Kakashi's question hung in the heavy, mist-laden air. How did you know?
For a heartbeat, Sakura's mind went blank. The truth was an impossible, alien concept. I watched us all die, Sensei. The words were unthinkable. The lie she'd given felt flimsy, pathetic.
"I… I just guessed," she finally mumbled, dropping her gaze to Sasuke's still form.
Before Kakashi could press further, a low groan broke the tension. Sasuke's eyelids fluttered. A collective, ragged breath was drawn by everyone present. Naruto, forgetting his own exhaustion, scrambled closer.
"Sasuke! You're okay!"
"Nnngh… what…?" Sasuke's voice was a dry rasp. He tried to push himself up, his eyes unfocused. "Naruto… you idiot… stay back…"
The familiar insult was the most reassuring sound Sakura had ever heard.
Kakashi took charge, his analytical demeanor returning. "He's alive, but in no condition to move. Naruto, you're on your last legs. And Sakura…" He paused, his gaze sweeping over her. She was swaying on her knees, a cold sweat beading on her forehead. The world was starting to tilt. "…you're completely drained. More than you should be."
He was right. The cost of that single, frantic simulation was settling its debt. It wasn't just physical exhaustion; it was a profound, soul-deep emptiness, as if her very spiritual core had been hollowed out. She tried to stand, but her legs buckled.
A strong hand caught her arm, steadying her. It was Kakashi. "Easy. We're done here." He assessed his three battered, exhausted Genin, a flicker of something unreadable—pride? concern?—in his eye. "Let's go home. Tazuna's home."
The journey back was a blur. Sakura remembered leaning heavily on Kakashi, the ground seeming to rush up at her with every step. She remembered the cheers of the villagers as they saw the bridge-builder and his ninja escort returning, victorious. She remembered being guided into Tazuna's house and collapsing onto a futon, the world fading to black before her head even hit the pillow.
When she awoke, the room was dark, save for a sliver of moonlight cutting through the window. The house was silent. For a moment, the chilling memory of her simulated death—the cold, crushing water—surfaced, and she gasped, sitting bolt upright.
Her heart hammered against her ribs. She was tangled in a blanket, safe. The air was warm. A soft snore from the other side of the room confirmed Naruto was asleep.
It was real. I didn't dream it.
Slowly, carefully, she extended her senses. She could feel the flow of her own chakra. It was weak, sluggishly refilling a vast, empty reservoir. But it felt… different. Cleaner. The [Minor Chakra Control Enhancement] wasn't just a concept. It was a physical reality. The pathways the energy traveled felt smoother, less obstructed.
Closing her eyes, she focused inward, on the strange power that had answered her desperate plea. Show me.
As if summoned by the thought, the cool blue interface materialized in her vision. It was more detailed now, a main menu instead of an emergency alert.
[The Weaver of Fate System: Online]
[User: Haruno Sakura]
[Status: Fatigued. Chakra Reserves at 18%. Full recovery estimated in 22 hours.]
[Main Menu]
> [Life Simulation]
> [Echoes Harvested]
> [System Log]
Her finger, phantom-like, twitched. She focused on the [System Log].
[Log Entry #1]
Timestamp: Battle on the Great Naruto Bridge.
Trigger: Extreme emotional distress combined with subconscious desire for an alternate outcome.
Action: Emergency Tutorial Simulation initiated. Goal: Survive the next five minutes.
Chakra Cost: 95% of Total Reserves.
Result: Failure. User Deceased.
Note: Catastrophic failure of initial timeline averted by User action upon return. Path divergence successful.
Ninety-five percent. The number was staggering. A single, short simulation had cost nearly everything she had. It wasn't a tool she could use lightly. It was a trump card, to be played only when the stakes were absolute.
She navigated to the [Echoes Harvested] menu.
[Echoes Equipped: 1/1 Slot]
[Trait (Fragment): Minor Chakra Control Enhancement]
Forged from the phantom trauma of a sudden, violent death, this Echo refines the connection between mind and spirit.
Effect: Passively reduces chakra waste in all jutsu by 5%. Increases precision for fine-tuned chakra manipulation. Allows for more intuitive grasp of new chakra-based skills.
Note: Fragments can be upgraded into full Traits through repeated, related experiences in simulations.
One reward for one life lived and lost. The economics of the system were brutal, but the payoff was undeniable. This small boost was something ninja trained for years to achieve. She had gained it in a single, terrifying instant.
Finally, she looked at the primary function, the heart of the system.
> [Life Simulation]
[Status: Cooldown. Requires 70% Chakra Reserves to initiate a Standard Simulation.]
A new window popped up beneath it, a tutorial prompt.
[Standard Simulation allows the User to set a clear Goal or Intent. The simulation will then construct a plausible future timeline based on this goal, from the present moment until the User's simulated death. The more complex the goal, the more variables are involved.]
[Example Goals:]
"Survive the upcoming Chunin Exams."
"Achieve the rank of Jonin."
"Master Medical Ninjutsu."
"Bring Sasuke Uchiha back to Konoha."
The last example made her breath catch in her throat. The system wasn't just a combat tool. It could simulate her entire life's ambition. It could show her the path, the pitfalls, the price.
A quiet creak of the floorboards pulled her from the interface. The blue screens vanished. Sasuke was standing in the doorway, a silhouette against the dim light of the main room. He was just watching her.
"You're awake," she whispered.
He didn't answer immediately. He walked into the room and sat on the edge of his own futon, his back partially to her. The moonlight carved his profile in silver and shadow.
"Naruto told me what happened," he said, his voice low and devoid of emotion. "After I went down. He said you threw a kunai at him."
Sakura stiffened. "I... I had to. He was losing control. I had to make him see you were still alive."
"Hn."
That single, infuriating syllable could mean anything. Disapproval. Acknowledgment. Indifference.
He was silent for a long time, the quiet stretching until it was uncomfortable. Sakura found herself holding her breath.
"You were useless," Sasuke said finally, the words sharp and cold. "You cried and stood there while we fought. You were a liability."
Sakura flinched as if struck. The brand on her soul, the word useless, burned anew. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. He was right. Before the simulation, that's all she had been.
"But then," he continued, turning his head just enough to catch her eye with his dark, intense gaze, "you weren't."
He didn't say thank you. He didn't say she did a good job. An Uchiha, especially this Uchiha, would never offer such simple praise. But in that single, grudging admission, Sakura understood. He was acknowledging the shift. He had seen her as a burden, a loud, annoying fangirl. Now, for the first time, he saw something else. He didn't understand it, and he clearly didn't like it, but he saw it.
He said nothing more, simply lying back down and turning his back to her completely.
Sakura let out the breath she was holding. Her tears subsided, replaced by a cold, hard resolve.
He was right. She had been useless. She had needed a glimpse into a dead future, a system born from desperation, just to do one useful thing.
That would not happen again.
She looked at her own hands, pale in the moonlight. She could feel the whisper of her enhanced chakra control, a promise of what could be. The Chunin Exams were coming. She knew it. It was the next logical step for a Genin team. It would be a new crucible, filled with opponents far stronger than Haku.
She wouldn't enter it as a liability. She wouldn't be the one who needed saving.
Her next simulation wouldn't be an accident. It would be a weapon. A training ground. She would live and die a hundred times in the Forest of Death if she had to. She would face Orochimaru in a thousand timelines until she found a way to survive. She would harvest the skills, the knowledge, the strength from those phantom futures.
Looking out the window at the quiet, peaceful land of Waves, Sakura Haruno made a vow. The next time her team was in danger, she wouldn't be the one screaming. She would be the one holding the blade, armed with the wisdom of a thousand lives yet to be lived.