Chapter 320: Sakura: What Is This? Nobody Wants to Live Anymore?
The Slug Sage looked at the young woman beside her, feeling something stir in her chest.
That little girl from so long ago had come this far.
"Lady Katsuyu — is the Rinnegan I left in your care still safe?"
At Sakura's words, a ripple ran across the Slug Sage's body, and a pale violet, ripple-patterned eye surfaced from within her.
Sakura plucked it up without hesitation, wrapping it in gold chakra flame, and glanced ahead at Madara Uchiha, still busy planting the Divine Tree.
She turned the Rinnegan over once in her palm, then looked past the barrier toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.
Before she returned the eye to Madara, there was something she needed to do first.
A gap opened in the Twelve Yang Array, and Sakura stepped straight through it.
Madara watched her go without a word. The Divine Tree still needed time to grow. If that stretch of time passed without incident, it would only work in his favor.
Crossing the barrier, Sakura landed directly in front of Hiruzen.
"Old man."
Sakura looked at the man in front of her, something complicated flickering behind her eyes.
"Sakura."
"Well now... well now..."
Hiruzen looked at the young woman before him, warmth and pride filling his gaze.
Tobirama, Minato, and the rest gathered around by now.
"Sakura, you're so strong now!"
Naruto looked at the young woman in front of him, not the least bit surprised that Sakura had become this powerful.
To him, the Sakura standing here was exactly the same as she'd always been, back when he was small — someone who could handle anything.
Of course she'd end up this strong. It only made sense.
"Old man. Do you want to be revived?"
"You too, Minato."
"And by the way — you don't get a say in refusing."
Sakura looked between Hiruzen and Minato, and finally her eyes flicked toward Itachi Uchiha.
The man was a little slow on some things, sure, but when it came to combat instincts, he was first-rate — even Sakura couldn't find fault there.
Besides, this man had wiped out his entire clan except for Sasuke. Somebody had to help rebuild the Uchiha, didn't they?
Otherwise, knowing Sasuke's temperament, the clan probably wouldn't survive three generations before dying out again.
The Uchiha were all a little unhinged, sure, but wielded properly, even a lunatic could be a fine blade.
Itachi said nothing, looking back at the young woman in front of him.
He didn't get a say in this either.
If a mistake could simply be paid off with death, then the price for making that mistake was far too cheap.
"Revival, hm..."
Hiruzen looked at Sakura, visibly moved.
"As for being revived... I think I'll pass."
Hiruzen thought it over for a long moment before finally giving an answer that made Sakura frown.
"I've lived long enough already."
"This isn't my era anymore."
Hiruzen reached out and gave Sakura's shoulder a gentle pat, a smile she knew all too well touching his eyes as he went on:
"Sakura. This era —"
"— it belongs to you now."
"And this old man's gotten to see how you've turned out, one last time. That's more than enough for me."
"A person's worth isn't measured by how they lived — it's measured by what they died for."
"My own death was a little plain, I'll admit. But I spent my whole life living for Konoha."
"I had my triumphs, and I had my failures. But the greatest achievement of my life was never becoming Hokage, and it wasn't leading Konoha to victory in the shinobi world war, either."
"It was... you existing, Sakura."
"You, standing here — that's the proof of my greatest achievement."
"Sakura. Carry my will forward with you."
Hiruzen studied the young woman in front of him closely.
"But—"
Sakura started to say something more, but that was when she noticed the faint white glow beginning to spread across Hiruzen's body.
The sign of an Edo Tensei revival's soul finding its own peace — the point at which the reanimated could release the technique of their own free will.
"You stubborn old man. I give up."
Sakura let out a helpless breath and didn't press him any further.
"Ha ha ha. Being Sakura's teacher was never an easy job."
"Getting to beat my own student, just once, right at the very end — that's not a small thing, coming from me."
Seeing the look on Sakura's face, Hiruzen felt thoroughly, deeply satisfied.
"And you?"
Sakura turned to Minato.
"Ah — heh heh..."
"I'll pass too. Kushina's waiting for me, after all."
Minato scratched the back of his head, laughing a little awkwardly.
"Though — could you leave what's left of this time to me and Naruto?"
Minato looked over at his son.
"Suit yourself."
As far as Sakura was concerned, Minato could do whatever he liked — she had Tobirama, and that was more than enough.
