Konoha Village
Despite Konoha's precautions, the village still suffered significant losses in ninja.
The next day, a light rain fell. Sakura, dressed in black, attended the funeral service held at the Memorial Stone, presided over by the Third Hokage.
Every ninja was a valuable resource for the village, as raising a qualified shinobi was incredibly difficult.
Chunin were already the backbone of the village, responsible for carrying out most of its missions, while Jonin were the village's precious fighting force.
This time, Konoha had lost a considerable number of Chunin and Anbu Black Ops, making the already dire manpower shortage even worse. The Third Hokage felt increasingly powerless.
"Where the leaves dance, fire burns. The fire's shadow will continue to illuminate the village, and allow new leaves to sprout..." At the end of the funeral, the Third Hokage reiterated the Will of Fire.
Naruto and Sakura walked towards the hospital, intending to visit Sasuke.
Since the Third Hokage had personally used a sealing jutsu to suppress the curse mark's corrosion yesterday, Sasuke's condition had stabilized considerably. At the very least, his life was no longer in danger.
"Sakura-chan, when do you think Sasuke will wake up...?" Naruto asked. Ever since he learned of Sasuke's coma yesterday, and with no sign of him waking up overnight, Naruto couldn't help but feel anxious. Even though Sakura had repeatedly reassured him, Naruto was clearly agitated.
"Sasuke will be fine. He's past the critical period," Sakura explained patiently, seeing Naruto's anxiousness.
"Sakura-chan, why did the Sand ninja do this...? Aren't they Konoha's allies...?" Naruto asked as they walked, finally voicing the question that had been troubling him.
".....Do you remember what I told you in the Land of Waves?" Sakura asked.
"I remember," Naruto said. He had been depressed for a while because he couldn't accept Sakura's actions at the time. It was Sakura who had revealed the cruelty of the ninja world to Naruto.
"The relationship between countries and villages is just like the relationship between people. The Sand Village betrayed their allies for their own benefit, just like I killed a client to protect our team. The principle is the same," Sakura explained to Naruto.
"Until people truly understand each other, war will never cease. We are all just a part of this vast world, powerless to change it. In the end, only the world can change us," Sakura said with a shrug.
"....." Naruto lowered his head in silence, then suddenly blurted out, "No... it can be changed, Sakura-chan. You changed me. You pulled me out of the abyss of loneliness. If it weren't for you, I don't know if I could have made it this far. You changed me, and I'll change others, and they'll change even more people. That way, one day, people will understand each other."
Sakura was moved by Naruto's naive words. Without Jiraiya entrusting his dream to him, Naruto had already determined his own path. She didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Sakura, in fact, had also been somewhat influenced by Naruto. When she first arrived in this world, she was a bit of a pessimist, viewing everything from a negative perspective. Her efforts to improve her strength were only to protect her own little corner of the world. Gradually, as she spent more time with Naruto, she was unconsciously influenced by him.
Her attitude towards others and her way of thinking had started to shift towards a more positive outlook.
Without realizing it, they had arrived at the hospital. They opened the door to Sasuke's room. Sasuke was still lying motionless on the bed, his expression pained.
Mitarashi Anko saw them enter and said, "You're here. He's out of danger now. He'll probably wake up tomorrow."
"Ah, is that so? That's great! Thank you, Anko-sensei," Naruto said, quickly thanking her.
"It's nothing..." Anko shook her head.
Just then, the door to the room opened again. It was Ino and Shikamaru.
"Oh, Sakura," Ino said, immediately spotting Sakura in the room.
"Sasuke hasn't woken up yet?" Shikamaru said, stepping forward to take a look. "What a drag."
Shikamaru had been dragged here by Ino on the way. He'd originally planned to go home, but he'd run into Ino, who was on her way to visit Sasuke at the hospital, and she'd pulled him along.
Suddenly, an Anbu Black Ops appeared in the room. "Haruno Sakura, there you are. The Third Hokage requests your presence."
"Okay, I understand." Hearing that the Third Hokage wanted to see her, Sakura thought it was perfect timing, as she had something to discuss with him as well. Yesterday, she'd been too concerned about Sasuke and forgotten. She wouldn't forget today.
Knock knock knock
"Come in," the Third Hokage said, hearing the knocking. He guessed it was probably Haruno Sakura.
The door opened, and Haruno Sakura walked in. "Hokage-sama, you called for me?"
"Yes, I have a mission for you," the Third Hokage said.
"What mission...?" Sakura asked. "Wait, let's clear something up first..."
"Clear something up? What do you mean?" the Third Hokage asked, puzzled.
"The preliminary exams! Don't tell me you didn't rig the match-ups..." Sakura said, trying to jog the Third Hokage's memory.
"The match-ups were random," the Third Hokage said with an innocent expression.
"???" Sakura stared at the Third Hokage's serious face. He didn't seem to be lying. Had she misinterpreted things...?
"Wait, no, that's not right. Kakashi-sensei relayed your message to me. Didn't you say that?" Thinking carefully, Sakura finally remembered a crucial detail.
"I did say that," the Third Hokage admitted this time. But his subsequent explanation made Sakura want to punch him. "You haven't been in school for three years. You probably haven't had many opportunities for actual combat at Tsunade's. So, it was meant to encourage you."
Sakura stared at the Third Hokage with a constipated expression, not saying a word. She had never seen such a shameless Kage.
"Ahem..." The Third Hokage, feeling a little flustered under Sakura's gaze, cleared his throat and said, "I have a mission for you. If you complete it, I'll consider promoting you to Chunin."
The Third Hokage had already acknowledged Sakura's strength and tactical mind. Although Sakura herself felt she had made consecutive mistakes when facing enemies, to others, she had performed admirably.
The Third Hokage had indeed altered the preliminary exam match-ups. Because the stakes were so high, he had to resort to some minor manipulations, but it had also resulted in Sakura being eliminated.
Sakura didn't want to remain a Genin. It was of no benefit to her growth. What she needed now was an accumulation of real combat experience. That was the only way to truly improve her skills.
"What mission...?" Sakura asked. Hearing the Third Hokage's offer, she didn't push for anything more. Technically, since she hadn't made it to the finals, she couldn't become a Chunin anyway. It was good enough that the Third was giving her a chance.
"Find Tsunade and convince her to return to the village," the Third Hokage said. "Jiraiya will accompany you."
"Okay, but I want to add one more person," Sakura said.
"Who?"
"Naruto!"
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