Hawk-Eye's appearance did more than crush everyone present with absolute power—it completely overturned their understanding of what "strength" even meant.
Until now, the title of Kage had represented the pinnacle of the shinobi world, the summit countless ninja admired and aspired to reach.
Yet here, a Kage-level powerhouse—along with his elite forces—had been utterly helpless before a single mysterious figure.
That impact was more convincing than any words.
It declared a brutal truth:
Beyond the shinobi world, there may exist a vast realm of power and civilizations far beyond imagination.
Within Konoha itself, silence reigned.
Whether ordinary villagers or trained ninja, everyone felt a chill crawl up from their feet to their skulls.
Their Hokage.
Their ANBU.
All of them looked fragile in the face of true, overwhelming power.
Shame, fear, and deep uncertainty about the future weighed heavily on every heart.
Within the Sky Screen, sensing the hatred and killing intent burning in Sakura's gaze, the one-armed Third Hokage's expression changed. He hurriedly spoke, his tone deliberately heavy with sorrow and "greater responsibility".
"Sakura… things reaching this point were never my intention. I don't wish to explain myself further."
"But… the village cannot go even one day without a Hokage. It cannot fall into chaos."
"Once I've arranged everything and entrusted Konoha to a reliable successor, this life of mine will be yours to take."
The moment these words spread through the Sky Screen, the shinobi world erupted in scorn.
"Pah! Hypocrite! Just say you're afraid to die!"
"As expected of a Hokage—begging for mercy with such grand rhetoric!"
"He's clearly exploiting the fact that Sakura is still just a young girl!"
Sakura's expression flickered. She had seen through his intentions clearly, and the hatred in her heart did not diminish in the slightest.
She stared straight at him and, gathering all her resolve, declared word by word:
"From this day on—
I, Sakura Haruno, have nothing to do with Konoha ever again."
She tore the Hidden Leaf Village or Konoha forehead protector from her brow and flung it to the ground as if discarding something filthy.
Clang.
The crisp metallic sound echoed sharply, marking the absolute end of her past.
The Third Hokage's face darkened as he slowly nodded. He did not stop her.
Beside him, Hawk-Eye seemed rather satisfied.
"That's for the best," he said calmly.
"Once you cultivate Divine Techniques, you're no longer a shinobi anyway."
With that, he turned and began walking away without another glance.
"Yes," Sakura said quietly, following after him.
"I'm no longer a ninja. From now on, I'm a trainee of the Order of the Divine Knights."
She cast one final look at the place where her parents lay at rest, then coldly swept her gaze over the Third Hokage and the blood-soaked ruin around them.
Gritting her teeth, she quickened her pace and followed Hawk-Eye.
She still didn't know what the Order of the Divine Knights truly was.
But as Hawk-Eye had said—
she had nowhere else to go.
Soon, only the one-armed Third Hokage remained on that battlefield, looking utterly desolate.
Just when everyone thought the tragedy had finally come to an end—
another twist occurred.
A figure that should have been dead appeared silently behind the Third Hokage, like a ghost.
Danzō Shimura.
The man who had been cleaved in two by Hawk-Eye…
was still alive.
Yet the Third Hokage showed no surprise. He didn't even turn around.
"Danzō," he said coldly,
"put away those thoughts you shouldn't be having."
Danzō stared at the Hokage's severed arm. His remaining eye gleamed with naked malice, ambition and killing intent barely concealed.
As if sensing it, the Third Hokage snorted.
"You'd better abandon that idea immediately.
The jōnin forces of the village are already on their way."
Almost on cue, dense chakra fluctuations and piercing sounds of movement echoed from afar—large numbers of Konoha ninja were rapidly approaching.
Danzō's face darkened instantly. He knew this was no longer the moment to act.
With an unwilling snort, he turned and vanished into the shadows.
Only after Danzō's presence had completely disappeared did the Third Hokage finally turn around, staring in that direction as he muttered softly, his voice carrying a strange undertone:
"This… technique really is quite useful."
He lowered his gaze to his severed arm. Pain, lingering fear, and a trace of something far more complicated flickered in his eyes.
But as Konoha's jōnin arrived one after another—crying out in shock at the hellish scene and their wounded Hokage—all emotion vanished from Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
Once again, he was the calm, authoritative Third Hokage.
Only his pallor betrayed him.
"Secure the area. Treat the wounded…"
—though there were none to treat; everyone else had been torn apart.
"All matters will be discussed back in the village."
His order fell like a final curtain, as if the betrayal, slaughter, and descent of a godlike being had merely been an incident to be handled.
As the Sky Screen faded, the shinobi world exploded into even fiercer debate.
"Sakura didn't die! She was taken away by that man called Hawk-Eye!"
"What a twist! She actually escaped disaster and joined some terrifying organization!"
"Who are the Divine Knights? With Divine Techniques and monsters like Hawk-Eye—how could the shinobi world know nothing about them?!"
"Damn it! That old bastard Danzō didn't even die!!"
Countless people beat their chests in fury.
Was this truly the meaning of 'calamities live long lives'?
"What's so strange about that?" someone scoffed.
"Didn't we see Naruto use Izanagi in the first Sky Screen? The Uchiha forbidden technique that rewrites death itself! Danzō must have Sharingan implanted in his body!"
"The Uchiha really are a treasure trove… Sharingan abilities are completely broken!"
"Hey… do you think the Third Hokage might also get crooked ideas now that he's lost an arm? Maybe transplanting a Sharingan?"
That chilling speculation sparked a wave of uneasy agreement.
"Danzō really is insane! Even after all that, he still tried to make a move!"
"He probably doesn't realize that if the Third weren't Hokage, the first person executed for everything that happened would be him."
Inside Konoha's Ninja Academy, emotions exploded just the same.
Watching the Sky Screen replay Danzō's 'resurrection' and attempted betrayal, Sasuke Uchiha finally lost control.
He kicked his desk away with a deafening crash.
Veins bulging, eyes burning red, he roared:
"Damn you, Danzō! I swear I'll kill you!!"
How could Sasuke not understand?
The only reason Danzō had survived—
was the Sharingan.
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