Picked up by a drunk?

Sasuke froze.

He turned to look at Sakura's unwavering, stubborn gaze.

Something stirred briefly in a corner of his heart that had long been frozen shut.

As he plunged into darkness, she was the only person willing to follow him without hesitation.

Sasuke let out a soft sigh. A little of the coldness in his eyes faded, replaced by a trace of tenderness and guilt.

In a flash, Sasuke appeared behind Sakura.

"Sakura... thank you."

The instant those words fell from his lips.

Before Sakura could react, a gentle knife-hand strike landed on the back of her neck.

Sakura's vision went black, and she lost consciousness at once.

Sasuke reached out and caught her securely as she slumped, carefully carrying her to a public bench beside the road and gently laying her flat.

He stood quietly beside her, gazing deeply at Sakura with emotions too complicated to express in his eyes.

After watching her for a moment, Sasuke finally looked away.

He turned and never looked back, resolutely walking toward Konoha's gate, toward the darkness, toward Orochimaru, one step at a time.

At the far end of the silent late-night street, a drunk reeking of alcohol staggered toward her.

He carried a sake gourd, mumbling to himself as he walked, his face haggard. "Booze... ah, drinking's all I've got left in this life... I'm this old, and I still can't even get a girlfriend..."

As he swayed along, his wandering gaze suddenly caught sight of Sakura sleeping motionlessly on the bench, and he stopped short.

He leaned closer to examine her, muttering, "Huh? What's a little girl doing sleeping on a bench?"

"Hey, a young girl like you shouldn't sleep outside. You'll catch a cold."

"There are plenty of bad people out these days. It's not safe. Come on, wake up."

"Ever since the Konoha Military Police Force disappeared, public safety's gotten so much worse these past few years. It's a damn mess!"

He reached out and gently nudged her twice, but Sasuke's knife-hand strike had knocked Sakura out cold. She showed no reaction whatsoever.

The drunk studied Sakura's delicate, peaceful face. A smile gradually crept into his eyes as he clicked his tongue. "How's she sleeping so deeply..."

"This little girl's pretty cute."

"Heh heh heh..."

The next second, the drunk stopped hesitating. He scooped up the unconscious Sakura, who had no way to resist, turned, and left, disappearing into the pitch-black night.

At the same time, the view on the Sky Screen shifted.

On a mountain path outside the village, Sasuke Uchiha came to a halt.

With his back to the dark mountain forest, he turned to gaze at the distant village of Konoha, sound asleep beneath its scattered lights.

This was the home where he had lived for years, the place where his few remaining bonds still lingered.

But there was no longer a path here that could make him stronger, no power that could support his revenge.

After a moment's gaze, the last trace of attachment in his eyes vanished completely.

Sasuke looked away and never looked back. His steps suddenly quickened as he resolutely headed in the direction Orochimaru had indicated, abandoning Konoha for good.

Beyond the Sky Screen, the entire Shinobi World erupted. Everyone was utterly stunned, and a frenzy of discussion swept across the land!

"Sasuke... he really deserted the village? He left Konoha for good!"

"When you think about it, he didn't have much choice. None of the powerful shinobi left in Konoha were suited to teaching him!"

"Ugh, it all comes back to that lunatic Uchiha Itachi!"

"Exactly! Sasuke was a perfectly fine young genius, and he was driven to the brink after his family was destroyed!"

"There's still light in Sasuke's heart. At least he couldn't bear to drag Sakura down with him. He left her in the light himself."

"Yeah, Sakura Haruno's pretty great too. She's utterly devoted to Sasuke, and she's smart. Why haven't I ever met a girl like that?"

Soon, everyone's attention abruptly shifted, and a strange unease rose in their hearts.

"Wait! Does nobody else think this is ridiculous?!"

"Just how bad is Konoha's security? An active-duty Genin could simply desert the village without any trouble?!"

"It is pretty strange, but didn't that drunk just say it? Ever since the Uchiha were wiped out, public safety in Konoha's gotten worse every year!"

"The old Konoha Military Police Force was what really kept Konoha safe!"

"After the massacre, I bet nobody wanted to bother anymore."

As those words rang out, someone suddenly snapped to attention, remembering the scene from moments earlier. A chill shot straight through them!

"Forget public safety! Sakura's the real issue here!!"

"An unconscious little girl with no way to fight back just got carried off by a single drunk!"

"Holy shit! He picked up an unconscious girl?"

"No, come on! Now that you've said that, my scalp's crawling! I've got a really bad feeling about this!"

"What's wrong with the Sky Screen? Why isn't it following Sakura? What's so interesting about Sasuke running away?"

An uproar swept through the Shinobi World, mingling curiosity with worry.

And Konoha, at the center of the storm, was shaken to its core. The entire village was in an uproar!

Countless Konoha Ninja and civilians wore looks of disbelief, their hearts filled with conflicting emotions.

"Could it be... wiping out the Uchiha really was Konoha's biggest mistake?!"

"Isn't that obvious? The Uchiha Clan might've been annoying, but they took their work seriously. If they were still around, the police force would definitely still be patrolling!"

"Exactly! And with the Uchiha Clan around, Sunagakure and Otogakure wouldn't dare invade Konoha so brazenly four years from now!"

"Lord Third was left without support. In the end, it was because the Uchiha Clan was no longer there to defend the village, and the other clans wouldn't come to his aid!"

"Is this what they mean by not appreciating something until it's gone?"

At Sakura Haruno's home, her parents watched the Sky Screen, chilled to the bone with fear, their hearts pounding and their faces filled with horror at what might have happened.

The thought of their daughter lying unconscious late at night and being carried off by a strange drunk nearly stopped their hearts, filling them with terror.

The husband and wife exchanged a look and silently made up their minds.

When Sakura returned, they would have to talk some sense into her and make her let go of her obsession with Sasuke Uchiha!

That boy certainly was handsome!

But he wasn't worth it!

Meanwhile, inside the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Sakura Haruno stood in the middle of the crowd, her face bright red, surrounded by girls her age.

The girls chattered nonstop, their eyes full of envy and admiration as they praised her. They all thought she was incredibly brave, daring to follow her heart without hesitation and pursue the person she loved. To them, she was the bravest of all.

Sakura lowered her head, her ears burning red, overwhelmed with embarrassment.

Nearby, Naruto watched with fury blazing inside him, his fists clenched tight as he shouted angrily at Sasuke, "Sasuke, you bastard!!"

"You actually knocked Sakura out! You left her all alone! That's going too far!"

But Sasuke Uchiha acted as though none of it concerned him, completely ignoring everyone's comments and Naruto's anger.

His eyes burned as he stared fixedly at his own figure heading into darkness on the Sky Screen.

There was no guilt in his eyes, no reluctance, no hesitation.

Only fervor and anticipation.

He wanted to know only one thing-

After joining Orochimaru four years from now, would he be able to grow stronger?

Would he gain the power to take revenge on Itachi?