Chapter 12 – "The Eyes That Remember"
The roar of the waterfall filled the valley.
Spray drifted in the air, catching the late afternoon light, turning everything gold.
Two figures stood on opposite cliffs — eyes locked, breath sharp, hearts pounding.
Naruto.
Sasuke.
Both had fought until their bodies screamed.
Both had wounds running deeper than the skin.
But neither would back down.
---
Sasuke's voice was cold, just as it had been that day years ago.
"This is the end, Naruto."
Naruto clenched his fists. "You're not getting away, Sasuke! Not this time—"
And then—
It hit them.
A blinding flash inside their skulls.
Memories slamming into them like a thousand shuriken.
The battlefield against Shukuyomi.
Boruto's body falling.
Sarada's last smile.
Kawaki's blood on his hands.
The sound of a voice — We've failed again.
Naruto's eyes went wide. His knees buckled for a moment, the weight of lifetimes crashing down on him.
Sasuke staggered too, rinnegan flaring in his mind .
(What the hell—? This… this isn't the Valley of the End… this is… before. Long before.) Naruto's thoughts spiraled, heart racing.
(No… it's the same. Just earlier. Again.) Sasuke's mind was calm, but his jaw tightened. (We've come back.)
---
The wind whipped between them, carrying the smell of water and earth.
Neither spoke.
But when their eyes met, something passed between them — an unspoken truth.
You remember too.
Naruto's breath caught. His chest ached with something more than battle fatigue. Regret.
This was their chance.
Maybe their last.
---
The moment broke when Sasuke surged forward, chidori screaming in his hand.
Naruto's body moved on instinct — rasengan forming.
The two forces collided in a deafening explosion, light swallowing everything.
Through the brightness, Naruto felt it again — that dangerous, burning power deep inside.
He could reach for it.
He could end this fight in a single move.
But… his body wasn't ready. His muscles screamed in warning. His chakra coils twisted in pain.
He pulled back, holding himself to this body's limits.
Sasuke felt the same.
The rinnegan-like vision flashed in his mind, tempting him. But he shut it out.
Not yet.
---
The blast threw them apart.
Both crashed to the ground, chest heaving.
That's when they heard it — the sound of footsteps on stone.
"Naruto! Sasuke!"
Kakashi's voice cut through the roar of the falls.
He was running toward them, Sharingan uncovered, eyes wide.
---
Naruto groaned, forcing himself up.
Sasuke did the same, but his eyes flicked toward the forest, scanning for threats only he remembered.
Kakashi stopped between them, his gaze moving from one to the other.
"You two… enough. This fight is over."
Naruto looked at Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at Naruto.
In another life — in every other life — they'd still end up apart after this moment.
But this time… maybe not.
The wind shifted.
And somewhere, beyond the valley walls, a shadow moved — watching.