"So strong."
In the distance, a black-and-white pitcher plant emerged from the ground, watching as the purple and red Susano'os clashed. The white side spoke with surprise, "I never expected Itachi to grow this powerful."
"That Uchiha Sasuke isn't bad either," the black side said calmly. "Between their Mangekyou Sharingans, Sasuke's eye power is actually stronger."
"What?!?" The white side exclaimed, "Itachi has had his Mangekyou for nearly ten years, while Sasuke's had his for, what, three years at most? How is Itachi's eye power weaker than his little brother's?"
"You might not feel it, but I can." The black half's expression darkened slightly, and his tone became heavier. "Inside Sasuke's eyes… there's a power just like Madara's. And its purity is even greater than Madara's."
Black Zetsu knew exactly what that power was—the power of the Six Paths!
That traitorous brat again!
White Zetsu was dazed for a moment before murmuring in awe, "So you're saying… if Sasuke fully matures, he might reach Madara's level?"
"Maybe even surpass him," Black Zetsu replied instinctively.
"Whoa… that's crazy," White Zetsu muttered after thinking for a while.
Suddenly, Black Zetsu frowned. Without a word, he grabbed White Zetsu and sank underground, disappearing on the spot.
Underground, White Zetsu was confused. "What's wrong?"
"That brat Naruto—his sensory ability just expanded this way. If we don't leave now, he'll detect us," Black Zetsu explained. His voice was steady, but inside, he was cursing the Sage of Six Paths again.
Damn you, Hagoromo! You gave your power to those two brats! The sensory ability from the Six Paths power is so strong that even I don't dare get close. If this were before, why would I ever fear two kids?!
Back in the era of the Sage of Six Paths, Black Zetsu didn't even dare appear within Hagoromo's sensory range. After all, the Sage's perception was far beyond Naruto's—it could pick up the slightest disturbance.
Back then, Black Zetsu had to be extremely cautious. Not only did he have to stay out of Hagoromo's sensory range, but he also had to constantly avoid the Sage's movements. If Hagoromo hadn't later expelled his own chakra, drastically reducing his sensory reach, Black Zetsu would never have dared to manipulate Indra.
That would've been suicide.
And back then, Hamura was still alive—unlike Hagoromo, he hadn't expelled his own power.
Black Zetsu never thought he could take on Hamura. In fact, Hamura, who inherited their mother's Byakugan, had even more ridiculous perception than Hagoromo. He could see the entire ninja world from the moon—that's how absurd his ability was.
"Whoa… that's crazy," White Zetsu said again in awe.
To be fair, Sasuke was impressive, but White Zetsu—who considered himself Madara's creation—had witnessed Madara's power firsthand. So while he was surprised, it wasn't that shocking.
But someone actually detecting their hidden presence? Now *that* was something else.
If Madara hadn't awakened the Rinnegan, even he wouldn't have been able to detect White Zetsu's concealment. Yet Naruto pulled it off—this kid was seriously overpowered.
The Mayfly Technique—no doubt, the best stealth jutsu in the ninja world.
"Shut up. Let's hurry and send the intel. Things are already set on Konoha's side," Black Zetsu said, clearly annoyed.
"Got it~" White Zetsu chirped before cheerfully relaying the information through the White Zetsu network.
Konoha was ready.
…
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Naruto's attack landed on a Root ninja. As a surge of powerful chakra exploded, golden chains wrapped around the ninja, pinning him to the ground completely.
"This scene looks kinda familiar," Kurama muttered, confused.
Sakura landed beside Naruto, taking in the Root ninjas collapsed around them. She let out a deep breath. "That should be all of them."
She was still just shy of fully charging her Yin Seal, so she couldn't go all out with her chakra. Facing a squad of elite Anbu had been a real struggle. If Naruto hadn't been there, she wasn't sure she could've handled them all.
Naruto also exhaled. "These guys aren't as strong as Kakashi-sensei, but they're all at least *Tokubetsu Jounin* level."
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Naruto shook his head. "No wonder they're Anbu. If I didn't have Sage Mode, I might've had to use Kurama Mode to deal with them."
"Hurry up and seal these guys, then go help Kakashi-sensei." Sakura formed a hand seal, and a simple sealing pattern appeared on her palm.
This was a basic sealing technique that anyone could learn. It wasn't difficult, and its effect was simple—it completely restricted an opponent's movements to prevent them from using escape jutsu or anything similar.
Sealing chakra?
That wasn't possible. That was something only Anbu and the interrogation unit could do, not regular ninja.
Naruto stepped forward and stopped Sakura. "Let me do it. While training to master the Flying Thunder God and Adamantine Sealing Chains, Pervy Sage taught me a lot about sealing techniques. I can use a chakra-sealing jutsu, which is stronger than the basic one."
Sakura didn't object.
Naruto formed a hand seal, staying in Sage Mode as he walked into the center of the Root ninja. He brought his hands together, preparing to use the chakra seal.
Just as the jutsu was about to take effect, the first ninja targeted by Naruto suddenly moved. A kunai shot out from his hand, aiming straight for Naruto's heart without hesitation.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. He reached out and grabbed the ninja's arm, his voice calm but firm. "You'd better not resist. It's just a chakra seal. Sakura will heal your injuries afterward."
"Chakra seal…" the ninja muttered.
