Chapter 97 – Change and Domination 改变与统治

The moment Kaguya was resealed, the earth returned to peace. The tailed beasts scattered everywhere emerged one by one from Kaguya's body as the sealing power fluctuated. Uchiha Madara's body also separated and collapsed to the ground. There was no longer any light in his pupils, as if he had lost all his fighting spirit.

"Hey! Stay put in there!" Naruto grabbed Black Zetsu and threw it high into the air. Yang Release chakra swirled in his palm, and he directly pushed Black Zetsu together with Kaguya's seal into the Chibaku Tensei. A huge pile of rocks flew up to the sky. They sealed Kaguya and Black Zetsu in an eternal prison.

Hagoromo's voice suddenly sounded above the battlefield, with a hint of relief: "Very well, you have completed your mission." Along with his voice, the members of Team 7, including Naruto, Sasuke, Lin Yuan, and others, were all summoned back from the icy alternate dimension by the Summoning Jutsu and reappeared on the original battlefield.

Just as everyone heaved a sigh of relief, Lin Yuan stood in front of the sealing light and made a strange move. He lowered his head and silently took out a kunai from his ninja tool bag, which was engraved with special runes. He gently inserted the kunai in the very center of the sealing area and injected a trace of chakra into it. For an instant, light flashed on the kunai's runes, then ebbed gradually.

Hagoromo's gaze tightened slightly, and he asked with some confusion: "What is this...?"

Lin Yuan turned his head and scratched his head with a smile: "Just a precaution. In case something unexpected happens to this thing someday, I have to leave some backup, right?"

Hagoromo didn't say much, but there was clearly a hint of complexity in his expression, as if he was thinking about something. Hashirama, Tobirama, the Third Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage looked at Lin Yuan and didn't make any comments either, but there was a bit of appreciation and reassurance on their faces. Then, they walked toward the light step by step, turned into wisps of spiritual light, and returned to the Pure Land.

"The future is in your hands." The voice of the Fourth Hokage dissipated in the light, faintly carrying a trace of reluctance for Naruto.

The freed tailed beasts stood in the distance and exchanged a glance with each other, seemingly reaching a certain tacit understanding. Finally, Gyuki patted Naruto on the shoulder and said heartily: "Kid, keep working hard! Don't let us down!" Together with Kurama, they planned to return to Killer B's and Naruto's bodies and began to say goodbye to the other tailed beasts one by one.

Just then, Sasuke abruptly advanced a step. His icy eyes surveyed all present. With a tone that brooked no argument, he hissed, "Naruto. The shinobi world is on the verge of a transformation, courtesy of me."

Naruto looked at Sasuke in astonishment: "Sasuke, what do you mean?"

Sasuke raised his head, and his Mangekyō Sharingan was filled with determination: "Unify the shinobi world. The entire shinobi world only needs one voice, one ruler, and that is me. And now, the most urgent problem to solve is to eliminate the current Five Kages and the existence of the nine tailed beasts."

"Sasuke, are you crazy!" Sakura rushed forward, but she was knocked unconscious by one of Sasuke's genjutsu and fell softly to the ground.

"Sakura!" Kakashi quickly stepped forward to support Sakura. Looking at her unconscious face, his mood was extremely complicated. He noticed Sasuke's determination and tried to resolve things in his own way. But he knew Sasuke wasn't the easily persuaded boy anymore.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi stood in the center, and there was a silence all around, as if everyone was waiting for the arrival of some kind of ending. However, this brief peace was broken by one of Sasuke's actions.

Sasuke raised his head slightly, and the huge moon in the sky was reflected in his dark eyes. His gaze swept around, indifferent as if everything no longer mattered. He didn't say much, not even giving any extra explanation. He just slowly raised his hand, gathered chakra, and used the Chibaku Tensei to trap the nine tailed beasts. He moved with complete naturalness. Nevertheless, an intense, inescapable pressure radiated from him.

