Chapter 334: Side Story — Sakura Haruno, Part Three
Cold rain fell from a sky choked with gray.
Having lived through Konoha's near-collapse, the little pink-haired girl looked around at her fellow villagers, every one of them dressed in mourning black, and felt something hollow settle in her chest.
Somewhere off in the distance, always watching, Sakura pressed her lips together faintly.
She could have done something.
If it had been her, she was certain — she could have stopped all of it.
The funeral had ended.
Ignoring Naruto's baffled reaction beside her, the little pink-haired girl marched over to Sakura, an expression of open anger on her face.
Sakura watched Naruto's confusion behind her — a flicker in her eyes — and Naruto, scratching his head, spoke up, puzzled:
"Where'd Sakura go?"
"She was just here a second ago..."
The blond boy wandered off, and only then did Sakura turn her attention fully to the young woman standing before her.
"WHY?!"
"You're a Konoha shinobi too, aren't you?!"
"Why did you just stand there and watch it all happen?!"
"Why didn't you save them?!"
"There had to be people you knew among the dead — people you cared about!"
"Is your heart made of iron?!"
"You just watched them die?!"
The little pink-haired girl couldn't comprehend it.
Sakura had the power to stop all of it — so why had she simply looked away?
Those people shouldn't have had to die!
"And so?"
"Say I saved them. Then what?"
"Am I supposed to save people every single time something dangerous happens?"
Sakura asked, in return.
"Don't twist this into some kind of logic puzzle!"
"When you had the power to stop it, they shouldn't have died at all!"
Looking at the girl in front of her, Sakura's expression showed no flicker of real emotion, speaking as though she were simply stating a fact:
"Their deaths were their own choice."
"Staying alive would have been simple enough. All they had to do was find a corner and wait for it to be over."
"That was the choice they made. I think it deserves to be respected."
The little pink-haired girl stared at Sakura's calm expression, unable to understand this way of thinking at all.
"What is Konoha to you, exactly?!"
"A passerby, drifting through my life. Though — I'll admit, I've grown rather fond of this particular passerby."
"Then how could you—!"
"This is the Konoha you live in. It isn't mine."
"And besides — instead of blaming heaven and earth and coming to make trouble with me over it, why not reflect on your own weakness instead?"
"Or has hiding behind Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke become such a comfortable habit by now?"
"If you want the power to stop something, you need real strength first."
"Without strength, you're nothing at all."
Sakura's words stayed calm and even, and the little pink-haired girl stared at her, unrelenting.
The rain kept falling, showing no sign of letting up.
Rain soaked the little pink-haired girl's hair, plastering it against her face, her jade-green eyes fixed hard on Sakura.
Unlike her, not a single drop of water clung to Sakura at all. Watching the stubborn defiance in front of her, Sakura let a small smile cross her lips, and reached out to brush the rain-soaked strands away from the girl's face — but the girl stepped back before her hand could reach, dodging it.
"I will."
She said.
"I'll have strength enough."
"To protect everyone."
"I won't hide behind anyone else, ever again."
"I'm going to prove that being strong means having the power to shelter everyone you can, whenever you're able to!"
"That's what a real strong person is!"
Standing in the rain, the little pink-haired girl declared what she believed with everything she had, staring straight at the pink-haired woman in front of her.
She was going to prove to Sakura exactly what real strength meant.
With that, she turned and bolted into the pouring rain without a moment's hesitation.
Watching the girl storm off like a child in the middle of a tantrum, Sakura couldn't help laughing out loud.
She wasn't angry about any of it.
If anything, it felt oddly like watching a rebellious teenager storm off from an exasperated but fond parent.
Sakura had no objection to any of it.
Whatever path the girl chose, it was hers to choose.
Even if that path eventually led to death, that would be her own choice too.
Sakura had no intention of interfering.
As long as she didn't come to regret it, that was enough.
Over the days that followed, with the Third Hokage's death, Jiraiya set out with Naruto and the little pink-haired girl to track down Tsunade.
Along the way, the three of them encountered Itachi Uchiha.
