[A/N: Some chud stole this fanfic and just shortened the chaps. Title/ Naruto: As teen Naruto. I reported it yet no results.]
BOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
Rasengan and Chidori slammed together mid-air, blue chakra and shrieking lightning colliding in a blinding flash. The impact screamed like tearing metal, the sound so violent it drowned out everything else.
A sphere of pure destruction erupted outward.
KRRRRRAAAASH—!!
The shockwave tore through the area above the cavern like a god's hammer.
The ground ruptured.
Stone slabs were ripped free and hurled outward in every direction as the surface above the hideout exploded, turning solid earth into flying debris. Jagged rocks spun through the air like shrapnel, smashing into cliff faces and pulverizing boulders on impact.
A massive section of the ground collapsed downward, sunlight pouring freely into the broken cavern below as rubble rained down like meteors.
Sakura and Yamato were flung backward by the blast.
"Wood Style!"
Yamato slammed his hands into the ground as thick wooden pillars erupted upward and outward, wrapping around them and anchoring their bodies just before the wind could tear them away.
Sakura raised her arms, shielding her face as dust and gravel slammed into the wooden barrier, her eyes wide while the howling pressure pressed against them.
At the center of it all—
Naruto and Sasuke were locked together in mid-air.
The Rasengan screamed, spinning faster and faster, compressing into a dense sphere of roaring chakra as it ground violently against the shrieking Chidori, lightning snapping and sparking in chaotic arcs.
Sasuke's arm shook uncontrollably. Electricity crawled up his shoulder and across his chest, burning hot.
Naruto's chakra flared outward in wild waves—raw, oppressive, overwhelming.
For the first time—
Sasuke was sweating.
His Sharingan snapped open instinctively, tomoe spinning desperately as he tried to process what he was feeling.
'What—?! This much chakra… without the Nine-Tails?!'
Naruto's eyes burned with absolute focus.
"No running this time!" he shouted over the violent roar between them.
The Rasengan swelled. Pressure skyrocketed. Space between them fractured.
CRRRRRRAAAACK—!!!
The Chidori shattered first.
Lightning detonated outward in broken arcs, exploding into the air as Sasuke was launched away like a cannonball—
BAAAM!!!
He smashed through a massive boulder mid-flight, his body carving straight through solid stone before crashing hard into the far end of the rocky clearing, debris raining around him.
Naruto was hurled in the opposite direction, tumbling violently through the air. He twisted mid-spin, forcing control back into his body, before slamming down to one knee, boots carving trenches into the ground.
The Rasengan unraveled, dispersing into spiraling wisps of fading blue chakra.
Silence followed. Dust hung thick in the air, swirling slowly as shattered stones clattered and rolled across the fractured ground. Pebbles tapped against larger slabs, the only sound cutting through the haze.
Naruto straightened slowly from his crouch, boots grinding against loose rock.
His breathing was steady—controlled—but his arm hung limp at his side. He looked down at it. Completely numb.
No pain. No sensation. Just a dead weight that refused to respond as he tried to pull chakra back into it. The pathways burned faintly, like they had been rubbed raw.
' No wonder they lost their arms…
Hitting like that head-on isn't something a human body is meant to survive.' He thought.
His gaze lifted.
Across the torn battlefield, Sasuke pushed himself out of a freshly carved crater, coughing as dust poured from his lips. His clothes were shredded, exposing scorched skin beneath, and thin trails of smoke curled lazily from his arm as the last remnants of lightning crackled and faded.
They locked eyes. For a moment—no words.
Just two shinobi measuring each other in the quiet aftermath of power. Sasuke shifted his stance, forcing himself upright despite the tremor running through his body. His grip tightened, readying himself to continue—
Then a cold presence slid into place behind him.
"Ohoho… looks like you've had enough fun for today, Sasuke-kun,"
Orochimaru's voice slithered through the air.
A pale hand settled on Sasuke's shoulder.
"We're leaving."
Sasuke stiffened.
His jaw clenched. For a second, Naruto could tell—he wanted to resist.
Then Sasuke exhaled.
Slowly, he loosened his grip and let his sword drop back into its sheath.
He turned his head just enough to look back at Naruto, his expression unreadable—somewhere between irritation and reluctant acknowledgment.
"You live today," Sasuke muttered. "On another whim."
And then—They were gone.
The air distorted, swallowing them whole as silence returned once more. Naruto snorted softly, the corner of his mouth lifting.
'Sure, buddy, ' he thought.
He turned back toward the others—
—and suddenly warm arms wrapped tightly around him.
"H-Huh—?!" Naruto froze.
Sakura was hugging him.
Hard.
Her face pressed into his chest, shoulders shaking slightly as she let out a breath she had clearly been holding in since the clash.
"You idiot…" she muttered.
Naruto blinked, then awkwardly returned the hug, one numb arm and all, glancing over Sakura's head at Yamato and Sai.
Yamato gave a small, relieved nod.
Sai tilted his head, observing the embrace with mild curiosity.
Naruto sighed inwardly.
' Yeah…I'd say we got the info we needed.
Time to meet the baddies from the Leaf'
He paused.
'…Nah. I'm joking. I just really, really miss my bed.'
The dust continued to settle as the battlefield finally grew still.
....
The journey back to Konoha took days.
Long stretches of quiet travel through forests and open roads. Nights spent camping beneath the stars, the distant crackle of a campfire filling the spaces where conversation faded.
There was even a brief stop at a remote hot spring—steam rising into the cool air, muscles finally allowed to relax after everything that had happened.
When the gates of Konoha finally came into view beneath the moonlight, the village was quiet. Lanterns glowed softly along the streets, casting long shadows over familiar rooftops.
Naruto didn't bother heading toward the Hokage Tower , like before.
It can wait until morning.
Instead, he peeled off from the group and headed straight home.
His apartment greeted him with silence—same old walls, same old faint creak in the floorboards. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, exhaling slowly.
"Tch… good to be back."
He moved without urgency, tugging off his jacket before kneeling down. One by one, he unstrapped the weights from his arms and legs, setting them carefully on the floor rather than dropping them like he usually would.
The dull thud echoed faintly. Only then did he head for the bathroom.
Hot water filled the small tub, steam curling upward as he sank into it with a tired sigh. The tension in his shoulders eased bit by bit, heat soaking into muscles that had been pushed far past their limit.
He closed his eyes.
'What to do now… Well, besides training.'
A pause.
"…Yeah. I don't know."
The water rippled slightly as he shifted.
' Guess I'll figure it out. Eventually.'
For now, the village was quiet. His body was exhausted. And for the first time in a while— Naruto let himself just rest.
TO BE CONTINUED