Tobirama really was the best. He could handle absolutely everything on Sakura's behalf.
"Naruto. Go on."
Watching father and son walk off together, Kakashi approached, a little hesitant.
Behind him trailed a girl of twelve or thirteen.
Rin Nohara.
"H-hello..."
Rin eyed Sakura warily, carefully.
This was her first time meeting her.
She could hardly imagine that after her own death, Konoha would go on to produce a Hokage this powerful.
"Sakura, could you possibly—"
Kakashi looked at her, a note of urgency in his voice.
His meaning needed no explaining.
He wanted Rin brought back.
"Revive her, you mean."
"Sure. Not a problem."
Sakura nodded.
Reviving Rin wasn't any real trouble for her now — all it took was the Rinnegan in her hand. As for the small sliver of life force it would cost her, that was nothing to Sakura at all.
"Yes!"
Kakashi nodded, hard.
"Wait!"
"I refuse."
Unexpectedly, Rin turned down Kakashi's request without a moment's hesitation.
Sakura, who'd been about to get started the second everyone was accounted for, felt her mouth twitch at that.
What was going on here?
Was nobody in this crowd interested in living?
Was the old Six Paths guy's Pure Land really that much fun?
"Rin?"
Kakashi looked at the girl beside him, opening his mouth as if to say something, then stopping — but she cut him off before he could.
Rin glanced toward Asuma and Might Guy, watching from a distance. Then toward Naruto, further off. Then toward Sasuke, standing silently beside Itachi.
And toward Karin and the others, off to one side.
Finally, her eyes settled back on Sakura.
So unfamiliar.
She didn't recognize a single one of these people.
Except for Kakashi — who had grown up, right in front of her.
Kakashi had grown up.
And she was still...
Rin looked down at her own small hands, then back up at the thirty-year-old man standing before her.
Her old classmates had all grown up long ago...
"Rin..."
Kakashi looked at the girl, as though he already knew what she was thinking, and started to speak, urgent.
"Kakashi, thank you — I mean that."
"But, well. Like the Hokage just said herself."
"This era doesn't belong to those of us who are already dead."
"Getting to see Kakashi, safe and grown, one last time — that's more than enough for me."
Rin looked into Kakashi's dark eyes, and something seemed to occur to her; a small, faintly mischievous smile crossed her face. She glanced past him, at a woman in a pale blue robe watching from a distance, and spoke in a light, teasing tone:
"Also, Kakashi."
"There's someone else waiting for you..."
"Kakashi. Go live a happy life, from here on."
"I'll be waiting for you in the world after death, so you can tell me all the funny stories from the living world."
"Though, obviously — don't hurry to get there."
"Let's just say... seventy years. That sounds about right."
"Though by then you'll be a hundred-year-old man, won't you? Won't that make you awfully cranky?"
Kakashi went quiet, looking at the girl before him, glowing faintly white all over.
Watching the exchange, Sakura felt a certain wordless exasperation settle over her.
Should I even be surprised? Konoha's own eternally-stuck-in-memory ghost woman, through and through.
If Sakura had lived in the same era as Rin Nohara — and if she'd been born a man — she probably would've tried to marry this one, too.
"All right. That's enough, you too — quit standing around, get over here and behave."
Sakura's gaze landed on Hashirama, standing off by himself, looking distinctly forlorn, and she said, none too kindly.
"The dead shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the living..."
Hashirama pursed his lips. He'd overheard the whole exchange and was about to argue back.
"Who asked you?"
"Go sit at the table with the weasel."
Sakura shot him a look, unimpressed.
At that, Itachi silently shuffled over to make room beside him.
"Big brother. Sakura's right."
"You don't get a say right now."
Tobirama crossed his arms and gave his older brother a look.
Hashirama glanced at his younger brother, then, without further protest, went to stand next to Itachi.
"Kakashi. Where's Yuki?"
Sakura turned to Kakashi, paying Hashirama no further mind.
She still had plans for Hashirama, after all — plowing fields for her.
A million acres!
No — better make it ten million.
"Right here."
Kakashi looked over at Rin, let out a sigh, and pulled a scroll from his gear pouch. Sealed inside it was Yuki's body.
The moment Yuki's remains appeared, Sakura finalized her list.
Three people, total.
Yuki. Hashirama. Itachi.
