Naruto: The Grandmaster's Return

Chapter 3:

The Valley of the End quaked under the sheer force of the ongoing battle.

Sasuke hovered above, his Curse Mark Second Stage fully unleashed. Black lighting cackled around his hand as his Chidori hissed with lethal intent. 

From below, Naruto stood resolute, his scorched jacket now discarded to reveal his battered yet unyielding frame. A faint azure hue flickered around him as he lifted his hand. The air shimmered with spiritual energy, drawing inward toward him in streams of glowing Reishi. 

"What's this?" Sasuke growled, his eyes narrowing. 

The Reishi coalesced into a blade, translucent yet sharp, radiating an ethereal blue light. The longsword gleamed with a sharpness that spoke of deadly precision, and Naruto held it aloft with practiced ease. 

"A sword?" Sasuke sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Do you really think that's enough to stop me?" 

Naruto's expression didn't waver, his voice calm and steady. "You've had your turn, Sasuke. Now it's mine." 

With a sharp burst of energy, Sasuke dived, his Black Chidori crackling like a demon's roar.



In a blur, Naruto raised the Reishi longsword and swung it downward. The blade collided with Sasuke's Chidori, and the clash erupted into a blinding explosion of light and energy. The shockwave rippled outward, tearing up the water, sending it in all directions.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he pushed against the sword, the raw power of his Black Chidori testing the durability of Naruto's construct. But the sword held firm, its energy humming steadily as it absorbed and redirected the force. 

With a burst of effort, Naruto shoved Sasuke back, sending him skidding across the water. Naruto didn't give him a chance to recover. Using Hirenkyaku, his form blurred and reappeared in front of Sasuke in an instant, the longsword flashing toward his opponent. 

Sasuke barely managed to block with his wing, the blade slicing through the toughened membrane. He winced but retaliated immediately, spinning to deliver a kick to Naruto's stomach. Naruto staggered slightly but retaliated with an upward slash, forcing Sasuke to leap back. 

"You're faster than before," Sasuke admitted, his crimson Sharingan eyes locking onto Naruto. 

Naruto smirked, gripping the longsword tightly. "You've got sharp eyes, Sasuke. Let's see how well they keep up." 

Naruto dashed forward again, this time feinting to the left before appearing on Sasuke's right. The Reishi sword came down in a sweeping arc, and Sasuke blocked with his forearm, the blade cutting a shallow gash through his grayened skin. 

"Damn it!" Sasuke hissed, retreating to gain some distance. 

Naruto didn't let up. He pointed the longsword toward Sasuke, and a concentrated blast of energy shot out from the blade. The attack streaked across the battlefield, forcing Sasuke to dodge with a burst of his wings. The blast struck the side of the waterfall, causing an explosion of water and rock. 

"You're full of surprises," Sasuke muttered, his wings flapping to keep him afloat. 

Naruto tilted his head. "I told you, Sasuke. You don't know the real me." 

The fight resumed with both combatants clashing in a brutal exchange. Sasuke utilized his aerial advantage, swooping down with precise strikes using his claws and Black Chidori. Naruto countered with Hirenkyaku, his movements becoming increasingly unpredictable. The Reishi longsword slashed through the air with lethal intent, forcing Sasuke to stay on the defensive. 

At one point, Sasuke attempted to trap Naruto with his ninja wires, but Naruto anticipated the move, using Hirenkyaku to appear above Sasuke. He brought the sword down in a powerful slash, only for Sasuke to block with both wings. The force sent Sasuke hurtling to the ground, creating a crater upon impact. 

"Damn you, Naruto!" Sasuke roared as he emerged from the crater. His hands formed the familiar seals for his Fireball Jutsu, and he exhaled a massive inferno toward Naruto. 

Naruto didn't move, raising the Reishi longsword and slashing horizontally. The blade emitted another energy blast, cutting through the fireball and splitting it in two. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as the remnants of his attack fizzled out. 

Before Sasuke could recover, Naruto closed the distance again. The two engaged in close combat, Naruto's swordsmanship clashing with Sasuke's enhanced physical strikes. Sasuke managed to land a spinning kick to Naruto's ribs, but Naruto retaliated by slamming the hilt of his sword into Sasuke's stomach, sending him reeling. 

Sasuke's Curse Mark pulsed wildly, his blackened form growing more unstable with each passing second. Naruto, meanwhile, stood tall, the azure hue of his energy flickering.

"This… isn't over," Sasuke snarled, his Sharingan blazing.

---

Chapter 4: The Scales of Fate

Naruto chuckled darkly at Sasuke's declaration. "This isn't over," he repeated mockingly, his tone dripping with condescension. His lips curled into a smirk as he studied Sasuke, who stood panting, battered and bruised but still defiant. 

Sasuke's Sharingan eyes burned with fury. "What's so funny?" he demanded. 

Naruto took a step forward "There's a reason I took all that damage, Sasuke," he said, his voice calm yet ominous. 

