Konoha Year 60. The Shinobi World.
The sky once again rippled with that familiar distortion, gentle light cascading down over the land.
After witnessing the first two Sky Screen phenomena, people had grown somewhat accustomed to this sudden anomaly. One after another, they stopped what they were doing, lifted their heads, and gazed at the now-extraordinary sky with curiosity, scrutiny, or reverence.
"Look, it's happening again!"
"What's it going to show this time?"
Amid the murmured discussions, the image gradually became clear.
At the center of the Sky Screen appeared a少女 with striking pink hair.
"It's that girl—Sakura Haruno!" many people immediately recognized her. After all, she had appeared briefly in the previous Sky Screen footage.
Inside the Ninja Academy, Sakura Haruno herself suddenly shot to her feet. Her chair screeched loudly as it scraped across the floor.
Her heart pounded wildly, her cheeks flushing red with excitement and anticipation.
"This time… this time will it be about me and Sasuke-kun? Our future…"
She stared at the sky, afraid to miss even the slightest detail.
The Sky Screen continued.
The scene shifted—this time to what appeared to be a hospital ward.
Naruto Uzumaki, wrapped in bandages, lay on a bed, looking dejected.
The pink-haired Sakura Haruno entered, worry written all over her face.
"Naruto…" she said softly.
When Naruto saw her, his trademark grin immediately appeared—though this time it was tinged with unmistakable guilt.
"Sakura… I'm sorry. I… I couldn't bring Sasuke back."
The moment those words were spoken, murmurs of realization rippled across the shinobi world.
So this was a continuation of the previous Sky Screen.
Sasuke Uchiha had defected from Konoha. Naruto Uzumaki had chased after him. And in the end, they had clashed at the Valley of the End.
This was the aftermath of Naruto's failure.
Though weak and injured, Naruto's eyes in the Sky Screen remained firm. He clenched his fist and vowed,
"But believe me! Next time—next time, I'll definitely bring Sasuke back!"
Sakura Haruno looked at Naruto, battered and bruised yet still clinging to his promise. She shook her head gently, her voice calm but layered with emotion.
"No, Naruto… this isn't your fault."
They exchanged a few more words before Sakura turned and left the ward.
The moment she stepped out of the hospital, the composure she had forced onto herself collapsed.
She walked alone down the quiet corridor, her pace slowing, her head gradually lowering.
Even the surrounding light seemed to dim along with her mood.
At last, she stopped in an empty corner, leaning her back against the cold wall, her head bowed deeply.
Her arms hung limply at her sides, hands clenched tightly into fists.
The Sky Screen carried her whispered words clearly across the entire shinobi world—words filled with helplessness, self-blame, and bitter unwillingness.
"Why… why am I so weak…"
"Why… don't I even have the strength to go after Sasuke myself…"
Each word struck like a heavy stone against the hearts of those watching.
The helplessness of a少女, and her yearning to grow stronger, transmitted unmistakably through the Sky Screen.
Back at the Ninja Academy, Sakura Haruno stared blankly at the dejected, powerless version of herself in the sky. The flush on her face had long faded, replaced by a pale sense of confusion.
So this was her future?
Not happiness from being with Sasuke—
But pain born of her own weakness.
A few days later, perhaps sensing the low morale of Team Seven, Hatake Kakashi led Naruto and Sakura on a mission to a small island near the coast, claiming it was to "clear their heads."
The mission itself was simple. A group of pirates operating around the island was swiftly eliminated.
During the fight, Naruto charged headlong as usual, while Sakura demonstrated precise chakra control and solid taijutsu fundamentals.
Once the battle ended, Kakashi clapped his hands and said in his trademark lazy drawl,
"Alright, mission complete. The scenery here's nice. Don't overthink things—you two relax a bit. Don't put so much pressure on yourselves."
With that, he pulled out his familiar copy of Icha Icha Paradise. In a blur, he vanished into the shade of some trees to enjoy his reading.
Naruto scratched his head and gave Sakura a slightly forced smile.
"Sakura… I—I'm going over there to train!"
It seemed that only through relentless training could he temporarily suppress the frustration and anxiety of failing to bring Sasuke back.
Sakura nodded, watching as Naruto ran toward an open stretch of beach.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In an instant, dozens—no, hundreds—of Naruto's shadow clones filled the beach, each one enthusiastically throwing themselves into training.
The sheer volume of chakra, and the sight of the clones sweating and striving with all their might, created a scene of overwhelming impact.
Sakura stood frozen, staring.
Was she envious?
Yes. Deeply so.
Not only of Naruto's frighteningly vast chakra reserves, but of the fact that he had a clear goal and a clear path to strength—training tirelessly, mastering ever-stronger ninjutsu.
And what about her?
She wanted to grow stronger. Desperately so.
She wanted to shed this sense of helplessness, to gain the power to chase after her companion, to protect what mattered to her.
But she didn't have Naruto's natural chakra reserves.
She had no inherited clan techniques.
She had no powerful mentor like Kakashi providing specialized guidance.
All she had were decent theoretical grades and fairly good chakra control.
To grow stronger… where was the path?
She had no answer.
It was as though she were standing in a dense fog, unable to see any direction at all.
That feeling—having resolve but nowhere to apply it—was heavier than any exhaustion training could bring.
Silently, she turned away from the noisy training ground and walked alone along the shoreline, aimless.
Before she realized it, she arrived at the edge of a steep cliff.
Below lay the roaring sea. Waves crashed violently against the rocks, thunderous and relentless.
The Sky Screen followed her closely, laying bare her loneliness and despair before the entire shinobi world.
People watched as the pink-haired少女 wandered to the cliff's edge, watched as she stared down at the dizzying sea below with empty eyes.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She looks really down…"
"Is it because of what the Sky Screen showed earlier—that she thinks she's too weak?"
As people speculated, assuming she was merely there to clear her head—
Without any warning at all—
Sakura Haruno leaned forward slightly, pushed off the ground, and jumped straight toward the surging sea below!
Her figure traced a brief arc through the air before being swallowed by towering waves, vanishing without a trace.
The shinobi world fell utterly silent.
Then—
Countless question marks seemed to sprout over the heads of everyone watching the Sky Screen.
???
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