The journey home was heavy with a silence that the journey out had never known. They walked as a fractured unit of five. Naruto, Sasuke, Deva, and Kakashi moved with the tense alertness of shinobi, their senses scanning the trees for threats. Sakura walked with them, but she was no longer one of them. She was a civilian now, her head down, the vibrant energy she once had now a dull, quiet ache. There was an invisible wall between her and the others, a divide forged in blood and terror.
Naruto felt the distance most keenly. He would try to say something, to offer her a piece of his rations, but she would just shake her head, her eyes vacant. He felt a profound, crushing guilt. He had failed to protect Tsunami and Inari, and that failure had, in turn, broken his teammate. Every time he looked at her, he was reminded of his own weakness.
Sasuke was a pillar of cold fury. He saw Sakura's decision as a confirmation of his own harsh worldview: the weak are culled, and those who cannot handle the reality of the world are simply swept aside. He wasn't cruel to her, but he was emotionally detached, seeing her as no longer relevant to his quest for power. Her failure was just another data point proving that only absolute strength mattered.
Deva observed the broken dynamic with a quiet sadness. He understood Sakura's choice. He had seen the genuine, soul-deep horror in her eyes. It was a logical decision born from an experience no one should have to endure. He felt a deep sympathy for her, for the loss of her dream, and for the new, gaping hole in their team's formation.
Upon their return, they were immediately summoned to the Hokage's office. The air in the room was thick with unspoken grief.
Kakashi's report was grim and unvarnished. He detailed the mission's escalation, the battles with Zabuza and Haku, and the ultimate success in liberating the Land of Waves. Then, his voice grew heavy.
"Lord Hokage," he began, his visible eye filled with a deep regret. "I must also report a casualty. Not of body, but of spirit. Genin Sakura Haruno has resigned her commission. The trauma of witnessing the deaths of the civilians we were assigned to protect was too severe." He bowed his head slightly. "The responsibility for this failure as her instructor is mine."
The Third Hokage looked at Sakura, his ancient eyes filled not with disappointment, but with a profound, weary sadness. He saw a child whose spirit had been broken by a world she was not ready for. "There is no shame in this, child," he said, his voice gentle. "The path of a shinobi is not for everyone. Your request is accepted. You will be honorably discharged and may return to civilian life."
He then turned his gaze to the three remaining boys, his expression hardening. His decision to send them on this mission had come at a terrible cost.
"Kakashi," he continued, turning back to the Jonin. "Your report mentioned something else. Regarding Genin Deva."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Kakashi confirmed. "His sensory abilities are unprecedented. Furthermore, during the battle, he replicated multiple B-rank and A-rank water-style jutsu after a single viewing, without the use of hand seals."
Hiruzen absorbed this information in silence, the smoke from his pipe curling around his head. The Jinchuriki, the last Uchiha, and now this… an anomaly of terrifying potential. What had he assembled?
"You are all dismissed," he said finally.
Outside the tower, the four of them stood in the afternoon sun. It was the last time they would stand together as a full team. Sakura untied her now-useless headband and held it out to Kakashi.
"Sakura-chan, you don't have to!" Naruto pleaded, his voice cracking. "We can just do easy missions from now on!"
"There are no easy missions, Naruto," she said, a sad finality in her voice. She looked at Sasuke, who simply gave a curt nod and turned away. She then looked at Deva.
"You made a logical choice for yourself, Sakura," Deva said quietly, meeting her gaze. "Be well."
A single tear traced a path down her cheek. "You too, Deva."
She turned and walked away, not towards the training grounds or the ninja barracks, but towards the civilian sector of the village. Her shinobi career was over.
That evening, Kakashi stood before the Memorial Stone, the names of his fallen comrades etched into the black granite. Obito's name stared back at him. He had failed his first team, and they had died. Now, he had failed his new team, and one of them had been broken.
He saw two paths before him. He could pull them back, shield them, and put them on the slow, safe path of D-rank missions until they were older and more prepared. Or, he could do the opposite. He could push them harder, faster, and forge them in a fire so intense that they would become strong enough that this could never happen again. They would become so overwhelmingly powerful that no one they chose to protect would ever be harmed.
He thought of Naruto's monstrous chakra and Nine-Tails . He thought of Sasuke's furious, evolving Sharingan. And he thought of Deva's impossible talent.
Treating them like normal genin was no longer an option. It would be like trying to cage a hurricane. They would only grow frustrated and break in a different way.
A grim resolve settled in his heart. He could not protect them by holding them back. He could only protect them by making them untouchable.
He turned from the stone and walked towards the Hokage's office, his mind made up. He would recommend the three of them—the Jinchuriki, the Uchiha, and Deva—for the Chunin Exams. It was too soon. They were too young. They were not ready.
But he was terrified of what would happen if they were not forced to become stronger, immediately. It was a reckless gamble, born from the guilt of a failed teacher. But it was the only path he could see.