What are you doing here? And why are you looking for me?" Amber asked.

The boy scratched his head, confused. He didn't understand what Amber meant.

—"Well... you see, I am a traveler. I am here because I got lost. And I am not looking for you, I don't know who you are... Are you a famous actress or a wanted mercenary? Please tell me you are a famous actress, because if you are a mercenary I think it is better that I leave right now," the boy said with fear.

—"I'm not a mercenary," Amber said, feeling insulted.

—"Thank goodness. Well, I have to go," said the boy, turning around to continue on his way. But after taking ten steps, he stopped and looked at Amber again. He approached her quickly and showed her her map. With his finger he pointed to an area.

—"These are the Kuyuki wastelands, right?" he asked.

Amber looked at the map and laughed. It was an old and poorly drawn map.

—"No, you're so wrong. You're here," Amber said, pointing to the map.—"Not even close."

The boy sighed with sadness and despair.

—"Where are you going now?" she asked him, interested. The boy returned a smile full of hope.

—"You see... I'm going to Mistral and then to Argus. I want to see my sister again."

—"I understand," said Amber, understanding the boy's situation.—"And why are you making this trip alone?"

—"Hey, miss, that's very intimate. You can't ask me that without first offering me a date. So... who do I have the honor of speaking to?"

Amber laughed when she heard the boy. It was very funny.

—"Don't get your hopes up, boy. I'm about ten years older than you."

—"Really? It doesn't look like it, I'd say you're 18."

—"I take good care of myself," she said, running her hand through her hair and making it wave gracefully.—"Today is your lucky day, boy. It turns out that I'm also going to Mistral. If you want, I can go with you there ".

The young man was very happy, his eyes sparkled.

—"Really? Thank you! I don't have much money, but I guess about 100 lien will be enough for you," he took out a small bag with coins and gave it to Amber.

—"It works for me".

—"Wow, I thought you'd doubt it a little more," said the boy with resignation.

—"I'm not one to do favors, boy."

—"And here I thought you were going to take me for free."

—"At first yes, but since you have taken out money, it would be stupid not to take it."

—"You're right... well, guide me, beautiful lady."

Then, Amber got on her horse and started to move forward slowly and the boy followed her humming a song that Amber recognized. Somehow, it felt good to have company.

—"Hey, you never told me what your name is."

The boy, as if he had been slapped, put his hand on his chest.

—"Oh, no, forgive me, how rude, I'm sorry, that was very bad, sorry. My name is Jaune Arc, short, sweet, girls love it."

—"Jaune." Amber said, smiling tenderly, amused.

—"What?" asked the boy, bewildered.

—"Nothing, nothing. It's a nice name."

—"Thank you. And yours?"

—"Amber".

—"Amber," the boy repeated, savoring the name. He liked the way it sounded.

—"yes. Amber".

—"And what is your sister like?" Amber asked, curious.

—"She's the best," Jaune said, proudly.—"She's strong, brave, intelligent, kind... and very pretty."

—"Pretty?" Amber repeated, raising an eyebrow.

—"Yes, beautiful. What's wrong? Can't I say that my sister is beautiful?"

—"No, no, nothing. I just found it curious."

—"Well, it is. And not only do I say it, but also many guys who admire her, and her current wife."

—"What do you study? What do you work on?"

—"Study mechanical engineering and work in a robot workshop. She's a genius, I'm telling you."

—"Wow, yes it is. And you, what do you study? What do you work on?"

—"I... well, I don't study or work."

—"¿No?"

—" no. Well, yes, I study a little history and geography, but only on my own. And I work... well, I work where I can. Sometimes I help on a farm, sometimes in a store, sometimes in an inn..."

—"And why don't you study or work in something permanent?"

—"Because I'm 15 and because I want to be a hero."

—"A hero?"

—"Yes, a hero. Like those in the legends. I want to fight evil, protect the innocent, make the world a better place."

—"That sounds very noble."

—"It is. But also very difficult. I don't have any special abilities, nor any mentor to guide me. I only have my will and my dream, and a stolen weapon."

—"Well, don't give up, boy. Maybe one day you'll make it."

—"Thank you, Amber...eh, you're very kind."

—"I know, Jaune, I'm incredible."

The two smiled at each other, feeling a special connection. They didn't know that this was the beginning of a great adventure, full of surprises, dangers and emotions.

The two continued walking, chatting and laughing. They did not know what fate had in store for them, nor the dangers that lay in wait for them.

—"Jaune," Cinder whispered, opening her eyes. Her eyes filled with tears, she felt dirty seeing Amber's memories, Amber's most cherished memory.— "Why?" She wondered. –"Why always him? Why is it always destiny that unites you to me? I don't deserve you... ever."

I warn you that some things may not make much logic, so I appreciate any suggestions.

I also inform you that I have taken some creative license with some characters and that I will not follow the original canon to the letter.

This is the end of this arc and our hero has not been able to defeat his enemy, who is more powerful than him. I will have to make him improve with this defeat.

—Leave your comments!

Thank you for reading.