Chapter 569: Sasuke's End?
Swish, swish, swish—!
The sound of piercing the air was as sharp as a whistle, continuous and unbroken.
Red-black, materialized chakra claws struck from mid-air, each wave of attacks stronger than the last!
Sasuke Uchiha's figure appeared especially tiny against the backdrop of those massive claws. Every time he dodged a surprise attack from the claws, he had to use all his strength.
Boom!
The claws fiercely tore through Sasuke's body and smashed a huge rock like tofu. The shattered corpse scattered on the ground suddenly turned into smoke and disappeared. In the next moment, Sasuke's true body appeared on the other side of the battlefield, staggering.
Pant, pant—!
His breathing became increasingly heavy, and sweat soaked the boy's hair, sticking tightly to his forehead. Just standing there for a short while, his sweat had already dripped onto the ground, forming a small puddle.
Sasuke didn't care at all about his miserable appearance.
He just stared fixedly at the figure not far away, tightly wrapped in a thick chakra cloak. The opponent's attacks carried sharp killing intent and unmatched power; one moment of carelessness, and his head would be separated from his body!
The attacker was his teammate.
Naruto Uzumaki.
No, it should be said that it was a Jinchuriki who had overused the power of the Nine-Tails, to the point of being consumed by the tailed beast's backlash, completely losing his reason and consciousness!
Or rather, what he lost was only his consciousness as "Naruto Uzumaki".
And from those violent, bloodthirsty eyes, Sasuke clearly saw the crazed consciousness belonging to the Nine-Tails!
Yes, the ninth tail was gradually extending from behind Naruto.
"Bastard! Wake up quickly, don't let the Nine-Tails swallow your consciousness, Naruto—!" Sasuke shouted anxiously!
Swish—!
Without giving Sasuke much time to catch his breath and shout, a new round of attacks was launched again by the berserk Naruto!
No, he was no longer Naruto right now, but rather the Nine-Tails!
Perhaps because Sasuke's stamina was dropping, or perhaps because the leaking power of the Nine-Tails was getting stronger and stronger, Sasuke actually felt it was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with this round of attacks!
"Damn it—! My body is so heavy!"
The boy gritted his teeth, frantically scraping together the last trace of stamina and chakra remaining in his body to stimulate his thighs to jump, narrowly dodging another attack from the Nine-Tails.
When landing, his legs gave way, and he almost fell to the ground.
This was a sign of physical exhaustion.
Could he not even condense a single trace of chakra? Sasuke's heart suddenly went cold.
Damn it! If he still had stamina, he could use Susanoo to tangle with Naruto for a while, and then maybe he could subdue the Nine-Tails with genjutsu!
But now, let alone Susanoo and the Mangekyou Sharingan, even the Chidori Mode could no longer be maintained! Fighting up to this point was nothing more than prolonging his dying breath.
Fortunately, the Nine-Tails, probably because Naruto was still struggling, had also not exerted its full power.
But the game of cat and mouse would eventually have an ending.
This time, the glaring Nine-Tails didn't let this opportunity go. A huge tail swung violently, smashing down fiercely towards Sasuke!
Bang!
With strength coming from who knows where, Sasuke actually forcefully condensed another half of Susanoo, blocking in front of him!
With a loud crash, Susanoo was shattered by the Nine-Tails' overwhelming giant force, and the boy flew backward, falling heavily to the ground.
"Cough, cough!"
Sasuke Uchiha coughed up a mouthful of blood from the corner of his mouth, covered his eyes, and struggled to stand up from the ground.
A strong desire to survive saved his life. Susanoo blocked most of the impact, preventing Sasuke from being smashed to death by the Nine-Tails.
However, this struggle was ultimately in vain. It was nothing more than the difference between dying a moment earlier or a moment later!
"Is it going to end?"
Sasuke wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth and said with a bitter smile.
The Nine-Tails' chakra condensed into bones, and then manifested into muscles wrapping the tailed beast's body. Now there was only the last step left before it could completely occupy Naruto's body, swallow Naruto's soul, and incarnate into the true Nine-Tails.
Those beastly eyes full of madness and killing intent were getting closer and closer to the eyes of the Nine-Tails!
Perhaps in another moment, there would be no Naruto Uzumaki in the world, only the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails, which was about to become complete, slowly walked over until it stood in front of Sasuke.
Naruto's transformation into the Nine-Tails was already unavoidable, and his deadly situation was also beyond struggle!
Sasuke closed his eyes.
Despair?
He had finally defeated his opponent with great difficulty, only to die by the hands of his own person at the very last moment?
Sasuke thought he would be resentful and full of grievances, but at this moment, he found himself to be unusually calm.
He didn't resent Naruto for losing control, nor did he hate himself for being powerless.
Yes, if Sasuke could be a little stronger, there would be no need for Naruto to use dangerous power that exceeded his limits, and he wouldn't have lost control and become the Nine-Tails to turn around and attack Sasuke after defeating Sasori and Kakuzu.
He could even say that if he hadn't become exhausted after using that Super Railgun, Naruto wouldn't have been forced to enter a deeper level of tailed beast transformation to protect him!
But there are no 'ifs' in reality, and Sasuke didn't need to feel remorse, because he had never slacked off in his training, and he had already tried his best to do his utmost.
Sakura-kun had once told him: do the best you can in everything, and then face the ending calmly, without complaints or regrets.
He did it.
Without shame, without resentment, Sasuke just felt it was a bit of a pity.
It was a pity that the fate belonging to him and his brother, Naruto, was completely severed by the Nine-Tails on this day.
People say that right before death, the memories of a lifetime will replay in one's mind like a revolving lantern. But Sasuke found that in this final moment, only the figures of two people appeared in his mind.
He still had some regrets, about some things, some people.
"I truly regret not being able to defeat you and save my and Naruto's fate," Sasuke opened his eyes and said with difficulty.
He raised his head and looked at the azure sky that was gradually clearing up.
"Brother, why?"
What a pity. Regrettably, there is still no answer in the end.
The Nine-Tails raised its claws high.
The boy calmly closed his eyelids, and tears finally flowed down.
"Sakura-kun, I'm sorry."
Would she... shed tears?
And then—
The Nine-Tails' claws fell down.
Smack!
Is this what death feels like? No pain, not even a collision. Did the Nine-Tails give him a quick death? Also, what was that strange sound?
Sasuke secretly opened his eyes.
A giant turquoise hand blocked in front of him, firmly grabbing the Nine-Tails' sharp claws.
The boy's line of sight extended upwards along the giant hand.
"The one who should be saying sorry is me," a familiar voice came from above.
"Sorry I'm late, Sasuke."
"And... Naruto."
The pink-haired girl stood high on the top of the giant's head, her clothes fluttering and her beautiful hair flying in the wind.
"Leave this place to me."
Looking down at the Nine-Tails and Sasuke, she said slowly, the powerful chakra overflowing from her body oppressing the earth.
"You're... here." Sasuke blinked, looking at the valiant and heroic girl with some disbelief.
His body, which could originally still stand stubbornly, suddenly seemed to be drained of strength, as if remembering that he was already exhausted, and instantly collapsed limply.
"You're here, Sakura-kun." Sasuke smiled in relief, unceremoniously plopping down on the ground, and said weakly.
He found his heart beating violently. Even though he was so calm and composed just now, at this moment he was panting heavily, breathing in fresh air. Actions he usually didn't care about at all were now vividly reminding Sasuke that he was still alive!
Although he could face death calmly, but—
Being alive... is truly great!