Chapter 128: The Chasm of Power

Sasuke stood panting, the echoes of their clashing blades still ringing in the cavern. The brief exchange had been a clear demonstration of the gulf that still lay between them. Ren hadn't even broken a sweat, his posture relaxed, the fiery blade of Ryūkō Seiun held loosely at his side.

*It's not enough,* Sasuke thought, frustration boiling beneath his cold exterior. *This level of power is meaningless against him.*

A grim smile twisted his lips. "Heh. It seems this isn't enough to push you. Let's try this!"

With a guttural cry, dark, unnatural chakra erupted from Sasuke's body. The curse mark on his neck spread like spilled ink, crawling across his skin until he was completely shrouded in a gray, bestial hide. His hair lengthened, a black shuriken pattern manifested on his face, and two vast, membranous wings, like a grotesque bat's, tore from his back. He had fully embraced the Curse Mark's Second State.

Ren's eyes narrowed, his casual demeanor hardening into something cold and displeased. "The Curse Mark," he stated, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "I warned you about relying on Orochimaru's poison. It seems you chose to ignore me."

Sasuke responded with a derisive snarl, the sound barely human. He lunged, his speed now exponentially greater. The chokutō in his hand became a blur.

This time, Ren did not hold back. As Sasuke's blade descended, Ren met it with his own. The clash was not a ring of steel, but a concussive *BOOM* that shook the training ground. The raw force behind Ren's parry was immense, vibrating up Sasuke's arm and nearly tearing the sword from his grasp. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke used the momentum to flip backward, creating distance.

But before his feet could touch the ground, he felt a wave of blistering heat at his back. Ren was already there, having moved with speed that defied even the enhanced perception of the Curse Mark. Sasuke twisted mid-air, bringing his sword up in a desperate block.

*CLANG!*

The impact was brutal. Sasuke was hurled through the air like a discarded toy, his wings flapping wildly as he fought to regain control.

"He's... he's toying with him," Suigetsu whispered, his earlier bravado gone. "Sasuke's in his ultimate form, with the Sharingan active, and he can't even land a clean hit. The Boss isn't even using his eyes!"

Karin watched, her knuckles white as she clenched her fists, a silent prayer on her lips for Sasuke's safety.

Ren gave his brother no reprieve. While Sasuke was still airborne, Ren swung the Ryūkō Seiun in a wide arc. A crescent-shaped wave of pure fire, sharp as a blade, shot across the chamber.

"Tch!" Sasuke grunted. With no leverage to dodge, he crossed his monstrous wings in front of him like a shield. The fiery crescent struck the leathery membrane and exploded, scorching the surface but failing to penetrate. The wings were incredibly durable.

But the defense cost him his balance. As he dropped toward the ground, Ren was already on the move again, a streak of red light closing the distance instantly.

"Chidori Nagashi!" Sasuke roared, slamming his palm into the stone floor. A web of brilliant blue lightning erupted from the point of impact, crackling across the ground towards Ren.

Forced to abort his attack, Ren leaped high into the air to avoid the surging electricity.

"Now!" Sasuke's hands flew through seals. "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!" He unleashed a torrent of fire that morphed into the shape of a roaring dragon, its maw wide open to consume Ren in mid-air.

Faced with the inferno, Ren showed no panic. He gripped his sword with both hands, holding it horizontally before him.

"Single Blade Style: Tornado!"

In a display of impossible chakra control, Ren's body began to spin violently while suspended in the air, creating a powerful vortex of wind. He became the eye of a growing tornado. Then, he abruptly stopped spinning. The tornado, however, did not dissipate. It roared forward, guided by the momentum of his blade, and slammed into the fire dragon.

The elemental disadvantage of wind against fire was rendered moot by the sheer disparity in power. The tornado shredded the dragon, absorbing its flames and transforming into a colossal, roaring fire whirlwind that barreled towards Sasuke with apocalyptic force.

Sasuke's eyes widened. He threw himself to the side, the fire tornado ripping past him, scorching the stone where he had just stood.

He had no time to recover. Ren was already upon him again, descending from above like a vengeful god.

"Single Blade Style: Azure Dragon Flame!"

The chakra around Ren's blade coalesced into the form of a majestic, azure-scaled dragon wreathed in blue fire. It dove at Sasuke with a silent roar.

Trapped, Sasuke could only bring his cursed wings forward once more, crossing them as a final barrier.

*SHLICK!*

The sound of the Ryūkō Seiun cutting through flesh was sickeningly clear. The blade bit deep into the membranous wing. But the true damage came from the azure flames that erupted from the wound, instantly engulfing the wings in a cold, hungry fire that seemed to feed on chakra itself. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovєlFіre.net

A scream of pure agony tore from Sasuke's throat. The wings, his primary defense, were now wreathed in inextinguishable blue fire. He beat them frantically against the ground, but the flames only clung tighter, beginning to crawl up the wings toward his body. The pain was excruciating, a cleansing fire that sought to purge the cursed energy from his very cells.

The fight was over. The chasm in their power had been demonstrated with brutal finality.

♤♤♤♤♤

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