Ryu bought a fish to feed the cat, and then began the third heavenly screen broadcast.
year 60 of konoha, Ninja World.
The sky rippled with a familiar shimmer once again, as a soft light bathed the land.
After the previous two "heavenly screen" wonders, people seemed to have started getting used to this sudden phenomenon, and they stopped their work one after another.
Then they looked up, gazing at the sky that was no longer ordinary with eyes full of curiosity, inquiry, or awe.
"Look, it's back!"
"What will it teach this time?"
The image gradually became clear amidst the crowd's discussion.
A girl with striking pink hair appeared in the center of the heavenly screen.
"It's that girl, Sakura Haruno!" Many people recognized her immediately, as she had appeared in the footage related to the previous heavenly screen.
In the Ninja Academy, Sakura Haruno herself suddenly stood up, her chair letting out a harsh scraping sound from her sudden movement.
Her heart was pounding, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement and anticipation.
"This time... will it be about me and Lord Sasuke? Our future selves..." She stared intently at the sky, afraid to miss even a single detail.
In the heavenly screen, the video continued.
The scene shifted, appearing to be a hospital ward.
Uzumaki Naruto lay on a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages and looking somewhat dejected.
The pink-haired Sakura Haruno walked in, her face etched with worry.
"Naruto..." she spoke softly.
When Naruto on the hospital bed saw Sakura, his trademark smile immediately appeared on his face, though it carried a clear sense of apology.
"Sakura... I'm sorry, I... couldn't bring Sasuke back."
As soon as these words were spoken, whispers of realization echoed throughout the Ninja World.
It turned out that this was a continuation of the previous heavenly screen: Uchiha Sasuke had defected from Konoha, and Uzumaki Naruto went in pursuit, eventually leading to a great battle at the Valley of the End.
This was the plot following Naruto's defeat.
Though Naruto in the heavenly screen was weak, his eyes remained determined as he clenched his fist and promised: "But believe me! Next time, I will definitely bring Sasuke back!"
Sakura Haruno looked at Naruto, who was covered in injuries yet still thinking about his promise, and shook her head, her voice gentle but tinged with complexity: "No, Naruto, this isn't your fault."
She spoke briefly with Naruto and then turned to leave the ward.
As Sakura Haruno walked out of the hospital, the forced calm on her face instantly crumbled.
She walked alone down the quiet corridor, her steps getting slower and slower, and her head gradually drooping.
The surrounding light seemed to dim along with her mood.
Finally, she stopped in a deserted corner, leaning her back against the cold wall and bowing her head deeply.
Her hands hung weakly at her sides, clenched tightly into fists.
The heavenly screen carried her whispers clearly across the entire Ninja World, her voice filled with helplessness, self-blame, and deep frustration:
"Why... why am I so weak..."
"Why... don't I even have the ability to bring Sasuke back myself..."
Every word was like a heavy stone, striking the hearts of the people.
The girl's sense of helplessness and her desire to become stronger were clearly conveyed through the heavenly screen.
In the Ninja Academy, Sakura Haruno stared blankly at the dejected and helpless version of herself in the heavenly screen, the flush on her face long gone, replaced by a pale daze.
Was her future self really like this?
It wasn't that she was happy to be with Sasuke, but rather that she felt pain because of her own weakness... A few days later, perhaps seeing the low morale of Team Seven, Kakashi Hatake took Naruto and Sakura on a mission to a small coastal island, calling it a "change of pace."
The mission itself was not complicated, and a group of pirates entrenched around the island was quickly dealt with.
During the battle, Naruto charged forward as usual, while Sakura also demonstrated precise Chakra control and decent Taijutsu.
After the battle, Kakashi clapped his hands and said in his trademark lazy tone: "Alright, mission complete. The scenery here is nice, so don't think too much, just relax and don't put too much pressure on yourselves."
With that, he pulled out that familiar book, "make-out paradise," and with a flicker of his body, he vanished to some unknown shade to enjoy his reading time.
Naruto scratched his head and gave Sakura a somewhat forced smile: "Sakura, then I... I'm going over there to train!"
It seemed that only through constant training could he temporarily suppress the frustration and anxiety of failing to bring Sasuke back.
Sakura nodded, watching Naruto run to a nearby clearing.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof, poof, poof, poof—!
In an instant, dozens, even hundreds of Naruto's Shadow Clones filled the beach, beginning their respective training with great fervor.
The massive amount of Chakra and the sight of the clones working up a sweat created a very impactful image.
Sakura stood where she was, staring blankly.
Was she jealous?
Yes, very much so.
She wasn't just jealous of Naruto's terrifying amount of Chakra, but even more so that he had a clear goal and a way to become stronger, working hard to master more powerful Ninjutsu.
And what about her?
She wanted to become stronger, intensely wanting to escape this sense of helplessness and possess the power to bring back her comrades and protect what was important.
However, she didn't have the naturally massive Chakra that Naruto had, nor did she have any inherited secret arts or a powerful mentor like Kakashi-sensei to provide specialized guidance.
She only had decent theoretical grades and passable Chakra control.
Become stronger? Where was the path?
She had no idea, as if she were in a thick fog, unable to see any direction.
This feeling of having determination but nowhere to apply it was heavier than any exhaustion brought on by training.
She silently turned away, leaving the noisy training ground and walking aimlessly along the coastline alone.
Unknowingly, she came to the edge of a steep cliff.
Below was the surging sea, the waves constantly crashing against the rocks with a deafening roar.
The camera of the heavenly screen followed her closely, clearly displaying her loneliness and loss before the entire Ninja World.
People watched as the pink-haired girl walked distraught to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the dizzying surface of the sea with empty eyes.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She looks like she's in a very bad mood."
"Is it because of what was said in the heavenly screen earlier, that she feels too weak?"
While everyone was talking and guessing that she was just there to clear her head.
Sakura Haruno, without any warning, leaned forward slightly and took a leap, falling straight toward the churning sea below the cliff!
Her figure traced a brief arc in the air before being swallowed by a massive wave and vanishing.
The Ninja World fell silent in an instant.
Immediately following that, countless question marks popped up over the heads of everyone watching the heavenly screen, like bamboo shoots after a rain.
???