(Guys, we are killing with the Powerstones! Keep them coming for a bonus chapter!)
(Slight Gore warning)
Taking advantage of this opening, the clone quickly pulled out a scroll and began an intricate sealing technique. In a matter of seconds, it had sealed away a significant portion of the Kazekage's golden sand.
As the dust settled, Sora found himself propped up against a tree, his remaining clone kneeling beside him. 'My senses have dulled considerably due to that medicine,' Sora thought to himself, 'but at least I don't have to deal with the pain.'
He glanced down at what remained of his right arm, the bones inside were pulverized to dust a mix of emotions playing across his young face. 'I'm glad I know how to use shadow clones with one hand,' he mused, trying to stay optimistic. 'Or my career as a ninja would have ended today, even before it really started.'
Across the battlefield, both Orochimaru and Kabuto paused in their respective fights, their eyes drawn to the young red-headed ninja who had just gone toe-to-toe with a reanimated Kage.
"Impressive," Kabuto murmured, pushing his glasses up his nose. "To think, a child so young could push a Kage to such lengths, and survive with such quick thinking."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, a mixture of intrigue and annoyance in his gaze. "Indeed. The boy shows remarkable potential. And did you notice? That red hair... he must be an Uzumaki."
"Like Naruto-kun?" Kabuto asked, his voice low to prevent their enemies from overhearing. "I thought they were all but extinct."
"Yes," Orochimaru hissed, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "How interesting. It seems Konoha has been keeping some valuable assets hidden away. The Uzumaki clan's vitality and chakra reserves... combined with such prodigious talent at such a young age..."
Kabuto nodded, understanding the implications. "Shall we adjust our plans to account for this development, Lord Orochimaru?"
"Perhaps," Orochimaru mused, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips. "The boy could prove to be a more interesting specimen than even Sasuke-kun. We'll need to keep a close eye on his growth."
"And if he survives this encounter?" Kabuto inquired.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Then we'll have to ensure he receives a personal invitation to join us. One way or another."
Back at Sora's position, the young ninja was far from giving up. Despite his grievous injury, his mind was already working on a new strategy. "Can you mold chakra for me?" he asked his clone.
The clone nodded, transforming into a miniature version of itself and slipping inside Sora's clothes. After a moment, it reported back, "I can't affect it directly, but I can help reduce the number of hand signs you need for one-handed techniques."
Sora nodded, his face set with determination. "I can't use my water jutsus effectively like this. You'll have to handle those. For now, we need to move. Body Flicker!"
As Sora flickered away, the reanimated Kazekage launched another assault. This time, instead of waves of sand, he sent a barrage of razor-sharp sand projectiles, covering a wide area to prevent escape.
Sora managed to dodge most of the projectiles, but a few found their mark, leaving him with several bleeding cuts. However, the young ninja refused to let this slow him down.
"Old guy, pain can't stop me!" Sora shouted defiantly, a somewhat manic grin on his face. "Why? 'Cause I literally can't feel it!"
His mini-clone, hidden within his clothes, quickly sealed the injuries to prevent further blood loss. Meanwhile, Sora found himself back on his giant shuriken, once again taking to the skies to avoid the Kazekage's relentless attacks.
For the next thirty minutes, a high-stakes game of cat and mouse played out in the air above the battlefield. Sora, despite his ingenuity and determination, found himself accumulating more and more injuries as the fight dragged on.
"Damn it," Sora muttered, his breath coming in short gasps. "Why isn't Pervy Sage done yet?"
'Thirty minutes of this cat and mouse game, and I'm barely hanging on. My right arm is gone, and I'm collecting injuries like Naruto-nichan collects ramen bowls. How much longer can I keep this up?'
'This old guy... he's relentless. No matter how many times I take him down, he just keeps coming back. It's like fighting Naruto-nichan's shadow clones, except these regenerate instead of popping.'
'His gold dust manipulation is incredible. It's like Gaara's sand, but shinier and probably more expensive. There's a finesse to it that speaks of years of practice. Even dead, his skills are top-notch.'
'And that regeneration ability... it's not natural. Is this what it means to be truly immortal? To be brought back from the dead, only to be used as some creepy snake guy's puppet? That's messed up.'