Kakashi frowned and couldn't help but ask: "Sasuke, what are you going to do?"

Sasuke tilted his head slightly and didn't even bother to give a glance. He said coldly: "Don't ask unnecessary questions." These few words were cold enough to make one's heart shiver.

Kakashi looked down at the unconscious Sakura, and a sense of guilt welled up in his heart. It seemed that this was a tragedy that he, as a teacher, had failed to prevent.

"Sasuke," Kakashi's voice was low and weak, "Do you really have to go this far? To abandon everything for the so-called unification?"

Sasuke still didn't say anything extra. He looked at Naruto. Their bond seemed both closer and more distant.

Naruto slowly walked forward. His expression was complex, showing a hint of anger, as well as confusion and pain. He said: "Sasuke, what exactly are you going to do?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Silence replaced everything. He turned around and took steps towards the distance. His pace was not fast, but it carried an irresistible determination.

"Hey, you guys are having a really heavy conversation." A lazy voice suddenly sounded, breaking the stiff atmosphere.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Lin Yuan leaning against a broken stone pillar and stretching. There was his usual lazy smile on his face, but a trace of complex light flashed in the depths of his eyes. Spreading his hands, he remarked with a shrug, "Tsk, if fighting's what you fancy, just go for it. I've got no intention of getting involved."

As he spoke, he suddenly fell to the ground with a "thud", put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and assumed a sleeping posture.

"..." Kakashi didn't know what to say for a moment. He stared at Lin Yuan who was pretending and a trace of helplessness appeared on his face.

Naruto glanced at the "fainted" Lin Yuan and gritted his teeth. He understood that he had to solve all this by himself. So, he turned his gaze towards the direction where Sasuke had disappeared and took firm steps.

Kakashi looked up at Naruto's back, filled with worry and a sense of powerlessness. As their teacher, there was very little he could do. Finally, he sighed, carried unconscious Sakura, and walked away.

As the battlefield gradually quieted, Naruto's lonely footfalls were all that could be heard. He was walking towards the Valley of the End, where his inevitable final battle with Sasuke was about to begin.

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辉夜被重新封印的瞬间,大地恢复了平静.散落各处的尾兽们随着封印力量的波动从辉夜体内脱离,一个接一个地显现出来,而宇智波斑的身躯也随之分离,瘫倒在地.他的瞳孔中再无光芒,仿佛失去了所有斗志.

"喂!给我老老实实待在里面吧!" 鸣人一把抓住黑绝,将它高高抛起.阳遁查克拉在他掌心旋转,直接将黑绝连同辉夜的封印一起推进了地爆天星.巨大的岩石群向天际飞去,将辉夜与黑绝彻底封印在永恒的牢笼之中.

羽衣的声音突然在战场上空响起,带着一丝欣慰:"很好,你们完成了使命." 伴随着他的声音,第七班一行人,鸣人,佐助,林远等纷纷被通灵术从冰雪异空间召回,重新降临到原本的战场.

正当所有人松了口气之际,林远站在封印的光芒前,做出了一个奇怪的动作.他低下头,默默地从忍具包中取出一枚苦无,上面刻着特殊的符文.他把苦无轻轻插在封印之地的正中央,并注入了一丝查克拉.光芒在苦无的符文上跃动了一下,随后渐渐归于平静.

羽衣的目光微微一凝,带着些许疑惑问道:"这是...?"

林远转过头,笑着挠了挠头:"保险措施而已.万一哪天这东西又出了什么意外,我总得留点后手吧."

羽衣没有多说什么,但表情中分明多了一丝复杂,似是在思考什么.柱间,扉间,三代火影和四代火影看向林远,也没有多做评价,但脸上带着几分欣赏与放心.随后,他们一步步向着光芒走去,逐渐化作点点灵光,回归了净土.

"未来就交给你们了." 四代火影的声音消散在光芒中,隐隐带着一丝对鸣人的不舍.

