Battle at the Valley of the End – Naruto’s Words

Hearing this, Naruto froze, his eyes filled with disbelief. In shock, he asked, "Sasuke… Are you really going to… betray the village?"

Sasuke didn't respond, but his crimson Sharingan locked firmly onto Naruto, silently confirming his intentions.

Naruto instantly understood.

Sasuke was serious.

Since learning the truth about Itachi, Sasuke realized it was all Konoha's fault—no, Danzo's fault.

That old man, Danzo, had pushed Itachi into a corner, forced him to annihilate the Uchiha clan. Everything was because of him!

"Why? Why are you leaving?!" Naruto shouted, his voice trembling with confusion.

"Because of the truth," Sasuke said calmly.

Hearing this, Naruto's expression shifted. "The truth" … the truth revealed by the sky's broadcast?

Naruto also knew what had been exposed. But he never thought it would affect Sasuke so deeply.

"They… they're all dead..."

Sasuke's voice lowered as he gazed at Naruto, his expression distant.

"Father… Mother… Itachi… They're all gone."

"I used to think Itachi was testing my resolve, but the truth was far more cruel."

"Naruto, do you understand what that feels like?"

Naruto remained silent. He couldn't say he did.

"So don't stop me, Naruto," Sasuke said.

Naruto closed his eyes. His mind was in turmoil. It was undeniable—Sasuke intended to defect.

Naruto also knew Sasuke would never agree to return to Konoha with him. And if Sasuke did return, the people Danzo worked with—the ones mentioned by the masked man—would never let Sasuke live.

Danzo, always scheming in the shadows, would likely act immediately to eliminate Sasuke as a threat.

Naruto wasn't as clueless as he seemed; his heart was sharper than most.

But even so…

This feeling—the overwhelming desire to stop Sasuke, to prevent him from leaving—was impossible to ignore.

"I won't let you leave," Naruto said firmly, opening his eyes.

"Do you really think I can survive if I go back?" Sasuke replied coldly. "Don't be stupid."

"We can talk to the Third Hokage! Itachi promised him you'd be safe!" Naruto argued.

Sasuke let out a bitter laugh and then opened his Sharingan, his voice turning sharp.

"If that's how it is, then stop me with your strength. Fight me!"

"Show me if you've gained the power shown in the sky!"

Naruto clenched his fists. "Does it have to be this way, Sasuke?"

Sasuke smirked slightly, pointing at the Konoha forehead protector on his head. "It must. But you won't even touch me—not here."

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto formed a seal, and in a burst of smoke, countless clones surrounded the statues. One after another, they leapt toward Sasuke, their movements like a swarm of arrows.

Sasuke remained unfazed. Using his Sharingan, he quickly disposed of each clone.

One by one, they vanished into puffs of smoke.

As Sasuke was about to smirk, his expression shifted.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Hundreds of clones suddenly burst from all around Uchiha Madara's statue, rushing toward Sasuke in waves.

"This dead last… his chakra?!" Sasuke exclaimed in surprise.

How could Naruto suddenly have so much chakra?

But Sasuke remained composed. Using the momentum of a clone, he leapt high into the air, forming hand seals swiftly.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Boom!"

A massive fireball erupted, engulfing the incoming clones. Its sheer power left even Sasuke momentarily stunned.

This jutsu was far stronger than before.

As Sasuke marveled at the fireball's power, a powerful chakra surged below. On the statue, Naruto's right hand glowed with a brilliant blue orb spinning rapidly.

"What's that?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he focused on the jutsu in Naruto's hand.

In midair, Sasuke began forming his own technique.

"What am I to you?!" Sasuke shouted, his voice echoing in the valley.

"You're my friend!" Naruto yelled back, launching himself forward, the Rasengan in his hand radiating an intense blue light.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

The Chidori sparked in Sasuke's hand as he descended.

Because we are friends. Because we are comrades. I won't let this bond break. That's why I'll stop you!

Because we're comrades, so please don't stop me. Otherwise…

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

"Boom!!!"

The Rasengan and Chidori collided midair, their energy creating a massive explosion that engulfed the two.

A brilliant golden light illuminated the valley as Naruto and Sasuke locked eyes in the aftermath.

For a moment, all was still.

"Sasuke, did you know? Because of the Nine-Tails, I've always been rejected by everyone. Back then, I…" Naruto's voice softened. "…I wanted revenge."

Sasuke stared at him silently, his brows furrowed slightly.

"If not for Iruka-sensei, I might have been like you—wanting revenge against Konoha, wanting to make them feel my pain, doing terrible things to the village." Naruto lowered his gaze, placing a hand over his stomach.

Inside him, a deep pain once fueled his despair and anger.

"Why did they leave that child in Konoha? Why didn't the Third Hokage think about us?"

"Get out of here! My shop doesn't welcome you!"

Memories of those days, filled with rejection and scorn, flashed through Naruto's mind. He didn't understand why people treated him that way, why he even existed.

"I thought I'd be stuck like that forever… until I met you."

Naruto lifted his head, his eyes filled with a quiet determination as he looked at Sasuke.

"When I saw you were alone too… when I realized we were the same… I don't know why, but I felt at peace."

"I wanted to talk to you right away, but… I held back."

Naruto paused for a moment, his expression slightly awkward. "You were good at everything, the person everyone admired. I was jealous, honestly."

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

"So, I made you my goal—the person I wanted to catch up to. I had nothing, but then I gained a bond… I joined Team 7."

"I wanted to be like you—cool, strong—and I kept chasing after you. You were someone I looked up to."

"Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I truly believe that!" Naruto's bright smile radiated warmth, like the sun piercing through dark clouds.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, his gaze faltering. For a moment, Naruto seemed unbearably dazzling.