Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Sakura... met Naruto's gaze.

Sakura knew that Naruto's bright red eyes would cruelly pull her into a dream, but she was not afraid.

Her blue eyes were filled with sadness, but there was no hatred directed at Naruto.

"I once tried to convince myself that if I just treated you and Sasuke as enemies of Konoha, I would live a more comfortable life... Ino, Shikamaru, those comrades in Konoha who had ties with you and Naruto in the past, it seems that they all made their own choices, endured the pain of breaking ties with you and Sasuke, and accepted the reality that everyone went from being comrades to enemies."

"But I found that I couldn't do it..."

Perhaps it's because although they had a bond since childhood, the days they truly spent together were few and far between.

Now that they have broken ties, Sakura unexpectedly gets the chance to talk to Naruto. She wants to make up for her past lack of understanding of Naruto and also wants Naruto to understand her better.

“I… I’ve always called myself your and Sasuke’s partner, and I’ve always been proud to have the bond with Team 7… You and Sasuke were right beside me, within my reach, but I was always only thinking of myself, and I couldn’t even see the pain and struggle you were going through…”

"It wasn't until you and Sasuke left that I realized my failure as a comrade."

If she had even a shred of awareness and responsibility as a companion of Naruto and Sasuke in the past... perhaps, just like the dream Naruto wove for her, she could have had a better ending.

The more Sakura tries to get closer to Naruto and Sasuke, the more she suffers because of the pain they cannot shake off. Rather than hating them, Sakura is more saddened by the pain inflicted on Naruto and Sasuke by others, which forces them onto a dark and rebellious path in life.

"I already know about your and Sasuke's declaration at the Five Kage Summit, and the purpose of starting this war..."

Sakura asked, "After unifying the ninja world... Ino, Shikamaru, Kakashi-sensei... can everyone in Konoha continue to live in the new world you two created?"

"Have you given up resistance before the war has even begun?"

"Stop mocking me, Naruto... You've already broken down my resistance at this moment."

Upon hearing Naruto's question, Sakura couldn't help but give a wry smile.

Her determination to face Naruto and Sasuke alone seemed utterly ridiculous at this moment.

Sakura didn't even know when she fell into the genjutsu. She spent "unknown" years immersed in the dream Naruto had woven for her before belatedly struggling to break free.

Her resistance has failed.

She had no chance to defeat Naruto head-on, nor could she find the weakness in the genjutsu that Naruto perceived.

She's still alive only because Naruto didn't kill her.

But he was still alive, and he proved to Sakura that the bonds Naruto "faked" in Konoha were not entirely fake.

"I think they'll probably live in the new ninja world, after all, your Mangekyou Sharingan's genjutsu can manipulate reality at will..."

The chains of hatred break and dissolve in dreams, which is not without its purpose in erasing the shackles of hatred in the world.

“Sakura, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t intend to use ‘Kotoamatsukami’ to create beautiful dreams for everyone.”

Naruto vehemently refuted Sakura's conjecture: "The wrong person enjoys happiness in their dream without realizing their mistake. Instead, they will subconsciously believe that everything they do is the right choice—the wrong means have yielded the right result. Once this kind of thinking starts to spread, the endless beautiful dream will be awakened by the cruel reality."

"Sasuke and I's revolution in the ninja world did not stem from a sense of righteousness, but from our personal desire for revenge—and our anxiety about the greater crisis that was about to befall us in reality."

Sakura knew all too well what Naruto meant by "revenge."

Naruto and Sasuke have successfully completed their "revenge," and the pain has been deeply ingrained in the hearts of everyone in Konoha.

Furthermore, because of the power displayed by Naruto and Sasuke, Konoha no longer felt hatred towards the two who caused them pain, but fear—fear that the flames of revenge in Naruto and Sasuke's hearts had not yet been extinguished, fear that the flames of revenge would reignite.

"What is the even greater crisis that is about to unfold?"

What Sakura didn't understand was the second half of Naruto's sentence.

"The true history of the ninja world, the origin of chakra, and the extraterrestrial clan that coveted the ninja world—the Otsutsuki."

Naruto replied, "The ninjas who live comfortably in a distorted history, who do not face history squarely, are repeating the mistakes of history one after another. In endless infighting, they have forgotten their true enemies. This is the erroneous ninja world we live in today."

