Only countless pairs of eyes widened to their limits remained—
And faces slowly turning pale from forgetting to breathe under overwhelming shock.
A single consensus, born from extreme terror and the instinct to survive, formed silently yet tragically in the hearts of billions:
No matter the cost…
Under no circumstances…
Can it be allowed to come to our world!!!
"It's over… Neji's done for…"
"Does having less screen time mean you just die? That's not fair!"
"Sasuke can't move… Naruto's doubting his entire existence… It's all over!"
"Absolutely! We absolutely can't let that dog out! Think of something!"
"A miracle? At a time like this? Who are we supposed to rely on—Karin?"
"Karin not kicking them while they're down would already be a blessing. That lunatic doesn't care about old bonds at all!"
Panic. Rage. Bitterness. Accusations hurled at fate itself.
Across the shinobi world, emotions boiled over.
Before a being that devoured chakra, shattered meteors, and possessed an invincible body—
All struggle seemed like a cruel joke.
Konoha — Hyūga Clan Compound
Neji stared at the version of himself within the celestial projection, his heart gripped tight by an invisible hand.
"No… I can't die yet…" he growled softly. "The Branch House's fate… the Caged Bird Seal… I haven't changed anything yet. How can I… die to a dog?"
Somewhere in the Shadows
In a dark, forgotten sewer passage, Itachi Uchiha curled himself deeper into the shadows.
Is my brother… going to die?
Is this the absurd ending to the path I set into motion with my own hands?
If my brother dies…
Will I still lie in that bed… giving birth over and over?
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes flickered as he glanced at Karin beside him. She remained in a strange state of excitement, fists clenched tightly.
"I have a feeling…" Orochimaru thought silently, "I may need to intervene."
Within the Celestial Projection
Neji forced his nearly collapsing body upright, enduring the soul-tearing agony caused by overusing the Tenseigan.
"To think…" he rasped, lips twitching faintly, "that I would die to a dog."
He drew a sharp breath, even that movement stabbing his lungs with pain.
Then, slowly—painfully—
He raised his arms and assumed the opening stance of the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist.
His arms trembled.
His posture wavered from weakness.
Yet the pride etched into his very bones—the unyielding spirit of a genius—burned stubbornly like a flickering candle in a violent storm.
"But I…"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with desperate resolve.
"I will not sit here and wait to die!"
A final spark of fighting spirit ignited against the wasteland of despair.
"Neji…!" Sasuke lay on the ground, his remaining hand clawing into the scorched earth until his knuckles turned white.
He wanted to rush forward.
But chakra depletion and the backlash from his destroyed ocular power left him barely able to twitch a finger.
As for Naruto—
The successive blows had left his mind stalled in a haze of emptiness.
And then—
Just as hearts froze and breath ceased, as everyone braced for Neji's end—
"Stop right there!!!"
A clear, commanding shout split the sky like a thunderbolt from the heavens, tearing apart the suffocating silence over the crater.
Wangcai's head snapped toward the source of the voice.
For the first time, its black eyes showed unmistakable alertness—confusion, even caution.
Karin, who moments ago had been watching with theatrical amusement, had her expression wiped clean.
Excitement and mockery vanished like mist before a cold wind.
In their place surged fury—and unmistakable wariness.
She sprang to her feet, crimson eyes blazing.
"You damn pest! You just won't stay gone! How did you track me down so fast?!"
Before her words had even finished—
A figure tore through the air like a pink meteor, moving faster than the eye could follow.
With flawless precision, she inserted herself between Wangcai and Neji.
Pink hair whipped wildly in the shockwave of her sudden halt.
She stood with her back to the dying Neji.
Facing Wangcai.
And casting a cold glance toward the seething Karin.
Her streamlined attire accentuated a lean, battle-hardened frame.
The softness of youth had long since faded from her features, replaced by the sharpened calm forged by trials and hardship.
But the will blazing in her emerald-green eyes—
Was stronger than ever.
Sakura Haruno.
"S-Sakura?!" Sasuke's voice trembled with disbelief.
From within the rock wall, Naruto's unfocused gaze snapped into clarity, locking onto that familiar silhouette as if drawn by a magnet.
His cracked lips parted, but no sound emerged.
A miracle?
No.
It was their comrade.
The one who had borne pain, secrets, and inheritance years ago—
And resolutely stepped onto an unknown path.
She had returned.
Across the shinobi world, hearts that had just drowned in despair erupted into boiling excitement.
"Sakura Haruno?! She's back!"
"She disappeared for so long and shows up now?!"
"Didn't she join the Divine Knights?"
"So the ones hunting Karin and pushing her to the brink were the Divine Knights?"
"A miracle! The heavens haven't abandoned the shinobi world!"
"Naruto's 'Divine Techniques' were only surface-level, right? Sakura inherited the complete legacy—she must be stronger!"
"With Sakura here, at least we have a chance against Wangcai… and that unstable 'demonic child' Karin!"
"For once… the future isn't pitch black!"
And yet—
After the initial surge of hope, a sobering thought followed.
"Wait… something's wrong."
"The Sakura in the projection has Divine Techniques because of what happened in that future."
"But in our reality…"
"The inheritance artifact for those Divine Techniques was already taken by that mysterious figure."
"Which means… our Sakura never received that inheritance."
"So in our world, Sakura may never grow the way she did in the projection."
It was like a bucket of cold water dumped over their heads.
Only then did everyone realize—
The "future" shown in the heavens could change.
Whether for better or worse—
Was unknown.
Konoha
Naruto's eyes sparkled as he looked at the real Sakura beside him, who was watching the projection intently, face flushed with excitement.
He scratched the back of his head, grinning in that foolish yet sincere way.
"Sakura! Thanks! Thanks for coming to save me! I knew you wouldn't just ignore me!"
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