The sky over this world was suffocatingly gray.
Everything was dead silent. Yet if you held your breath, you could hear faint panting—life vibrating through air that barely moved.
"Two…" she counted silently, hidden in darkness, waiting for the unknown creatures to draw close to the building she'd chosen.
If you looked outside, you could still see traces of human life:
A green lawn. A dark-red running track tinged with decay. A few basketball hoops. Sports equipment scattered everywhere.
Behind her, among overturned desks and chairs, there were books and stationery.
In a locked cabinet at the back, moldy snacks sat forgotten.
"Chi—chi—"
Suddenly, a harsh animal screech tore through the air, loud as a fat piglet in an empty world.
"Jiji—hiss—hiss—" The noise crept closer, paired with heavy breathing—and the wet, grinding sound of chewing, the kind that made your teeth ache.
The pink-haired girl pressed along the wall, inching closer to the sound. Chakra pooled into her fists, building into a frightening pressure.
Then sunlight fell across her face, revealing Sakura Haruno's exhausted features.
She gathered herself, focusing all that killing intent toward whatever was about to come in and "meet" her.
The creature seemed to sense something.
It shrieked—"Chi-chi-chi—!"
Sakura didn't hesitate. She punched toward its eyes—
and the wall with it.
BOOM!
The wall near the doorway exploded like brittle crackers, and her fist followed through like a sledgehammer, smashing into the creature's head.
In an instant—
a human and a rat were face-to-face.
Yes.
A rat the size of a person.
"CHIIIIIIII!"
One of its eyes rolled white, ruined; the other turned blood-red as it lunged to bite her.
"So this is my inner demon?" Sakura didn't resist at all. She let the rat sink its filthy mouth into her throat.
"SSSS—"
The rat froze.
A sound like something evaporating filled its mouth—sickening and wrong. Acidic heat spread across its tongue, like something was dissolving.
It realized too late:
what it had bitten into wasn't flesh.
It was boiling water—steam hissing into the air.
The water surged outward, swelling into a mass that wrapped the rat, pressing its fur directly against scalding heat, tightening like a net.
Sakura's real body stepped out from inside the room. Hands formed seals. Her eyes were sharp, unblinking.
She exhaled once and spoke softly to the rat:
"Explode."
In the next moment, the water hit a violent boil—its lethality spiking to the limit.
The rat's body split and blistered, its awareness fading, until it collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Ha… ha…" Sakura finally released her hands, bending over with her palms on her knees. Sweat slid down from her forehead in fine beads.
The noise had already alerted more rats above.
They swarmed downstairs like zombies smelling food.
"CHICHI-CHICHI-CHICHI!"
"JIJI! JIJI!"
Sakura looked up, pulled the black shard from her pocket, and clenched it. Chakra flowed into it steadily.
Several rats reached the doorway; their red eyes locked on her with hungry obsession, charging without hesitation.
Her body began to twist and distort within a spinning space—
and then she vanished, swallowed by the swarm.
Konoha's border.
Thud!
She fell onto soft grass. Moonlight washed over her, and the wind slid over her body, slowly carrying away a faint, rotten smell clinging to her.
"I'm back…" Sakura forced herself to stay awake, wrapped the shard in cloth, and tucked it safely into her ninja pouch.
After lying still for a moment, she pulled out a thin notebook and marked a single stroke.
On the first page, it read:
Sakura's Diary
"I can go find Naruto now."
She stood, tidied the area a little, and headed toward the village.
For these past days, she'd entered the shard's world three times a day, testing her theories.
Now she had her answers.
And her new jutsu, refined through endless real combat, had finally stabilized.
Much later…
Back inside Konoha, she went to a bathhouse and scrubbed away all the grime. After cleaning up and fixing herself, she started walking home.
At the entrance, she spotted a tall figure creeping toward the bathhouse like a thief:
A red outer robe, brown inner clothes, wooden geta sandals. A head of coarse white hair. A forehead protector stamped with the kanji for "oil."
"Jiraiya…" Sakura raised an eyebrow. She remembered Naruto searching everywhere for him.
Funny—she just went to a bathhouse, and there he was.