Sasuke's glare deepened, confusion flickering in his gaze. "Reason? What reason?" 

Naruto's smirk widened. "To use my ability," he replied simply, his tone almost taunting. 

"What ability?" Sasuke asked, his suspicion growing. 

Naruto tilted his head, his green eyes glinting with a knowing light. "Oh, you're already familiar with it," he said, almost as if he were lecturing. "Think back, Sasuke. Haven't you noticed strange things happening during our missions?" 

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent, his mind racing through past encounters. 

"Like when you and I got injured during a mission, and suddenly, the same injuries appeared on our enemies," Naruto said, his voice low but clear. 

Sasuke's breath hitched, his mind snapping back to memories he'd ignored, memories that suddenly made too much sense. 

"Or when Zabuza had Kakashi pinned in his water prison," Naruto continued, pacing slowly. "And out of nowhere, their positions switched. Kakashi was free, and Zabuza was the one trapped." 

Sasuke's eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. He had always thought those moments were divine interventions, the results of someone protecting them from the shadows. To think that it had all been Naruto... 

"You mean…" Sasuke's voice trailed off, his tone a mixture of disbelief and realization. 

Naruto chuckled. "That's right. It was me all along," he confirmed. 

"But how?" Sasuke asked, panic beginning to seep into his voice. 

Naruto stopped pacing and turned to face Sasuke fully. "I wield the power of The Balance," he said, his voice laced with authority. "It allows me to control the flow of fortune and misfortune. Every ounce of good luck you've had, every advantage you thought you gained against me, I will turn it all into misfortune." 

Sasuke stepped back instinctively, his mind racing. "That's… impossible," he stammered, though the doubt in his voice betrayed his fear. 

Naruto smirked, raising his hand. Above Sasuke, a massive ethereal scale materialized, glowing faintly in the dim light of the battlefield. One side of the scale tipped precariously low, while the other sat high, its weightless plate swaying ominously. 

"This," Naruto said, gesturing to the scale, "is the manifestation of your good fortune and your misfortune." He paused, his eyes locking onto Sasuke's terrified gaze. "Good fortune is fleeting, Sasuke. Misfortune, however… it always comes back to collect its due." 

Sasuke's heart pounded as the scale began to tip. He tried to move, but his body felt heavy, as if weighed down by an invisible force. 

"Balance must be maintained," Naruto said coldly, his voice echoing with finality. 



The scales tipped fully, and Sasuke felt it, every strike, every blow he had delivered to Naruto during their battle came rushing back with relentless force. His body convulsed as searing pain erupted across his skin. The burns from his fire jutsu, the shock of the Chidori, and the force of his punches all struck him simultaneously. Even the hits he had managed to dodge/blocked came back to haunt him, his body unable to escape the relentless tide of misfortune. 

Sasuke screamed as he fell to the ground, his Curse Mark receding as his body gave out. His wings crumbled, and the dark markings vanished, leaving him in his base form, battered and broken. Blood seeped from countless wounds as he gasped for air, his strength fading fast. 

Naruto stood over him, his expression unreadable. He raised his Reishi longsword, its blade shimmering ominously, but before he could strike, a familiar voice called out. 

"So, this is what the great Naruto Uzumaki has become," Kabuto said, emerging from the shadows with a smug yet cautious expression. His glasses gleamed in the light as he surveyed the scene. 

Naruto glanced at him, his eyes narrowing. "You're here for him," he said, his tone dripping with disdain. 

Kabuto smirked nervously, his eyes darting to Sasuke's broken form. "You've done quite a number on him, haven't you?" he said, trying to sound casual but unable to hide the tension in his voice. 

Naruto's Reishi longsword dissipated in a shower of light, and he turned away from Sasuke's crumpled body. "Take that trash and leave," he said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. 

Kabuto flinched, surprised by the venom in Naruto's tone. "Trash?" he repeated, his brow furrowing. "This isn't like you, Naruto." 

Naruto paused, his back still turned to Kabuto. "You don't know me," he said simply before vanishing.

Kabuto knelt beside Sasuke, quickly assessing his injuries. "What the hell was that?" he muttered under his breath. "Naruto… no, this isn't the same boy I remember." 

He worked quickly, applying his medical ninjutsu to stabilize Sasuke's condition. 

"You've really gotten yourself into trouble this time, haven't you, Sasuke?" Kabuto said, his tone a mix of exasperation and concern. As he worked, his mind lingered on Naruto's strange behavior and the terrifying power he had displayed. 

"That… power," Kabuto whispered to himself. "It's not chakra. It's something else entirely." 

With one final burst of chakra, Kabuto stabilized Sasuke's condition enough to carry him away. As he hoisted Sasuke onto his back, he cast one last glance at the empty battlefield, the faint glow of the destroyed scale lingering in the air. 

"Just what are you, Naruto Uzumaki?" he muttered before disappearing into the shadows.

Tbc