"My revolution with Sasuke is about correcting the distortions of a false history."

"Faced with the impending invasion of the Otsutsuki clan, a divided ninja world will not help protect the ninja world at all, but will only be a hindrance. If the five great nations do not want unification, the absolute violence that Sasuke and I possess will bring about such a result in the bloodiest way—I will not use Kotoamatsukami to tamper with the memories of the five great nations. In the unified new ninja world, Sasuke and I will still be traitorous ninjas who bring irreparable pain to the ninja world."

"History records things as they happen."

"The daimyo, who represent the aristocratic class, will disappear in the thousand-year history of the ninja world, and the five Kage, who are supporters of the aristocratic class and control armed forces, will also be reshuffled."

"Therefore, Sasuke and I will not lead the ninja world; a unified ninja world needs a completely new leader."

Naruto's words implied a more thorough reform of the ninja world than Sakura had imagined.

"Will there really be a leader capable of leading the ninja world in a unified one?"

Listening to Naruto's eloquent speech, Sakura, unable to contain her imagination, subconsciously voiced her concerns.

For a thousand years, the ninja world has never had the concept of "unification," not even the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, could achieve such a thing.

Even a perfect person like Hashirama Senju, with his charisma and strength, would face skepticism and opposition from his close friend Madara Uchiha if he merely managed Konoha and protected the Land of Fire—let alone lead the entire ninja world.

"There are no perfect people in the world, so it is enough to just try your best to become one."

Naruto's next words to Sakura shocked her: "Sakura, since your dream is to become Hokage, why don't you try to become that person?"

There was no mockery in Naruto's tone; he genuinely wanted Sakura to become the leader of the entire ninja world...

No, not Naruto—

Sakura's dream of becoming Hokage was a dream she never had the chance to tell Naruto.

Naruto shouldn't know about her dream.

But someone close to Naruto knows Sakura's dream.

"So you and Sasuke deliberately revealed your hiding place so that... you could see me?"

When it came to herself, Sakura suddenly became insecure.

She always felt that she was insignificant in Naruto and Sasuke's hearts, and her desire to bring them back was always just wishful thinking on her part.

But it seems that it's not just Sakura's wishful thinking.

"People are people, and their value is equal. The so-called differences are all accumulated through life experiences. Since they can be cultivated, everyone has irreplaceable value because no one can predict the future."

Sakura may not have the talent to be a leader, but that doesn't mean she can't be one.

Since a leader must be chosen from a unified ninja world, Sakura, whom Sasuke and Naruto both know well, is the best candidate.

Sakura is also the only one who has a deep connection with both Naruto and Sasuke.

"Only in the application of genjutsu can no ninjutsu surpass the Sharingan—Nara Shikaku, who participated in the Five Kage Summit, will definitely send you here when he returns to Konoha."

This is the confidence of the Uchiha clan.

Now, a boy from the Uchiha clan with heterochromatic eyes, one red and one purple, appeared behind Sakura.

"Sasuke..."

Sakura softly called Sasuke's name, her gaze sweeping over Sasuke and Naruto beside him.

Naruto arrived with Sasuke... This means that the person who was talking to Sakura earlier was... Sakura looked back at the spot where Naruto had been talking to her, but Naruto was no longer there.

It is Naruto's most proficient Shadow Clone Technique.

The real Naruto, who arrived with Sasuke, simply said something under Sakura's watchful gaze:

"Sakura, the war is over."

Sakura had a premonition about this... She had already noticed something was wrong with her body when she broke free from "Kotoamatsukami".

It's already lucky enough to be able to break free of such an illusion on your own; there's no way to expect it to be dispelled in a short time.

The war was over, and Sasuke and Naruto appeared safely before Sakura.

The outcome of the war was predictable.

Sakura awakens from her beautiful dream to find herself in a brand new ninja world.

And the future of the ninja world is so unrealistically in her hands.

"Naruto and I will wipe out the Otsutsuki clan, who will inevitably descend upon us..."

Naruto and Sasuke have already made their decisions about their future choices in the ninja world.

Now it's Sakura's turn to make a choice for the future of the ninja world.

"Sakura, what is your choice?"

【THAN】