During the standoff with Itachi, Sasuke managed to catch up with them as well — and was hit with another dose of Tsukuyomi for his trouble.
Sakura watched it all unfold.
Jiraiya and the others eventually found Tsunade.
Naruto's wager with Tsunade over the Rasengan.
Jiraiya's request that Tsunade take the little pink-haired girl on as a student.
Tsunade, looking at the nervous girl in front of her, had no intention of humoring Jiraiya's request.
She was already in her fifties. Why would she want another student now?
Shizune was already more than enough.
"Tsunade, this kid won't disappoint you."
Jiraiya drained his cup of sake in one go, cradling it in his hands.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't go making decisions for me without asking."
Tsunade brushed the suggestion off, opening her mouth to refuse — when the little pink-haired girl abruptly shot to her feet.
"S— Sakura?"
Naruto stared at the girl beside him, stunned.
"Lady Tsunade. Please, take me on as your student."
"I have my reasons — reasons that mean, no matter what, I have to become strong."
The pink-haired girl, her expression set with resolve, dropped to her knees right in front of everyone, staring straight at Tsunade.
"Hmph. So it's come to this, has it..."
"Trust me, Tsunade. She won't let you down."
Jiraiya poured Tsunade another cup of sake.
"Head up."
Tsunade looked down at the girl, forehead nearly touching the floor.
At Tsunade's words, the little pink-haired girl lifted her head to meet her gaze.
Looking into the girl's steady, resolute eyes, Tsunade's expression didn't shift at all, and she went on:
"So — what exactly is this reason of yours, this 'no matter what'?"
Tsunade drank her sake, cheeks already flushed, seemingly unbothered by whatever the girl's answer might be.
"I want to prove something to someone. That being strong means having the power to shelter everyone around you, whenever you're able to."
"If you have great power and you turn a blind eye to the killing right in front of you, then what was the point of ever having that strength at all?"
"Someone who's indifferent to life, indifferent to everything — someone like that..."
The girl kept going, but Tsunade cut her off, her sharp, phoenix-shaped eyes fixed on the girl, her tone faintly cold:
"So you're just here to prove a point out of spite, to satisfy your own pride?"
"That's not it!"
"I want to protect everyone!"
The pink-haired girl shot back immediately.
"Until now, all I could do was stand behind Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei."
"But I don't want to keep living like that anymore!"
"I want to stand beside them, and face everything together!"
The girl's words echoed through the private room of the tavern, and Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly.
"See? What a good kid, huh."
"Just take her on already, why don't you?"
Jiraiya kept pressing, off to the side.
"You've already dumped the Hokage seat on me, and now you want me to take on a student too."
"You really think of me as your personal patsy, don't you."
Tsunade, faintly tipsy, studied the girl kneeling in front of her, still meeting her gaze, and something turned over in her mind. She glanced over at Shizune beside her and spoke:
"I'll have Shizune give you one month."
"If you can master the Mystical Palm Technique in that time, I'll take you on as my student."
Hearing that, Jiraiya opened his mouth to protest — but the little pink-haired girl had already agreed, without a moment's hesitation.
"Tsunade, are you joking?"
Jiraiya frowned at the woman in front of him.
The Mystical Palm Technique — an A-rank medical ninjutsu. Mastering it required not just Yang Release chakra, but a deep, thorough understanding of human anatomy.
The girl had never so much as touched medical ninjutsu before. How could she possibly master something like this in a single month?
As far as Jiraiya was concerned, this was Tsunade's way of politely dodging the request without outright refusing.
If you don't want to teach her, just say so. No need to put a little girl through something this unfair.
But the girl had already agreed, and there was nothing more he could do about it now.
Sakura sat alone on the tavern rooftop, a bottle of sake having somehow appeared at her side without anyone noticing.
Listening to the commotion below, she let out an indifferent little laugh.
The days passed, one after another, and eventually Orochimaru made his move against Tsunade too.
Sakura watched the ensuing battle of the Three Sannin unfold — watched Tsunade, at the cost of Naruto's near-death, finally overcome her blood phobia.
The little pink-haired girl, weeping, poured everything she had into her still-unrefined Mystical Palm Technique, desperately trying to keep Naruto alive.