Good. He hasn't had time to peek at me bathing…
She walked toward him calmly.
Jiraiya noticed her gaze and turned his face.
"Um… excuse me. Are you Jiraiya-sama?" Sakura asked, cautious.
Jiraiya blinked in surprise—then his expression turned smugly self-satisfied. He scratched his head.
"Ahhh~! I've been gone from Konoha for years, and people still remember me…!"
He grinned. "That's right. I am Jiraiya. You want my autograph?"
"Not exactly…" Sakura smiled politely, then pivoted. "It's just that my teammate talks about you every day. Says he absolutely needs a chance to meet you—exchange some… insights."
"Oh?" Jiraiya's interest sharpened. "And what's this teammate's name?"
Sakura paused, then curved her lips into a knowing smile:
"The Nine-Tails jinchūriki—Uzumaki Naruto."
Then she turned and walked away, leaving Jiraiya staring after her, surprised.
She hadn't introduced Naruto directly because she thought this would work better.
Jiraiya monitored Orochimaru and Akatsuki's movements. He'd come back to Konoha during the Chūnin Exams not only to watch Orochimaru more closely, but also to protect and train Naruto.
So now Jiraiya would wonder:
Why would a child he'd never met be interested in him?
That question would push him to seek Naruto out on his own.
Before I go home… I'll stop by Naruto's place.
Sakura quickened her pace and soon arrived at Naruto's door.
She knocked.
Bang bang bang!
Inside, Naruto—fresh off a full day of "acting"—lay stiffly on his bed, tossing and turning. It felt like veins were pulsing under his scalp as he ran endless scenarios in his head.
He'd already imagined several ways he could die.
Then he heard knocking.
Naruto went rigid instantly, a sick flutter in his chest—the kind you get after an all-nighter when your body feels one step from collapsing.
He didn't know who was outside.
He grabbed his Flying Thunder God kunai and set it on the bedside table. Chakra began to circulate cautiously, ready to "fly" away the moment an attack came.
He opened the door.
Click.
Naruto stared at the pink-haired girl in front of him, stunned.
Confusion flashed first—then a surge of joy so intense it nearly burst through his face. Relief, fear, and gratitude flooded him like a broken sluice gate.
But just as he was about to smile, he realized how suspicious it would look—too intense, too wrong.
He forced his expression flat, pressed his emotions down, and asked in a deep voice:
"Coming this late to see me?"
Sakura looked at his constantly shifting face and almost laughed. "What is this—did your face go numb?"
"Cough." Naruto fully collected himself and stepped aside. "Yeah… come in."
They entered. Naruto's doubts didn't vanish just because she'd shown up. After a long pause, he muttered, "I went looking for you."
Sakura immediately got it. Her lips curled.
"Oh~ you didn't find me, did you? Scared you half to death?"
"Heh." Naruto raised his voice, leaning hard into disdain. "I've been busy enough to lose my mind. Like I'd have time to care about you—"
He was about to glare at her—
and found her watching him with a bright, amused smile.
Naruto froze, coughed again, and finally admitted awkwardly, "You should've told me ahead of time. I thought the mastermind got you."
"Okay, okay. Next time I'll warn you first."
Naruto didn't push further. He shut all the doors and windows, then retrieved the crude Flying Thunder God kunai from his room.
"Here." He handed it to Sakura. "If we end up in a long-range fight, I can teleport to you instantly."
Sakura took it and examined it.
Her green eyes widened.
"Why is it so ugly?!"
"Shut up."
"Make me a new one. In canon, Flying Thunder God kunai are cool."
"Take it or leave it."
Naruto stayed stubborn, plopped down on the couch, and gestured for her to sit too.
"Talk. I know you've got important intel."
Sakura shot him a sharp look, pocketed the kunai anyway, and began explaining what she'd learned.
"A few days ago I borrowed that shard from you. I originally planned to test with myself, but then—"
"Hrgh… hrgh…"
"...Huh?!"
Naruto's eyes were shut. He was sprawled on the couch—
snoring.
He fell asleep.
Sakura stared at him in silence for a long time.
In the end, she didn't wake him. She went into his room, grabbed a blanket, and draped it over him.
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