Two of the three, admittedly, made Sakura more than a little queasy about the whole thing.
"Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
Golden chakra instantly wrapped around the Rinnegan in her hand.
In that moment, Sakura's consciousness linked directly with the eye.
A grotesque, two-or-three-meter statue depicting the King of the Underworld tore up out of the ground.
The statue's massive jaws split open, and three green souls shot out from within, settling instantly onto Yuki, Hashirama, and Itachi.
At once, all three bodies began to flush with new life.
Most striking of all was Hashirama — his once-mighty chakra and boundless vitality surged back into being all over again.
"Nnh..."
Yuki, lying on the ground, let out a soft groan.
She felt like she'd just woken from a dream.
A dream about...
"Uchiha Obito!"
Yuki bolted upright, her dark eyes darting warily around her — only to find, with a start, that she was surrounded entirely by Konoha shinobi.
"You're awake?"
Sakura looked over at her.
"...Mm. Awake."
Yuki pressed a hand to her head, about to say something, when she suddenly registered that something felt wrong.
The Two-Tails inside her—
Gone.
"Wh— where's Matatabi?"
The question came out of her before she could think it through.
She was Matatabi's perfect jinchūriki — someone the beast trusted completely. To Yuki, Matatabi was a friend.
"It's all right. Matatabi will come back."
Sakura stepped closer and gave Yuki's shoulder a light pat, then walked on toward the crimson barrier.
"Everyone, keep your distance from here on."
"I've got the rest."
"I don't need anyone else."
The Rinnegan no longer had any use to Sakura. It was time to give it back to its rightful owner.
As Sakura walked, one step at a time, toward the crimson barrier stretching between heaven and earth, the barrier itself began to dissolve, step by step, in turn.
The Divine Tree had finished growing. There was nothing left for Madara to do now.
By the time Sakura reached him again, Madara was already waiting for her.
"Here's your thing."
Sakura tossed the Rinnegan back to him without a moment's hesitation.
Madara caught it out of reflex and stared down at it, his expression grim as he studied the woman in front of him — an enemy he still couldn't handle, even as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.
And on top of that...
She'd just tossed the eye back to him like it was nothing.
Was that confidence that he had no way of fighting back? Was she really that certain of herself?
Madara's face darkened at the thought.
Since when had anyone dared look down on Madara Uchiha like this?
Even so, he spoke:
"So — you went through the trouble of taking the Rinnegan just to revive a few people who don't even matter?"
Sakura answered without missing a beat:
"Don't matter?"
"Giving someone I care about the chance to choose for themselves — that's enough for me."
"At the very least, I can say I did right by my own conscience."
"And besides — someone who doesn't matter to you might mean something entirely different to me."
"What if I went and dug up Izuna Uchiha's grave right now? How would you feel about that?"
"After all, as far as I'm concerned, Izuna Uchiha doesn't matter one bit either."
Madara's expression turned dark, listening to her.
"Sharp tongue on you, girl."
"Heh. Takes one to know one."
Sakura shrugged it off and kept going.
"If even a two-eyed you can't give me a proper workout..."
"...then you're not worth keeping around anymore."
Sakura rose into the air, looking down at the man below.
She meant every word.
One way or another, Madara Uchiha wasn't walking away from today alive.
As for keeping him alive as a card to play against the Ōtsutsuki later?
Don't make her laugh.
Once he was dead, she'd hand his eyes to Hashirama and make him a Six Paths Hashirama instead — a far better deal than keeping Madara around, wasn't it?
Whether Hashirama actually wanted that or not?
He didn't get a say either.
For now, his greatest value lay in sitting quietly, waiting for the dust to settle, and then farming for her.
With a better option on the table, why keep a walking time bomb like Madara around, when the man could be talked into anything with the right words?
Once the shinobi world was unified, peace would follow.
And knowing Hashirama's nature, once he saw real, genuine peace with his own eyes, he'd become the single staunchest pillar holding that peace up — unless he was willing to look at every sacrifice made in this war and call it worthless.
In a way, Hashirama Senju and Kiritsugu Emiya had something in common.
Both of them were devoted, unshakable champions of peace.
The only difference was that the current Hashirama hadn't yet seen the true peace waiting on the far side of unification, and so, for now, he stood against Sakura.
Once he saw it for himself, he'd become the new nation's most devoted defender.
