In the quiet hall of Sunagakure, the gathered attendees sat silently in their seats, looking up toward the front.
The people who had come from across the Land of Wind were varied… old and young, fat or thin, ugly or handsome... Ninja in flak jackets, villagers with sun-tanned skin, dignitaries, and two Ninja from the Land of Fire all sat together on the same benches, a rather peculiar sight.
This should have been a mourning hall, yet there was no portrait of the deceased, no wreaths, no coffin. The entire hall was plain, like a ruin buried by time.
"My sister said not to leave a gravestone for her, but..."
The old man named Ebizo stuck out his tongue. "Who told her to bully me every day when she was alive? So now that she's gone, I'll rebel just this once!"
"Gravestones were never meant to be markers for those supposedly bound for heaven. Their existence is solely for the living to have a place to entrust their memories."
"Cherishing, regret, remembrance, longing... Human emotions connect through this stone. It's also the reason we can gather here today."
On the high platform, the calm voice continued.
"Finally, I suggest we mourn for her for just a while. Don't let too much of your time linger on those who have departed. I believe they would rather see us walking straight into the future with our heads held high!"
Many who had received Chiyo's kindness had already begun to sob softly. Even in her final moments, Chiyo believed her actions had brought disaster to the village.
Yet those who survived because of her would still mourn her.
No matter what tomorrow brings, today, people still exercise their unique right as the living to mourn.
A full three minutes.
Even if only three minutes.
Countless people dedicated three minutes of their lives to mourn Chiyo.
This was Sunagakure's simplest response to Chiyo's life.
A dull bell tolled. Villagers stepped into fields awaiting cultivation, vendors returned to their shops, Ninja resumed their village duties, officials sat back on their high platforms...
And the world continued to operate in its complex, winding way, not stopping for anyone's departure.
…
"Ah, an unfamiliar ceiling!"
Waking from the darkness, Sakura saw the Sunagakure-style hospital ceiling. She tried to turn over but felt a sense of crowding.
Though it might sound ungrateful, as a Medical-Nin, she had to say from a professional standpoint:
Your medical environment is really terrible!
Taking a deep breath, a refreshing coolness spread through her lungs with the air, making the girl involuntarily stretch. She heard crackling sounds from within her body.
It was as if she had finally stepped from a long seedling period into maturity. Her body's strength was growing rapidly. In the end, uncontrollable, terrifying power flowed between her muscles, as if she could casually carry an island.
"Huh? What's this?"
Sakura raised a hand, intending to rub her head, but found a massive palm disproportionate to the surrounding space.
Using Observation Haki, she confirmed from the disparity between herself and her surroundings that she was now nearly six meters tall.
It was a wonder they found such a large hospital gown and managed to piece together so many hospital beds to barely make a single room for her.
'System! Is there still hope for me?'
Sakura helplessly rotated her large hand, asking in her mind.
Then, golden light slowly flickered before her eyes, outlining a line of text.
[Status updated. Can use Life Return to change host's state.]
'Huh! Let me try?!'
Hearing the system, Sakura closed her eyes, trying to let her will flow to every corner of her body.
Immediately, her body rapidly shrank, finally returning to the normal size for people in the Ninja World.
'Finally back to normal. But what exactly happened? How did I grow so much all at once?'
Getting up from the hospital bed, the girl in an ill-fitting hospital gown looked at her reflection in the glass window.
[Notice: After devouring and assimilating the invasive alien data, the host has fully developed, entering adulthood.]
[Now obtained initial Oni talents: Steel Skin, Great Strength. Oni weakness: Fear of Cold.]
'Alien data... adulthood... Oni weakness?'
Sakura still had some memory of the final battle. She was implanted with a Kama by an Otsutsuki hidden in the Ninja World, becoming their vessel for resurrection.
But judging from the system's current displayed status, that Kama was most likely devoured and assimilated by her system and physique, causing some evolution.
"Well, a blessing in disguise, I guess!"
Sakura stretched, took clothes from a scroll beside the bed, changed, and prepared to lie back down to rest.
However, Sasuke, who routinely came to visit, saw she was awake. His weary but grave expression finally relaxed.
"Sakura!"
Naruto behind him, tearful, rushed toward her, performing a flying leap in mid-air.
"Hey, don't jump on me!"
Forgetting that her strength had surged, Sakura casually waved her hand, stirring up a massive storm inside the room.
Naruto, mid-air, was caught by the suddenly swirling air current, howling as he flew backward, crashing through a wall and hanging there.
Sasuke, carrying a basket of fruit, stepped over Naruto, walked to the bedside, and sat down. "You've been unconscious for three days. If you didn't wake up soon, the Fifth was about to personally come to Sunagakure!"
"Three days... so I've missed fifteen meals!!!" Sakura's eyes widened.
Naruto on the wall struggled to pull his head out, walking toward the two with a grin. "Hahaha, so typical of Sakura. The first thing upon waking is worrying about food."
The news of Sakura's awakening soon reached Sunagakure. After several rounds of visits...
Not wanting to engage in hypocritical pleasantries with Sunagakure's higher-ups, she simply used Medical Ninjutsu to heal herself, hurriedly packed, and prepared to embark on the return journey.
"Let's go, time to head back!"
Already packed, Sakura walked toward Naruto and Sasuke, waving as she left the hospital.
"Ah, you're leaving already? At least rest one more day."
At Sunagakure's main gate, Temari, who had come to see them off, tried to persuade them to stay.
Her feelings toward the Konoha's group, especially a certain someone, were complex.
On one hand, the matter with Rasa was indeed a difficult hurdle to bypass. On the other hand, they were now the saviors of Gaara and Kankuro.
Unable to feel hatred toward them, yet unable to completely see them as benefactors, Temari's smile carried a trace of bitterness.
Sakura shook her head in refusal. "We've already delayed too long. Matters about Akatsuki, Uchiha Itachi, and the one who ambushed me need to be reported to Konoha in person as soon as possible. So we'll take our leave first!"
"Gaara, you got ahead of me this time. Next time we meet, I'll definitely become Konoha's Sixth Hokage!"
Naruto, reluctantly parting from Gaara nearby, grinned, giving Gaara a thumbs-up.
"If it's you..." Gaara extended a hand, shaking Naruto's. "...you can definitely become Hokage."
After farewells, the three waved at Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, who had come to see them off. Then they turned and set off toward Konoha's direction.