"Do you still want to fight?"
Erii's eyes flickered as she looked at the two Sound ninja on the tree. Her voice was calm and cold.
In that instant, the two ninja felt as if they saw a pure golden light shining in her clear eyes.
A shiver ran through their bodies like an electric shock, cold creeping uncontrollably from their backs up to their skulls.
It felt like being hunted by a fierce beast.
In just a few seconds, Dosu felt like he had experienced something terrifying.
His whole body was drenched in cold sweat, and he was gasping for breath.
"We... we surrender."
Dosu didn't hesitate for even a moment. He immediately pulled out the scroll, handling it carefully.
"It was our fault earlier. Please spare us this time," he pleaded cautiously.
"Fine." Erii's eyes shifted toward Zaku, who lay unconscious like a lump of mud. She said coldly, "Take him away."
"Thank you for your mercy."
Dosu dropped down from the tree and respectfully placed the scroll aside. Then, he helped the unconscious Zaku up and gave a look to his teammate.
Whoosh!
The two of them carried their fallen comrade and fled without looking back.
Judging by their speed, they clearly feared Erii would change her mind and leave them all here.
"Is that... really it?"
Sakura's tense nerves finally relaxed, feeling a wave of relief after the ordeal.
Thank goodness Erii was here. Otherwise, she couldn't even imagine what might have happened today.
"Thank you, Erii."
Despite the pain from her wounds, Sakura forced herself to bow in gratitude to the girl who had saved their lives.
"Here, take this."
Erii handed the seized scroll directly to Sakura.
"To me?"
Sakura's eyes widened as she looked at the scroll right before her — the exact 'Heaven' scroll they needed.
"Yes, to you."
Erii repeated firmly, pressing the scroll into Sakura's hand.
"No, no. It belongs to you. I can't take it."
Sakura's cheeks flushed red. The enemy had been driven off by Erii, saving them. How could she have the nerve to claim the scroll?
"Please, you keep it. We can't accept it." Sakura tried awkwardly to pass the scroll back.
"Me?"
Erii shook her head. "I don't need them. I've already collected them all."
With that, she dumped all the scrolls she had gathered from her pocket space onto the ground.
Sakura stared in disbelief. Scattered around were about twenty or thirty scrolls. She was almost dumbfounded. "All these are yours?!"
"Yeah."
Erii nodded.
"But... why so many?!"
Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock. "I thought you only needed to collect two?"
"They came to me on their own," Erii paused, then added, "I didn't want them, but they insisted on fighting me. In the end, I just had to take them all."
"Uh…"
Sakura rubbed her forehead, a few stress lines appearing.
Having seen Erii's strength, she could understand how reckless those people must have been to challenge her.
"What happened to them?"
Erii's gaze shifted to Naruto and Sasuke lying on the ground. Curiously, she asked.
At her question, Sakura lowered her eyelids, tears welling up. She choked back a sob.
"I-I don't really know. We suddenly encountered a powerful enemy. Sasuke stayed behind to cover our escape, telling Naruto and me to run, but Naruto went back to help Sasuke. When I arrived, this is what I found."
So much had happened in just one day that she didn't know where to release her feelings. Finally, she found someone to confide in.
Sakura wiped her tears and, through sobs, told the entire story.
"C-Can you help me?" Sakura didn't know who else to ask. She looked at Erii with hope shining in her eyes, placing all her trust in her.
Erii listened carefully, then glanced at the two unconscious kids, frowning slightly.
Although she didn't yet fully understand who exactly it was, or what connection they had with Sogetsu, after being given the identity of a "Boon Recipient," Erii naturally gained the ability to use some of the "Spectator's" power.
She immediately saw the root of Naruto and Sasuke's condition.
Inside Sasuke's body resided a "vengeful spirit" that had taken over his island of consciousness, which was why he could never truly wake up.
Naruto's condition was even more severe—some kind of "mark" had been implanted in him.
It was constantly taking root and growing inside him, affecting his thoughts and slowly pushing him toward a certain direction.
What truly worried Erii was that this power was clearly not from this world.
Whether or not to help remove it was a dilemma for Erii. It wasn't that she couldn't do it; she simply had a vague feeling that the person using this power might be connected to Sogetsu.
"Can you do it?" Sakura asked.
After a moment of thought, Erii replied calmly, "Yes, I can help you wake them."
"Really? You can?" Sakura's eyes lit up with joy.
"Mm." Erii nodded.
Whether or not it was truly related, all she needed to do was wake the two of them. As for what came next, she could ask Sogetsu when they met.
Having agreed, Erii went to the side of the two unconscious kids. Deep in her dusky eyes, faint ripples seemed to spread.
She transformed her focused thoughts into a mental storm, sweeping across their mental planes.
"Wake up!"
"Wake up!"
"Wake up!"
Her strong thoughts stirred heavy waves in their subconscious spaces.
These great waves gently crashed upon the islands of their consciousness, slowly rousing their minds.
Soon, Naruto and Sasuke opened their eyes, looking around in confusion.
"Where... are we?"
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances. Then, upon seeing Eri, their faces filled with surprise.
"How are you here? By the way, what about the enemies? Where did they go?!"
"That's great! You're finally awake!"
Sakura couldn't hold back her joy anymore. She rushed over to them and burst into tears.
"If you hadn't woken up, I... I really wouldn't have known what to do!"
After letting her emotions out, Sakura calmed down and began to explain what had happened while they were unconscious.
If it weren't for Eri, their team would probably have been completely wiped out by the Sound ninja by now.
"Damn it!"
Naruto's eyes darkened as he clenched his teeth in anger.
"To attack us while we were asleep... that's so despicable!"
"Good. I've made a note of this debt."
Sasuke's gaze grew cold and fierce, clearly furious.
"When we meet them again, we'll make sure those guys regret it!"
*******
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