...
...
Tsunade agreed to become Hokage, and took the little pink-haired girl on as her student.
Everything seemed, for a while, to be heading somewhere good.
Back in Konoha, Tsunade's first act was healing Kakashi and Sasuke, both worn down by repeated exposure to Tsukuyomi.
Then she turned to figuring out how to treat Rock Lee, whose limbs had been crushed by Gaara.
Around this same time, the Sound Four — sent by Orochimaru — successfully found and captured Sasuke, who'd already fought Naruto once by then, and carried him off.
Konoha, naturally, dispatched a retrieval squad after Sasuke.
Worth noting: the little pink-haired girl joined that mission as well.
Having by now learned Water Release — Water Gun and the Mystical Palm Technique, she'd gained a reasonable amount of both ranged and close-combat capability, putting her among the more solid members of the Konoha Twelve, by this point.
"See it, don't you?"
"This is Sasuke's fate, no matter what."
"He's an avenger."
Watching the six-person squad racing through the forest, Sakura hovered beside the little pink-haired girl, speaking calmly.
The little pink-haired girl pressed her lips together tightly, saying nothing.
"Once, he had everything."
"A father. A mother. An older brother. A whole clan."
"All of it was gone in a single night."
"His father, dead. His mother, dead. Not one member of his clan left alive."
"And the one responsible for all of it was the brother he loved most in the world."
"From that moment on, his entire life was already destined to be a tragedy."
"Anything standing in his path becomes an obstacle to be removed."
"Even your own poor, pitiful little crush."
Sakura's words kept coming.
The little pink-haired girl had no idea how to answer, and simply kept running in silence.
By now, Chōji, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba had each fallen behind, one by one, holding off their respective opponents.
Only she and Naruto remained.
But a new enemy had already appeared ahead of them.
A pale-haired boy, fifteen or sixteen, with two red markings above his eyebrows.
Kimimaro.
That was the name he gave.
Naruto's Multi Shadow Clone Technique proved completely useless against him.
Even her own Water Gun barely made a dent.
"Naruto, go after Sasuke."
The little pink-haired girl watched the shadow clones surrounding Kimimaro, speaking calmly.
"Are you kidding me? Sakura!"
Faced with such an outrageous request, Naruto naturally refused, categorically.
"Your shadow clones don't work on him."
"His bones are hard enough to protect his whole body."
"So — I'll use this instead."
Blue chakra, humming faintly, kindled to life at the girl's fingertips.
The Mystical Palm Technique.
The technique had another name.
The chakra scalpel.
Not even two months into studying the Mystical Palm Technique under Shizune, the little pink-haired girl had already mastered it — and, following Shizune's guidance, refined it further into something closer to an actual surgical blade.
Landing even a single strike on an opponent's body would sever their tendons instantly with the chakra.
Like the Gentle Fist style — a technique that couldn't be blocked.
"Naruto. This time, it's my turn to stand in your way."
"Promise me — bring Sasuke back, okay?"
She turned back to look at Naruto, and smiled.
In the sunlight, the pink-haired girl's smile was bright, dazzling, almost too much to look at directly.
It left something aching in Naruto's chest.
"...Okay."
He forced the word out, difficult.
"Sakura..."
"Whatever happens, wait for me to come back."
Naruto stood in silence for a long moment, then, without looking back, took off after Sasuke.
Left alone, the little pink-haired girl faced Kimimaro by herself.
She fought.
She fell.
Her chakra scalpel had genuinely caused Kimimaro some trouble, true — but the sheer gulf in raw combat technique wasn't something a single technique could close.
Just as Kimimaro moved in for the finishing blow, a figure in green stepped between them.
"Miss Sakura."
"Please leave the rest to me."
"Someone who's fought this hard, risking her own life — you shouldn't fall here."
Rock Lee, freshly healed and just arrived at the battlefield, spoke with his back to her.
Battered and bruised all over, the little pink-haired girl forced herself back to her feet, determined to keep fighting.
But even together, she and Lee were no match for Kimimaro.
