Ino Yamanaka turned around and looked at Sakura Haruno. "I saw everything," she said. "You were totally fearless back there!"
"Er, can that even be called bravery?" Sakura chuckled in disbelief. After all, they were just a few kids. What was there to fear?
"Yeah, facing an enemy stronger than yourself without flinching—you'll definitely become a very powerful ninja someday!" Ino said earnestly.
"My name is Sakura Haruno, but you can call me Sakura!" Sakura laughed. "I feel like we were meant to meet today!"
Chapter 3
"Sakura, why are you all alone over here?" Ino asked curiously as she sat down next to her new friend.
"My parents sent me out to play with some kids my age," Sakura replied helplessly, her face full of resignation. "So I had no choice but to hide here! I just don't see eye to eye with those kids at all—they're way too childish for me."
"Immature?!" Ino's forehead suddenly showed several black lines indicating irritation. Why did she suddenly see traces of her own friend in Sakura?
"You're talking about Shikamaru Nara from the Nara clan, right?"
Hearing Ino say she resembled one of her friends, Sakura immediately figured out who she meant—the young heir of the Nara clan known for his sky-high IQ in the original story, the later military advisor to Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh, and also Gaara, the Fifth's brother-in-law—Shikamaru Nara.
"You know him too?" Ino looked surprised.
"I've heard a bit about him."
Thinking about Shikamaru's personality from the original story, Sakura couldn't help smiling. Probably due to his extremely high intelligence, Shikamaru usually gave people the impression of being particularly lethargic and unmotivated. However, deep down he was actually a very reliable person.
"Oh, that guy's always so laid-back," Ino giggled while covering her mouth. "Every time Yoshino tells him to go out and play with the other kids, he always says they're too childish to hang out with!"
Two four-year-old girls sat together on the grass, chatting away like they'd been best friends forever. It felt like fate—they were strangers just minutes ago, yet they talked like lifelong friends. And Sakura didn't mind this feeling at all.
"Eh? What's that over there?!"
Mid-conversation, Sakura suddenly turned her gaze toward the river. She could sense a living entity drifting by—judging from the soul strength of this entity, it certainly wasn't any fish or shrimp from the river.
"It looks like someone floating downstream toward us."
Looking closely, Ino was instantly startled. "Don't tell me we've run into a corpse?!"
"Nope, it's not a corpse—I can feel that his soul is still alive!"
Sakura stood up and ran toward the riverside. The Soul Stone could control souls, naturally allowing her to perceive them. Although her current range of perception was quite limited, she could still clearly sense the lifeform drifting in the river.
She ran to the riverside and saw the small, slender figure with golden hair floating in the water. Sakura raised her right hand slightly; a flash of red light flickered across her jade-green eyes. The power of the Reality Stone activated, pulling the drifting body from the river with an invisible force.
"Huh?!"
In that moment, multiple spirits had suddenly appeared around her, causing Sakura some confusion. Half of these souls radiated intense killing intent, giving off a deadly aura, while the other half felt eerily lifeless, devoid of any emotion whatsoever.
"Naruto Uzumaki?!"
But once she pulled the person from the river onto the ground and saw his face, Sakura immediately understood the situation behind those mysterious figures gathered around.
The Anbu and Root members monitoring Naruto again?!
Those filled with murderous intent are probably the Anbu under the Third Hokage's command. They've been doing assassinations so long, their whole being feels soaked in blood. As for the other half, exuding that cold, emotionless vibe, they were surely Root agents directly under Danzo Shimura's control.
Well, those guys truly crossed the line!
As she performed emergency measures on Naruto, Sakura quietly shook her head. Although she didn't know how Naruto ended up nearly drowning, the fact that no one tried to help him was unacceptable. It might have been somewhat understandable for Root not to show compassion—they were trained without emotional attachments—but what about the Anbu? They weren't supposed to follow such a ruthless ideology; yet they still ignored him even as he almost died in the river. That indifference was difficult for Sakura to accept.
He was the son of the Fourth Hokage, a hero who bore the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, yet the entire village resented him. Growing up under such hatred-filled circumstances while somehow maintaining such a bright heart—that was probably why so many characters originally believed in him within the storylines. It wasn't just his words—it was that rock-solid determination in his heart that touched people deeply.
"Should we bring him to the hospital?" Ino asked nervously.
"No, it would be better if we just treat him ourselves!" Sakura shook her head. At present, everyone in Konoha looked at Uzumaki Naruto as the demon fox. Even if they brought him to the hospital, chances were doctors and nurses there wouldn't assist at all.
"Why?" Ino asked, confused. But she instantly understood after Sakura pointed toward Naruto's face.
Coming from a family with its own heritage, Ino naturally did not believe in ridiculous rumors like "a demonic fox reborn," unlike ordinary civilians. If he really were the Nine-Tails, could you stand there criticizing him unharmed?!
"Pu-ku kuku kuku"
After a somewhat clumsy rescue and with Sakura secretly using the Reality Stone's power, Naruto finally woke up.
"How are you feeling?"
Sakura pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to him, motioning for him to wipe his face.
"Thank you both for saving me!" Naruto took the handkerchief, lowering his gaze as he wiped the water from his face, speaking softly—like he was afraid to scare them.
"How did you fall into the river anyway?" Ino asked, puzzled.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!