"Naru… Naruto?" As the familiar figure was revealed, Sasuke and the others could no longer contain their turbulent emotions, their voices cracking.
Sakura, unable to restrain the excitement in her girlish heart, flew toward Naruto like a homing swallow. She had grieved his death, and she had blamed herself for her own powerlessness. But all those emotions vanished the moment she saw him. Right now, the young girl's mind was filled with nothing but Naruto's smile. She just wanted to hold him tight and never let go.
In everyone's sight, there he was: hair as brilliant as the sun, the same gentle smile that seemed capable of melting any glacier, and pure blue eyes, along with those six…
"Why are Naruto's whiskers gone?" Kakashi and Sasuke instantly caught the difference in Naruto's appearance, and alarm bells screamed in their minds.
"Sakura, be careful! That's not Naruto!!" Kakashi's roar came too late. Sakura had already thrown herself into Naruto's arms without a second thought.
"Naruto, I'm not dreaming, am I? Please, tell me I'm not dreaming!!! This time, I'll never let you go! I want to be with you," Sakura cried, tear tracks still on her face, her voice choked with sobs.
Naruto gently reached out and wiped the tears from the corner of her eye. His movements were slow, his smile impossibly gentle. The sight made Kakashi and Sasuke freeze, as if they were seeing the real Uzumaki Naruto. An unrealistic thought bloomed in their minds.
Maybe… maybe this really is Naruto.
But that was impossible. The Nine-Tails had broken its seal. As its Jinchuriki, Naruto's only fate was death. Yet the Naruto standing before them was so uncannily like the one they knew. That extreme gentleness was intoxicating.
Maybe… maybe Naruto didn't die when he was separated from the Nine-Tails!
Enveloped in Naruto's tenderness, Sakura hugged him tightly, greedily drinking in his scent. This was the closest she had ever been to him. In her avarice, she wished this moment could last forever.
"Naruto, they all said you were dead. I was so scared, so scared. Thank goodness you're okay. Don't ever leave me again, okay?" she begged humbly, her eyes shimmering with tears, a picture of pitiable beauty.
Naruto smiled warmly, gently stroking Sakura's pink hair. His voice was soft and magnetic. "I'm fine now, Sakura."
"Thank you, Sakura. I really mean it," Naruto whispered, his eyes gentle.
"This… it seems to be Naruto. He really didn't die." Kakashi and Sasuke exchanged a look, both seeing the joy in the other's eyes. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from their hearts.
"That's great! Naruto, come with me to see Lady Hokage right now. We need to clear everything up. We all thought you were dead," Kakashi said, sighing in relief.
But.
The joyful expression on his face suddenly froze.
He saw the tip of a blade, stained with blood, emerge from Sakura's back.
Drip. Drip. Time seemed to stop. The only sound was the crisp dripping of blood from the sword.
Sasuke and Kakashi couldn't believe what they were seeing. Their bodies went rigid, frozen for several long seconds.
Feeling the bone-deep cold and pain inside her, Sakura looked up in confusion, only to be met with Naruto's warm, sun-like smile.
"Oh, Sakura. Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding," Naruto said, looking at her bewildered, grief-stricken eyes. He chuckled softly, his voice still gentle and magnetic.
Schlick. The Zanpakuto was slowly pulled out, taking the warmth from Sakura's body with it.
Naruto released his hold on her. Without his support, Sakura began to fall. The lingering warmth of his embrace still seemed to cling to her as memories of her past with him flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
The first time she saw him was by chance on the street when they were children. Naruto was being reviled and cursed by the villagers. Young and hiding in the shadows, she didn't understand why he was being yelled at, but she assumed he must have done something terrible.
Later, at the Ninja Academy, she got to know the real Naruto.
And… he saved her.
He was the one who pulled her out of her self-loathing, the one who gave her confidence. He told her that her wide forehead was beautiful.
From that moment on, an indelible figure was carved into her heart. She brought him breakfast every day, asking him how he was, showering him with warmth. The young girl's feelings were an open secret, but she was never shy, expressing them freely. She didn't ask for him to accept her; she just hoped he could have a better life. She poured all her courage and affection onto him.
But she had never once confessed.
