On the screen, having missed his target, Sasuke prepared to continue his attack.
But just then, he felt a wave of dizziness, and the Kakashi before him seemed to double. His vision blurred.
Having overused his eyes, Sasuke swayed, his steps unsteady. He could no longer use his Mangekyō Sharingan, and his Susano'o vanished instantly.
In that moment of confusion, a figure quickly approached him from behind, leaping high into the air just before reaching him.
Only then did the members of Team 7 recognize the newcomer—it was Sakura, who had been staying in the rear.
"I can't let you bear this burden alone, Kakashi-sensei!"
Her face was resolute.
On the screen, Sakura landed behind Sasuke, but the kunai in her hand hesitated, unable to strike him.
The kunai glinted coldly in the sunlight—but never came down.
In her moment of hesitation, Sasuke regained his senses. He caught Sakura in a chokehold, snatched the kunai from her hand, and prepared to end her life.
"Stop, Sasuke!"
Kakashi shouted anxiously from a distance.
Shing!
The sound of a blade cutting through flesh rang out.
But it wasn't Sakura who was wounded. It was Naruto, who had arrived just in time, leaping in to pull Sakura away—his cheek slashed by the kunai.
Blood trickled down his face, dripping onto the ground.
[Saying Sasuke had gone mad at this point was no exaggeration. If Kakashi and Naruto hadn't arrived in time, Sakura might have actually been killed. It has to be said: the Uchiha really do get stronger the crazier they become.]
[But Sakura's behavior here was also quite frustrating. Either be decisive and strike, or if you can't bring yourself to do it, stay in the rear. Instead, she seized the opportunity but couldn't follow through—leaving both her fans and her critics speechless.]
[Still, thinking about how Sasuke was trying to kill Sakura here, later saying he had no time to play "love games" with her, and then ending up marrying her and having a child… it's a bit hard to process.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. A valley outside Konoha]
Sakura, who had been saddened by her future self's rejection by Sasuke, instantly lit up.
"Ahahahaha! So I do end up marrying Sasuke in the end! Hahahaha!"
She put her hands on her hips, laughing until she swayed back and forth, looking extremely smug.
Sasuke looked at her with disgust and scooted away. "That's just one possible future. I won't marry you."
Naruto drooped his head in disappointment. "So Sakura ends up marrying Sasuke after all…"
Sakura turned to look at him, her tone matter-of-fact. "Otherwise what? Marry you?"
"Go marry your Hinata!"
Naruto opened his mouth, only to realize he didn't really have any argument.
He scratched his head and muttered, "Hinata's kind of weird, though…"
---
[Location of Team 10 (Ino-Shika-Chō)]
Ino stared at the screen, jumping up in anger. "That forehead marries Sasuke?! No way! Absolutely impossible!"
She gritted her teeth, looking unconvinced. "What does she have that I don't?!"
Chōji crunched on potato chips and mumbled, "The screen said it, so it probably won't be wrong…"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, put his hands behind his head, and lay back. "Why are you getting so worked up about someone else's marriage?"
"But it's Sasuke!" Ino's voice went shrill. "Why does Sakura get to be the lucky one?!"
Shikamaru ignored her, closing his eyes to soak up the sun.
---
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Itachi looked at the screen. So this girl named Sakura would marry Sasuke in the future and give birth to Sarada?
He silently committed Sakura's face and name to memory.
Pink hair, green eyes, a slightly large forehead.
Just in case they meet in the future, to prevent accidental injury.
Deidara leaned in. "Hey, Itachi-senpai, your little brother tries to kill that girl, and then later he marries her? Are you Uchiha all this complicated?"
Itachi replied indifferently, "What does this have to do with you?"
Deidara curled his lip and wisely dropped the subject.
---
[Konoha, Year 83. Sasuke's Home]
Sarada sat on the sofa, watching the images on the Sky Screen, completely stunned.
What was this? Her parents' relationship in the past was like "that"? Dad was trying to kill Mom?!
And yet they still ended up married?! It was unbelievable.
She glanced around the empty house.
But where was her father now? He was never home.
Still… young Dad was really handsome. No wonder Mom forgave him.
---
[Konoha, Year 52. Uchiha Clan Grounds]
Mikoto turned to her younger son and began her lesson: "Sasuke, don't treat girls that way. No matter the reason, raising your hand to a girl is wrong."
Young Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, unimpressed. "She was an opponent, not a girl."
Mikoto lightly tapped his head. "That's clearly your future teammate."
Sasuke rubbed his head and muttered, "Yeah, yeah, I get it."
Meanwhile, on the screen, an exasperated Kakashi and Sasuke continued their back-and-forth—fists and feet clashing. They fought from the water surface to the bridge, from the bridge to the river below.
But the scene ultimately ended with Sasuke's Chidori clashing against Naruto's Rasengan.
One stood in the light, the other in darkness, and both charged at each other without hesitation—a highly symbolic scene.
[In this battle, both Naruto and Sasuke were holding back. Sasuke was practically blind by then, so it's impossible to say who was stronger if both were at their peak. If not for interference from Obito and White Zetsu, and if they had continued fighting, Naruto—who was in better condition—would have won.]
[That would have made the score Sasuke 3, Naruto 1.]
[After this, Sasuke spent most of his time recuperating, while Naruto defeated the Nine-Tails in his inner world and mastered the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Undoubtedly, Naruto was stronger at that point.]
The screen then showed an image of Naruto.
He was enveloped in golden chakra, his hair spiked upward into two horn-like shapes, and six tomoe appeared at his collar, making him look incredibly powerful.
---
[Konoha, Year 60]
Inside Naruto's body, the Nine-Tails watched the glowing image of Naruto on the screen, yawned, and lazily lay back down.
"Tch."
"This brat has good luck."
Naruto stared at himself on the screen, his eyes shining. "I look so strong in that form!"
"But what is this 'Nine-Tails Chakra Mode'?"
"And how am I supposed to beat the Nine-Tails in my inner world?"
Right now, all Naruto knew was that the Nine-Tails was inside him, but he didn't even know how to enter his mental world to talk to it.
Jiraiya also felt troubled. Nine-Tails Chakra Mode… this was beyond his area of expertise.
Sasuke, meanwhile, grew increasingly irritated. His future self had gone blind! But how had he been cured?
*****
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