novelhk Chapter 245 Sakura
Chapter 245 Sakura
On the stone wall of the Tian Kingdom ruins, the Uchiha stele glowed with a dark golden light.
As Sasuke's fingertips dripped blood onto the grooves of the monument, the entire ruins suddenly trembled violently, and rubble rained down from the dome, seemingly burying them completely. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly in its sockets, and within his pinwheel-shaped pupils, the patterns of the reorganized magatama gradually emerged—this was what Ototake had called "a sign of the Mangekyō's evolution," a symbol that he was one step closer to revenge.
"Chakra fluctuations are becoming disordered!" Sakura's chakra network trembled violently, like silk cloth torn by a strong wind. She could clearly see Sasuke's chakra surging through his meridians like uncontrolled magma, especially around his eyes. The power of the Uchiha bloodline was expanding at a terrifying rate, as if it was about to burst his eyeballs.
Sasuke didn't respond, his teeth clacking. The dark golden lines on the stone tablet crawled along his fingertips and up his arm, creating an eerie resonance with the curse seal within him. The previously suppressed curse seal poison suddenly erupted, and black lines snaked around his neck like a greedy snake, biting into his spiritual core.
"Ugh—!" A scream of pain escaped Sasuke's throat. His Mangekyō suddenly lost control, and the black fire of Amaterasu burst out of his pupils without guidance, burning bottomless gullies in the ground. The heat of the flames distorted the surrounding air, and Sakura's hair was blown back by the heat wave, but she did not retreat a single step.
Her chakra perception network captured an even more terrifying scene: Sasuke's meridians were collapsing at a speed visible to the naked eye, especially the optic nerve connected to the Sharingan, which had already developed spider-web-like cracks. Once completely broken, he would not only lose the opportunity to evolve, but also become permanently blind.
"Sasuke! Focus!" Sakura screamed, rushing forward and pressing her hands to Sasuke's temples. A green palm-sense light instantly enveloped his head, but this gentle healing power, in the face of the rampaging Uchiha chakra, was like a piece of paper thrown into a sea of fire, instantly burning to ash.
Sasuke's body convulsed violently. The Amaterasu's flames suddenly shifted, brushing past Sakura's shoulder and burning a large hole in the stone wall behind her. Hot stone chips splattered on her arm, leaving a trail of blisters, but her grip remained unwavering. "Master Ototake taught me the Uzumaki Clan's 'Bloodline Resonance Technique!' I can help you stabilize your chakra!"
Before Sasuke could react, Sakura bit her tongue, blood dripping onto their touching skin. The distinctive crimson glow of the Uzumaki bloodline spread across her palm, intertwining with Sasuke's Uchiha chakra. Her sensory network fully extended, like countless fine needles, carefully combing through the chaotic energy flows within his body, guiding the stray chakra bit by bit into the correct meridians.
Sasuke could clearly sense the gentle yet resilient strength. Sakura's chakra carried the faint scent of cherry blossoms, similar to the scent of his mother in his memory, but with an added element of undeniable determination. Images of Sakura began to surface in his kaleidoscope—the way she'd tugged at his wrist in the Land of Rain, her focused profile as she bandaged his wound, and now, the stubborn expression on her face as she pressed firmly against his temple, sweat forming on her forehead in pain.
"Leave... me alone..." Sasuke's voice was intermittent. He could feel Sakura's vitality rapidly draining away. Her chakra fluctuations were getting weaker and weaker, and her once rosy cheeks turned pale as paper. Only her pink hair was particularly dazzling in the firelight.
Sakura ignored him and instead poured more chakra into him. Her sensory network detected the cracks in Sasuke's optic nerve slowly healing, the patterns in his kaleidoscope gradually stabilizing, and a faint golden hue began to appear around the edges of his pinwheel-shaped pupils—a sign of successful evolution.
"Almost there... Hold on a little longer..." Her voice was panting, and her vision began to darken. The Uzumaki Clan's blood resonance technique required the sacrifice of one's own vitality. At this moment, her heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, and every beat was accompanied by a tearing pain.
Just as Sasuke's Mangekyo completely stabilized, revealing its golden lines, Sakura's chakra suddenly cut out. She fell backward like a puppet with its strings cut. Before she lost consciousness, she saw her own falling form reflected in Sasuke's Mangekyo. For the first time, a panic she had never seen before appeared in those usually cold eyes.
The moment Sasuke caught Sakura, he felt her in his arms as light as a feather. His fingertips touched the blisters on her arm, the skin cold from excessive blood loss, and his heart ached as if it were being burned by the flames of Amaterasu. He looked down at Sakura's pale face, the kaleidoscope clearly reflecting her furrowed brow and the blood at the corner of her mouth.
