Double-transformation: I, Sakura Haruno! Will crush the pirates!

Sakura clutched her abdomen, kneeling on one knee. Black runes snaked out from the wound on her abdomen, soon climbing up to her face, causing her eyes, pierced by the runes, to turn white.

[Notification: Intrusive data detected. Emergency disinfection procedure initiated. Overpowered aura activated. Achievement points consumed.]

"Sakura!"

In the blink of an eye, before Sasuke and Naruto realized what had happened, the girl was already lying in a pool of blood.

The two rushed forward in a panic, their Observation Haki sensing that the girl's life was becoming increasingly weak under the erosion of a strange force.

"No, don't die!" Sasuke clutched Sakura's wound, his eyes filled with regret.

"Quickly stop the bleeding and do something to save her!"

Naruto pushed Sasuke aside and opened Sakura's ninja tool bag to search for first-aid supplies.

"It's my fault, it's all my fault!"

Amidst extreme self-reproach, a chilling Yin Release chakra flowed through Sasuke's mind.

At the same time, the tomoe in his eyes spun faster and faster, finally merging under the onslaught of his emotions, outlining a blood-red six-pointed star with interwoven black lines.

"I refuse to let this future happen!"

With the birth of the Mangekyou Sharingan, Sasuke almost instinctively understood how to use this power.

Blood flowed from his eyes as the incredible Yin Escape slowly altered the reality he perceived as unfavorable.

—Kaleidoscope o Abundant Tranquility!

An invisible force spreads, gently plucking the strings of fate, causing the course of everything in this place to briefly fall into chaos.

Then, taking advantage of the chaotic state of things, another force is used to govern everything and weave the order that the spellcaster needs!

—Kaleidoscope O The Constant Standing of Heaven!

[External assistance detected. Alien data activity reduced. Elimination process failed. Switching to backup plan. Demon blood activated. Fusion and devouring begin! 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%...]

In the dead silence, a sudden roar of a raging torrent erupted, and Sakura was instantly engulfed by countless chilling auras, frozen stiff, unable even to function.

Memories of countless demon deaths converged, continuously surging from her consciousness, pulling her closer and closer to that inhuman boundary.

"what?"

Just as Naruto was about to bandage her, he saw Sakura's black markings begin to fade and turn white, and at the same time, a silver-white horn grew out from between her eyebrows.

Gray water vapor condensed out of thin air, turning into a downpour, and thunder flashed in the sky, as if the whole world was pulsating with the girl's breath.

"Damn, that hurts so much—!"

Sakura felt herself burning, and the world around her was boiling along with her.

An existence that shook heaven and earth, wielding boundless power, the demon's roar summoned endless thunder, which suddenly erupted with intense light and heat, turning the earth into a sea of ​​lightning.

Thin streaks of lightning streaked across the ground, stretching for thousands of miles in an instant, before crashing down on the last bystander present.

Amidst a burst of furious, pure white lightning, Black Zetsu, who had struggled to attach himself to Obito, closed his eyes in despair.

Damn it, I didn't ambush you!

Chapter 258 Funeral and Return to Konoha

In the silent hall of Sunagakure, the attendees sat silently in their seats, gazing ahead.

The people who came from all over the Land of Wind were all different, some old and some young, some fat and some thin, some ugly and some beautiful. The ninja in vest, the sun-tanned villagers, the high-ranking officials and nobles, and the two ninjas from the Land of Fire all sat on the same bench, looking very strange.

This should be a mourning hall, but there are no photos of the mourners, nor any wreaths or coffins. The entire hall is as simple as a relic buried by time.

"My sister said not to leave her a tombstone, but..."

The old man named Ebizo stuck out his tongue. "Who told her to bully me every day when she was alive? So now that she's gone, I'll rebel this once!"

"The erection of tombstones is never a signpost for those who are supposedly going to heaven; their existence is simply to provide a place for the living to express their longing."

“Cherishing, regretting, remembering, looking forward... the emotions between people are connected through this tombstone, which is also the reason why we can meet today.”

The calm voice continued from the high platform.

"Finally, I would like to suggest that we simply mourn her for a short while. Let's not dwell too much on those who have passed away; I believe they would rather see us holding our heads high and walking straight into the future!"

Many who had benefited from Chiyo's kindness began to sob quietly, still believing that what they had done had brought disaster to the village even as Chiyo passed away.

Those who survived will still mourn her.

Regardless of what tomorrow may bring, people today are still exercising their right to mourn, a right unique to the living.

A full three minutes.

Even if it's only for three minutes.

Countless people offered three minutes of their lives in remembrance for Chiyo.

This is the simplest response from Sunagakure to Chiyo's life.

The somber tolling of the bell signaled the villagers to set out for the fields to be plowed, vendors returned to their shops, ninjas took up their posts in the village, and officials once again sat atop their high platforms...

The world continues its complex and intricate operation, not stopping because of anyone's departure.

.

.

"Hiss, an unfamiliar ceiling!"

Awakening in the darkness, Sakura saw the distinctive hospital ceiling of Sunagakure and tried to turn over but felt a sense of crowding.

Although it might seem ungrateful of her to say this, as a medical ninja, she still wanted to offer her opinion from a professional perspective.

Your medical environment is absolutely terrible!

Taking a deep breath, a refreshing coolness spread through her lungs, causing the girl to stretch her body and hear crackling sounds coming from inside.

It seemed as if it had finally stepped from the long seedling stage into maturity, and the strength of its body was growing rapidly. In the end, an unrestrained and terrifying power flowed between its muscles, as if it could carry an island on its back at will.

"Hmm? What is this?"

Sakura raised her hand to rub her head, but found that her enormous hand was disproportionate to the surrounding space.

