Time goes back to just before, when Naruto and Sasuke were both killed by Old Obito and fell to the ground.
From a distance, where they had been observing the battlefield, Karin and Sakura's faces uncontrollably turned to panic.
Karin shouted loudly, "Sasuke!"
While Sakura added a line on top of that, "Naruto!"
Immediately, the two of them ran toward the direction where Naruto and Sasuke had fallen.
Once they got close, the two girls finally noticed just how severe Naruto and Sasuke's injuries were.
This was already the nth time Sakura had encountered this kind of situation. Without hesitation, she knelt on the ground and began using medical ninjutsu to extend the faint lives of the two.
To be honest, at this moment, Sakura only felt incredibly mentally exhausted.
This ninja war was being fought in a way where people could end up lying on the ground at any moment, their life and death uncertain.
She considered her medical skills to be quite good, perhaps in the entire ninja world, only inferior to Lady Tsunade. But even so, with such wounds, she still felt powerless.
Karin, on the other hand, looked at Sasuke who had passed out with blood flowing endlessly, feeling like something had suddenly gone missing in her heart.
Clearly, happiness had come so suddenly. Clearly, she had gotten everything she wanted. So why… why had things turned out like this?
Tears streamed down her face as she rolled up her sleeve and brought it close to Sasuke's mouth, "Sasuke, hurry and bite me. Try your best to survive! Until you've seen our child, I won't allow you to die!"
However, this time, Sasuke didn't respond at all. He simply lay there motionless.
Sakura had no time to pay attention to the words coming out of Karin's mouth, words that normally would have dealt her ten thousand points of critical emotional damage.
At this point, the life force inside Naruto and Sasuke had already grown so weak that, just to maintain their lives, Sakura's chakra was drained instantly. Her whole body began to sway and grow faint.
Even so, despite knowing she should withdraw at this point, Sakura didn't.
She clenched her teeth tightly, unwilling to give up on even a shred of hope.
Inside, she shouted, 'I need more chakra to complete this!'
As if in response, a force seemed to answer Sakura's cry. On her forehead, a diamond-shaped seal slowly formed.
In this moment of extreme danger, her Yin Seal was finally forced out.
Immediately, the diamond mark spread into black lines across Sakura's forehead.
An ample flow of chakra surged from within her body. At last, temporarily solving the urgent crisis at hand.
Even so, despite using all her strength, Sakura could only keep Naruto and Sasuke barely breathing. Their situation was still critical and hadn't improved much at all.
In fact, Sakura thought that, considering Naruto and Sasuke's current state, the fact that they were still clinging to life and hadn't met the Shinigami yet, was already a medical miracle.
Under this seemingly endless drain, even after unlocking the Yin Seal, her chakra was slowly reaching bottom again. At a certain moment, a sudden realization struck Sakura.
Naruto and Sasuke, who had always seemed like unkillable cockroaches, were different this time. This time… they were truly done for.
Just as Sakura was falling into despair, suddenly, a smooth and pale arm covered in bite marks but still spotless reached out in front of her.
Sakura instinctively looked up and saw Karin's determined gaze.
"Bite me. Take everything you need, no matter the cost. That way, you can maintain a sufficient amount of chakra."
Sakura hesitated for a moment. She looked at the dense bite marks on Karin's arm, 'How many of those are from Sasuke?'
'Or… are they all from him?'
Some strange thoughts suddenly flashed through her mind. Sakura's face flushed, 'Does this pair of scoundrels usually play around like that?'
But there was no time to think too much. She knew that Karin, as a member of the Uzumaki clan, had a special constitution.
Back on the road, even when Lady Tsunade's body had been cut in half, it was Karin who had kept her alive.
So, without further delay, Sakura bit down.
Instantly, a surge of pure chakra flooded into Sakura's body, and her previously worsening condition recovered in an instant.
Strangely, deep in her heart, a weird thought surfaced in Sakura's mind.
Regardless of anything else, her and Karin's abilities really were highly compatible and complementary in a certain sense.
'Could it be… are we actually destined to become sisters?'
Sakura quickly shook her head and drove away that strange thought.
Unlike Sakura, who had recovered, Karin's face quickly turned pale.
Maintaining the lives of two people on the brink of death, how could it come at no cost?
That cost had been paid by Sakura just now, rapidly draining her chakra. Now it was Karin's turn. But how much could Karin endure?
She only felt that her own life essence was continuously draining, and very soon, she reached her limit.
But for the sake of saving Sasuke, she gave it her all.
Even if she had to sacrifice her own life force and burn herself out, she still didn't want to stop.
Sakura sensed the rapid fading of Karin's life and sighed. As expected, miracles didn't exist. Continuing this way would only buy a few extra moments.
She didn't want to see Karin waste her life and tried to let go out of pity.
But just then, Karin gave her a fierce glare, "Don't you dare let go! Even if I die, you must keep Sasuke alive!"
Sakura froze.
Seeing Karin's desperate appearance, she suddenly felt dazed. Could she herself go to this extent for Sasuke?
Maybe she could… or maybe she couldn't. But definitely not like Karin could.
'So, Karin really does love Sasuke more, doesn't she? Then it makes sense that Sasuke would ultimately choose Karin.'
Sakura showed a relieved smile and was just about to say something, but at that moment, Karin, gasping weakly, said, "Since it's come to this… are you still mad at Sasuke?"
Sakura was stunned.
Mad? She didn't even have the energy to be mad anymore.
They were about to die. All she wanted was to save them.
She shook her head and briefly let go of Karin's hand, "Not really mad. I just think… you two are better matched."
Tears of unwillingness streamed from Karin's eyes, "If you still have feelings for Sasuke, please don't abandon him."
"As a woman, I hate the idea of sharing Sasuke with someone else…"
"But I really can't ask for much anymore. Sasuke is a pitiful person, just like me. So I only hope… that the one to stay pitiful from beginning to end is me alone, and that he can live on happily…"
Separated from Karin's supply, Sakura felt that her chakra was still a drop in the ocean. In order to keep Naruto and Sasuke alive, she had no choice but to bite down again…
But this time, the life force Karin provided began to dwindle. This girl, like her, had reached her own limit.
'So… is she giving her last words?'
Sakura couldn't bear to bite anymore. She let go and shouted, "You and Sasuke, just live on well! I won't look after him for you!"
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