The dream stretched, and consciousness fell.
Uzumaki Naruto walked upon a gray ruin, which was Konoha in his eyes.
He had once tried to find the pillar of this world, to find the leader who could guide humanity against the end.
He stood before the phantom of the Hokage Office and saw the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Beneath that kind face was the weakness of indulgence and appeasement, the naivety of viewing the Village as one big family. His "will of fire," in the face of a true world-ending catastrophe, was as fragile as a piece of paper.
"Assessment: Unqualified. His benevolence is a breeding ground for decay."
The phantom shattered, and the scene shifted to a dark underground. Danzo Shimura stood before him, his single eye burning with fanatical ambition. He craved power at all costs, but all his schemes were confined to the narrow chessboard of "Konoha." He could not see beyond the Village, let alone beyond the sky.
"Assessment: Unqualified. His ambition is a short-sighted self-destruction."
He had scrutinized all the renowned powerhouses of this world. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru... they were either mired in the past, chasing after nothingness, or had fallen as servants of chaos.
Not a single person had looked up, truly looked at the cold, silent starry sky hanging over everyone's heads.
Not a single person had noticed the impending ultimate threat called "harvest."
At the end of the dream, Uzumaki Naruto stood at the highest point of the Hokage Rock, overlooking the quiet and peaceful Village below.
This was his home.
This was one of humanity's last bastions.
On his cold face, there was no longer any confusion, only a steely resolve.
"The path of following the strong has been proven ineffective."
His voice echoed in the empty world, yet it seemed to declare to the entire universe.
"Since this world has not yet received the guidance of the Emperor for now..."
He slowly raised his head, as if to pierce the dome of the dream with his gaze, looking directly at the "farmer" who sowed all things, hidden deep within the star sea.
"Then, I, Uzumaki Naruto, will serve as the Emperor's warrior, the leader of this world, and protect this world."
...Uzumaki Naruto suddenly opened his eyes.
In those ice-blue eyes, the resolve from the dream and the coldness from reality instantly converged, erupting with a sharper, firmer light than ever before.
He sat up, the numbness in his body not yet fully subsided, but he did not attend to his injuries.
"Casualty report."
His voice was hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable command.
"Political Commissar!" Haku had been guarding him, and seeing him awaken, immediately knelt on one knee.
Zero's figure also emerged from the shadows, bowing silently.
"You were affected by powerful physical impact and neurotoxins, resulting in a deep coma for approximately fifteen minutes," Haku reported the key information at a rapid pace. "The toxins have been initially suppressed, but complete clearance will take time."
Sakura heard the commotion and suddenly looked up. Seeing Uzumaki Naruto sitting up, she first froze, then tears welled up again.
"Naruto! You're awake! Sasuke-kun, he..."
"Don't speak yet." Uzumaki Naruto didn't even look at her, his gaze sweeping directly to Sasuke-kun, who was unconscious in her arms. "Continue the report."
Sakura's words were abruptly choked back. She stood with her mouth open, her face filled with grievance and confusion.
Haku did not pause, continuing: "Uchiha Sasuke has been implanted with Orochimaru's Cursed Seal, his Chakra is extremely chaotic, and he is unconscious. Sakura Haruno's mind has been severely impacted, and she has largely lost her combat capability. The enemy has retreated. We have secured the mission objective, the Scroll of Heaven."
Uzumaki Naruto nodded and stood up from the ground.
He stumbled for a moment, but immediately steadied himself with an iron will.
Step by step, he walked towards Sakura and Sasuke.
Each step felt like it was treading on Sakura's heart. She could feel that the awakened Uzumaki Naruto was different from before. If the previous Uzumaki Naruto was cold steel, then the current him was a snow-covered volcano about to erupt.
Uzumaki Naruto crouched in front of Sasuke.
He ignored Sakura's wary posture and instead reached out, gently pulling open Sasuke's collar, revealing the three ominous black tomoe.
His fingers did not touch the skin, but merely hovered above the Cursed Seal.
He closed his eyes, his perception highly concentrated.
In his perception, this was no longer a simple Ninjutsu mark.
"Analyzing target..."
"Analysis complete."
"Target nature: High-concentration energy and mental information complex."
"Operating principle: By injecting foreign Chakra, forcibly modifying the host's physiological structure, and anchoring at the soul level."
This was an efficient method of soul pollution and energy implantation.
It was marking the prey, modifying the prey.
But far more than that.
Uzumaki Naruto's brows furrowed tightly for the first time.
He "saw" something deeper.
This Cursed Seal was like a coordinate, a backdoor. It was not merely a leash Orochimaru used to control Sasuke.
It was also a pathway.
A two-way pathway connecting Orochimaru and Sasuke.