自由的尾兽们站在远处,彼此对视一眼,似乎达成了某种默契.最终,牛鬼拍了拍鸣人的肩膀,爽朗地说道:"小鬼,继续努力啊!别让我们失望!" 它和九喇嘛一起,打算回到奇拉比和鸣人的体内,并与其他尾兽开始纷纷告别.

就在这时,佐助突然上前一步,目光冷冷扫过所有人.他的声音带着不容置疑的寒意:"鸣人.接下来,我要改变整个忍界."

鸣人错愕地看向佐助:"佐助,你什么意思?"

佐助扬起头,万花筒写轮眼中充满了决绝:"统一忍界,整个忍界只需要一个声音,一个主宰者,那就是我.而现在,最需要解决的问题,就是除掉如今的五影们,以及九只尾兽的存在."

"佐助,你疯了吗!" 小樱冲了上去,但她却被佐助一个幻术击昏,软软倒在地上.

"小樱!" 卡卡西迅速上前扶住了小樱,看着她陷入昏迷的面庞,他的心情复杂到极点.他不是没有察觉到佐助的决心,也不是没有试图用自己的方式去化解这一切,但他知道,佐助已经不再是那个能够被轻易劝服的少年了.

鸣人,佐助以及卡卡西站在中央,四周一片沉默,似乎都在等待着某种结局的降临.然而,这种短暂的平静被佐助的一个动作打破了.

佐助微微抬头,漆黑的眼眸中映出天上巨大的月亮.他的目光扫过周围,冷漠得仿佛一切都已经不重要了.他没有多说什么,甚至连多余的解释都没有,只是缓缓举起手,凝聚查克拉并使用地爆天星困住了九只尾兽.他的动作是那么自然,却散发出不可忽视的压迫感.

卡卡西皱了皱眉,忍不住开口:"佐助,你想做什么?"

佐助侧了侧头,连眼神都懒得施舍过去,冷冷地说道:"不用多问." 这一句,寥寥数语,却冰冷得让人心底发寒.

卡卡西低头看着昏迷的小樱,心中涌起一股愧疚感.这一切,似乎是他作为老师未能阻止的悲剧.

"佐助," 卡卡西的声音低沉而无力, "你真的要做到这种地步吗?为了所谓的统一,甚至不惜抛弃一切?"

佐助依旧没有多余的言语.他的目光转向了鸣人,两人之间的距离仿佛拉近了,又仿佛拉远了.

鸣人缓缓走上前,他的表情复杂,似有愤怒,又带着不解与痛苦.他开口道:"佐助,你到底要做什么?"

佐助没有回答,沉默代替了一切.他转过身,向着远方迈开脚步.他的步伐不快,却带着无法阻挡的决心.

"喂喂,你们聊得可够沉重的." 一道懒洋洋的声音突然响起,打破了僵硬的氛围.

众人转头看去,只见林远背靠着一块残破的石柱,伸了个懒腰.他的脸上挂着一如既往的散漫笑容,但眼神深处却闪过一丝复杂的光芒.他摊了摊手,一脸无所谓地说道:"啧,你们爱打就打,我不会插手."

说着,他忽然 "噗通" 一声倒在地上,手枕在脑后,双眼一闭,摆出了一副睡觉的模样.

"..." 卡卡西一时间竟不知道该说什么.他盯着装模作样的林远,脸上浮现出一丝无奈之色.

鸣人看了一眼 "昏倒" 的林远,咬紧了牙关.他明白,这一切只能由自己来解决了.于是,他将目光投向佐助消失的方向,迈出了坚定的脚步.

卡卡西抬头望着鸣人的背影,心中充满了担忧和无力感.作为他们的老师,他能做的已经很少了.最终,他叹了一口气,将昏迷的小樱抱起,转身向后方走去.

战场渐渐安静,只剩下鸣人孤独的脚步声,朝着那片名为「终末之谷」的战场前行.那里,正是他与佐助宿命般的最后一战的开端.