It wasn't until Naruto joined Root that the young girl realized the distance between them had become almost insurmountable. It was a wake-up call. She began to train diligently in medical ninjutsu, even becoming Tsunade's apprentice, hoping that one day she could stand by Naruto's side and be his most reliable partner.
Through her hard work, she inherited Tsunade's legacy, even learning her monstrous strength. She wouldn't have flinched even when facing a Jonin. She was trying so hard to get better, but Naruto never seemed to see it.
Sakura had always felt that a fire burned within Naruto's heart. A fire that no one could get close to. But even so, she had thrown herself into it without a second thought.
The light in Sakura's eyes gradually faded, her gaze on Naruto filled with a final, lingering affection.
Even now, she was still deeply in love with him.
Maybe… dying at his hands is a happy ending, too.
It's just a shame… I never got to tell you…
Naruto… I really, really like you.
Thud. Sakura's eyes closed, and she fell to the cold ground, the warmth slowly leaving her body. In that moment, the skilled medical-nin had lost her will to live, as if escaping a cruel reality.
"NARUTO!!!!!" Sasuke let out an unrestrained roar of fury. His face twisted, and his body erupted in a blinding flash of lightning that surpassed anything he had ever produced before. Amplified by the extreme lightning-style chakra, the cells in his body were instantly activated. He became a bolt of lightning, striking out at Naruto.
Due to the overload, he could already feel the tearing pain in his muscles. His eyes instantly morphed into the three-tomoe Sharingan, boiling with killing intent.
Sasuke's punch created a sonic boom. But to his furious disbelief, Naruto caught it with ease.
"NARUTO!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Sasuke roared, putting all his strength into his left fist and driving it toward Naruto's stomach.
Snap. The lightning enhancement was too violent. Several muscle fibers in his arm tore.
"Why?" A mocking smile played on Naruto's lips. His Reiatsu surged, instantly repelling Sasuke. He then closed the distance with demonic speed, tapping a finger on Sasuke's forehead, his expression playful.
"When things exceed human understanding, all they can do is ask questions," he said lightly.
Swoosh. In the next instant, Kakashi appeared behind Naruto, a kunai aimed at his back. His eyes were filled with heartache and a resolute killing intent.
"Naruto, I taught you that ninja who don't cherish their comrades are trash! You are a great disappointment right now."
Whether this Naruto was the real one or not, the fact that he had attacked Sakura was an unforgivable sin!
Naruto flicked a finger, sending Sasuke flying back ten meters. He turned, dodging Kakashi's punch, and his own right fist slammed into Kakashi's body, bending him into an arc.
He whispered in his ear:
"Kakashi-sensei, don't you think it's another kind of tragedy for a strong person to consider an ant a comrade?"
Thump. Kakashi was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the forest and snapping several trees.
"Naruto!!" In that same instant, Sasuke had already closed the distance again, attacking Naruto with all his might.
The entire area was filled with the violent sound of sonic booms and impacts. Sasuke's figure circled Naruto, leaving afterimages like he was teleporting. But Naruto stood in place, easily blocking every attack with a simple lift of his hand.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Don't you know that Sakura has always loved you?!!" Sasuke roared, tears silently streaming down his face. The tears instantly vaporized in the high heat generated by his lightning style.
"Why did you deceive everyone?!!" Sasuke's voice was hoarse. His body became a flash of lightning, fine arcs of electricity wrapping around his skin. The violent surge of chakra inside him made him feel like he was about to explode. But he didn't stop attacking. Instead, he accelerated.
"Using power you can't control will only hasten your death," Naruto said coldly. He grabbed Sasuke by the collar, threw him into the air, and a blinding light shot from his finger.
Boom. With a massive explosion, the training arena behind Sasuke was instantly reduced to a smoking ruin, the air thick with the smell of burning.
Sasuke lay on the ground, covered in wounds, his body wracked with the pain of torn muscles.
He saw Naruto slowly approaching, looking directly into his eyes.
Those pure blue eyes, once so full of warmth, now held nothing but bone-chilling indifference.
Just like Uchiha Itachi's had, back then.
"You are too weak, Sasuke."
"An enemy defeated by my hand is no longer worthy of being considered my opponent."
"I will give you time to catch up, until you can no longer even see my back."
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