Chapter 134: Severance

The air outside the ruined stronghold was thick with tension and the dust of collapsed stone. Sasuke stood before the fractured remains of Team Seven, his declaration of severance hanging in the silence.

"Bonds are a weakness," Sasuke stated, his voice as cold as the steel in his hand. "They cloud your judgment, dilute your hatred, and make you forget what truly matters."

"If that's true," Naruto shouted, his voice cracking with emotion, "then why didn't you kill me in the Valley of the End? Is this what you call cutting bonds, Sasuke?"

"The reason is simple," Sasuke replied, a flicker of something dark in his eyes. "It's not that the bond couldn't be severed. I simply rejected the method required to gain the power to do so." He left the implication of Itachi's teaching unspoken. "There's no need to explain it to you. Just know that your life was spared that day... on a mere whim."

In a blur of motion too fast for the eye to follow, Sasuke vanished from his perch and reappeared directly in front of Naruto. One arm draped casually over Naruto's shoulder in a mockery of their old camaraderie, while the other rested on the hilt of the chokutō at his waist.

"He's so fast!" Yamato gasped, everyone tensing instantly.

"By the way," Sasuke whispered, his mouth close to Naruto's ear, "don't you dream of becoming Hokage? Instead of chasing me, you should be training." He slowly began to draw the blade. "So this time, on another whim... your luck might just run out." The sword flashed upward in a lethal arc aimed at Naruto's neck.

"Sasuke, stop!" Sakura screamed.

But it was Sai who moved first. Utilizing his high speed, he appeared behind Naruto and seized Sasuke's sword arm at the wrist, halting the deadly swing. Naruto, reacting a split-second later, grabbed Sasuke's other arm. Seizing the opportunity, Yamato's hands flew through seals. "Mokuton: Jūkaki Kōryū!" (Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall) Tendrils of wood shot from the ground to ensnare Sasuke.

A contemptuous snort was Sasuke's only reply. "Chidori Nagashi!"

A torrent of blue-white lightning erupted from his body, a devastating discharge that electrocuted Naruto and Sai, sending them convulsing to the ground. The wooden bindings from Yamato shattered into splinters before they could even touch him. Sasuke now stood wreathed in a crackling aura of lightning, the sound of a thousand birds screeching around him.

Seeing Naruto and Sai incapacitated, Sakura made a desperate decision. "Sasuke!" she cried, clenching her fists and charging forward, hoping her mere presence would give him pause. "I'll stop you with my own strength!"

Sasuke's Sharingan-eyed gaze held no recognition, no warmth—only a flat, analytical coldness. He saw an obstacle, not a person. His sword arm rose again, this time aimed squarely at Sakura, the intent to kill clear in his stance.

"Damn it, he's serious!" Yamato lunged forward, placing himself between Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke's blade, charged with lightning, stabbed deep into Yamato's shoulder. A grunt of pain escaped Yamato's lips as the paralyzing current coursed through his body, locking his muscles and dropping him to his knees.

"My Kusanagi blade is... quite special," Sasuke remarked dispassionately. "It's not so easily blocked."

"Well, well! Quite the show, Sasuke! You've handled Konoha's finest rather quickly."

The new voice, laced with amusement, came from behind. Sasuke didn't need to turn to know it was Suigetsu.

"Hn. Suigetsu," Sasuke said, annoyance edging his tone as he withdrew the blade from Yamato's shoulder. "Do you wish to feel the Kusanagi's edge as well?"

The members of Hebi had emerged from the stronghold's entrance. Ren led them, his expression one of detached interest, while Suigetsu grinned, Karin watched with sharp eyes, and Jūgo stood silently.

"Uchiha Ren?!" Sakura and Yamato thought in unison, shock registering on their faces. *He's here too? Did he defect with Sasuke?*

"Just calling it like I see it!" Suigetsu replied with a shrug.

Sasuke ignored him, his attention snapping back to the scene before him. Naruto, lying on the ground, was undergoing a transformation. His nails elongated into claws, his pupils slit like a fox's, and his canines sharpened. The red, malevolent chakra of the Nine-Tails began to seep from his pores.

"Tch." Sasuke's Sharingan spun faster. He locked eyes with Naruto, and for a moment, both were still. Sasuke was invading the seal space within Naruto's mind.

"Interesting," Ren murmured, a genuine smile touching his lips as he observed.

A moment later, the red chakra receded, and Naruto's features returned to normal, his body slumping in exhaustion.

"Did you see it? That monster?" Ren asked, stepping closer to his brother.

"Seen it? I shredded its manifestation," Sasuke replied dismissively, as if swatting a fly.

"Is that so?" Ren's smile widened. He knew the truth—Sasuke had merely suppressed the Fox's chakra, not defeated the beast itself. "And what now?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He simply turned to leave.

"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto pushed himself up onto his elbows, his voice raw. "Why can't you see it? Orochimaru will take your body! He'll destroy you!"

"Then let him," Sasuke said without turning back, his voice flat and final. "That is my path, not yours. You're still a child, Naruto. For me, revenge is everything. This world and its changes mean nothing. I lack the power for vengeance now, but if offering this body to Orochimaru is the price... then he can have it."

The sheer nihilism in his words struck Naruto and Sakura dumb. They could only watch, speechless and heartsick, as Sasuke Uchiha, consumed by his darkness, walked away without a backward glance. The bond they had fought so hard to protect had not been cut; it had been callously discarded.

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