Orochimaru could use it to constantly draw upon Sasuke's vitality and ocular power, and even, at critical moments, use him as a vessel for his own resurrection.
And conversely... Sasuke, if his will was strong enough, or rather, his hatred was intense enough, could also use this pathway to inversely erode Orochimaru's power.
"So that's how it is..." Uzumaki Naruto murmured to himself.
"Naruto... you... what are you saying?" Sakura asked, trembling.
Uzumaki Naruto slowly opened his eyes, and in his ice-blue pupils, Sasuke's pale face was reflected.
"This is not a simple mark of enslavement."
His words left Haku and Zero with confused expressions.
"It's more like a... contract." Uzumaki Naruto stood up, looking down at the "soldier" on the ground. "A contract signed with the soul, about devouring and being devoured."
"Orochimaru gave him a key, a key that can open the door to power."
"But on the other side of the door is the abyss."
Uzumaki Naruto turned and looked at Haku and Zero.
"He is not a burden, but a weapon. A weapon not yet sharpened, but already pointed at the enemy."
These words made Haku thoughtful, while Zero remained silent, only tightening his grip on his short blade.
"A weapon?" Sakura couldn't understand. She held Sasuke, as if protecting her last treasure. "Sasuke-kun is a person! He's dying! What are you talking about?!"
Uzumaki Naruto finally turned his full gaze to her.
It was not pity, nor comfort, but a purer scrutiny, like an examiner evaluating the worth of a new recruit.
"Sakura Haruno."
He used her full name for the first time, each word striking Sakura's taut nerves.
"You are very weak. You have extensive theoretical knowledge, but lack the courage and resolve for actual combat. Your emotions are your greatest weakness; they make you incapable of any meaningful action on the battlefield besides screaming and crying."
Each sentence was like a cold scalpel, precisely dissecting the reality Sakura was most unwilling to face.
Her face instantly turned pale, her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal. Because everything Uzumaki Naruto said was true.
"But you also have value." Uzumaki Naruto's tone shifted. "Your Chakra control is excellent, and you have the potential to become an outstanding Medic Ninja. This is the only chance you have right now to make yourself 'useful.'"
He took a step forward, and the immense pressure made Sakura instinctively shrink back.
"Now, I'm giving you a choice."
Uzumaki Naruto's voice was not loud, yet it clearly overpowered all other sounds in the forest.
"One, stay here, crying with your helplessness and this polluted 'vessel,' waiting for the next wave of enemies who smell blood to tear you all to shreds. Or, wait for Konoha's rescue, and then watch him be isolated as a dangerous object, eventually turning into a monster you don't recognize under the Cursed Seal's erosion."
His description was cruel and blunt, tearing all false hopes to pieces.
Sakura's breathing stopped.
"Two." Uzumaki Naruto raised his second finger. "Become my Medic. From now on, forget your ridiculous girlish sentiments, forget the childish games the Ninja Academy taught you. I will teach you how to deal with 'pollution,' how to stabilize his condition, how to keep him alive."
These words were like the whisper of a demon, yet they carried an irresistible temptation.
But what was the cost?
The cost was to completely abandon her past self and throw herself under the command of this tyrannical Uzumaki Naruto.
"I..." Sakura's mind was blank. She looked at Sasuke's pained face in her arms, then looked up at the cold "Political Commissar" who had given her the choice.
"I'll give you thirty seconds."
Uzumaki Naruto didn't give her more time to hesitate. He turned his back to her.
"Haku, Zero, prepare to withdraw. Clear all traces of combat."
"Yes, Political Commissar."
The two immediately sprang into action. Haku began packing medical supplies, while Zero silently retrieved the traps he had set earlier.
Time, at this moment, became incredibly long.
Every passing second was like a cut to Sakura's heart.
Should she drown in a false past, or grasp this thorny vine leading to the future?
"Twenty seconds." Uzumaki Naruto reported the time coldly.
Sakura's body began to tremble violently.
She looked at the ominous Cursed Seal on Sasuke's neck; the three tomoe seemed to mock her incompetence.
"Ten seconds."
Tears, once again, streamed down her face.
But this time, they were no longer tears of weakness.
"I... I choose..."
Her voice was hoarse and distorted by tension and fear.
"I choose the second one!"
Sakura shouted this sentence with all her might.
After shouting, she felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Uzumaki Naruto slowly turned around.
"Very good." His face was still devoid of any expression. "From now on, your codename is 'Medic.' Your first mission is to assist Haku, stabilize Sasuke's vital signs, and bring him back to our temporary outpost. Don't shed another tear; your tears save no one."
He reached out and lifted the heavy Chainsword from the ground, re-shouldering it.
"Move out.
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