"Sakura..." His voice was a little hoarse. This was the first time he had called out her name in full. He remembered how she had just desperately injected chakra into him, how she always followed him silently, and how she had left three bite marks on his back in her quest to obtain the Uchiha Stone Tablet Scroll.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the ruins. It was the pursuers from Konoha's roots. Sasuke carefully carried Sakura to the shadows behind the stone tablet and used his chakra to create a barrier around her. The black flames of Amaterasu burned outside the barrier, forming a wall of fire that no one could approach.
"No one should touch her." Sasuke stood up, the Kusanagi sword in his hand gleaming with golden light—a new ability granted by his evolved Mangekyō, capable of compressing the flames of Amaterasu into a sharp blade. His eyes were cold as ice, and the golden lines within the Mangekyō shimmered with a dangerous light, a stark contrast to the panic he had shown before Sakura.
The first Root ninja who rushed in didn't even have the chance to see Sasuke's movements before he was cut in half by the golden flaming blade. Blood splattered on the wall of fire, making a sizzling sound, but it couldn't shake the black flame barrier at all.
"The remnants of the Uchiha clan still dare to resist!" The leading ninja wore a mask, and the Sharingan on his right arm rotated at the same time, and dozens of wind-style kunai shot towards Sasuke.
Sasuke's Mangekyō easily predicted the trajectory of the kunai, and the golden flaming blade drew a perfect arc in his hand, severing all the kunai. His figure instantly disappeared from the spot, and the next second he appeared behind the leading ninja, and the flaming blade accurately pierced the opponent's heart.
"I will settle every single one of your injuries to her." Sasuke's voice was filled with murderous intent. His Mangekyō swept across the remaining ninja, its golden lines causing them to retreat instinctively. They had never seen an Uchiha ninja like him. He possessed the terror of Amaterasu's flames and a perceptive eye beyond even Kotoamatsukami. More importantly, each of his attacks was laced with a determination to perish together.
The battle ended quickly, and all the Root ninjas fell outside the wall of fire. Sasuke did not immediately return to Sakura. Instead, he crouched down and used the Kusanagi sword to dig out each ninja's Sharingan - the chakra contained in these eyes might be used to heal Sakura.
When he returned to Sakura's side, he noticed her fingers twitching slightly. He immediately crouched down and placed his ear against her chest, hearing a faint yet steady heartbeat. He carefully crushed the Sharingan crystal he had dug out, mixed it with his own blood, and dripped it onto Sakura's lips.
The Uchiha's chakra resonated with the Uzumaki bloodline once again, and Sakura's face gradually regained a hint of color. Sasuke watched her frown relax, and his tense body finally relaxed. He sat beside her, gently resting her head on his shoulder, the Kusanagi sword between them, and stared vigilantly at the entrance to the ruins.
Moonlight shone through the cracks in the ruins, falling on the two of them. Sasuke looked down at Sakura's peaceful sleeping face, the golden lines in the kaleidoscope gradually softening. He remembered what Yinzhu once said: "True power is not for revenge, but for protecting those you want to protect."
He hadn't understood this before, believing that power was meant for revenge against Konoha and Itachi. But now, holding Sakura in his arms, feeling her weak yet tenacious vitality, he suddenly understood. The evolved Mangekyo wasn't meant to make him more powerful for destruction, but to give him the ability to protect this girl who always risked everything for him.
His fingertips gently brushed over the burn blisters on Sakura's arm, which had begun to heal, leaving a faint scar. He knew that this scar, like the bond between them, would remain in their lives forever.
After an unknown amount of time, Sakura's eyelashes trembled slightly. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Sasuke's face close at hand. His golden kaleidoscope eyes were staring at her intently, no longer cold as before, but with a gentleness she had never seen before.
"Sasuke..." Her voice was still a little weak, but with a hint of reassuring smile.
Sasuke's body stiffened for a moment, then he softly hummed. He carefully helped her up, pulled out the special healing potion Yinzhu had given him, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her: "Drink it."
Sakura took the potion and looked at Sasuke's still pale face. She knew that he must have used his Mangekyō again to protect her. She didn't drink it immediately, but held the bottle to his lips and said, "You drink it too. Your wounds haven't healed yet."
Sasuke was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head slightly and took a sip of the potion. A bitter taste spread in his mouth, but he felt that it was sweeter than anything else.
Under the moonlight, two figures snuggled beside the stone tablet, their pink hair occasionally intertwined with black hair, and the golden kaleidoscope reflected the green eyes. In the silent ruins, they composed a deeper bond between Blade and Sakura.
The sky in the distance was already turning pale.
Sasuke knew that a new day was about to dawn. His road to revenge might still be long, but from now on, he would no longer be alone. By his side, there would be a girl who was willing to exhaust her strength for him, and he would use his evolved strength to support a sky without harm for her.