Chapter 25: "Sasuke’s Obsession"

The Uchiha Crypt

Moonlight bled through the cracked ceiling of the Uchiha compound, casting jagged shadows over walls lined with forgotten scrolls. Sasuke stood in the heart of the clan's forbidden archives, his breath frosting in the air. The ice shard embedded in his palm throbbed, its gold-veined chill seeping into his bones. Before him loomed the Shinwa Stone, a massive tablet etched with spirals and a warning in blood-red script: "Beware the golden devourers. Their hunger transcends worlds."

Zabuza's voice slithered through the shard: "The Fourth Hokage stole your birthright. Take it back."

Sasuke's Sharingan ignited, cracks of gold splintering through crimson. The tablet's cipher unraveled—Uchiha glyphs morphing into Minato's handwriting.

Flashback: The Kyuubi's Night

Minato, cloaked in shadows, stood amidst Uchiha corpses. Izumi Uchiha's body lay at his feet, her scrolls clutched in his bloodied hands. "Forgive me," he whispered, sealing them into a spiral-marked pouch. "This power… it must never be hers."

"Thief," Sasuke hissed, clawing at the tablet. Black flames erupted, melting the stone's surface to reveal hidden text: "The Yondaime's key is the bridge between life and annihilation."

The Key's Curse

Naruto's fist shattered the attic door.

"What're you doing?!" he roared, his translucent body flickering like a ghost. Rift shards littered Sasuke's desk, their jagged edges reflecting the spiral on Naruto's scar.

Sasuke didn't turn. "What does it matter? You'll dissolve before dawn."

A rift shard levitated, drawn to the ice in Sasuke's palm. "Minato stole from us," he said coldly. "Your 'gift'? It's a patchwork of Uchiha genius."

Naruto's Rasengan sputtered weakly. "You think this'll bring your clan back? It'll kill you!"

"They're already dead!" Black flames engulfed the room. "But I'll make the Ōtsutsuki pay. Even if I burn this world to ash."

The Duel of Gods

Their clash shattered the compound.

Naruto teleported erratically—phasing through walls, his strikes intangible. Sasuke's Amaterasu traced his movements, flames crystallizing into ice where they met the shard's power.

"You're a mess, loser," Sasuke taunted, slamming Naruto into the Shinwa Stone. "A failed experiment."

Naruto's hand passed through Sasuke's chest, golden chakra grazing his heart. "And you're a puppet. Zabuza's. The Ōtsutsuki's. Mine."

Sasuke's shard screamed. The rift shards fused into a portal, its maw swirling with golden mist.

"You're not the only one who can play god," Sasuke spat, stepping backward into the void.

The Portal's Promise

The ice shard melted, its essence flowing into the portal. Beyond lay a Konoha where the Uchiha banner fluttered atop the Hokage Tower—and a silhouette with Minato's face stared back, his eyes twin spirals.

Naruto lunged, but the portal snapped shut, severing his fingertips.

Zabuza's laughter echoed from the abyss: "Welcome to the game, Namikaze."