"That's right." Naruto nodded. "It's just a chakra se—"
"Mission failed."
At that moment, the ninja suddenly looked up. His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
Through the two openings in his mask, Naruto could see his eyes. And in that instant, Naruto froze—not because they were terrifying, but because they weren't.
Those eyes…
They looked like the eyes of a dead man, completely lifeless.
Before Naruto could react, a sudden surge of chakra erupted. Black markings spread from the Root ninja's necks, crawling across their bodies like a curse seal.
But Naruto could tell—it wasn't a curse seal. It was more like…
Explosive tags!
"Naruto! Get away!"
Sakura was the first to notice something was wrong. Her face changed, and she barely had time to warn Naruto. She reached out, trying to shield him, and for a brief moment, the black diamond-shaped seal on her forehead flickered.
But it was too late.
The markings spread too fast. In the blink of an eye, they covered all the ninja, and then—
A deafening explosion, just like a chain reaction of explosive tags. One after another, from the first to the ninth.
In an instant, all the Root ninja lying on the ground became living bombs, erupting into massive explosions. The shockwaves of chakra ripped through the area, shattering trees and cracking the earth.
As the flames died down, Naruto stood in front of Sakura with a grim expression. A massive golden Kurama head shielded them, its presence protecting them from the explosion.
At this moment, Naruto had already entered Six Paths Sage Mode, his Six Paths Yang Power continuously flowing into the last remaining Root ninja.
That's right—one of them hadn't exploded.
"The Adamantine Sealing Chains suppressed the explosive seal carved into him…" Naruto clenched his fists as he stared at the Root ninja in front of him. "Root… why would you do this?!"
He couldn't understand.
Behind him, Sakura looked around at the destruction and let out a quiet sigh of relief. The black diamond mark on her forehead gradually faded.
She turned to Naruto, took two steps forward, and crouched beside the Root ninja. Green light appeared in her hands as she prepared to heal him.
The next second, her expression darkened. "Even though the Adamantine Sealing Chains suppressed the explosive seal, his body is already damaged beyond repair. He's basically a walking bomb now. The moment you release the seal, he'll explode instantly."
Sakura wasn't a sealing expert, but she could clearly see the chakra flow and the extent of the damage inside his body. After all, she was a medical ninja trained by Tsunade.
Her face grew serious. "Naruto, stop using the Six Paths power on him. Just keep the Adamantine Sealing Chains in place and leave the rest to me."
"Alright." Naruto didn't ask why—he just chose to trust Sakura without hesitation. He slowly withdrew Kurama's head, keeping Sage Mode active while turning off Six Paths Mode. His senses spread out around him.
The green glow flickered as Naruto watched Sakura's deepening frown. Sensing the situation, he stepped forward, placed his right hand on her back, and channeled Six Paths Yang Power into her body to restore her chakra.
Sakura's expression eased a little. "I'm currently storing chakra in the Yin Seal, so my combat and medical abilities are affected. But I've grown a lot— even Kakashi-sensei was surprised."
"I believe you," Naruto said with a smile, nodding.
As he looked at Sakura's serious profile, he felt a bit dazed—not because he had feelings for her, but because, in this moment, he felt relieved.
It wasn't that he looked down on Sakura or anything, but ever since Naruto realized he didn't have feelings for her, the way he saw her changed. Looking back, Sakura really did seem like what Kurama had once called a "decorative vase"—pretty, but not very useful.
Whether it was their Genin graduation test against Kakashi, their battle with Zabuza and Haku in the Land of Waves, or the Chunin Exams against the Sand Village, Sakura hadn't been much help. Meanwhile, the others had contributed a lot to Konoha.
But now, not only had Sakura become stronger, but her personality had also matured. She was no longer just someone who only knew how to be shocked or sad.
She could endure long journeys with them, restore their chakra when needed, and even stand alongside Naruto in battle. She didn't need his protection anymore—she could handle enemies on her own.
Fighting side by side like this felt so much better than just keeping her safe behind him.
This Sakura was more beautiful than the one before—more captivating.
Noticing Naruto's gaze, Sakura instinctively looked up, her face full of confusion. "What's with that look? Don't tell me you've fallen for me again… Should I go tell Hinata?"
Naruto froze for a moment. Well, that was definitely a misunderstanding.
"Why do you sound just like Sasuke, always threatening to tattle?" he grumbled before scratching the back of his head. "I just suddenly thought—you've changed, Sakura. You're braver, more decisive, more confident. Compared to the old you, I like this version of you better—the one who can fight alongside us."
Hearing that, Sakura couldn't help but smile. "Of course."
Because, a long time ago, she had told herself—before trying to make Sasuke like her, she had to become someone she liked first. Otherwise, how could she ever hope to win him over?
And right now, she liked who she had become.
Sakura's eyes curved into a smile. "I don't want to be a useless vase hiding behind you guys. Before I try to make Sasuke like me, I want to become your equal."
I don't have to be just as strong as them, but at the very least… I don't want to be a burden anymore.
Maybe then, I'd be able to like myself just a little more.
Naruto scratched his head, thinking for a long time but failing to find the right words. In the end, he simply gave Sakura a thumbs-up.
Inside his mind, Kurama watched the scene and couldn't help but chuckle. "You can always count on your 'Sakura-bro' now."
Of course, the Sakura from before wasn't "Sakura-bro"—she was just a decorative vase.