The Sakura Legend

Under the Tree

"Kakashi-sensei, I've confirmed he's dead," Sakura said after thoroughly checking Haku's body.

"Should we take their bodies back to Konoha?" Sakura asked. "That boy had an Ice Release kekkei genkai. Should we bring him back?"

"No, let's bury them here. This boy was a respectable opponent," Kakashi replied after some thought. He ultimately decided against taking Haku's body back. He deeply understood Haku's willingness to protect Zabuza even when severely injured, and out of respect for the boy, Kakashi chose not to take him back to Konoha.

"What about him?" Sakura asked, pointing at Zabuza's corpse.

"Bury him with the boy," Kakashi said. "Urgh..."

Just as he finished speaking, Kakashi's eyes closed, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto rushed over to check on him.

"Naruto, don't panic. Let me take a look," Sakura said, using her medical ninjutsu to examine Kakashi's condition.

"Sakura-chan, how is he? Why did Kakashi-sensei faint?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"Don't worry," Sakura reassured him. "Kakashi-sensei is physically fine. He probably fainted from overusing his Sharingan. He was already on the verge of collapse after his fight with Zabuza. He was holding on through sheer willpower until just now."

Sakura's examination revealed that Kakashi's body was unharmed, but his chakra was completely depleted, and his muscles were exhausted. A faint trace of chakra was slowly flowing towards his left eye, likely due to the Sharingan. He just needed rest.

"Alright, Naruto, dig a pit here under this tree. We'll bury the boy and Zabuza," Sakura instructed.

"Oh, and call Dazuna over to help. Two people have already fainted protecting him; he should at least contribute some effort."

Naruto, despite having been through two major battles, had surprisingly few injuries. Sakura had taken two slashes on her arms from Zabuza. Naruto, thanks to Sakura's treatment and his own regenerative abilities, was already fine. He looked full of energy as he dug the pit, showing no signs of injury.

Later, Dazuna and Naruto buried Haku and Zabuza together.

"Young lady, I'm very sorry for what happened earlier. I was too selfish. But I have my reasons, and I hope you can understand me," Dazuna said to Sakura, apologizing after all the enemies had been eliminated.

Sakura turned her head to look at Dazuna. She truly found the old man annoying, but after hearing Naruto explain why he and Sasuke had come to her aid, her opinion of him had slightly improved.

"If you want us to understand you, you need to be honest. People who play mind games and aren't upfront will never be understood," Sakura said calmly, continuing to treat Kakashi's wounds from his battle with Zabuza.

"Yes, you're right, young lady. I was too selfish. Thank you for understanding me," Dazuna said, somewhat ashamed.

"You see the situation. Two people have already fallen while fighting the enemy. I'll leave my teacher to you to carry. We'll rest at your house for a few days. Is that alright?" Sakura stopped her treatment and addressed Dazuna.

"You can stay as long as you like, no problem at all! I'll take care of this teacher," Dazuna replied, his tone instantly becoming much more cheerful.

Sakura rolled her eyes, ignoring him. "Naruto, Sasuke is your responsibility. Okay?"

"Huh? Why do I have to carry him? I don't want to," Naruto grumbled, his temper flaring up now that the threat was gone.

"Well, who else can carry him? The old man has to carry Kakashi-sensei. I fought earlier and then used medical ninjutsu; I'm low on energy too. Who else is there besides you?" Sakura said with a smile, finding Naruto's childishness rather cute.

"Uh... Alright then," Naruto conceded, looking at the people standing around. It seemed he really was the only one available.

"Then let's go, Dazuna-san."

"Right."

After a day's journey, they finally arrived at Dazuna's house in the evening.

After settling Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto enjoyed a lavish dinner at Dazuna's house.

Perhaps it was Dazuna's gratitude and guilt towards Team Seven, or perhaps it was because the Land of Waves was coastal and had abundant seafood, but the dinner was exceptionally rich. In any case, Sakura was very satisfied with the meal, and the last bit of her resentment towards Dazuna vanished.

After dinner, Sakura took a hot bath and went for a walk nearby. Although the town wasn't wealthy, the scenery was quite beautiful.

Walking along the riverbank, Sakura reflected on the day's battles, analyzing her mistakes. First, during the fight with Zabuza, she'd overlooked the environment, causing her to fall into the enemy's attack rhythm from the very beginning, losing the initiative. Then, she hadn't properly understood her teammates; she'd only just learned that Naruto couldn't walk on water.

During the battle with Haku, she'd been led by his taijutsu towards the riverbank, and she hadn't paid attention to the elemental strengths and weaknesses, missing the best opportunity to strike. Most importantly, she hadn't fought with all her might because she was trying to conserve chakra for the final battle.

Heh, thinking about it, Sakura shook her head with a bitter smile. She'd truly prioritized the wrong things. She wanted to protect those she cared about, but because she was worried about something so far off, she hadn't gone all out, putting her friends in danger.

Future matters should be dealt with in the future. Present matters needed to be resolved now. Sakura made a firm decision in her heart.

Without realizing it, Sakura had walked to a wooden bridge. She looked up and saw Naruto there as well.

Seeing Naruto leaning on the bridge railing, lost in thought, Sakura walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Naruto, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to sleep when I left earlier."

"Ah! It's... it's Sakura-chan," Naruto exclaimed, clearly startled. He turned around and saw Sakura standing behind him. Seeing her still-damp pink hair after her bath, Naruto's face turned slightly red.

"Why are you here instead of sleeping? You're really energetic. You carried someone all day and still have so much energy," Sakura said with a smile, noticing Naruto's blush.

"Ha... haha, I just couldn't sleep," Naruto replied, stuttering slightly.

"You've been leaning here for a while. What are you thinking about?" Sakura asked, leaning on the railing beside Naruto and looking at him.

Naruto fell silent for a moment after hearing Sakura's question. Then, he said, "Today's events, you, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei... made me feel uncomfortable."

Sakura understood what Naruto meant. For Naruto, at this age, the darkness of the ninja world was something he hadn't had much exposure to. It was understandable that he couldn't accept it, especially growing up in Konoha. While Konoha was quite successful in its education, this darkness was something ninja would inevitably encounter.

Sasuke, due to his family's history, had already experienced this kind of trauma, so he was more likely to make rational judgments, even in the face of that grim darkness.

"Naruto, I just wanted to protect you. That's why I had to make those decisions," Sakura said with a gentle smile.