Only with reinforcements from Sunagakure — and Gaara's assistance — did they manage a narrow, hard-won victory over him.
The little pink-haired girl pressed on, chasing after Naruto.
But then—
Blood tore across her field of vision.
She stared, trembling, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Chidori — merciless, lightning-wreathed — had pierced straight through Naruto's body.
Why...
Why...
WHY...
Why would Sasuke do this?
Naruto — Naruto had risked everything trying to bring you back!
"Naruto!"
A raw, anguished scream tore through the Valley of the End.
"Ah. Sakura, is it?"
Sasuke pulled Chidori free of Naruto's body and tossed him into the water like garbage, then turned his gaze toward the girl on the shore.
Crimson Sharingan eyes, fused now with the power of his Curse Mark, glowed with something genuinely terrifying.
The little pink-haired girl, trembling, stared at Sasuke — every inch of him radiating malice — desperate to rush forward and heal Naruto.
But Sasuke was faster. Without a shred of mercy, he kicked her aside, sending her flying.
"Sakura..."
"Don't..."
"Don't touch Sakura."
Even run through, body pierced clean through, Naruto forced himself back up at the sight of the person he cared about most being treated so brutally by the man she loved.
This was the girl he'd protect with his own life, without a second thought.
He'd never even dared to lay a rough hand on a single strand of her hair — and now Sasuke had kicked her clean off her feet.
Red chakra surged across Naruto's body, and a pair of feral, beast-like eyes locked onto Sasuke.
Why... why did it come to this?
"See it now?"
"To him, you're nothing more than a stray dandelion on the side of the road."
Sakura appeared beside the little pink-haired girl once more, watching the distant battle between Naruto and Sasuke with a calm expression.
"Why is this happening..."
The girl forced herself upright, already battered and bleeding, her chakra nearly drained — every movement agony now.
But even so, she took one step after another, forcing her way toward Naruto and Sasuke.
Because she understood — these two were fighting with their lives on the line.
If she didn't do something, one of the two people who mattered most to her in the entire world was going to die.
Sakura made no move to stop her.
She simply watched the girl, hopelessly outmatched, try to throw herself into the middle of this battle anyway.
"Naruto!"
"Even though Sakura doesn't love you — even loving her the way you do — you're still willing to bet your life fighting me over this?"
In contrast to Naruto's growing feral rage, Sasuke stayed utterly, unnervingly calm.
He knew exactly what he needed.
Power.
The power to kill Itachi Uchiha. Even if it cost him his own life, it was worth paying.
Hearing that, the girl walking toward them flinched, her whole body trembling.
Tears spilled down her face, unbidden, and she couldn't stop them.
She had no idea why she was crying.
But there was nothing she could do about it — the tears simply wouldn't stop.
"The Sasuke that Sakura loves shouldn't be someone like this!"
"Whatever it takes — even if I have to break every bone in your body — I'm dragging you back!"
At Naruto's beast-like roar, he and Sasuke clashed again.
Trembling all over, weeping openly, the girl watched the two of them fight.
Memories of her time with both of them flooded her mind, unbidden.
Tears fell like a broken string of pearls, unstoppable.
The countless moments she'd shared with Naruto surfaced, one after another, before finally settling on the image burned into her mind — Naruto's body, run through by Sasuke's Chidori just moments before.
Her jade-green eyes carried nothing but despair now.
Despair, aimed at Sasuke.
Revenge — we could all have helped you get your revenge...
Why — why would you do this to Naruto?
Naruto's always thought of you as his best friend in the whole world!
Sasuke!
"Naruto!"
Drawing on the very last of her strength, the pink-haired girl stood on the water's surface and screamed the most decisive words of her entire life at the blond boy before her.
"KILL SASUKE!"
"I don't want him anymore!"
"Kill him!"
"Please..."
Her anguished, sobbing cry echoed through the Valley of the End, drowning out every other sound.
Whatever happened, whatever the cost — if her own feelings ended up getting Naruto killed by Sasuke's hand, that was an outcome the girl could never, ever accept.
And so, in the end, her final choice was—
Kill Sasuke.
(End of Chapter)