And with the Land of Wind's dragon vein already destroyed by Sakura's own hand, it wouldn't take ten years before that endless desert turned to fertile green — pair that with Hashirama farming across the entire shinobi world, and the resource problem would sort itself out, at least for a while.
"Give you a proper workout... my worth?"
"Heh. Ha!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Sakura Haruno!"
"You think entirely too highly of yourself!"
Madara threw back his head and laughed, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in his life.
Who was he?
He was Madara Uchiha!
Madara Uchiha!
A name that made the entire shinobi world tremble!
And now he'd been reduced to some plaything, existing purely to give someone else a good workout?!
"How utterly... laughable!"
Madara reached up and tore Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan — Kamui's own eye — straight out, hurling it to the ground and discarding it like garbage.
Even as he spoke, the second Rinnegan had already returned to its rightful place.
A matched pair of Rinnegan, whole once more.
"Now — let me show you the dōjutsu that belongs to the Rinnegan alone!"
Madara let out a furious roar, and four invisible figures surged toward Sakura at once.
Limbo: Border Jail!
This was Madara's own, exclusive Rinnegan technique.
It generated four clones, perfectly identical to the original — invisible, undetectable by any sense — and the real Madara could swap places with any of them at will, at any moment.
Aside from being unable to cast techniques of their own, they were, in every way, indistinguishable from the original.
To be precise, this wasn't a dōjutsu at all — it belonged to an entirely different category: a divine technique.
The same category as Ōtsutsuki Momoshiki's Takamimusubi, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's Daikokuten and Sukunahikona, and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's Amenominakanushi.
All of them belonged to the realm of the divine.
The four Limbo clones converged on Sakura from every direction — clones that existed within their own separate dimension, yet could interfere directly with reality.
Sakura only tilted her head slightly to one side — and that alone was enough to make Madara's face change.
Impossible!
She'd dodged a Limbo clone's attack?!
But what happened next left Madara's expression sitting somewhere far past "difficult."
Sakura's fist lashed out toward a stretch of empty air, seemingly nothing there at all — and the ground shook violently in response.
Clearly, the strike had landed square on the Limbo clone, sending it crashing straight down to earth.
"A little underwhelming."
"Is that really all Limbo has to offer?"
Sakura murmured, studying her own fist.
Thanks to the Yang Release Body Technique, Sakura's ordinary instincts had long since evolved into something closer to precognition — genuine future-sight.
Even without being able to sense the Limbo clones directly, Sakura could still "see" them.
Perhaps it was more accurate now to call it a form of Mind's Eye.
But even setting that aside — the same way Naruto could sense things through his connection to Yang chakra — Sakura could simply feel where the Limbo clones were.
Madara's expression darkened further as he watched the figure hanging above him. He'd already accepted, by now, that there was no way to finish off this pink-haired woman outright.
Which meant his best move now was to let Limbo buy him time while he unleashed the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Whether the Infinite Tsukuyomi would actually work on Sakura in her current state, even Madara wasn't sure.
But that hardly mattered.
Once the whole world was trapped inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi's dream, what would it matter how strong Pinky was?
Only the true master of the Rinnegan could ever undo an ultimate illusion covering the entire world.
Even if casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi got him killed by Pinky the instant it was done — Madara had made his peace with that.
If it meant achieving true, lasting peace, what was one life worth, in exchange?
With that settled in his mind, Madara shot upward, preparing to unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Sensing the motion, Sakura kicked one Limbo clone clean out of the air, a spiraling gust of wind already gathering in her hand.
Casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi meant Madara needed to draw on the Divine Tree in full. Sakura decided to lend him a hand.
Once he'd finished casting God: Tree-Blooming Descent and the Infinite Tsukuyomi, she'd cut down the Divine Tree, kill Madara, force Ōtsutsuki Kaguya to come out of hiding — and then kill Kaguya too.
That was the plan taking shape in Sakura's mind, the whirlwind in her hand growing fiercer, sharper by the second.
"Wind's Gentleness."
The whirlwind in her palm surged violently outward. The wind howled, the wind roared, and finally it tore toward the base of the Divine Tree.
In that instant, the whirlwind coalesced into a massive wind-blade, over a hundred meters long, and severed the thousand-meter-tall Divine Tree clean off at its roots in a single stroke.
(End of Chapter)
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