The Sakura Legend

Uchiha Clan Compound, Training Grounds behind the mountain.

"Grrr~~~~~"

In front of them, Naruto – no, it should be said, the Nine-Tails – was currently just an unconscious mass of chakra. Naruto's consciousness was being eroded.

"How could this happen? How did Naruto manifest four tails at this stage? What did he do?" Sakura was completely panicked, even forgetting the pain from her injuries.

According to Sakura's expectations, Naruto should have only been able to manifest one tail at most, which would have been enough. It would have bought them time to temporarily contend with the leader.

She would then seize an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the leader, or simply have Naruto hold him off while she went to the village for help. After all, today was the day when the most ninjas were in the village. Even if Sasuke and Naruto were kidnapped, the enemy wouldn't be able to quickly escape the Land of Fire, let alone leave Konoha without being surrounded.

But, but, the appearance of the Four-Tails was completely beyond Sakura's imagination. And that probably wasn't the end of it. A Jinchuriki losing control would alert the higher-ups. Naruto might be in trouble.

At this moment, the unconscious Four-Tails simply stood there, unmoving. Of the three ninjas, two had been knocked unconscious by the Four-Tails' initial outburst. The leader had also been thrown back, but he hadn't lost consciousness. However, he looked seriously injured; the wound on his shoulder was bleeding again. His mask hid his expression.

Sakura had also been thrown back when the leader was knocked away, suffering some collateral damage. Fortunately, the leader had been focused on torturing Sakura and hadn't targeted any vital areas. But the pain was still enough to make it difficult for her to move.

Seeing the leader regaining his composure and warily watching the Four-Tails, Sakura endured the pain, picked up a shuriken, and used it to cut strips of cloth from her clothes to bandage her wounds. Thankfully, it was winter, and she was wearing several layers.

The Four-Tails in the center of the clearing remained motionless, crouching on all fours.

"Something's not right. Normally, once the Tailed Beast Cloak is formed, the Tailed Beast starts attacking indiscriminately. Why isn't it moving?" Sakura thought, frowning.

"Could it be... Naruto is fighting for control of the Tailed Beast? But, can he really win at this stage?" Sakura looked at the unmoving Four-Tails, feeling lost.

In front of the massive barred gate.

Naruto's movements had stopped.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to save her? Tear off this paper, and you can save her."

"I think... I understand now," Naruto said, his eyes suddenly clear.

"Understand what, brat?" the voice asked.

"You're the reason the villagers hate me, the reason they ostracize me," Naruto said. After the recent pain, he was somewhat lucid. The chilling sensation he felt as he was about to tear off the seal, and the increasingly active, almost tangible red chakra surging around him as the paper was gradually torn, all indicated that if he ripped off that paper, something terrible would happen.

"I don't know what you are, but I don't want to use your power," Naruto continued, his voice low. "Sakura-chan is the first person who has ever accepted me. I want to protect her. My power is weak, but even if my legs are broken, even if I'm killed, I'll save her. I don't want to use your power. If Sakura-chan saw that, I would lose her."

"You stinking brat! Who do you think you are, daring to refuse me? Countless people desire my power! What makes you so special?!" the voice roared furiously.

As it spoke, the surrounding chakra surged towards Naruto.

The leader, upon seeing the Tailed Beast appear, knew he was likely doomed. Konoha ninjas would probably swarm here any minute now. And he'd been pierced through the shoulder by that little girl, and the aftershock of the Tailed Beast's emergence had reopened the wound.

"How ironic. I thought I was lucky to encounter the last of the Uchiha clan, that I could get my hands on a Sharingan. But I ended up running into a Jinchuriki. It seems I won't escape today," the leader thought, his expression shifting uncertainly.

The Uchiha clan's annihilation had not only allowed Danzo to obtain a large number of Sharingan, but also tempted neighboring enemy forces to scavenge for leftovers. So, he had infiltrated Konoha, hoping to get lucky and find something valuable. He'd thought it was a stroke of good fortune to encounter the last member of the Uchiha clan. Outsiders believed that the Uchiha clan had been wiped out by a traitor from within, not that they had been purged for attempting a coup.

Logically, the last clan member should have been under heavy protection, but he had unexpectedly encountered an unguarded Sasuke. He had intended to kill the two brats to prevent them from alerting anyone, buying himself time to escape. But he hadn't expected the two brats to be so troublesome, one of them even being a Jinchuriki.

"At the very least, I have to kill that brat who ruined everything. Otherwise, I won't be able to appease my anger," the leader thought, feeling the throbbing pain in his shoulder, his gaze turning viciously towards Sakura.

Sakura instantly felt as if she were being targeted. She turned her head and saw the leader's venomous stare.

"Don't panic, don't panic. There's still a chance," Sakura muttered to herself, no longer paralyzed by fear after the series of life-and-death encounters.

Konoha ninjas should be on their way by now. If she could just dodge the leader's attacks, she should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

In fact, the reinforcements arrived faster than Sakura expected. The towering pillar of chakra was extremely conspicuous, and even during the anniversary celebration, not everyone would be on vacation. There were still ninjas on patrol and guard duty.

Just as the leader was about to deliver a final blow to Sakura, throwing a shuriken, Sakura felt herself being lifted into someone's arms. Then, she saw the leader surrounded by dozens of masked Anbu.

"Ah, we're finally safe," Sakura thought, a wave of relief washing over her. In the arms of the Anbu holding her, Sakura saw the Third Hokage, clad in full battle gear, appear before the Four-Tails.

She saw the Four Red Flames Formation rise, and a masked Anbu using Wood Release to restrain Naruto. Familiar and unfamiliar ninjas arrived one after another: Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Shikamaru's father... what was his name? She couldn't remember.

It's good to be alive. Sakura's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, and she gradually drifted into unconsciousness.