'But there has to be a weakness. somebody once said that every jutsu has a flaw, even one as freaky as this zombie technique. The old guy's mind seems to be working, but his will isn't his own. If I could just figure out how to break that control...'
'Wait, who said that again?'
'And why did that pale creep choose him specifically? Is it just because he's strong, or is there something special about his abilities? Maybe he's someone important?'
'You know, old guy, if you weren't trying to kill me, I might have enjoyed learning from you. Your control over your gold dust is amazing. But right now, I just need to figure out how to stop you for good.'
'Kakashi-sensei always said to look underneath the underneath. There's got to be something I'm missing, some detail that could turn this fight around. I just need to hold out a little longer, keep observing, keep analyzing. I can't let everyone down. I won't!'
'Maybe if I... no, that wouldn't work. What if I tried... no, he'd see that coming. There's got to be a way. Come on, Sora, think! You're supposed to be the smart one. What would Naruto-nichan do in this situation? Probably something reckless and unexpected. Maybe that's not such a bad idea...'
Down below, Naruto had managed to create several shadow clones that broke away from his fight with Kabuto, attempting to provide support for Sora. However, most of these clones were only able to serve as distractions, quickly dispelled by the Kazekage's precise attacks.
As Sora's chakra reserves began to run dangerously low, his mini-clone spoke up from his shoulder. "The sealing technique is ready," it reported. "But we need to destroy him once more for it to work."
Sora's eyes hardened with resolve. "Well, I've still got one hand left," he said grimly. "I'd rather not lose it, but it's better than dying."
With that, Sora began weaving one-handed seals for his Shape-Shifting Jutsu, preparing to alter his weight to extreme values once more. "This is our only chance," he told his clone.
The clone nodded, then burst a smoke bomb in front of them, obscuring their position. Instead of attacking from above as before, Sora used his reduced weight to launch himself at high speed directly at the Kazekage.
However, the reanimated Kage, learning from their previous encounter, had shifted his position slightly. Sora's attack missed by mere inches.
But this was all part of the plan.
The Sora that had attacked suddenly exploded, revealing itself to be a shadow clone. At the same moment, the giant shuriken that had been hovering nearby transformed, revealing the real Sora with a fully formed Rasengan in his hand.
"Got you!" Sora cried triumphantly as he slammed the Odama Rasengan into the Kazekage's body. "Now get sealed!"
Sora quickly made a one-handed seal, and ink began to flow from his hand towards the Kazekage's disintegrating body. For a moment, it seemed like victory was within grasp.
But then Sora noticed something that made his blood run cold. "Wait, your body-"
His words were cut short as a lance of golden sand pierced through his back, emerging from his chest where his heart should be. The world began to grow dark around Sora, his life slipping away.
With his last ounce of strength, Sora turned his head towards his friends on the ground. He saw Naruto, using the Orange chakra, He saw Sasuke, his curse mark was under control. He saw Jiraiya, desperately trying to break free from his battle with Orochimaru to come to his aid.
However, none of the three have gazed in this direction at the moment
And he saw Tsunade, her eyes finally clear, staring at him with a mixture of horror...
As consciousness began to fade, Sora managed to force out a few last words, his voice enhanced by chakra to carry across the battlefield:
"It was fun till it lasted... If I had another 100 lives, I think I would choose to live like this again every single time, I regret nothing!"
With those final words, Sora's eyes closed, and he began to fall once more. But this time, there was no clone to catch him, no last-minute save. The young ninja plummeted towards the earth, his small body limp and broken.
The battlefield fell silent for a moment, all eyes turned towards the fallen form of Sora slumping on the ground with a hole in his chest.
Sora Uzumaki's journey has come to an end with his death.
***
It was fun writing this (ಥ﹏ಥ) I am preparing my next story now, and look forward to it. If you are wondering what the next chapters are, they are basically what happens after his death, the butterfly effect and whatnot.
Really
Believe me
ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ
Anyway, I actually got emotional while writing this, so if it made you sad, then give me some Powerstones, the end of the story is near, so we may as well go out with a bang, right?
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