Sakura was completely immersed in her own romantic fantasies. Watching herself on the heavenly screen standing in Sasuke's way, she felt she looked both cool and brave.
However, the images on the heavenly screen instantly shattered all her delusions in the most brutal way.
Facing Sakura, who had summoned all her courage to block his path, Sasuke's face showed no emotion, only a coldness and detachment that wouldn't melt.
His voice was as cold as the night wind, devoid of any warmth: "Sakura, don't stop me."
Sakura pleaded urgently: "Sasuke! I beg you, can you please not leave the Village? If you do this... you'll become a Rogue Ninja!"
The words "Rogue Ninja" were like heavy shackles, meaning one would be hunted by the Village, abandoned by everyone, and set upon a dark path with no turning back.
Sakura tried to use this consequence to make him stay.
However, Sasuke did not respond to her pleas.
He simply stared at her coldly with those pitch-black eyes that seemed to contain an endless chill.
That gaze was like a knife, slicing through all of Sakura's hope and courage.
Ultimately, under the silent but incredibly firm pressure of the Sasuke on the heavenly screen, Sakura gave in.
She lowered her head, tears falling like broken strings of pearls, sobbing as she painfully, step by step, moved aside and yielded the path.
Sasuke walked past her without any expression.
Just as Sakura thought he would leave with such finality and her heart was breaking, Sasuke, who had already passed her, suddenly vanished like a ghost!
In the next moment, he abruptly appeared behind the defenseless Sakura.
Sasuke spoke in an extremely soft voice, yet one tinged with a hint of complex and inexplicable emotion, whispering in Sakura's ear:
"Thank you... Sakura."
The moment the words fell!
Thud!
A clean and precise hand-chop struck Sakura's nape.
Before the shock in her eyes could fade, she slumped down, losing consciousness.
Sasuke reached out to support her limp body, silently carrying her to a public bench by the roadside and gently laying her down, making sure she was in a relatively comfortable position.
Having done all this, he stood up and took one last look back at the unconscious Sakura on the bench.
Moonlight illuminated half of his face, showing a gaze filled with complex emotions—there was finality, a hint of reluctance he might not have even noticed himself, but more than anything, a resolute determination.
Then, he turned abruptly and did not look back again. His figure blended into the night as he sped toward the outskirts of Konoha, soon disappearing into the darkness.
According to the general rules of the Ninja World, fleeing the Village without the Hokage's permission is considered defection.
Defection!
Uchiha Sasuke actually defected and left Konoha in year 60 of konoha?
The entire classroom was silent; everyone was stunned by this sudden twist.
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression also became incredibly grim.
Uchiha Sasuke actually defected too?
Was it because of the Uchiha Clan Massacre?
Had he, as Hokage, left behind so many messes?
Jiraiya scratched his head and sighed.
Tsunade crossed her arms, her gaze sharp, wondering what she was thinking.
Ninja Academy, classroom.
Slam!
With a loud bang, Uzumaki Naruto slammed his desk and stood up, his small face flushed with anger as he pointed at Sasuke beside him and roared: "Sasuke! You actually dared to knock Sakura out! Unforgivable!"
Sasuke's face was also extremely pale at this moment, his mind in complete chaos.
Being roared at by Naruto like this made him even more irritable, and he roared back without thinking: "Shut up! dead last! My business is none of your concern!"
But after he finished shouting, he didn't continue the tit-for-tat argument with Naruto as usual. Instead, he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh, his eyes fixed on the back of his own departing figure on the heavenly screen.
Defection... In year 60 of konoha... I defected?
But... in the future of Year 66 shown by the heavenly screen, wasn't I a hero standing beside the Five Kage, fighting for the survival of the Ninja World?
He had even rescued the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki from that "World-Destroying Naruto"!
What exactly was going on?
What on earth happened during those six years in between?
The massive contradiction and information gap left Sasuke feeling unprecedentedly lost and confused; he couldn't even understand the logic behind his future self's actions.
Not just Sasuke, but everyone in the Ninja World watching the heavenly screen felt like their brains were a bit overloaded.
"Wait... let me get this straight... that Uchiha Sasuke is one of the heroes who saves the Ninja World in the future, right?"
"Yes, that's right. He fought alongside the Five Kage against the world destroyer Uzumaki Naruto."
"But the heavenly screen is telling us now that in year 60 of konoha... he defected from Konoha?"
"In other words, the two strongest combatants in the future of the Ninja World—Uzumaki Naruto became a world destroyer, and Uchiha Sasuke was once a Rogue Ninja???"
"Good heavens!"
Someone in some ninja Village voiced this exclamation, speaking for everyone.
This was simply too ridiculous!
For a moment, all sorts of strange, mocking, and even gloating gazes focused on Konoha once again.
"What kind of auspicious land is this Konoha... does it specifically produce 'problem children' and 'Rogue Ninja superstars'?"
"First there was Uchiha Itachi, who slaughtered his entire clan, and now it's revealed his younger brother Uchiha Sasuke will also defect, plus that future world destroyer Uzumaki Naruto... what are the Konoha higher-ups even doing?"
"I'm getting more and more curious. Just how absurd is it inside Konoha that all these geniuses are being forced to either commit murder, defect, or want to destroy the world?"
Doubts and mockery spread through the Ninja World like a plague.
At this moment, Konoha's image was not only feared because of the future crisis but was also cast in a negative light of "management chaos" and "driving away geniuses" due to the successive exposure of its "dark history."
It was simply absurd!
The scene on the heavenly screen shifted from the quiet streets of Konoha Village to a steep canyon amidst a torrential downpour and lightning—the Valley of the End!
The cascading waterfall roared, and the giant statues of the First Hokage Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara loomed indistinctly under the lightning, as if silently watching the two small figures below who carried the weight of destiny.
Everyone watching the heavenly screen held their breath.
They recognized the two standing in opposition—it was the young Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto!
Naruto's face was filled with unprecedented urgency and resolve.
He bellowed at Sasuke standing opposite him, his voice nearly drowning out the roar of the waterfall:
"Sasuke—! Come back with me! I absolutely will not let you leave the Village!"