Sakura couldn't say a single word.
The overwhelming grief and shock robbed her of all capacity for thought, leaving behind nothing but raw instinct.
Tears poured down like a burst dam, flooding her vision. She clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, yet she still couldn't suppress the broken sobs that escaped her throat. Turning as if fleeing from a nightmare, she staggered out of the classroom in total collapse.
For a moment, the classroom was plunged into deathly silence—then it shattered, replaced by barely contained fury and shared grief.
"Bastard! Danzo, that old monster!!"
"How could he do this… how could he force Sakura's parents to their deaths?!"
"They did it just to protect Sakura…"
Some of the more emotional girls could no longer hold back; tears streamed down their faces as they quietly sobbed.
Any petty frictions or rivalries that might have existed before now seemed utterly insignificant in the face of such a tragedy.
Every student's face was filled with rage toward Danzo—and profound sympathy for Sakura.
Naruto, meanwhile, stood frozen like a statue.
His face was deathly pale. His clear blue eyes trembled violently, filled with boundless pain, guilt, and disbelief.
It was him.
He was the one who had spoken carelessly—who had revealed the secret of the Divine Technique to the Third Hokage.
It was his naïve trust that had indirectly allowed the information to leak, drawing Danzo's covetous gaze.
It was him…
He was the one who had killed Sakura's parents.
That realization crashed down on him like a mountain, crushing his chest until he could barely breathe.
He stared at Sakura's collapsing figure as she fled the classroom, feeling as though every tear she shed was molten lava scorching his soul.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something—anything—but no sound came out. Only overwhelming guilt and pain drowned him completely.
The air in the classroom grew suffocatingly heavy.
On the Sky Screen—
Sakura stared at her parents' bodies lying on the ground. Their still-warm blood seemed to burn into her eyes.
Utter grief instantly transformed into hatred and killing intent that could incinerate the world.
She slowly raised her head, fixing her gaze on the true culprit.
"I—will—kill—you!!"
The ground beneath her feet exploded.
Her body became a pink blur, tearing through the air with a shrill screech as she charged straight at Danzo.
A deathly chill wrapped around Danzo's entire body. His face twisted in horror—he couldn't even muster the thought of resisting. Turning, he fled desperately with the Body Flicker Technique.
"Stop her! At any cost—stop her!" Danzo screamed as he ran.
ROOT operatives surged forward like a tide, throwing kunai, unleashing ninjutsu—attacks raining down from all directions.
But it was useless.
Completely useless.
Anyone who tried to get close met an even worse fate—
A grazing shockwave meant shattered bones and ruptured organs;
A direct hit from that power-laden fist meant instant obliteration, the body torn apart into a spray of blood.
Crushing devastation.
Absolute, merciless devastation.
Sakura was like a god of destruction descended upon the world. Where she passed, limbs flew, bodies fell apart—nothing could slow her even a single step.
She tore a bloody path through the encirclement, her target fixed firmly on the fleeing Danzo.
Glancing back at the hellish scene behind him, Danzo's single eye filled with disbelief and terror.
"How can she be this strong?! She's barely more than a child! She's just a newly graduated genin!"
Then realization struck, his expression twisting into a mix of shock and greed.
"The Divine Technique… it must be because of the Divine Technique! But she's trained for so little time—how could there be such a qualitative leap?!"
Seeing that brute force was impossible, Danzo immediately changed tactics. As he fled, he amplified his voice with chakra and shouted:
"Sakura Haruno! Stop! Your parents aren't dead yet! If you swear loyalty to me, I can revive them with the best medical ninjutsu!"
The lie was laughably thin.
Sakura had seen it with her own eyes.
Her response was nothing but bloodshot eyes filled with bone-deep hatred—and ROOT members exploding one after another beneath her fists.
Watching the organization he had cultivated with endless resources being cut down like weeds, Danzo finally panicked. His heart bled.
He roared again, furious and frantic:
"Sakura! It's just loyalty to me! Is that really worth driving you this insane?! I am Konoha's true leader!"
This time, Sakura answered.
Her voice was colder than eternal ice, filled with endless scorn and absolute resolve:
"Loyalty? That's just another form of chains—spending my entire life as a dog wagging its tail for you."
"I, Sakura Haruno—would rather die!"
"You—! Then what about your parents? Are you just going to—"
Danzo was so enraged he nearly spat blood, still trying to speak.
Sakura gave him no chance.
With one punch, she reduced the final ROOT operative in her path to pieces. Amid the spreading blood mist, she flashed back to where her parents lay.
She carefully gathered their bodies, holding them tightly in her arms.
Then, with one last glance—those blood-red eyes filled with hatred—she looked at the distant, furious Danzo.
Without hesitation, she pushed off the ground.
Carrying her parents, she turned into a streak of light and vanished into the distance.
"Stop her! Stop her at once!!!" Danzo screamed in utter desperation.
With her parents holding her back, there was still a chance.
If she escaped today, an unrestrained Sakura Haruno would become his living nightmare.
Just as Sakura, still clutching her parents' bodies, was about to leave the area—
Shua! Shua! Shua!
A new group of masked shinobi appeared like ghosts, rapidly forming a circle that trapped her in the center.
And at their head—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had arrived.
Hiruzen took in the scene before him—the shattered ground, the scattered remains, the blood-soaked girl clutching her parents' corpses, her eyes burning with hatred. His expression darkened drastically.
"Sakura…" he said heavily.
"What… happened here?"
Before she could answer, Danzo rushed up behind him and pointed at Sakura, roaring in fury:
"Hiruzen! Why even ask?! Sakura Haruno slaughtered multiple ANBU—ROOT members—stole village secrets, and has now defected! Arrest her immediately!"
Hiruzen ignored Danzo's shouting.
His gaze remained fixed on Sakura—especially on the lifeless bodies in her arms. His heart sank, and his voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Sakura… tell me."
"What exactly… happened?"
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