"Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
At the Valley of the End, the Rasengan and Chidori clash for the first time.
The sky changes color.
The two techniques cancel each other out.
But it's not over yet.
Naruto's demon fox claws, Sasuke's cursed seal fist.
The final collision!
Both subconsciously held back, not aiming for vital points.
After the impact, heavy rain poured down.
Sasuke looked coldly at Naruto, who was lying on the ground, unconscious.
Rain fell on him.
Water droplets slid down his cheeks, whether it was rain or tears.
"Naruto..."
The Konoha headband gently slipped from Sasuke's forehead, falling beside Naruto.
A scratch from the demon fox claws ran across the entire Konoha symbol on the headband.
The rain fell harder.
"It seems you've finished."
Sasuke was taken aback, turning to look at the speaker.
It was Kimimaro, who had been watching from the side.
"You've mastered the power of the Cursed Seal Level Two quite well."
Kimimaro praised.
"How do I compare to you?"
"I don't have the power of the Cursed Seal."
Sasuke was surprised.
The Sound Four all had it, but Kimimaro didn't.
"Why?"
"Lord Orochimaru offered it to me, but I refused. The disadvantages of this power outweigh the benefits for me. With a little more time, I can master a more perfect Cursed Seal power."
Sasuke was silent.
The gap between him and Kimimaro was not just in strength.
There was also vision and knowledge.
He got Orochimaru's fish, but Kimimaro wanted Orochimaru's fishing rod.
At this moment, Sasuke seemed to understand how his future training path should go.
"Let's go, we should head back. Lord Orochimaru is waiting to see you."
Sasuke didn't speak, just followed behind Kimimaro.
The battle was over.
In the rain, Naruto lay quietly on the ground at the Valley of the End.
In the corner, Zetsu's figure appeared.
"We saw something interesting. Why don't we take the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki back now?"
White Zetsu said coldly.
"It's not the time yet. The tailed beasts' seals need to be released in order. Taking the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki back now won't allow us to seal it. And if Konoha discovers that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is missing, they will definitely come out in full force, and then the Akatsuki organization will be in danger. Don't forget, Jiraiya has already noticed the Akatsuki organization."
Black Zetsu directly rejected White Zetsu's proposal.
"What a pity, we wasted such a good opportunity."
"At least we discovered an interesting guy."
"Kaguya Kimimaro?"
"Yes. This person is not simple. The Kaguya clan has never produced such an outstanding member. He may be helpful to the Akatsuki organization's future plans."
"Doesn't this guy want to leave Orochimaru and join the Akatsuki organization for safety? We can take this opportunity to recruit him. The Akatsuki organization is really short of people right now.
That bastard Kakuzu, several of his teammates have died, including even elite Jonin level shinobi.
Sasori of the Red Sand is the same, always likes to turn his teammates into puppets. The Akatsuki organization's members have been depleted by them."
White Zetsu couldn't help but complain.
"The next operation is in three years. In these three years, we not only need to solve the Akatsuki organization's funding problem but also need to gather enough core members. Otherwise, it will be impossible to capture all nine tailed beasts in a short time."
"But is this guy reliable? He doesn't seem like an easy person to deal with."
"It doesn't matter. As long as he has the strength and is willing to work, that's enough. Isn't that what Obito meant?"
"Then it depends on when he leaves Orochimaru."
"Yes. Someone's coming, let's go."
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu both glanced at the unconscious Naruto before slowly melting into the ground.
The next moment, Jiraiya appeared beside Naruto.
He looked at Naruto, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.
Seeing Naruto in front of him reminded him of his former self.
More than ten years ago, when Orochimaru defected, he also wanted to chase him back.
But out of softheartedness, he failed.
That pathetic look was exactly the same as Naruto's now.
"Naruto, I know you've tried your best."
Yes, in order to chase back a close friend, how could one not try their best.
But the harder you try, the more powerless you feel.
It's not that you don't have the ability to defeat them, but that you don't have the ability to change their mind about leaving.
And that heart that wants to kill you.
"Pervy... Sage... What about Sasuke?"
Naruto slowly woke up.
"He's gone. That cold heart of revenge, your friendship couldn't melt it."
A hint of loneliness appeared in Naruto's eyes.
"What about the others? Are they okay?"
Naruto remembered the fierce battle everyone was in before he left and quickly asked.
"Don't worry, they'll all survive. Tsunade sent a medical team to meet them, and they've all been sent back to Konoha for treatment."
"That's good..."
The weak Naruto fell into a coma again.
Jiraiya sighed and picked up Naruto, returning to Konoha.
Konoha Hospital.
The Genin who went on the mission were all injured and had collectively fallen under genjutsu. Their situations weren't good.
But under Tsunade and Shizune's treatment, they were all out of danger.
"What kind of technique caused these strange injuries? And who did it?"
After waking Kakashi up, Tsunade asked her questions.
She had never seen such wounds before.
All-around cuts, dense and neat, with extremely high lethality!
If the opponent had used a little more force, Kakashi's vital points would have all been hit.
At that time, even Tsunade wouldn't be able to save him.
"It was Kimimaro. He used a strange technique, I've never seen anyone use it before. It should be a ninjutsu he created himself. The name is... Black Coffin."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
It was Kimimaro again.
That brat, helping Orochimaru do bad things again.
"Next time I see that brat, I'll definitely give him a good beating."
Tsunade thought to herself.
"Lady Tsunade, about Sasuke..."
"I won't label him a missing-nin for now, but if he does anything to harm Konoha in the future, then he won't be able to escape the missing-nin status."
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade, for giving Sasuke a chance."
"Even if I give him a chance, it may not be useful. I've only met this child once, but the hatred in his eyes is deeper than anyone I've ever seen. It's impossible for him to turn back."
"Maybe Naruto can do it."
"Naruto? He needs to get out of his own shadow first. This incident was quite a blow to him."
"He has grown a lot."
"Young people always have to experience things to grow. It's just that for Naruto and the others, the price this time was too high. But it did let me see Konoha's potential.
I originally thought there weren't many promising young people in Konoha. But the Genin sent out this time were all good. Give them some time to grow, and they will all become the pillars of Konoha in the future."
(End of Chapter)