With her Observation Haki spreading, she was able to confirm, based on the difference between her surroundings and her own height, that she was nearly six meters tall.

It's truly remarkable that they were able to find such a large hospital gown and manage to piece together so many hospital beds to barely create a single room for her.

'System! Is there any hope for me?'

Sakura helplessly turned her large hand around, asking herself in her heart.

Then, golden fluorescence slowly flickered before her eyes, outlining a line of text.

[Status updated. You can use Life Return - Wedge to change the host's status.]

'Hmm! Shall I give it a try?'

Upon hearing the system's words, Sakura closed her eyes and tried to let her will flow to every corner of her body.

Her body then shrank rapidly, eventually returning to the size of a normal person in the ninja world.

'I'm finally recovered, but what happened? How did I grow so much all of a sudden?'

The girl, dressed in an ill-fitting hospital gown, climbed out of bed and looked at her reflection in the glass window.

[Information: The host has fully developed and entered adolescence after devouring and fusing the alien data that invaded and merged with it.]

The initial Devil Trigger talents have been acquired: Steel Skin and Might. Devil Trigger Weakness: Fear of Cold.

'Alien data...adolescence...demon's weakness?'

Sakura still has some memory of the final battle. She was planted with a wedge by the Otsutsuki clan, who were hidden in the ninja world, and became their resurrection device.

However, judging from the current state of the system, the wedge was most likely devoured and fused by her own system and physique, causing her to undergo some evolution.

"Well, I guess you could say it turned out to be a blessing in disguise!"

Sakura stretched, took out her clothes from the scroll beside the hospital bed, changed them, and planned to lie back on the bed to continue resting.

However, when Sasuke, who came to visit her as usual, saw that she was awake, his haggard but solemn expression finally relaxed.

"Sakura!"

Naruto, who was following behind her, rushed towards her with teary eyes, performing a Lupin Fly in mid-air.

"Hey, don't jump up here!"

Forgetting the fact that her power had surged, Sakura casually waved her hand, creating a huge storm indoors.

Naruto, who was in mid-air, was suddenly swept up by the vortex and sent flying backwards with a whoosh, crashing through the wall and hanging there.

Carrying a basket of fruit, Sasuke walked past Naruto and sat down beside the hospital bed. "You've been unconscious for three days now. If you don't wake up soon, the Fifth Hokage will be coming to Sunagakure in person!"

“Three days...that means I missed fifteen meals!!!” Sakura’s eyes widened.

Naruto struggled to pull his head out of the wall and walked towards the two with a grin. "Hahaha, as expected of Sakura, the first thing she does upon waking is to look at food."

The news of Sakura's awakening quickly reached the people of Sunagakure, who visited her several times.

Having no desire to engage in pretense with the Sand Village's higher-ups, she simply used medical ninjutsu to heal herself, quickly packed her things, and prepared to embark on her journey home.

"Let's go, let's go back!"

Sakura, who had already packed up, walked towards Naruto and Sasuke, waved, and left the hospital.

"Sigh, are you leaving already? At least rest for another day."

At the main gate of Sunagakure, Temari, who had come to see them off, tried to persuade the three to stay.

Her feelings toward the people from Konoha, especially one particular person, were complex.

On one hand, Rasa's incident is indeed an insurmountable obstacle; on the other hand, they are now Gaara and Kankuro's saviors.

Unable to feel hatred towards them, yet unable to completely regard them as benefactors, Temari's smile carried a hint of bitterness.

Sakura shook her head and refused, "We've already wasted too much time. We need to report to Konoha in person about Akatsuki, Itachi Uchiha, and the person who attacked me as soon as possible, so we'll be leaving now!"

"Gaara, you've taken the lead this time. But when we meet again, I'll definitely become the Sixth Hokage of Konoha!"

Naruto, who was bidding a reluctant farewell to Gaara, grinned and gave Gaara a thumbs up.

“If it were you…” Gaara extended his hand and shook hands with Naruto, “you could definitely become Hokage!”

After saying goodbye, the three waved to Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari who had come to see them off, and then turned and headed towards Konoha.

Chapter 259 Eyes and the Truth of the Past

After three days of hardship and sleeping outdoors, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke had all lost a lot of weight by the time they returned to Konoha.

Before their long and arduous journey was over, the ANBU ninjas seamlessly took over and dragged them into the Hokage Building's office.

He presented four or five reports, painstakingly explaining Akatsuki's objectives and the information about each member, while also subtly revealing the existence of the Otsutsuki clan to Tsunade.

Only then was he finally released by the unsatisfied Hokage, and escaped from the office as if relieved.

A moment later, at the Uchiha clan's territory.

"So, why are you in my house?"

Sasuke looked at the girl in front of him, who was wearing a yukata and had no proper posture, and clutched his head in pain.

"I had nowhere to go, and I happened to run into Aunt Mikoto on the street, so I just followed her."

Sakura, who had just finished washing up, was using Mikoto Uchiha's hairdryer to dry her hair.

She returned home full of joy, ready to beg her mother to prepare a delicious meal for her.

But those two unreliable people actually abandoned me and ran off on a trip!

God knows how devastated Sakura was when she saw the note left at home.

Moreover, judging from the dust in her house, she set off at almost the same time as she went out to carry out a rescue mission in Sunagakure!

Sakura was too lazy to clean up her dusty house and was about to go out for a meal when she ran into Mikoto Uchiha, which led to the scene Sasuke just asked.

"Never mind, as long as she's happy!"

Sasuke glanced at his mother, who was busy in the kitchen, and sighed softly.

He walked over and sat down at the low table opposite Sakura, resting his chin on his hands. "I'm sorry about what happened before. If you hadn't saved me, you wouldn't have been injured by the attacker!"