Tsunade's words were harsh, but they struck directly at the truth Hiruzen least wanted to face.
The destruction of the Uchiha clan—both he and Danzo bore undeniable responsibility.
And Naruto's eventual descent into darkness… was absolutely connected to the way he himself had handled things over the years.
Hiruzen Sarutobi cast a pleading look toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya immediately understood what his teacher was asking—whether he could guide both Naruto and Sasuke at the same time.
He shook his head at once, smiling bitterly.
"Old man, it's not that I don't want to. You've seen it yourself—my fighting style and path are completely different from the Uchiha system. I don't understand the mysteries of the Sharingan at all. Forcing it would probably just hold that kid back."
Hiruzen fell silent once more.
Had Konoha truly reached the point where it couldn't find a single person capable of properly guiding the last Uchiha survivor… of easing his hatred?
At that moment, Tsunade spoke again—this time proposing an idea so blunt and pragmatic it bordered on ruthless.
She looked at the conflicted Hiruzen and Jiraiya and said coolly:
"What's there to hesitate about? If the Sky Screen shows that Sasuke goes to Orochimaru, survives, and grows strong enough to oppose a world-destroying Naruto—and in the end is clearly fighting for Konoha and the shinobi world…"
"Then why not just go with the flow?"
She paused, then continued under their stunned gazes.
"The final outcome benefits Konoha. So does the process really matter?"
"Rather than letting him stay in the village full of hatred like a ticking bomb—or interfering and making things even worse—why not let him walk the 'predetermined' path?"
"At least the ending is one we can accept."
"T-This…"
Jiraiya stared, mouth agape, utterly shocked by the sheer boldness of her reasoning.
Hiruzen was equally stunned.
He had never once considered such a hands-off approach.
It ran completely counter to his long-held philosophy of stability and control.
To willingly allow one of the village's most important bloodlines and future pillars to fall into the hands of a dangerous rogue ninja?
The risks were immeasurable.
It sounded logically twisted—but entrusting everything to an uncertain future, letting events slip beyond one's control?
Hiruzen asked himself honestly.
He couldn't make that decision.
On the Sky Screen, the battle at the Valley of the End had reached its climax.
Rain, sweat, and blood mixed together. Both boys were at their limits, yet the obsessions burning in their eyes only grew more intense.
"AAAAH—! Give Sasuke back to me!!"
Naruto let out a roar of desperation as the massive, sinister chakra he had been suppressing finally erupted out of control!
A crimson chakra cloak flared around him like living fire. Tails emerged one after another, and his reason was steadily eroded by bestial killing intent.
"That is… the Nine-Tails' chakra!"
"Naruto Uzumaki… is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?!"
At that moment, the entire shinobi world finally understood.
Why Konoha had always been so wary of Naruto.
Why the Naruto shown on the Sky Screen possessed such cataclysmic power.
Sealed within him was the very beast that had nearly destroyed Konoha years ago—
The Nine-Tailed Fox.
Facing Naruto's explosive increase in speed and power under the tailed beast's chakra, Sasuke felt something he had never experienced before—
An absolute gap in power.
And the breath of death.
The ominous black Curse Mark spread rapidly across his body, bringing searing pain—yet also granting power beyond his limits.
Horns jutted from his head. Bat-like wings unfurled from his back. His form became twisted and monstrous.
"ROAAARGH—!"
In Curse Mark Stage Two, Sasuke let out an inhuman roar. Jealousy, resentment, and an obsessive thirst for power drove him to push Chidori to its absolute limit.
Blinding lightning shrieked in his hand—like the cries of a thousand birds.
On the other side, Naruto—dominated by the Nine-Tails' chakra—instinctively condensed his immense power into his palm, forming a violently spinning, ominous red Rasengan.
One embodied pure hatred and darkness—the Nine-Tails.
The other embodied warped jealousy and forbidden power—the Curse Mark.
Two boys, burdened by misfortune and obsession, poured everything they had into this final clash.
"Chidori!!"
"Rasengan!!"
Under countless stunned gazes, one blue and one red figure shot forward like opposing meteors, colliding violently before the roaring waterfall of the Valley of the End—
BOOOOOM——!!!
An explosion louder than thunder tore through the canyon!
Blinding light devoured everything. A violent shockwave obliterated rocks and trees alike— even forcing the raging waterfall to surge backward and break apart!
When the light and dust finally settled, only devastation remained.
Naruto lay broken in the mud, his chakra completely exhausted. The Nine-Tails' cloak had faded, and he had fallen unconscious.
Sasuke was no better off. Covered in wounds, the Curse Mark slowly receded. Clutching his injured arm, he staggered as he stood before Naruto.
He looked down at this dead last—
The one who had risked his life, even drawn upon tailed beast power, just to stop him… just to take him home.
Sasuke's expression was incomprehensibly complex.
Hatred roared within him, urging him to kill this obstacle—to strengthen his Sharingan through that final act.
Yet deep inside, something Naruto had called "bonds" tugged at him like an invisible thread, restraining the hand that held his kunai.
In the end…
Sasuke slowly lowered the weapon.
He stared at the unconscious Naruto for a long moment—then made a choice that shocked every observer.
He removed the forehead protector that symbolized his identity as a Leaf ninja.
Bending down, he gently placed the slashed Konoha headband beside Naruto.
This was his final farewell.
A symbol of severing ties with the past—with Konoha, with Naruto, with everything he once was.
After that, Sasuke did not linger.
He did not look back.
Forcing his battered body onward, he turned and walked away—step by unsteady yet resolute step—until his figure vanished into the rain and darkness of the Valley of the End.
He chose hatred.
He chose the path of defection.
Yet in the end… he could not bring himself to deliver the final blow to that burning bond.
The Sky Screen froze on the final image—
The unconscious Naruto, and the lone Konoha forehead protector lying beside him.
In the real shinobi world, silence reigned.
Everyone felt it—the sorrow, helplessness, and resolve that permeated that rain-soaked night.
Sasuke Uchiha's defection was no longer a simple betrayal.
It was the agonizing choice of a boy cornered by fate and hatred.
And Naruto's desperate, all-or-nothing attempt to hold onto him…
Only made it all the more heartbreaking.
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