Chapter 209: The Rogue Ninja of Konoha — Sakura Haruno!
Resurrection?
Sakura's heart pounded violently.
She looked into Orochimaru's snake eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, and felt waves of chill. This man was a rogue ninja of Konoha, one of the masterminds behind this attack. Could his words be trusted? Was this another trap?
But… resurrecting my parents… the temptation is too great.
She had nothing left, except for this life stained with sin.
If she could bring her parents back. If she could atone for the sin she committed. Even if it meant leaping into an abyssal hell, she was willing.
Kyubey could no longer grant her wish. Orochimaru, this dangerous and mysterious man, had become the only hope she could see.
She knew she had no way out. If the future was despair, then she had brought it upon herself. Now, what she had to do was… seize this fleeting hope before her eyes.
"Okay."
She squeezed the word through her teeth, her eyes filled with grief and unwillingness.
"I agree."
"But, Orochimaru, if you are lying to me—"
"I will make your death… very ugly!"
Orochimaru smiled with satisfaction, but to her, that smile was more terrifying than a demon's. He waved his hand lightly, and several small mechanical snakes slithered out from his sleeves. They quickly moved to the bodies of the Haruno couple, assembling into a strange device that slowly lifted the two corpses, suspending them in mid-air.
Just then, an anxious and familiar voice pierced the silent night sky.
"Sakura—!"
Naruto Uzumaki appeared at the edge of the ruins, his chest heaving violently. After dealing with Gaara, he sensed Sakura's chakra on his way back to the battlefield. And the man beside her who caused all this conflict.
An ominous feeling surged in his heart, and he immediately followed the trail.
When he saw the scene clearly, he froze.
Sakura, already back in her regular clothes, was preparing to leave Konoha with the man beside her. That man was the culprit behind all this—Orochimaru!
And behind Orochimaru, two corpses were suspended by a device—Sakura's parents!
The scattered insect carcasses and the traces on the bodies indicated the tragedy that had just occurred.
He couldn't understand why Sakura was standing with the mastermind of the Konoha Crush. Especially when her parents had died tragically, and the murderer was likely Orochimaru's creatures!
"Naruto—"
Sakura's voice was dry, her eyes flickering with complex light. Panic flashed in her gaze, and pain carved deep lines on her brow. Beneath these emotions lay a hint of relieved release.
"Sakura! Are you okay? What on earth is going on?!"
Naruto stared fixedly at Orochimaru, the pale face reflected in his pupils.
"You bastard, what did you do to Sakura's parents?!"
Orochimaru stood still, watching silently, saying nothing.
"Naruto, stop."
Sakura interrupted Naruto's questioning.
"Orochimaru… I just need to follow him and do some things, and he can resurrect my mom and dad."
"What?!"
Naruto turned, looking at Sakura in disbelief.
"Resurrect? Sakura, wake up! This guy is the enemy who put your parents in this state! How could he be kind enough to help you?!"
Sakura lowered her head, pink hair covering her eyes, afraid to meet Naruto's gaze. Her heart beat heavily in her chest, each beat accompanied by suffocating pain.
That truth. That tragedy caused by her own hand. That ironic wish pressed on her heart, heavy as a mountain. Resurrecting her parents—this illusory hope became the final barrier covering the sin in her heart.
"Follow him?!"
"Sakura! Going with him is like asking a tiger for its skin!"
"You… wouldn't understand—"
"Of course I understand the pain of losing family!" Naruto shouted, his voice echoing in the empty ruins. "But, Sakura, this is different!!!"
"No—you don't understand—"
Sakura shook her head gently. Her eyes were empty, reflecting the desolation within.
Naruto was an orphan from birth; he bore the injustice of fate. But she… she was the active perpetrator, the sinner who pushed her parents into the abyss of death. The pain caused by her own foolish actions. The irony and backlash of that wish was an abyss Naruto could never fathom.
This heavy cross could only be borne by her alone.
Naruto gazed at the despair on Sakura's face. His brain raced, trying to find a glimmer of hope:
"Right! Kyubey! We can find Kyubey! Since it could grant my wish and resurrect my parents, it must be able to resurrect yours too! At least its wishes are actually achievable!"
Hearing the name "Kyubey," Sakura's body trembled violently. Electric pain shot from her spine to her brain. She was silent for a moment.
Then, under Naruto's hopeful gaze, she slowly raised her hand.
Pink light flowed over her body, blooming with a brilliance like cherry blossoms. The Magical Girl outfit emerged in the light, replacing her regular clothes—gorgeous yet fragile, beautiful yet sorrowful.
The hope on Naruto's face solidified bit by bit. With this silent action, Sakura shattered his fantasy.
She was already a Magical Girl. The wish was made, the contract sealed. She had no way back, no other choice.
Rain began to fall from the sky unnoticed. The cold droplets pierced through clothes, into skin, into bone marrow, and into everyone's heart.
Sakura took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the emotions churning within her. Pain, self-blame, fear, despair—she swallowed them all hard.
She forced a smile onto her face, a smile uglier than crying, the corners of her mouth stiff and twisted:
"Naruto, thank you."
"But this is my own choice."
She didn't want to drag Naruto into her dangerous deal with Orochimaru. The path ahead was uncertain. Regardless of the outcome, she might never return. If her parents were successfully resurrected, she would keep her promise and stay by Orochimaru's side. If they couldn't be resurrected, she would perish together with Orochimaru.
So, she hoped to leave Naruto with a relatively positive impression at the very least. A farewell that wasn't so despairing.
"Well… I've already considered everything. And Naruto, isn't your dream to become Hokage?"
"Don't worry about this kind of thing. Future Hokage, I believe you can definitely do it."
She tried to make her voice sound lighter.
"I hope next time we meet, you'll already be the Hokage of your dreams."
"We will… meet again someday."
With that, she stopped looking at Naruto, turned resolutely, and walked toward Orochimaru. Every step was heavy, every step decisive, every step a farewell to the past.
The smile vanished the moment she turned, the mask falling off to reveal her true expression. Rainwater slid down her cheeks, dripping into the mud, disappearing.
"Sakura…"
Naruto reached out, wanting to grab something, but only grasped cold rain. His fingers clawed futilely in the air before dropping weakly.
He watched Sakura's determined and lonely back as she walked step by step toward the dangerous man. His heart was filled with powerlessness and loss, the feeling of watching something important slip through his fingers, unable to stop it, unable to keep it.
This was already Sakura's last hope.
Team 7… Sasuke left, Sakura defected. Now, he was truly the only one left.
The rain fell harder, blurring Naruto's vision and blurring Sakura's retreating figure. Water ran down his face; he couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.
Naruto lowered his head, letting the rain soak him completely. He remembered the news of Sasuke leaving with his parents; he had arrived a step too late then and hadn't said a proper goodbye. Now it was Sakura.
Was Team 7 really going to scatter like this?
A cold wind blew, and Naruto shivered. He looked up in Sakura's direction.
If this was Sakura's final choice. If this was her last hope.
Then…
Naruto took a deep breath and slapped his cheeks hard. He raised his head, the confusion in his eyes gradually replaced by determination.
"SAKURA!"
He suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice piercing the curtain of rain. "You will definitely succeed! Your parents will definitely be resurrected!"
Ahead, Sakura's footsteps paused.
She didn't turn back. She simply raised her hand slowly and waved backward in the rain.
"Thank you… Goodbye, Naruto."
Her voice was soft, but it reached Naruto's ears clearly. Then, she continued forward, disappearing into the night and rain with the snake-eyed man.